The Four Enemies of the Christian in the Fight of Faith - Jude 1:4-16

Jude 1:4 “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.”

Introduction:
The purpose of Jude’s short letter is to convey the urgency to “contend for the faith delivered once and for all to the saints”. Aiming to be as faithful to God as possible would not be seen as so urgent unless there was a villainous element already at work. We as Christians are commanded elsewhere in God’s word to “take up the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-18) and to “bring into captivity every thought that wages against the authority of Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-4). The Apostle Paul even refers to the entire Christian life as “fighting the good fight of faith” (2 Timothy 4:6-7). 

So, who or what are the enemies of the fight of faith? Jude devotes the bulk of his short letter to warning his readers about their opponents. In addition to what Jude spells out in Jude 1:4-16, we can note various enemies that wage a ceaseless war against the Christian in the fight of faith. We find four such enemies of the fight of faith recorded in God’s Word:

1. False Teachers. Jude 1:4-16This first major enemy of the Christian has to do not only with certain persons (mentioned in Jude 1:4 and illustrated by various historically Biblical examples) but also their teachings. Jude eloquently describes what to look out for in false teachers. 

a. To begin, false teachers are deficient in their spiritual commitment (Jude 1:5-7). 

Like Israel of old they operate in unbelief (1:5). Like the fallen angels they are rebels to the core (1:6). Like Sodom and Gomorrah, they prefer darkness instead of light (1:7). 

b. False teachers then are not only deficient in their character, but note also how they disregard God’s majesty. Already we Jude marking these false teachers in 1:4 as those who “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. To illustrate his point, Jude later on in 1:8-10 refers to a dispute between Michael the Archangel and Satan. The point of this reference (not found in our Bibles but nonetheless included due to its truth content) is to link the behavior of the false teachers to that of Satan himself. Jesus did a similar technique whenever he compared the Pharisees to “their father the Devil” with respect to their lying nature (see John 8:44).

c. So, not only do false teachers have deficient character and disregard for God but yet another trait – namely deceptive influence. 

In Jude 1:11-16 we find three men used by Jude who were among the worst false teachers in Old Testament history: Cain (Genesis 4); Balaam (Numbers 31) and Korah (Numbers 16). All three men were very religious (Cain brought gifts for God to the very first altar; Balaam was a pagan holy man who had visions of God and Korah was the High Priest Aaron’s grandson and a Levitical priest). All three men influenced many people (Cain, his mother Eve; Balaam, the nation of Israel and Korah, key leaders in Israel). 

The danger of these examples drives home Jude’s very point: they would had been men any church would had voted in as Deacons, committee leaders and even as Pastor. Such men had crept in among God’s people throughout redemptive history and all three men did catastrophic spiritual damage. So we see then that false teachers are the first enemy of the Christian. But notice a second enemy….

2. The flesh. Jude 1:4,5 As we consider the historic examples brought out by Jude, one enemy he notes has to do with what still remains inside every Christian – namely the flesh. The flesh in this instance is not referring to the physical flesh and body insomuch as the resident sinful desires that manifest because of it. In Romans 7-8 Paul speaks of the conflict between “the flesh” and “the spirit”.

All people are defined in scripture as being a living soul, containing a human spirit and living inside a human body (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12). The soul is the “true you” and the seat of self-awareness, expressing itself in thinking, feeling, choosing and moral responsibility. The “spirit” of a man was created to be the center of God-awareness wherein unbelievers is dark and dead but in Christians becomes inhabited by the Holy Spirit at saving faith (1 Corinthians 2:10-14; 3:16). The body of a man is of course the physical aspect of human beings that is compose of the five senses and which decays and is momentarily shed at death in expectation of resurrection at Christ’s return (John 5:24-28; 1 Corinthians 15:23-28; 2 Corinthians 5:5-7; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-16).

