Text: Matt. 1:21; 16:16; Luke 2:40, 52;
John 1:14, 15, 27, 30; 8:58; Phil. 2:6-8; Titus 2:13, 14
Theme: We believe in the divinity and humanity of the Person of Jesus
Christ.
Relevance:
Why is Jesus Christ so
important?
If we don’t understand why the Lord Jesus’ divinity and
humanity are so important, we will have an inadequate ability to know Him and
appreciate Him. We will have an insufficient understanding of how much He loves
us and how much He has done for us. We will not be in a position to be changed
by Him to the degree that we would if we understood more fully why He matters. (Anders)
Why do we need to know
about The Lord Jesus?
Today, there is no common understanding of who Jesus Christ
is. Many people make up their own definition of who He is. Some reject one
aspect or another of His nature and Person. We must be sure we are talking
about the same person when we address the question, “Who is the Person of Jesus
Christ?” (Anders)
Introduction:
The nature of Christ's existence is mysterious, I
admit; but this mystery meets the wants of man-reject it and the world is an
inexplicable riddle; believe it, and the history of our race is satisfactorily
explained. • Napoleon
The uniqueness
of Christianity is the Person, Jesus Christ, and the distinctiveness of Christ
is the fact that He is the God-man. In other words, He is a divine-human Being,
something unique in time and eternity. It is also a concept very difficult to
understand, for we have no basis for comparison with another God-man in history
nor do we get any help from our experience. Yet this is not a dogma imposed on
us simply to receive without question; it is a conclusion which grows out of
the evidence in the Bible. –A Survey of Bible Doctrine
If you were to ask ten people at random who Jesus is, you
would probably get ten different answers. To some, He is merely a man, like any
other human being. To others, he is a great moral teacher, the founder of one
of the world’s great religions. To others, he is a madman, instigator of much
of the evil in the world (consider the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, the
religious wars, the “colonialistic evangelism and corruption” of Third-World
cultures). Others have no idea who He is, and still others believe He never
existed. To many, He is nothing but a name to curse and swear by. Therefore, as
the starting point for our study of Him, we must agree on who and what we mean
when we say “Jesus.”
When I say “Jesus,” I mean that He is the Son of God, the
second member of the Trinity who existed before the creation of the world, who
participated with the Father and the Holy Spirit in creation, and who became
human. This Jesus of Nazareth, being born of a virgin, came to earth to do the
will of God the Father. He died for our sins, came to life again, was bodily
resurrected, ascended into heaven, and will come again some day to judge sin
and establish permanent righteousness on earth. –Max Anders
Lesson:
I.
The Preexistence
of Jesus Christ—Why believe Jesus existed
before Bethlehem?
The eternality and deity of Christ are
inseparably connected and interrelated. To deny His preexistence automatically
rejects His deity. If the deity of Christ is an established biblical truth,
then His preexistence is equally validated. The Lord Jesus lived in eternity past
and had an entire career before He was born in Bethlehem two thousand years
ago.
A. The Assertions of His Preexistence—Where does the Bible Actually say Jesus
always existed?
1.Note what the Apostle John said (Jn.
1:1).
i.
John 1:1. The word “was”
in the phrase, “In the beginning was the Word,”
stresses continual existence in past time. It means, “In the beginning the Word
was continually existing.” He did not have a beginning Himself, but existed
from all eternity. As far as the human mind can go back, the Lord Jesus was
there. He never was created. He had no beginning.
ii.
“The Word was with God” in a special
relationship of eternal fellowship in the Trinity. The word “with” suggests “in company with” (see 1:2; 1Thes. 1:3,
4; 1 John 1:2). In eternity past the Father (God) and the Son (the Word) have
always been in loving communion with each other. Thus the Word is eternal; the
Word has always been in relationship to the Father; and the Word is God.
iii.
See also John 8:58.
2.Note what John the Baptist said (Jn.
1:15).
i.
Jesus came after
John as far as His birth and ministry were concerned. He was born six months
after John [Luke 1:36] and presented Himself to the people of Israel some time
after John had been preaching and baptizing.
ii.
But Jesus was preferred
before John. He was greater than John; He was worthy of more honor, the
simple reason being that He was before
John. He existed from all eternity—the Son of God. –Believer's Bible
Commentary
3.Note what the Apostle Paul said
(Phil. 2:6-8; Heb. 1:8).
i.
Christ Jesus was “in the form of God;” He existed from all eternity as God (Phil. 2:6). It is not that He
merely resembled God, but that He actually is God in the truest sense.
ii.
