GOD THE SON  LESSON 3 SEPTEMBER 16, 2000.

These lessons are from the Seventh Day Baptist Church of Toronto

 INTRODUCTION

The person and work of Christ is at the very heart of the Christian faith.  By definition, Christians are people who believe in and follow Christ. It is therefore important to know whom we follow, and what he is about.

It is noteworthy that the doctrines taught in what we call the New Testament are firmly based on and rest upon the doctrines taught in the Old Testament.  One writer states:

“We can say with all reverence that Jesus Christ was practically saturated with the Scriptures, which he knew “having never learned” (John 7: 15).  One-tenth of his words were taken from the Old Testament.  In the four Gospels 180 of 1,800 verses, which report his discourses, are either quotations of the written revelation or else direct allusions to it.  If we are criticized for constantly quoting Scripture texts, what can be said of Christ, who had them constantly at the tip of is tongue?.....  He who is  the truth, the eternal Word, submitted himself to the inspired writings with no reservation whatsoever.  It is evident that for him every declaration in the Old Testament is the word of God.”

The New Testament discloses no new God, and no new doctrines of God.  It reaffirmed that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who made covenants with them, is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

This God sent his Son Jesus Christ, in fulfillment of the promises made to Adam and his descendants, in the covenants.

The Son, Jesus Christ came to begin the final chapter of God's reign on earth, and to signal the implementation of the new Covenant.

God acted to carry out very ancient promises made before the establishment of the people of Israel, and also promises made after the establishment of the nation of Israel. The reign of God had come at last, and God now offered final salvation and the power to truly obey him in every aspect of life.

With the coming of the Son, it was now required of men to confess Jesus, so that they would escape the final judgment, and instead be ushered into the presence of God.

The New Testament spends a great deal of time re-establishing for pagans (Gentiles) who believed in idols, that there was one God, and only one God, who demanded obedience, and worship of him alone.

This one God acted to bring about salvation through Jesus Christ, and hence there was his incarnation, life, death, and resurrection. By his life and work, he invited men to once again come to him in obedience, and for those who responded, they would enter into a new relationship with God, and could join him in crying “Abba Father”.

The call to salvation and reconciliation was therefore made by the Father, through Christ, whose death was the final once and for all saving act of God.

WHO WAS JESUS AND DID HE REALLY EXIST?

So far we have assumed that there was a person named Jesus and that he had a special relationship with someone called the Father.

The question has however been asked as to whether there ever existed someone named Jesus.  There are some references in non-Christian sources that prove that Jesus did really exist.

The Roman historian Tacitus, referred to Jesus’ execution by order of Pilate during the reign of Tiberius.  The Jewish historian Josephus also referred to Jesus, even though there is controversy over the exact content of what he said about Jesus.  Even the Talmud, the collection of sacred Jewish writings, confirmed the existence of Jesus, though it reviled him, and described him in unflattering terms.

The Scriptures, including the Gospels, are of course the chief source of information about Jesus, and they carry carefully preserved traditions of the character, words, and actions of him.

We can approach this discussion about who Jesus is, by looking at the titles or names given to him. Note that names and titles are closely related and are often used interchangeably.  For example, Caesar was the family name of Julius Caesar and his nephew Octavian.  But this name was eventually used as the official title for many Roman Emperors.  In the ancient world, names do mean or describe something about a person, and was therefore of extreme importance.

THE NAMES OF JESUS

The name “Jesus” is the Greek form of Joshua, which means “Yahweh is salvation”.  This was his personal name, but though commonly used as a name during his lifetime, fell out of popularity quickly.  It might have been that the Christians wanted to reserve use of that name for their Savior, while the Jews were so hostile to Jesus that they did not like to use that name.

The following is a list of some of the names and titles of Jesus, which are used in the Scriptures. The list shows the ways that Jesus was regarded, the status he was accorded, and the titles and names indicate the many roles, functions and offices he performed. The great and numerous implications in this abbreviated and incomplete list should clearly indicate how significant Jesus is. There is no greater one than He. Note that the focus of the Scriptures is on him.