The left-over remnants of sin reside in the soul of the Christian, tugging at his “self-expression” to imbibe in whatever he receives through his five senses. Romans 7 describes this internal battle, with Romans 8 giving us the key to obtaining victory on a daily basis. The fleshly desires cannot be reformed, but must be crucified daily or denied in favor of fixing one’s eyes on Jesus Christ, the Author and Perfector of Faith (Galatians 2:20; Hebrews 12:1-2). So we have seen how false teachers and the flesh can war against our resolve to fight the good fight of faith, however there are two more enemies which we will combine together in our final thought…

3. The world and the Devil. Jude 1:8-9; 1:14-16
The Devil is described as the prince of the power of the air and the god of this age (Ephesians 2:1-3; 2 Corinthians 4:1-5). If we take false teachers to be his emissaries and the flesh to be his target, then we can say that the world is his realm and he is the arch-enemy. 1 John 2:14-17 explains in further detail the Devil and his realm (i.e the world) as composed of various enticements: lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh and the pride of life (or “pride in what one owns”). One Bible scholar has referred to the Devil and his kingdom as the parasite kingdom – and rightly so.

It is interesting that Jude makes mention of the pre-flood patriarch Enoch in Jude 1:14-16 with regards to the prophecy he utters concerning God’s judgment on the enemies of the fight of faith. Again the episode featuring Enoch is not found in scripture but is cited by Jude for its truth content. Why a pre-flood prophet? Enoch in the Bible is found in Genesis 5:18-21 as having been the father of what would be the oldest recorded man in the Bible – Methusaleh (969 years old!). 

Enoch was also the first recorded man in redemptive history to have had “walked with God” in his generation. It is likely that Enoch’s naming of Methusaleh (who name means “in the year it was sent”) was due to his foreseeing God’s judgment on the world in the then future Noahic flood. We can surmise this point by noting that in the chronology of the pre-flood patriarchs, Methusaleh died in the very year the flood came on the earth. This may explain why Jude evoked Enoch as an example of a godly man who was himself “fighting the good fight of faith”. Enoch’s fight was worth the while, since he became one of the very few men in the Bible taking up by God into heaven without tasting death (the other of course being Elijah in 2 Kings 2).

Closing thoughts:
We have explored today four main enemies of the Christian’s fight of faith: namely false teachers, the flesh, the world and the Devil. Praise be to God we find in Jude the twin foundations for victory against these foes: God’s love (Jude 1:1-2) and the Bible, the word of God (Jude 1:3).

Wed 4/13How to Win the Fight of Faith: Jude 1:1-3

Jude 1:1-3 "Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,
To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints."

Introduction:
Outlines of Bible books are meant to provide a map for navigating through a given Bible book. In yesterday's post we offered the following outline of the Epistle or Letter of Jude found near the end of the New Testament:

A. How to Win the Fight of Faith. Jude 1:1-3

B. Beware of Enemies in the Fight of Faith. Jude 1:4-13 (along with 2 Corinthians 10:3-4; Ephesians 6:11-18; 1 John 2:14-17)

C. The power of God’s Word in the fight of faith. Jude 1:14-19

D. Bullet-proofing your faith in the fight of faith. Jude 1:20-23

E. How God Preserves you in the fight of faith. Jude 1:24

In today's post we will consider the first of these points, namely, "How to win the fight of faith". Jude's urgent tone entails pressing his readers to "fight the good fight of faith" or in his words "contend earnestly for the Faith". The question is: is the fight of faith a winnable fight? As we we will see below, Jude's opening three verses lays out a simple two point strategy for winning the battle that wages in the Christian's soul and throughout the course of living life in this world. So how do we win the fight of faith? Notice....

Surrender to God's Love. Jude 1:1-2 
Jude was the half-brother of Jesus according to the flesh. His identification as the brother of James certifies this fact (also see Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3). Jude, along with James and his other siblings, had been a skeptic of Jesus' earthly ministry (see John 7:5). Yet, Acts 1:14 reveals that at some point between Jesus' resurrection and ascension, Jude and his brothers were converted to faith in Christ, as evident by their presence with the 120 Christians awaiting the promised Holy Spirit in Acts 1:14. Jude's testimony must had been amazing. He had surrendered to God's love, and now was one of the leading spokesmen for Jesus Christ.

