Holy Saturday - An Explanation Of What Jesus Did Between His Death And Resurrection

 

1 Peter 3:18-20 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; 19 in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, 20 who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

Introduction:

       I was once asked a rather interesting question: "What Jesus did between the time He died until He raised from the dead?" This post aims to answer that question. The question concerning what Jesus did between His crucifixion and resurrection is relevant to what is historically known in the Christian Church as "Holy Saturday". Central to this post is the notion that Jesus proclaimed victory over the powers of Hell. Furthermore, once Jesus declared His triumph, He then presented His once and for all sacrifice for sin to the Father between His death and resurrection.

The significance of the Saturday the falls between "Good Friday" and "Easter Sunday"

       Today is the Saturday that lies between "Good Friday" and "Easter Sunday". This day, simply called "Holy Saturday", considers what all was potentially taking place during the interment of Jesus' body in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. In the book "Preaching through the Christian Year", an ancient practice of the early church is recounted: 

"In the ancient church, the tradition of the Easter Vigil played an important role. Catechumens (young converts to the Christian faith), after remaining awake and watchful throughout Saturday night, were baptized early on Easter morning and then joined the Christian community in Holy communion." 1 

        I'm sure some readers, for instance, can recall "Easter Sunrise Services" and other Christian traditions that urge the church to recall her central identity in Jesus' death, burial and resurrection. As a boy, whenever our family would attend such sunrise services, the anticipation, the excitement, hung in the air. The great thing about Holy Saturday is the expectation that builds-up in the Christ-follower's heart as the look forward to Easter Sunday. 

A reminder about the mystery of Christ's incarnation.

         Over 2,000 years ago, Christ's physical body laid at "rest" in the tomb while He, in His immaterial soul, presented His accomplishment to the Father and proclaimed victory. The mystery of the incarnation reminds us that the Eternal Person of the Son came to take unto Himself true humanity (see Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 10:5-7). As He ever remained truly "God with us", He came to be also "man for us" (see Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; Romans 1:1-3; 9:4-5; Titus 2:11-13). As truly God, the Person of the Son retained eternal perfections such as omnipresence, omniscience, and the inability to die. As truly man, the Person of the Son experienced the limitations that come with being man, including being in one place at a time (locality, Luke 2:49; Philippians 2:5-7), finite knowledge (Matthew 24:36), and the ability to die (mortality, Mark 10:45; John 10:11). In this post, the focus rests upon all Jesus would experience as "man for our sakes", reminding the reader that whenever we speak about Him, we distinguish between who He remained to be as "God with us" and "man for us".

Holy Saturday is all about "rest" and "victory"

        The Apostle's Creed, an ancient confession of faith still recited by Christians the world-over, includes this phrase: 

"He was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell, on the third day He raised from the dead." 

       Christians historically have emphasized this major theme of "rest" for Holy Saturday. Such rest, both spiritually and otherwise, could only be achieved as a result of Christ finished work on the cross and what was (then) His pending resurrection. The work Jesus did in-between death and resurrection cemented together the victory of the cross and what would be His victory over death. It honestly comforts me to think of how helpless the powers of darkness were in preventing Christ from these decisive actions. 

        Robert Webber in his book: "Ancient Future Time", comments on Holy Saturday in regards to the theme of "rest":

"Saturday is a day of rest and preparation for the great service of resurrection. It is a day to keep silence, to fast, to pray, to identify with Jesus in the tomb, and to prepare for the great resurrection feast."2

          So with the twin themes of "rest" and "victory", Holy Saturday gets the Christian ready for the glory of the resurrection that is central to Easter Sunday. What follows from here is an attempt to draw together the New Testament testimony of what Jesus did.

Stitching together the New Testament passages that reference Christ's proclamation of victory between that first Good Friday and Easter Sunday

         The four Gospels detail the events of Christ's death, burial and resurrection.  The remainder of the New Testament (Acts, 21 Epistles and Revelation) unfold the meaning what He achieved. The Apostle Peter in his first epistle aims to show how we as Christians ought to stand firm in God's grace (1 Peter 5:12). Peter's letter ties in our ability to stand in such grace to what Jesus Christ accomplished.  1 Peter 3:18-20 will act as our telescope to view the New Testament passages that reference the events of "Holy Saturday. To do this, we will consider the following two main thoughts about Christ's accomplished work:

A. The Purpose of Christ's Accomplished Work - reconciliation.  1 Peter 3:18

B. The Proclamation of Christ's Accomplished Work - Victory.  1 Peter 3:19-20

A. Purpose of Christ’s Victorious Work – Reconciliation 3:18 

i. What did He do? He died 

He died for sins.  As Dr. Danny Akin of South Western Baptist Theological Seminary once noted: "He lived the life I couldn't live and He died the death I should have died."

ii. Whom did He die for? The unjust 

Romans 5:6-8 states - "For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 

         Jesus' death on behalf of sinners accomplished two necessary effects required for reconciliation with God. The first necessary effect was expiation, that is, the removal of the cause of God's wrath upon us - our sin (Romans 5:10). The second effect had to do with propitiation, that is, the satisfaction of God's wrath (1 John 2:2). Below in the next thought (point "iii"), we see why expiation (taking away of sin) and propitiation (satisfying wrath) are necessary for reconciliation.

iii. Why did he die? To bring us to God (reconciliation) 

Dr. Michael Horton notes: 

"The result of God's wrath being satisfied is reconciliation. Just as we are first of all passive subjects of God's wrath when God propitiates, we are passive subjects of God's reconciliation at the cross.  We do not reconcile ourselves to God; God reconciles Himself to us and us to Him."3

iv. How did He do it? Death and resurrection

Christ's death, burial and resurrection are at the heart of the Gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). The New Testament mostly focuses upon Christ's death and resurrection.  However, what went on during the three days He was buried is not explained in near as much detail as the two book-ends of the Gospel: namely Christ's death and resurrection.  