 Note that for many of these descriptions of Jesus we have the testimony of the Father, as in Matthew 3:17; 17: 5; John 8: 18; John the Baptist as in John 1: 34; the Apostles in numerous passages; and even from evil spirits, as in Matthew 8: 29, Mark 1: 24, 3: 11, Luke 4: 41, and Acts 19: 15.

 It should be clear by now that the question of what one thinks of Christ is of the utmost importance. If one believes in a Christ, different from the Christ spelled out in such detail in the Scriptures, then it is clear that, the other Christ is false.

THE DEITY OF JESUS

When we read what Jesus said, it is clear that he made claims that no one less than God could legitimately make.  He spoke about ‘ his angels’,(Matthew 13: 41) ‘his kingdom’, (Luke 12: 8-9; 15: 10) his Father’, his power to forgive sins (Mark 2: 5) , his position as Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2: 27-28), his status as one with the Father (John 10: 30), his seeing and knowing the Father (John 14: 7-9), his pre-existence (John 8: 58), and even used the “I Am” of Exodus 3: 14-15 to describe himself.

His enemies, the Pharisees, certainly knew what Jesus meant by his statements in John 8 for they attempted to stone him for blasphemy.  Matthew 26 reported that at his trial, when the High Priest asked Jesus to swear as to whether or not he was the Christ the Son of God, Jesus made a clear statement of his Deity.  To the Jews this was blasphemy for Jesus claimed what only God had the right to claim.

Jesus accepted Thomas’ statement that he was God, making no effort to encourage the disciples to think otherwise.(John 20: 28) Jesus also claimed the power over life and death, a power that belongs to God only.  In John 5: 21 and John 11:25 his claim to Deity is clear.

The Apostle John in his Gospel totally agrees with Jesus’ statements that he was God. In the opening statement of his gospel he states this clearly:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”.  As a matter of fact, the original order of words makes John's assertion of Jesus’ Deity extremely forceful.  John actually said “Divine (or God) was the Word”.  Throughout his gospel, John confirmed and elaborated on the thought, that Jesus was God.

Paul also affirmed that Jesus was God.  In Colossians 1: 15-20 Paul makes this clear.  In verse 19 Paul stated” For in him all the Fullness of God was pleased to dwell”.  In Colossians  2:9 Paul says almost the same thing.  Paul also refers to Jesus as the Judge of the living and dead, even though he was well aware that Joel 3:12 refers to Jehovah in that role.

In Philippians 2 Paul again asserts the Deity of Christ, and this interpretation can be defended.

The book of Hebrews clearly emphasizes Jesus’ Deity, chapter 1: 8 even quotes from Psalms 45:6 where the Son is also addressed as God.

THE RESULTS OF SIN AND THE MAGNITUDE OF SIN

All the Scriptures insisted that the sin into which man fell was an extremely serious matter, and had very grave and severe consequences.

Sin completely changed the relationship between God and man, for man had now associated himself with something that God hated.  Man was now at enmity with God, and God was angered by the sin.

Man had lost favor with God, stood condemned, and was deserving of punishment.  Sin now brought that punishment and retribution.  Sin had resulted in death, both physical and spiritual, and immediate separation from God. Now eternal death, death made permanent, was a distinct possibility for man.

Sinning man had been transformed into a slave.  He now had freedom only to sin, but not to escape it and seek God. Man  was unwilling to face reality, and would find ways to disguise the reality of his suffering and death. He even denied the reality of sin, and constantly sought excuses and explanations, shifting responsibility to anywhere but to himself.  His heart was deceitful and desperately corrupt.  See Jeremiah 17:9 where the prophet pointed out that man had such a deceitful heart that he even fooled himself.

Sin made man so insensitive that his heart was hardened and his conscience seared. (1 Timothy 4:2; Romans 1:21). Man was self centered, and was like the raging and tossing sea, without rest or peace. There was no love, and no happiness.