In Jude 1:1b we see the author uses two words that describe how the believer is kept in the faith for which they are to contend. We read - "To those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ." Both the underlined terms above are passive perfect participles in the original Greek text. When we say "passive", we mean that the believer is a recipient of God's action of "love" and "keeping". When we refer to these terms as being in the "perfect tense", this indicates that Jude's readers have been kept and loved by God for quite some time, and that they are still experiencing such keeping and loving at the current time of the letter. When the term "participle" is used to describe these words, it indicates that the verbal form is talking about the state in which the Christian finds themselves. In other words, we as Christians receive God's love and keeping power, a reality that began at conversion and continues on throughout the believers walk and which ought to be a stated way of life.  

To surrender to God's love, though passive in nature, does not mean that the Christian does absolutely nothing. Surrendering to God's love is an active following of God's leading. Jude evidences this active surrendering in verse 3 of his letter. Jude had come with the intention of wanting to write his readers regarding "our common salvation." Undoubtedly such an intention was noble. Yet, the Holy Spirit was moving upon Jude to go in a different direction and write instead of the need to "contend once and for all the faith handed down to the saints." 

What does it look like when we surrender to God's love in the fight of faith? Jude depicts the activity of surrendering to God in Jude 1:20-21 "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith,praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life." Certainly we can think of how Jesus surrendered His life to the Father from the moment he acquiesced to the Father's will in eternity by stepping into time via the incarnation (John 1:14) and virgin birth/conception (Luke 1:35) all the way to his journey to the cross (Hebrews 12:1-2). Henceforth to obtain victory in the fight of faith, we must needs surrender to God's love. But notice secondly....

Stand on the words of God. Jude 1:3
Jude writes in Jude 1:3 that we are to contend for the faith "once and for all delivered to the saints". Author John Piper, in his recent book: "A Peculiar Glory", writes on page 62 concerning this very phrase used by Jude as referring to: "(t)he apostolic witness to Christ in that first generation was meant by Jesus to be foundational for all history." 

The reader may had noticed that I underlined the word "delivered" in verse 3. That term, as it is used by Jude, is a technical term in the Greek language that refers to the "handing down" of God's objective revelatory words from one generation to the next. In 1 Corinthians 11:23, we see the Apostle Paul "handing down" to the Corinthians the instructions he received from Jesus concerning the Lord's Supper. Or again in 1 Corinthians 15:3, the Apostle Paul is "handing down" the essential message of Christ's death, burial and resurrection as he had received it from the Apostles Peter and others who were eye-witnesses of those events. Jude's textual similarity to another book of the Bible, 2 Peter, is no accident. If anything, Jude is affirming the authorship of the Apostle Peter's writing and clearly had first-hand correspondence with the apostle. What Jude was doing in effect was to telling his readers to stand upon the words of scripture and contend for the faith.

I thought it would be beneficial to remind the reader of particular verses in the Bible that describe its very nature as we close out this post today. Joshua 1:8 reminds us to meditate on God's Word as a means of victory. Psalm 119:11 and 105 urge us to memorize scripture, since it sheds light on our path. Jesus Himself states in Matthew 5:18 how not one word of God will ever be lost nor repealed. Romans 15:4 indicates that the scriptures were written not only for our instruction, but also to provide hope. 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:20-21 both testify to the Divine origin and inerrancy of the Word of God. All of these verses reveal why it is we can stand on the Word of God. May we then surrender to God's love and stand on His word, since we are called as Christians to win the fight of faith.   

P2 Outline and characteristics of the book of Jude: Contending for the faith

Jude 1:3 "Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down tothe saints."

Introduction:
In yesterday's post we introduced the book of Jude, noting how Jude himself had been transformed from being a skeptic of Jesus (his half-brother according to the flesh) to that of a ardent contender for the faith. Jude undoubtedly was eager to write about the glorious salvation of which he shared with his readers, as seen in the above opening verse. Nevertheless, the Holy Ghost had other intentions and so guided Jude to compose this short letter to urge Christians of all ages to contend for the faith. Today's post carries on our introduction of this short letter by noting some characteristics of it, followed by a proposed outline of its contents.