Phil. 2:6. Yet He did not consider it “robbery to be equal with God.”
Here it is of utmost importance to distinguish between personal and positional
equality with God. As to His Person, Christ always was, is, and will
be equal with God. It would be impossible for Him to give that up. But
positional equality is different. From all eternity Christ was positionally
equal with His Father, enjoying the glories of heaven. But He did not consider this position
something that He had to hold on to at all costs. When a world of lost mankind
needed to be redeemed, He was willing to relinquish His positional equality with God—the comforts and joys of
heaven. He did not consider them
something that He had to grasp forever and under all circumstances.
iii.
Hebrews 1:8. Quoting from Ps. 45:6, 7, the deity and
the lordship of the Son over creation (v. 3) is declared. This is all the more
significant since the declaration of the Son’s deity is presented as the words
of the Father Himself (see also Is. 9:6; Jer. 23:5, 6; John 5:18; Titus 2:13; 1
John 5:20). Therefore, the statement, “Thy throne, O
God, is forever and ever,” is a reference to the eternality of
Christ.
4.Note what the Apostle Peter said
(1Pet. 1:20).
i.
Christ’s redemption work for us was no afterthought on
God’s part. The Redeemer was destined to die for us before the creation of the
world. Clearly this presupposes His preexistence and eternality. But at
the end of the dispensation of law, He appeared from heaven to rescue us from
our former way of life. This payment for sin was planned before the Creation of the world and revealed for people’s sake through the
Incarnation of Jesus Christ. The already existing Word became a man. As a
result of God’s eternal plan and priceless payment for sin, faith and hope can be placed in Him.
ii.
Peter adds these considerations to impress us even more
deeply with the importance of making a clean break with the world system from
which Christ died to deliver us. We are in the world but not of it. We must not
isolate ourselves from unregenerate men, but rather carry the gospel to them.
Yet in our dealings and relationships with them, we must never share in or
condone their sins. We are to show by our lives that we are children of God.
The moment we become like the world, our testimony is weakened. There is no
incentive for the unsaved to be converted if they cannot see a difference—a
change for the better in our lives.
5.Note what the Lord Jesus said (Jn.
6:38, 51, 61, 62; 17:5).
i.
John 6:37, 38. In verse 37, the Lord Jesus said that
all of God’s plans would eventually be fulfilled with regard to the salvation
of those who were given to Him. Since this was the Father’s will, the Lord
would personally undertake to bring it to pass, as His mission was to do the
will of God. “[I
came down from heaven]” said Christ, clearly teaching that He did
not begin His life in the manger at Bethlehem. Rather, He existed from all
eternity with God the Father in heaven. Coming into the world, He was the
obedient Son of God. He voluntarily took the place of a servant in order to
carry out the will of His
Father. This does not mean that He did not have a will of His own, but rather
that His own will was in perfect
agreement with the will of God. –Believer's Bible Commentary
ii.
John 17:5. He repeated His request for a return to His
pristine glory with the
Father (see John 17:1) based on the certainty of the finished work on the
cross. –Walvoord, John
iii.
John 17:5. Before Christ came into the world, He dwelt
in heaven with the Father. When the angels looked upon the Lord, they saw all
the glory of Deity. To every eye, He was obviously God. But when He came among
men, the glory of Deity was veiled. Though He was still God, it was not
apparent to most onlookers. They saw Him merely as the carpenter’s Son. Here,
the Savior is praying that the visible manifestation of His glory in heaven
might be restored. The words [“glorify Thou Me with Thine own self”] mean
“glorify Me in Your presence in heaven. Let the original glory which I shared
with You before My Incarnation be resumed.” This clearly teaches the
pre-existence of Christ. –MacDonald, William
B. The Activities of His Preexistence—What did Jesus do before His Bethlehem
Birth?
1.He Created the Universe (Col. 1:16;
Heb. 1:2, 10).
2.He was Controlling the Universe
(Heb. 1:3; Col. 1:17).
3.He shared Communion with the Father
(John 17:23, 24).
4.He appeared Occasionally as the
Angel of the Lord (Gen. 18:1; Judges 13:15-23; Dan. 3:25).
II.
The Deity
of Jesus Christ—Why believe Jesus
is truly God?
