How much do you know about the God-man Jesus Christ? Yes, we know that He die for our Sins and that true salvation only comes through a belief in Him. He is the Master of our life, and we are to serve Him alone.
However, God’s desire for all who know Him, is for us to become more like Christ. We do this by first growing in our knowledge of Christ. It stands to reason that we cannot grow to be like someone we do not know. The deeper our knowledge of Christ, the deeper our understanding of Him, and the more like Him we become.
Test your knowledge of Christ by answering the follow questions about our Lord and Savior?
These are but a sample of what there is to know about Jesus. My friends it is our duty and obligation to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God commands it. Join me as we search for these and many other wonderful facts about our Lord an Savior Jesus Christ.
Welcome back, my dear friends, and welcome to my new series entitled, “The God/man,” a conversation about Christ Jesus. This will be by far the most exciting series I have studied, written about, and posted to date.
He was born in an obscure village,
the child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village,
where he worked 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 home.
He didn’t go to college.
He never traveled more than 200 miles
from the place 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 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 the 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 have come and gone
and today he is the central figure
of the human race,
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 earth as much as that
One Solitary Life. *
*The poem is an adaption from James Allen Francis (1926)
John MacArthur writes:
“The biblical witness concerning the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is woven like a scarlet thread throughout the entirety of the written Word of God. As the second person of the Godhead, the Savior’s person and work constitute the central testimony of all Scripture: “Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19: 10).”
My friends, this will not be your basic Bible study about Jesus’ earthly ministry, which resulted in his death, burial and resurrection. I need to know more about my Lord and Savior than that, and I hope you do too. I need to know everything that God’s Holy Word has to say about Him.
So, your journey with me to find out about the God/man, Jesus Christ, will take us where the Holy Spirit leads us. I will talk about theological topics you may have never heard of or thought about, but I promise you, everything I share with you has been researched and backed up with the appropriate Scripture documentation.
To start our study of the “God/man,” we need to start before His birth in Bethlehem, before Genesis 1:1; we must travel to eternity past. It is here my friends, the very foundation for the Bible was laid. As you will see, the covenant made between God the Father and God the Son before time began will lead to the very writings of the Old and New Testaments, and our salvation.
The story of Jesus saturates the Bible. It is His all-encompassing story that gives context, meaning, and purpose to all of life, and prophecies of His first advent are found throughout the Old Testament.
One scholar, J. Barton Payne, has found as many as 574 verses in the Old Testament that somehow point to, describe, or reference the coming Messiah. Alfred Edersheim found 456 Old Testament verses referring to the Messiah or His times. Conservatively, Jesus fulfilled at least 300 Old Testament prophecies in His earthly ministry.
I’ll warn you now there will be times we will need to dig deep into the theology of God’s Word in order to lay the groundwork for what is to come. However, I encourage you to hang in there. Just remember one thing.
11 The Lord is fully aware of how limited and futile the thoughts of mankind are, Psalm 94:11 (TLB)
If the Lord God of the Universe is fully aware of how limited and futile our minds are to understand at times, that leaves us with just one approach to this study. As believers, we must trust what the Word of God tells us and by faith believe it.
Hold on to Psalm 94:11, because here we go.
One Triune God
Before the beginning, there was nothing except God — one God — and he consists of one simple essence.
4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! Deuteronomy 6:4 (NKJV)
19 You believe there is one God. That is good! But even the demons believe that, and because they do, they shake. James 2:19 (NLV)
Our one God also exists eternally as three distinct persons. Each person of the Trinity (also known as the Godhead) possesses the entire essence of God.
16 After his baptism, as soon as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God coming down in the form of a dove. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, and I am wonderfully pleased with him.” Matthew 3:16-17 (TLB)
19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19 NLT
This fact means that the three persons, though distinct from one another, are coequal in every perfection of the divine essence of God.
1. The Father is God.
a. The Father is not the Son.
b. The Father is not the Holy Spirit.
2. The Son is God.
a. The Son is not the Father.
b. The Son is not the Holy Spirit.
3. The Holy Spirit is God.
a. The Holy Spirit is not the Father.
b. The Holy Spirit is not the Son.
These distinct forms of relationship establish a definite order within the Trinity, so that it is proper to say with respect to their relationship only that the Father is first, the Son is second and the Spirit is third.
Before God created the universe, God was alone: self-contained, self-sufficient, self-satisfied, in need of nothing. God dwelt joyfully alone in eternity past with the Trinity. These three were together in fellowship with one another from all eternity. They loved each other.
It was during eternity past that the Triune God decreed many things. The most important being Covenant of Redemption. A covenant designed and agreed upon between God the Father and God the Son. This covenant ultimately lays the foundation for the Covenant of Grace, which was a covenant between God the Father and man — the plan of salvation for man.
John MacArthur in his book “Biblical Doctrine” states.
“The outworking of God’s saving grace on sinners begins long before any individual sinner experiences the benefits of that grace. Before the sinner’s conversion and justification, before the Savior’s substitutionary atonement, and even before the creation of the world itself, God’s redemptive grace has its origin in eternity past in the sovereign counsel of the will of the triune God.”
The Apostle Paul in Ephesians talks about God’s plan of Salvation before time began.
4 In Christ, he chose us before the world was made. He chose us in love to be his holy people—people who could stand before him without any fault. 5 And before the world was made, God decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. This was what God wanted, and it pleased him to do it. 6 And this brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely. He gave us that grace in Christ, the one he loves. Ephesians 1:4-6 (ERV)
The Apostle Paul goes on to tell us.
9 And God gave me the work of telling all people about the plan for his secret truth. That secret truth has been hidden in him since the beginning of time. He is the one who created everything. 10 His purpose was that all the rulers and powers in the heavenly places will now know the many different ways he shows his wisdom. They will know this because of the church. 11 This agrees with the plan God had since the beginning of time. He did what he planned, and he did it through Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 3:9-11 (ERV)
Such a plan or Covenant could only be the result of a voluntary agreement among the persons of the Trinity, so that their internal relations assume the form of a covenant life.
The Salvation of Man was developed by the Triune God to flow this way.
God the Father proposed the redemption of sinners.
God the Son secured the redemption of sinners.
God the Holy Spirit applied that redemption to all the sinners who received it.
The provision of redemption which God made for His people before the foundation of the world was called the Covenant of Redemption. This became a mutually agreed upon covenant between God the Father and God the Son for the Salvation of His elect.
R.C. Sproul tells us.
“Long before the beginning of man, the Bible has much to say about God’s activity “before” the world was made. The Bible speaks often of God’s eternal counsel, of His plan of salvation and the like. It is a matter of theological urgency that Christians do not think of God as a ruler who ad libs His dominion of the universe. God does not “make it up as He goes along.” Nor must He be viewed as a bumbling administrator who is so inept in His planning that His blueprint for redemption must be endlessly subject to revision according to the actions of men. The God of Scripture has no “plan b” or “plan c.” His “plan a” is from everlasting to everlasting. It is both perfect and unchangeable as it rests on God’s eternal character, which is among other things, holy, omniscient, and immutable. God’s eternal plan is not revised because of moral imperfections within it that must be purified. His plan was not corrected or amended because He gained new knowledge that He lacked at the beginning. God’s plan never changes because He never changes and because perfection admits to no degrees and cannot be improved upon.
The Covenant of Redemption
R.C. Sproul comments:
“The covenant of redemption is intimately concerned with God’s eternal plan. It is called a “covenant” since the plan involves two or more parties. This is not a covenant between God and humans. It is a covenant among the persons of the Godhead, specifically between the Father and the Son. God did not become triune at creation or at the Incarnation. His triunity is as eternal as His being. He is one in essence and three in person from all eternity.”
What is a Covenant?
A covenant is a formally defined relationship between two parties, a solemn promise or oath. Every covenant is built on binding principles or rules, (i.e., you do this, and I will do that, or if you don’t do this, then I will do that) which are determined by the two parties entering into the covenant.
Charles Hodges states.
“The Father gave the Son a work to do; He sent Him into the world to perform it and promised Him a great reward when the work was accomplished. Such is the constant representation of the Scriptures. We have, therefore, the contracting parties, the promise, and the condition. These are the essential elements of a covenant.”
Let’s take a look at the requirements and promises that laid the foundation of this covenant between God the Father and God the Son.
REQUIREMENTS. The Father required the Son, who appeared in this covenant as the Surety (guarantor) and Head of His people, and as the last Adam, to make amends for the sin of Adam and of those whom the Father had given Him. He should do what Adam failed to do by keeping the law and thus securing eternal life for all His spiritual offspring.
This requirement included the following particulars:
a. That He should assume human nature by being born of a woman.
b. That He should assume this human nature with its infirmities, though without sin. It was absolutely essential that He should become one of the human race.
“4 But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew, 5 to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons.” Galatians 4:4-5 (TLB)
c. That He, who as the Son of God was superior to the law, should place Himself under the penal and federal ties to the law, which required His death on the cross. Thus, paying the penalty for sin and to merit everlasting life for the elect,
17 “Don’t misunderstand why I have come—it isn’t to cancel the laws of Moses and the warnings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them and to make them all come true. Matthew 5:17 (TLB)
d. That after having earned forgiveness of sins and eternal life through His death, burial and resurrection, He should apply the fruits of His accomplishments to God’s elect:
Complete pardon and forgiveness of sins, past, present, and future
Renewal of their lives through the powerful operation of the Holy Spirit
Eternal life with the Lord God of the Universe
e. By doing this, He would render it certain that believers would devote their lives to God,
12 And so, dear brothers, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living sacrifice, holy—the kind he can accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world but be a new and different person with a fresh newness in all you do and think. Then you will learn from your own experience how his ways will really satisfy you. Romans 12:1-2 (TLB)
PROMISES. *
The promises of the Father were in keeping with His requirements. He promised the Son all that was required for the performance of His great and comprehensive task, thereby excluding all uncertainty in the operation of this covenant.
These promises included the following:
a. That He would prepare the Son a body, which would be a fit tabernacle for him; a body in part prepared by the direct work of God and uncontaminated by sin.
“5 That is why Christ said as he came into the world, “O God, the blood of bulls and goats cannot satisfy you, so you have made ready this body of mine for me to lay as a sacrifice upon your altar. 6 You were not satisfied with the animal sacrifices, slain and burnt before you as offerings for sin. 7 Then I said, ‘See, I have come to do your will, to lay down my life, just as the Scriptures said that I would.” Hebrews 10:5-7 (TLB)
b. That He would endow Him with the necessary gifts and graces for the performance of His task and particularly would anoint Him by giving Him the Spirit without measure, a promise that was fulfilled especially at the time of His baptism.
1 “See! My servant, My chosen one! My much Loved, in Whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit on Him. He will say to the nations what is right from wrong. Isaiah 42:1 (NLV)
c. That He would support Him in the performance of His work and that He would deliver Him from the power of death and would thus enable Him to destroy the dominion of Satan and to establish the Kingdom of God.
15 From now on you and the woman will be enemies, as will your offspring and hers. You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head.” Genesis 3:15 (TLB)
d. That He would enable Him, as a reward for His accomplished work, to send out the Holy Spirit for the formation of His spiritual body (the Church). The Holy Spirit would take the lead for the instruction, guidance, and protection of the Church.
26 “The Helper will come—the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God and who comes from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father, and he will speak about me. John 15:26 (GNT)
e. That He would give unto Him a numerous seed in reward for His accomplished work. A seed so numerous that it would be a multitude which no man could number, so that ultimately the Kingdom of the Messiah would embrace the people of all nations and tongues,
“27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.” Psalm 22:27 (AKJV)
f. That He would commit to Him all power in heaven and on earth for the government of the world and of His Church.
20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:20-23 (NIV)
g. Finally, He would reward Him with a name that is above all names.
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV) *Louis Berkhof, Systematic Theology
Let me reemphasize at this point of our study that I am not talking about the Covenant of Grace. The two Covenants need to be distinguished from each other. The Covenant of Redemption was between the Father and the Son.
Louis Berkhof states:
“The counsel of redemption is the firm and eternal foundation of the covenant of grace. If there had been no eternal counsel of peace between the Father and the Son, there could have been no agreement between the triune God and sinful men. The counsel of redemption makes the covenant of grace possible.”
God’s Covenant of Grace, is between God and man and starts in the Garden of Eden when Adam failed to obey God and sinned.
15 From now on you and the woman will be enemies, as will your offspring and hers. You will strike his heel, but he will crush your head.” Genesis 3:15 (TLB)
God is already giving us hope of a Redeemer, (Genesis 3:15) is sometimes referred to as the protoevangelium, the first announcement of the gospel in Scripture. God’s promise to Eve that the seed of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of Eve and the seed of Eve would crush the head of the seed of the serpent, this is the foretelling that Satan would wound Christ on the cross, but that Christ would triumph over Satan on that same cross.
The two are clearly revealed in Scripture, and moreover they differ as to the parties, as to the promises and as to the conditions.
Why did God do this?
God works “all things according to the counsel of his will.”
11 In him we were also chosen having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, Ephesians 1:11 (NIV)
The psalmist repeats that the Lord does whatever he pleases.
3 Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him. Psalm 115:3 (NIV)
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him, in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. Psalm 135:6 (NIV)
God himself declares that he will accomplish all his “good pleasure.”
10 I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’ Isaiah 46:10 (NIV)
“God causes all things to work together” according to his purpose.
28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (NIV)
My dear friends, do you truly realize the tremendous honor that was bestowed on you? The Triune God selected you before the beginning of time. It was God’s plan from eternity past that the Lord Jesus Christ would come to earth and die on a cross for you. Through His death you were justified and made righteous in the eyes of God. You are now one of His children and will spend eternity with Him.
15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” Romans 9:15 (NIV)
Right now, thank the Lord God of the Universe for the mercy and compassion He has shown you.
I am just beginning to scratch the surface of the God/Man of scriptures. We have a long way to go to unpack all that God’s Word has in store for us concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.
I hope you now understand that the reason for Jesus’s coming to earth was established and mapped out before time began. We will follow that scarlet thread that John MacArthur spoke about earlier. Next time, I will introduce you to the Covenant that God made with Adam, which will frame the direction of the entire Word of God.
Hold on to Psalm 94:11 throughout this entire study.
Until next time, my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. As we continue our study of the God/man Jesus Christ, I’m going to keep us focused for now on the Triune God. I want you to have a clear understanding of the roles each of the Godhead performs before I focus us on God the Son. With this knowledge, you’ll have a clearer understanding when Jesus says:
38 For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 6:38 (NASB)
I will now move on from eternity past to the “Creation.” We can define the doctrine of creation as follows: God created the entire universe out of nothing; it was originally very good; and he created it to glorify himself.
6 The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. 7 He assigned the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. 8 Let the whole world fear the Lord, and let everyone stand in awe of him. 9 For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command. Psalm 33:6-9 (NLT)
The Triune God’s revelation of Himself and His will for mankind was the beginning of the creation story. In this beginning, God created everything in the universe. This includes all the heavenly bodies, including every star and planet, as well as everything on the earth.
While the triune nature of God is not explicit in the Genesis account, God does reveal an “us” within the Godhead:
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground. Genesis 1:26 (NLT)
The Work of the Father, Son and of the Holy Spirit in Creation
Wayne Gruden in his book Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine states:
“God the Father was the primary agent in initiating the act of creation.”
“There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 (NLT)
But the Son and the Holy Spirit were also active. The Son is often described as the one “through” whom creation came about.
“1 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:1-5 (NLT)
The Apostle Paul says there is “one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.”
“And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created, and through whom we live.” 1 Corinthians 8:6 (NLT)
We also read that the Son is the one “through whom” God “created the world.”
“God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son he created the universe.” Hebrews 1:1-2 (NLT)
These passages portray a consistent picture of the Son as the active agent carrying out the plans and directions of the Father. The Holy Spirit also was at work in creation. He is generally pictured as completing, filling, and giving life to God’s creation.
“2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.” Genesis 1:2 (NLT)
The Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters, indicating a preserving, sustaining, governing function.
Job says,
“The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33: 4).
The psalmist, in speaking of the great variety of creatures on the earth and in the sea, says, in (Psalm 104:30):
30 Then you send your Spirit, and new life is born to replenish all the living of the earth.”
If you remember my last study on the Triune God as it relates to the plan of Salvation, the Covenant between the three persons of the Trinity was the result of a voluntary agreement among themselves, so that their internal relations assume the form of a covenant life.
The Salvation of Man was developed by the Triune God to flow this way:
The same now holds true for the “Creation.”
While the persons of the Trinity are equal in all their attributes, they nonetheless differ in their relationships to the creation. The Son and Holy Spirit are equal in deity to God the Father, but they are subordinate in their roles.
Wayne Gruden goes on to say.
“But why do the persons of the Trinity take these different roles in relating to creation? Was it accidental or arbitrary? Could God the Father have come instead of God the Son to die for our sins? Could the Holy Spirit have sent God the Father to die for our sins, and then sent God the Son to apply redemption to us?
No, it does not seem that these things could have happened, for the role of commanding, directing, and sending is appropriate to the position of the Father, after whom all human fatherhood is patterned.
14 For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, Ephesians 3:14-15 (NASB)
And the role of obeying, going as the Father sends, and revealing God to us is appropriate to the role of the Son, who is also called the Word of God.
“1In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. John 1:1-5 (NLT)
These roles could not have been reversed or the Father would have ceased to be the Father and the Son would have ceased to be the Son. And by comparison from that relationship, we may conclude that the role of the Holy Spirit is similarly one that was appropriate to the relationship he had with the Father and the Son before the world was created.”
The work of the Holy Spirit seems to bring to completion the work that has been planned by God the Father and begun by God the Son.
Now I cannot explain to you how God can be three persons, and that each person is fully God, but there is only one God. This is too mind blowing for my finite mind to comprehend. So, I simply trust what the Word of God tells me and by faith believe it.
However, my friends, what I can talk about is the Persons of the Trinity and what the primary functions of each are as they relate to the world. We will find this information in the Word of God.
The different functions that we see the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit performing are simply workings of an eternal relationship between the three persons — a relationship that has always existed and will exist for eternity.
It may be said that there are no differences in deity, attributes, or essential nature between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each person is fully God and has all the attributes of God.
The only distinctions between the members of the Trinity are in the ways they relate to each other and to the creation. In those relationships they carry out roles that are appropriate to each person.
Let’s take a deeper look.
Arthur W. Pink states
“With whom took He counsel in creation? Whom did He consult when He determined the various and manifold arrangements, adjustments, adaptations, relationships, of all His creatures? Did He not do everything after the counsel of His own will? Did He not decide that birds should fly in the air, beasts roam the earth, and fishes live in the sea? Did He not decide there should be one vast gradation among the creatures of His hand, instead of making everything equal and uniform? Did He not determine to make a revolving world on the one hand, and a floating atom on the other? Did He not determine to create the exalted seraphim to stand before His throne throughout endless ages, and also to make another creature which dies the same hour it is born?
Was He not undisputed Sovereign in all His creative acts? Yea, verily, for the Three Persons of the Godhead were all alone in their solitary majesty. Why should God take counsel? Could man add to His knowledge, or correct His errors? God sovereignly assigned all His creatures their various habitations, members, movements, as it pleased Him. God never consulted man about a single member of His body, or about its size, color, or capacity; instead, \”God set the members everyone of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him\” (1 Corinthians 12:18). Man is as truly the product of Sovereign creation as any other of God\’s creatures – sovereign, we say, not arbitrary.”
My friends, God not only created everything, but everything which He created is subject to His immediate control. God rules over the works of His hands. God governs the creatures He has made. God reigns with universal dominion. This is called the Sovereignty and Providence of God.
Let’s look at some examples of God\’s Sovereignty and Providence.
When He pleased, the sun and moon stood still.
“12On the day the Lord gave the Israelites victory over the Amorites, Joshua prayed to the Lord in front of all the people of Israel. He said, Let the sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.”13 So the sun stood still, and the moon stayed in place until the nation of Israel had defeated its enemies. Joshua 10:12-13 (NLT)
At a word from Him, the sun went backward ten degrees on the dial of Ahaz.
8 I will send the sun backwards ten degrees as measured on Ahaz’s sundial!” So, the sun retraced ten degrees that it had gone down! Isaiah 38:8 (TLB)
At His command, the Red Sea parted.
“21 Meanwhile, Moses stretched his rod over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the sea, with walls of water on each side; and a strong east wind blew all that night, drying the sea bottom. Exodus 14:21(TLB)
And at His command, it resumed its normal course.
“26 When all the Israelites were on the other side, the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand again over the sea, so that the waters will come back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses did, and the sea returned to normal beneath the morning light. The Egyptians tried to flee, but the Lord drowned them in the sea.” Exodus 14:26-27 (TLB)
Yes, when He pleases, He reverses the order of nature, as when the fires of Nebuchadnezzar\’s furnace burnt not:
“22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames leaped out and killed the soldiers as they threw them in! 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell bound into the roaring flames. 24 But suddenly, as he was watching, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisors, “Didn’t we throw three men into the furnace?” Yes,” they said, “we did indeed, Your Majesty.” 25 “Well, look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire, and they aren’t even hurt by the flames! And the fourth looks like a god!” Daniel 3:22-25 (TLB)
When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den for not worshipping King Darius:
16 So at last the king gave the order for Daniel’s arrest, and he was taken to the den of lions. The king said to him, “May your God, whom you worship continually, deliver you.” And then they threw him in. Daniel 6:16 (TLB)
19 Very early the next morning he hurried out to the lions’ den 20 and called out in anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the Living God, was your God, whom you worship continually, able to deliver you from the lions?”
21 Then he heard a voice! “Your Majesty, live forever!” It was Daniel! 22 “My God has sent his angel,” he said, “to shut the lions’ mouths so that they can’t touch me, for I am innocent before God; nor, sir, have I wronged you.” Daniel 6:19-22 (TLB)
This, my friend, is but a small sample of God’s Sovereignty and Providence over everything in Heaven, on the Earth, and under the Earth. Even our time of death is the prerogative of God.
The late C.H. Spurgeon tells us.
\”The prerogative of life or death belongs to God in a wide range of senses. First of all as to natural life, we are all dependent upon His good pleasure. We shall not die until the time which He appoints: for our death-time, like all our time, is in His hands. Our skirts may brush away the portals of the sepulcher, and yet we shall pass the iron gate unharmed if the Lord be our guard. The wolves of disease will hurt us in vain until God shall permit them to overtake us. The most desperate enemies may waylay us, but no bullet shall find its lodging in any heart unless the Lord allows it.
Our life does not even depend upon the care of angels, nor can our death be surrounded on all sides by the malice of devils. We are immortal till our work is done, immortal till the immortal King shall call us home to the land where we shall be immortal in a still higher sense. When we are most sick, we need not despair of recovery since the issues from death are in Almighty hands. \”The Lord killeth and maketh alive: He bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up!\” When we have passed beyond the skill of the physician we have not passed beyond the relief of our God, to whom belong the issues from death.\”
Let’s now look at the Godhead’s creation of man and the introduction of Sin. Keep in mind, my friends, the Persons of the Trinity and what the different primary functions of each are as they relate to the world. Here you will see the combination of creation and the Covenant of Redemption coming together.
26 Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” Genesis 1:26 (NASB)
7 Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7 (NASB)
8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. Genesis 2:8 (NASB)
After that, God created Eve from Adam’s body:
21 Then the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep and took one of his ribs and closed up the place from which he had removed it, 22 and made the rib into a woman, and brought her to the man. Genesis 2:21-22 (TLB)
27 So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:27-28 (NASB)
We are created “in God’s image,” the pinnacle of God’s creation, more like God than any other creature, appointed to rule over the rest of creation.
God the Father said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness.”
God the Son formed the man of dust from the ground.
God the Holy Spirit breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person.
The Covenant of Redemption now comes into play.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:15-17 (NIV)
I’m quite sure Satan and his minions watched with joy as Eve succumbed to his temptation.
6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Genesis 3:6 (NIV)
Self-awareness came over Adam and Eve, and Sin was born.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Genesis 3:7 (NIV)
This is where non-believers will say Satan sure pulled a fast one on God. He didn’t even see it coming. How can we believe in a God who is so clueless about what had just happened?
However, what they don’t know or understand was that the Covenant of Redemption was in place before time began. A covenant designed and agreed upon between God the Father and God the Son.
I am quite sure what God said next to the clueless Satan was the trump card that left Satan speechless.
15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
God has already given us hope of a Redeemer, (Genesis 3:15) which is sometimes referred to as the protoevangelium, the first announcement of the gospel in Scripture. This represents God’s promise to Eve that the seed of the serpent would bruise the heel of the seed of Eve and the seed of Eve would crush the head of the seed of the serpent.
This is the foretelling that Satan would wound Christ on the cross, but that Christ would triumph over Satan on that same cross.
The Covenant of Redemption between God the Father and God the Son now starts to become the Covenant of Grace between God and man and starts in the Garden of Eden when Adam failed to obey God and sinned.
4But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew, 5 to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons. Galatians 4:4-5 (TLB)
I have used the past two lessons to lay the foundation of the Godhead’s relationships with each other. Remember each has all the attributes of God, which makes each one God.
So, as we move forward to look at the life of God the Son, we are really looking at God Himself making Himself known through God the Son, Jesus Christ.
Now Psalm 94:11, will truly become important to us.
11 The Lord is fully aware of how limited and futile the thoughts of mankind are, Psalm 94:11 (TLB)
As believers, we must trust what the Word of God tells us and by faith believe it.
We will now follow Jesus through the Old and New Testaments. My goal with each successive lesson is to reveal the complete picture of the God/man Jesus Christ.
Until next time, my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
A Conversation About Christ Jesus
Welcome back, my dear friends. We now will follow Jesus through the Old Testament. As I said in my introduction, my goal with each successive lesson is to reveal the complete picture of the God/man, Jesus Christ.
We now will begin our journey through the Old Testament first to see what God’s Word has to say about our Lord, Jesus Christ. Although we will not meet the human Son of Man until the New Testament, God the Son and His approaching ministry is woven like a scarlet thread throughout the Old Testament.
The entire Bible is a beacon that points us to God’s offer of reconciliation, the hope of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The theme of the entire Bible is Jesus Christ.
We will find that God has predicted Jesus’ coming beginning with Genesis until the time of His birth in Matthew. We’ll see Him through symbols, stories, images, prophetic predictions and more. The entire biblical story points toward Jesus.
Two important scriptures we need to keep in mind as we search for the Son of God are:
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15 (NIV)
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father. John 1:18 (ERV)
The first evidence of Jesus in the Old Testament is through hundreds of messianic prophecies that point to Jesus Christ and were fulfilled by Him in His life on earth. These include prophecies about:
His unique birth
14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
His earthly ministry
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released, and prisoners will be freed. Isaiah 61:1 (NLT)
His death and burial
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he never said a word. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he stood silent before the ones condemning him. 8 From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people of that day realized it was their sins that he was dying for—that he was suffering their punishment? 9 He was buried like a criminal, but in a rich man’s grave; but he had done no wrong and had never spoken an evil word. Isaiah 53:7-9 (TLB)
Jesus Himself confirmed the fact that He is in the Old Testament. In the gospel of John, He explained to some religious leaders who had challenged Him that the Old Testament wasn’t talking about Him.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. John 5:46 NASB
4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Exodus 24:4 (NASB)
Here are over 90 more Old Testament prophecies* that the Son of God fulfilled in the New Testament as the Son of Man.