         Death and Resurrection serve to explain how Christ accomplished what he achieved. What He did in His burial (down below) reveals some of the behind (and under) the scenes work He did in insuring our ability to walk as believers in His Victorious work. 

B. Proclamation of Christ’s Victorious Work – Victory 3:19-20 

i. What did He do between His death &    resurrection? Proclaimed victory 3:19 

John MacArthur has perhaps explained this text better than just about everyone I've read or heard: 

"He was announcing, proclaiming (and) heralding a triumph. About what? It must be pretty obvious, about His triumph over sin, about His triumph over death, about His triumph over hell, about His triumph over demons, about His triumph over Satan." 4

ii. To whom did He proclaim His victory? The  demons reserved for judgment. 3:19-20 

         If we were to attempt to offer a faint outline of what Jesus did between His death and resurrection, we could maybe understand why He went to proclaim His victory to the demonic realm.  Much activity was done by Christ in this short-span of time. 

         First He went immediately into the presence of His Father by way of the Holy Spirit in his human spirit to present His once and for all sacrifice (Hebrew 9:15). 

          Next, He went down into those regions of hell where some of the demons (especially those who rebelled in Noah's day) are being reserved for judgment. 

          Thirdly, Christ would had released the Old Testament saints from the righteous realm of the dead (i.e. paradise) to lead the captives out to where they could come with Him to where the saints go in this age (Ephesians 4:8-11). Some have connected this particular event to when the saints came out of their tombs in Matthew 27:52-53.

          Fourthly, Christ's proclamation of victory insures that hell will not prevail against the church (Matthew 16:18) as well as fulfilling the fact of His triumph over the demonic realm (Colossians 2:14-15). 

         Fifthly, Christ's resurrection from the dead meant He had completed His mission of proclamation and thus He arose as a victorious King, subduing all cosmic powers under Himself (Acts 2:24; 1 Peter 3:22).

iii. Why did he proclaim His victory? To  guarantee Christian victory 3:19-20 

         He did this to pave the way for what would be His ascension into Heaven 40 days after His resurrection from the dead (Ephesians 4:7-10). 

iv. What was His victory over? Sin (1 Pet 3:18), hell (1 Pet 3:19-20; Col 2:11-12), grave (3:18,21b)

Revelation 1:4-5 states - 

"John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood".

Closing thoughts

As we draw this post to a close, let's remember our two main thoughts for today's post:

1. The Purpose of Christ's Accomplished Work - reconciliation. 1 Peter 3:18

2. The Proclamation of Christ's Accomplished Work - Victory. 1 Peter 3:19-20

        What Jesus accomplished was proclaimed by Him both in heaven and to the defeated demonic realm. Such activities provided grounds for which future generations of Christian could stand who by grace through faith trusted in Jesus. The cross of Good Friday and the work of Holy Saturday pointed to what would be the great victory of Easter Sunday. He has risen! As Christians, we rest in these works of Jesus.

Endnotes:

1. Fred B. Craddock; John H. Hayes; Carl R. Holladay and Gene M. Tucker. Preaching Through the Christian Year - Part A. Trinity Press International. Harrisburg, PA. 1992. Page 227

2. Robert Webber. Ancient-Future Time: Forming Spirituality Through The Christian Year." Baker Books. 2004.

2. Michael Horton. The Christian Faith - A Systematic Theology for Pilgrims on the Way. Zondervan. 2011. Page 500

3. http://www.gty.org/resources/sermons/60-37/the-triumph-of-christs-suffering-part-2

How Good Friday Made Possible The Great Day Of Christ's Soon Return: A Good Friday Meditation

Introduction: 

        Good Friday is called “Good Friday” because the eternal goodness of God Himself was on display to conquer the darkness and evil of sin. In this post I want to take Paul's instructions on the Lord's Supper as a means of preparing our minds for Good Friday. Think of this post today as  reflections that lead the mind and heart to anticipate all that Good Friday expresses. Furthermore, we will see how focusing upon the cross points believers ahead to Christ's second coming. John writes in Revelation 1:7 of how the Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon and will have the nail-pierced marks, even in His glorified state, 

"Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen."

Salvation accomplished and salvation applied.

We read these words in Romans 5:8-9 

"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."

        When theologians speak of the cross of Christ, they subdivide what took place into two main branches: “redemption accomplished” and “redemption applied”. The first of these speak of what Jesus achieved as recorded in the four Gospel accounts. The latter subdivision describes the Holy Spirit's application of the accomplished work of Christ explained in the book of Acts and New Testament Letters. "Salvation Applied" begins at regeneration in saving faith, through progressive growth in sanctification, to glorification which follows upon the believer's death. The cross of Christ, Good Friday, set in motion the wonder of Christ’s string of victories. Good Friday would lead to Easter Sunday. Easter Sunday looked ahead to Christ’s ascension. Christ’s ascension would be proved by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to begin the church in Acts. It is then from Pentecost to now we look forward to Jesus’ return. The simple diagram below summarizes what Jesus achieved and will achieve upon His return:

Cross---Easter---Ascension---Return.

How the crown of thorns would point the way to the crowned King of Kings at His return

       For the Christian, the cross is our focal point that enables us to look forward to Jesus’ return (see 1 Corinthians 2:2). Several New Testament passages tie together what Jesus achieved in the His first coming to what He will accomplish at His second coming. I'll cite two fine examples of this linkage between the cross and second coming. Paul writes in Titus 2:13-14 

"looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, 14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." 