Some textual characteristics of the Book of Jude
Although this short letter only has 462 words (per the underlying Greek text), the brevity of Jude’s writing cannot compare to the weight of its importance. The word translated “contend” in Jude 1:3 is described in the footnotes of the New English Translation as being an intensive form of the verb (which means in the original language, the verb had attached to it a preposition, which in this case is the preposition meaning “on”). 

Whenever Greek verbs had prepositions prefixed to their forms, the result was usually some sort of an intensification, much like when we place an exclamation point (!) at the end of English sentences. The result? The New English Translation (i.e.  The ‘NET Bible’) explains: “as such, the notion of fighting, contending, struggling, etc. is heightened.” Without expounding further on this point, it’s as if Jude is placing a big fat exclamation point on the end of the phrase “contend earnestly for the faith!” Jude likely composed his letter in and around 75 A.D, which would place it in the fourth quarter of the first century. 

As Christianity by this point would had spread throughout the Mediterranean world, new challenges were coming to the fore and Christians need encouraged and in some cases, admonished. The urgency of Jude’s letter must be heeded for today, since the Christian life is nothing less than “The Fight of Faith”. We won’t say more on the text of Jude itself. Instead we will switch gears to summarizing the contents of this short but powerful letter included at the end of our New Testaments. 

Some remarks on certain patterns in the book of Jude
So, with the main theme of Jude being “contend for your faith”, what can we say about the overall contents. Two brief characteristics can be noted. First, The Bible Knowledge Commentary has noted that throughout Jude’s book there exists clusters of “threes” or “triads”:

a). Jude….servant….brother. Jude 1:1

b). Mercy, Peace, love. Jude 1:2

c). Those love….called…kept. Jude 1:2

d). godless men….changed….denied. Jude 1:4

e). people out of Egypt….angels….Sodom. Jude 1:5-7

f). the dreamers pollute….reject….slander. Jude 1:8

g). Cain, Balaam, Korah. Jude 1:11

h). Grumblers, speak arrogantly, flattering. Jude 1:16

i). merciful….snatch others…..show mercy. Jude 1:22-23

Since the Book of Jude is all about contending earnestly for the faith, a second characteristic involves the contrasts between defection versus faithfulness. We also discover the premium Jude places upon learning valuable lessons from the Old Testament. For instance, the villainous actions of Satan, Cain, Balaam and Korah are contrasted with the faithfulness of Michael the Archangel, Enoch and the saints of God themselves. As Romans 15:4 reminds us: “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” 

Features such as these enable us to appreciate how Jude organized his letter for the sake of reinforcing the need to fight the good fight of faith, since redemptive history abounds with examples of those who didn’t versus those who took up the cause of Christ and persevered by His grace. 

A proposed outline of the Book of Jude
To round out our overview of Jude’s short letter, we will offer a proposed outline. Outlines of Bible books are meant to provide a map for navigating through a given Bible book. Readers are invited to use either the outline below, or to perhaps review outlines that can be found in most Study Bibles.

A. How to Win the Fight of Faith. Jude 1:1-3

B. Beware of Enemies in the Fight of Faith. Jude 1:4-13 (along with 2 Corinthians 10:3-4; Ephesians 6:11-18; 1 John 2:14-17)

C. The power of God’s Word in the fight of faith. Jude 1:14-19

D. Bullet-proofing your faith in the fight of faith. Jude 1:20-23

E. How God Preserves you in the fight of faith. Jude 1:24-25

Closing thoughts
Today’s post aimed to overview the Book of Jude. We considered the author himself, and noted how his personal background and intentions contribute to our overall understanding of the theme: “contending for your faith.” We secondly noted both textual features and characteristics of Jude’s letter so as to grasp the overall thrust of his message. Then we offered a brief outline of the Book that anyone can use for their own personal study, teaching opportunities or sermon preparation. May God be glorified in the lives of those who make it their aim to “contend earnestly for the faith once and for all delivered to the saints.”