Jesus is the Son of God (John 1:1,
14). What Jesus taught and what he did are tied inseparably to who he is. The
Bible shows Jesus as fully human and fully God. Although Jesus took upon
himself full humanity and lived as a man, he never ceased to be the eternal God
who has always existed, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and the source
of eternal life. This is the truth about Jesus, and the foundation of all
truth. If we cannot or do not believe this basic truth, we will not have enough
faith to trust our eternal destiny to him. That is why John wrote this Gospel—to
build faith and confidence in Jesus Christ so that we may believe that he truly
was and is the Son of God (20:30-31). –The
Handbook of Bible Application
A. It is Declared in the Old
Testament—Where does the Old Testament
say Jesus is God?
1.David Declared Christ’s Deity (Ps.
45:6, 7; 110:1).
i.
Psalm 45:6-7 undoubtedly refers to the promise of
an eternal throne for the house of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:16) which will be
fulfilled in Jesus Christ when He returns to reign forever. Hebrews 1:8-9
quotes this passage in reference to the exaltation and dominion of Christ. –Walvoord,
John
a.
King Jesus is seated on the throne of His glory in Jerusalem. The voice of God is heard from
heaven addressing Him as God and
certifying His reign as an eternal Person. We know it is the voice of God,
because Hebrews 1:8, 9 tells us so. This is one of the clearest proofs of the
deity of Christ in the entire Bible. It is not only true that Christ’s throne
is divine, but also that He Himself is God.
b.
Christ’s kingdom will last forever. After His reign of one thousand years on earth, His
earthly kingdom will merge into “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1:11). Messiah will rule with absolute holy justice
because the King loves righteousness
and hates wickedness.
ii.
Psalm 110:1. The key to understanding this lies in
identifying the two distinct persons referred to by the name of “Lord.” The first use of the word refers unmistakably
to Jehovah. The other word “Lord”
is the Hebrew adon and means “master” or “ruler.” It was sometimes used
as a name of God and sometimes applied to a human master. The words that
follow show that David’s Lord (Adon) was equal with God.
a.
One day when Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees in
Jerusalem, He asked them “What think ye of Christ?
Whose Son is He?” (Matt. 22:42). He wanted to know what they believed
concerning the identity of the Messiah. From whom would the Promised One be
descended? They answered correctly that He would be “the
Son of David” (v. 42). But Jesus showed them that according to Psalm 110
(which they acknowledged to be messianic) the Messiah would also be David’s “Lord” (v. 43). How could He be David’s “Lord” and David’s “Son”
at the same time? And how could David, the king, have someone who was his “Lord” on earth?
b.
The answer of course was that the Messiah would be both
God and Man. As God, He would be David’s Lord. As Man, He would
be David’s Son. And Jesus Himself, combining in His Person both deity
and humanity, was David’s Master and David’s Son.
c.
It was the moment of truth for the Pharisees. Yet in
spite of all the evidence, they were unwilling to acknowledge Jesus as the
long-awaited Messiah. So we read: “And no man was able
to answer Him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask Him any
more questions” (Matt. 22:41–46; cf. Mark 12:35–37; Luke 20:41–44).
2.Isaiah Declared Christ’s Deity (Isa.
9:6).
i.
Isaiah 9:6 The First Advent is described in verse 6a:
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is
given.” The first clause speaks of His humanity, the second of
His deity. The next part of the verse points forward to the Second Advent: “the government shall be upon His
shoulder” — He will reign
as King of kings and Lord of lords.
a.
The rest of the verse describes His personal
glories:
“His name shall be called Wonderful” — this name is a noun,
not an adjective, and speaks of His Person and work.
“Counselor” — His wisdom in
government.
b.
“The Mighty
God” — the omnipotent, supreme Ruler.
c.
“The
Everlasting Father” —the Father (or “Source”) of eternity. Eternal
Himself, He confers eternal life on those who believe in Him. Vine comments:
“There is a twofold revelation in this: (1) He inhabits and possesses eternity
(57:15); (2) He is loving, tender, compassionate, an all wise Instructor,
Trainer, and Provider.”
“Prince of Peace” (Sar-Shālôm) — the One who will at last bring
peace to this troubled world. –Adapted from MacDonald, W.
ii.
He is also the “Mighty God” (cf.
10:21). Isaiah had already spoken of the Messiah doing what no other person had
been able to do (see 9:2-5). Isaiah understood that the Messiah was to be God.
iii.
This Deliverer will also be called the “Everlasting Father.”