        The author of Hebrews in Hebrews 9:27-28 connects for us the cross to Christ’s return: 

"And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, (28) so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." 

Jesus gave His church the Lord's Table to recall and prepare in the time between His two comings 

        Furthermore, Jesus Himself gave to His church a wonderful means of strengthening the Christian's faith in which we can focus on the cross while looking forward to His return – the Lord’s Table.  One author has noted that the possessive appelation "Lord's" (that is, as seen in the phrases "Lord's Table" in 1 Corinthians 11:21 and "Lord's Day" in Revelation 1:10) speaks to His Lordship as declared following His resurrection. 

        We see proof of this observation from what Peter states in his inaugural sermon on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:36

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” 

        Paul’s admonitions and instructions to a struggling church served to refocus it on the cross so that it could become once again excited about Christ’s return. Clearly there are points here for us to consider. I'll list three of these rather broadly and then expound upon them below.

1. What happens when we’re not focused on the cross.   1 Corinthians 11:17-22

2. How to refocus on the cross in the Lord’s Supper.       1 Corinthians 11:23-34

3. How focusing on the cross prepares the Christian for His return. 1 Corinthians 11:26-34

      So then, let's observe these three in more detail.

1. What happens when we’re not focused on the cross.   1 Corinthians 11:17-22

          We can notice two consequences that follow when churches and Christians lose focus of the cross: loss of unity and loss of focus.

*Loss of unity.          11:17-19

          The church at Corinth was a struggling church. In as much as it struggled with moral and doctrinal divisions, Paul tells us that God's Providence sovereignly allows His church to battle with challenges at every level. We know that in the realm of God's morally revealed will (that is, the Bible, see Deuteronomy 29:29), such errors and sins conflict with what He tells us in His Word (see 1 John 3:4). Yet we know too that no trial comes to any Christian apart from the Sovereign unrevealed will of the Savior (see 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 1 Peter 1:6-7). We may not grasp how these two general areas of God's will work together, yet we know that in the final analysis there are no contradictions in the will of God. Moses writes in Deuteronomy 8:3 

"He humbled you and let you be hungry, and fed you with manna which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord." 

          When churches face such seasons like what we read of in Corinth, it can prompt God's people to pursue the unity for which Jesus prayed for in John 17. Unity in the body of Christ is preserved by prayer, purity of doctrine, and practice. Typically, when unity slides, it begins with loss of prayer, followed by practice. The cross and the Word is what keeps it all together. So we see loss of unity as one of the by-products.  Now notice the second effect....

*Loss of focus.          11:20-22

           When we lose focus on the Master, we end up going through the motions. In 1 Corinthians 11:20-21 we read:

"Therefore when you meet together, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper, 21 for in your eating each one takes his own supper first; and one is hungry and another is drunk."

What an awful scene we find at Corinth! Squabbling! Drunkedness! Excesses at the communion table. The activities were so egregious that Paul tells us that what they were doing was not worthy of the name "Lord's Supper". Truly when we lose focus on Christ, we lose sight of what the church is to be all about. So, focusing on the cross enables the church to maintain unity and focus as she looks ahead to Christ's return. Good Friday is the only way the Great return of Christ will be a reality. 

2. How to refocus on the cross in the Lord’s Supper.       1 Corinthians 11:23-34

          Since every Christian (myself included) are inept apart from the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, and the life of the church itself, we can see why Jesus prescribed the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord's Supper. Theologians sometimes speak of Baptism and the Lord's Supper as "ordinances" to describe anything commanded by Christ in the Gospels, preached by the Apostles in Acts, and expounded in the New Testament letters. Since this is Good Friday, the Lord's Supper is appropriate for our consideration, since it explicitly refocuses God's people on the cross and drives them to look forward to Christ's return. 

 

 

        The Lord has prescribed the Lord’s supper for our periodic practice to strengthen our focus of faith. The name “Lord’s Supper” is used by Paul in 1 Cor 11:20. To illustrate, I consider God’s prescription of His Word and the ordinances like a monorail train. When we lived in Florida, we could witness these trains in action, especially at Disney World. The monorail has main tires or wheels which rest upon a singular beam or track. Then the train may have a dozen or so smaller wheels on each side of the beam to stabilize the train as it travels. I liken this set- up to how our Lord designed His church. The preaching of God’s Word represents the main wheels, traveling upon the beam of the cross, with the stabilizing wheels representing Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  What the Lord's Supper does is enable recall, re-examination, and reallignment.

*Recall the cross in the Lord’s Supper. 11:23-26

        This recall is done by praying through the Scriptures. We could offer several examples of Scriptures that recall for us the "redemption accomplished" by Jesus, however two examples will suffice. Paul writes in Romans 5:6-8 

"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

      Similarly, Peter records these words in 1 Peter 3:18

"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit."

*Re-examine your heart at the Lord’s table.  11:27-31

        The Lord's Table is the prescribed method for God's people as a corporate church to examine their heart attitudes toward Christ, others, and themselves. This principle of "self-examination" is found in both testaments. David writes for instance in Psalm 139:23-24 

"Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way." 

         One question I find helpful is this: from the last time I partook of the Lord’s supper, is there anyone in the church with whom I’ve had dispute or with whom I hold contempt. We have no right to hold grudges against one another as believers. Why? Because we discover that for the Christian, their life is not their own. For example, we read in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body."

          We read similar sentiments concerning how Christians have no right to "hold a grudge" in Colossians 3:13 "bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you."

