Perfect Timing - A Christmas Mediation

Galatians 4:4 when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

God's big plans for Jesus' first advent included all of history
Is it not amazing how much time and effort is put into planning for Christmas day. My wife for example will begin shopping piece by piece as early as June. Such a head start may seem extreme, however she has learned that it is far better to stretch out the shopping over a long period of time than trying to come up with it the week before. 

When it came to God planning to send His Eternal Son into the world, how long had the plan been in place? Scripture indicates that Jesus' first advent was in the works from all eternity and would incorporate all of Old Testament history. (Ephesians 1:11; 2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 1:1-4) How big was the scope of God's timing in the bringing about of the Son of God into this world?  When we consider the whole of history from Genesis up to the time of Jesus' birth, it is amazing to think about everything God orchestrated to make the entry of the Son of God into the world a possibility:

1. 3600 years from Genesis to Malachi.  From Adam to Noah = 1656 years.  From Noah to Abraham = another 350 to 400 years.  From Abraham to the end of Genesis = around 250 or so years.  From Moses' day in Exodus to David's time in 1 Samuel is around 400 years.  From David to Malachi's day is another 600 or so years.  God orchestrated the rise and fall of at least four world empires, countless wars and 109 prophecies in preparation for when He would come.

2. The silent years between Malachi and Matthew.  From Malachi to Matthew we see the word of God not being spoken.  Just because God hid His face did not mean His hand was not at work behind the scenes.  In this period of time, three world empires rose and fell.  At the end of the Old Testament, Babylon was in power.  In 539 b.c Babylon fell to the Medo-Persia Empire.  This empire, predicted and spoken of in Daniel 2 and 7, was the first to begin the practice of crucifixion. 

Next came the Greeks, under Alexander the Great in 333 b.c.  After conquering Persia, Alexander began his program of making the whole world like the Greeks.  Everyone under his domain would speak Greek.  This language would be the language of the New Testament.  The Jews also made the world's first Bible translation - the Septuagint, in 275 b.c.

Greece gave away to Rome and the Roman empire devised the 50,000 mile roadway system throughout the Medditeranean world called "The Roman Road". It would be quite useful, especially when the early church would come to spread the goodnews of Jesus Christ. 

Rome by Jesus' day was experiencing political unreast in the Holy land.  Power had changed hands, and populations of people were being redistributed.  This is what prompted Caesar Augustus to issue the decree for everyone to return to their hometown to be counted.  Because of that decree, Jesus would be born in Bethlehem, as predicted in the book of Micah.

3. The prophecies of the Old Testament. When you count up all of the prophecies that predict the first coming of Jesus Christ, the grand total comes to 109!  Some of these are so extraordinary, they are worthy of mention.  Genesis 49:10 tells us what tribe in Israel the Messiah would derive - from Judah.  Isaiah 7:14 tells us He would be virgin born, with Isaiah 9:6-7 revealing Him as both human and Divine.  Isaiah 53 reveals He would suffer and die, with Zechariah 12:10 using the term "pierced" to describe the marks on his hands and feet.  Psalm 22 unfolds the words He would speak on the cross and Micah 5:2-4 uncovers the place of His birth. 

All in all, God alone can cover the scope of the timing of events, peoples and places - for He alone is Big enough, Powerful enough and knowing enough to accomplish it.  As the Angel said to Mary in Luke 1:37, following the birth announcements of John the Baptist and the Savior: "For nothing is impossible with God!" The timing of Christmas shows us that salvation is of the Lord! The timing of Christmas was perfect timing, because by it the Eternal Son came to be perfect God in perfect human flesh. 

Life and Worship Application of Jesus being the light of the world

John 1:9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

Introduction:

Yesterday we considered the question: what is meant by Jesus' statement about He being "The Light"? It was demonstrated the many scriptures that either refer to Jesus Himself and/or Yahweh of the Old Testament, the description of Jesus as "The Light" is yet another affirmation of His Deity. Today's post will focus specifically on the statements in John's writings that refer to Jesus Christ as "The Light". The goal is to glean specific life application so as to aid the reader in applying the implications of Jesus' identity to their lives. Furthermore, by considering such life application, a final worship application will urge the reader to use this title "The Light" to give praise and honor to Jesus Christ, "The Light of the World".