| Prophecy | Given |
| Fulfilled | |
| The serpent and the “seed” of Eve will have conflict; the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent. Jesus is this seed, and He crushed Satan at the cross. | Genesis 3:14-15 |
| Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14 | |
| God promised Abraham the whole world would be blessed through him. Jesus, descended from Abraham, is that blessing. | Genesis 12:3 |
| Acts 3:25-26; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16 | |
| God promised Abraham He would establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac’s offspring. Jesus is that offspring. | Genesis 17:19 |
| Matthew 1:1-2 | |
| God promised Isaac the whole world would be blessed by his descendent. That descendent is Jesus. | Genesis 28:13-14 |
| Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 1:33; 3:23-34 | |
| Jacob prophesied Judah would rule over his brothers. Jesus the king is from the tribe of Judah. | Genesis 49:10 |
| Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 1:32-33 | |
| The Jews were not to keep the Passover lamb overnight. Jesus was buried the day He died. | Exodus 12:10; Numbers 9:12 |
| John 19:38-42 | |
| The Jews were not to break the bones of the Passover lamb. Jesus’ bones were not broken on the cross. | Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12 |
| John 19:31-36 | |
| The Jews were to devote the firstborn males to God. Jesus is Mary’s firstborn male; He is also the “firstborn” over creation and the “firstborn” of the dead. | Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:13; 8:17 |
| Luke 2:7, 23; Colossians 1:15-18 | |
| Moses promised another prophet like him would come. Jesus is that prophet. | Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 |
| Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16; 24:19; John 6:14; 7:40 | |
| God told the Jews to never leave the body of someone who had been hanged overnight. Jesus was buried the day He died. | Deuteronomy 21:23 |
| John 19:31-36; Galatians 3:13 | |
| The word of God will be in hearts and mouths. Jesus is the Word who is in the hearts of His followers. | Deuteronomy 30:14 |
| John 1:1; Matthew 26:26 | |
| Moses promised God would atone for His people. Jesus’ sacrifice is that atonement. | Deuteronomy 32:43 |
| Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17 | |
| God promised David his offspring would rule forever. Jesus is descended from David, although His literal reign has yet to begin. | 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16, 25-26; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, 23-27; Psalm 89:3-4, 35-37; 132:11; Isaiah 9:7 |
| Matthew 1:6; 19:28; 21:4; 25:31; Mark 12:37; Luke 1:32; 3:31 | |
| The nations, people and rulers plot against the Lord and His anointed. The Sanhedrin, the crowd, Herod Antipas and Pilate plotted against Jesus. | Psalm 2:1-2 |
| Matthew 12:14; 26:3, 4, 47; Luke 23:1, 7 | |
| God will tell someone He is their Father. God told the crowd at Jesus’ baptism that He is Jesus’ Father. | Psalm 2:7 |
| Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35 | |
| David believes God will not abandon him to the grave. Jesus rose from the grave. | Psalm 16:9-10; 30:3; 86:13; Isaiah 26:19 |
| Luke 24:6-8; John 20 | |
| David cries out that God has forsaken him. Jesus uses the same words on the cross. | Psalm 22:1 |
| Matthew 27:46 | |
| David says his enemies mock and insult him. Jesus endured the same on the cross. | Psalm 22:7 |
| Matthew 27:38-44 | |
| David’s tormentors tease him, telling him to have God rescue him. The people said the same to Jesus. | Psalm 22:7 |
| Luke 23:35, 39 | |
| David describes his physical torment. The description matches the condition of someone who is being crucified. | Psalm 22:14-15 |
| John 19:28 | |
| David says that “dogs” surround him and pierce his hands and feet. Gentile soldiers put nails through Jesus’ hands and feet. | Psalm 22:16 |
| John 19:16; 20:20; Acts 2:23 | |
| David says that others divide his clothing. The Roman soldiers took Jesus’ clothes. | Psalm 22:18 |
| John 19:23-24 | |
| David says false witnesses will testify against him. False witnesses did testify against Jesus, although they didn’t have matching stories. | Psalm 27:12; 35:11; 109:6 |
| Matthew 26:60; Mark 14:55-59 | |
| David says he commits his spirit to God. Jesus used the same words on the cross. | Psalm 31:5 |
| Luke 23:46 | |
| God will protect the bones of the righteous. Jesus’ bones were not broken on the cross. | Psalm 34:20 |
| John 19:31-36 | |
| David talks of being hated without reason. Jesus was hated without reason. | Psalm 35:19; 69:4 |
| John 15:24-25 | |
| The psalmist says his friends will abandon him. The disciples abandoned Jesus. | Psalm 38:11; 88:18 |
| Matthew 26:56-58; Mark 14:50 | |
| David says he has come to do God’s will. Jesus came to do God’s will. | Psalm 40:6-8 |
| Matthew 26:39, 42; John 6:38; Hebrews 10:5-9 | |
| David talks about being betrayed by a friend. Jesus was betrayed by Judas. | Psalm 41:9; 55:12-14 |
| Matthew 26:14-16, 23; Mark 14:10-11, 43 | |
| The psalmists say God will rescue them from the land of the dead. God resurrected Jesus. | Psalm 49:15; 86:13 |
| Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6-8; John 20 | |
| The Lord ascends on high, bringing captives with Him. Jesus ascended to heaven, and believers go to heaven. | Psalm 68:18 |
| Luke 23:43; 24:51; Acts 1:9 | |
| David says he will be rejected by his siblings. Jesus’ brothers refused to believe who He was until after the resurrection. | Psalm 69:8 |
| Mark 3:20-21, 31; John 7:3-5 | |
| David has “zeal” for God’s house and His honor but will be reproached. Jesus showed that zeal by cleaning out the temple and was questioned by the Sanhedrin members. | Psalm 69:9 |
| Mark 11:15-17, 27-28; John 2:13-18; Romans 15:3 | |
| David talks of being fed gall and vinegar. Jesus was offered gall and vinegar on the cross. | Psalm 69:21 |
| Matthew 27:34, 48; Mark 15:23; Luke 23:36; John 19:29 | |
| Solomon asks God for foreign kings to bring him gifts and honor. The Magi did so for Jesus. | Psalm 72:10-11 |
| Matthew 2:1-11 | |
| Solomon tells God that as king he will deliver the needy and weak. Jesus did this. | Psalm 72:12-14 |
| Luke 7:22 | |
| The psalmist says he will speak in parables. Jesus spoke in parables. | Psalm 78:2 |
| Matthew 13:3, 35 | |
| God says He will make David His firstborn. Jesus, David’s descendent, is God’s firstborn. | Psalm 89:27 |
| Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15 | |
| David’s enemies attacked him, but he refrained from responding. Jesus forgave His enemies. | Psalm 109:3-5 |
| Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34 | |
| David asks that his betrayer’s life be short and his position be taken. Jesus’ betrayer, Judas, died, and Matthias took his place. | Psalm 69:25; 109:7-8 |
| Acts 1:16-20 | |
| David says his Lord will be made a priest of Melchizedek. Jesus is a priest of Melchizedek. | Psalm 110:4 |
| Hebrews 5:1-6; 6:20; 7:15-17 | |
| The psalmist says the stone the builders reject will become the cornerstone. Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leaders, but He is the basis of God’s salvation. | Psalm 118:22-23 |
| Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17; John 1:11 | |
| The Lord will redeem Israel from her sins. Jesus redeemed Israel. | Psalm 130:7-8 |
| Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:68 | |
| God told Ezekiel the people would not understand what He was doing. Jesus used parables to keep casual observers from understanding His teaching. | Isaiah 6:9-10 |
| Matthew 13:14-15 | |
| God promised that a virgin would conceive. Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. | Isaiah 7:14 |
| Luke 1:26-35 | |
| God promised to send a Son who would be “God with us” (“Emmanuel”). Jesus is that Son. | Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 |
| Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; 14:8-11 | |
| God promised a “stone” that people would trip over. Jesus is that stone. | Isaiah 8:14-15 |
| Matthew 21:42-44; Romans 9:32-33 | |
| God promised the land of Zebulun and Naphtali and “Galilee of the nations” a light for their darkness. Jesus is that light; at the time of Jesus, Galilee was a mix of Jews and Gentiles. | Isaiah 9:1-2 |
| Matthew 4:12-16 | |
| God promised David His Spirit would rest on his offspring. Jesus is that offspring. | Isaiah 11:1-2 |
| Matthew 1:1, 6; 3:16; Mark 1:10 | |
| Gentiles will come to God. A centurion and a Syrophoenician woman came to Jesus; the Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch responded to Paul’s gospel message. | Isaiah 11:10; 42:1; 55:4-5; Hosea 2:23 |
| Matthew 8:5-13; Mark 7:24-26; Acts 13:48 | |
| God promised a time when the blind would see. Jesus healed the blind. | Isaiah 29:18; 35:5 |
| Matthew 9:30; 11:5; 12:22; 20:34; 21:14; Mark 10:52 | |
| God promised a time when the deaf hear. Jesus healed the deaf. | Isaiah 35:5 |
| Matthew 11:5; Mark 7:31-37; 9:25 | |
| God promised a time when the lame would be healed. Jesus healed the lame. | Isaiah 35:6 |
| Matthew 15:30-31; 21:14 | |
| God promised a time when the mute would speak. Jesus healed the mute. | Isaiah 35:6 |
| Matthew 9:33; 12:22; 15:30; Luke 11:14 | |
| God promised a messenger who would announce the Lord’s coming. John the Baptist is that messenger. | Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1 |
| Matthew 3:3; 11:10; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6 | |
| God is the shepherd who tends His sheep. Jesus is the good shepherd. | Isaiah 40:10-11 |
| John 10:11 | |
| God promised to put His Spirit on His servant. Jesus is that servant. | Isaiah 42:1 |
| Matthew 3:16; 12:18; Mark 1:10 | |
| God’s servant will not cry out. Jesus told those He healed to remain quiet. | Isaiah 42:2 |
| Matthew 12:19 | |
| God’s servant will be gentle. Jesus treated people gently. | Isaiah 42:3 |
| Matthew 11:29; 12:20 | |
| The nations will put their hope in God’s servant’s teaching. Nations put their hope in Jesus’ teachings. | Isaiah 42:4 |
| Matthew 12:21 | |
| God will send His servant as a light to the Gentiles. Jesus is a light to the Gentiles. | Isaiah 42:6; 49:6 |
| Luke 2:25-32 | |
| The writer says he will not be rebellious or turn away. Jesus obeyed God all the way to the cross. | Isaiah 50:5 |
| Matthew 26:39 | |
| Isaiah speaks of one who will be beaten and spit upon. Jesus was beaten and spit upon. | Isaiah 50:6 |
| Matthew 26:67; 27:26-30 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be so abused He will not look human. Jesus was beaten, whipped, crucified and pierced by a spear. | Isaiah 52:14 |
| Matthew 26:67; 27:26-30; 35 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be despised and rejected by His own people. Jesus’ tormentors rejected Him and spit in His face. | Isaiah 53:3 |
| Luke 23:18; Matthew 26:67; John 1:11 | |
| The Suffering Servant will bear the abuse we deserve for our physical and spiritual healing. Jesus did this. | Isaiah 53:4-5 |
| Matthew 8:17; Romans 5:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3 | |
| The Suffering Servant will bear our sins. Jesus bore our sins. | Isaiah 53:6, 8, 12 |
| Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24-25 | |
| The Suffering Servant is like a lamb that does not defend itself. Although Jesus spoke during His trials, He never offered a defense. | Isaiah 53:7 |
| Matthew 27:12; Luke 23:9; John 1:29-36 | |
| The Suffering Servant’s people did not protest His death. Only Pilate protested Jesus’ death. | Isaiah 53:8 |
| Matthew 27:23-25 | |
| The Suffering Servant will die with the wicked. Jesus died with the two thieves. | Isaiah 53:9, 12 |
| Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be buried in the grave of a rich man. Jesus was buried in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. | Isaiah 53:9 |
| Matthew 27:57-60 | |
| God ordained that the Suffering Servant would suffer and die. God sent Jesus to die. | Isaiah 53:10 |
| John 3:16; 19:11; Acts 2:23; Philippians 2:8 | |
| The Suffering Servant’s sacrifice offers forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ sacrifice offers forgiveness of our sins. | Isaiah 53:11 |
| Acts 10:43; 13:38-39 | |
| The Suffering Servant will intercede for His abusers. Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified Him. | Isaiah 53:12 |
| Luke 23:34 | |
| God promises a great light to pierce the darkness of Israel and the nations. Jesus is that light. | Isaiah 60:1-3 |
| Matthew 4:16; Luke 2:32; John 12:46 | |
| God promises someone to declare good news for the brokenhearted, captives and prisoners. Jesus is that someone. | Isaiah 61:1 |
| Matthew 3:16; Luke 4:18 | |
| God promises a “righteous Branch” from the line of Jesse who will do what is just. Jesus is that Branch. | Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-16 |
| Romans 3:22; 1 Corinthians 1:30 | |
| A woman will weep for her dead children. Herod killed the baby boys in Bethlehem. | Jeremiah 31:15 |
| Matthew 2:16-18 | |
| God makes a woman “encircle” or protect a man. The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in Mary. | Jeremiah 31:22 |
| Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35 | |
| God promises a new covenant. Jesus provides the work for that new covenant. | Jeremiah 31:31-34 |
| Matthew 26:27-29; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:15-20 | |
| “David” will return as his people’s shepherd. Jesus is that shepherd. | Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24 |
| John 10:11 | |
| Gabriel tells Daniel when the “Anointed One” will be “cut off.” This is the exact time Jesus is crucified. | Daniel 9:24-26 |
| Matthew 27:50 | |
| God will call His “child” from Egypt. Jesus returned from Egypt when He was young. | Hosea 11:1 |
| Matthew 2:13-15 | |
| Israel’s ruler will be struck on the cheek with a rod. Jesus was struck on the head with a staff. | Micah 5:1 |
| Matthew 27:30 | |
| The ruler of Israel will come from Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. | Micah 5:2 |
| Luke 2:4-7 | |
| God will live among His people. Jesus lived among the Jews. | Zechariah 2:10 |
| John 1:14 | |
| The Branch will be a priest in the temple. Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. | Zechariah 6:12-13 |
| Hebrews 7:11-28; 8:1-2 | |
| Israel’s king will ride a donkey. Jesus came into Jerusalem riding a donkey. | Zechariah 9:9 |
| Mark 11:1-10 | |
| God told Zechariah to take the thirty pieces of silver he earned and throw it to the potter. Judas took thirty pieces of silver and returned it to the priests who used it to buy the potter’s field. | Zechariah 11:12-13 |
| Matthew 26:14-15; 27:3, 6-10 | |
| If someone strikes the shepherd, the sheep will scatter. When Jesus was arrested, His disciples fled. | Zechariah 13:6-7 |
| Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50 | |
| The Lord will come to the temple and refine the silver and the priests. Jesus came to the temple and threw out the money changers. | Malachi 3:1-3 |
| Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15-19; John 2:13-16 | |
| The sun of righteousness will come. Jesus is that sun. | Malachi 4:2 |
| Luke 1:78 | |
| Elijah will return. John the Baptist fulfills the role of Elijah. | Malachi 4:5 |
| Matthew 11:13-14; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:17; 7:27-28 |
* Got Question.org
Let’s dig a little deeper into the theology of Jesus Christ. This is nothing more than digging into God’s Word to discover what He has revealed about Himself. When we do this, we come to know Him as Creator of all things, Sustainer of all things and Judge of all things. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of all things.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13 (NIV)
There is a theology called Christophany that believes whenever someone received a visit from “the angel of the Lord,” that the relation between the Lord and the “angel of the Lord” is often so close that it is difficult to separate the two. This identification has led some interpreters to conclude that the “angel of the Lord” was the pre-incarnate Christ.
These appearances can be seen in the following:
When the angel of the Lord spoke with Hagar, Sarah’s mistress, who was pregnant with Abraham’s child, promising her child would be the founder of the Arab nations.
17 Then God heard the boy crying, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from the sky, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Don’t be afraid! For God has heard the lad’s cries as he is lying there. 18 Go and get him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.” Genesis 21:17-18 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord spoke to Jacob, saying return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.
1 Then, in my dream, the Angel of God called to me 12 and told me that I should mate the white female goats with streaked, speckled, and mottled male goats ‘For I have seen all that Laban has done to you,’ the Angel said. 13 ‘I am the God you met at Bethel,’ he continued, ‘the place where you anointed the pillar and made a vow to serve me. Now leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’” Genesis 31:11-13 (TLB)
When the Lord appeared to Abraham in human form and told him that this time next year Sarah would bear a son to him.
18 The Lord appeared again to Abraham while he was living in the oak grove at Mamre. This is the way it happened: One hot summer afternoon as he was sitting in the opening of his tent, 2 he suddenly noticed three men coming toward him. He sprang up and ran to meet them and welcomed them. Genesis 18:1-2 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord called to Abraham not to harm Isaac.
11 At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, Lord!” he answered. 12 “Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” Genesis 22:11-12 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush.
3 One day as Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, out at the edge of the desert near Horeb, the mountain of God, 2 suddenly the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw that the bush was on fire and that it didn’t burn up, Exodus 3:1-2 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
35 That very night the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian troops, and dead bodies were seen all across the landscape in the morning. 2 Kings 19:35 (TLB)
There are over 60 such references throughout the Old Testament.
Charles H. Spurgeon says, “Some may say then that Christ was then a created angel. The Old Testament uses the term angel of the Lord interchangeably with the Lord in reference to these visitations, but he is not a created angel. He is higher in nature, higher in rank, higher in intellect, and higher in power than they. Nothing less than the very God of the Universe. The very man who suffered on Calvary.”
The Son Is Greater Than the Angels
5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father,” God also said, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.” 6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him.” Hebrews 1:5-6 (NLT)
There are even deeper ways that Jesus is found in the Old Testament. Many Old Testament historical events double as symbols of what God would do in the future through Christ. These are seen in what we call “types.” A type is a person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows Jesus, the Son of Man, in the New Testament.
| Type: Adam is a type of Christ because both their actions affected a great many people. | Genesis 3:17-19 |
| Romans 5:14 | |
| Type: Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. | Exodus 12:1-11 |
| John 1:29-36 | |
| Type: The rock that produced water for Israel points toward Jesus and the living water. | Exodus 17:6 |
| John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 | |
| Type: The tabernacle where God dwelt among the Israelites is a type of Jesus, God with us. | Exodus 25:8; Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 |
| Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; 14:8-11 | |
| Type: The feast of unleavened bread represents the purity of Jesus; Jesus’ burial is like a kernel in the ground, waiting to burst forth in life. | Leviticus 23:6 |
| 1 Peter 2:22 | |
| Type: The feast of first fruits represents Jesus as the first fruit from the dead. | Leviticus 23:10 |
| 1 Corinthians 15:20 | |
| Type: Those who looked up at the snake on a pole were saved. Those who “look up” at Jesus on the cross are saved. | Numbers 21:8-9 |
| John 3:14-15 | |
| Type: Boaz is a type of Christ the redeemer. | Ruth 4:1-11; Ezekiel 16:8 |
| Galatians 3:13; 4:5; Colossians 1:14 | |
| Type: Jonah was in the fish for three days. Jesus’ body was in the grave for three days. | Jonah 1:17 |
| Matthew 12:40 |
Jesus unites the Bible. He is not absent from the Old Testament, sitting on the bench, awaiting his fourth quarter winning play. He is the player-coach-manager directing all things. Throughout the Old Testament, He is the one and only Mediator of God Most High, marching purposefully toward his own incarnation. Jesus is Lord. He always has been.
Don Stewart of Blue Letter Bible tells us that the proper view of Scripture will be the perspective that Jesus held. He is our standard. Therefore, it is crucial that we hold the same view of Scripture as He did.
As we examine the attitude of the Lord Jesus toward the Old Testament, we find Him viewing it as totally trustworthy. Jesus accepted the entire Old Testament as the Word of God. He referred to the two divisions of the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets, and He cited from fourteen separate books.
Jesus believed that the people actually existed, and the stories literally occurred. He confirmed the historicity of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Elijah, Elisha and Zechariah.
Jesus also confirmed several Old Testament accounts. These include God giving Moses the rite of circumcision, God providing the manna in the wilderness, David eating the bread of presentation, David as the writer of certain Psalms, Moses writing the law, the suffering of the prophets, the episode with Lot’s wife, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the destruction of Tyre and Sidon.
Jesus also confirmed several of the most controversial accounts recorded in the Old Testament. They include Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the Flood in Noah’s day, and Jonah and the sea creature.
There also was the confirmation by Jesus of the authorship of certain disputed portions of the Old Testament — Daniel and Isaiah. Jesus quoted from Daniel as a prophet. He also cited both sections of Isaiah and attributed them to Isaiah alone. Jesus also spoke of Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled. He assumed the passages cited made divine predictions which needed to be fulfilled. He also saw the Old Testament as speaking of Him. It anticipated His coming into the world.
In addition, Jesus never cast doubt on any parts of the Old Testament. On the contrary, He believed all of it was equally authoritative.
Consequently, Christians, to be consistent, should have the same view as Jesus; the Old Testament is the divinely inspired Word of the living God.
Some Religions want you to believe that the Old Testament was written to the Jews and the New Testament is for the Gentiles. This is far from the truth.
God tells us that through the hundreds of messianic prophecies, the spiritual appearances of the Angel of the Lord, and the people of the Old Testament that were used as “Types” to foreshadow Jesus, the Son of Man in the New Testament.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 (NLT)
These things lay the foundation of the Man they would call Jesus. The understanding of our Lord’s activities in the Old Testament are important because they blend the two Testaments together as one. This makes the Bible come alive as you see the Son of God active throughout the Old and New Testaments.
These two Testaments must always go together. As the great St. Augustine once put it, “The New Testament is concealed in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is indisputable in the New Testament.”
We are one together in Christ, and the whole Bible is for all of us.
Until next time, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. It is now time to meet the God/man Jesus Christ in the flesh. The arrival of Jesus Christ on Earth marked a pivotal moment, as he, in the flesh, revealed both the existing glory of his divine side and the soon-to-be-explored facets of his human nature.
Through this lesson I want to show you through God’s Word how Jesus, through His voluntary submission to the Father’s will, surrendered His divine prerogatives, experienced the limitations of humanity and embarked on a redemptive mission to reconcile the broken relationship between God and man. He achieved this through His death on the cross, His burial and His resurrection — the price required by God the Father for this reconciliation.
I want us to understand the love and compassion He had for us, as well as the pain, agony and rejection He suffered for us. The task He was sent on by the Father was of no small consequence.
He came to a world of lost sinners who really didn’t care about what He had to say. Yes, the Jewish people were looking for the Messiah they had been promised in the Old Testament. They were looking for a King to arrive and free them of Roman rule and reestablish the King David times of peace and plenty. But this man was an ordinary commoner just like them.
He came to a world that was under the domain of Satan, who was not willing to give up any of those sinners who were destined to join him in Hell.
First, we must understand the two different persons — His Divine side, His Deity, and His human side, His mortality — that made up Jesus as the person who walked the earth as God/man. Let’s start with His divine side, characterized by being the Alpha and Omega, the exact likeness of the unseen God and the Creator of all things, which showcased the unparalleled glory and honor he held in Heaven before his earthly journey:
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture of who Jesus Christ is with all His attributes that define Him as God. Let’s understand Philippians 2:6-8 before we move forward.
6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 (NASB)
Philippians 2:6-8 sheds light on the self-emptying nature of Jesus, not relinquishing his deity but laying aside the privileges of heavenly glory, omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience to take on the form of a servant.
So, what exactly did Jesus empty Himself of? Let’s dig deep into God’s Word to answer this question. Without an understanding of what it means to empty Himself, you are open to the false prophetic claims of Earthly Religions that are being taught today.
Doctrine of Kenosis
The term “kenosis” encapsulates the doctrine of Christ’s self-emptying, emphasizing the laying aside of privileges rather than the abandonment of deity.
Jesus did not empty Himself of His divine attributes — no such attributes are mentioned in the verse, and it is obvious in the gospels that Jesus possessed the power and wisdom of God. Calming the storm is just one display of Jesus’ divine power.
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39 (NIV)
In coming to earth, the Son of God did not cease to be God, and He did not become a “lesser god.” Whatever the “emptying” entailed, Jesus remained fully God:
“9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” Colossians 2:9.
It is better to think of Christ’s “emptying” of Himself as a laying aside of the privileges that were His in heaven. Rather than stay on His throne in heaven, Jesus “made himself nothing.” He veiled His glory, and He chose to occupy the position of a servant.
The kenosis was a self-renunciation, not an emptying Himself of deity. Nor was it an exchange of deity for humanity. Jesus never ceased to be God during any part of His earthly ministry. He did set aside His heavenly glory. He also voluntarily refrained from using His divinity to make His way easier. During His earthly ministry, Christ completely submitted Himself to the will of the Father (John 5:19).
19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. John 5:19 (NLT)
As part of the kenosis, Jesus sometimes operated within the limitations of human nature. God does not get tired or thirsty, but Jesus did,
6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. John 4:6 (NIV)
As God, Jesus knows all things. At least once, Jesus voluntarily surrendered the use of His omniscience, and answered the Apostles’ question with His human nature.
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3 (NIV)
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36 (NIV)
During other occasions, Jesus’ omniscience was on full display.
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” John 1:43-51
The one who was existing in the form of God took on the form or “nature of a servant.” The word “taking” does not imply an exchange, but rather an addition. The “form of God” could not be given up, for God cannot cease to be God; but our Lord could and did take on the very form of a lowly servant when he entered human life in his incarnation.
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature] of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:7 (NIV)
All the Gnostics in the early church propounded the first heresy that He emptied Himself of His deity, that the deity entered Him at the time of His baptism and left Him at the cross. Well, this theory is not substantiated anywhere in the Word of God. He emptied Himself of something, but it was not of His deity.
He was 100 percent God when He was a baby reclining helplessly on the bosom of Mary. Even at that time, He could have spoken this universe out of existence because He was God. There was never a moment when He was not God. The apostle John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Jesus did, however, renounce or set aside His privileges in several areas:
1) Heavenly Glory — While on earth, He gave up the glory of a face-to-face relationship with God and the continuous outward display and personal enjoyment of that glory.
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Acts 7:55 (NIV)
2) Independent Authority — During His incarnation, Christ completely submitted Himself to the will of His Father,
30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. John 5:30 (NIV)
3) Divine Prerogatives — He set aside the voluntary display of His divine attributes and submitted Himself to the Spirit’s direction.
4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1-2 (NIV)
4) Eternal Riches — While on earth, Christ was poor and owned very little.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
5) A Favorable Relationship with God — He felt the Father’s wrath for human sin while on the cross.
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (Which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. Matthew 27:45-46 (NIV)
Therefore, while the Son of God fully possessed his divine nature, attributes and prerogatives, he did not fully express them; they were veiled. At times, he did express them, such as when he read people’s minds (Matt. 9:4) and worked divine miracles (Luke 5:3–10). But the Master willingly submitted himself to the life of a slave. He surrendered the preincarnate glories from which he came. He left the worship of saints and angels to be despised and rejected by men, submitting himself to misunderstanding, denials, unbelief, false accusations, and every sort of reviling and persecution. As God the Son, he had every right to exercise his divine prerogatives at will. Yet, as the suffering servant of Yahweh, he surrendered himself to the will of the Father in everything.
Join me next time as we look at Jesus Christ the God/man and examine his human traits.
Until next time, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. In my last study, we looked at the deity of the God/man Jesus Christ. We will now look at His human nature or His humanity. These two lessons are essential in building the foundational picture of the God/man. Without an understanding of these two persons of Jesus Christ, you will have difficulty grasping the Hypostatic Union of Christ, which I will discuss in the next lesson. In that lesson, I will bring together the two persons into one person, the God/man.
Let us begin looking at the man Jesus Christ.
But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew, 5 to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons. Galatians 4:4-5 (TLB)
When I speak of the humanity of Christ, it is necessary to begin with the virgin birth of Christ. Scripture clearly asserts that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother, Mary, by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and without a human father.
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 (NASB)
34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35 (NASB)
The Son of God as Man
14 Since we, God’s children, are human beings—made of flesh and blood—he became flesh and blood too by being born in human form; for only as a human being could he die and in dying break the power of the devil who had the power of death. 15 Only in that way could he deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread.
16 We all know he did not come as an angel but as a human being—yes, a Jew. 17 And it was necessary for Jesus to be like us, his brothers, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God, a Priest who would be both merciful to us and faithful to God in dealing with the sins of the people. 18 For since he himself has now been through suffering and temptation, he knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted, and he is wonderfully able to help us. Hebrews 2:14-18 (TLB)
7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:7 (NASB)
“Made in the likeness of men” refers to the human nature Christ assumed. The “form of a servant” denotes the position or state which He entered.
The humanity of Christ was unique. History supplies us no analogy nor can His humanity be illustrated by anything in nature. It is unparalleled not only to our fallen human nature but also to fallen Adam’s.
The Lord Jesus was born into circumstances totally different from those in which Adam first found himself.
His humanity was produced neither by the natural procreation of a man and women (as is ours) nor by special creation, as was Adam’s.
7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 (NIV)
The humanity of Christ was under the immediate agency of the Holy Spirit, supernaturally “conceived” of the virgin.
34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35 (NASB)
His body was “prepared” by God…
5 That is why Christ said as he came into the world, “O God, the blood of bulls and goats cannot satisfy you, so you have made ready this body of mine for me to lay as a sacrifice upon your altar. Hebrews 10:5 (TLB)
yet “made of a woman.”
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, Galatians 4:4 (NASB)
Christ’s humanity also is unique because it never had a separate existence of its own. The eternal Son assumed (at the moment of Mary’s conception) a human nature.
My friends, are you beginning to understand that the God/man was one person with two natures residing inside of Him.
The doctrinal importance of the virgin birth is seen in at least two areas.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NLT)
So, God brought it about by his own power not through mere human effort.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)
If we think for a moment of other ways in which Christ might have come to the earth, none of them would so clearly unite humanity and deity in one person.
It would have been possible for God to create Jesus as a complete human being in heaven and send him to descend from heaven to earth without the benefit of any human parent.
But then it would have been extremely hard for us to see how Jesus could be fully human like we are and be a part of the human race that physically descended from Adam.
Christ’s humanity means that He is fallen humanity’s representative.
Because of the horrors of sin and death that came through the original human pair, (Adam and Eve) the one to remedy this tragic decision must be himself a human, the seed of the woman.
Jesus is, thus, the last Adam, the true human in whom all fallen humanity can be reconciled to God. The humanity that Christ assumed was complete: he took to himself all that it means to be human — body, soul, mind, and will — with sin being the only exception.
He was a human being, but He was God manifested in the flesh. He laid aside the prerogatives of His deity. How can we be sure that all He did was lay aside the prerogatives of His deity and not just give up His deity?
After He had finished His ministry, He gathered His own about Him on His last night on earth, and He prayed a very wonderful prayer to His heavenly Father. One thing He said in that prayer was this:
5 Father! Give me glory in your presence now, the same glory I had with you before the world was made. John 17:5 (GNT)
Notice this carefully: He prayed to have His glory restored. He did not pray to have His deity restored, because He had never given up His deity. But now that He is returning to heaven, He is asking that His glory, the glory He had with His Father, be restored.
Obviously, He had laid that aside. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation.”
In his humanity, Jesus experienced ordinary human growth and development. We read that when the family returned to Nazareth after presenting Him in the Temple to God.
39 When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him. Luke 2:39-40 (NLT)
The New Testament only records one story of Jesus’s childhood: the episode in the temple, when his parents left him in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:41-50). After that incident, Luke tells us.
51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. Luke 2:51-52(NLT)
As a human, Jesus grew intellectually, physically, spiritually, and relationally.
John MacArthur tells us in The Incarnation of the Triune God:
“That He was born of a Jewish mother. He lived in a little village in Nazareth. He ate the way they ate. He talked in the language they talked. He transported Himself the way they did. He wore the clothes they wore, took care of Himself the way they took care of themselves. He ate what they ate. He drank what they drank.
In other words, He took on the scheme (pattern) of their life, the customs of their culture. So, by personal experience, He adapted to the outer manifestation of the time in which He lived. He was man at the deepest part of His nature. And He adapted to man in that climate, and that culture, and that time, and experienced all of their experiences, fully God, fully man, the mystery of the incarnation, and sinless all the while.
Do not think of Jesus as less than fully human. He was fully human. Did people come into this world through the natural process of birth, through the womb of a mother? So did He. Had others been wrapped in swaddling clothes? So was He. Had others grown up? So did He. Did others have brothers and sisters? He did. Did others learn a trade and work? So did He. Were other men at times hungry, and thirsty, and weary, and asleep? So was He. Were others grieved and angry? So was He. Did others weep? So did He. Did others rejoice? So did He. Were others destined to die? So did He. Did others suffer pain? So did He. Were others loved and hated? So was He. He was a man, in the form and the fashion of man.”
He suffered during His entire life. Since Jesus began to speak of His coming sufferings towards the end of His life, we are often prone to think that the final agonies constituted the whole of His sufferings.
Yet His whole life was a life of suffering. It was the servant-life of the Son of God, the life of the Sinless One in daily association with sinners, the life of the Son of God in a sin-cursed world.
The way of obedience was for Him at the same time a way of suffering. He suffered from the repeated assaults of Satan, from the hatred and unbelief of His own people, and from the persecution of His enemies.
In the last analysis all the sufferings of the Son of Man resulted from the fact that He took the substitutionary place of sinners. These facts include:
(1) He who was the Lord God of the universe had to occupy a menial position of a bondservant or slave, and although He had the inherent right to command as the Son of God, He was duty bound to obey.
(2) He who was pure and holy had to live in a sinful, polluted atmosphere, in daily association with sinners and was constantly reminded of the greatness of the guilt with which He was burdened by the sins of man.
(3) His perfect awareness and clear anticipation, from the very beginning of His life, of the extreme sufferings that would, as it were, overwhelmed Him in the end. He knew exactly what was coming, and the outlook was far from cheerful.
(4) Finally, the hardships of life, the temptations of the devil, the hatred and rejection of the people, and the abuse and persecutions to which He was subjected.
His sufferings were unique. We sometimes speak of the “ordinary” sufferings of Christ when we think of those sufferings that resulted from the ordinary causes of misery in the world.
We should remember that these causes were far more than the ordinary sufferings that you and I experience. No one could feel the tragedy of pain and grief and moral evil as Jesus could. Besides these more common sufferings there also were the sufferings caused by the fact that God the Father caused our iniquities to come upon Him like a flood.
The sufferings of the Savior were not purely natural; they also were the result of a positive deed of God,
10 The Lord says, “It was my plan to crush him and cause him to suffer. I made his life an offering to pay for sin. But he will see all his children after him. In fact, he will continue to live. My plan will be brought about through him. Isaiah 53:10 (NIV)
More specific sufferings of the Savior also may be considered, such as the temptations in the desert as well as the agonies of Gethsemane and Golgotha.
The temptations of Christ formed an integral part of His sufferings. They are temptations that are encountered in the pathway of suffering. His public ministry began with a period of temptation, and even after that time, temptations were repeated at intervals right on into the darkness of Gethsemane. It was only by entering into the very trials of men, into their temptations, that Jesus could become a truly sympathetic High Priest and attain to the heights of triumphant perfection.
14 We have a great high priest. He has gone up into heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us hold firmly to what we say we believe. 15 We have a high priest who can feel it when we are weak and hurting. We have a high priest who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. But he did not sin. Hebrews 4:14-15 (NIV)
Join me next time, as I bring the deity of the Son of God together with the humanness of the Son of man, creating the man they call Jesus Christ.
Until next time, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. The understanding of the hypostatic union is crucial to knowing the God/man in all His glory and humanism. I have a lot of scriptural information from God’s Holy Word to share with you. So, you may want to split it up in sections to read and understand.
The humiliation of Christ (the Lord God of the Universe) serves as a powerful reminder of the depth of God’s love and the lengths to which he was willing to go to reconcile humanity to himself. This is the cornerstone of our Christian faith, highlighting the humility and sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.