*Reallign with fellow believers around the Lord’s table. 11:32-34 

          As Paul rounds out His discussion of the Lord's Table, he notes how careful Christian must be in their treatment of each other. This carries the same tone we find from Jesus Himself in Matthew 25:40,

"The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me."

3. How focusing on the cross prepares the Christian for His return. 1 Corinthians 11:26-34

         As we draw this post to a conclusion, let me briefly mention three ways focusing on the cross increases our preparation for Christ's return by tying into what we looked at in the last point on the Lord's Supper. Firstly, focusing on the cross...

*Increases our desire for His return.  11:26

*Increases our devotion until His returns.  11:32

*Increases our duty to one another until He returns. 11:33

           Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 11:26 "For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes." To celebrate the Lord's Table peridoically gives Christians repeated chances to recall the cross and refocus on looking foreward to Jesus' return. As the three sub-points above indicate, our desire, devotion, and duty toward one another is proportioned by how much we focus on the cross. As I have already noted, Jesus prescribed the ordinance of the Lord's table to aid Christians in such pursuits. The Spirit and preaching of the Word work together to convert sinners and sanctify saints. The Lord's Table stabilizes the Christian in their individual and corporate life of faith with other Christians. Paul expresses how sick and, in some cases, mortally ill those at Corinth became as a result of not properly regarding one another nor their approach to the Lord's Table.  Though God's discipline may seem severe, yet He is ever at work in the Christian life to present His people "faultless and blameless" at His appearing (see Ephesians 5:22-26; 2 Corinthians 11:1-3). May we who observe all Jesus achieved on Good Friday remember that the guarantee of His soon return was paid for by what He guaranteed would be applied to the Christian by the Holy Spirit because of His accomplished redemption on the cross. May we never lose focus on the cross.

Introducing Maundy Thursday: Jesus' Great Commandment For Christians To Love One Another

 

John 13:1 "Now before the Feast of the Passover, Jesus knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end."

Introduction:

         For those Christian fellowships that follow closely the Christian calendar, today marks what many call "Maundy Thursday". For many in non-liturgical church fellowships, such holy-days may not hold a lot of significance. The church that I serve at will be celebrating Good Friday tomorrow and of course Easter on Sunday. But what about this day called "Maundy Thursday"? John 13:34-35 records these words of Jesus:

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

        Whenever one reads the ancient translation of the Bible called "The Latin Vulgate", the first two words of John 13:34-35 gives us the name our holiday in question, "Mandatum novum" = "New commandment". Thus the whole point of this day is to remind the Christian of the necessity to love the Lord Jesus and to love one another. Robert Webber has written a helpful book that explains the meaning of the Christian calendar and its associated days and observances entitled: "Ancient-Future Time". Webber notes the following about "Maundy Thursday":

"The term 'Maundy' derives its meaning from the Latin 'Maundatum Novum', which means "New Commandment". Thus, Maundy Thursday is the day Christ instituted the new commandment of love both by word and symbolic action."

        Now before I go on, let me make some important disclaimers. In all fairness, it is good to avoid emphasizing form over the substance or truth of the scripture. With that important thought of avoiding the route of becoming legalistic and ritualistic, the other ditch to avoid is ignorance. That is to say, ignorance about what previous generations of Christians did to apply the scriptures and live them out. 

      Scripture is the pattern, the standard, and the authority by which any traditions are judged. If we find, on the same token, certain expressions that can immerse one in the Word of God and focus more on Jesus, then we have in effect demonstrated the pattern of sifting our expression of worship through the Words of God in the Bible. This post is an attempt to better understand how observances like "Maundy Thursday" can benefit the Christian as we continue to insist on the important doctrine of "sola scriptura" (Scripture alone, referring to the unique and sufficient authority of Scripture). 

The Main Points Of Maundy Thursday

        As noted already, "Maundy" refers to a particular commandment of love Jesus issued to His disciples and all Christians on the eve of His crucifixion. In searching through various books that feature the various cycles and holy days of the Christian calendar, one finds that Maundy Thursday centers around what Jesus did on the Eve of His crucifixion in the upper room in John 13-17.

The humility of Jesus' love.

        In the standard Maundy Thursday celebration, the pastor or Bishop (or whichever Christian leadership position is part of the given tradition) begins the service through a foot-washing ceremony. For non-liturgical fellowships (the term "liturgy" refers to a certain, prescribed way of expressing the worship of God by the church) that may not follow a formal route or structure, details such a foot-washing, reading of certain scriptures and other activities might seem unusual. 

        With that said, what can we say about foot-washing? Though foot-washing is not an official ordinance of the church, nonetheless, can be a powerful symbolic action of communicating the devotion of Christ-like service and love Christians ought to have for each other. We read Jesus' closing remarks following the washing of the disciple's feet in John 13:12 

"So when He had washed their feet, and taken His garments and reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?" 

Jesus' love in willingly going to the cross.

         Jesus' question certainly is cause for pause: do we really know what He did for us? He came not to be served, but to serve and give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). 

         In stooping down to wash the disciple's feet, the Lord Jesus Christ was re-enacting His own "stooping-down" as God in human flesh in the act of His incarnation. Amazingly, as truly God, He already expressed humility as a Divine attribute (see Psalm 113:6-8). 

       The fact God would even choose to create the world was an act of condescension on His part. Christ's incarnation, followed by His earthly life, ministry and death on the cross would carry out the most intense act of humility and condescension of God in the Person of the Son (see Philippians 2:5-11).

The love of Jesus' shown in the Lord's supper.