Life Application Jesus as "The Light of the World" in John's writings

A quick survey of John's usage of this title in his Gospel and writings will unfold the significance of Jesus Christ as "The Light". 

1. True Light. John 1:9  - "There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." Following Jesus Christ will aid you and I to always have the truth we need for salvation and daily living. In a world where many people claim there is no such thing as "absolute truth", the scriptures reveal that such truth exists not only in principle but in the Person of the Son Who is both God and man. John 3:19 states - "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil." 

2. Illuminating Light. John 8:12 - "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” Whenever we fellowship and walk with Jesus Christ, the light of the world, we have illumination. Without Jesus Christ, I would not know "who I am" or "Whose I am". Moreover, we would not be able to make sense of the scriptures, which the Holy Spirit illumines for the sake of showing us Jesus Christ, The Great Illuminator! John 12:46 states - "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness." John then writes in 1 John 1:5,7 - "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." 7. but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

3. Hopeful Light. 1 John 2:8 - "On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining." To have Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, means we have unending hope in a hopeless world, joy in the midst of sorrow and clarity amidst much confusion. Revelation 22:5 portrays the ultimate destiny of followers of Jesus - "And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever." The logic that is gleaned from these texts with regards to Jesus Christ's identity as "The Light" can be summarized in the following syllogism (logical argument):

1. God is the Light                               2. Jesus Christ is called "The Light"       Therefore Jesus Christ is God

Worship Application Jesus as "The Light of the World" in John's writings

We have seen that Jesus Christ as "The Light of the World" is the True light, the Illuminating light and the Hopeful Light. When we bow our hearts and knees to Him as Savior and Lord, His truth makes clear the identity to which God has called us to be. We have fellowship and closeness with the very God of eternity. As the glory of Jesus Christ illuminates our hearts and minds to Himself, we discover that worship is likened to a bride kissing her husband. The veil of what the natural mind perceives to be important is pulled back and all things are wide-open before Him Who knows all and sees all. Then as the Hopeful light, we can live a 24/7 lifestyle of worship and praise to the One Who saved us and bought us. Matthew 5:16 has Jesus reminding us - "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." It has been said that it is more effective to light a candle than curse the darkness. Paul writes in Philippians 2:15-16  "so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, 16 holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain." 

May you and I make our light so shine before men and may we hold forth to a dark and dying world the light of the incarnate Son - the Light of the World. 

The Significance of Jesus being the Light of the World

John 1:9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

Introduction:

What is meant by Jesus' statement about He being "The Light"? That is the question that will be answered in today's post. As will be demonstrated in a survey of the many scriptures that either refer to Jesus Himself and/or Yahweh of the Old Testament, the description of Jesus as "The Light" is yet another affirmation of His Deity. 

Understanding Jesus as "The Light of the World" in John's writings

A quick survey of John's usage of this title in his Gospel and writings will unfold the significance of Jesus Christ as "The Light". 

1. John 1:9  - "There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man." 

2. John 3:19 - "This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil." 

3. John 8:12 - "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” 

4. John 12:46 - "I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness." 

5. 1 John 1:5,7 - "This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all." 7. but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

6. 1 John 2:8 - "On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true Light is already shining." 

7. Revelation 22:5 - "And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them; and they will reign forever and ever." The logic that is gleaned from these texts with regards to Jesus Christ's identity as "The Light" can be summarized in the following syllogism (logical argument):

1. God is the Light                               2. Jesus Christ is called "The Light"       Therefore Jesus Christ is God

The significance of the title "Light" in the wider circle of scripture

This logic in John's writings affirms what the scripture teaches about the essence of God's Deity. 

1. Psalm 36:6 tells us that "in His light we see light". 

2. Isaiah 60:1 prophetically speaks about the coming Messiah who is equated in power and glory with Yahweh - “Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the Lord has risen upon you." 