P1 - Introducing the Book of Jude: Contending for the Faith

Jude 1:3 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once and for all handed down to the saints.”

Introduction:
Today’s post aims to provide a summary of Jude’s inspired letter to the Christians of his day and to Christians living today. The author of this short letter is identified as “Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and the brother of James.” This identification of the author can give insight into the personal motivation behind what Jude was thinking as he composed this letter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. 

Most commentators identify Jude as non-other than the half-brother of Jesus according to the flesh and thus the full brother of James, the author of the Epistle bearing his name. 

We know from texts such as Matthew 13:55 that Jesus had siblings who had been borne by Mary following his birth. Further testimony in John 7:4 describes how none of Jesus’ half-brothers (which of course would include James and Jude) had believed Jesus to be the Messiah and Savior during the course of His earthly ministry. We are told by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:7 that James had been an eyewitness of Jesus in His post-resurrection appearances. 

Consequently, Jesus’ appearance to his half-brother James resulted in His conversion, as evidenced by James’ presence in the upper-room prior to the day of Pentecost in Acts 1:14. Although we are not told the exact details of Jude’s conversion, it is clear he too was present in the upper room in Acts 1:14 as seen by the statement: “and his brothers.” This brief sketch of Jude’s life serves to show how at one time, he had been an unbeliever and perhaps even skeptical concerning the claims of his half-brother according to the flesh.

Regardless of how Jude’s conversion began, we can be assured of how he conceived of himself at the time of his letter. Jude describes himself first as a “bond-servant”, that is, as one who voluntarily gave himself into servitude to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jude had been radically converted and associated Himself with Jesus as a “servant” to “Master”. It is in his identification of “brother of James” that Jude gives his identity away. 

Imagine what must had been going through his mind as he began to write. He had been at one time a skeptic of Jesus. He only saw Jesus as a flesh and blood man, blind to the fact that indeed, Jesus was a man, but not just a flesh and blood human being. The Spirit of God had gripped Jude’s heart. He had experienced a “new birth” which superseded his natural birth (see John 3:1-5). This entry-point into salvation was undoubtedly on Jude’s mind as he indicates in Jude 1:3 regarding how he had intended to write about “our common salvation”. 

More tomorrow......

P2 Why Jesus Christ as "Immanuel - God with us" is important to you: Life's truth and purpose

Matthew 1:21-23 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what wasspoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be withchild and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

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."

Introduction:
In yesterday's post we considered what kind of Person Jesus Christ is revealed to be by way of His name: "Immanuel". As "Immanuel" or "God with us", Jesus Christ came in what has been termed His "incarnation". Today we want to once more consider the life-practical ramifications of Jesus Christ being "Immanuel, God with us". 

The human predicament is a phrase used by Christian thinkers to describe human life lived in such a way as to assume the non-existence of God and the denial of life after death. Thinkers such as the late Christian theologian Francis Shaeffer called such an approach to life: "The absurdity of life without God". Both God's existence and the concept of immortality (or life after death) constitute what is the necessary foundation for having meaning, value truth and purpose in this life. This entire issue can only make sense when we come to grips with who Jesus is revealed to be by way of His title: "Immanuel" (which again means "God with us"). We saw yesterday how Jesus Christ as "Immanuel" supplies the basis for life's meaning (i.e. significance) and value (i.e. the basis for objective moral values and duties). 

As God incarnate He brings to us the reality and existence of God and by way of His resurrection He brings to us the reality of life beyond this life (i.e. immortality). Without God and immortality, there is no basis within the frame work of this material reality for formulating the basis for meaning or value. Yet, since God and immortality have been decisively revealed in the Person of Immanuel, then we can proceed to live out life's meaning and value. Today we consider two other features of life that flow from the fact that Jesus is "Immanuel" - namely life's truth and purpose. 