          Maundy Thursday not only includes focus upon Christ's service to us in the act of foot washing, but also in the commemoration of the Lord's Supper. In typical fashion, reference will be made to God's institution of the Passover in Exodus 12. When Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper in John 13-17 and in the other Gospel accounts, He was fulfilling the imagery associated with the Lord's Table. He prescribed this covenant meal for His church (see 1 Corinthians 11:23-27). Jesus, after all, is the ultimate "Passover Lamb" (see 1 Corinthians 5:7). 

Why Maundy Thursday Can Be Useful For The Christian

Christians ought to love looking for the 2nd coming.

         As one considers the events of Jesus' final hours with His disciples before His crucifixion, we as His church are, as it were, in the "final hours" before the close of this age. The Lord's supper not only points back to what He achieved on the cross, but also looks forward to His soon return. Maundy Thursday is just as much about reminding Christians of their identification in Christ's second coming as what He did in His first coming. 

Christian love is rooted in what Jesus did on the cross.

        Maundy Thursday also takes us into those final moments when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane. I can recall years ago attending what was the only Maundy Thursday service I was ever at and a participant. A pastor friend of mine invited other pastors and the community to take part. Admittedly, he did some of the details differently. Nevertheless, he centered the time around Jesus' moments in the Garden of Gethsemane. At the service, each participant read some scripture, offered prayers and then we took up a collection to be given to a local mission in that town. When the service was done, I came to appreciate all that this particular day meant. 

        Jesus wrestled in the Garden with the temptation of by-passing the cross. He of course did not yield to such temptation, but instead aligned His sinless human will with what He and the Father had agreed upon in eternity with respect to the One, unified Divine will. In effect, Gethsemane was a threshold Jesus chose to step over in order to express His unyielding allegiance and desire to do the Father's will. 

Closing Thoughts:

      As Maundy Thursday slips into the night hours, may we thank the Lord for what was a willing choice made in His humanity to yield to what had already been a decision made in eternity: to be the Savior of the World.  

Why Celebrating Lord's Supper Is Beneficial For Churches And Christ-followers During Advent Season

Introduction: 

    Whenever God ordained the proclamation of salvation, He did so through the revelation of His word and the visual aids of feasts and ceremonial ordinances in the Old Testament. It is by the Spirit and the Word of God that the human soul is transformed in saving faith (Psalm 19:7; 1 Peter 1:23; James 1:18,21). For Old Testament believers, the feasts and ceremonies pictured for the people God's redemptive work (the one particular example I am think about is the Passover celebration). 

    When Jesus came to earth in His first Advent (that is, coming), He instructed His disciples to begin practicing two ordinances: believer's baptism and the Lord's Table (referred to also as "Communion" or "The Lord's Table" or "Lord's Supper" - see especially 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 1 Corinthians 11:23-27). The term "ordinance" refers to what Jesus commanded  or "ordained" for the New Testament Church to practice. Wherever we find Jesus commanding us to do something in the Gospels; preached and practiced in the Book of Acts; and then explained in the New Testament letters, we have then standardized ordinances. As is the nature of the case, Jesus prescribed baptism and the Lord's Table to be those ordinances.

    As we consider this time of year, Advent, we find it bringing to mind the incarnation of the Son of God to live, die, and rise again. The Lord Jesus Christ is the focal point of Advent and the reason for celebrating the Lord's Table. What I spell out below will highlight four main purposes I see for Christians and churches celebrating the Lord's Supper. 

The Purposes for the Lord's Table and main point of application

    In today's blog we want to understand the purposes for which the Lord's Supper was prescribed by the Lord Jesus Christ to His church.  Regular observance of this "meal" by the local church enables the body of Christ to maintain its corporate identity and grow closer together (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).  Below are four reasons why celebrating the Lord's supper is vital to Christians both individually and as members of the local church. I would also add that whenever a church observes the Lord's Supper during Advent, it can help God's people to focus their attention on the true meaning of the season. Our key text will derive from 1 Corinthians 11:17-34. The reader is encouraged to read the text and use the headings to work through Paul teaching in that passage. 

1. The Lord's Supper is used by Christ to repair divisions. 1 Corinthians 11:17-22

    The letter of 1 Corinthians was written to a church that was fractured in its fellowship.  Jesus had prayed in John 17:21 that His church as a whole would be one as He and the Father are one.  Clearly the church at Corinth was going in the opposite direction - which is why the Holy Ghost inserted instructions about the Lord's Supper.  The Lord's supper gives the church the opportunity to seek forgiveness, heal division and fix fellowship issues that may have arisen since the last Lord's supper (1 Corinthians 11:28-34). 

    What Jesus achieved on the cross provided the ability for reconciliation between believing sinners and God. The cross is also how followers of Christ can draw from God's immeasurable grace through Jesus Christ. The Lord's Table is that glorious sign or symbol, which signifies or reminds all of Christ's followers that they are on level ground at the cross. Having such a reminder can enable followers of Jesus Christ to exercise themselves in reaching out to others with His love during this Advent season.

2. The Lord's Supper rejoices in the cross. 1 Cor 11:23-25

    The cross in the scriptures is the event that the Holy Spirit uses to point us to the source of salvation.  Additionally, the cross is the place the Holy Spirit uses to cleanse believers in their post-conversion sanctification.  The cross must never be forgotten (1 Corinthians 2:2). 

    The Lord's table intentionally focuses the entire church on all the significance and daily need for the cross (1 Corinthians 10:16-17). The busyness of Christmas can be a challenging time in focusing one's attention on the cross. The cross of Calvary is the reason for the cradle at Bethlehem. In a time where crass materialism can nearly eclipse the true intent of Advent, coming together with one's local church, composed of true followers of Christ, gathered around the Lord's Table, can reignite the desire to rejoice in the cross.