3. Daniel sees what appears to be a pre-incarnate vision of the Eternal Son in Daniel 10:6 "His body also was like beryl, his face had the appearance of lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a tumult." Such a description matches John's description of Jesus in Revelation 1:14-15 "His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. 15 His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters."

Closing Thoughts:

Today's post aimed to unfold the significance behind Jesus being the Light of the world. We surveyed John's writings, where this title appears most frequently, and demonstrated that Jesus' usage of it for Himself asserts He being God in human flesh. Further study showed the following logic:

1. God is the Light

2. Jesus is the the light

Therefore Jesus is God

Knowing that Jesus is the light of the world brings great assurance, being that He who was incarnated in human flesh and ever will be was none other than God Himself in human flesh - Jesus Christ. 

What the Miraculous Son came to Achieve: A miraculous Ascension

Ephesians 2:5-10  "even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."

Introduction and Review:
Everything Jesus came to achieve in the realm of His humanity was so that all who by grace through faith heed the call to salvation can experience everything he experienced. Jesus Christ had a miraculous birth so that all sinners Divinely affected by the Spirit through the scriptures could have a miraculous birth. In yesterday's post we saw that when Jesus died on the cross as the crucified One, this meant that the Christian could say: "I have been crucified with Christ...." (Galatians 2:20). When Jesus raised from the dead, guess what? every Christian could also say they too have been raised to walk forth in newness of life! (Romans 6:4-11; 8:11) Today we aim to conclude this short series on what the Miraculous Son came to achieve in His incarnation by noting that he came to achieve a miraculous ascension. Just like His birth, death and resurrection, the ascension is used in the New Testament to describe the experiential life and identity of the Christ follower today. 

Just as Jesus is seated in the Heavenly realms, Christians too can say the same thing positionally and spiritually about themselves. 
Since Jesus Christ ascended into heaven in glorified, physical, resurrected humanity - the Christian now can say they are spiritually seated in the heavens with Jesus and look forward to when He returns to give them a glorified, physical, resurrected body like His own. (Ephesians 2:6-11; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58) Why is this truth so important?

Jesus ascended to provide power for Christian living
The ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven was not only a historical event, and a cosmic event but also an event that would provide the basis for Christian living for every generation of the converted church. Theologian William Conner notes: The whole New Testament after the Gospels is written from the standpoint of the exalted Christ. The writers do not so much look back to the historic Jesus as they look up to the glorified Christ." To clarify further what Conner is talking about, I heard a preacher make the following statement that aids in summarizing the entire New Testament: "Who Jesus Was is found in the Old Testament and the Gospels; Who Jesus is now is found in Acts and the Epistles; who Jesus will be is found in His return in the Book of Revelation."  

As I come to know "Whose I am", I discover "who I am". Those two fundamental truths, if retained, function as the bedrock of practical everyday Christian life. The following scriptures serve to show how Jesus' ascension is the power source for the Christian life:

1. Ephesians 1:18-20 "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places."

2. Colossians 3:1-3 "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God."

3. Hebrews 4:14-16 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. 16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

4. 1 Peter 3:22-4:2 "who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him. (4:1) Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for the lusts of men, but for the will of God."

So another reason to rejoice in the ascended Jesus is due to the fact He provides power for Christian living, and really Christian identity.  By focusing upon the ascended Jesus, our joy in Him increases. Christians are literally "co-enthroned" with Jesus in the heavenly realms. 

We as Christian people need to realize all that Jesus achieved in His incarnation
So many Christians, including myself at times, live below the level to which God has called us. Since Jesus came to this world as incarnate Deity, that means that we have something in common with Him and he with us. Through Jesus Christ and the person of the Holy Spirit was are able to partake of the Divine nature. Simply put - we get to experience life with God by interaction with the energies he makes available to His people. However, it must be equally affirmed that the Christian life is not just about attaining power for living in the soul, but also a change of mind and re-orientation as to how I treat my physical body and how Christians live as people in this world. Jesus came as a man and remained in his physical humanity following His resurrection from the dead. 

