Jesus was God but Also Man! - Captain Moy Hernandez, Jr.
John 1:1-4, 14
http://pomonacorps.blogspot.com/2009/04/he-was-god-but-also-man-tsa-doctrine-4.html
As we continue with our study through the doctrines and Believes of The Salvation Army we come to a very important doctrine.
A doctrine that carries great weight and value especially on a day like today where we celebration our Lords resurrection from His death on the cross.
A death that was intended for each of us, but one that he willingly took upon himself so that you and I may be saved, so that you and I may find ourselves one day in the presence of God.
The doctrine or statement of belief in question is doctrine number four and it simply affirms that as members of this movement we believe that in the person of Jesus Christ, the divine and human natures are united, so that he is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.
So far we have affirmed our believes that that the scriptures are given to us by inspiration of God. That there is only one God who is the creator and the only proper object of our worship.
And lastly we learned last month of the Trinity and how all three the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit are three individual persons but how they remain coequal in power and glory.
Today’s lesson is based on the doctrine of the church that is also known as the doctrine of the incarnation. God the Son, the second member of the trinity coming to earth as a man, made of flesh and bones just like you and me to pay the price for our sins.
But why is this important to the Christian faith? Why must we have a confirmation that our Lord Jesus Christ was both God but also man?
The simply reason is that this belief is central to our faith as followers of Christ. Think about it, if Christ came only as God to earth and died on the cross then he was certainly one that could manage and sustain the pain caused by his crucifixion, hence his sacrifice would not carry much weight.
On the other hand if he was only a man, then what power did he have to begin with in order to able to lay down his life and raising it but up again?
In John 10:17-18 we read the following statement from Jesus: Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have
received from My Father.
Do you see? Therefore the answer must be that Christ possesses these two natures of Godhood and Humanness at the same time. But how can we comprehend this seemingly impossible idea? Well this is what our study is based on today!
You may ask, where in the Bible do we find such a supporting statement to Jesus condition as God and man? Well, turn with me to our scripture reading for this morning. John 1:1-4 and then verse 14. Let’s read it together…
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men...
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Did you see it? In verse One, Jesus is God, together with God and nothing was created that was not created through Him. Then in verse 14, that very word, God became flesh. Jesus as a human being!
In fact the Bible is about Jesus. The Old testament as we know it tell us what he would do. The recording of his time on earth known as the Gospels clearly reflects his fulfillment of the laws and prophecies.
In addition the growth and development of his church throughout the world as began in the book of Acts which refers to the Acts of the Apostles, or those who are directly linked to the teachings of Jesus, speak to the power of his work even all of these years later.
We find evidence of all of this especially in the Gospels. John 5:39 - You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
The prophets prophesied about Him in Acts 10:43 - To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins.
The Father in heaven bore witness of Him John 5:37 - And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. 8:18 - I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.
The Holy Spirit bore witness of Jesus in John 15:26 - But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
The works Jesus did also bore witness of who he was, God and Man - John 5:36 - But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me.
Finally, the multitudes bore witness of Christ persons in John 12:17. And of course, Jesus bore witness of Himself John 14:6 - Jesus said: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
So with this understanding let us break this doctrine down even further and there are a few questions to guide our through the process and our perspectives this morning.
The first questions to ask is what are some of the Essentials of the doctrine of incarnation as its best known in the Christian theology?
The essential elements of the doctrine of the Incarnation for all Christians include the following:
Jesus in his divine nature is one with God the Father and in his human nature he is one with us. We see this in the rational relationship that he maintains with his father above and in the emotional relationship that he develops with us here below.
Another essential is that in the person of Jesus Christ these natures are fully and indivisibly united.
Next, that Jesus lived a complete, fully human life at a particular time in history, died a real death on a cross, and was raised to life.
All we need to do is read the Gospels to discover that like you and me he was hungry, he was frustrated, and he was even tempted to sin.
Lastly, an essential key to this doctrine is that in Jesus, God himself has come to us with the offer of reconciliation and new life.
You see there are not enough animals in the world to offer up a sacrifice on our behalves, so God send the only one that could atone our crimes and that was Himself in the form of His son.
We can affirm with complete assurance that Christ was a man because we see him, being born, and we read of the development of his mind, and his physical growth.
He was one who cared for others and was involved in his Community. He was not immune from the economic and political issues of the day. Even on the moral and spiritual aspects of His life he was tempted and required the assistance of God through his prayers and worship to
move forward.
Jesus was also a true man, because the scriptures tells us that he was without sin, so in a sense he was more of a man than any of us. The ideal man according to God’s initial creation.
On the divine side of the equation, we have evidence of His Godhood, from his very own teachings, the revelation given through is miraculous works.