3.  The Lord's Supper repeats the Gospel. 1 Corinthians 11:26

    The Gospel of Jesus Christ focuses upon what Jesus came to do in His first coming - accomplish salvation.  The Gospel also tells us how we can be saved from the reality of God's wrath that is coming upon this world in Christ's second coming (Romans 5:9-10; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). By the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ communicates and reinforces these truths to the hearts of His church through their observance of the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:26).  This is why the Lord's table is celebrated in conjunction with the communication of the scriptures. 

    Furthermore, every follower of Jesus Christ needs to preach the Gospel to themselves everyday, especially during Advent season. As we travel to see loved ones or express "Merry Christmas" to neighbors, we never know how God may open up "Divine Appointments"for us to share the Gospel. The Holy Spirit uses the Lord's Table to visualize the Gospel, to remind every Christ-follower that partakes of the bread and fruit of the vine of the necessity of the Gospel for this life and the life-to-come. 

4. The Lord's Supper urges re-examination of the Christian walk. 1 Corinthians 11:27-34

    We are told in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to "examine ourselves to see whether or not we are in the faith".  What kinds of questions are good to ask ourselves when getting ready to receive the Lord's Supper (or communion, as it is sometimes called)?  What unconfessed sin has crept into my life since I last partook of the Lord's supper?  Do I have any resentment towards anyone?  Have I grown cold in my love for Jesus, His Word or prayer?  How am I doing in the areas of supporting the local church of which I am a member through my giving of tithes and offerings? Am I mad at God? Have I done anything to grieve His Spirit?  Have I seen growth and change in my life for the glory of God?  What has God shown me about Himself since the last time I partook of His meal? 

    Such diagnostic questions are useful as we celebrate Advent. There is no cruise control on the steering column of the Christian life.  We don't coast, we aim to strive for all we can in Christ, since it is He who is working in us His perfect and pleasing will. (Philippians 3:12-13) 

Closing thoughts:

    Today we considered for purposes for the celebration of the Lord's table, and why Jesus originated this ordinance for the local church. We also made some observations as to how churches that celebrate the Lord's Supper during Advent can draw applications for daily Christian living during the Season. The four purposes we saw today are:

1. Repair divisions

2. Rejoice in the cross

3. Repeat the Gospel

4. Re-examine one's Christian walk

May every reader have a blessed Advent Season.

P1 The Son of God Became Man To Repair What Was Broken By Man

Introduction:

    In our last post we defined what we mean by the term "incarnation". Whenever we talk about the miracle of the incarnation, it refers to the Son of God coming into the world to become "in-the-flesh" (older theologians would sometimes call the incarnation by another term, "the enmanning"of the Son of God). We offered a concise definition of the incarnation as follows: 

the Son, being truly God, joined to himself true humanity, with all its qualities, minus sin. 

We defined what we meant by the term "incarnation", along with providing Scriptural references to show the significance of it. Readers who missed the last post can read it by clicking here: http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2021/11/what-is-meant-by-incarnation-of-son-of.html

    In today's post we want to consider why the Son of God came to be man. To see the reason for the incarnation, one must start in the opening chapters of the Book of Genesis. Genesis 1-2 records God's creation of the universe, all of life, and human beings. Genesis 3 records the fall of mankind and God's graceful dealings with our original parents. What precipitated from the Fall in the garden will provide the description of why Christ became man for our sakes.

1. Christ came to repair broken communion with God = A SPIRITUAL CRISIS.

    When God originally created Adam and his wife, they had communion with Him. We read in Genesis 1:26-28 "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' Genesis 2:15 further specifies the type of communion mankind had originally with God: "Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it." 

    Genesis 3:8 then records what was likely a common occurance between God and our original parents, along with a sad note at it's end: "They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." The latter part of Genesis 3:6 tells us that this original communion was broken. 

    We read then of Adam's response to God in Genesis 3:10 "He said, 'I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”' With broken communion following from Adam and his wife's rebellion, we see then a second consequence.

2. Broken Law of God. = A MORAL CRISIS. 

    God gave commands to Adam. Whenever God gave commands, He was revealing His moral character in vocal form to Adam (what would then become later written form to Moses in the giving of the Law). Genesis 2:16-17 states: "The Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”'

    Sadly, Adam broke those commands, as recorded in Genesis 3:6 "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." Anytime God's commands are broken, what follows is a moral crisis, which reflects the deep spiritual crisis in Adam and all of us who descend from him. This then leads to a third crisis which Christ would come to repair in His incarnation.. 

3. Christ came to repair a broken Covenant with God. = A RELATIONAL CRISIS. 

    As we see God communing with man and issuing commands, theologians come to understand such actions on God's part as the formation of an original covenant with man. A covenant is a "binding agreement" involving two parties. Covenants occur throughout the Bible and include such features as promises, blessings, commands, and consequences for obedience or disobedience. As the following passages will illustrate, this original covenant (called by theologians "the covenant of creation"or "the covenant of works") would become broken by the original Adam - he representing all humanity. 

    In Genesis 2:19-21 we read: "out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place." 

    Covenants in the Bible were God's way of relating with his creation (see for example Jeremiah 33:20, God's covenant with day and night). God never spoke nor interracted with His creation apart from the context of a covenant. The Hebrew word for covenant ("berith") has as a root meaning the act of "cutting". Such rites as shedding of blood or cutting served to ratify the covenant made between two parties (see Genesis 15 for example). As for the woman taken out of man's side, this solemnized the institution of marriage and signified what God was doing in the original covenant to Adam and his wife. 