Sin affected all men without exception, and it’s display tended to produce more and more wickedness and corruption. (Genesis 8:21)

Worst is that sin was such a spiritual sickness, that man had an inward disposition to evil. It had affected the entire person, and the body, the reason, the mind were warped. Even when some good acts were done, the taint of sin and its accompanying improper motives were there. The sinner could never free himself. Man was therefore unable to do genuinely good works to justify himself before God. Sin had radically changed man.

No wonder then God had to act through his Son, who only would be able to deal with this radical, intensive state of lostness into which man had fallen.

We can now see why Christ had to be God, for only God could have real knowledge of himself, to understand what holiness meant, and what sin had done and be considered precious enough and worth enough, to not only understand what had to be done, but to himself pay the price. Only God could understand what God, the inaccessible and utterly pure God, wanted.

The sacrifice had to be a death which was sufficient for all sinners who had ever lived, and which could pay the cost of removing the infinitely awful horror that sin meant to God. Only Christ, the Son of God would be able to redeem us.

To reconcile man to God and to reunite man and God across that divide, could not be the work of a mere created angel. Hence we affirm that Jesus was indeed God, fully capable, and appropriately receiving our worship, and deserving of our praise and adoration.

THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF JESUS

We note here that there are texts, which speak about the life of the Son before the world was created.  John 3: 17, Romans 8: 3, Galatians 4:4, and other texts tell us that God sent his Son, which presupposes that the Son had been with the Father before he was born on earth.

In Philippians 2: 6-11 Paul refers to Jesus as a divine person, existing in the image of God and equal to God.  Jesus gave up his life and privileges in heaven in exchange for the form of a slave.  Note that even then the Son of God was called Emmanuel, God with us, and was described as holy.

Jesus, contending that he was one with the Father, said in John 8: 58 that he existed before Abraham lived. In John 3 it is stated that no one had ascended to Heaven but he who had descended from Heaven.  Only the Son of man had done that.  Jesus’ pre-existence with the Father, made him able to reveal the Father, for he had been with the Father.(John 1: 18)

It is therefore very important for us to realize that Jesus was unique, and that when he was born, a new life did not come into being.  What really happened was that Jesus took on a human body, grew up as a man, shared in the temptations common to humanity, yet had no sin.  Jesus had always existed, he had no beginning, and he had no end.  He could therefore claim the title the Father also claimed, namely, the Alpha and the Omega.

HIS MISSION

When he became human, to share in our humanity, Jesus took on the role that the prophets called “The Servant of Jehovah”.  The work of the Servant is described by the prophet Isaiah, and he spoke of someone who came in complete obedience to God and doing his work in complete dependence on God.  Isaiah, in many chapters, but especially in chapter 53 spoke of this one who came to give his life a ransom for many.  This portrait of the Servant gives us excellent insight into the psychology of Jesus and consequently good guidance as to how we should live, and by whom we should be guided. See 1 Peter 2: 21-25 and Matthew 12: 18-21.

Because of his acceptance of his position as Servant of Jehovah, Jesus’ favorite title for himself was Son of Man.

Though we think of Jesus as the Messiah, or the Anointed One, Jesus rarely claimed this title.  Neither did Jesus claim the title “Son of David”, or “King”.  Many of his actions however clearly suggested that these titles were rightfully his.

We must bear in mind that Jesus was wise.  He knew full well that Jews were looking forward anxiously to the coming and establishment of God's kingdom. They knew this kingdom would be established when God's personal representative came as a King, anointed by God, and clearly a member of the House of David.  They look fervently for the ruler that would permanently change the political system, expel and subjugate the Romans, destroy their other enemies, and make Israel the dominant political, economic, military, intellectual, and spiritual power house in the world.

Jesus’ concept of the Messiah and the Servant of Jehovah was so completely different from the military and political ruler that the Jews looked for, that Jesus had to go to great pains to make sure that the people understood the spiritual nature of his work.  But even his closest followers had the most difficult time in understanding and grasping the spiritual nature of his mission.