Let me pause for a moment and share something that’s on my heart that I wish more believers would think more deeply about what’s unfolding here. Have you ever fully grasped the magnitude of the love that the Almighty Creator has for you?
He came to earth in the form of God the Son and became a man just like you and me. Do you understand how humiliating it was for the Lord God of the Universe, the creator of everything full of unending love for all that He created, to humble Himself by taking on the form of man and dying so that the separation that Satan created between us and Him was restored?
My friends, I’m talking about God!
Through this humiliation, God willingly subjected himself to the limitations and suffering of a mortal existence.
During God’s earthly ministry, God faced ridicule and rejection from those around him. God was mocked by religious leaders, questioned by skeptics and misunderstood by his own disciples. God’s teachings often challenged the status quo and provoked the rage of those in power.
The ultimate humiliation came during the events leading up to his crucifixion. God was betrayed by one of his closest followers, arrested like a common criminal and subjected to a series of unjust trials. God endured physical abuse, including beatings, mockery, and the humiliating act of being stripped and dressed in a robe with a crown of thorns pressed down on His head until the blood ran down His face. Standing there, the solders mockingly worshiped God. Then God hung naked on the cross between two common thieves and died. God did this for you!
I’ve substituted the name God for Jesus Christ in the above description, but the names are one and the same. Jesus is God, and God is Jesus. Ponder on this my friends, and let it sink in.
This is what the Lord God of the Universe did for you and me. Amazing!
Lord, we worship and praise your Holy Name. You are our God, and we are your creation; we love you with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind.
The Hypostatic Union of Christ
At the core of Christology lies the doctrine that Jesus was not merely a human being, but that He also was fully God. This concept, known as the hypostatic union, reveals the dual nature of Jesus, who exceeds the ordinary limitations of human existence.
While it is a fundamental belief for many Christians, there have been various disagreements and criticisms regarding this doctrine throughout history. Some of the notable disagreements include:
The solution to these controversies was settled by the Chalcedonian Definition of A.D. 451.
We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [coessential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, in confusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of nature’s being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has been handed down to us.
The resulting statement, called the Chalcedonian Definition, guarded against Apollinarianism, Nestorianism and Monophysitism teachings.
The belief in the hypostatic union of Christ is a central tenet of Christian theology within the branches of Christianity, such as Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestant denominations.
Here are some reasons why believers hold to this doctrine:
Jesus has always been God, but He did not become a human being until He was conceived in the virgin Mary. Jesus became a human being to identify with us in our struggles.
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:14-18 (NIV)
More importantly, so that He could die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
5 In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought. 6 He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit. 7 Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, 8 he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross Philippians 2:5-8 (ERV)
The doctrine of the Hypostatic Union is supported by several scripture verses that highlight the dual nature of Christ as both divine and human. Here are some key verses.
9 For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. Colossians 2:9 (NLV)
This verse captures the essence of the Hypostatic Union, highlighting the inseparable union of God’s divine nature and Christ’s physical human form.
6 Jesus has always been as God is. But He did not hold to His rights as God. 7 He put aside everything that belonged to Him and made Himself the same as a servant who is owned by someone. He became human by being born as a man. Philippians 2:6-7 (NLV)
This passage reflects the idea that Jesus, while still divine, took on human form and attributes.
14 Christ became human flesh and lived among us. We saw His shining-greatness. This greatness is given only to a much-loved Son from His Father. He was full of loving-favor and truth. John 1:14 (NLV)
This verse clearly states that the divine Word, Jesus Christ, became human and lived among man.
5 There is one God. There is one Man standing between God and men. That Man is Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 (NLV)
This verse speaks of the mediating role Jesus played between God and man to restore the broken relationship.
30 My Father and I are one!” John 10:30 (NLV)
Here, Jesus asserts His unity with the Father, signifying His divine nature.
4 The Holy Spirit proved by a powerful act that Jesus our Lord is the Son of God because He was raised from the dead. Romans 1:4 (NLV)
This verse ties Jesus’ divine sonship to His resurrection, affirming His divine nature.
These verses are but a sample that form the scriptural foundation for our belief in the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of Christ reinforces key aspects of Christian belief, including redemption, understanding of God, human salvation, moral guidance and the revelation of divine truth.
Let’s look at both natures of the God/man separately so you can understand the hypostatic union more clearly.
His Human side
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:51-52 (NIV)
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36(NIV)
He experienced sorrow at the death of his friend Lazarus.
35 Jesus wept. John 11:35 (NIV)
He showed anger at the money changers in the temple.
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” Matthew 21:12-13 (NIV)
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Matthew 4:2 (NIV)
He expressed thirst on the cross.
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” John 19:28 (NIV)
He slept during a storm on the Sea of Galilee.
38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Mark 4:38 (NIV)
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew 9:10-11 (NIV)
2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. John 2:1-2 (NIV)
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
So this is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
The Death of Jesus
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced. John 19:16-37 (NIV)
These examples illustrate how Jesus shared in the human experience, demonstrating empathy, vulnerability, pain and suffering, and solidarity with humanity.
Certainly, in addition to his humanity, Jesus’ divinity also is evident in various aspects of his life and ministry as depicted in the New Testament. Here are some examples:
His Divine Side
Miracles: Jesus performed numerous miracles that displayed his divine power and authority over nature, sickness and even death.
Examples include:
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:3-11(NIV)
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:22-33(NIV)
8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy[a] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Matthew 8:1-4 (NIV)
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:38-44 (NIV)
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:15-21(NIV)
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:28-29 (NIV)
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” Mark 2:5-12 (NIV)
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” John 1:47-48 (NIV)
Perceived the Samaritan woman’s past.
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. John 4:16-19 (NIV)
17 1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming [b]first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. Matthew 17 1-13 (NKJV)
The Empty Tomb
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:1-18 (NIV)
These examples highlight how Jesus’ divinity was manifested through his extraordinary works, authoritative teaching, knowledge and ultimately, his victory over death. They affirm the Christian belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of humanity.
His Divine and human natures working together.
Understanding how these two natures worked together in Jesus is complex and has been the subject of theological debate throughout history. Here are some ways in which Christ’s human and divine sides are believed to have worked together:
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV)
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10-11(NIV)
Let me share several fundamental reasons that reinforce the doctrine of the hypostatic union.
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:28-30 (NIV)
The hypostatic union of Jesus Christ not only provides insight into the natures of Jesus but also serves as a testament to the depth of God’s love and His desire to bridge the gap between divinity and humanity.
My friends, I know this lesson is extremely long, and for that, I do not apologize. As I said at the beginning, understanding of the hypostatic union is crucial to knowing the God/man in all His glory and humanism.
Take your time as you read through this lesson. Come back as often as you need to until you’ve absorbed all that I’ve written about the hypostatic union of the God/man.
Join me next time as we learn from God’s Word what is truly the significance of the Incarnation of Jesus.
Welcome back, my dear friends. Throughout the past six lessons, we’ve learned:
These lessons were designed to teach us what the Scriptures say about the God/man. I pray that they’ve expanded your knowledge and love for Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
In this lesson, I want to take a different approach and focus on the importance of the Incarnation of the God/man. I’m going to talk about God’s love for His creation and the extent He went to to show that love toward us.
Although the word, Incarnation (God becomes flesh), does not appear in Scripture, the church has used the term to refer to the fact that Jesus was God in human flesh.
The Incarnation of Jesus is a central and foundational doctrine in Christianity, referring to the belief that Jesus Christ, the second person of the Holy Trinity, became fully human while remaining fully divine.
The scriptural proof for the birth of Christ is very extensive in the New Testament.
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, 5 so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters. Galatians 4:4-5 (NASB)
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NASB)
When God the Son became human, he had a human mother, yet no human father. A virgin conceived Him by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit, and He was born without sin.
The virgin birth of Christ is mind-boggling. Yet it is necessary for our salvation. We must believe it happened because God says it did. We must proclaim it even though we cannot fully comprehend or explain it.
Listen to what the Apostles saw and experienced because of the Incarnation of Christ.
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete. 1 John 1 – 4
This belief holds deep theological and spiritual significance for us. Here are some of the key reasons why the Incarnation is so important:
God Becoming Visible:
In the Incarnation, God reveals Himself in a tangible, relatable form — Jesus — as the Word made flesh.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14(NIV)
This is the fullest and most direct revelation of God’s nature, love and purpose. While God had previously communicated through prophets and the Scriptures, Jesus as the God/man provides a more personal and intimate revelation.
Understanding God’s Nature:
Through Jesus’ actions, teachings and compassion, believers come to understand more about God’s character— His love, mercy, justice and holiness. God identifies with human experience in a unique and intimate way. Jesus not only experienced joy, friendship and love but also hardship, temptation, suffering and death. The writer of Hebrews states,
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15(NIV)
This shows that God doesn’t just observe human suffering from afar but has entered fully into it.
The Bridge Between Humanity and God:
The Incarnation is central to our understanding of salvation. Humanity, separated from God by sin, is reconciled through Jesus’ perfect life, sacrificial death and resurrection. By becoming human, Jesus represents all of humanity, allowing Him to atone for human sin.
Jesus, as the “new Adam,” succeeded where Adam failed. Where Adam brought sin and death into the world, Jesus brings life, righteousness and reconciliation.
12 Sin came into the world because of what one man did. And with sin came death. So this is why all people must die—because all people have sinned. 13 Sin was in the world before the Law of Moses. But God does not consider people guilty of sin if there is no law. 14 But from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, everyone had to die. Adam died because he sinned by not obeying God’s command. But even those who did not sin that same way had to die.
That one man, Adam, can be compared to Christ, the one who was coming in the future. 15 But God’s free gift is not like Adam’s sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But the grace that people received from God was much greater. Many received God’s gift of life by the grace of this other man, Jesus Christ. 16 After Adam sinned once, he was judged guilty. But the gift of God is different. His free gift came after many sins, and it makes people right with him. 17 One man sinned, and so death ruled all people because of that one man. But now some people accept God’s full grace and his great gift of being made right. Surely they will have true life and rule through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 So that one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people. But in the same way, Christ did something so good that it makes all people right with God. And that brings them true life. 19 One man disobeyed God and many became sinners. But in the same way, one man obeyed God and many will be made right. Romans 5:12-19 (ERV)
His obedience to the Father even unto death reverses the effects of the Fall.
God’s Love Demonstrated in Action:
The Incarnation is the ultimate demonstration of God’s love for humanity.
6 Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. 7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, 8 he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 (NLT)
It is said that Jesus “emptied himself” and took on human form, humbling Himself to the point of death on a cross. This act of humility and self-sacrifice exemplifies the depth of God’s love and His willingness to enter into human suffering.
The fact that God chose to take on human flesh emphasizes His desire for a close, intimate relationship with humanity. Jesus shared in the full range of human experiences — joy, sorrow, pain, and even death — making Him a compassionate and empathetic Savior.
Jesus as the Perfect Human Example:
Jesus’ life and actions serve as the model for how humans should live in obedience to God. His teachings on love, humility, forgiveness and service to others are seen as the blueprint for our lives.
We are called to “imitate Christ,” and this is possible because Jesus lived as a human. His human experiences, temptations and struggles serve as examples that believers can follow.
5 Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NLT)
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his footsteps. 1 Peter 2:21 (NLT)
Transformation of Human Relationships:
The Incarnation teaches us how we should relate to others. Since God became human, every human life has an inherent dignity and is deserving of love, respect and care.
This belief drives our moral ethics, particularly in areas such as social justice, care for the poor and the defense of human rights. It exemplifies self-giving love. We are called to imitate this selfless love, serving others with the same humility and compassion that Jesus showed.
Jesus also underscores the importance of fellowship with others. Just as Jesus entered into the human condition, we are called to be present with others, particularly those who are suffering. This idea should inspire us to undertake countless acts of compassion, from caring for the sick and poor to advocating for the oppressed.
Messianic Expectations:
The Incarnation fulfills Old Testament prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. For example,
14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
Jesus’ birth, life and ministry are seen as the fulfillment of centuries of anticipation in Jewish Scripture.
The Defeat of Death and Evil:
By becoming human, Jesus entered into death and conquered it through His resurrection. This defeat of death is central to our hope and faith, assuring believers of eternal life and the ultimate victory over sin, death and the powers of evil.
Christ as the Conqueror of Evil:
The Incarnation also marks the beginning of the defeat of the powers of evil. Through His life, death and resurrection, Jesus overcomes Satan and the forces of darkness which have held humanity in bondage since the Fall.
15 In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15 (NLT)
The Final Conclusion:
The Incarnation also ties into our belief in the new creation. In the Book of Revelation, the final vision of God’s kingdom is one in which God dwells with His people in a new heaven and new earth
21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.
3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.[ 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Revelation 21:1-4 (NLT)
The Incarnation is the beginning of this process of God dwelling with humanity, and it will be fully realized with the (eschatology) end of the world as we know it.
The significance of the Incarnation is the foundation for understanding God’s deep love for humanity, how salvation is accomplished, and the lens through which we can understand the world, ethics and the ultimate purpose of life.
By becoming human, Jesus sanctified human nature, offered a perfect model for living, and made possible the reconciliation between God and humanity.
The Incarnation touches every aspect of Christian theology — God’s nature, human salvation, the meaning of life and the destiny of creation. The belief that God became man in the person of Jesus Christ is seen as a profound mystery, revealing the depth of God’s love and the lengths He would go to redeem and restore His creation.
The Incarnation reveals not only who Jesus is but also who humans are called to be — participants in the divine life, transformed by God’s grace, and destined for eternal communion with Him. It is the heart of the Christian mystery and the source of endless wonder, devotion and hope.
Thus declares The Scriptures: “He hath left us an example that we should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21)
Until next time, my friends, when we will dive into God’s Holy Word and learn about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the God/man Jesus Christ, may Mercy, Peace and Love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. Throughout this lesson, I want us to look at the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the God/man. I’ve filled this lesson with verses from God’s holy word so that you will fully understand the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the God/man, Jesus Christ.
The entire life of the God/man was the orchestrated effort of the Triune God— God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. If we look back to the first lesson titled “A Secret From Eternity Past God Had a Plan!”, we’ll see step one of God’s Plan. I talked about the covenant called the Covenant of Redemption between God the Father and God the Son. Just to remind us of what a covenant is, it is a formally defined relationship between two parties, a solemn promise or oath. Every covenant is built on binding principles or rules (i.e., you do this, and I will do that, or if you don’t do this, then I will not do that) that are determined by the two parties entering the covenant or agreement.
Charles Hodges states.
“The Father gave the Son a work to do; He sent Him into the world to perform it and promised Him a great reward when the work was carried out. Such is the constant representation of the Scriptures. We have, therefore, the contracting parties, the promise, and the condition. These are the essential elements of a covenant.”
God the Father did not send God the Son alone to face the most important task of all, which was the redemption and salvation of humanity.
42 “See! My servant, My chosen one! My much Loved, in Whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit on Him. He will say to the nations what is right from wrong. Isaiah 42:1(NLV)
Therefore, Jesus Christ had the Holy Spirit, that he might fulfill all that the Father sent Him to do.
Who is God the Holy Spirit?
The work of the Holy Spirit is to manifest the active presence of God in the world and especially in the church. The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) and whom the Scripture most often represents as being present to do God’s work in the world.
Understanding the Holy Spirit
The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,
The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,
The Spirit of counsel and might,
The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
His delight is in the fear of the Lord,
And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes,
Nor decide by the hearing of His ears; Isaiah 11:2-3 (NLV)
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion— to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. (Isa. 61:1–3)
The Old Testament prophecies tell us that the God/man would be empowered by the One Spirit, described seven ways:
1) The Spirit of the LORD
2) The Spirit of wisdom
3) The Spirit of understanding
4) The Spirit of counsel
5) The Spirit of power
6) The Spirit of knowledge
7) The Spirit of the fear of the Lord
This is the sevenfold spirit which rested upon the Lord Jesus Christ. The book of Revelations mentions the seven Spirits of God:
He saw seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are explained to be the seven Spirits of God Revelation 4:5 NIV
How was the Holy Spirit actively present in the life of the God/man Jesus Christ? The Holy Spirit played a crucial active role in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Here’s a look at some of the key aspects:
Conception and Birth
The Holy Spirit participated in the miraculous conception of Jesus. According to the Gospels, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, affirming Jesus’ divine origin.
30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:30-35 (NIV)
Empowerment, Guidance, and Revelation for His Ministry
At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove. This event marked the beginning of his public ministry and proved his anointing by the Spirit. The Spirit’s descent was a sign of Jesus’ divine approval and empowerment.
16 So Jesus was baptized. As soon as he came up out of the water, the sky opened, and he saw God’s Spirit coming down on him like a dove. 17 A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.” Matthew 3:16-17 (ERV)
After his baptism, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. This guidance was crucial for Jesus’ preparation for his ministry and for overcoming temptation.
1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1-2 (NIV)
Before beginning his ministry, Jesus faces off with Satan after being led by the Spirit into the desert. Luke makes such leading clear by noting both that Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit” and that he was “led by the Spirit in the desert.” What occurs here, therefore, takes place under God’s direction.
The Fathers testing of His Son came through Satan’s temptations which were attempts by Satan to deceive Jesus into sinning. Thanks to the power of the Spirit, He recognized and resisted them, emerging sinless.
Jesus Began His ministry and teaching in Galilee:
14 Jesus went back to Galilee with the power of the Spirit. Stories about him spread all over the area around Galilee. 15 He began to teach in the synagogues, and everyone praised him. Luke 4:14-15 (ERV)
Jesus’ teachings also were empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gave him wisdom and insight to reveal deep spiritual truths and to interpret the Scriptures in a way that fulfilled and expanded upon the Law and the Prophets.
2 And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of wise words and strength, the spirit of much learning and the fear of the Lord. 3 He will be glad in the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what His eyes see or decide by what His ears hear. Isaiah 11:2-3 (NLV)
Living a Life of Obedience to God’s Commandments
Jesus’ obedience to the Father was accomplished through the Holy Spirit. He lived a life that was in perfect harmony with God’s commandments, demonstrating obedience in every aspect of His life. He lived without sin, fulfilling the law completely
17 “Don’t think that I have come to destroy the Law of Moses or the teaching of the prophets. I have come not to destroy their teachings but to give full meaning to them. 18 I assure you that nothing will disappear from the law until heaven and earth are gone. The law will not lose even the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter until it has all been done. Matthew 5:17-18 (ERV)
His life serves as an example of perfect obedience.
Performing Miracles
Jesus’ miracles were powerful demonstrations of His divine authority, compassion and the reality of God’s Kingdom breaking into the world. These were signs that pointed people to the truth of who He was and invited them to believe in Him as the Savior.
Jesus performed miracles and healings through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enabled Jesus to do works that proved his authority.
38 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Acts 10:38 (NIV)
The Holy Spirit assisted the God/man by
Revealing His Divine Nature: His miracles showed that He was more than just a man; they revealed His identity as the Son of God.
Demonstrating God’s Compassion: Through His miracles, Jesus showed God’s love and care for people, especially those who were suffering.
Calling People to Faith: Jesus used His miracles to invite people to trust in Him as the Messiah and the Savior.
Fulfillment of Prophecy
His miracles fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah:
4 People are afraid and confused. Say to them, “Be strong! Don’t be afraid!” Look, your God will come and punish your enemies. He will come and give you your reward. He will save you. 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened so that they can see, and the ears of the deaf will be opened so that they can hear. 6 Crippled people will dance like deer, and those who cannot speak now will use their voices to sing happy songs. Isaiah 35:4-6 (ERV)
Resurrection From the Dead
The most significant miracle of all was Jesus’ own resurrection from the dead. His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection from the dead is the ultimate demonstration of His divine power and authority over death.
The Holy Spirit was involved in the resurrection of Jesus. The Apostle Paul refers to the Spirit as the one who raised Jesus from the dead, affirming the Spirit’s role in the resurrection and victory over death.
11 The Holy Spirit raised Jesus from the dead. If the same Holy Spirit lives in you, He will give life to your bodies in the same way. Romans 8:11 (NIV)
His resurrection is the cornerstone of Christian faith, guaranteeing eternal life for all who believe in Him.
Promise of the Spirit
Before His crucifixion, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would come to continue His work among his followers after His departure. This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended upon the apostles.
1The followers of Jesus were all together in one place fifty days after the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. 2 All at once there was a sound from heaven like a powerful wind. It filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then they saw tongues which were divided that looked like fire. These came down on each one of them. 4 They were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they began to speak in other languages which the Holy Spirit made them able to speak. Acts 2:1-4 (NLV)
Conclusion
The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Jesus Christ is a foundational belief in Christian theology that underscores the unity of the Trinity, the divine empowerment of Jesus for his earthly ministry and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. This belief highlights the intimate relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit, showing God’s presence and action in the world through the person of the God/man, Jesus Christ.
For Believers, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in Jesus serves as a model and inspiration for our own lives. Believers are called to live by the Spirit, seeking guidance, empowerment and wisdom in their daily lives
16 I advise you to obey only the Holy Spirit’s instructions. He will tell you where to go and what to do, and then you won’t always be doing the wrong things your evil nature wants you to. 17 For we naturally love to do evil things that are just the opposite of the things that the Holy Spirit tells us to do; and the good things we want to do when the Spirit has his way with us are just the opposite of our natural desires. These two forces within us are constantly fighting each other to win control over us, and our wishes are never free from their pressures. 18 When you are guided by the Holy Spirit, you need no longer force yourself to obey Jewish laws.
19 But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group—and there will be wrong doctrine, 21 envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
22 But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws.
24 Those who belong to Christ have nailed their natural evil desires to his cross and crucified them there.
25 If we are living now by the Holy Spirit’s power, let us follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Galatians 5:16-25 (TLB)
Through faith in Jesus Christ, Christians receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, who dwells within them and empowers them to live as children of God. This same Holy Spirit gives us the assurance that we will see our Lord and Savior again.
The Apostle Paul explains the presents of the Holy Spirit this way.
21 And God is the one who makes you and us strong in Christ. God is also the one who chose us for his work. 22 He put his mark on us to show that we are his. Yes, he put his Spirit in our hearts as the first payment that guarantees all that He will give us. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (ERV)
Does the Holy Spirit live inside of you, my friend?
Are you filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness and goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control? Or, is your life still full of impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, 20 idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group(and there will be wrong doctrine 21 ), envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing?
You can fix this right now, my dear friend, and be filled with the fruits of the Spirit instead of the fruits of this world.
God the Father right now is offering you the greatest gift you could ever receive. It is God’s free gift to you, no strings attached. You can take it and be filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit by accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The prayer below is meant to be prayed in your mind and heart joined together in agreement. Read this simple prayer out loud from your heart, not just your mind:
“Dear God, I realize I am a sinner in need of salvation. I know that all my own good works and religious rituals can never save me. Only Jesus can save me. I believe that Jesus, my Savior, came to earth for me and that he died on the cross for my sins. I believe that He was buried and on the third day rose and now sits at your right hand of God the Father as my advocate. I am asking you Lord Jesus to forgive my sins and to come into my life now and be my Lord and Savior now and forever more. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life.”
If you prayed this prayer with your heart and believe that Jesus Christ is now your Lord and Savior, except for your birth, this is the most exciting day of your life.
You are now redeemed with God, your Father. You have now secured your place in eternity with Him. The Bible tells us that right now that all of the Angels in Heaven are rejoicing with you. Can you hear them?
Until next time, my friends, when we will dive into God’s Holy Word and learn about the various names for the God/man, both human and divine. I’m sure this study will reveal ways of looking at our Lord and Savior that we’ve never thought of. Now may Mercy, Peace and Love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. The understanding of the hypostatic union is crucial to knowing the God/man in all His glory and humanism. I have a lot of scriptural information from God’s Holy Word to share with you. So, you may want to split it up in sections to read and understand.
The humiliation of Christ (the Lord God of the Universe) serves as a powerful reminder of the depth of God’s love and the lengths to which he was willing to go to reconcile humanity to himself. This is the cornerstone of our Christian faith, highlighting the humility and sacrificial love of Jesus Christ.
Let me pause for a moment and share something that’s on my heart that I wish more believers would think more deeply about what’s unfolding here. Have you ever fully grasped the magnitude of the love that the Almighty Creator has for you?
He came to earth in the form of God the Son and became a man just like you and me. Do you understand how humiliating it was for the Lord God of the Universe, the creator of everything full of unending love for all that He created, to humble Himself by taking on the form of man and dying so that the separation that Satan created between us and Him was restored?
My friends, I’m talking about God!
Through this humiliation, God willingly subjected himself to the limitations and suffering of a mortal existence.
During God’s earthly ministry, God faced ridicule and rejection from those around him. God was mocked by religious leaders, questioned by skeptics and misunderstood by his own disciples. God’s teachings often challenged the status quo and provoked the rage of those in power.
The ultimate humiliation came during the events leading up to his crucifixion. God was betrayed by one of his closest followers, arrested like a common criminal and subjected to a series of unjust trials. God endured physical abuse, including beatings, mockery, and the humiliating act of being stripped and dressed in a robe with a crown of thorns pressed down on His head until the blood ran down His face. Standing there, the solders mockingly worshiped God. Then God hung naked on the cross between two common thieves and died. God did this for you!
I’ve substituted the name God for Jesus Christ in the above description, but the names are one and the same. Jesus is God, and God is Jesus. Ponder on this my friends, and let it sink in.
This is what the Lord God of the Universe did for you and me. Amazing!
Lord, we worship and praise your Holy Name. You are our God, and we are your creation; we love you with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind.
The Hypostatic Union of Christ
At the core of Christology lies the doctrine that Jesus was not merely a human being, but that He also was fully God. This concept, known as the hypostatic union, reveals the dual nature of Jesus, who exceeds the ordinary limitations of human existence.
While it is a fundamental belief for many Christians, there have been various disagreements and criticisms regarding this doctrine throughout history. Some of the notable disagreements include:
1. Monophysitism: Christ’s divine nature absorbed or overwhelmed his human nature, resulting in a single, divine-human nature.
2. Nestorianism: There were two distinct persons in Jesus — one divine and one human — rather than one person with two natures.
3. Apollinarianism: While Jesus had a human body, his mind or spirit was purely divine. In other words, Jesus had a human body but not a human mind or soul.
4. Modern Criticisms: The concept is fundamentally illogical and difficult to fully comprehend, leading to confusion or inconsistency in Christian doctrine.
The solution to these controversies was settled by the Chalcedonian Definition of A.D. 451.
We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [coessential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, in confusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of nature’s being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has been handed down to us.
The resulting statement, called the Chalcedonian Definition, guarded against Apollinarianism, Nestorianism and Monophysitism teachings.
The belief in the hypostatic union of Christ is a central tenet of Christian theology within the branches of Christianity, such as Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Protestant denominations.
Here are some reasons why believers hold to this doctrine:
Jesus has always been God, but He did not become a human being until He was conceived in the virgin Mary. Jesus became a human being to identify with us in our struggles.
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:14-18 (NIV)
More importantly, so that He could die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.
5 In your life together, think the way Christ Jesus thought. 6 He was like God in every way, but he did not think that his being equal with God was something to use for his own benefit. 7 Instead, he gave up everything, even his place with God. He accepted the role of a servant, appearing in human form. During his life as a man, 8 he humbled himself by being fully obedient to God, even when that caused his death—death on a cross Philippians 2:5-8 (ERV)
The doctrine of the Hypostatic Union is supported by several scripture verses that highlight the dual nature of Christ as both divine and human. Here are some key verses.
9 For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. Colossians 2:9 (NLV)
This verse captures the essence of the Hypostatic Union, highlighting the inseparable union of God’s divine nature and Christ’s physical human form.
6 Jesus has always been as God is. But He did not hold to His rights as God. 7 He put aside everything that belonged to Him and made Himself the same as a servant who is owned by someone. He became human by being born as a man. Philippians 2:6-7 (NLV)
This passage reflects the idea that Jesus, while still divine, took on human form and attributes.
14 Christ became human flesh and lived among us. We saw His shining-greatness. This greatness is given only to a much-loved Son from His Father. He was full of loving-favor and truth. John 1:14 (NLV)
This verse clearly states that the divine Word, Jesus Christ, became human and lived among man.
5 There is one God. There is one Man standing between God and men. That Man is Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5 (NLV)
This verse speaks of the mediating role Jesus played between God and man to restore the broken relationship.
30 My Father and I are one!” John 10:30 (NLV)
Here, Jesus asserts His unity with the Father, signifying His divine nature.
4 The Holy Spirit proved by a powerful act that Jesus our Lord is the Son of God because He was raised from the dead. Romans 1:4 (NLV)
This verse ties Jesus’ divine sonship to His resurrection, affirming His divine nature.
These verses are but a sample that form the scriptural foundation for our belief in the hypostatic union of Jesus Christ.
The doctrine of Christ reinforces key aspects of Christian belief, including redemption, understanding of God, human salvation, moral guidance and the revelation of divine truth.
Let’s look at both natures of the God/man separately so you can understand the hypostatic union more clearly.
His Human side
1. Birth and Childhood:
Jesus experienced human birth and growth. He was born to Mary in Bethlehem, as described in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. He underwent the typical stages of human development, growing from infancy to childhood and manhood.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. Luke 2:51-52 (NIV)
2. Emotions and Feelings:
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus displayed a range of human emotions. For example, He felt compassion for the crowds.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36(NIV)
He experienced sorrow at the death of his friend Lazarus.
35 Jesus wept. John 11:35 (NIV)
He showed anger at the money changers in the temple.
12 Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.’ ” Matthew 21:12-13 (NIV)
3. Physical Needs:
Like any human, Jesus experienced physical needs such as hunger, thirst and fatigue. He fasted for forty days in the wilderness.
2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Matthew 4:2 (NIV)
He expressed thirst on the cross.
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” John 19:28 (NIV)
He slept during a storm on the Sea of Galilee.
38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” Mark 4:38 (NIV)
4. Social Interactions:
Jesus interacted with people from various walks of life, engaging in conversations, sharing meals and forming relationships. He called disciples, spent time with sinners and outcasts, and attended social gatherings, such as weddings and feasts.
10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Matthew 9:10-11 (NIV)
2 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. John 2:1-2 (NIV)
5. Temptation and Struggle:
Jesus faced temptation and spiritual struggle during his earthly life. The Gospels recount his temptation in the wilderness by Satan, highlighting his humanity while also affirming his victory over sin.
The Temptation of Jesus
4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:1-11 (NIV)
6. Physical Suffering and Death:
The highpoint of Jesus’ humanity is seen in his suffering and death on the cross. He endured physical pain, humiliation and the agony of crucifixion, ultimately giving his life as a sacrifice for man’s sins.
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,
“They divided my clothes among them
and cast lots for my garment.”
So this is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
The Death of Jesus
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of his bones will be broken,” 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced. John 19:16-37 (NIV)
These examples illustrate how Jesus shared in the human experience, demonstrating empathy, vulnerability, pain and suffering, and solidarity with humanity.
Certainly, in addition to his humanity, Jesus’ divinity also is evident in various aspects of his life and ministry as depicted in the New Testament. Here are some examples:
His Divine Side
Miracles: Jesus performed numerous miracles that displayed his divine power and authority over nature, sickness and even death.
Examples include:
1. Turning Water Into Wine.
3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”
4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]
7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.
8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”
They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”
11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2:3-11(NIV)
2. Walking on Water
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, 24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said.
Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:22-33(NIV)
3. Healing the Sick
8 When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with leprosy[a] came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”
3 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. 4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.” Matthew 8:1-4 (NIV)
4. Raising the Dead
38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.
“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”
40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”
41 So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me.”
43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.
Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.” John 11:38-44 (NIV)
5. Feeding the Multitude
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matthew 14:15-21(NIV)
6. Authority in Teaching:
Jesus’ teachings were characterized by profound wisdom, authority and insight into the nature of God and the kingdom of heaven. His authoritative teaching style distinguished him from other religious leaders of his time.