    Sadly, Adam broke the original covenant with God. We know for certain that the events recorded in Genesis 1:26-3:14 record the issuing forth of God's first covenant with man, followed by Adam's breakage of it. We read in Job 31:33 “Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom." Hosea 6:7 makes this point even more explicit: "But like Adam they have transgressed the covenant; There they have dealt treacherously against Me." 

    This tragedy meant that with a broken covenant, God was under obligation to do one thing: carry out the sanctions He had stated in Genesis 2:16-17 "for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." Yet, Adam and Eve did not physically die in Genesis 3. Why? God had already planned to put forth a second covenant - one that He, in the sending of the Son, would pay for and guarantee. 

    This second gesture by God in covering Adam and Eve with coats of skin is called by theologians "the covenant of grace". This action of God in Genesis 3:20-21 would foreshadow what God the Father and the Son had agreed upon before the beginning of creation - that history would include the cross. 

More next time... 

P2 The Son of God Became Man To Repair What Was Broken By Man - A Closer Look At The Second Adam

Introduction:

    In our last post we considered why the Son of God came to be man: to repair what was broken. In today's post I want to continue from where we had left off in the last post. We had noted three things Christ came to repair in becoming man for our sakes:

1. Christ came to repair broken Communion with God = A SPIRITUAL CRISIS.

2. Christ came to repair the broken Law of God. = A MORAL CRISIS. 

3. Christ came to repair a broken Covenant with God. = A RELATIONAL CRISIS. 

    In this post I want to conclude our discussion by looking at a fourth important truth which brings clarity to our discussions about Christ's incarnation: Christ would become the New Adam to repair what was broken. 

Christ would become the New Adam to repair what was broken. 

    We observed that as a result of the original rebellion of the first Adam, a three-fold crisis ensued: a relational crisis (loss of communion); a moral crisis (breakage of God's moral law); and a spiritual crisis (breakage of covenant). Furthermore, God would come to offer grace to Adam and Eve by slaying two animals in their place (see Genesis 3:20-21). To put forth such a covenant of grace, the broken original covenant required a guarantee by the One who made it that it might be somehow fulfilled. 

    A man, "Adam", broke it. A second "Adam-like" person would have to ensure that He could carry it out by living a perfect life. Furthermore, since God, in the Person of the Father, had issued forth the covenant of creation with the representative head of all humanity, "Adam", this same God would have to ensure its completion by a second Adam. God's solution entailed that the eternal Person of the Son would go to earth, become a man, and offer Himself as the sinner's substitute. 

The development of "two-Adam" theology in the Old Testament

    The genealogy in Luke 3:22-38 records 75 generations of human beings, all kinds of sinners, between two Adams, a sinful first Adam and a sinless second Adam. The Old Testament had "set the table"for this two-Adam portrayal. The original Adam brought about sin and death on all humanity (see Romans 5:12-20). Genesis 1-11 records the history of sin, death, and destruction by the posterity of the original Adam. Even by starting over again with the flood of Noah, the problem of man's sinfulness could not be washed away by water, but rather by blood. 

    Genesis 12 has God calling forth Abraham to bring forth from Himself and Sarah what would be the nation of Israel. Abraham, in many respects, functions as an illustration of original Adam. Abraham (and his descendants, which would become Israel), in many respects, is a replay of the original Adam. 

    Israel functioned as God's representative of the nations (just as Adam functioned as God's representative of individual human beings). Israel was tested, tried, and found wanting. Adam ended up being a disobedient created "son of God" (see Genesis 3; Luke 3:38). Israel, going forth from Abraham, would be known also as a created son of God that would disobey Him (see Deuteronomy 32;  Hosea 11:1). Both Adam, Israel, and all of humanity would require the Eternal, uncreated Son of God to come and be man on their behalf. 

    Like Adam sent from the Garden into exile, Israel was sent from the promised land into exile (Assyria, then Babylon). God dealt graciously with Adam in His covenant of grace with him. God also gave Abraham a gracious covenant (along with David much later on), which would become fully expressed in the promised New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34 and other passages. Adam is at one of the end-points of Christ's genealogy in Luke 3:23-38. Abraham leads off Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17.   

    The whole Old Testament narrative from Genesis 12 to Malachi 4 details the history of the creation, fall, and promised restoration of Israel. God would issue forth to Israel covenants of a gracious nature through Abraham and David. The Old Testament ends with the necessity of the predicted redeemer, the Messiah, whom God promised could restore Israel in the future. 

The New Testament's portrayal of the two Adams

    The New Testament's development of this "two-Adam" doctrine served to highlight how Jesus came to be "the New Adam", that is, "the new head"of a redeemed humanity, composed of sinners drawn in grace to receive Christ in saving faith. 

    Paul records in Romans 5:14 "Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come." He also states in 1 Corinthians 15:45-47 "So also it is written, 'The first man, Adam, became a living soul.' The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural; then the spiritual. 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven."'

    When Jesus came to present Himself for baptism by John the Baptist, He came as the second Adam to publically identify Himself with those He came to redeem. We read in Matthew 3:15 "But Jesus answering said to him, 'Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.'” Jesus would perfectly obey God as the second Adam, undergoing temptation by Satan in the wilderness (Matthew 4) and being tempted at all points as we are, yet without sin (see Hebrews 4:14-15; 1 Peter 2:21-22). 