Many people are puzzled by this title because the Messiah, God’s Son, is
distinguished in the Trinity from God the Father. How can the Son be the
Father? Several things must be noted in this regard. First, the Messiah, being
the second Person of the Trinity, is in His essence, God. Therefore He has all
the attributes of God including eternality. Since God is One (even though He
exists in three Persons), the Messiah is God. Second, the title “Everlasting
Father” is an idiom used to describe the Messiah’s relationship to time, not
His relationship to the other Members of the Trinity. He is said to be
everlasting, just as God (the Father) is called ”the Ancient of Days“ (Dan.
7:9). –Walvoord, J.
3.Daniel Declared Christ’s Deity (Dan.
7:13, 14).
i.
In Daniel 7:9, Daniel pictures the fifth and final
world empire—the glorious kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ; He will be given
universal dominion. Daniel saw the “Son of Man”
approaching “the Ancient of
Days” referring to God
the Father. The Son of Man is
the Lord Jesus, coming before the Father to be invested with the kingdom. Jesus
Christ, frequently used this title the “Son of Man” to refer to Himself (Mark
8:31; John 1:51).
ii.
The Ancient of
Days sits as a Judge in court
(vv. 10, 26). When the Son of Man was brought into His presence,
all the authority, glory, and sovereign
power that had been exercised by rulers in the four kingdoms over all nations (Dan. 3:4, 7; 4:1; 5:19;
6:25) was conferred on Him and those peoples serve and worshiped Him. This is consistent with the Father’s
promise to the Son in Psalm 2:6-9, and will be fulfilled at Christ’s Second
Advent (Matt. 24:30; 25:31; Rev. 11:15).
iii.
The little horn
and his empire are destroyed (v.
11). The other world empires also cease, but the nations and people continue
(v. 12). The Lord Jesus’ universal dominion
shall never be superseded (v. 14; Dan. 4:34;
7:27). Christ’s kingdom will never be conquered
by another (Dan. 6:26). His reign will be established on earth (Rev. 20:1-6).
At the expiration of the 1,000 years of the Lord’s millennial reign, He will
surrender the kingdom to God the Father, after which Christ will be appointed
as Ruler over God’s eternal kingdom forever (1 Cor. 15:24-28).
iv.
This role of the Son of Man can only be fulfilled by
the God-Man, Jesus Christ.
B. It is Declared in the New
Testament—Where does the New Testament
say Jesus is God?
1.Consider the Testimony of John (John
1:1-3; 20:26-31; 1Jn. 4:14; 5:10-13, 20). The First thing John Established in
His Gospel is the deity of Christ.
2.Consider the Testimony of Luke (Luke
1:31-32, 35; Acts 3:13-15; 7:59; 8:37; 9:20). The Record of Luke in his gospel
and the book of Acts Declared Christ’s Deity.
3.Consider the Testimony of Paul (Gal.
2:20; Col. 1:15-17; Col. 2:9; 1Tim. 3:16; Titus 2:13). One of the strongest Proofs of Christ’s Deity
come from the pen of Paul.
4.Consider the Testimony of The
Revelation (Rev. 1:18; 5:11-14; 19:16). John unmistakably portrays Jesus Christ,
The Lamb, as God throughout the book and all of heaven worshipped the Lamb.
C. It is Declared in the Sinlessness of
Christ—Could Jesus sin?
1.With Regard to His Practice. Jesus
never committed a single sin (2Cor. 5:21; 1Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15; 1 John 3:5).
2.With Regards to His Evaluators.
Several others testified to Jesus’ sinlessness (John 19:4, 6; Matt. 27:4, 19,
23; Luke 23:41, 47).
3.With Regard to His Nature. Jesus
actually could not sin—he is perfectly holy and his deity and humanity abides
in one indivisible Person. His temptation experiences were not to see if he
would or could sin, but to prove He would not.
4.Jesus, being divine, was impeccable
(could not sin), but this does not mean he could not be tempted. Satan tempted
him to disobey the Father by self-gratification, self-display, and
self-aggrandizement (Matt. 4:1-11), and the
temptation to retreat from the cross was constant (Luke 22:28, where the Greek
for “trials” can be translated “temptations”; Matt. 16:23; and Jesus’ prayer in
Gethsemane). Being human, Jesus could not conquer temptation without a struggle,
but being divine it was his nature to do his Father’s will (John 5:19, 30), and
therefore to resist and fight temptation until he had overcome it. From
Gethsemane we may infer that his struggles were sometimes more acute and
agonizing than any we ever know. The happy end-result is that “he himself hath
suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted” (Heb.
2:18). –Packer, J. I.: Concise
Theology
5.The purpose of the temptation was
not to see if He would sin, but to prove that even under tremendous pressure He
could do nothing but obey the Word of God.