As the ascended God-man, his humanity is shared by all true Christians, and He with them. (Hebrews 2:11-15) The language of "partaking" applies just as equally in the Deity of Jesus as it does in His humanity. When we celebrate the Lord's table, the pictorial reality of that meal conveys the literal, spiritual reality of Jesus Christ joining with us and in us at that moment and everyday of the Christian walk. Jesus' ascension achieved the power to walk above my hang-ups and for Him to walk in me and through me.

Closing thoughts:
In these past several posts we have attempted to show the reader how Jesus' Christ, the Miraculous Son, came to earth in His incarnation to achieve four life-practical truths for people who are by grace through faith redeemed in Him:

1. He achieved a miraculous birth to make available the New birth

2. He achieved a miraculous death and resurrection to make actual a co-crucifixion and co-resurrection for every believer in Him

3. He achieved a miraculous ascension whereby the Christian in their identity could begin to enjoy co-enthronement with Him. 

What the Miraculous Son came to Achieve: A miraculous Death & Resurrection

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

Introduction and review
Yesterday we considered the first reason as to why the Miraculous Son, Jesus Christ, came to earth in His first advent. We discovered He came to achieve a miraculous birth that would be the basis for the Christian's new birth. We noted that the reflection of the Miraculous Son's humanity is to be seen in the Christian's humanity. 
In other words, as seen in today's posts and the up and coming one's, everything Jesus came to achieve in the realm of His humanity was so that all who by grace through faith heed the call to salvation can experience everything he experienced. Jesus Christ had a miraculous birth so that all sinners Divinely affected by the Spirit through the scriptures could have a miraculous birth. Today we want to consider how Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection not only provided the basis for salvation but also the basis for the Christian's ongoing sanctification or process for becoming more like Jesus Christ.

Linking Jesus' crucifixion to the believer's co-crucifixion
How many events do you and I know of that occurred over 2,000 years ago and that have personal relevance to us today? Only one: the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Four Gospels present to us the event and life of Jesus Christ. The Book of Acts and the Epistles present to the reader the experience of life that occurs when they by faith connect to Jesus Christ. Quite literally - every child of God can say they have been "co-crucified" and "co-resurrected". The Person and work of Jesus Christ is inserted into the sinner's timeline at saving faith. There are so many scriptures that speak about believers having been "co-crucified" and "co-resurrected" in Jesus Christ. For brevity's sake, I will list three of them which speak most explicitly from the Book of Galatians, and mention the others by simple reference:

1. Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me."

2. Galatians 5:24 "Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires."

3. Galatians 6:14 "But may it never be that I would boast, except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." Other scriptures that link Jesus' crucifixion to the Christian's co-crucifixion are: Romans 6:3-11; 8:3-4; Colossians 2:11-14).

Linking Jesus' resurrection to the believer's co-resurrection
Every Christian can also say they too have been raised to walk forth in newness of life! (Romans 6:4-11; 8:11) Notice a few scriptures that explicitly connect the believer's co-resurrection to Jesus':

1. Romans 8:11 "But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you."

2. Colossians 2:13-14 "When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, 14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross."

3. Ephesians 2:5  "even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)".

Putting it all together
The story is told of Dr. A.B Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance church commenting on how to capture the essence of the Christian life. Dr. Simpson is reported to have said the word "habitation", since the word removed the experience and resulting faith of the Christian life from and "it" and replaced it with a "Him". Author H. Jack Stanley notes about Simpson's insight: "It is Christ Himself personally present and active with the believer, who has come to trust the Lord and live daily by Him in the spiritual realm." As was noted at the beginning of this post: whatever Jesus experienced in his humanity on this earth, the Christian is so-connected by the Spirit in saving faith. Jesus, touching his humanity, was miraculously born and thus the Christian can say: me too! Jesus in his flesh was crucified, and thus the Christian can affirm: "I as well". Jesus, touching his humanity, was raised from the dead and the Christian by definition as experienced a resurrection in their human spirit, is operating on resurrection power in their human soul and looks forward to a physical resurrection in their human body. The Miraculous Son came to achieve a miraculous birth, death and resurrection so that all who by grace through faith believe on Him could experience such saving realities. 