Jesus wanted  people to understand that the Messiah or the Servant of Jehovah came from the Father to do a specific job.  He had come as the Anointed One, from the Father to suffer, be rejected, and die as a sacrifice to make possible the forgiveness of sins, restore fellowship between God and man, end man's rebellion, and bring in the Kingdom of God.

Jesus’ person and nature, being fully God and fully man, made him perfectly fitted for his mission.

He was commissioned to do a task, and this task was fully laid out in the Bible, calling for him to be a Prophet, a Priest, and a King.

Jesus came to reveal Father and tell man what the Father was like and what he really wanted from man. He proclaimed Good News but also proclaimed a message of judgment for those that did not accept him.  He came as the light to the world to show man the truth.

This period of his life on earth is called the period of Christ's humiliation, for he gave up an immense amount of honor, splendor, power and position with the Father, surrendering voluntarily his ability to exercise his divine power independently. He was instead indwelt fully by the Holy Spirit and did his work totally under his power in total obedience to the wishes of the Father.  The crowning act of his humiliation was his death, even though he had committed no sin.  In fact, he was executed like a common criminal, mocked, jeered, scoffed at, suffering hunger, thirst, betrayal, and abandoned by those closest to him, dying disappointed, discouraged, and distressed to an extent that we can never truly grasp.

WHY THE HUMANITY OF JESUS

This brings us to the most important and crucial matter of Jesus; his humanity.  How would God bridge the horrible spiritual and moral gap caused by sin in man!  Man could not close this gap because he was at enmity with God, was afraid of God, and could not in his own strength survive any true encounter with God. In any case God is so high above man that man by his own efforts could not even know God.

God had to find a way to restore fellowship between himself and man, by dealing with the sin in man.  The way God solved the problem was to have Jesus his Son become a man, really one of us, so that Deity and humanity would be united in one person.  For the death of Christ to be a valid sacrifice for man, he would have to be a genuine human being, and for his death to have efficacy or power, he would have to be genuinely God.

Jesus had to experience all the trials, temptations and struggles of human beings to be able to represent man, and intercede for man with complete truth in his intercession, that he truly understands us and sympathizes with us.

The Bible makes it absolutely clear that Jesus was completely and fully human, just like any of us.  He was conceived in his mother’s womb, and was nourished through his attachment to an umbilical cord, just like every child is.  The difference  with Jesus is that no earthly man was involved with Mary. But from the time that the Holy Spirit transferred Jesus to Mary's womb, Jesus’ development was just like that of any of us.  He had normal birth, grew up, grew taller and stronger as time went on.  The Bible says in Luke 2: 52 that he increased “in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”.

The Scriptures tell us that Jesus felt hunger, thirst, weariness, pain, and  frustration, he loved,  was sorrowful, troubled, he wept, and in fact experienced all our emotions.

John the Apostle, in 1 John 1: 1 makes it clear that they saw him with their eyes, looked on him, touched him, knowing that he was the word of life.  In other words, Jesus was fully human.  John made it clear that anyone who said that Jesus was not fully a man was anti-Christ.  See John 1:14 and 1 John 4:2-3.

The matter of the divine and the human in Jesus is difficult to understand.  It really tells us that Jesus as Deity with the attributes of infinite knowledge, power, and ability was at the same time a man, limited in many things.

The Scriptures are quite clear though, that Jesus had these two natures, but was one man without any type of complexity and contradictions in himself.  The atoning work of Jesus required that he be both Deity and human.  His work of redemption and crucifixion was placed alongside his resurrection and kingship. He always acted as one person.

Jesus took on human attributes without giving up is divine attributes, and he never ceased to be God as Colossians 2:9 clearly states. His emptying of himself cannot be separated from him taking on the form of a servant, for clearly what happened was that he gave up equality with God, and in his role following his incarnation was subordinate to the Father.  Jesus had to do this in order to reveal the Father and redeem man. He voluntarily accepted limitations on the use of his divine attributes when he added human nature, but he did not lose is divine attributes.