28 When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, 29 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law. Matthew 7:28-29 (NIV)
7. Forgiving Sins:
Jesus demonstrated his divine authority by forgiving sins, a prerogative reserved for God alone. In Mark 2:5-12, Jesus forgives a paralyzed man’s sins, leading the religious leaders to recognize this act as an assertion of his divine authority.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” Mark 2:5-12 (NIV)
8. Knowledge of the Human Heart:
Jesus displayed knowledge of people’s thoughts, intentions and innermost secrets, revealing his divine omniscience. For example, he knew Nathanael before meeting him.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” John 1:47-48 (NIV)
Perceived the Samaritan woman’s past.
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. John 4:16-19 (NIV)
9. The Transfiguration:
The Transfiguration event is a significant manifestation of Jesus’ divinity. During this event, Jesus’ appearance was transfigured, and he was seen speaking with Moses and Elijah in the presence of his disciples Peter, James and John.
17 1 Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. 3 And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. 4 Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, let us make here three tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
5 While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!” 6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were greatly afraid. 7 But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Arise, and do not be afraid.” 8 When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
9 Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”
10 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
11 Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming [b]first and will restore all things. 12 But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that He spoke to them of John the Baptist. Matthew 17 1-13 (NKJV)
10. The Resurrection:
The ultimate demonstration of Jesus’ divinity is his resurrection from the dead. After his crucifixion and burial, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, conquering sin and death and affirming his identity as the Son of God.
The Empty Tomb
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her. John 20:1-18 (NIV)
These examples highlight how Jesus’ divinity was manifested through his extraordinary works, authoritative teaching, knowledge and ultimately, his victory over death. They affirm the Christian belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of humanity.
His Divine and human natures working together.
Understanding how these two natures worked together in Jesus is complex and has been the subject of theological debate throughout history. Here are some ways in which Christ’s human and divine sides are believed to have worked together:
1. Unity of Person: Despite possessing two distinct natures — human and divine — Jesus Christ is considered one person, not two. This unity ensures that both natures are present in him without confusion, change, division, or separation. This means that Jesus is fully God and fully human simultaneously.
2. Communication of Attributes: Within the hypostatic union, there is a communication of attributes between the divine and human natures. This means that the properties of each nature are attributed to the one person of Jesus Christ. For example, Jesus’ human body could experience hunger and fatigue, while his divine nature remained unaffected. Similarly, Jesus’ divine nature endowed his human actions and teachings with divine authority.
3. Incarnation: The Incarnation refers to the act of God becoming flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. In this event, the divine Son of God took on human nature, dwelling among humanity. Through the Incarnation, Jesus’ divine and human natures were united in a single person, forming the basis of the hypostatic union.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (NIV)
4. Sinlessness: Jesus’ divine nature ensured his sinlessness, enabling him to serve as the perfect sacrifice for humanity’s sins. Despite facing the same temptations as humans, he remained without sin, demonstrating the harmony between his human experiences and divine nature.
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)
5. Redemption: Jesus served as the mediator between God and man, reconciling them through his sacrificial death on the cross. By taking on human flesh and suffering, Jesus identified with humanity, while his divine nature made his sacrifice the atonement for the sins of the world.
6. Resurrection and Ascension: Jesus’ resurrection and ascension further demonstrate the interaction between his human and divine natures. His human body was raised from the dead by the power of his divine nature, and he ascended to heaven, where he reigns in glorified human form at the right hand of God.
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” Acts 1:10-11(NIV)
Let me share several fundamental reasons that reinforce the doctrine of the hypostatic union.
1. Redemption and Salvation: The hypostatic union is essential for understanding how Jesus Christ serves as the mediator between God and humanity. As fully God and fully human, Jesus bridges the gap between the divine and the human, enabling reconciliation and salvation for humanity.
2. Atonement: The hypostatic union allows for Jesus Christ to serve as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of humanity. As both fully divine and fully human, his sacrifice on the cross has infinite value, capable of atoning for the sins of all humanity.
3. Experiential Understanding: Jesus’ humanity allows him to fully understand and empathize with human experiences, including suffering, temptation, and mortality. This empathy is key for his role as a compassionate and understanding savior.
4. Divine Revelation: Through the hypostatic union, Jesus Christ serves as the ultimate revelation of God to humanity. In him, the fullness of God’s nature is revealed, while simultaneously displaying in a form understandable to humans.
5. Model for Humanity: Jesus’ life serves as an example for humanity to follow. His divinity provides the perfect model of holiness and righteousness, while his humanity demonstrates the possibility of living a life in accordance with God’s will.
6. Fulfillment of Prophecy: Jesus fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament prophets about the coming Messiah, who would be both divine and human.
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:28-30 (NIV)
The hypostatic union of Jesus Christ not only provides insight into the natures of Jesus but also serves as a testament to the depth of God’s love and His desire to bridge the gap between divinity and humanity.
My friends, I know this lesson is extremely long, and for that, I do not apologize. As I said at the beginning, understanding of the hypostatic union is crucial to knowing the God/man in all His glory and humanism.
Take your time as you read through this lesson. Come back as often as you need to until you’ve absorbed all that I’ve written about the hypostatic union of the God/man.
Join me next time as we learn from God’s Word what is truly the significance of the Incarnation of Jesus.
Until next time, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. In my last study, we looked at the deity of the God/man Jesus Christ. We will now look at His human nature or His humanity. These two lessons are essential in building the foundational picture of the God/man. Without an understanding of these two persons of Jesus Christ, you will have difficulty grasping the Hypostatic Union of Christ, which I will discuss in the next lesson. In that lesson, I will bring together the two persons into one person, the God/man.
Let us begin looking at the man Jesus Christ.
But when the right time came, the time God decided on, he sent his Son, born of a woman, born as a Jew, 5 to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own sons. Galatians 4:4-5 (TLB)
When I speak of the humanity of Christ, it is necessary to begin with the virgin birth of Christ. Scripture clearly asserts that Jesus was conceived in the womb of his mother, Mary, by a miraculous work of the Holy Spirit and without a human father.
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 (NASB)
34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35 (NASB)
The Son of God as Man
14 Since we, God’s children, are human beings—made of flesh and blood—he became flesh and blood too by being born in human form; for only as a human being could he die and in dying break the power of the devil who had the power of death. 15 Only in that way could he deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread.
16 We all know he did not come as an angel but as a human being—yes, a Jew. 17 And it was necessary for Jesus to be like us, his brothers, so that he could be our merciful and faithful High Priest before God, a Priest who would be both merciful to us and faithful to God in dealing with the sins of the people. 18 For since he himself has now been through suffering and temptation, he knows what it is like when we suffer and are tempted, and he is wonderfully able to help us. Hebrews 2:14-18 (TLB)
7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and being born in the likeness of men. Philippians 2:7 (NASB)
“Made in the likeness of men” refers to the human nature Christ assumed. The “form of a servant” denotes the position or state which He entered.
The humanity of Christ was unique. History supplies us no analogy nor can His humanity be illustrated by anything in nature. It is unparalleled not only to our fallen human nature but also to fallen Adam’s.
The Lord Jesus was born into circumstances totally different from those in which Adam first found himself.
His humanity was produced neither by the natural procreation of a man and women (as is ours) nor by special creation, as was Adam’s.
7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 (NIV)
The humanity of Christ was under the immediate agency of the Holy Spirit, supernaturally “conceived” of the virgin.
34 But Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; for that reason also the holy Child will be called the Son of God. Luke 1:34-35 (NASB)
His body was “prepared” by God…
5 That is why Christ said as he came into the world, “O God, the blood of bulls and goats cannot satisfy you, so you have made ready this body of mine for me to lay as a sacrifice upon your altar. Hebrews 10:5 (TLB)
yet “made of a woman.”
4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, Galatians 4:4 (NASB)
Christ’s humanity also is unique because it never had a separate existence of its own. The eternal Son assumed (at the moment of Mary’s conception) a human nature.
My friends, are you beginning to understand that the God/man was one person with two natures residing inside of Him.
The doctrinal importance of the virgin birth is seen in at least two areas.
1. It shows that salvation ultimately must come from the Lord, just as God had promised that the “seed” of the woman would ultimately destroy the serpent.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NLT)
So, God brought it about by his own power not through mere human effort.
2. The virgin birth made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person. God used this means to send his Son into the world as a man.
16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NLT)
If we think for a moment of other ways in which Christ might have come to the earth, none of them would so clearly unite humanity and deity in one person.
It would have been possible for God to create Jesus as a complete human being in heaven and send him to descend from heaven to earth without the benefit of any human parent.
But then it would have been extremely hard for us to see how Jesus could be fully human like we are and be a part of the human race that physically descended from Adam.
Christ’s humanity means that He is fallen humanity’s representative.
Because of the horrors of sin and death that came through the original human pair, (Adam and Eve) the one to remedy this tragic decision must be himself a human, the seed of the woman.
Jesus is, thus, the last Adam, the true human in whom all fallen humanity can be reconciled to God. The humanity that Christ assumed was complete: he took to himself all that it means to be human — body, soul, mind, and will — with sin being the only exception.
He was a human being, but He was God manifested in the flesh. He laid aside the prerogatives of His deity. How can we be sure that all He did was lay aside the prerogatives of His deity and not just give up His deity?
After He had finished His ministry, He gathered His own about Him on His last night on earth, and He prayed a very wonderful prayer to His heavenly Father. One thing He said in that prayer was this:
5 Father! Give me glory in your presence now, the same glory I had with you before the world was made. John 17:5 (GNT)
Notice this carefully: He prayed to have His glory restored. He did not pray to have His deity restored, because He had never given up His deity. But now that He is returning to heaven, He is asking that His glory, the glory He had with His Father, be restored.
Obviously, He had laid that aside. “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation.”
In his humanity, Jesus experienced ordinary human growth and development. We read that when the family returned to Nazareth after presenting Him in the Temple to God.
39 When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord, they returned home to Nazareth in Galilee. 40 There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him. Luke 2:39-40 (NLT)
The New Testament only records one story of Jesus’s childhood: the episode in the temple, when his parents left him in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:41-50). After that incident, Luke tells us.
51 Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart. 52 Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. Luke 2:51-52(NLT)
As a human, Jesus grew intellectually, physically, spiritually, and relationally.
John MacArthur tells us in The Incarnation of the Triune God:
“That He was born of a Jewish mother. He lived in a little village in Nazareth. He ate the way they ate. He talked in the language they talked. He transported Himself the way they did. He wore the clothes they wore, took care of Himself the way they took care of themselves. He ate what they ate. He drank what they drank.
In other words, He took on the scheme (pattern) of their life, the customs of their culture. So, by personal experience, He adapted to the outer manifestation of the time in which He lived. He was man at the deepest part of His nature. And He adapted to man in that climate, and that culture, and that time, and experienced all of their experiences, fully God, fully man, the mystery of the incarnation, and sinless all the while.
Do not think of Jesus as less than fully human. He was fully human. Did people come into this world through the natural process of birth, through the womb of a mother? So did He. Had others been wrapped in swaddling clothes? So was He. Had others grown up? So did He. Did others have brothers and sisters? He did. Did others learn a trade and work? So did He. Were other men at times hungry, and thirsty, and weary, and asleep? So was He. Were others grieved and angry? So was He. Did others weep? So did He. Did others rejoice? So did He. Were others destined to die? So did He. Did others suffer pain? So did He. Were others loved and hated? So was He. He was a man, in the form and the fashion of man.”
He suffered during His entire life. Since Jesus began to speak of His coming sufferings towards the end of His life, we are often prone to think that the final agonies constituted the whole of His sufferings.
Yet His whole life was a life of suffering. It was the servant-life of the Son of God, the life of the Sinless One in daily association with sinners, the life of the Son of God in a sin-cursed world.
The way of obedience was for Him at the same time a way of suffering. He suffered from the repeated assaults of Satan, from the hatred and unbelief of His own people, and from the persecution of His enemies.
In the last analysis all the sufferings of the Son of Man resulted from the fact that He took the substitutionary place of sinners. These facts include:
(1) He who was the Lord God of the universe had to occupy a menial position of a bondservant or slave, and although He had the inherent right to command as the Son of God, He was duty bound to obey.
(2) He who was pure and holy had to live in a sinful, polluted atmosphere, in daily association with sinners and was constantly reminded of the greatness of the guilt with which He was burdened by the sins of man.
(3) His perfect awareness and clear anticipation, from the very beginning of His life, of the extreme sufferings that would, as it were, overwhelmed Him in the end. He knew exactly what was coming, and the outlook was far from cheerful.
(4) Finally, the hardships of life, the temptations of the devil, the hatred and rejection of the people, and the abuse and persecutions to which He was subjected.
His sufferings were unique. We sometimes speak of the “ordinary” sufferings of Christ when we think of those sufferings that resulted from the ordinary causes of misery in the world.
We should remember that these causes were far more than the ordinary sufferings that you and I experience. No one could feel the tragedy of pain and grief and moral evil as Jesus could. Besides these more common sufferings there also were the sufferings caused by the fact that God the Father caused our iniquities to come upon Him like a flood.
The sufferings of the Savior were not purely natural; they also were the result of a positive deed of God,
10 The Lord says, “It was my plan to crush him and cause him to suffer. I made his life an offering to pay for sin. But he will see all his children after him. In fact, he will continue to live. My plan will be brought about through him. Isaiah 53:10 (NIV)
More specific sufferings of the Savior also may be considered, such as the temptations in the desert as well as the agonies of Gethsemane and Golgotha.
The temptations of Christ formed an integral part of His sufferings. They are temptations that are encountered in the pathway of suffering. His public ministry began with a period of temptation, and even after that time, temptations were repeated at intervals right on into the darkness of Gethsemane. It was only by entering into the very trials of men, into their temptations, that Jesus could become a truly sympathetic High Priest and attain to the heights of triumphant perfection.
14 We have a great high priest. He has gone up into heaven. He is Jesus the Son of God. So let us hold firmly to what we say we believe. 15 We have a high priest who can feel it when we are weak and hurting. We have a high priest who has been tempted in every way, just as we are. But he did not sin. Hebrews 4:14-15 (NIV)
Join me next time, as I bring the deity of the Son of God together with the humanness of the Son of man, creating the man they call Jesus Christ.
Until next time, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. It is now time to meet the God/man Jesus Christ in the flesh. The arrival of Jesus Christ on Earth marked a pivotal moment, as he, in the flesh, revealed both the existing glory of his divine side and the soon-to-be-explored facets of his human nature.
Through this lesson I want to show you through God’s Word how Jesus, through His voluntary submission to the Father’s will, surrendered His divine prerogatives, experienced the limitations of humanity and embarked on a redemptive mission to reconcile the broken relationship between God and man. He achieved this through His death on the cross, His burial and His resurrection — the price required by God the Father for this reconciliation.
I want us to understand the love and compassion He had for us, as well as the pain, agony and rejection He suffered for us. The task He was sent on by the Father was of no small consequence.
He came to a world of lost sinners who really didn’t care about what He had to say. Yes, the Jewish people were looking for the Messiah they had been promised in the Old Testament. They were looking for a King to arrive and free them of Roman rule and reestablish the King David times of peace and plenty. But this man was an ordinary commoner just like them.
He came to a world that was under the domain of Satan, who was not willing to give up any of those sinners who were destined to join him in Hell.
First, we must understand the two different persons — His Divine side, His Deity, and His human side, His mortality — that made up Jesus as the person who walked the earth as God/man. Let’s start with His divine side, characterized by being the Alpha and Omega, the exact likeness of the unseen God and the Creator of all things, which showcased the unparalleled glory and honor he held in Heaven before his earthly journey:
I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture of who Jesus Christ is with all His attributes that define Him as God. Let’s understand Philippians 2:6-8 before we move forward.
6 who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bondservant and being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross. Philippians 2:6-8 (NASB)
Philippians 2:6-8 sheds light on the self-emptying nature of Jesus, not relinquishing his deity but laying aside the privileges of heavenly glory, omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience to take on the form of a servant.
So, what exactly did Jesus empty Himself of? Let’s dig deep into God’s Word to answer this question. Without an understanding of what it means to empty Himself, you are open to the false prophetic claims of Earthly Religions that are being taught today.
Doctrine of Kenosis
The term “kenosis” encapsulates the doctrine of Christ’s self-emptying, emphasizing the laying aside of privileges rather than the abandonment of deity.
Jesus did not empty Himself of His divine attributes — no such attributes are mentioned in the verse, and it is obvious in the gospels that Jesus possessed the power and wisdom of God. Calming the storm is just one display of Jesus’ divine power.
39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39 (NIV)
In coming to earth, the Son of God did not cease to be God, and He did not become a “lesser god.” Whatever the “emptying” entailed, Jesus remained fully God:
“9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,” Colossians 2:9.
It is better to think of Christ’s “emptying” of Himself as a laying aside of the privileges that were His in heaven. Rather than stay on His throne in heaven, Jesus “made himself nothing.” He veiled His glory, and He chose to occupy the position of a servant.
The kenosis was a self-renunciation, not an emptying Himself of deity. Nor was it an exchange of deity for humanity. Jesus never ceased to be God during any part of His earthly ministry. He did set aside His heavenly glory. He also voluntarily refrained from using His divinity to make His way easier. During His earthly ministry, Christ completely submitted Himself to the will of the Father (John 5:19).
19 So Jesus explained, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. John 5:19 (NLT)
As part of the kenosis, Jesus sometimes operated within the limitations of human nature. God does not get tired or thirsty, but Jesus did,
6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. John 4:6 (NIV)
As God, Jesus knows all things. At least once, Jesus voluntarily surrendered the use of His omniscience, and answered the Apostles’ question with His human nature.
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:3 (NIV)
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Matthew 24:36 (NIV)
During other occasions, Jesus’ omniscience was on full display.
Jesus Calls Philip and Nathanael
43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.” John 1:43-51
The one who was existing in the form of God took on the form or “nature of a servant.” The word “taking” does not imply an exchange, but rather an addition. The “form of God” could not be given up, for God cannot cease to be God; but our Lord could and did take on the very form of a lowly servant when he entered human life in his incarnation.
7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature] of a servant, being made in human likeness. Philippians 2:7 (NIV)
All the Gnostics in the early church propounded the first heresy that He emptied Himself of His deity, that the deity entered Him at the time of His baptism and left Him at the cross. Well, this theory is not substantiated anywhere in the Word of God. He emptied Himself of something, but it was not of His deity.
He was 100 percent God when He was a baby reclining helplessly on the bosom of Mary. Even at that time, He could have spoken this universe out of existence because He was God. There was never a moment when He was not God. The apostle John writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Jesus did, however, renounce or set aside His privileges in several areas:
1) Heavenly Glory — While on earth, He gave up the glory of a face-to-face relationship with God and the continuous outward display and personal enjoyment of that glory.
55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Acts 7:55 (NIV)
2) Independent Authority — During His incarnation, Christ completely submitted Himself to the will of His Father,
30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. John 5:30 (NIV)
3) Divine Prerogatives — He set aside the voluntary display of His divine attributes and submitted Himself to the Spirit’s direction.
4 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. Luke 4:1-2 (NIV)
4) Eternal Riches — While on earth, Christ was poor and owned very little.
9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NIV)
5) A Favorable Relationship with God — He felt the Father’s wrath for human sin while on the cross.
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (Which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”. Matthew 27:45-46 (NIV)
Therefore, while the Son of God fully possessed his divine nature, attributes and prerogatives, he did not fully express them; they were veiled. At times, he did express them, such as when he read people’s minds (Matt. 9:4) and worked divine miracles (Luke 5:3–10). But the Master willingly submitted himself to the life of a slave. He surrendered the preincarnate glories from which he came. He left the worship of saints and angels to be despised and rejected by men, submitting himself to misunderstanding, denials, unbelief, false accusations, and every sort of reviling and persecution. As God the Son, he had every right to exercise his divine prerogatives at will. Yet, as the suffering servant of Yahweh, he surrendered himself to the will of the Father in everything.
Join me next time as we look at Jesus Christ the God/man and examine his human traits.
Until next time, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
A Conversation About Christ Jesus
Welcome back, my dear friends. We now will follow Jesus through the Old Testament. As I said in my introduction, my goal with each successive lesson is to reveal the complete picture of the God/man, Jesus Christ.
We now will begin our journey through the Old Testament first to see what God’s Word has to say about our Lord, Jesus Christ. Although we will not meet the human Son of Man until the New Testament, God the Son and His approaching ministry is woven like a scarlet thread throughout the Old Testament.
The entire Bible is a beacon that points us to God’s offer of reconciliation, the hope of forgiveness and eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. The theme of the entire Bible is Jesus Christ.
We will find that God has predicted Jesus’ coming beginning with Genesis until the time of His birth in Matthew. We’ll see Him through symbols, stories, images, prophetic predictions and more. The entire biblical story points toward Jesus.
Two important scriptures we need to keep in mind as we search for the Son of God are:
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. Colossians 1:15 (NIV)
18 No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father. John 1:18 (ERV)
The first evidence of Jesus in the Old Testament is through hundreds of messianic prophecies that point to Jesus Christ and were fulfilled by Him in His life on earth. These include prophecies about:
His unique birth
14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)
His earthly ministry
61 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released, and prisoners will be freed. Isaiah 61:1 (NLT)
His death and burial
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he never said a word. He was brought as a lamb to the slaughter; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he stood silent before the ones condemning him. 8 From prison and trial they led him away to his death. But who among the people of that day realized it was their sins that he was dying for—that he was suffering their punishment? 9 He was buried like a criminal, but in a rich man’s grave; but he had done no wrong and had never spoken an evil word. Isaiah 53:7-9 (TLB)
Jesus Himself confirmed the fact that He is in the Old Testament. In the gospel of John, He explained to some religious leaders who had challenged Him that the Old Testament wasn’t talking about Him.
46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. John 5:46 NASB
4 And Moses wrote down all the words of the Lord. Exodus 24:4 (NASB)
Here are over 90 more Old Testament prophecies* that the Son of God fulfilled in the New Testament as the Son of Man.
| Prophecy | Given |
| Fulfilled | |
| The serpent and the “seed” of Eve will have conflict; the offspring of the woman will crush the serpent. Jesus is this seed, and He crushed Satan at the cross. | Genesis 3:14-15 |
| Galatians 4:4; Hebrews 2:14 | |
| God promised Abraham the whole world would be blessed through him. Jesus, descended from Abraham, is that blessing. | Genesis 12:3 |
| Acts 3:25-26; Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16 | |
| God promised Abraham He would establish an everlasting covenant with Isaac’s offspring. Jesus is that offspring. | Genesis 17:19 |
| Matthew 1:1-2 | |
| God promised Isaac the whole world would be blessed by his descendent. That descendent is Jesus. | Genesis 28:13-14 |
| Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 1:33; 3:23-34 | |
| Jacob prophesied Judah would rule over his brothers. Jesus the king is from the tribe of Judah. | Genesis 49:10 |
| Matthew 1:1-2; Luke 1:32-33 | |
| The Jews were not to keep the Passover lamb overnight. Jesus was buried the day He died. | Exodus 12:10; Numbers 9:12 |
| John 19:38-42 | |
| The Jews were not to break the bones of the Passover lamb. Jesus’ bones were not broken on the cross. | Exodus 12:46; Numbers 9:12 |
| John 19:31-36 | |
| The Jews were to devote the firstborn males to God. Jesus is Mary’s firstborn male; He is also the “firstborn” over creation and the “firstborn” of the dead. | Exodus 13:2; Numbers 3:13; 8:17 |
| Luke 2:7, 23; Colossians 1:15-18 | |
| Moses promised another prophet like him would come. Jesus is that prophet. | Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19 |
| Matthew 21:11; Luke 7:16; 24:19; John 6:14; 7:40 | |
| God told the Jews to never leave the body of someone who had been hanged overnight. Jesus was buried the day He died. | Deuteronomy 21:23 |
| John 19:31-36; Galatians 3:13 | |
| The word of God will be in hearts and mouths. Jesus is the Word who is in the hearts of His followers. | Deuteronomy 30:14 |
| John 1:1; Matthew 26:26 | |
| Moses promised God would atone for His people. Jesus’ sacrifice is that atonement. | Deuteronomy 32:43 |
| Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17 | |
| God promised David his offspring would rule forever. Jesus is descended from David, although His literal reign has yet to begin. | 2 Samuel 7:12-13, 16, 25-26; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, 23-27; Psalm 89:3-4, 35-37; 132:11; Isaiah 9:7 |
| Matthew 1:6; 19:28; 21:4; 25:31; Mark 12:37; Luke 1:32; 3:31 | |
| The nations, people and rulers plot against the Lord and His anointed. The Sanhedrin, the crowd, Herod Antipas and Pilate plotted against Jesus. | Psalm 2:1-2 |
| Matthew 12:14; 26:3, 4, 47; Luke 23:1, 7 | |
| God will tell someone He is their Father. God told the crowd at Jesus’ baptism that He is Jesus’ Father. | Psalm 2:7 |
| Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; 9:7; Luke 3:22; 9:35 | |
| David believes God will not abandon him to the grave. Jesus rose from the grave. | Psalm 16:9-10; 30:3; 86:13; Isaiah 26:19 |
| Luke 24:6-8; John 20 | |
| David cries out that God has forsaken him. Jesus uses the same words on the cross. | Psalm 22:1 |
| Matthew 27:46 | |
| David says his enemies mock and insult him. Jesus endured the same on the cross. | Psalm 22:7 |
| Matthew 27:38-44 | |
| David’s tormentors tease him, telling him to have God rescue him. The people said the same to Jesus. | Psalm 22:7 |
| Luke 23:35, 39 | |
| David describes his physical torment. The description matches the condition of someone who is being crucified. | Psalm 22:14-15 |
| John 19:28 | |
| David says that “dogs” surround him and pierce his hands and feet. Gentile soldiers put nails through Jesus’ hands and feet. | Psalm 22:16 |
| John 19:16; 20:20; Acts 2:23 | |
| David says that others divide his clothing. The Roman soldiers took Jesus’ clothes. | Psalm 22:18 |
| John 19:23-24 | |
| David says false witnesses will testify against him. False witnesses did testify against Jesus, although they didn’t have matching stories. | Psalm 27:12; 35:11; 109:6 |
| Matthew 26:60; Mark 14:55-59 | |
| David says he commits his spirit to God. Jesus used the same words on the cross. | Psalm 31:5 |
| Luke 23:46 | |
| God will protect the bones of the righteous. Jesus’ bones were not broken on the cross. | Psalm 34:20 |
| John 19:31-36 | |
| David talks of being hated without reason. Jesus was hated without reason. | Psalm 35:19; 69:4 |
| John 15:24-25 | |
| The psalmist says his friends will abandon him. The disciples abandoned Jesus. | Psalm 38:11; 88:18 |
| Matthew 26:56-58; Mark 14:50 | |
| David says he has come to do God’s will. Jesus came to do God’s will. | Psalm 40:6-8 |
| Matthew 26:39, 42; John 6:38; Hebrews 10:5-9 | |
| David talks about being betrayed by a friend. Jesus was betrayed by Judas. | Psalm 41:9; 55:12-14 |
| Matthew 26:14-16, 23; Mark 14:10-11, 43 | |
| The psalmists say God will rescue them from the land of the dead. God resurrected Jesus. | Psalm 49:15; 86:13 |
| Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6-8; John 20 | |
| The Lord ascends on high, bringing captives with Him. Jesus ascended to heaven, and believers go to heaven. | Psalm 68:18 |
| Luke 23:43; 24:51; Acts 1:9 | |
| David says he will be rejected by his siblings. Jesus’ brothers refused to believe who He was until after the resurrection. | Psalm 69:8 |
| Mark 3:20-21, 31; John 7:3-5 | |
| David has “zeal” for God’s house and His honor but will be reproached. Jesus showed that zeal by cleaning out the temple and was questioned by the Sanhedrin members. | Psalm 69:9 |
| Mark 11:15-17, 27-28; John 2:13-18; Romans 15:3 | |
| David talks of being fed gall and vinegar. Jesus was offered gall and vinegar on the cross. | Psalm 69:21 |
| Matthew 27:34, 48; Mark 15:23; Luke 23:36; John 19:29 | |
| Solomon asks God for foreign kings to bring him gifts and honor. The Magi did so for Jesus. | Psalm 72:10-11 |
| Matthew 2:1-11 | |
| Solomon tells God that as king he will deliver the needy and weak. Jesus did this. | Psalm 72:12-14 |
| Luke 7:22 | |
| The psalmist says he will speak in parables. Jesus spoke in parables. | Psalm 78:2 |
| Matthew 13:3, 35 | |
| God says He will make David His firstborn. Jesus, David’s descendent, is God’s firstborn. | Psalm 89:27 |
| Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15 | |
| David’s enemies attacked him, but he refrained from responding. Jesus forgave His enemies. | Psalm 109:3-5 |
| Matthew 5:44; Luke 23:34 | |
| David asks that his betrayer’s life be short and his position be taken. Jesus’ betrayer, Judas, died, and Matthias took his place. | Psalm 69:25; 109:7-8 |
| Acts 1:16-20 | |
| David says his Lord will be made a priest of Melchizedek. Jesus is a priest of Melchizedek. | Psalm 110:4 |
| Hebrews 5:1-6; 6:20; 7:15-17 | |
| The psalmist says the stone the builders reject will become the cornerstone. Jesus was rejected by the Jewish leaders, but He is the basis of God’s salvation. | Psalm 118:22-23 |
| Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17; John 1:11 | |
| The Lord will redeem Israel from her sins. Jesus redeemed Israel. | Psalm 130:7-8 |
| Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:68 | |
| God told Ezekiel the people would not understand what He was doing. Jesus used parables to keep casual observers from understanding His teaching. | Isaiah 6:9-10 |
| Matthew 13:14-15 | |
| God promised that a virgin would conceive. Mary was a virgin when Jesus was conceived. | Isaiah 7:14 |
| Luke 1:26-35 | |
| God promised to send a Son who would be “God with us” (“Emmanuel”). Jesus is that Son. | Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 |
| Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; 14:8-11 | |
| God promised a “stone” that people would trip over. Jesus is that stone. | Isaiah 8:14-15 |
| Matthew 21:42-44; Romans 9:32-33 | |
| God promised the land of Zebulun and Naphtali and “Galilee of the nations” a light for their darkness. Jesus is that light; at the time of Jesus, Galilee was a mix of Jews and Gentiles. | Isaiah 9:1-2 |
| Matthew 4:12-16 | |
| God promised David His Spirit would rest on his offspring. Jesus is that offspring. | Isaiah 11:1-2 |
| Matthew 1:1, 6; 3:16; Mark 1:10 | |
| Gentiles will come to God. A centurion and a Syrophoenician woman came to Jesus; the Gentiles in Pisidian Antioch responded to Paul’s gospel message. | Isaiah 11:10; 42:1; 55:4-5; Hosea 2:23 |
| Matthew 8:5-13; Mark 7:24-26; Acts 13:48 | |
| God promised a time when the blind would see. Jesus healed the blind. | Isaiah 29:18; 35:5 |
| Matthew 9:30; 11:5; 12:22; 20:34; 21:14; Mark 10:52 | |
| God promised a time when the deaf hear. Jesus healed the deaf. | Isaiah 35:5 |
| Matthew 11:5; Mark 7:31-37; 9:25 | |
| God promised a time when the lame would be healed. Jesus healed the lame. | Isaiah 35:6 |
| Matthew 15:30-31; 21:14 | |
| God promised a time when the mute would speak. Jesus healed the mute. | Isaiah 35:6 |
| Matthew 9:33; 12:22; 15:30; Luke 11:14 | |
| God promised a messenger who would announce the Lord’s coming. John the Baptist is that messenger. | Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1 |
| Matthew 3:3; 11:10; Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6 | |
| God is the shepherd who tends His sheep. Jesus is the good shepherd. | Isaiah 40:10-11 |
| John 10:11 | |
| God promised to put His Spirit on His servant. Jesus is that servant. | Isaiah 42:1 |
| Matthew 3:16; 12:18; Mark 1:10 | |
| God’s servant will not cry out. Jesus told those He healed to remain quiet. | Isaiah 42:2 |
| Matthew 12:19 | |
| God’s servant will be gentle. Jesus treated people gently. | Isaiah 42:3 |
| Matthew 11:29; 12:20 | |
| The nations will put their hope in God’s servant’s teaching. Nations put their hope in Jesus’ teachings. | Isaiah 42:4 |
| Matthew 12:21 | |
| God will send His servant as a light to the Gentiles. Jesus is a light to the Gentiles. | Isaiah 42:6; 49:6 |
| Luke 2:25-32 | |
| The writer says he will not be rebellious or turn away. Jesus obeyed God all the way to the cross. | Isaiah 50:5 |
| Matthew 26:39 | |
| Isaiah speaks of one who will be beaten and spit upon. Jesus was beaten and spit upon. | Isaiah 50:6 |
| Matthew 26:67; 27:26-30 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be so abused He will not look human. Jesus was beaten, whipped, crucified and pierced by a spear. | Isaiah 52:14 |
| Matthew 26:67; 27:26-30; 35 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be despised and rejected by His own people. Jesus’ tormentors rejected Him and spit in His face. | Isaiah 53:3 |
| Luke 23:18; Matthew 26:67; John 1:11 | |
| The Suffering Servant will bear the abuse we deserve for our physical and spiritual healing. Jesus did this. | Isaiah 53:4-5 |
| Matthew 8:17; Romans 5:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15:3 | |
| The Suffering Servant will bear our sins. Jesus bore our sins. | Isaiah 53:6, 8, 12 |
| Romans 4:25; 1 Peter 2:24-25 | |
| The Suffering Servant is like a lamb that does not defend itself. Although Jesus spoke during His trials, He never offered a defense. | Isaiah 53:7 |
| Matthew 27:12; Luke 23:9; John 1:29-36 | |
| The Suffering Servant’s people did not protest His death. Only Pilate protested Jesus’ death. | Isaiah 53:8 |
| Matthew 27:23-25 | |
| The Suffering Servant will die with the wicked. Jesus died with the two thieves. | Isaiah 53:9, 12 |
| Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27 | |
| The Suffering Servant will be buried in the grave of a rich man. Jesus was buried in the grave of Joseph of Arimathea. | Isaiah 53:9 |
| Matthew 27:57-60 | |
| God ordained that the Suffering Servant would suffer and die. God sent Jesus to die. | Isaiah 53:10 |
| John 3:16; 19:11; Acts 2:23; Philippians 2:8 | |
| The Suffering Servant’s sacrifice offers forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ sacrifice offers forgiveness of our sins. | Isaiah 53:11 |
| Acts 10:43; 13:38-39 | |
| The Suffering Servant will intercede for His abusers. Jesus asked God to forgive those who crucified Him. | Isaiah 53:12 |
| Luke 23:34 | |
| God promises a great light to pierce the darkness of Israel and the nations. Jesus is that light. | Isaiah 60:1-3 |
| Matthew 4:16; Luke 2:32; John 12:46 | |
| God promises someone to declare good news for the brokenhearted, captives and prisoners. Jesus is that someone. | Isaiah 61:1 |
| Matthew 3:16; Luke 4:18 | |
| God promises a “righteous Branch” from the line of Jesse who will do what is just. Jesus is that Branch. | Jeremiah 23:5-6; 33:15-16 |
| Romans 3:22; 1 Corinthians 1:30 | |
| A woman will weep for her dead children. Herod killed the baby boys in Bethlehem. | Jeremiah 31:15 |
| Matthew 2:16-18 | |
| God makes a woman “encircle” or protect a man. The Holy Spirit conceived Jesus in Mary. | Jeremiah 31:22 |
| Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35 | |
| God promises a new covenant. Jesus provides the work for that new covenant. | Jeremiah 31:31-34 |
| Matthew 26:27-29; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:15-20 | |
| “David” will return as his people’s shepherd. Jesus is that shepherd. | Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24 |
| John 10:11 | |
| Gabriel tells Daniel when the “Anointed One” will be “cut off.” This is the exact time Jesus is crucified. | Daniel 9:24-26 |
| Matthew 27:50 | |
| God will call His “child” from Egypt. Jesus returned from Egypt when He was young. | Hosea 11:1 |
| Matthew 2:13-15 | |
| Israel’s ruler will be struck on the cheek with a rod. Jesus was struck on the head with a staff. | Micah 5:1 |
| Matthew 27:30 | |
| The ruler of Israel will come from Bethlehem. Jesus was born in Bethlehem. | Micah 5:2 |
| Luke 2:4-7 | |
| God will live among His people. Jesus lived among the Jews. | Zechariah 2:10 |
| John 1:14 | |
| The Branch will be a priest in the temple. Jesus is a priest in the order of Melchizedek. | Zechariah 6:12-13 |
| Hebrews 7:11-28; 8:1-2 | |
| Israel’s king will ride a donkey. Jesus came into Jerusalem riding a donkey. | Zechariah 9:9 |
| Mark 11:1-10 | |
| God told Zechariah to take the thirty pieces of silver he earned and throw it to the potter. Judas took thirty pieces of silver and returned it to the priests who used it to buy the potter’s field. | Zechariah 11:12-13 |
| Matthew 26:14-15; 27:3, 6-10 | |
| If someone strikes the shepherd, the sheep will scatter. When Jesus was arrested, His disciples fled. | Zechariah 13:6-7 |
| Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50 | |
| The Lord will come to the temple and refine the silver and the priests. Jesus came to the temple and threw out the money changers. | Malachi 3:1-3 |
| Matthew 21:12; Mark 11:15-19; John 2:13-16 | |
| The sun of righteousness will come. Jesus is that sun. | Malachi 4:2 |
| Luke 1:78 | |
| Elijah will return. John the Baptist fulfills the role of Elijah. | Malachi 4:5 |
| Matthew 11:13-14; Mark 9:11-13; Luke 1:17; 7:27-28 |
* Got Question.org
Let’s dig a little deeper into the theology of Jesus Christ. This is nothing more than digging into God’s Word to discover what He has revealed about Himself. When we do this, we come to know Him as Creator of all things, Sustainer of all things and Judge of all things. He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of all things.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:13 (NIV)
There is a theology called Christophany that believes whenever someone received a visit from “the angel of the Lord,” that the relation between the Lord and the “angel of the Lord” is often so close that it is difficult to separate the two. This identification has led some interpreters to conclude that the “angel of the Lord” was the pre-incarnate Christ.