More tomorrow....

What The Miraculous Son came to Achieve: a Miracle Birth

John 1:12-14 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Introduction and Review
Yesterday we began considering the Person of the Miraculous Son. We discovered that the four gospels portray two starting points for getting to know Jesus Christ. The first is what Bible teachers and theologians call "Christology from above", meaning we start by considering Jesus Christ as the Eternal Son Pre-existing in eternity with the Father and Spirit as One Triune God. The journey the Son makes from eternity into time entails his entryway through the virgin birth/conception, his life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension. John's Gospel appears to offer us this starting point for considering the miraculous Son.

The other three Gospels, Matthew and Luke, as well as Mark, present what Bible teachers and theologians call a "Christology from below", meaning we begin with Jesus from the standpoint of his humanity, and based upon his virgin birth, later adult life, miracles, teachings, relationships, death, burial, resurrection and ascension, we are brought to the conclusion that Jesus is Who He said He was - God in human flesh. 

Both starting points are equally important. Considering Jesus Christ 
"from above" reminds us that God was burdened enough to provide redemption as to come down Himself in the Person of the Son to become what He came to save: His people. Likewise, when we consider Jesus Christ from the standpoint of "here below", we are reminded of how personal He is and how marvelous it is to have fellowship with the miraculous Son through faith Who is God in human flesh. 

Those were some of the thoughts we explored in yesterday's post. Today we want to consider the first reason the Miraculous Son came: to achieve a miraculous birth.

Jesus Christ in his humanity had a miraculous birth so as to provide the basis for the New birth in salvation
What is Advent or Christmas really all about? The central event is the birth of Jesus Christ into this world. It must be realized that such an event was necessary if salvation's beginning point was to be established. For many years I have read and re-read John 1:1-18 and have enjoyed its profound truth. However it was not until recently that I noticed how the truth of the New birth in salvation is literally presented next to the truth of Jesus Christ's incarnation. We can outline John 1:12-14 as follows:

The reality of the Christian's New Birth. John 1:12-13
John 1:12-13 notes about the New birth in salvation: 12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." The above text deals with the beginning of one's salvation - what the Bible calls "The New Birth" or "Regeneration". The Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (the doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention) defines the "New Birth" accordingly: "Regeneration, or the new birth, is a work of God's grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. It is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are inseparable experiences of grace."
The New Testament speaks of the beginning of Christian salvation as being that of a "New Birth". Jesus for example in John 3:1-8 discusses with Nicodemas what it means to be "born-again". Peter too talks about being "begotten" or "born again" by God in 1 Peter 1:3-5 and 23. This language of "birthing" and "regeneration" to describe saving faith is used in Titus 3:5 - "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." 

The root of the reality of the Christian's new birth - Jesus' incarnation. John 1:14
John 1:14 connects the reality of the New birth to the Miraculous Son's miracle birth - "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." The Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, page 239, has this to note about the significance of Jesus' incarnation: "The virgin birth and resurrection are signs that here we have something unique in the realm of humanity. Who or what He is can be discovered only by contrasting Him with others, and it shines out most clearly when all others are against Him. The event of his coming to suffer and triumph as man in our midst is absolutely decisive for every individual he encounters and for the destiny of the whole world. (John 3:16-18; 10:27-28; 12:31; 16:11; 1 John 3:8). 