Why the truth of life cannot be discovered apart from Jesus Christ being "Immanuel".
Pilate asked one of the most important questions that could be ever asked in his conversation with Jesus in John 18:38 - "Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews and said to them, “I find no guilt in Him." When it comes to defining what we mean by truth, on the most fundamental level we are referring to that which corresponds to the external world outside of our minds. Truth by its very definition is restrictive and exclusive. To say that there is no "objective" truth, but only whatever people say is the case, is to make an objective truth claim. When I say "objective" I'm referring to whatever is the case apart from whatever you and I may believe or not believe, agree or not agree. 

In the Christian worldview presented by the Bible, God is the source of truth (see Proverbs 2:3). Without God there is no truth and thus no standard by which to measure and define such qualities as "meaning", "value" and "purpose". What makes the Christian worldview and more specifically, the Person of Jesus Christ so profound, is the fact that "truth" is not just an idea, but a Person. Jesus Himself states in John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no man comes to the Father but through me."  As God incarnate, Jesus Christ as "Immanuel" brought "true truth" down to us, since He Himself is truth personified. The historical reality of Jesus of Nazareth as "God with us" provides the basis for which we can proceed on truth. The written Word of God - the Bible - is the truth of God in written form, with Jesus Christ being truth in living form. 

Why life is purposeless without immortality and without God, and how Jesus came to deliver both. 

God and immortality affirm a direction, an overall narrative and point to the universe. Moreover, the purpose is defined by the grandeur of the origin and the extraordinary means employed to reach the purpose or end point.

Once more the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ as "Immanuel" speaks to the provision of life's purpose. Jesus Christ as God incarnate delivers to me God on a one-on-one level at the moment of saving faith. In Jesus Christ there is an ultimate purpose to life. We discover in the Bible that Jesus is coming back to bring history to a close (see Titus 2:13). Furthermore, in Jesus the immortal life of hope that is looked forward to after death is fore-tasted by way of the new-life and new nature He delivers by the Spirit at salvation. As the old song states: "Heaven came down and glory filled my soul". 

Closing thoughts

We have explored in the last two days the practical ramifications behind Jesus' identity as "Immanuel". He delivers to us God and immortality, and thus provides the basis for life's meaning, value, truth and purpose. The Bible as God's written revelation has Jesus as its focal point and it alone explains perfectly the meaning, value, truth and purpose of life with respect to the Lord Jesus Christ. One cannot separate the authority of the Bible from Jesus nor Jesus from the Bible, since both are interdependent. Through Jesus alone can we escape the absurdity of life that attempts to conduct itself under the false assumption that there is no God. Only in Jesus Christ as Immanuel revealed through the Bible can we have the basis for meaning, value, truth and purpose. 

Sat 4/9 P1 Why Jesus Christ as "Immanuel - God with us", is important to you: Life's Meaning and Purpose

Matthew 1:21-23 "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what wasspoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be withchild and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

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."

Introduction:
In yesterday's post we considered what kind of Person Jesus Christ is revealed to be by way of His name: "Immanuel". As "Immanuel" or "God with us", Jesus Christ came in what has been termed His "incarnation". We noted yesterday what Christians in general and Southern Baptists in particular had to say about this central Biblical truth. Certainly any doctrine that Christians confess to believe must derive from the scriptures. Yesterday's post attempted to demonstrate and explain what is meant when we say that Jesus Christ is the "Incarnate God", revealed in human flesh. Knowing who Jesus is and what kind of Person He is (eternally God with the Father and Son and historically the man, Jesus of Nazareth, beginning 2,000 years ago) is vital in arriving at an accurate understanding of His Person and work. Henceforth that is what we labored to show in yesterday's post. Today we want to consider the life-practical ramifications of Jesus Christ being "Immanuel, God with us". 