These appearances can be seen in the following:
When the angel of the Lord spoke with Hagar, Sarah’s mistress, who was pregnant with Abraham’s child, promising her child would be the founder of the Arab nations.
17 Then God heard the boy crying, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from the sky, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Don’t be afraid! For God has heard the lad’s cries as he is lying there. 18 Go and get him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.” Genesis 21:17-18 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord spoke to Jacob, saying return to the land of your fathers and to your relatives there, and I will be with you.
1 Then, in my dream, the Angel of God called to me 12 and told me that I should mate the white female goats with streaked, speckled, and mottled male goats ‘For I have seen all that Laban has done to you,’ the Angel said. 13 ‘I am the God you met at Bethel,’ he continued, ‘the place where you anointed the pillar and made a vow to serve me. Now leave this country and return to the land of your birth.’” Genesis 31:11-13 (TLB)
When the Lord appeared to Abraham in human form and told him that this time next year Sarah would bear a son to him.
18 The Lord appeared again to Abraham while he was living in the oak grove at Mamre. This is the way it happened: One hot summer afternoon as he was sitting in the opening of his tent, 2 he suddenly noticed three men coming toward him. He sprang up and ran to meet them and welcomed them. Genesis 18:1-2 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord called to Abraham not to harm Isaac.
11 At that moment the Angel of God shouted to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Yes, Lord!” he answered. 12 “Lay down the knife; don’t hurt the lad in any way,” the Angel said, “for I know that God is first in your life—you have not withheld even your beloved son from me.” Genesis 22:11-12 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush.
3 One day as Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, out at the edge of the desert near Horeb, the mountain of God, 2 suddenly the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw that the bush was on fire and that it didn’t burn up, Exodus 3:1-2 (TLB)
When the angel of the Lord went out to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.
35 That very night the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian troops, and dead bodies were seen all across the landscape in the morning. 2 Kings 19:35 (TLB)
There are over 60 such references throughout the Old Testament.
Charles H. Spurgeon says, “Some may say then that Christ was then a created angel. The Old Testament uses the term angel of the Lord interchangeably with the Lord in reference to these visitations, but he is not a created angel. He is higher in nature, higher in rank, higher in intellect, and higher in power than they. Nothing less than the very God of the Universe. The very man who suffered on Calvary.”
The Son Is Greater Than the Angels
5 For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father,” God also said, “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son.” 6 And when he brought his supreme Son into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him.” Hebrews 1:5-6 (NLT)
There are even deeper ways that Jesus is found in the Old Testament. Many Old Testament historical events double as symbols of what God would do in the future through Christ. These are seen in what we call “types.” A type is a person or thing in the Old Testament that foreshadows Jesus, the Son of Man, in the New Testament.
| Type: Adam is a type of Christ because both their actions affected a great many people. | Genesis 3:17-19 |
| Romans 5:14 | |
| Type: Jesus is the fulfillment of the Passover Lamb. | Exodus 12:1-11 |
| John 1:29-36 | |
| Type: The rock that produced water for Israel points toward Jesus and the living water. | Exodus 17:6 |
| John 4:10; 1 Corinthians 10:3-4 | |
| Type: The tabernacle where God dwelt among the Israelites is a type of Jesus, God with us. | Exodus 25:8; Isaiah 7:14; 8:8, 10 |
| Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14; 14:8-11 | |
| Type: The feast of unleavened bread represents the purity of Jesus; Jesus’ burial is like a kernel in the ground, waiting to burst forth in life. | Leviticus 23:6 |
| 1 Peter 2:22 | |
| Type: The feast of first fruits represents Jesus as the first fruit from the dead. | Leviticus 23:10 |
| 1 Corinthians 15:20 | |
| Type: Those who looked up at the snake on a pole were saved. Those who “look up” at Jesus on the cross are saved. | Numbers 21:8-9 |
| John 3:14-15 | |
| Type: Boaz is a type of Christ the redeemer. | Ruth 4:1-11; Ezekiel 16:8 |
| Galatians 3:13; 4:5; Colossians 1:14 | |
| Type: Jonah was in the fish for three days. Jesus’ body was in the grave for three days. | Jonah 1:17 |
| Matthew 12:40 |
Jesus unites the Bible. He is not absent from the Old Testament, sitting on the bench, awaiting his fourth quarter winning play. He is the player-coach-manager directing all things. Throughout the Old Testament, He is the one and only Mediator of God Most High, marching purposefully toward his own incarnation. Jesus is Lord. He always has been.
Don Stewart of Blue Letter Bible tells us that the proper view of Scripture will be the perspective that Jesus held. He is our standard. Therefore, it is crucial that we hold the same view of Scripture as He did.
As we examine the attitude of the Lord Jesus toward the Old Testament, we find Him viewing it as totally trustworthy. Jesus accepted the entire Old Testament as the Word of God. He referred to the two divisions of the Old Testament, the Law and the Prophets, and He cited from fourteen separate books.
Jesus believed that the people actually existed, and the stories literally occurred. He confirmed the historicity of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, David, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Elijah, Elisha and Zechariah.
Jesus also confirmed several Old Testament accounts. These include God giving Moses the rite of circumcision, God providing the manna in the wilderness, David eating the bread of presentation, David as the writer of certain Psalms, Moses writing the law, the suffering of the prophets, the episode with Lot’s wife, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the destruction of Tyre and Sidon.
Jesus also confirmed several of the most controversial accounts recorded in the Old Testament. They include Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the Flood in Noah’s day, and Jonah and the sea creature.
There also was the confirmation by Jesus of the authorship of certain disputed portions of the Old Testament — Daniel and Isaiah. Jesus quoted from Daniel as a prophet. He also cited both sections of Isaiah and attributed them to Isaiah alone. Jesus also spoke of Old Testament prophecy being fulfilled. He assumed the passages cited made divine predictions which needed to be fulfilled. He also saw the Old Testament as speaking of Him. It anticipated His coming into the world.
In addition, Jesus never cast doubt on any parts of the Old Testament. On the contrary, He believed all of it was equally authoritative.
Consequently, Christians, to be consistent, should have the same view as Jesus; the Old Testament is the divinely inspired Word of the living God.
Some Religions want you to believe that the Old Testament was written to the Jews and the New Testament is for the Gentiles. This is far from the truth.
God tells us that through the hundreds of messianic prophecies, the spiritual appearances of the Angel of the Lord, and the people of the Old Testament that were used as “Types” to foreshadow Jesus, the Son of Man in the New Testament.
16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)
28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28 (NLT)
These things lay the foundation of the Man they would call Jesus. The understanding of our Lord’s activities in the Old Testament are important because they blend the two Testaments together as one. This makes the Bible come alive as you see the Son of God active throughout the Old and New Testaments.
These two Testaments must always go together. As the great St. Augustine once put it, “The New Testament is concealed in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is indisputable in the New Testament.”
We are one together in Christ, and the whole Bible is for all of us.
Until next time, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
How much do you know about the God-man Jesus Christ? Yes, we know that He die for our Sins and that true salvation only comes through a belief in Him. He is the Master of our life, and we are to serve Him alone.
However, God’s desire for all who know Him, is for us to become more like Christ. We do this by first growing in our knowledge of Christ. It stands to reason that we cannot grow to be like someone we do not know. The deeper our knowledge of Christ, the deeper our understanding of Him, and the more like Him we become.
Test your knowledge of Christ by answering the follow questions about our Lord and Savior?
These are but a sample of what there is to know about Jesus. My friends it is our duty and obligation to grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. God commands it. Join me as we search for these and many other wonderful facts about our Lord an Savior Jesus Christ.
Welcome back, my dear friends. It has been awhile since we last got together. Over that period of time, I have been studying the Word of God in my quest to seek and know the Lord God of the Universe in a more intimate and personal way. My hope and prayer is that you too have grown closer to Him also.
When I left you the last time, I promised I would come back and begin a series on “What Does the Bible Say?” The first topic in this new series is:
“What Does the Bible Say About Sin?”
So, why would I choose the most difficult of Bible topics to start my new series? Because sin is the one and only thing that separates you and me from enjoying a loving and eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father.
However, it won’t be unusual if we have trouble accepting His perspective, because we are all sinners, and by our sinful heart and nature, we do not really want to hear God’s view of sin. Romans 3 tells us simply that we are naturally opposed to God’s view.
The Apostle Paul describes God’s view of a sinner.
All the world stands hushed and guilty before Almighty God. What a vile description and verdict of who we truly are in the sight of God.
We must learn to accept God’s view of our sinfulness if we are to continue to grow and become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. We need to understand that our Lord God in His Perfect Holy Wisdom cannot tolerate sin in any form, nor even gaze upon it.
Chuck Swindoll in his book, Jesus: The Greatest Life of All, describes us this way, “You are a sinner. I know this to be true because the Bible says every man, woman, and child who has ever lived has done what is wrong. And more than once . . . in fact, many times. Furthermore, the Bible says that the penalty for committing those sins is eternal death—unending torment in a place that Jesus described as unspeakably horrible.”
Sin is simply described as rebellion against God.
The Bible, tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s Glory (Romans 3:23). God’s word goes on to say that the wages or payment for our sin is death (Romans 6:23), the physical and spiritual separation from God for all eternity.
This series will be one of the most exciting and difficult studies I’ve ever done. Not only are we going to learn what sin is and how it affects us, but, most importantly, we will learn how Satan uses it against us.
You’ll begin to see how Satan’s sin plan weaves together throughout the entire globe and why things that are happening now are going according to his plan.
You’ll understand why you act like you do. Because, you’ll have a clear understanding of who you truly are inside.
I know I will hit on some personality traits that will offend some of you, and you’ll say that’s not me. But, keep in mind, I’m sharing God’s view of us not my own view.
So, literally, my intent with this series is to discuss Sin from a Biblical perspective to a readership that really doesn’t want to hear about it. Thus we will need grace and light from God’s Spirit to handle this solemn topic biblically.
I will cover three major topics in this series entitled:
What is Sin?
What is Satan’s Sin Plan?
What is God’s Redemption Plan?
Throughout this study we will examine topics such as; The characteristics of Sin, Did God create Sin? How did Sin begin? Are there really degrees of Sin? What does Total Depravity of man mean? What is Satan’s role in Sin? How Satan uses God’s Common Grace and our moral conscience against us. How does Satan know what to tempt me with? Satan’s four step approach to get you to sin. What are the three Covenants of God that deal with Sin? Why are there two Adams in the Bible? How can I be victorious over Sin?
Join me as we dive into God’s Word and find out the truth about Sin and its effects on us in our day-to-day lives and for all eternity. Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
We are not sinners because we sin.
We sin because we are sinners.
My friends, wouldn’t you agree that our lives today are surrounded by almost every kind of evil and wickedness that man can imagine. This evil causes wars, fighting, pain, greed, hate, envy, quarreling, dishonesty, injustice and murder. And the wickedness can be found in those rude, prideful, boastful, backstabbing, gossiping individuals we live and work with. Do you know someone who constantly breaks their promises and at times seem so heartless, and callous when they want something you have? All of this evil and wickedness that is in the world today finds its root cause in one word, “SIN.”
The history of civilization as presented in God’s Word is primarily a history of man in a state of sin and rebellion against God and of God’s plan of redemption to bring man back to himself. Man has by nature an irresistible bias for evil.
Our sin nature is that trait in us that makes us rebellious against God. When I speak of the sin nature, I’m referring to the fact that we have a natural inclination to disobey God, given the choice to do God’s will or our own, we will naturally choose to do our own thing.
As the Scriptures say, “No one is good—no one in all the world is innocent.” No one has ever really followed God’s paths or even truly wanted to. Every one has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right; not one. Romans 3:10-12 (TLB)
Proof of our sin nature abounds. No one has to teach a child to lie or be selfish; rather, we go to great lengths to teach children to tell the truth and put others first. Sinful behavior comes naturally.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments Scriptures man appears as a law breaker by nature, and the question, how did we acquire that nature, naturally arises. What does the Bible reveal on that point?
Sin was not a calamity that came upon man unexpectedly, poisoned his life, and ruined his happiness. Sin was an evil course which Adam deliberately chose to follow. A choice which carried untold misery with it.
Scripture and experience both teach us that sin is universal, and according to the Bible the explanation for this universality lies in the fall of Adam.
Adam yielded to the temptation and committed the first sin by eating of the forbidden fruit. But the matter did not stop there, for by that first sin Adam became the bond-servant of sin.
Sin was the result of a free but sinful choice Adam made by exercising the free will God had given him. Satan, the ruler of the spirit world, suggested to Adam that if he challenged God’s command not to eat of the forbidden fruit he would not die, but, instead he would become like God.
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:4-6 (NLT)
Let’s begin our journey to understand the meaning of Sin. Sin is not an object or a thing that “exists” — it has no independent being. Rather, sin is a lack of something, a failure to fully obey God’s moral laws and live up to His glory. Sin is a falling short of God’s standards.
Webster Dictionary defines Sin as:
Sin is described in the Bible as disobedience of the law of God which I will discuss later in the study.
Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 1 John 3:4 (NLT)
We can define sin as follows: “Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.” Remember this statement as we journey throughout our study, for it is the very foundation I will build on.
Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.
Sin includes not only individual acts such as stealing, lying or committing murder, but also attitudes that are contrary to God.
1: SIN IS A SPECIFIC KIND OF EVIL.
2: SIN HAS AN ABSOLUTE CHARACTER.
In your mind, you determine the morals and ethics you will live by. This is where you determine between good and evil.
However, sin is not a lesser degree of goodness, but a positive evil.
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. Matthew 12:30 (NLT)
Simply put, we are either on the side of God or we are not. There are no gray areas with God, even though Satan would like you to believe that. Remember we serve a Holy and Jealous God.
Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord. For He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your wrong-doing or your sins. Joshua 24:19 (NLV)
3: SIN ALWAYS HAS RELATION TO GOD AND HIS WILL.
1. Now there is no doubt about the great central command of the law. Which, is to love our Lord God of the Universe.
Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” Matthew 22:37-40 (ERV)
2. If moral goodness consists with loving our God, then moral evil must consist of the opposite or not loving our God.
Then He said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God. Luke 16:15 (NLT)
Don’t love this evil world or the things in it. If you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. This is all there is in the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. But none of these comes from the Father. They come from the world. 1 John 2:15-16 (ERV)
3. Because sin separates us from God, we are in opposition to God and even grow a hatred of God. This manifests itself in constant transgression of the law of God in thought, word, and deed.
They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:32 (NLT)
4: SIN INCLUDES BOTH GUILT AND POLLUTION.
1. Guilt is the state of self-deserving blame or shame we feel when we’ve committed some deed or act that we know is a violation of God’s moral law. Witness the birth of guilt.
That evening they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden; and they hid themselves among the trees. The Lord God called to Adam, “Why are you hiding?” And Adam replied, “I heard you coming and didn’t want you to see me naked. So I hid.” Genesis 3:8-10 (TLB)
2. Beginning at birth, we are all hardwired to sin and to lead a sinful life. Our being is polluted with the natural feelings of pride and self-centeredness; we are constantly looking out for Numero Uno. Our heart desires all of the things this world has to offer.
For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. Romans 8:7-8 (NLT)
3. This is what the Bible refers to as “the Flesh or Old Nature,” and it stays with us all through our life, even after you’ve become a believer.
4. Satan, the god of this world, has designed and filled this earth with all of the desires your sinful heart could want, including his false self-centered religions and cults.
5: SIN HAS ITS SEAT IN THE HEART.
1. Sin resides in one function of the soul, the heart, which is the central organ of the soul, out of which spring the issues of life.
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45 (NLT)
6: SIN DOES NOT CONSIST EXCLUSIVELY IN EXPLICIT ACTS.
1. Our sinful state and acts are the basis of our sinful habits, and these manifest themselves in our sinful deeds. Below is a comparison of the fruits of an unbeliever to the fruits of a believer
| Unbeliever\’s Fruits of Sin | Believer\’s Fruits of the Spirit |
| Adultery | Love |
| Immorality | Peace |
| Theft | Patience |
| Hatred | Kindness |
| Murder | Goodness |
| Gluttony | Faithfulness |
| Lying | Gentleness |
When you consider the horrible effects of sin in the world at large, it should grieve you to know that we contribute to the pain of the world through the very sin that lurks in each of our hearts. Sin is why Hell exists.
What Law of God should we follow?
Over and over again, scripture refers to sin as contrary to the law of God. So what law is God exactly referring to? Is it the Old Testament Mosaic Law that the Jews were commanded to follow, or is there another law that we are now under? Let’s find out.
1. The key to understanding the relationship between the Christian and the Law is knowing that the Old Testament law was given to the nation of Israel, not to Christians.
a. The more than 600 laws were made up of three parts for the Jewish nation to follow.
b. Some of the laws were to reveal to the Israelites how to obey and please God (the Ten Commandments).
c. Some of the laws were to show the Israelites how to worship God and atone for sin (the sacrificial system, offering, priesthood and the tabernacle).
d. Some of the laws were intended to make the Israelites distinct from other nations (the food, festival and clothing rules).
2. None of the Old Testament law is binding on Christians today.
3. When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament law
But before the time for faith came, the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners until this coming faith should be revealed. And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith. Now that the time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us. Galatians 3:23-25 (GNT)
4. In place of the Old Testament law, Christians are under the law of Christ.
The Great Commandment
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together, and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40 (GNT)
5. The Ten Commandments were essentially a summary of the entire Old Testament law. Nine of the Ten Commandments are clearly repeated in the New Testament (all except the command to observe the Sabbath day).
6. Even though we now live under the Grace of God, there is no better starting point for understanding God’s moral laws than in the nine remaining commandments. Let’s remind ourselves of them.
1. You must not worship any other gods except Me.
2. You must not make any idols. Don’t make any statues or pictures of anything up in the sky or of anything on the earth or of anything down in the water.
3. No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter.
4. Honor your father and your mother, so your life may be long.
5. Do not kill other people.
6. Do not carry out sex sins.
7. Do not steal.
8. Do not tell a lie about your neighbor.
9. Do not have a desire for anything that belongs to your neighbor.
As I’ve already explained, in our mind, we determine the morals and ethics we will live by; this is where we differentiate between good and evil. All of the commandments above deal solely with a conscious decision that you and I make to either conform to God’s moral laws or not. Our problem is that we have by nature an irresistible bias for evil.
Remember, “Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.”
The answer to this question is a resounding no! When God created man and angels, He created them with a free will, and if someone has a free will, there is at least the potential that he will choose badly. The potential for sin was a risk God took. He created human beings in His image, and, since He is free, humans were created free also.
So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female. Genesis 1:27 (ERV)
When He created the universe and our world, as of yet no sin existed or God would not have said.
God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good. Genesis 1:31 (ERV)
1. God is not able to sin
“Listen to me, you who have understanding. Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin! The Almighty can do no wrong. Job 34:10 (NLT)
4 He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! Deuteronomy 32:4 (NLT)
They will declare, “The LORD is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!” Psalm 92:15 (NLT)
2. God positively hates sin
It is your sins that separate you from your God. He turns away from you when he sees them. Isaiah 59:2 (ERV)
All who cheat with dishonest weights and measures are detestable to the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 25:16 (NLT)
O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked. Psalm 5:4 (NLT)
5 The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. Psalm 11:5 (NLT)
Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the LORD.” Zechariah 8:17 (NLT)
AN ANGEL NAMED LUCIFER
The angel named Lucifer was no ordinary angel created by God. God created Lucifer and he belonged to the cherubic order, in fact he was the chief or head of this highest class of all God’s creatures— “the cherub.”
The cherubim serve the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God. This is one of their main responsibilities throughout the Bible. In addition to singing God\’s praises, they also serve as a visible reminder of the majesty and glory of God and His abiding presence with His people. He was next in rank to God Himself, and his dwelling was next to God’s Throne. He was “set” or placed in this position by God. “The anointed cherub.” Inwardly Lucifer was full of wisdom and his outward appearance he was bright and beautiful.
‘The Lord God says: You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone—ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysotile, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald—all in beautiful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I appointed you to be the anointed Guardian Angel. You had access to the holy mountain of God. You walked among the stones of fire. Ezekiel 28:12-14 (TLB)
THE FALL OF LUCIFER
“‘You were perfect in all you did from the day you were created until that time when wrong was found in you. Your great wealth filled you with internal turmoil, and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you out of the mountain of God like a common sinner. I destroyed you, O Guardian Angel, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. Therefore, I have cast you down to the ground and exposed you helpless before the curious gaze of kings. Ezekiel 28:15-17 (TLB)
As another has said, “Here was the first sin that broke the calm of eternity, and stirred up the storm that has not ceased to rage, with ever-increasing violence; and shall, till He quells it forever by His Word, ‘Peace be still’” (“Satan” by F.C. Jennings).
“Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty;” suggest that, instead of “the anointed cherub” finding his chief delight in the contemplation of his Divine God, he rejected the supremacy of his Master. He determined to be equal with the Most High. He was not satisfied with a subordinate role, but aspire to equality with the Almighty.
You said in your heart, ‘I will go up to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. And I will sit on the mount of meeting in the far north. I will go much higher than the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14 (NLV)
Your heart was proud because of your beauty. You made your wisdom sinful because of your beauty. So I threw you to the ground. I laid you in front of kings for them to see you. Ezekiel 28:17 (NLV)
Pride comes before being destroyed and a proud spirit comes before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 (NLV)
Lucifer the fallen angel is now known as Satan (“adversary”) or the devil (“slanderer”).
Then a fall occurred in the angelic world, in which legions of angels fell away from God. The exact time of this fall is not designated.
Remember the angels who did not stay within the limits of their proper authority, but abandoned their own dwelling place: they are bound with eternal chains in the darkness below, where God is keeping them for that great Day on which they will be condemned. Jude 6:6 (GNT)
Angels are personal spiritual beings created by God, and like man, they were given intelligence, emotions, and a will. This is true of both the good and evil angels (evil minions). Angels are spirit beings without true physical bodies. God also created them in His image, and, since He is free like man, the angels were created free. So they too had the potential for sin. Needless to say, there arose a group of angels who rebelled against God in heaven and became sinful.
They were not satisfied with their lot, with the government and power entrusted to them.
If the desire to be like God was the temptation that caused Lucifer and the angels to sin, is it any wonder why they used the same approach when tempting Adam and Eve?
My friends, I know for some of you this will be a difficult topic for you to wrap your head around and understand. But, I promise you, if you’ll stay with me to the end of the series it will all fall into place and you will become a stronger Believer and lover of God.
Join me next month as we journey deeper in the Anatomy of Sin. I will be discussing how Satan brought Sin to earth. I’ll answer the questions: are there degrees of sin and what does the Total Depravity of man (of you and me) mean? Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
“There is one other thing I have learned. God made people good, but they have found many ways to be bad.” Ecclesiastes 7:29 (ERV)
Welcome back, my friends. This will be the second part of “What is Sin?” This two-part series lays the foundation for everything that comes next. I’ve taken the gloves off for this second lesson. We’re going to journey deeper and get more specific on how Satan uses your sinfulness too blind you and keep you from a relationship with your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Please always keep in mind as we journey through this study that I’m not sitting here with a holier than thou attitude condemning you for who you truly are. No, I’m right there in the trenches with you. Everything I write points its boney Sinful finger squarely back at me also. So I understand the gravity of what I’m saying to you.
Some may feel I’m just belaboring the point on what Sin is and I should just move on with the series. But, my friends, you need to know more than “I’m just a sinner saved by Grace.” You need to understand the nuances of Sin —the way it impacts your life without you truly understanding it. Sin is subtle; it comes naturally to us, and this is Satan’s number one tool he and his minions use against you. The Apostle Paul says it best;
I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I can’t. I do what I don’t want to—what I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws I am breaking. But I can’t help myself because I’m no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am that makes me do these evil things. Romans 7:15-17 (TLB)
In part one of “What is Sin?” I showed you how Lucifer and his angels committed the first sin against God in Heaven. Lucifer, now known as Satan, and the angels that followed him were cast down to earth by God, which naturally provided an open door for him to introduce sin to the inhabitants of the earth.
At this point there are only two people living on the Earth—Adam and Eve. However, that was all Satan needed to condemn the entire human race.
SATAN BRINGS SIN TO EARTH
I’m sure by now most of you know how Satan tricked Eve into eating the forbidden fruit, and then she gave some to her husband, Adam, and Sin entered into the world.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6 (NKJV)
I could leave it at that and move on in our study, but, my friends, that is far from the whole story about Satan and sin. We need to go back and look at what Satan and his minions went through to get Adam to sin. Why? Because Adam would be the legal representative of the entire human race, and Satan’s entry point into each and every one of our lives would be through Adam’s sin.
A Garden Named Eden
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Genesis 2:8-9 (NLT)
The Lord God told the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden. But do not eat from the tree of learning of good and bad. For the day you eat from it you will die for sure. Genesis 2:16-17 (NLV)
After God had placed Adam in the garden, God made a Covenant with him concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This covenant with Adam became known as the Covenant of Works (which I will discuss later), and it communicated the consequences of Adam failing to follow God’s command. So Adam was put to a test of obedience just as Satan and his angelic minions were. God was testing Adam to see whose will Adam would submit to—God’s will or his own.