The reflection of the Miraculous Son's humanity is to be seen in the Christian's humanity
What then are we saying? As seen in today's posts and the up and coming ones, everything Jesus came to achieve in the realm of His humanity was so that all who by grace through faith heed the call to salvation can experience everything he experienced. Jesus Christ had a miraculous birth so that all sinners Divinely affected by the Spirit through the scriptures could have a miraculous birth. When Jesus died on the cross as the crucified One, this meant that the Christian could say: "I have been crucified with Christ...." (Galatians 2:20). When Jesus raised from the dead, guess what? Every Christian could also say they too have been raised to walk forth in newness of life! (Romans 6:4-11; 8:11) Then of course as Jesus Christ ascended into heaven in glorified, physical, resurrected humanity - the Christian now can say they are spiritually seated in the heavens with Jesus and look forward to when He returns to give them a glorified, physical, resurrected body like His own. (Ephesians 2:6-11; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58)

Closing thoughts:
We will be reinforcing the above thoughts in up-coming posts. For now I want the reader to remember that the first reason Jesus Christ, The Miraculous Son came, was to achieve a miraculous birth. As I heard one preacher state: At salvation, supernatural Jesus stepped inside natural me, which in turn by faith natural me stepped inside Jesus Christ, and natural me was born-again to become supernatural! 

More tomorrow.....

Two starting points for considering The Miraculous Son

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."

John 1:14 "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Matthew 1:18 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit."

Luke 1:31-35  "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God."

Introduction: Two starting points for talking about the miraculous Son
Both John's Gospel and the two other Gospels of Matthew and Luke present to us two starting points for considering the miraculous Person of Jesus Christ. 

Thinking about Jesus Christ as God who came down to be God in human flesh
John begins with the identical wording of Genesis 1:1, namely "in the beginning". The Son is described as co-existing with the Person of the Father in eternity, or what Bible teachers call the Son's "Pre-existence". When we talk about Jesus Christ in the manner described by John, we talk of Him as Eternal Deity, partaking of the same Divine nature in equal measure along with the Persons of the Father and the Spirit. John's goal in his Gospel is to demonstrate how this Eternal Person of the Son came into time and history through the virgin birth and became God in human flesh. In summary, John presents Jesus Christ as "from above" and demonstrates how the Eternally Divine Son by way of His incarnation as a human being lived, died, raised and ascended as God in human flesh.

Thinking about Jesus Christ, with regards to His humanity, as having a beginning in time starting with the virgin birth conception
Matthew and Luke present the starting point for talking about Jesus Christ from the vantage point of His humanity. What these two Gospel writers and Mark do is introduce Jesus to us at "ground-level" or looking at Jesus from below". By appealing to the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament, these two Gospel writers affirm the Son's pre-existence while reinforcing the reality of the beginning of his human life in the virgin-birth conception. Jesus Christ, in regards to his humanity, was conceived in the virgin's womb, was born, lived, died, raised and ascended into Heaven as a man. Throughout the Gospels of Matthew and Luke we are reminded that Jesus ever retained His fully Divine nature, just as John's Gospel reiterates the fact that Jesus became and remained a genuine human being. 

The four gospels present the Eternal Miraculous Son as God who came to be God, the Miraculous Son, in human flesh
When combined with Mark's testimony of Jesus' mission and ministry, we have a composite picture of the Miraculous Son as God in human flesh who was virgin conceived, born, lived, died, raised from the dead and ascended. Mark's Gospel begins with Jesus the Son as an adult man who has been alive for 30 years and is getting ready to begin His public ministry. Such a miraculous life is not portrayed as a still life painting to be admired from afar, but a vivid, living breathing Person who came to bring about miraculous life. Jesus Christ the Miraculous Son not only came in a miraculous fashion but lived a life that was woven in the miraculous and demonstrated the reality of such in the realm of ordinary human life. 

Jesus would end up performing 35 miracles, preaching five recorded sermons, telling over 50 parables, calling twelve disciples and fulfilling 109 prophecies all before ascending into Heaven following his crucifixion and resurrection. Such a miraculous Person as Jesus Christ, Who exists as both Eternal God and finite resurrected man must not be conceived of as stuck in the pages of history or sealed off somewhere in heaven. His miraculous life was lived so that He could save and redeem His people who are called to a redeemed, miraculous life for the glory of God. The next few posts will aim to flesh out what type of miraculous life the Miraculous Son came to achieve and make available in saving faith.