We find evidence of this in the Gospel of John, in Paul’s epistle to the Colossians and the Hebrews.
Even at the point of his own water baptism in a sign of fulfilling God’s law, we read in Mark 1:11 that immediately, coming up from the water, He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
Jesus is both! Not a schizophrenic mind but two essences in one, keeping each other in check.
Sufficiently man, to live and experience as we do, but effectively God to accomplish the task at hand of providing full salvation for all who believe and call on His name.
Additionally there is clear New Testament witness to Jesus’ true humanity as well as to his historical existence.
But the New Testament is far more than the record of the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the record which sets these events in the light of eternity proclaiming the Lord Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God.
The New Testament as we know it is covered throughout with resurrection faith. In the Gospels where Jesus’ story is told, every writer, while reflecting on the mission of the man, Jesus, tells his story through the eyes of his faith in Jesus Christ as risen Lord.
The Gospel of Mark, for example, while emphasizing Jesus’ true humanity, commence with the words, ’The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God’ (Mark 1:1).
Even so, a careful reading of the Gospels reveals significant characteristics in Jesus’ teaching and actions that alerted his hearers to ask questions about his origin as well as his mission.
First, they emphasize his unique authority. In his teaching ministry, Jesus felt no need to defer to others, as was usual for the rabbis of his day. But he spoke on his own authority (Mark 1 :21-28; Matthew 5:21-22).
Second, he called men to follow him, he did not wait for disciples to seek him out (Mark 1:16-20).
Third, he performed miracles that provoked speculation about him (Mark 4:35- 41).
Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, he forgave sins (Mark 21:1-12).
The Gospels also point to Jesus’ special relationship with God his Father, whom he called Abba, Father (Mark 14:36). Do you know what Abba means? It means daddy or a very endearing name that children use to call on their fathers.
It was especially evident during his passion or his suffering (Mark 14:36). John’s Gospel particularly stresses Jesus’ utter dependence on God (John 5:19,30), his complete obedience to his Father (John 8:28), and the way in which he identified himself utterly with the purpose and the character of God (John 8:58; 10:30).
The ultimate, crucial test of Jesus’ obedience to God lay in his complete self-offering on the Cross (Mark 14:36; John 10:17-18). Here we rightly recognize, not only the obedience of Jesus, but the love of God himself (1 John 4:10), a love justified by Jesus’ Resurrection
from a human death.
The early Christians proclaimed that Jesus is the man whom ’God raised to life’ and who is ’exalted to the right hand of God’ (Acts 21:32-33).
From this moment a new understanding of Jesus’ person began to emerge. In Romans 1:4 Paul speaks of Jesus ’who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God’.
The New Testament writers bear witness to their understanding of the divinity of Christ by ascribing to him various names and titles taken from the religious and secular environment in which they lived.
These titles help us to understand how the Church came to terms with all that the Resurrection proclaimed about Jesus. They witness that Jesus fulfilled the purpose of God with the authority of God, and express the Christians’ conviction that in Jesus Christ, God himself has visited us.
Philippians 2:5-11, especially verse 7 reads: but he made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
From the opposite perspective others have argued for a man so devoted to God, and so perfectly filled with his grace, that the fullness of God could be perfectly seen in him. (Colossians 1:19).
Many in the western world today would say that the period of Enlightenment thinking, with its emphasis on the supremacy of reason, is giving way to a new, post-modem age, where spirituality is once more valued and the supernatural more easily accepted.
However, this movement has not yet led many to return to faith in Jesus Christ, so much as to a new paganism or refusal of God.
The person of Jesus, the only Son of the Father and the way to salvation, still presents a tremendous challenge in a world strongly influenced by pantheistic thinking, which is the belief that God is everything and everything is God.
Very similar to the believes that say that there are many God. But a true Christian’s response to this cultural shift are certainly needed in the 21st century. After all we have already learned that there is indeed only one God!
So then what is the importance of the doctrine to our Christian faith?
The doctrine that Jesus Christ is ’truly and properly God and truly and properly man’ is of supreme significance for the Christian faith.
Jesus reveals God to us. If we are to know what God is like, we need one who helps us to talk about him truly and to know him for ourselves. Only Jesus can bring us that knowledge because he himself said he who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9).
Jesus brings God’s salvation. Jesus’ death on the Cross can only have atoning value as we recognize that, in Jesus, God has offered himself for our salvation. Only the one who has created us has the power to re-create us by a fundamental reconciliation and cleansing
from sin (2 Corinthians 5:19).
Jesus shows us how to live. Jesus is the believer’s true example of a godly life, revealing in himself the likeness to God that is the mark of authentic humanity.