When he was a man on earth, Jesus was limited in the exercise of his divine power by his human body.  He still knew everything and had all power, but he would under the power of the Holy Spirit, do and act in ways appropriate to that body and it’s development, to the extent that was necessary to performing his task as Prophet, Teacher, Redeemer, and Revealer of God in ways, that the people around him could understand.  Even with this restraint, his disciples had great difficulty in understanding who he was and what his message was.

Some deny for example:
1)      that Christ was completely God

2)      that Christ was genuinely God

3)      that Christ was genuinely human

4)      that Christ was completely human

5)      that Christ was one person, some holding that Jesus the man became divine at some point in his life after his birth, probably at his baptism; or some other view that spits Jesus into two distinct persons.

6)      That the two natures were really not two but one nature or several, thus confusing the matter of the unity of Jesus, and the integrity and separateness of the two natures.

THE EXALTATION OF JESUS CHRIST

The final and the worst thing that sin can do is kill.

The resurrection of Jesus marked the end of his Humiliation, for death had proved unable to hold him.  Death and the forces of evil had been publicly defeated, openly humiliated and shown  to be less than what they claimed. They were in fact ridiculed.

 Jesus had triumphed, showing his power to remove the curse on man.  Having completed is work on earth, Jesus left to take his place at the right hand of the Father, and to again receive the praise and adoration of angels in heaven.

 Now the God-Man fully assumed the position of Mediator between God and man.  See  1Timothy 2:5 and John 14: 2-3.

Jesus’ place at the right hand up the Father did not mean Jesus had nothing to do.  His role as mediator involved the work of intercession with the Father on behalf of his brethren. (Hebrews 7: 25)

Jesus’ work also involved the preparation of a place for us, which from all indications is the establishment of the New Jerusalem.

 THE PRIESTHOOD OF CHRIST

Christ's work following His ascension arises from his role as the Great High Priest, the role discussed at length in the book of Hebrews.

This High Priesthood was superior to the Levitical priesthood, and allowed man to have access to God, because of the sacrifice Jesus had made on the Cross.

This High Priest had an indestructible life.  His priesthood was established by divine oath, as recorded in Psalm 110: 4.

Because of this divine oath, Jesus Christ guarantees the better and superior new covenant.  This position assures us that the new order that he has introduced is permanent and better than the old.

Jesus is High Priest of the New Covenant, to represent sinning man in the presence of God in Heaven, after his once and for all sacrifice which was sufficient to take away the sins of many people.

His people are therefore made holy through the sacrifice of Jesus  body, and sanctified by him. (Hebrews 10: 8-10) Jesus thus remains forever, ensuring that we have permanent access to the Father through him, and that whatever happens to us on earth, he is right there to explain everything to the Father, and to make sure we are justified, that is, are in right standing with God.

Since Jesus is ascended to the position of power, he can save completely, and no one need fear that Jesus will not succeed in saving those who come to him.

Jesus sits in the position of power and intercedes for those who come to God through him, ensuring that every believe who comes to him in truth will overcome. 

Jesus thus constantly works on our behalf.  He will continue to do so until the day when he returns to earth, to receive his own to himself, and keep them forever in his presence.

CONCLUSION

It is clear that Jesus came to bring together both Jews and Gentile into the kingdom.  The Father gave up a lot to have Jesus come to save man.  Jesus himself gave up a great deal to become a man and to be our Savior.  He is our perfect example, as well as our only hope for eternal life.

Jesus called us to be his disciples, a position of serious and total commitment, where God was the center, the reference point, and standard for life.  Jesus is by definition Lord to the saved and justified person.

The Titles of Jesus show his supreme worth as the Son of God, his most excellent and magnificent work as Messiah and Savior, and his most honorable and exalted position as Lord.  They clearly show that God the Father acted to save the world and to judge the world.  They show that Jesus is one with God and most worthy of all worship that is due only to God.

Let us move away from worshipping a false Jesus and worship only the true God, and the true Christ, despite the tremendous allurements of the world.  Remember that we have One God and One Lord Jesus Christ.