After God finished making His covenant with Adam, 18 GOD said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.” Genesis 2:18 (MSG)
God proceeded to create a helpmate for Adam, a woman who would be called Eve. They were married by God Himself (Genesis 2:24).
Satan immediately knew how he would get Adam to sin. He figured why bother dealing with Adam directly when he could use Eve. He would basically use Adam’s beautiful wife to entice him to sin. Satan reasoned that Eve was not the head of the covenant with God (Adam was), and therefore she probably wouldn’t feel the same sense of responsibility as Adam.
Since Eve hadn’t been created yet, she did not hear the covenant that God made with Adam. She would only hear about it indirectly from Adam, which can lead one to be more susceptible to suspicions and doubt.
And finally he knew that Adam was deeply in love with Eve and she would undoubtedly prove to be the most effective agent in reaching the heart of Adam.
Minister and author, Matthew Henry, aptly pointed out, “Satan tempted Eve that, by her, he might tempt Adam; so he also tempted Job by his wife, and Christ, by Peter. It is Satan’s policy to send temptations by unsuspected hands, and those that have most interest in us and influence over us.”
One morning as Eve was walking through the garden, she rounded a bend and to her surprise she saw Satan dressed in his finest snakeskin suit leaning against the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil eating one of the very forbidden apples God had warned Adam about.
Satan begins by engaging Eve into a discussion about what she could and couldn’t eat in the garden. This was the biggest mistake Eve, as well as you and I, can make when it comes to temptation. Engaging Satan in a conversation over a temptation he’s offering is the first step in surrendering to it. Remember that the serpent was the craftiest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. Like Eve, we will always lose such a discussion with Satan.
When you start toying with temptation in your mind, weighing the pros and cons, Satan knows he’s got you because it always implies you are already lusting after the object presented.
Compare Eve’s conduct with Jesus’ and observe how very differently He acted when being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus steadfastly refused to enter into any debate with the Devil. He did not dillydally with temptation, for He had no desire for anything but the will of God. Each time He firmly rejected the enemy’s advances by taking His stand on God’s Word.
Eve had fallen for Satan’s lies and took a bite of the apple that she was now coveting. Eve then turned to Adam and convinced him to doubt God’s reasoning for denying them access to the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam was not … tricked The Devil tricked Eve, and Eve caused Adam to sin (1 Timothy 2:14). So Adam agreeing with her logic taking a bite of the apple Eve had given him. 7 Then it was as if their eyes opened, and they saw things differently. They saw that they were naked (Genesis 3:7). At this point Adam had willfully chosen disobedience to God over obedience.
God did not tempt, coerce, or lure Adam into disobedience.
And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, “God is tempting me.” God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. James 1:13 (NLT)
God allowed Adam the dignity of free choice and honored that choice with appropriate consequences.
When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. His sin spread death throughout all the world, so everything began to grow old and die, for all sinned. Romans 5:12 (TLB)
God may have provided the opportunity to sin by testing Adam’s obedience, but He did not create or instigate sin. Adam and Eve had the free will to obey God, but instead they choose to disobey the command of God. Without the free will God has provided us, human beings would be little more than robots.
Let’s take a deeper look into what happened to Adam and the changes that took place in him once he took a bite of the apple. These changes would have lasting effects upon all of his descendants for ages to come (that’s you and me). Watch what occurs to Adam’s thought process and demeanor as sin began to permeate every inch of his being.
Arthur W. Pink in his book,“The Total Depravity of Man,” describes it this way; No sooner had Adam revolted from his gracious Maker and Benefactor than the evil effects became apparent.
Yes, they knew that they were disgraced, that their holiness was defiled, their innocence gone, the image of God in their souls broken, their tranquility disrupted, their protection against the law removed. Stripped of their original righteousness, they stood defenseless.
So swift and drastic was the change which sin produced in their relations and feelings toward their Maker that they were ashamed and afraid to appear before Him.
If Adam had been around in the time when Moses had received the ten commandments from God, he would have broken all ten of them at one time when he took that bite of the apple. Three hundred years ago, profound theologian, James Usher, pointed out that wrapped up in that bite was \”the breach of the whole Law of God.”
The First commandment, by choosing another “god” when he followed the counsel of Satan.
The Second commandment, by idolizing his palate, making a god of his belly by eating the forbidden fruit.
The Third commandment, by not believing God’s threatening, in that way taking His name in vain.
The Fourth commandment, by breaking the sinless rest in which he had been placed.
The Fifth commandment, by thus dishonoring his Father in heaven.
The Sixth commandment, by bringing death on himself and all his posterity.
The Seventh commandment, by committing spiritual adultery and preferring the creature above the Creator.
The Eighth commandment, by laying hands upon that to which he had no right.
The Ninth commandment, by accepting the serpent’s false witness against God.
The Tenth commandment, by coveting that which God had not given to him.
So, my friends, by seeing the consequences our first parents experienced through sin, we can only come to one conclusion. We simply are unable to live without sinning. We sin out of a kind of moral necessity because we act according to our fallen nature. We do corrupt things because we are corrupt people. This is the essence of what it means to be fallen.
People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD. Proverbs 19:3 (NLT)
Total Depravity
My friends in love, we need to understand what the total depravity of our soul means. We have to come to the realization that this is who we are in the eyes of God. Because of the sin of Adam, every part of our mind, will, emotions and flesh have been corrupted by sin.
In other words, sin affects all areas of our being including who we are and what we do. It penetrates to the very core of our being so that everything is tainted by sin and “…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” before a holy God.
We are all infected and impure with sin. When we put on our prized robes of righteousness, we find they are but filthy rags. Isaiah 64:6 (TLB)
In our depraved state, the sinful lifestyle we lead seems right to us.
There’s a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again—it leads straight to hell. Sure, those people appear to be having a good time, but all that laughter will end in heartbreak. Proverbs 14:12-13 (MSG)
In our depraved state, we reject the gospel of Christ as foolishness.
Preaching about the cross sounds foolish to those who are dying in sin. 1 Corinthians 1:18 (NLV)
In our depraved state, our mind is “hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is unable to do so”
The mind that thinks only of ways to please the sinful old self is fighting against God. It is not able to obey God’s Laws. It never can. Romans 8:7 (NLV)
Total depravity means there is a wall between you and the Lord God of the Universe. You are separated from Him because of your sinful nature. It means you can do nothing on your own that pleases the Lord. But, most importantly, it means that without God’s help, you cannot even save yourself. Listen to the words of Jesus
Then Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!” The disciples were astonished at these words. But again Jesus said to them, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” They were even more astonished and said to one another, “Then who can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but not for God; all things are possible for God.” Mark 10:23-27 (NET Bible)
(It is impossible for mere humans to save themselves without God’s help. This is a topic for a future lesson.)
Oh, we all try to be better people by our own self efforts. We promise not to swear as much, drink less except for Friday night, smile at our neighbor, and give a head tilt of acknowledgement to those you really don’t care for, but what the heck you tell yourself, it’s better than nothing, right?
Hard as we try through our own efforts to exemplify the fruits of the spirit:
But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; Galatians 5:22-23 (TLB)
If you’re like most of us the end results look more like this:
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cut-throat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on. Galatians 5:19-21 (MSG)
We all eventually have to admit it—it’s just not working for you, is it? Your own efforts to be self-righteous are just not going to cut it with your Heavenly Father.
In order for us to grow and change we have to realize who we truly are in the eyes of our Heavenly Father. We are totally depraved. But, we also have to realize who we truly are in the eyes of Satan— flawless in every way— and this is exactly where he wants to keep you.
I’m now going to split you into two separate you’s. The first one I’ll call the Worldly You, and the second one is the Spiritual You, which I will talk about in the months to come.
For right now I want us to focus on the Worldly You. This is the “you” that all of us are born with and the “you” that Satan and his minions dedicate their entire destructive existence on. This is a spiritual battle we will be fighting day in and day out for the rest of our lives.
The Worldly You: (old nature, the flesh)
In my very first study entitled “Who Am I Really?” I spoke about Our Legacy of Sin and how Adam’s and Eve’s souls had now been stamped with Satan’s DNA for all time. Just like Satan, they are no longer perfect and sinless in the sight of God. As a consequence, they brought upon themselves and the whole human race the penalty for sin, which is spiritual, physical and eternal separation from God. Since Adam and Eve’s fall, every person is born with a sinful nature and becomes a sinner in thought, word and deed. In Romans, chapter 3, verse 23, God’s Word tells us “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
My friends, I firmly believe what is currently going on in the world today is nothing more than our continued collective rebellion against God. The world we live in offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father but are from this world and as a result of our fallen nature, you have an irresistible bias for evil. In other words, SIN!
Finally, let me just say that however the world views you from an outward perspective, just remember one thing— God knows the secrets of every heart, so don’t think you\’re fooling Him.
Are all sins equal in God’s eyes?
There are degrees to sin. Some sins are worse than others when it comes to the earthly consequences they cause. At the same time, in regard to both eternal consequences and salvation, all sins are the same. Every sin will lead to eternal condemnation
When people sin, they earn what sin pays—death. Romans 6:23 (ERV)
Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.
As far as it compares to the holiness of God, all sin is the same. Every sin, from anger to murder, from white lies to adultery, will lead to eternal condemnation.
“I, the LORD, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty. Isaiah 13:11 (NLT)
All sin, no matter how “small” goes against the nature and will of an infinite and eternal God and is therefore deserving of an infinite and eternal punishment. In this sense, there is no “worst” sin. There are some religions that break Sin into two categories called venial and mortal. However, there are no Biblical scriptures to support these categories, unless those scriptures are taken out of context and defined by man not God.
“You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. Matthew 5:21-22 (NLT)
“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28 (NLT)
What is true though is that some sins will have bigger earthly consequences than others. Murder, for example, is going to have a much worse effect than harboring private hate. A chronic liar in a position of authority will have a wider negative effect than the child who fibs to his mother about stealing cookies before dinner.
It doesn’t matter if a person commits one small sin or several huge ones. The result is the same—the person is guilty of breaking God’s law. And the Lord declares that He will not leave the guilty unpunished.
The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. Nahum 1:3 (NLT)
Let me close this section with one final thought. A struggle with temptation may lead to sin, but the struggle is not a sin itself. We live in a lost world, and so we experience temptations every day. We have fallen, sinful natures, and so we struggle against ungodly desires constantly.
My friends, I know these last two lessons have not been very positive or encouraging when it comes to God’s view of who we are when it comes to our sinful nature. However, I pray that I’ve laid a solid foundation concerning “Sin” in your mind. I will now begin to build on that foundation by weaving together Satan’s Sin Plan and God’s Redemption Plan so that you’ll begin to understand which plan is influencing your life.
Join me next month as we dive into God’s Word and learn how Satan uses his gospel to distort the Common Grace of God and your moral conscience.
Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
We are not sinners because we sin.
We sin because we are sinners.
If the Good News we preach is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost in sin. The eyes of those who do not believe are made blind by Satan who is the god of this world. He does not want the light of the Good News to shine in their hearts. This Good News shines as the shining-greatness of Christ. Christ is as God is. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NLV)
Welcome back, my dear friend. As I closed last month’s study, I prayed that I had laid a solid foundation concerning “Sin” in your mind. It’s important for you to remember that we naturally do corrupt things because we are naturally corrupt people. This is the essence of what it means to be fallen. Let’s now dive back into God’s Word and learn how Satan uses your sinful mindset to preach an alternative gospel — The Gospel of Satan.
Before we begin, let me clarify for you who all has a sinful nature. You’ll quickly find out that you are in excellent company when it comes to those who have or had a sinful nature.
Every individual you read about in God’s Word had a sinful nature, everyone: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, King David, King Solemn, Ester and Ruth, the entire Jewish nation, Joseph and Mary, all twelve disciples and even the apostle Paul.
Let’s bring it back to today. Every leader of every nation or country around the world has a sinful nature. Every leader of every man-made religion along with all of their priests, pastors, ministers, rabbis, nuns, lay leaders, and choir directors all have the same sinful nature as you and me. All of the business leaders of the world’s largest corporations have a sinful nature. All of the heads of any media outlet (television, radio, film, newspapers and the internet) have a sinful nature. All of the military leaders of every nation or country and their troops have a sinful nature. Everyone that is living now and all that have passed away have or had a sinful nature. I think I’ve pretty much covered everyone. If I did miss mentioning someone, yes they have a sinful nature too.
The world’s population stands at 7.5 billion. If you can believe statistics, they tell us that there are 2 billion Christians around the world, or 26.6% of the total population. That leaves 5.5 billion following Satan’s gospel in one form or another. Now do you understand what is at stake for Satan and his minions? This is why they work so hard to keep the Good News hidden.
Let’s spend a few moments to understand who this angel Satan truly is.
From the beginning of our youth we were taught that Satan wore a red suit, cared a large pitchfork and had a long tail and that he ruled over the lost in Hell. He was the boogeyman who lurked around at night trying to catch and eat us. He roamed the earth bringing disease and destruction wherever he desired.
Let’s step back and think about those descriptions. If they were true, and some are, wouldn’t we be able to see who he was and resist following him and his Gospel? Before I explain my thoughts to this question, let’s go a little deeper into his personal characteristics that go along with his attributes.
Personal Characteristics
Satan was created by God and given the same characteristics as you and me.
He has Intelligence: He uses this for deceptive activities.
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11 (NKJV)
He has a Memory: He knows the Bible forwards and backwards and always misquotes it to his advantage. When tempting Jesus in the wilderness, he always misquoted scripture to change its meaning.
and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ Matthew 4:6 (NKJV)
He has Knowledge: He knows his time is short on earth.
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” Revelation 12:12 (NLT)
He has a Will: His will is to be like the God who created him.
For you said to yourself, ‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. 4 I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most-High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14 (NLT)
He Speaks with God: As our accuser in Heaven he constantly argues with God and “accuses” the believers here on earth of doing evil.
Satan replied to the LORD, “Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!” Job 1:9-11 (NLT)
Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel’s right hand, making accusations against Joshua. Zechariah 3:1 (NLT)
He has Emotions: He has the same emotions as you and me.
Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. Ezekiel 28:17 (TLB)
He has Leadership and Organizational Skills: He will raise up and lead the greatest army of all time for his final battle with the Lord.
When the thousand years’ end, Satan will be let out of his prison. He will go out to deceive the nations of the world and gather them together, with Gog and Magog, for battle—a mighty host, numberless as sand along the shore. Revelation 20:7-8 (TLB)
Now let’s remind ourselves of God’s description of Satan.
‘The Lord God says: You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone—ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysotile, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald—all in beautiful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I appointed you to be the anointed Guardian Angel. You had access to the holy mountain of God. You walked among the stones of fire. Ezekiel 28:12-14 (TLB)
With all of these descriptions regarding the attributes and characteristics of Satan, doesn’t the red suit and pitchfork sound a little silly? How about a disgusting and gross boogeyman? I don’t think so. Satan is not that stupid to use those approaches. Although he is delighted that the world believes those stories, which I’m quite sure he started.
Listen to the words of Jesus:
Jesus Teaches about the Light of the World
Jesus spoke to all the people, saying, “I am the Light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will not walk in darkness. He will have the Light of Life.” John 8:12 (NLV)
Remember how the Bible described Satan?
Remember, Satan’s approach is to deceive through trickery and includes all the methods that would be part of that. It has to do with cunning and skill applied to no good purpose.
What better way for Satan to influence and blind the world of the Good News of Jesus Christ than by imitating Jesus Christ and implementing an alternative gospel? A gospel the meets the needs of and agrees with our sinful natures. Thus, let me introduce you to:
The Gospel of Satan
Christless Christianity
Then Jesus used another story to teach them. Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like a man who planted good seed in his field. That night, while everyone was asleep, the man’s enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat and then left. Later, the wheat grew, and heads of grain grew on the plants. But at the same time the weeds also grew. Then the man’s servants came to him and said, ‘You planted good seed in your field. Where did the weeds come from?’
“The man answered, ‘An enemy planted weeds.’
“The servants asked, ‘Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?’
“He answered, ‘No, because when you pull up the weeds, you might also pull up the wheat. 30 Let the weeds and the wheat grow together until the harvest time. At the harvest time I will tell the workers this: First, gather the weeds and tie them together to be burned. Then gather the wheat and bring it to my barn.’”
Then Jesus left the people and went into the house. His followers came to him and said, “Explain to us the meaning of the story about the weeds in the field.”
He answered, “The man who planted the good seed in the field is the Son of Man. The field is the world. The good seed are the people in God’s kingdom. The weeds are the people who belong to the Evil One. And the enemy who planted the bad seed is the devil. The harvest is the end of time. And the workers who gather are God’s angels. Matthew 13:24-29, 36-39 (ERV)
A.W. Pink describes Satan this way: “Satan is the arch–counterfeiter. As we have seen, the Devil is now busy at work in the same field in which the Lord sowed the good seed. He is seeking to prevent the growth of the wheat by another plant, the tares, which closely resembles the wheat in appearance. In a word, by a process of imitation he is aiming to neutralize the Work of Christ. So closely does the gospel of Satan resemble that which it imitates, multitudes of the unsaved are deceived by it.”
In opposition to Jesus Christ, the Devil tries to destroy Christ’s work by placing false believers and teachers in the world who lead many astray.
The eyes of those who do not believe are made blind by Satan who is the god of this world. He does not want the light of the Good News to shine in their hearts. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLV)
You went along with the crowd and were just like all the others, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air, who is at work right now in the hearts of those who are against the Lord. Ephesians 2:2 (TLB)
For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth—there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars. John 8:44 (TLB)
John Macarthur explains it this way.
“With the rise of postmodernism, our society has shifted toward moral relativism. Today, right and wrong, good and evil, are not defined in absolute terms but are viewed subjectively. Individuals and societies, not God, are seen as having the authority to determine what is wrong. A strong majority of people now believe that truth and morals are flexible and subjective, not fixed. And they have no interest in what Scripture says.”
He goes on to say that sin is an unpleasant subject. In our age of self-esteem and subjectivity, people do not like to think of themselves as evil. Millard Erickson notes, “To speak of humans as sinners is almost like screaming out a profanity or obscenity at a very formal, dignified, meeting, or even in church. It is forbidden. This general attitude is almost a new type of legalism, the major prohibition of which is, ‘You shall not speak anything negative.’”
The apostles of Satan are not nightclub owners or mob bosses, but are for the most part ordained clergy.
They have not known how God makes men right with Himself. Instead, they have tried to make their own way. They have not become right with God because they have not done what God said to do. Romans 10:3 (NLV)
Satan’s gospel may sound very believable and its aim may appear very praise-worthy, yet we read of them —
God tells us in His Word
And if anyone’s name was not found recorded in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:15 (TLB)
If the Good News we preach is hidden, it is hidden to those who are lost in sin. The eyes of those who do not believe are made blind by Satan who is the god of this world. He does not want the light of the Good News to shine in their hearts. This Good News shines as the shining-greatness of Christ. Christ is as God is. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NLV)
The dragon was thrown down to earth from heaven. This animal is the old snake. He is also called the Devil or Satan. He is the one who has fooled the whole world. He was thrown down to earth and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 12:9 (NLV)
Satan’s gospel, which is salvation by works seems right in the eyes of man. One of our basic desires is to be in control of our own destiny, and that includes our eternal destiny. Salvation by works appeals to our pride and our desire to be in control.
Being saved by works appeals to that desire far more than the idea of being saved by faith alone.
Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature, it forms the basis of almost every religion except for biblical Christianity.
God tells us in His Word
A more inaccurate form of Satan’s gospel is to move preachers to present the atoning sacrifice of Christ and then tell their hearers that all God requires from them is to “believe” in His Son.
But the Apostle Paul tell us.
If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (NLT)
The Narrow Way
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)
So what is the narrow gate the Bible speaks of?
Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NLT)
Yes, I am the Gate. Those who come in by way of the Gate will be saved and will go in and out and find green pastures. John 10:9 (TLB)
So what is the wide gate that leads to a broad road and ultimately leads to destruction? You guessed it. The Gospel of Satan, which teaches nothing but, Christ-less Christianity.
When the Judgment Day comes, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! In your name we spoke God\’s message, by your name we drove out many demons and performed many miracles!’ Then I will say to them, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you wicked people. Matthew 7:22-23 (GNT)
I love the way The Message paraphrases Matthew 7:22-23:
I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’
“You’re out of here.” Can you imagine standing before our Lord Jesus Christ on the final judgement day, and Him calmly saying that to you? You have to feel sorry for those on judgment day who faithfully followed and believed the thousands of priests, pastors, ministers, rabbis, nuns, lay leaders and choir directors who occupy our modern churches and use their pulpits to no longer engage in presenting the fundamentals of the Christian Faith, but have turned aside from the Truth and have given heed to teaching Satan’s gospel, Christless Christianity.
Listen to the words of God’s Holly Scripture describing our future.
For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth but will go around looking for teachers who will tell them just what they want to hear. They won’t listen to what the Bible says but will carelessly follow their own misguided ideas. Timothy 4:3-4 (TLB)
Listen to Jesus’s warning to the religious leaders of His day.
“It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the way for people to enter God’s kingdom. You yourselves don’t enter, and you stop those who are trying to enter. Matthew 23:13 (NLV)
My dear friend, the same thing is going on today. Because salvation by works appeals to man’s sinful nature. Remember “there is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Prov. 4:12). Because of our sinful nature, salvation by works seems logically right to us, and why it is the predominantly held viewpoint around the world. This is why the road to Hell is so wide at the gate with a beautiful 1,000 lane highway paved with smooth pavement to make your journey to Hell enjoyable.
My friends you now know the alternative gospel being offered throughout the globe by Satan and his evil minions. It’s not a devil with a pitchfork, the boogeyman, or any of the horrible disaster movies made in Hollywood depicting Satan destroying everything in his path. It’s just Satan, an angel of light following Jesus in the same field (the world) in which the Lord is sowing the good seed, he’s planting his tares (untruths) alongside to prevent the growth of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.
So why is the world literally and figuratively “going to hell in a hand basket”? Join me next month as I introduce you to the Common Grace of God and overlay your God given moral conscience on top of it. I am quite sure a very clear and frightening picture will begin to appear in your mind. You will clearly begin to understand the deceptive tactics Satan and his minions use to keep the world from the Good News of Jesus Christ. Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Writers note: I would like to acknowledge Arthur W. Pink (1886-1952) who was one of my main resources in writing this lesson.
We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are sinners.
The Anatomy of Sin
⇐ What Is Sin? Pt. 2 | Satan\’s Second Greatest Deception: The \”You\” Factor ⇒
Instead of believing what they knew was the truth about God, they deliberately chose to believe lies. So, they prayed to the things God made, but wouldn’t obey the blessed God who made these things. Romans 1:25 (TLB)
Welcome back my dear friends. I pray that last month’s lesson on the Gospel of Satan was an eye opener for you. Now that you know Satan’s modus operandi for hiding the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ through man-made religion, it’s time to reveal the “You” factor phase of Satan’s two prong approach. When you put the two together you will begin to understand why it so easy for him to do what he does.
His “You” factor deception plan is built on nothing but lies. And why wouldn’t it be? In the eighth chapter of John vs.44 we are told, “when he tells a lie, he is only doing what is natural to him, because he is a liar and the father of all lies.” My friends have no doubts he is very, very good at what he does otherwise he wouldn’t be called the father of all lies. A name of which I’m quite sure he is proud of. So, what is the “You” factor? You are correct! This lesson is about you and me, and how Satan takes two important acts of God and uses them against us to deceive us into believing we don’t need Jesus Christ or God in our lives.
However, before I go any further, I need to lay the groundwork that is necessary to help you better understand the “You” factor. For that we must turn back to God’s Holy Word and review a couple theological lessons concerning the creation of man, and the Common Grace of God. Let’s begin.
Creation of man:
It will probably amaze you to realize that when the Creator of the universe wanted to create something “in his image,” something more like himself than all the rest of creation, he made us.
26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28 (NIV)
What did God mean when He said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness?” Does it mean that when you look in the mirror in the morning that is what God looks like? No, because God is spirit (John 4:24), he does not resemble a human being’s reflection. Making man and woman in His image does not refer to physical appearance — our flesh and blood. We were made to resemble God’s characteristics. However, this doesn’t mean men and women are equal with God, for in (Hebrews 2:7) we find that God made us a little lower than the angels.
When God created Adam and Eve, He made them perfectly. After His own image. And when He was finished, God said.
Then God looked over all that he had made, and it was excellent in every way. This ended the sixth day. Genesis 1:31 (TLB)
Why did God create mankind? Did he make us to provide Him entertainment, or maybe for His amusement? Maybe He was lonely and needed a “friend.”
No, God did not create man out of need. As God, He needs nothing. However, God is loving and personal, and it gives Him pleasure to have other beings with whom He can have a genuine relationship. He loves us, but this is not the same as needing us. God is a creative God, and it gives Him pleasure to create.
6 The Lord does whatever pleases him throughout all heaven and earth, and on the seas and in their depths. Psalm 135:6 (NLT)
24 “I am the Lord, your savior; I am the one who created you. I am the Lord, the Creator of all things. I alone stretched out the heavens; when I made the earth, no one helped me.” Isaiah 44:24 (GNT)
That He chose to do anything was purely a Sovereign act of His own choosing. Concerning man, He said, “for I have made them for my glory; I created them”. Isaiah 43:7
So, let’s try to understand what being created in God’s image means. Anthony Hoekema describes it in an easy common-sense way.
“The image of God refers to the immaterial part of humanity. It sets human beings apart from the animal world, fits them for the dominion God intended them to have over the earth, and enables them to commune with their Maker. It is a likeness mentally, morally, and socially.
Mentally, we were created as a rational, volition agent. In other words, human beings can reason and choose. This is a reflection of God’s intellect and freedom. Anytime someone invents a machine, writes a book, paints a landscape, enjoys a symphony, calculates a sum, or names a pet, he or she is proclaiming the fact that we are made in God’s image.
Morally, humanity was created in righteousness and perfect innocence, a reflection of God’s holiness. Our conscience or “moral compass” is a remnant of that original state. Whenever someone writes a law, recoils from evil, praises good behavior, or feels guilty, he or she is confirming the fact that we are made in God’s own image.
Socially, humanity was created for fellowship. This reflects God\’s triune nature and His love. God made the first woman because “it is not good for the man to be alone”. Every time someone marries, makes a friend, hugs a child, or attends church, he or she is demonstrating the fact that we are made in the likeness of God.
Part of being made in God’s image is that Adam had the capacity to make free choices. Although they were given a righteous nature, Adam and Eve made an evil choice to rebel against their Creator. In so doing, they marred the image of God within themselves, and passed that damaged likeness on to all their descendants.
When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. His sin spread death throughout all the world, so everything began to grow old and die, for all sinned. Romans 5:12 (TLB)
Today, we still bear the image of God, but we also bear the scars of sin. Mentally, morally, socially, and physically, we show the effects of sin.”
They don’t care anymore about right and wrong and have given themselves over to impure ways. They stop at nothing, being driven by their evil minds and reckless lusts. Ephesians 4:19 (TLB)
for all these worldly things, these evil desires—the craze for sex, the ambition to buy everything that appeals to you, and the pride that comes from wealth and importance—these are not from God. They are from this evil world itself. 1 John 2:16 (TLB)
They are filled with every kind of sin, evil, greed, and hatred. They are full of jealousy, murder, fighting, lying, and thinking the worst things about each other. They gossip and say evil things about each other. They hate God. They are rude, proud, and brag about themselves. They invent ways of doing evil. They don’t obey their parents, Romans 1:29-30 (ERV)
“For the wages of sin is death,” Romans 6:23 (NIV)
What does it mean that our image of God has been marred? Wayne Grudem explains it this way;
“Man is still in God’s image. The New Testament gives confirmation to this when James 3: 9 says that men generally, not just believers, “are made in the likeness of God.” However, since man has sinned, he is certainly not as fully like God as he was before. His moral purity has been lost and his sinful character certainly does not reflect God’s holiness. His intellect is corrupted by falsehood and misunderstanding; his speech no longer continually glorifies God; his relationships are often governed by selfishness rather than love, and so forth.
Though man is still in the image of God, in every aspect of life some parts of that image have been distorted or lost. In short, “God made people good, but they have found many ways to be bad.” (Eccl. 7: 29). After the fall, then, we are still in God’s image — we are still like God and we still represent God — but the image of God in us is distorted; we are less fully like God than we were before the entrance of sin.”
Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.
So now that you have an understanding of Part 1 of what Satan’s needs to accomplish his “You” factor. Let’s look at Part 2 the final piece of his plan, God’s Covenant with man. This will answer the question many of us have, which, is “Why do good things happen to bad people?”
What is a Covenant?
A covenant is an agreement between one individual and another or it can be between one individual and a group of individuals. When it comes to a Biblical covenant this is a solemn promise or oath of God with man, and it defines the relationship between two parties. God did not have to enter into any covenants with us, but he did so because he wished to display his love and nature to his creation. When God is involved in a covenant, this relationship is a dispensing of his kindness, goodness, and wisdom. Biblical covenants have requirements attached, such as God says to man if you do this, I will do that, or if you don’t do this, then I will be forced to do that. Other Biblical covenants are ones that God says to man, I will do this, and you do not have to do anything. The Noahic Covenant is one where God has said to man, I will promise to do this, and you do not have to do anything in return. (I will talk more about the Covenants of God later in my series).
The Noahic Covenant
‘Then Noah built an altar and sacrificed on it some of the animals and birds God had designated for that purpose. And Jehovah was pleased with the sacrifice and said to himself, “I will never do it again—I will never again curse the earth, destroying all living things, even though man’s bent is always toward evil from his earliest youth, and even though he does such wicked things. As long as the earth remains, there will be springtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, day and night.”
This Covenant or promise God made with Noah and his family is often referred to as the Common Grace of God. What are the benefits of the Common Grace of God to mankind?
Common Grace
“He is kind to those who are not thankful and to those who are full of sin. Luke 6:35
“Long ago He allowed all people to live the way they wanted to. Even then God did not leave you without something to see of Him. He did good. He gave you rain from heaven and much food. He made you happy.” Acts 14:16-17
The various aspects of God’s common grace to all mankind can be generally gathered under these headings:
1. The Physical Realm:
Every breath that a believer and an unbeliever take is an example of the common grace of God.
The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. Psalm 145:9
Both believer and unbeliever enjoy the beauty of nature such as the Grand Canyon, the colorful fall leaves, multicolored flowers, grass, woodlands, rivers, lakes, mountains and ocean shores.
“He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt. 5: 44 – 45.
2. The Intellectual Realm:
Jesus in his role as creator and sustainer of the universe allows enlightenment and understanding to come to all people in the world.
9 This true Light, coming into the world, gives light to every man. John 1:9
3. The Moral Realm:
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9
They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, the same as the law commands, and their consciences agree. Sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done wrong, and this makes them guilty. And sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done right, and this makes them not guilty.” Romans 2:15 (ERV)
This inward sense of right and wrong that God gives to all people means that they will frequently approve of moral standards that reflect many of the moral standards in Scripture.
“If you do good to those who do good to you, what pay can you expect from that? Sinners also do good to those who do good to them.” Luke 6:33
4. The Creative Realm;
5. The Societal Realm;
Every person must obey the leaders of the land. There is no power given but from God, and all leaders are allowed by God. Romans 13:1
6. The Church Realm.
Common Grace is seen in God’s continuing care for his creation.
Common Grace Does Not Save People.
All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away. Isaiah 64:6
Some may say that they are the luckiest person on earth or that every chance they’ve ever taken in life has always panned out for them. Unfortunately, my friend the universe is not governed by impersonal chance or luck, but, by a personal God. Nothing “just happens.”