Why it is important to you and me that Jesus Christ be "Immanuel, God with us".   
Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 1:1-3 
"The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. 2 “Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” 3 What advantage does man have in all his work which he does under the sun?" As Solomon writes these words from the vantage point of viewing life as if all of existence proceeded along apart from God, he finds that on such a viewpoint, no basis for meaning can be found. By Divine inspiration Solomon issues forth the authoritative scriptural conclusion at the end of his book in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 " The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil." In short, apart from God and the prospect of life beyond this life (i.e immortality), there is no basis, outside of Biblical Christianity, for meaning, value, truth nor purpose.

The human predicament is a phrase used by Christian thinkers to describe human life lived in such a way as to assume the non-existence of God and the denial of life after death. Thinkers such as the late Christian theologian Francis Shaeffer called such an approach to life: "The absurdity of life without God". Both God's existence and the concept of immortality (or life after death) constitute what is the necessary foundation for having meaning, value truth and purpose in this life. This entire issue can only make sense when we come to grips with who Jesus is revealed to be by way of His title: "Immanuel" (which again means "God with us"). Notice how the event of Jesus' incarnation as Immanuel provides the basis for understanding life's meaning and value.... 

Why life is meaningless without immortality and without God, and how Jesus came to deliver both. 

Without immortality – there is no ultimate significance. Our brief lives are not long enough to achieve such. Even legacies, at best, last centuries without being reinterpreted and forgotten. We have eternity written on our hearts, as Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). Without God, we have no obligation to live good and do good in this life. Without the moral lawgiver, there is no morality, no meaning and thus – no purpose.

Now when we think of the opening texts in today's blog (Matthew 1:23; John 1:14), we see the keys texts for beginning a discussion about the incarnation. The birth of Jesus is described as none other than the appearance of God in human flesh (1 Timothy 3:16). Moreover, this little baby would grow up to be a man, who would die and then rise from the dead three days following His crucifixion. Jesus of Nazareth was indeed truly man, however He was more than a man, since at the same time He ever remained truly God (John 1:14; Colossians 2:9). 

Hence, Jesus Christ in both His incarnation and resurrection delivered personally the meaning of life by making available God Himself and the hope of life with God after death. Such realities bring the necessary meaning needed to live out meaningful lives in this world.

Why life is valueless without immortality and without God, and how Jesus came to deliver both. 

God and immortality answer the questions: who has the right to tell me how I ought to live? And “why live how I ought to live?” Value cannot be discerned apart from a reference point with which to measure good, evil and meaning.

When we think again about what the incarnation and resurrection of Jesus Christ as Immanuel, God with us, means, we see two implications. First, that He personally delivers the foundation for objective moral values and duties. Them second, not only the moral foundation but spiritual power to live out the moral values and duties embedded within the fabric of the universe. 

We know that our world is not only physical, but moral in nature. To have in the Gospels the paragon of perfection - Jesus Christ - is to have the embodiment of the very base-line of all morality and meaning. Whether believer or unbeliever, objective moral values and duties bear on the human heart that sense of "oughtness". That is to say, there is a God to Whom I'm accountable ("oughtness"). 

The duties deal with those actions that demand accountability to an ultimate authority.  In other words, who has the right to tell me how I ought to live and what I ought to believe and do? Jesus Christ, and His redemption, deliver the power to the person who responds to the quickening work of the Spirit. Hence, Jesus Christ gives us the value of life - since He delivers to us God and the hope of life-after-death. 

Closing thoughts
We've seen today that Jesus Christ as Immanuel is important to you and me, since in His incarnation He delivers to us personal access to God and the reality of life beyond this life by His resurrection from the dead. Such realities delivered to us by Immanuel gives the Christian the basis for which to define life's meaning (i.e significance) and value (i.e. objective moral values and duties). Tomorrow we will consider two other major reasons why Jesus revealed as "Immanuel" is relevant to you. 

What Southern Baptists teach on the incarnation of Jesus Christ

Matthew 1:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”

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.

Introduction - two verses that introduce us to the truth of the incarnation

Today's post aims to consider what Christians in general, and Southern Baptists in particular, teach about the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ with respect to His incarnation. The "incarnation" or what older  theologians call "the enmanning" of the Eternal Son, refers to the event in which the Eternal Son came to take unto Himself a second, truly human nature. The two key verses above give us access into this central truth.