    Christ came to pay the unpaid bill left by the original Adam in the breaking of the covenant of creation. For God to forgive sins (whether of Adam and Eve, or for believers who exercised faith in the promises of God illustrated by the sacrifices in the Tabernacle and Temple, or even follows of Christ this day), there had to be the fulfillment of this first covenant broken by the original Adam. This is one of the reasons Christ came, to live a perfect life as the Second Adam in order to present Himself as the fit subsitute on behalf of sinners. 

    Christ, the new Adam, perfectly obeyed the much fuller form of the written Law of God. He paid the bills by taking His perfect life and offering it upon the cross as the sinner's substitute, bearing the curse pronounced by God in Genesis 3 (see 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:10-13; 1 Peter 3:18). We read in Hebrews 7:22 "So much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant." This is why Jesus expressed the following striking words on the cross in John 19:30 - "it is finished".  

Closing thoughts:

    In these last two posts, we noted four reasons why the Son of God became man in terms of repairing what was broken by man.

1. Christ came to repair broken Communion with God = A SPIRITUAL CRISIS.

2. Christ came to repair the broken Law of God. = A MORAL CRISIS. 

3. Christ came to repair a broken Covenant with God. = A RELATIONAL CRISIS. 

4. Christ would become the New Adam to repair what was broken. 

What is meant by the incarnation of the Son of God?

Introduction:

    Next to God's act of creation and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, no miracle is more central to the Christian faith than the incarnation of the Son of God. In today's post, we want to define what is meant by the term "incarnation". 

    The term itself is composed of two Latin words: "in" and "carnos". To take the latter term first, "carnos" refers to "flesh". When I was in grade school, they would sometimes serve what was called "chilli con carne" (chili with meat). If we talk about the animal kingdom, we will refer to some animals as "carnivors" (literally "flesh eaters"). As for the prefix "in", much like our English preposition "in", refers to coming to be "in" something. Therefore, whenever we talk about the miracle of the incarnation, it refers to the Son of God coming into the world to become "in-the-flesh" (older theologians would sometimes call the incarnation by another term, "the enmanning"of the Son of God). If I were to offer a concise definition of the incarnation, it would be this: The Son, being truly God, joined to himself true humanity, with all its qualities, minus sin. 

Major Biblical passages that speak of the incarnation

Key Old Testament texts on the incarnation

    To begin with the Biblical texts I use to arrive at the above definition of the incarnation, one has to start at Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” Theologians refer to this text as the "protoevangelium" (the first mention of the Gospel). The ages-long battle between two seeds is taken to refer to Satan and Christ, and the followers of each. Whenever reference is made to "seed"', a close synonym is the term "descendant". So, even in the first mention of the Gospel, we already find a hint of God utilizing a human bloodline to bring about salvation. 

    Another Old Testament text that predicted Christ's incarnation is Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." Isaiah wrote these words over 700 years before Christ came onto the scene. In Matthew and Luke's infancy narratives concerning Jesus, they both reference Isaiah 7:14 to express how the Holy Spirit would miraculously bring about the humanity of Christ in the virgin's womb (see Matthew 1:20-23 and Luke 1:35). 

    Then a final Old Testament text worthy of mention in regards to predicting the incarnation is Micah 5:2-3 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. 3 Therefore He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel." What makes Micah's prophecy so important is that we not only see whence the Messiah will derive (Bethelehm); but also He being truly God and truly man. 

Key New Testament texts on the incarnation

    We have offered a definition of the incarnation as follows: the Son, being truly God, joined to himself true humanity, with all its qualities, minus sin. The above Old Testament texts affirm the promise of incarnation. What follows are New Testament texts which explain the fact of Christ's incarnation. 

    We begin by first considering the Gospel accounts. Matthew 1:20b-21 “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Luke 1:35 "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.'" 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. 

    In considering these three passages from the Gospel records, we are told "that" the incarnation took place in time and in space without an explanation of "how exactly" the Holy Spirit miraculously joined the humanity of Christ to His Person (what theologians call "the hypostatic union", that is, the uniting of a human nature to the Divine Person of the Son, who already possessed an eternal Divine nature).

    The remainder of the New Testament passages that express Christ's incarnation are found in the New Testament letters or "epistles".  Colossians 2:9 "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form." Philippians 2:8 "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." 1 Timothy 3:16a “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh.” Hebrews 10:5b “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, 'Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me.”' 1 Peter 2:22 “who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth.” 

    The above passages round out what we find of major passages in the New Testament on the incarnation. One more text is worthy of mention, since it connects back to Genesis 3:15, namely Revelation 12:5 "And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to God and to His throne." In striking brevity, John the Apostle records how Christ in His incarnation and virgin birth came the first time, ascended into Heaven, and is returning to set up His Kingdom here on earth. Note in the wider context of Revelation 12 how Satan battles to prevent the arrival of the Son of God into history - and fails. Note also how Satan will once again try to thwart the Son's return to set up His kingdom - and fail. 

Final thoughts:

    The incarnation of the Son of God is the focal point of the upcoming Advent season. Christ's coming into our world was necessary to provide salvation, the foundation for the Christian life, and by ever remaining man for our sakes.  Followers of Jesus look forward to His soon return. 

    For unbelievers, the incarnation of Jesus Christ makes history and humanity accountable to repent and believe the Gospel message about Him. Author Kevin Zuber in his book, "The Essential Scriptures: A Handbook of Biblical Texts For Key Doctrines", notes this on page 132:

"The only reason to include such a doctrine so contrary to nature and experience is that this was the truth about His birth." 

To paraphrase one notable thinker: "if it is even possible that God exists, and if this God created all that we know out of nothing, then events such as the raising of a dead man to life" (and we could easily include the incarnation) "is mere child's play."