We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. Proverbs 16:33 (NLT)
We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)
The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way? Proverbs 20:24 (NLT)
So now you have an understanding of Part 2 of what Satan needs to accomplish his “You” factor. We’ve taken a long journey my friend to get to the main topic of this series.
However, I’ve decided since I’ve spent so much of your time getting to this point, that I will move my explanation of the “You” factor to next month. I want to close with a special invitation to those of you who are reading this.
A Very Special Invitation
My friends’, you need to understand that after the third Chapter of Genesis the 7th verse our relationship with God ended. The entire Bible from that point on is focus on only one thing — God’s heartfelt desire to redeem us from our sin and reunite us with Him.
It’s as simple as that my friends. If you have any further question concerning 1 thru 3, simply read them until it sinks in.
Remember, as you read this invitation, you have the free will to decide to accept it or reject it. It is a decision that every one of us must make at some point in our life.
Right now, as you are reading this, I can assure you that Satan and his demonic minions are at work beside and in you trying to keep you from reading further. The phone will start ringing, someone will call out to you, the baby just woke up, the dog is barking at something outside, or you just remembered that television show you’ve been waiting all week to watch is about to come on.
Wayne Grudem describe this invitation as the effective calling. “The effective calling is an act of God the Father, speaking through the human proclamation of the gospel, in which he summons people to himself in such a way that they respond in saving faith.”
The word gospel means “good news,” so the gospel of Christ is the good news of His coming to provide forgiveness of sins for all who will believe. The bad news that we are all guilty of sin and condemned by God is countered by the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. God, because of His love for the world, has made a way for man to be forgiven of their sins.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)
He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the sins of mankind on Himself through death on a cross. In placing our sin on Christ, God ensured that all who will believe in the name of Jesus will be forgiven. Jesus’ resurrection guarantees the justification (salvation) of all who believe, and an eternity spent with our Lord God of the Universe.
What are we to do with this Gospel message?
and that this message of salvation should be taken from Jerusalem to all the nations: There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me. Luke 24:47 (TLB)
On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter told the crowd;
These words of Peter’s moved them deeply, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” And Peter replied, “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit. For Christ promised him to each one of you who has been called by the Lord our God, and to your children and even to those in distant lands! Acts 2:37-39 (TLB)
The Apostle Paul told the Romans;
“Well,” you may be saying, “what terrible people you have been talking about!” But wait a minute! You are just as bad. When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are talking about yourselves, for you do these very same things. And we know that God, in justice, will punish anyone who does such things as these. Do you think that God will judge and condemn others for doing them and overlook you when you do them, too? Don’t you realize how patient he is being with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see that he has been waiting all this time without punishing you, to give you time to turn from your sin? His kindness is meant to lead you to repentance. Romans 2:1-4 (TLB)
He went on to tell the Corinthians’;
Now let me remind you, brothers, of what the Gospel really is, for it has not changed—it is the same Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then and still do now, for your faith is squarely built upon this wonderful message; and it is this Good News that saves you if you still firmly believe it, unless of course you never really believed it in the first place. I passed on to you right from the first what had been told to me, that Christ died for our sins just as the Scriptures said he would, and that he was buried, and that three days afterwards he arose from the grave just as the prophets foretold. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 (TLB)
Prepare your heart by reading what God has written in Romans 10:9-13 and Ephesians 2:8-9
If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13 (NLT)
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV)
This is the first step of faith the Bible talks about — God’s gift to you, no strings attached. You can take it, accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, by just reading this simple prayer out loud from your heart, not your mind:
Dear Lord God, I realize I am a sinner in need of salvation. I know that all my own good works and religious rituals can never save me. Only Jesus can save me. I confess with my mouth and believe with my heart that Jesus is your Son. I believe that Jesus, my Savior, came to earth for me and that He died on the Cross of Calvary that I might be forgiven. I believe that He was buried and on the third day rose and now sits at Your right hand as my advocate. I am asking you Lord Jesus to come into my life and be my personal Lord and Savior. I repent of my sins and ask you now to take charge of my life now and forever more. I confess with my mouth that I am Born Again and Cleansed by the Blood of Jesus! In Jesus name. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer with your heart and believe that Jesus Christ is now your Lord and Savior except for your birth, this is the most exciting day of your life. You are now redeemed with God, your Father. You have now secured your place in eternity with Him. The Bible tells us that right now everyone in Heaven is rejoicing with you. Can you hear them?
Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
We know that we belong to God, but the whole world is under the power of the devil.” 1 John 5:19 (NLV)
Welcome back, my dear friends. For those of you who have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior at the close of my last lesson, welcome to your new family, my brothers and sisters.
You’ve now begun a wonderful new life in Christ. While accepting Jesus may have been an exciting moment for some of you, others may not have experienced that same emotion. Regardless of how you felt at that moment, let me assure you that if you believed in your heart that your prayer for salvation was genuine, you were saved. Accepting God’s gift by His Grace is that simple.
Look at the wonderful promise of 2 Corinthians 5:17:
This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (NLT)
For those of you who didn’t decide to accept Jesus for whatever reason and you’re telling yourself that you will do it later, let me just leave you with one thought before we move on. There is one undeniable fact of life that we all live with. We are only one heartbeat away from eternity. Now if you happen to know when your last beat will be, you have no problem waiting. For the rest of you who don’t know, listen to what your Lord God of the Universe has to say about salvation.
For God says, “Your cry came to me at a favorable time, when the doors of welcome were wide open. I helped you on a day when salvation was being offered.” Right now, God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (TLB)
Today is the day for your Salvation, my friend. Don’t wait until the welcome doors have been closed tight to make your decision.
As I said at the close of my last lesson, we’ve taken a long journey to get to the main topic of the series. But I can now show you how Satan is using your inborn image of God and His Common Grace to lead you down the path which looks right to you but will surely end in death.
There is a way which looks right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 (NLV)
Let’s now begin to put the two together and paint the very real picture of what Satan and his minions are doing with our sinful minds and lives to keep us from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the marvelous Saving Grace He offers each one of us.
Let’s start with the image of God we are all made from. I want to go straight to the heart of the matter, your moral conscience.
When Adam and Eve were created, they were made perfectly in God’s own image. This means that they possessed an everlasting spirit, like God has. They were designed to be like God, fellowship with God, reason like God, and enjoy God forever.
However, as soon as Adam and Eve sinned, the everlasting Spirit that was living inside of them left and was replaced by Satan’s evil spirit. Just imagine with me what might have happened after Adam and Eve fell into sin (Genesis 3:6-7) and the Spirit of God left them.
Let’s suppose “hypothetically” for a minute, that before the Holy Spirit departed Adam and Eve, He packed up all the Fruits of His Spirit along with His Spiritual gifts that were part of the perfect life God had created in them. But, instead of taking them with Him, He placed them inside a box, secured it with duct tape, and left it behind inside their (and ultimately our) hearts, which now becomes your moral conscience. That small voice inside of you that tells you right from wrong.
The box now sits there inside of your heart and cannot be opened until the day of your salvation when the Holy Spirit comes into your life and opens it. However, until that great day the box just sits there sending out pulses of desire to your heart for love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control — just some of the things the Holy Spirit left behind in His box that now sits in your heart.
But these desires from your heart must first go through your sinful nature. The results after going through your sinful nature are no love, no peace, no patience, no kindness, no goodness, no faithfulness, no gentleness and no self-control. Sound familiar to anyone?
My friend, because of the sin state we live in, the desires of our heart that the Holy Spirit left behind have been marred or tainted just like your mental, moral and social interactions I spoke about in my last lesson.
I know that we all want to be loved, don’t we? But the love our heart is desiring can only be satisfied by Jesus Christ. So, instead we try to satisfy these desires on your own. But where do you look?
Oh, how we all wish we could have some peace in our life rather than the turmoil inside that makes us lose our patience and temper (self-control). But the peace your heart is desiring can only be satisfied by Jesus Christ. So, instead you try to satisfy these desires on your own. But where do you look?
Each morning we wake up promising ourselves that today is going to be different, we are going to be a kinder and gentler person to all we meet. But the kindness and gentleness your heart is desiring can only be satisfied by Jesus Christ.
So, off we go out into the world and it doesn’t take long until you run into all the ignorant idiots (forgive me) that we live and work with, and you end up breaking your promise. So, instead you try to satisfy these desires on your own. But where do you look?
We are made in the image of God. So, the true desires of your heart are God given. They come from Him and not yourself or Satan. So, until you’ve settled things with God through His Son Jesus Christ, you will never be able to access those God given strong desires your moral conscience is sending you.
The mind that thinks only of ways to please the sinful old self is fighting against God. It is not able to obey God’s Laws. It never can. Romans 8:7 (NLV)
So, without God we try to satisfy our desires on our own. But where do we look?
Let me introduce you to the Deceptive Kingdom of Satan and his minions, which we refer to as the World we live in.
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)
Just like the man-made religions created by Satan that are designed to play to your pride and selfishness (the two main characteristics that got Satan thrown out of Heaven). Satan has designed a world filled with every possible tempting pleasure that your prideful and selfish marred and tainted heart desires.
The two personal traits that got Satan thrown out of Heaven — pride and selfishness — are the same two traits that are now part of each of our own DNA. These two traits, although there are more, are all Satan needs to completely confuse and blind you to the glorious Good News of Jesus Christ.
The fruits of the Spirit left behind by the Holy Spirit have been tainted and replaced by Satan’s fruits of sin which include pride, selfishness, sexual immorality, lustful pleasures, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, rebellion, hostility, and idolatry to name a few.
Let’s dig a little deeper and review some of the things that make up your Old Nature controlled by Satan.
“But when you follow your own wrong inclinations, your lives will produce these evil results: impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, spiritism (that is, encouraging the activity of demons), hatred and fighting, jealousy and anger, constant effort to get the best for yourself, complaints and criticisms, the feeling that everyone else is wrong except those in your own little group—and there will be wrong doctrine, envy, murder, drunkenness, wild parties, and all that sort of thing.” Galatians 5:19-21 (TLB)
In the chart below I’ve compared the God given desires of your heart to the corresponding Satanic given desires of your heart. What you desire from God and what you get in turn from Satan will never be the same.
For example, if you desire God’s true love, your marred heart translates that over into Satan’s desires of your heart, and you end up thinking that true love means lustful pleasures and sexual immorality. Peace translates into hatred and fighting, and so on.
| God\’s Desires of Your Heart | Satan\’s Desires of Your Heart |
| Love | Sexual immorality, lustful pleasures and homosexuality |
| Peace | War, hatred, fighting and worry |
| Patience | Outbursts of anger, swearing, hot temper, fear |
| Kindness | Quarreling, jealousy, selfishness, envy, cruelty and thoughtlessness |
| Goodness | Idolatry, cheating, lying, impure thoughts, corruption and dishonesty |
| Faithful | Rebellion, hostility, gossiping, treachery and disregard |
| Gentleness | Complaints and criticisms, harsh words, hatefulness, violent and cruel actions |
| Humble | Pride, selfish ambition, rudeness, boastfulness and “it’s all about me” mentality. |
| Joy | Drunkenness, wild parties, drugs, gambling, owning everything my heart desires, depression and sadness |
These have now become the desires of your tainted sinful heart. Listen to the words of the prophet Jeremiah.
The heart is the most deceitful thing there is and desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is! Jeremiah 17:9 (TLB)
So, we set our sights on what we perceive the desires of our heart are.
Certainly, this is what our heart is aching for, right? Isn’t that how the world defines joy and happiness? Where do these self-centered thoughts come from? It’s quite simple; they come from your father of sin and the one that rules over our lives here on earth. The one that drives the sinful desires of our marred and tainted heart. Let’s take a quick look at where the “I” syndrome we all possess started.
We find the fall of Satan in the book of Isaiah. Notice how many “I will” statements exist in these two verses
For you have said in your heart:
How does the old saying go? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Listen to the words of Jesus
The devil is your father. You are from him. You want to do the sinful things your father, the devil, wants you to do. He has been a killer from the beginning. The devil has nothing to do with the truth. There is no truth in him. It is expected of the devil to lie, for he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 (NLV)
On your own, you will never be able to fulfill the true desires of your heart, which are God centered. Instead you follow the desires placed there by your father, the devil. But through our ignorance, we keep on searching, hoping to find true happiness in this lost world run by Satan, don’t we?
Christopher Marlowe a 16th century English playwright presents an interesting view on the source of sin in his writing of The Jew of Malta.
“There is no sin but ignorance.” Ignorance is the breeding ground of error. And error is the source of sin. In biblical Hebrew, the generic word for sin is het. It means to err, to miss the mark. It does not mean to do evil. Though het, error, is not evil, it may bring evil in its wake.
Through our tainted free will decision making process, the possibility for evil, often unintentionally exists. Few people act knowingly with evil design. Most often a mistaken perception of what will result in the greatest pleasure provides the motivation behind the error that leads to evil and the tragedy that so frequently accompanies evil “Sin.”
Paul tells us in the book of Romans, chapter 3, verse 23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We’ve all fallen short or missed the mark when it comes to the glory of God. In fact, without Jesus, we miss the mark altogether when it comes to God.
If ignorance is the breeding ground of error, and error is the source of sin, it makes common sense that one of the prime areas of attack used by Satan against you and me is our ignorance. Our ignorance of who and what our Lord Jesus truly means to us.
Satan uses the false religions that he’s established around the world to keep us ignorant and confused. Our pulpits around the world are filled by Satan’s followers who preach a different Gospel than the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Listen to the words of the Apostle Paul concerning the establishment of Satan’s false religions.
I am amazed that you are turning away so soon from God who, in his love and mercy, invited you to share the eternal life he gives through Christ; you are already following a different “way to heaven,” which really doesn’t go to heaven at all. For there is no other way than the one we showed you; you are being fooled by those who twist and change the truth concerning Christ.
Let God’s curses fall on anyone, including myself, who preaches any other way to be saved than the one we told you about; yes, if an angel comes from heaven and preaches any other message, let him be forever cursed. I will say it again: if anyone preaches any other gospel than the one you welcomed, let God’s curse fall upon him. Galatians 1:6-9 (TLB)
There is a way which looks right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Proverbs 14:12 (NLV)
These false churches and cults teach us that through our own works and efforts we can get to Heaven. You can earn your way and be very proud of yourself when you stand before your Lord and He reviews your life’s documents that shows how religious, caring and generous a person you’ve been. Then to your surprise be told by Jesus on the final judgement day, that you’ve errored, you missed the mark, He will say, “I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.”
Listen to the words of Jesus;
“Knowing the correct password—saying ‘Master, Master,’ for instance—isn’t going to get you anywhere with me. What is required is serious obedience—doing what my Father wills. I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, ‘Master, we preached the Message, we bashed the demons, our God-sponsored projects had everyone talking.’ And do you know what I am going to say? ‘You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important. You don’t impress me one bit. You’re out of here.’ Matthew 7:22-23 (MSG)
If ignorance is the breeding ground of error and error is the source of sin, can you begin to understand without Jesus in your heart and life, Satan is playing you for a fool and laughing his demonic head off?
Satan has provided every marred and tainted desire of your heart. He does this to remove the thought of God from your mind. He plants the notion inside of you that you don’t need anyone else except you. You are the master of your own ship. You can do all things through your own strength, intelligence and self-driven desires and ambitions. What can God do for me that “I” can’t do myself?
He’s corrupted your thought process, played on your ignorance, your pride, and your selfishness, and blinded you to the truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He’s provided you with the false religions to support your blinded ignorance and centered you on the misguided thought process that good works will get you to heaven. He’s filled the world with every evil tempting desire your blind, ignorant, tainted and marred heart can want. Can you understand the disastrous dilemma that faces you, me and all of humanity?
You went along with the crowd and were just like all the others, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air, who is at work right now in the hearts of those who are against the Lord. Ephesians 2:2 (TLB)
Satan’s desire is for you to think only of yourself. He tells you that you don’t need God telling you what to do because you are the center of your universe and you and only you can achieve all things. “If it’s meant to be it’s up to me” should be your only thought process according to Satan.
This is the same lying process Satan used with Adam and Eve, and he hasn’t changed his approach since then and doesn’t need to. Read and learn.
The serpent was the craftiest of all the creatures the Lord God had made. So the serpent came to the woman. “Really?” he asked. “None of the fruit in the garden? God says you mustn’t eat any of it?” Of course we may eat it,” the woman told him. “It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not to eat. God says we mustn’t eat it or even touch it, or we will die. “That’s a lie!” the serpent hissed. “You’ll not die! God knows very well that the instant you eat it you will become like him, for your eyes will be opened—you will be able to distinguish good from evil!” The woman was convinced. How lovely and fresh looking it was! And it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit and gave some to her husband, and he ate it too. And as they ate it, suddenly they became aware of their nakedness, and were embarrassed. Genesis 3:1-7 (TLB)
Satan only needs to drive a wedge of doubt into your mind concerning God’s loving intent for you and me. He then steps back and lets our ignorant, prideful and selfish mind work. He watches with great joy as it leads us to error, miss the mark, and more times than not, fall straight into sin.
My friends, let me close with a final warning. If this is your mind set, one of pride and self-centeredness, and for this reason you didn’t accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior in my last lesson, then all I can say to you is that Satan has won. You have bought into his lie and unless you turn your thoughts and life to Jesus, my only recommendation to you, my friend, is to stop wasting your time reading my posts and enjoy your journey to hell with gusto. Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow you will die.
You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense.
Next month, I will look at how Satan is using the Common Grace of God to continue his attacks of deception. Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
“He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matt. 5: 44 – 45
Welcome back, my dear friends. Last month I spoke about how Satan, through his well-planned deceptions has convinced the unbelieving population of the world that they don’t need God to satisfy what they want or do with their life. They have bought into the “I” syndrome preached by Satan. “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.”
This month I want to continue the study on the deceptive plan of Satan to hide the Gospel of Jesus from you. I will now overlay the one God given gift that exists for the believers and unbelievers alike around the world — God’s Common Grace.
Through Common Grace God has shown His compassion and kindness to everyone.
The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. Psalm 145:9
“He is kind to those who are not thankful and to those who are full of sin. Luke 6:35
Satan has taken God’s gift to us and twisted it by deceiving the unbelieving world that all the good, kindness, success and achievement they experience are because of their own human efforts.
Satan has convinced the unbelieving population that pride, and selfishness are two of the strongest characteristics they possess, and that is why they are successful.
Satan knows that the Lord is good and compassionate to all, which makes his job even easier. The unbelieving world watches the lives of the so-called believers living around them and sees little or no difference in the way they live (which is truly a shame).
You have died with Christ and are set free from the ruling spirits of the universe. Why, then, do you live as though you belonged to this world? Why do you obey such rules as “Don\’t handle this,” “Don\’t taste that,” “Don\’t touch the other”? All these refer to things which become useless once they are used; they are only human rules and teachings. Colossians 2:20-22 (GNT)
Satan whispers to the unbelievers, see you don’t need God in your life. Just keep following the human rules and teachings I’ve established and supported by the many false religions I’ve planted around my world. Your success in life depends on you. This whole God thing is a waste of time.
God set up His Covenant with man to be enjoyed by believers and unbelievers alike. He did this so that we could co-exist with each other. God’s Common Grace was meant to:
“He is kind to those who are not thankful and to those who are full of sin. Luke 6:35
In Part 4 of my series on the Anatomy of Sin, I spoke at great length on the Common Grace of God. I listed six ways God sent His love and guidance to the World:
Let’s take each of these areas and weave them into an example of how Satan twists them in the mind of unbelievers. He fuels their self-pride and self-righteousness in order to keep them from understanding the implications of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Let’s take an imaginary look at the life of an unbeliever who is living under the Common Grace of God without his knowledge. Satan has blinded him to the truth and convinced him that he has accomplished everything on his own. Watch as Satan takes each area and twists it for his purpose and not Gods.
Let me introduce you to Iamma Unbeliever.
Iamma is just like you or me. He wakes up every morning taking a deep breath of clean air and stretches to wake up. He walks into the bathroom and gazes into the mirror admiring himself and thinking with a smile, I am one strong and healthy individual. My workouts at the gym and my decision to eat healthy are the reasons for how I look. Satan whispers: you’re so smart, you’re doing everything right. You look great!
Iamma has a nicer house than most in his neighborhood. He has a better job. He makes more money than his neighbors and the car he drives is the envy of the neighborhood. I’m obviously doing something right, he thinks. With luck and hard work, I’ve gotten almost everything I’ve wanted he tells himself. Satan whispers: you’re the best, keep at it and you’ll have everything you’ve ever wanted.
He lives in one of the most beautiful sections of town. The view from his front porch is magnificent. The trees and flowers are beautiful and, the river that runs past his house is serene. Life couldn’t be better Satan whispers: Look at all you’ve accomplished on your own. You should be very proud of yourself.
When it comes to his intellect none can compare. He’s graduated from one of the most prestigious universities in the country. He can grasp truth and distinguish it from error, and his knowledge continues to grow with each day. He’s proud of his ability to teach himself new things without the help of others. Satan whispers: you’re the smartest man on earth.
Iamma’s strong moral conscience is defined by the world’s view. He believes that right and wrong are subjective depending on the situation. He’ll be the first to tell you he’s a strong proponent of relativism. He’ll argue that if what each of us believes is true in our mind, then it’s true and there are no wrongs. Moral truths depend on the individual’s own insight. Satan whispers: you’re such an outstanding moral individual.
SATAN’S ATTACK ON MORALISM
My friends, let me stop right here, because you need to understand that your moral conscience is one of Satan’s key areas of attack on unbelievers as well as believers. His goal is to corrupt your God-given moral conscience of right and wrong, with the world’s moral view of right and wrong.
We each know right from wrong from God’s perspective.
They show that in their hearts they know what is right and wrong, the same as the law commands, and their consciences agree. Sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done wrong, and this makes them guilty. And sometimes their thoughts tell them that they have done right, and this makes them not guilty. Romans 2:15 (ERV)
Satan works hard to influence your God-given sense of right and wrong with the world’s definition of right and wrong, which is completely opposite of God’s.
Satan’s goal is to confuse you to the point that you no longer know God’s right from wrong from the world’s right from wrong. Overtime through our educational system, media outlets, and false religions, we are bombarded with the message of tolerance, that there are no right or wrongs just differences of opinion and that we need to be “tolerant” and “accept” everyone.
For the unbeliever it is very easy to buy into the world’s definitions of right or wrong. Why is it so easy for unbelievers? Romans 3:11-12 spells it out clearly.
No one has ever really followed God’s paths or even truly wanted to. Everyone has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right; not one. (TLB)
Back to Iamma’s story.
In Iamma’s spare time, he loves to play his guitar, which he learned to play himself. He often performs for Sunday morning church services and has a band that gets together to play for wedding receptions and graduations. He just loves when strangers come up to him and tell him how good he is. Satan whispers: no one can play the guitar better than you.
He strongly supports his local, state and federal politicians and understands that sometimes they need to bend the rules in order to satisfy the needs of the government. Satan whispers: there’s nothing wrong with a little white lie every now and then.
He supports law and order and the judicial systems to the point that it doesn’t infringe on the rights of an individual or group. He often questions police actions when it comes to enforcement. Satan whispers: you’re right to be suspicious of the police; they can’t be trusted.
Iamma’s proudest of how active he and his family are in their local church. He attends every Sunday when it’s not baseball, golf, football or basketball season; he volunteers for anything the church may need help with, if it’s convenient. His wife teaches in the children’s ministry, and his children are always part of the Christmas play. When it comes to knowing and understanding the Bible, he’ll tell you that’s the minister’s job not his. Satan whispers: you are such a religious person, you have surely earned your way into Heaven.
Satan knows that he has Iamma in his grasp and looks forward to the day when he welcomes him to his eternal home in Hell. Satan whispers: you should be proud of yourself, you have really made a success of your life and it has all been accomplished through your hard work, luck and determination.
Did you notice how Satan takes the various areas of God’s Common Grace and twists them giving credit to man for accomplishing what God has already given them.
God’s Common Grace has provided every successful opportunity of Iamma’s life, and he doesn’t know it. Satan’s whispers have succeeded in keeping the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ hidden from him.
The truly sad part of this story is that Iamma is like so many others who are traveling through life believing they are living a good Christian life that will get them into Heaven. Their false feeling of security is perpetuated by Satan’s lies and the humanistic religions and philosophies that support those lies. These worldly views have turned unbelievers away from the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Listen to God’s warning.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV)
God tells you.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV)
I would encourage, no, plead with you, to go back to my fourth lesson in this series and reread the end of the lesson. I would pray that this time you read it from your heart and not just your mind. Today is the day of your salvation — don’t let it slip by.
For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved from the punishment of sin. Romans 10:13 (NLV)
So now that you know whether you’re a believer or unbeliever, what we are up against when it comes to Satan and the world’s attacks; what can you do?
For the believer, the Word of God tells us exactly what to do. God’s Word gives you the road map on how to become victorious over Sin. This is how I will be finishing out the series. Have you ever wondered why bad things happen to good people? When the Bible talks about spiritual warfare what does it mean to you? How do you dress to do battle with this lost world and all its evil influences? These are just some of the topics’ I’ll dive into with you over the coming months.
For the unbelievers who are still with us, unfortunately none of what I’m going to write about from God’s Word will apply to you. God’s promises and instructions are only for His Children, the body of believers, the promised ones who have accepted Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. You are welcome to read along, something in it along the way may change your heart of stone into flesh.
Next month, I will begin looking at how to be victorious over Sin. Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my friends. At the close of my last lesson, I was more than a little harsh on the unsaved who may still be reading my posts. I can’t apologize for telling you the truth, but what I can do is once again share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with you. My prayer has always been that this time you will not only read with your mind but also your heart. I pray that your heart will be turned from stone into flesh and that you will be moved to accept His eternal offer.
Why is it important for you to understand?
What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. 1 Corinthians 2:12 (NIV)
What do I mean by you can’t understand the Bible without the Spirit? Listen to what the Apostle Paul said to the church in Ephesus.
This is a perfect description of how you and I were born. Satan’s DNA inside of us has blinded and confused our minds against God. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can unlock God’s truths in His Word.
The gospel of Christ is the good news of His coming to provide forgiveness of sins for all who will believe and ensuring your place with Him in eternity.
Since the first man’s (Adam) sin, mankind has been under the condemnation of God.
Everyone breaks God’s perfect law by committing sin, everyone is guilty.
The punishment for the crime of sin is physical and spiritual death.
An eternity spent in a place of punishment.
Let God’s words penetrate your heart of stone.
Listen to what the Lord God of the Universe is saying to you right now. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. Right now, turn your back on Satan and walk away. You can do it, he has no way of stopping you. The prayer below is meant as an outline for you to use. The principles of Salvation are there, and you can tailor it to your own heart. Now my friend is the day of your Salvation.
Dear God, I realize I am a sinner in need of salvation. I know that all my own good works and religious rituals can never save me. Only Jesus can save me.
I believe that Jesus, my Savior, came to earth for me and that he died on the cross for my sins. I believe that He was buried and on the third day rose and now sits at your right hand as my advocate.
I am asking you Jesus to forgive my sins and to come into my life now and be my Lord and Master now and for all eternity. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
You are now at a crossroad my friend. You must answer the question each one of us must answer at some time in our life. You have now heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You must now answer this question.
What will you do with Jesus?
There are only two answers to the question.
Now, if you feel I am not telling you the truth about Jesus Christ being the only way to Salvation. Well then for me. I have only wasted my lifetime living a lie. But if what I am saying is true and you are still not going to believe it. Well then, my friend you’ve wasted an eternity.
What’s your decision?
It is my prayer that you’ve finally settled things with God, through His Son Jesus Christ. Listen to what is going on in Heaven right now.
Let us now move on to our lesson on being Victorious over Sin. Through this lesson I want us to focus on making sure our faith is grounded in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without keeping our faith and trust grounded in Him we leave ourselves open to the waves of doubt and indecision Satan throws at us.
Let me give you an example. For me at times, and I realize that It’s driven by the left-over remnants of my old nature, but it happens anyway (I’m only human). It is called jealousy, and envy.
As you look around the world we live in, have you ever looked at the unsaved and wondered. Why can’t I have what they have? They’re happy, prosperous, healthy and everyone loves them. I’m basically asking my God, “why do good things happen to bad people?”
When these thoughts begin to creep into my mind through Satan’s whispers, my sinful nature is more than happy to jump in and assist in the process. I think things like, what benefit do I get from keeping my thoughts pure? What good is my battle to keep myself from sin?
It’s then that I realize I’ve lost my focus on Heavenly things and dropped my focus back on earthly things. I’ve allowed my faith to be influenced and disrupted by what I see happening in the world around me.
Has this ever happened to you? You’ll be happy to know that these thoughts are nothing new that the Lord God of the Universe hasn’t already heard.
Over 1,000 years before the birth of Jesus there was a man by the name of Asaph. He was a Levite musician appointed by King David to lead the worship that surrounded the covenant chest in the congregation tent. Asaph was one of the leaders of the temple choir that sounded the cymbals. (1 Chronicles 16:4–6). One of the most interesting things about Asaph was that he wrote Psalm’s 50, and 73-83. Listen to what he wrote in Psalm 73.
An Asaph Psalm a leader of one of the temple choirs.
The Good and the Sinful
Asaph like me lost his focus on Heavenly things and dropped his focus back on earthly things. He allowed his faith to be influenced and disrupted by what he saw happening in the world around him.
So, as you can see our Lord has heard this jealous complaint for over 3,000 years. So, don’t beat yourself up when these thoughts cross your mind.
Our sinful remnant will always be with us until we reach glory. However, I’ve used this example to say that to be victorious over sin at all lies first in making sure your faith is grounded in the One who matters. I believe this is a key first step for every believer at whatever stage of your Christian walk.
As Asaph walked through and lived in the world of his time, he was exposed to all the worldly pleasure Satan offers to the unbeliever to keep them blinded to the Gospel. He was no different than you or me today. Satan’s number one attack on all believers is to shake the very foundation of their faith. Why is that important to him?
You are now an object of God\’s love; part of God\’s family; an escaped prisoner of Satan and a danger to him. You are a holy rebel loose in his world with access to the throne of God. Satan never knows from what direction the danger will come.
Just as Jesus walked the earth planting faith filled seeds of the Good News of the Gospel. Satan follows Him by planting seeds of doubt concerning your faith in the Good News of the Gospel. He will drop seeds of doubt in your mind such as. Why would God want to save someone like you after all the things you’ve done? You can’t trust the Bible, it’s so old and outdated. The leaders of your World Religions know more than the Bible, you need to listen to them. Are you sure you are really saved?
He started using this technique at the very beginning of creation. He worked on Eve until he got her to doubt God’s good intentions for her. By getting her to question her very faith and trust in God, he got her to eat the apple and to fall into his trap getting her to sin.
He is the seed planter of doubt in all believers and will tirelessly work to find the one thing that will shake your faith and turn you away from God. The book of Job is the best example of this battle.
So, what is this faith I’m talking about?
Man/World’s definition of Faith: (Theol.) That which is believed on any subject, whether in science, politics, or religion; especially (Theol.), a system of religious belief of any kind; as, the Jewish or Mohammedan faith; the Christian faith; also, the creed or belief of a Christian society or church.(Source Webster’s Dictionary)
Human faith can only believe what it can see, taste, hear, smell, or feel; it’s limited to the five senses. Using natural human faith, we can sit in a chair we’ve never sat in and believe it will hold us up. We fly in airplanes when we don’t fully understand how they work, and we don’t know the pilot, but we trust that everything will be okay. That takes human faith, which God gave to every person.
God’s Definition of Faith: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11-1 NIV
Simply put, the definition of faith according to the Bible, is belief in the one, true God without seeing Him. “trusting in something you cannot explicitly prove.”
When it comes to God, we must believe things that we cannot see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. You have not seen God or Satan. You have not seen Heaven or Hell. You have not seen sin; therefore, you would not know what you would look like if your sins were taken away.