If Jesus could sin as a human
being, we are faced with the problem of His still being a human in heaven.
Could He still sin? Obviously, no. –MacDonald, William
III.
The Humanity
of Jesus Christ—Why believe Jesus
is truly Human?
A. The Virgin Birth Incarnation
of Christ—How and Why did God become a
man?
What is your favorite Christmas account or passage? Chances are we will look at a few of them as we contemplate how and why the Word became a
Man.
1.The Facts of Incarnation (John 1:1,
14; Rom. 1:3, 4; Gal. 4:4; Phil. 2:6-8; 1Tim 3:16). God became a man, Jesus was
royalty in the family of David, He was made of a woman, not a woman and a man,
and clearly God was manifested in the flesh!
2.The Prophecies of the Incarnation
(Isa. 7:14; 9:6, 7; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:31, 35; Matt. 1:20, 21)
3.The Reasons for the Incarnation
i.
To reveal the invisible God (John 1:18; 14:9-11).
ii.
To fulfill prophecy (Gen. 3:15; Gal. 4:4).
iii.
To minister to the needs of a hurting world of broken
peoples (Luke 4:16-21).
iv.
To make sacrifice for sin (Heb. 2:9; 10:4, 5, 10, 12;
1Jn. 3:5; Mark 10:45).
v.
To reconcile man to God (2Cor. 5:19; Heb. 2:17; 1Tim.
2:5, 6).
vi.
To destroy the devil and his work (Heb. 2:14; 1Jn.
3:8).
B. The Human Experiences of Christ—Does Jesus really understand humanity?
The human experiences of the Lord Jesus undeniably demonstrate that He
was indeed possessed of a human nature. Someone has said that if it looks like
a duck, quacks like a dock, swims like a duck, waddles like a dock, and flies
like a duck, it is because it really is a duck. Likewise the Lord Jesus gave
every indication that He is perfect humanity.
But, how does this fact assure us that He really understands us in our
human experiences? The book of Hebrews holds the answer in several places (Heb. 2:16-18; 4:14-16).
No trial is too great, no
temptation is too strong, but that Jesus Christ can give us the mercy and grace
that we need, when we need it. “But He is so far away!” we may argue. “And He
is the perfect Son of God! What can He know about the problems of weak sinners
like us?”
But that is a
part of His greatness! When He was ministering on earth in a human body, He
experienced all that we experience, and even more, After all, a sinless
person would feel temptations and trials in a much greater way than you and I
could ever feel them. Christ was tempted, yet He did not sin; and He is able to
help us when we are tempted. –The Bible Exposition Commentary
1.He asked questions and increased in
wisdom (Luke 2:40, 46). If you are challenged while attempting to understand
the things of God or ever perplexed about life, be assured that the Lord Jesus
understands this.
2.He prayed to His Father (Mark 1:35;
Luke 11:1; Matt. 26:36-39).
3.He experienced hunger and thirst (Matt.
4:2; 21:18; Jn. 4:6, 7; 19:28).
4.He was weary from labor and required
rest for His body (Mark 4:37-41; Jn. 4:6).
5.He expressed compassion for
fractured and lost humanity (Matt. 9:36).
6.He experienced anger and grief (Mark
3:5).
7.He wept and shed tears (Isa. 53:3; John
11:35; Heb. 5:7).
8.He literally died (Matt. 27:50;
1Cor. 15:3; Phil. 2:8).
9.He was tried, tested, and tempted in
every way possible, but He endured it all successfully (Heb. 4:15, 16)!
“No One Understands Like Jesus,”
At one time I had
a fairly responsible position with a well-known gospel ministry. One day a
supervisory position opened up in my department. I was led to believe that I
was to be promoted to this position. I was thrilled and challenged by the
prospect of a new job. But I was by-passed, and a man from the outside was
brought in to fill the position. There followed days of agonizing heart
searching. It was all I could do to keep from becoming bitter. One night I had
occasion to spend an evening with the man who was brought in for “my” position.
For some reason or other, though otherwise a very pleasant fellow, that night
he became quite caustic in some of his remarks to me, and I was deeply hurt.
Later that evening, after returning home, I was sitting in our living room thinking
about the events of the past days and about the bitter experiences of that
evening. I began to feel very alone and forsaken. Suddenly, I sensed the
presence of the Lord in an unusual way and my mind was diverted from my
difficulties to His faithfulness and sufficiency. Soon the thought occurred to
me that He fully understood and sympathized with my situation—in fact, no one
could ever completely understand or care as did He. Before long, the idea for
the song came and I began to write—
No one understands like Jesus. He’s a friend beyond compare; meet Him
at the throne of mercy; He is waiting for you there.