The first passage, Matthew 1:23, records the fact that the Person of the Son is no less than true Deity by way of the title "Immanuel". This title, originating from Isaiah 7:14, is translated by Matthew into the phrase: "God with us". The passage is situated in a conversation that the angel Gabriel is having with Joseph - Jesus' legal earthly father. 

The concern is to communicate to Joseph the conditions of his espoused fiance's pregnancy. How is it that his fiance, Mary, could be pregnant? The angel utilizes the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 to indicate that no wrong-doing had been done by her, since she remained a virgin. The miracle of the virgin birth/conception was to provide the way in which the Divine Person of the Son could enter from eternity into time. By not having a human father, the humanity of the Son would by-pass the sin nature that travels via the fathers bloodline (see for example 1 Peter 1:18-19). Henceforth, the baby developing in Mary's womb was, with respect to His identity, truly God who came to be also truly man. 

John 1:14, the second verse cited at the beginning of this post, tells us that the Divine Person of the Son "became flesh". In what is the clearest declaration of what theologians call "the incarnation", the Eternal second Person of the Trinity came by means of the virgin conception described in Matthew 1:23 and "became" or "assumed unto His person" a second way of expressing His unparalleled life - namely a true and full humanity. In so far as Matthew 1:23 points to the reality of Jesus Christ as "God incarnate", John 1:14 serves to explain what the reality of the incarnation is - namely "The Word" or "The Son" becoming human flesh. 

How the Baptist Faith and Message unpacks the doctrine of the incarnation of the Son of God
The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 is the official doctrinal statement of the Southern Baptist Convention. It's value lies in explaining and summarizing all the relevant scriptures that speak on various doctrinal subjects. With regard to the truth of Jesus' incarnation, the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 (henceforth BFM 2000) states the following:

"Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin."

So then, what does this statement tell us about this miracle of the incarnation of the Son of God? In 2007, key SBC leaders Charles S. Kelley Jr., Richard Land and R. Albert Mohler Jr. produced a teaching manual that served to expound on every article of the BFM 2000. In their explanation of the article on Christ's incarnation (above) they write on page 41:(1) 

"Christ's coming in human form is called the 'incarnation'; He was literally God in human flesh. As John put it, the eternal Word 'became flesh and took up residence among us." (John 1:14). This was an act of infinite humility, as Christ emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men (Philippians 2:7). He who made the universe came into His own creation to save His people. This is the distinctive truth of the Christian faith: in Jesus, God came and dwelled among us." 

In another full-length book on the BFM 2000, editors Douglas K. Blount and Joseph D. Wooddell produced a work that attempted to explain how the doctrinal distinctives of the BFM 2000 impact the practical and doctrinal practices of Southern Baptists. Concerning the truth of the incarnation as so described in the BFM 2000, they note on page 21 of their book: (2)

"As Baptists have long affirmed, Jesus of Nazereth is not merely a partake of human nature. He is not merely partly human; He is rather fully human. He did not merely take on the demands and necessities of human nature; rather, He took on that very nature Himself. So says the Baptist Faith and Message 2000; and so say Southern Baptists as a people."

Closing thoughts

Today we aimed to see what Christians in general and Southern Baptists in particular teach from God's Word regarding the incarnation of the Son of God. We first looked briefly at Matthew 1:23 and John 1:14 as leading verses on this central truth. We then focused on our attention on the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 and two commentaries that explained it's article on the event and significance of Christ's incarnation as a central Biblical truth of historic Christian faith. To Jesus be the glory! 

Endnotes:

1. Charles S. Kelley Jr., Richard Land and R. ALbert Mohler Jr. The Baptist Faith and Message. Lifeway Press. 2007. 

2. Douglas K. Blount and Joseph D. Wooddell. Baptist Faith and Message 2000 - Critical Issues in America's Largest Protestant Denomination. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers. 2007