He shows us who we are (Hebrews 2:11). More than that, through his reconciling work he makes it possible for us to live a truly human life in real obedience to God. In other words, if he did it and he was a man, then so can we!
Jesus is also the focus of worship and praise. The first disciples were drawn to worship and praise their risen Lord and from there they began to understand his divine nature.
It is still true that worship in the name of Jesus focuses our hearts and minds on God and expands our understanding of his grace towards us. (Matthew 28:16-20; Luke 24:50-53.)
Which leads us to our last questions this morning , what are the issues for us as Salvationists or members of this Christian movement?
The doctrine reinforces the Salvationist’s mission. Central to salvationism is the task of calling men and women to a new life in Jesus Christ. A true understanding of the person of Jesus and how He equips us for that task and helps us to bring people to a true experience of
him.
The doctrine supports the Salvationist’s devotional life. To believe in Jesus who is one with the Father, but also understands our human condition, helps us to abide and remain in him as we grow in discipleship.
The doctrine inspires radical discipleship in obedience to Christ. As Jesus’ intimate relationship with his heavenly Father was marked by unquestioning obedience, the true disciple seeks to follow Christ without reservation and so do his work and grow into his likeness.
The doctrine encourages the Salvationist’s service. We are aware that to call on Christ is to call on one who knows the human situation - who looks with compassion on the sinful and the suffering, and who cares about injustice and evil.
When we come alongside others for Christ’s sake, we bring the powerful and loving presence of Christ to the center of human need.
Then, what is the evidence that we have of who Jesus was as seen in His own life?
The Scottish theologian Donald Baillie call it “a paradox of grace.” In other words the divinity of Christ can only be truly understood through the exceptional humanity which the Gospels reveal to us.
So if the resurrection proof enough? This is truly the greatest challenge to all those skeptics out there concerning Christ’s divinity. In fact we too experience a resurrection in our lives when we
accept Christ as our Lord and Savior.
In a way we are buried with him and when we come out of our grave we come out in to a new life a new hope a new eternity that is only made possible through the intentional resurrection of Christ.
The only question then left to ask is, who then, is Jesus Christ in your my life?
Our personal salvation does not depend ultimately on how we understand the New Testament or the relationship between Jesus’ humanity and his divinity.
What we are called to do is to commit ourselves in faith to the risen Christ and to accept the reconciliation he offered through the cross.
This commitment comes about through an encounter with Christ which is the bedrock of our salvation experience. Christian doctrine traditionally maintains that in that encounter we meet
the one who, as Jesus of Nazareth, lived and died, as well as rose again, for US!
Remember if he was not a real human being who died a real death, his atonement would be of no significance and our salvation would certainly not be secured.
In Christ we meet with one who stands with us as the man of Galilee but who also reigns over us as the King of Kings.
1 Tim. 2:5 says, For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Right now, there is a man in heaven on the throne of God. He is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). He is our Savior (Titus 2:13). He is our Lord (Rom. 10:9-10). He is the
risen Jesus. Man and God in one same essence!
And this morning as we celebrate his resurrection what we are doing is affirming indeed his humanness and his divinity both as our savior and creator.
Do you believe this? Can you accept this? Then let us continue to bring our worship to God this morning as we go to him in prayer right now.
As always feel free to stand or sin or join us up here in the altars. It is your decision to acknowledge who Jesus is in your own life, but don’t waste this opportunity to publicly do so, just like he publically showed his love for us on the cross of Calvary. Let’s pray.
Closing Prayer
Lord we thank you this morning that on this day of resurrection we celebrate the life that you gave for our sake.
We celebrate your decision to leave your righteous place as God and come down and live a life of mere humans.
We recognize this morning your sacrifice and gladly accept it upon our lives this day.
We affirm with great joy that you are not only risen from the dead and are alive at the right hand of the Father but on this day you are alive in our own hearts.
We affirm the salvation of our souls, the removal of our pains and the washing away of our sins through your precious blood.
We are grateful that through your conquering of the grave we are made new this morning. A new creation, the old has gone and the new has come.
Help us Lord to live our lives in such a way that reflects the love that you have demonstrated towards each of us through your actions not only on the cross but in your resurrection.
Lord Jesus, without any questions we fall to our needs and we proclaim your amazing grace, we proclaim our prevenient work in our lives and we proclaim your victory over death, sin and the devil in each of our lives.
Thank you Jesus for this day which reminds us of what we are, your friends, your followers, your servants, your disciples.
Thank you that on a day like today we can be reenergize towards the purpose that you have in your lives as we are reminded of indeed your great Love.
Grant us the courage to be faithful and obedient to you in everything that we do. And we will be careful to give you all of the glory and the honor and praise forever and ever, amen.