No one understands like Jesus; ev’ry woe He sees and feels; tenderly He
whispers comfort, and the broken heart He heals.
No one understands like Jesus when the foes of life assail; you should
never be discouraged; Jesus cares and will not fail.
No one understands like Jesus when you falter on the way; tho you fail
Him, sadly fail Him, He will pardon you today.
Refrain: No one understands like Jesus when the days are dark and grim; no one
is so near, so dear as Jesus—Cast your ev’ry care on Him.
Learn to handle human disappointments and rejection
even as Joseph did by realizing this truth—they meant it for harm, the Lord
meant it for good (Genesis 50:19, 20). Be thankful for Jesus who understands
and will never disappoint. –Osbeck, Kenneth W.: Amazing Grace (Job
23:10; Ps. 112:7; 131:2; 139:2; Prov. 14:26)
ii.
No one can truly sympathize with someone else unless he has been through a similar
experience himself. As Man our Lord has shared our experiences and can
therefore understand the testings which we endure. –Believer's Bible
Commentary
iii.
It may indeed be argued, and has been, that only One
who fully resists temptation can know the extent of its force. Thus the sinless
One has a greater capacity for compassion than any sinner could have for a
fellow sinner. –The Bible Knowledge Commentary
C. The Self-Awareness of Christ—Did Jesus Know who He was?
Remember the single Person of Jesus Christ retained the entire complex of
divine qualities and through His incarnation obtained the entire complex of
perfect human attributes. There was no mixture of the divine and human
attributes. Christ possessed two natures, unmixed, unchanged, and undivided. Christ
Jesus was always conscious of His deity and He grew in self-consciousness of
His humanity. Where in the Bible did
Jesus actually acknowledge that He was the God-Man, The Messiah, or the Son of
God?
1.Christ’s visit to the Temple as a
Child Clearly Indicates He Understood who He was (Luke 2:41-52). Note the
phrase “My Father’s business” (Luke 2:49).
2.Christ’s inquiry with His disciples
about His identity undoubtedly Points to His convictions about His full
identity (Matt. 16:13-21). Note the words of verse 17.
3.Christ’s first Passover visit to
Jerusalem during His public ministry strongly suggests He was fully aware of
who He is and His purpose (John 2:13-25). Note verse 16.
4.Christ’s baptism and anointing Certainly
Indicated He Knew Who He was (Matt. 3:13-17). Notice the phrase “This is My
Beloved Son” (v. 17).
5.Christ’s temptation by Satan in the
wilderness Surely Pointed to His Awareness of Who He Was (Matt. 4:1-11). Notice
the phrase “If Thou be the Son of God” (v. 3, 6).
6.Christ’s Sermon on the Mount
Strongly Stated that He Knew Exactly Who He Was (Matt. 7:21; Matt. 5-7). Consider
the statement “I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Also consider the
recurring phrase “But I say unto you” (v. 22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44). Then
consider the Lord’s words in Matt. 7:21-29.
Many facts point to the conclusion
that Jesus Christ is God; many others lead to the conclusion that He is truly
human; at the same time we see only one Person moving across the pages of the
gospels. This union of undiminished deity and perfect humanity forever in one
Person is called the doctrine of the hypostatic union (that is, the union of
two hypostases or natures), and this is the uniqueness of Jesus Christ. –Ryrie,
Charles
One Solitary Life. This famous but anonymous piece
summarizes the importance of Jesus and His great impact on our world in the
last two thousand years:
He was born in an obscure village, the child of a
peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village, where he worked
in a carpenter's shop until he was thirty. Then for three years he was an
itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He
never had a family or owned a house. He did not go to college. He never visited
a big city. He never traveled two hundred miles from the place where he was
born. He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but Himself.
He was only thirty-three when the tide of public
opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his
enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross
between two thieves. While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his
clothing, the only property he had on earth. When he was dead, he was laid in a
borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.
Nineteen centuries [and now, nearly twenty] have come
and gone, and today he remains the central figure of the human race, and the
leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies
that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever
reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this planet so much
as that one solitary life.
This is an amazing tribute. It seems overstated, to claim
that one person could have a greater impact on this world than the combined armies,
navies, parliaments, and kings of history. Yet, I believe that when the truth
about Jesus is known and understood this statement is altogether appropriate
and true.