However, you must believe in all these things to be born again. How can you believe in things you cannot see? The answer is that you cannot believe in invisible things with human faith. You need God\’s supernatural faith.
Where does supernatural faith come from?
Faith is the very foundation of our salvation! Faith is a gift from God, not because we deserve it, have earned it, or are worthy to have it. It is not from ourselves it is from God. It is not obtained by our power or our free will. It is simply given to us by God, along with His grace and mercy, according to His holy plan and purpose, and because of that, He gets all the glory.
In closing, let me give you five ways to strengthen your faith. Because faith must be active in every aspect of a believer’s life. What breathing is to your body, faith is to your soul.
First, in the reading of the Word:
31 But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life. John 20:31 (GNT)
Second, listening to the preaching of God\’s servants:
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV
Third, in praying:
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:6 (ESV)
Fourth, in our daily life:
7 Our life is lived by faith. We do not live by what we see in front of us. 2 Corinthians 5:7 (NLV)
20 so that it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. This life that I live now, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. Galatians 2:20 (GNT)
Fifth, in our exit from this world:
21 To me, the only important thing about living is Christ. And even death would be for my benefit. Philippians 1:21 (ERV)
Next month will look at some of the stumbling blocks Satan has placed in your path, let us call them the enemies of your faith. I will also answer the question. What faith is not. Until next time my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my friends. How is your faith doing today? I want to move on with our study in faith by first looking at the stumbling blocks Satan uses to hinder your faith. He wants you to question what your faith is fastened to. What is the object of your faith? Remember, the strength of your faith is directly related to the strength of what you believe in. What are you believing in? Who are you believing in? God or the world?
Remember, you are an escaped prisoner of Satan, and you are a danger to him. You are a holy rebel loose in his world. You are now part of God’s family with access to the throne of your Heavenly Father. You now have a big red target on your back that says “Believer” and his minions have express orders to destroy your faith, using whatever method they can.
So, how is he doing this? He and his minions place stumbling blocks in your mind’s path; let’s call them the Enemies of your Faith. His goal is to get you to question your faith in God. If he can succeed in disrupting your faith, then he sidelines you from effectively sharing the Good News about Jesus Christ and stops other prisoners (unbelievers) from escaping his grasp.
Let’s take a look at some of the faith crushing boulders he rolls in your path. Below each stumbling block, I’ve provided a corresponding Scripture verse to help you overcome the block in your path.
1.Ignorance. You cannot believe a promise until you hear it or find it
2.Fear. Negative fear is an emotion based on the real expectation of bad things to come. It is rooted in anxiety and a lack of trust in God\’s fatherly protection and love. Perfect love casts out fear. (1Jn 4:18). God is perfect love.
3.Doubt. Doubt is an enemy to faith because it speaks with a voice that challenges the truth or the reliability of what we should be believing.
4.Discouragement. Sometimes we feel discouraged because of physical or emotional weakness or tiredness. We may be disappointed by the behavior of other Christians. Perhaps we have waited for what may or may not be God\’s promise to you, and you grow impatient. Many Christians at some time in their lives become disappointed with God. Satan uses discouragement to weaken and if possible, destroy our faith.
To overcome discouragement, we must decide to be strong in the Lord.
We must want to be strong and stop making excuses for our weakness and failure. We must consider God\’s faithfulness to us in the past, even through difficulties.
5.The Love of Praise. When you are more interested in what people, even Christian people, think of you, than what God thinks of you, according to Jesus, you won’t be able to truly believe in Him. Why? Because God’s priorities and man’s are different. Jesus said,
My friend, a lack of faith leads to a lack of obedience. God\’s commands can only really be fulfilled through faith. Without confidence in God\’s promises you will never really do what God says, For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 (NKJV)
How often have you heard someone say, “If I only had enough faith, I could do so and so and such and such,” as though faith were a commodity sold by the pound, as though all you have to do is buy another pound of faith and add it to the store you have now, and you could do great things for God.
The quantity of faith is of little significance. Jesus said so: “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you could move mountains” Matthew 17:20.
It is not quantity that is important in faith, it is the quality. Every born-again believer already has the same quality and quantity of faith that Jesus has.
Let me close our study on faith with what it is not.
Faith is not a matter of being sure of all the factual, logical, footnoted, photographed, notarized evidence that our senses can confirm. It’s not what we can see, taste, hear, smell, or feel. That’s what our human faith is based on. It is a matter of being certain of what we do not see! The greatest power to overcome doubt comes from the Holy Spirit Himself, who “bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
Trusting God
It is now time for you to take your faith and put it into action. It’s one thing to have faith, but my friend, you need to take that faith you have in God and actively combine it with trust in God.
Let me ask you, do you really take that faith you have in God and trust Him with it completely, without question or hesitation?
One of the many great and glorious Attributes of God is that He is immutable. What does that mean? The immutability of God means His quality of never changing.
Webster Dictionary defines immutability as not capable of or susceptible to change. This describes the Lord God of the Universe.
Other synonyms for immutability are unchallengeable, absolute, unassailable, undeniable, indisputable, unquestionable, irreversible, final, unalterable, permanent, irretrievable, fixed and binding.
God is unchangeable in His nature, perfections, purposes, promises, and gifts. He is ever perfect and, as God, cannot be otherwise. Perfection is an absolute, and it is impossible for Him to be “more perfect” or “less perfect.” By contrast, a human being lacks God’s infinite capacities. A human is finite and mutable and always has room for improvement.
Webster’s Dictionary defines mutability as prone to change, capable of change or of being changed. This describes you and me.
Other synonyms for mutability are, undependable, untrustworthy, irresponsible. reckless, fickle, erratic, unpredictable, inconstant, faithless, untrue, flighty, unstable, volatile, and skittish.
Let me ask you: Have the circumstances in your life, such as unemployment, no money to pay your rent, a family member suffering from a terrible disease with no chance of recovering, sexual abuse, or drug/alcohol addiction, led you to believe that the very God you have faith in obviously can’t be trusted if He’s just standing by and doing nothing to help you? We can only find real answers to life’s uncertainties when we keep our focus on God and trust Him.
Do you feel like you should be a happier person? Do you trust in material things to bring you happiness, only to be let down with each new purchase? Or do you place your trust in people to make you happy only to find out they are untrustworthy or undependable? Do you trust that getting high or drinking is the real key to happiness, only to wake up the next morning and find that nothing has changed? We can only find real happiness when we keep our focus on God and trust Him.
We strive for more and more, trusting that the promotion or the raise or the move to a new location will finally bring us peace. Then we discovered that we did not find peace at all. We can only find real peace when we keep our focus on God and trust Him.
We all have an ingrained need and desire to trust in someone or something to be happy. It’s one of the God-given attributes we all have deep in our soul. You were created to yearn for, seek and trust God. All the uncertainty and unhappiness you feel inside of you right now can only be wiped away by seeking and trusting God.
Some may say: Wait a moment — doesn’t the Bible talk about God repenting over a decision He has made and changing His mind? The flood being an example; God destroyed all of humanity.
He was sorry that He made Saul the first King over Israel.
These are passages that seem to contradict the Immutability of God. Yes, God was grieved that he had made Saul king, but he did not claim to have made a mistake. In fact, because God is perfect, he cannot make mistakes. He felt sorry that Saul’s heart had turned away from him. But later in the chapter, we see that God cannot and does not “change his mind.” There is no conflict between this fact and the reality that God was grieved.
I cannot explain why God decreed to be grieved over making man or making Saul king. However, the explanation is amazingly simple. When speaking of Himself, God frequently accommodates His language to our limited capacities of understanding, He is infinite, and we are finite. He describes Himself as clothed with bodily members, as eyes, ears, hands, etc. He speaks of Himself as \”waking\” (Psalm 78:65 TLB), as \”rising up early\” (Jerimiah 7:13 TLB); yet He neither slumbers nor sleeps. The word that describes God using human parts in the description of Himself is “anthropomorphism,” and these descriptions do not indicate weakness or changeability in His divine will. When He institutes a change in His dealings with men, He describes His course of conduct as \”repenting.”
God’s decrees are irreversible. He will never change his decision or alter his decree. God is omniscient (all-knowing); he already knew Saul would not follow his desires. Yet, the immutable God is grieved about Saul’s inauguration. Here is the marvel. God in eternity past decreed all this. He decreed to make Saul king. He decreed Saul’s disobedience. He decreed to be grieved over making Saul king. He decreed to replace Saul’s house with David’s house (a change). All this is irreversible because God is immutable.
Faith is the cornerstone to our belief in God. But trust is the Rock on which we need to stand. God is referred to as the Rock, and it emphasizes the stability and permanence of God and His unchanging nature.
Jesus said:
My friend, Jesus didn’t say if disasters happen or hard times overwhelm you, but when they happen. When the problems of life beat down on you like hard rains, when your doubts and despair begin to overwhelm you like a flood and when the winds of change come blowing and try to knock you over, if your faith and trust are in the Lord God of the Universe, your Rock, you will not fall.
On this rock you can trust that when you’re surrounded and battered by troubles and when you’re demoralized and not sure what to do, God knows what to do. When your faith is being spiritually terrorized by Satan, God hasn’t left your side. Remember, your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is living in your heart, He’s living within you so you can trust in Him and through Him be victorious.
The Apostle Paul reminds us not to give up.
Finally, my friends, let me close this lesson with one more word to add to the rock-solid foundation you’ve built on faith and trust in the Lord God of the Universe. The final word is hope.
What is hope? Hope is to cherish a desire with anticipation. It is to want something to happen, trusting with a longing expectation of receiving it — a fulfillment to expect with confidence
I’m not speaking of a hope based on anything this world has to offer.
I’m speaking of the hope that comes from the Lord through the Holy Spirit. As believers, our hope is a future hope and eternal hope. My friend, there is no hope in this present world. God’s word tells us that this present-day Heaven and Earth will be destroyed and replaced with a new Heaven and Earth.
That, my friend, is the hope we are to look forward to. It is nothing less than an eternal hope that we hope for. Remember, God is immutable; He cannot lie. So, if He said it would happen, that’s good enough for me. How about you?
Need something to hope for while you’re waiting? Grab hold of one of the verses below and make it your statement of Hope.
Next month, we’ll look at how, as a believer, you need to dress in order to protect yourself from Satan’s wicked barbs. To stand firm against those unbelievers living in this sinful World who encourage you to partake in their sinful pleasures. Until next time, my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my friends. During this time of uncertainty swirling around us with the Coronavirus, civil unrest, and tension between nations, you need to hold fast to your Faith, Trust, and Hope in the Lord now more than ever.
Each morning when you awake, before you get out of bed, clear your mind and focus on the Lord God of the Universe. Talk to Him, declaring with all your heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit that all your Faith, all your Trust, and all of your Hopes are wrapped up in Him and His Holy Word today, Amen.
Now get up out of bed with the confidence that God, your source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Now you will overflow with confidence through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Five years ago in my series, “The Next Step – Living Your Life Through Jesus,” I spoke about the need to dress properly if you want to survive and successfully do battle with Satan and his minions who will confront you today and every day of your life while you are still here living in this lost world.
Using that lesson as our foundation, let’s prepare to put on the Whole Armor of God to stand firm. God warns us to; Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NIV)
The Whole Armor of God is really a figurative description of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself. The armor is Christ and what He is prepared to be and to do in our life.
The Apostle Paul uses a metaphor to compare a Roman soldier’s need to protect his body before he goes into battle with a Believer’s need to do the same for his or her spiritual battle. Paul\’s design was to touch on the most important qualities in a Believer’s life, and he adapts a soldier’s armor to explain those qualities.
The difference between the two is that the Roman soldier is going into battle against humans (flesh and blood) who are standing right in front of him. However, Believers are preparing for a spiritual battle — a battle that is going on all around them and in them, one that they can neither see nor defend themselves against under their own power.
The two battles also are different in their armor needs. The soldier’s battle is against external forces, so his armor needs to be on the outside of his body for protection. The Believer’s battle is against unseen forces that attack your very heart and soul. The world cannot see this because the world is unaware of the heavenly realms. The world has no idea what is taking place through you and me.
A Believer’s battle armor needs to be on the inside to guard their spiritual being. All the resources that the Believer needs are drawn from Christ and \”his mighty power.\”
What is the purpose of a soldier? He fights battles! And that is what God is doing in and through us right now. He has given us the privilege of serving on the battlefield upon which His great victories are won.
So, why is the Apostle Paul so focused on why we need to put on the whole armor of God? Listen to what the he says in Ephesians 6:12 (GNT)
The reality, my friends, is that for now, you and I are still living in a world controlled by Satan. But, because you are now a child of God and we are a foreigner and enemy in Satan’s domain, life for us Believers will continue to be a struggle full of conflict and warfare as you serve your Lord here on earth.
This is the process of sanctification. To “sanctify” something is to set it apart for special use; to “sanctify” a person is to make him/her holy. Prior to your salvation, your behavior displayed the control and influence of Satan in your life and your separation from God.
Your behavior now should begin displaying your righteous standing before God and separation from the world.
Little by little, every day, “Believers are being sanctified” and becoming more like Christ.” “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,” 1 Corinthians 1:30 (NASB)
Through God’s grace and mercy, you were justified (saved), a once-for-all, positional holiness in Christ. Now, God guides you to spiritual maturity (sanctification). He accomplishes this through His instruction manual the Bible, taught to you personally by the Holy Spirit inside of you.
As your Lord Jesus continues to work and grow in your life through the Holy Spirit, things in your life will naturally begin to change. You may not notice it first, but those around you will begin to see a change. It is a change that affects how you think and your character. They will notice how you’ve become more truthful, honest, and genuine when talking with them. It is your integrity, sincerity and dependability others will see when dealing with you.
Through your sanctification process, which will last your entire life, Jesus is accomplishing remarkable things in you and me. Remember, to “sanctify” someone is to set them apart for special use; to “sanctify” a person is to make him/her holy.
This call to holiness means that we as Believers are to set ourselves apart from the customs and values of this unbelieving world we live in and to live by the character and teachings of Jesus. This means you are no longer allowing your previous unbelief to define you.
My friends, as Believers we are truly free from the control of sin. You must realize now that Satan no longer has control of you like the unbelievers around us, although Satan will work diligently to make you believe he is still in control. It is purely a mind game he is playing with you. Remember, you are a Child of God so stop falling for his lies.
When life’s temptations sneak up on you, simply say to him, “Satan you aren’t in the driver’s seat anymore, just get in the back seat and keep your mouth shut. Jesus is behind the wheel now.” It’s just another way of saying “Get thee behind me Satan.”
Your new inside body armor will consist of the following
This, then, is our six-fold calling. God has equipped us with every spiritual blessing, with every gift we need, so that we might become a soldier for Jesus Christ.
Let’s understand each piece of this armor you’re to put on, and how each piece interacts with the other in order to be properly dressed with “the whole Armor of God.”
The first thing you begin with is the belt of truth buckled around your waist. What is truth? Jesus Christ is the truth.
Jesus is the truth, He is the key to your life, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Colossians 2:3 (NIV)
Paul is talking here about renewing your mind each morning with an attitude of truthfulness, sincerity and honesty so that you are ready to face the “father of liars.”
It’s important that this belt is tight around you. Why? Because this is who you will be dealing with today in the unbeliever’s world.
The Breastplate of Righteousness is your righteous standing before God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you already have the Breastplate of Righteousness on.
Remember, justification is God’s declaring those who receive Christ as their personal savior to be righteous/saved (Romans 5:17-19). In Hebrew culture, the heart symbolized the mind or the thinking process and your emotions.
Do you sometimes sense that spiritual forces are stirring up conflict in your life to hinder your prayers, to hinder your witness, to block your relationship with God and to rob you of your Christian joy?
It is the Breastplate of Righteousness which guards your heart and emotions against the accusations and charges of Satan and secures our innermost being from his attacks. Now your heart can be at peace with the world around you.
In spiritual warfare, it’s vital for the Believer to be wearing the right kind of footwear.
Ray C. Stedman in his book, Spiritual Warfare, says it best.
“When Paul writes “with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace,” he is talking about a peace in the heart that makes you able to fight. Does that sound contradictory, a peace that readies you for war? Not at all! The best soldier, is one who is at peace with their mission, who believes they fight in a just cause, who has trust in their commanders, who knows they are well equipped, and who believes that victory is assured. That is precisely the peace we have as we prepare to go to war against our enemy! Christ is or peace, our source of assurance and confidence as we face the battle. He is our serenity amid the raging storm of spiritual warfare. No ground can be too rough for Christ. Where He leads, we follow without hesitation, even if He leads us to storm the very gates of hell itself! So, as you walk remember who you are and to whom you belong to, the family of God. Be ready for battle by taking the gospel, with its focus on peace vertically with God and horizontally with other people.”
Satan’s attacks can sometimes cause us to doubt God. Faith reminds us to trust God, so faith is the protective shield between us and the schemes of Satan. Faith is the foundation of our belief; it is our confidence and hope in the One we can trust. When we trust God and take Him at His word, we remain grounded in truth, and our faith, loyalty and convictions remain intact. Then the lies of Satan lose their power.
Carrying the shield of faith provides a blanket of protection and is the first barrier against the temptations of Satan that he whispers in your ear and the fiery darts of temptation his demonic minions fire at you all day long.
What does Paul mean when he tells us to Put on salvation as your helmet? He is not talking about the day of your salvation, instead he is talking about something to keep our thinking straight amid the confused, chaotic world we live in.
Paul is telling us to set our minds on the marvelous Grace and Mercy God provides us each day and to fill our thoughts with the future glory we will enjoy when Jesus returns to earth.
As we wear the Helmet of Salvation, we gain a clearer mindset that is insulated against the suggestions, desires, and traps that Satan lays for us.
You can now focus on and think about the future glory God has planned for you.
Remember, we live in this world, but we are not to be part of this world. So why waste your time thinking about it and all the problems that unbelievers struggle with. Instead, take the advice of the Apostle Paul.
The Word of God, the Bible, is the only proper offensive weapon in the Christian’s armory as you enter Satan’s world. The more you read, learn and memorize God’s Holy Word, the better prepared you are for the Holy Spirit to bring to mind the right scripture at the right time when you are tempted.
Three times in the desert, Satan tempted Jesus and all three times Jesus defeated him by quoting scriptures from God’s Holy Word. The more you know and understand the Bible, the sharper your sword becomes.
The double-edged sword of the Word of God can penetrate any heart of stone in an unbeliever with whom you are witnessing.
Lastly, remember that prayer is necessary as a means by which you will draw spiritual strength from God. Without prayer and reliance upon God, your efforts at spiritual warfare will be empty and ineffective against Satan’s attacks.
Finally, remember each piece of armor is essential in protecting your body, mind and spirit against the unseen warfare that is going on all around you.
My friend do not be afraid to go into battle. Your General, the Lord Jesus Christ, will always be at the head of the charge against the evil rulers of the unseen world, those mighty satanic beings and great evil princes of darkness who rule this world. He will work in and through you to bring honor and glory to our Heavenly Father’s name.
So, as you can see, the armor the Apostle Paul is talking about is inside of you. Don’t panic and start trying to build your armor by your own strength. It has all been provided to you through Jesus Christ.
Until next time my friend may mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. After one and a half years of teaching and talking about Sin, it is time to bring our study of the “Anatomy of Sin” to a close. Over our time together, I’ve talked about the fundamentals of Sin, answered questions, such as did God create Sin, where did Sin originate, how Satan brought Sin to earth, and talked about our Total Depravity in the eyes of God, the degrees of sin, and the Gospel of Satan (Christless Christianity). I’ve discussed the personal characteristics of Satan and his deceptive kingdom. We’ve learned about God’s Common Grace as it relates to Sin, the You Factor in Sin, and how to claim victory over Sin. Finally, I’ve shown you through God’s Holy Word how a believer is to prepare and dress for the daily battle against wicked spiritual forces and the cosmic powers of the dark age.
The knowledge and understanding of how Sin affects your thinking process is important for each one of us. Sin is the driving force of the world we live in. The ruler of this earth, Satan, (2 Corinthians 4:4) uses his minions to tempt us day and night to sin, keeping us from God’s saving Grace.
I want to close our study of “The Anatomy of Sin” by looking at and understanding where your source of “Wisdom” comes from. Just as there are two types of individuals living on this earth, believers and unbelievers, there are two types of wisdom we can seek after — “Satan’s human wisdom” or “Godly wisdom.” That is why the knowledge of how sin affects your thinking process is so important for each of us to understand.
For the unbeliever, the only source of wisdom available is Satan’s human wisdom. These are life’s philosophies and values that have been crafted and taught to the world by Satan. These philosophies and values of human wisdom are supported through our worldly educational, social and religious systems.
However, the believer is caught in the trap of having access to not only Satan’s human wisdom but also Godly wisdom. This is the game Satan loves to play with the believer’s thinking process. He tries to blend them together in our mind to confuse us.
So, if we are born in sin, live in sin, and die in sin, what do you have to show for your existence here? Fifty or a hundred years from now, will anyone remember you, or what you did?
Our lives are but vapors in the wind. On a cold morning when you go outside take a breath and exhale. What you see is a white mist that appears in the air and then disappears. That, my friend, is our life span here on earth.
Human wisdom tells us that the drudgery of life can become a useless repeat of the same activities day after day, never achieving anything of value. Life moves on. One generation is always passing from the scene, and another is always arriving. Man is born merely to be caught up in the generational tide and then die. The sun rises and then it sets, races around the earth to rise again the next day. The rains come, run into the sea, evaporate, then come back over land, rain again and run back into the sea. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. Life is an endless and meaningless repetition. Man’s labor achieves nothing permanent; only the earth remains forever. The universe goes on, and we are lost in the revolving, mindless gears of its machinery.
Does a statement like this leave you feeling like there is little or no hope for your life here on earth? It does me.
The above conclusions about life came from one of the Old Testament Kings. King Solomon, the wealthy and wise king of the nation of Israel who succeeded his father, King David, said in the first chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes,
The Teacher has completed his survey of life and gives this conclusion and understanding of life from a human wisdom’s perspective. He has concluded that everything is futile, senseless and meaningless.
For the unbeliever, as well as the believer, King Solomon’s view of life is right on target. Why? It is because of this bleak outlook on life that Satan has crafted a system of pleasurous temptations to take your mind off of your miserable lot in life.
What is your purpose on this earth? Surely, we don’t exist just to work, possibly marry and have children, grow old and begin to lose our memory and our very self-worth to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, and then die? There must be something more. Right?
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary tells us.
“The Teacher, writing as a wise and observant king of David’s line, sets out his theme. He lives in a world riddled through with vanity, futility, and frustration. Human beings, struggling to live, meet frustration at every turn. One looks back to the record of sin’s entry into human life (Gen 3:6-24). Humanity chose to become self-centered and self-guided rather than remaining God-centered and God-guided. Thus, they became earthbound and frustrated, and this book demonstrates that there is no firm foundation under the sun for earthbound people to build on so as to find meaning, satisfaction, and the key to existence.”
Join me as I close my series on “The Anatomy of Sin” by journeying with King Solomon through his book of Ecclesiastes. This will be a two-part series comparing Satan’s worldly human wisdom to God’s wisdom to answer life’s questions from two different points of view.
In this first lesson, King Solomon will deal with looking at life through “Satan’s human wisdom,” and then in the next lesson, he will look at life using Godly wisdom. It is through the comparison of these two points of view that we will find out how we can find true meaning, satisfaction, and the key to existence in this sinful world we live in.
Let’s start with answering the question: who is King Solomon?
King Solomon, the son of King David, lived 3,000 years ago and reigned over Israel from 970 to 930 B.C. King Solomon was the wisest and wealthiest person who ever lived. If you were to estimate his wealth by today’s standards, his net worth would be more than $2.1 trillion.
How did King Solomon become so rich and wise? We find our answer in 1 Kings 3:3-13. Solomon sacrificed to God, and God later appeared to him in a dream, asking what Solomon wanted from God. Solomon asked for wisdom. Pleased, God personally answered Solomon\’s prayer,
The book of Ecclesiastes is unique in Scripture in that it is the only book in the Bible that reflects a human, rather than divine, point of view.
Ray Stedman in his book Adventuring Through the Old Testament advises and cautions us this way.
“Ecclesiastes is filled with error, yet it is wholly inspired. This may seem confusing. After all, isn’t divine inspiration a guarantee of truth? Not necessarily. Inspiration merely guarantees accuracy from a particular point of view: If it is God’s point of view, it is true; if it is a human point of view, it may or may not be true. If it is the devil’s point of view, it may or may not be true, for whenever Satan speaks, most of his statements are in error and even the truth he uses is intended to mislead.
Inspiration guarantees an accurate reflection of these various points of view. When the Bible speaks, it speaks the truth about God’s truth, and it speaks the truth about the errors of human beings and of Satan. Because Ecclesiastes reflects a human, rather than a divine, point of view, it is often misused and twisted out of context by the enemies of God’s Word. Ecclesiastes is the favorite book of atheists and agnostics. Many cults love to quote this book’s erroneous viewpoints and give the impression that these words represent God’s viewpoint on life.
Though Ecclesiastes is inspired by God, it is designed to show the futility of life from a purely human viewpoint.”
During King Solomon’s 40-year reign, Jerusalem experienced a period of complete peace. Since Solomon did not have to bother himself with war and military life, he had all the time he needed to pursue his inquiries into the meaning of life.
He also had all the wealth he needed, plus a keen, logical mind. With great resources of money, time and intellect, he was free to discover what life is all about. Therefore, the value of Ecclesiastes is that it sets forth life from the standpoint of Satan’s human wisdom, apart from divine revelation or Godly wisdom. How did King Solomon’s observations about life using only human wisdom get him to this bleak point of view?
For that answer, we must start at the beginning to find out how we’ve ended up like this. We need to go all the way back to Genesis. When God made Adam and Eve, they were perfect, and He placed them in a perfect garden. Had they remained God-Centered, they would have lived perfectly for all eternity in fellowship with God. However, they chose to become Self-Centered and started the death process for everything on earth. In Genesis 3:17-19, God places His curse on man.
Because of Adam’s sin, God placed a curse upon the world, the people, the animals, the plants and the very ground. Adam had to fight weeds and thistles to make a living out of the ground, while Eve had to suffer in childbirth. Suffering and toil are part of the curse God put upon this earth because of sin. Through Adam’s struggle to make a living, he would have to toil and sweat to get a harvest. This would remind him that his disobedience had affected all of creation.
The curse God placed on Adam still exists today. King Solomon reasons, What do people really get for all their hard work? 10 I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. (3:9)
Solomon begins by demonstrating the meaninglessness of life apart from God. He goes on to substantiate his claim by proving the meaninglessness in nature, human society and human behavior using Satan’s human wisdom only in his observations.
In chapter one, King Solomon begins with observing life in general as it relates to nature.
He goes on to say
Solomon has discovered in his observation of nature, that all this is meaningless repetition. He feels the utter weariness of this endless cycle. So, what is his outlook? The universe goes on, and we are lost in the revolving, mindless gears of its machinery.
Knowledge has always been at the foundation of our civilization. Everything we have and all that we’ve accomplished and achieved was produced with the knowledge we’ve learned since our existence. Let’s take a look at what Solomon found out concerning knowledge.
If human knowledge only increases the distress in our life, it seems all we can do is exist and make the best of it while on earth. Human wisdom now tells you, you might as well live it up while you can, because it will all be over someday. Satan’s wisdom tells us that life is short — play hard.
It sounds practical. It seems to make sense. But this is not God’s counsel. It’s the world’s counsel. It’s Satan’s counsel — and it’s a snare for the worldly, the proud and the foolish.
So, in order to relieve the stress and boredom of life, Satan has filled this earth with every imaginable pleasure we can think of. So, King Solomon says,
Next, I changed my course again and followed the path of folly, so that I could experience the only happiness most men have throughout their lives.
In the cultural arts, I organized men’s and women’s choirs and orchestras.
And then there were my many beautiful concubines.
King Solomon had provided himself with wine, women and song as well as luxuries, buildings and gardens. And although these brought him pleasures for the moment, they also brought him no enduring satisfaction, for he was always seeking something new to do.
Moving on, Solomon says surely it will be good for me to understand the difference between being wise and being a fool.
His conclusion:
After King Solomon realized both the wise and the foolish will eventually die, he also realized something else.
So, what does a man get for all his hard work? Days full of sorrow and grief, and restless, bitter nights. Let’s add that to the boredom and distress that knowledge brings, and the lack of satisfaction pleasure brings, and what is King Solomon’s conclusion? It is all utterly ridiculous.
The gold-leaf standard in Satan’s world today is to be beautiful, rich and successful. The world judges an individual by his or her wealth. The richer a person is, the more they are admired. Surely if King Solomon lived today, he would be at the top of the heap because he was the wealthiest person who ever lived. So, King Solomon asks himself: what about wealth? He concludes,
The rich have everything they want and need, yet they still have cravings that can’t be satisfied.
Ray Stedman adds these comments on Ecclesiastes
“In chapter 5, King Solomon examines religion, and yes, even religion, he finds, is meaningless! Trying to live a good life and be a good person is meaningless! There’s no practical value to it, no ultimate satisfaction. What’s more, it’s hard to tell religious and irreligious people apart! He observes that many religious people behave in unethical ways. They break vows to God. They oppress the poor. They are greedy and selfish. Religious formalism is empty and meaningless like everything else.
In chapter 10, he explores the inequity, unfairness, and uncertainty of life. Even a wise lifestyle can let you down. Sometimes, no matter how carefully and diligently we live, we end up at the bottom of the food chain. Slaves end up on horseback, while princes wind up walking. Fools climb to the top of the heap, while the wise end up underneath it. Despite your best efforts to live a good life, in the end life is not fair. In fact, life is meaningless.”
Solomon’s quest to find meaning and happiness in his life under the sun through Satan’s human wisdom didn’t really turn up anything of value except meaningless boredom, distress, worry, insomnia and the lack of satisfaction.
In today’s society, when people experience these types of thoughts, they get a sort of tunnel vision that all is hopeless. They find themselves in the middle of a crisis and turn to alcoholism, drug abuse and even suicide as their answer. My friend, this is what relying on human wisdom will bring. This is the foundation of Satan’s human wisdom philosophies, and he welcomes all that will follow him into darkness and an eternity with him in hell.
Unfortunately, and not to be cruel, this, my friend, is all that an unbeliever has to look forward to in his or her lifetime. They are unable to access Godly wisdom because they are separated from Him by Sin. Unless…
From a human point of view, the Teacher has summed up everything quite well. Life lived apart from God comes to only one end— meaninglessness and despair.
But there is another viewpoint that I haven’t shared with you yet. Join me next time as King Solomon searches for the perspective that sees life from beyond the sun, not merely under it; here comes the perspective of God.
Until next time, my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. I know my last lesson was not very hopeful for those looking for life’s answers. However, it was written to specifically demonstrate that following Satan’s human wisdom leads only to a life of meaninglessness and despair.
Let me pause here and explain a phrase that King Solomon uses twenty-eight times throughout Ecclesiastes. The phrase is “under the sun.” What exactly does he mean by this? King Solomon is saying that human wisdom resides here on earth under the sun. This is Satan’s domain, so it is where human wisdom belongs constantly under his earthly influence.
To seek Godly wisdom from the Lord God of the Universe you must go above the sun where He resides in Heaven. Under the sun is human wisdom; above the sun is where you’ll find Godly wisdom.
In 1959, songwriter Pete Seeger wrote a song entitled “Turn, Turn, Turn.” The song itself was created by the leader of American folk music using lyrics that dated back more than 2,000 years.
In 1965, the music group, The Byrds, recorded the song and it became a hit. It starts out like this:
To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)
And a time to every purpose, under heaven.
Where did he find these 2,000-year-old lyrics for this song?
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NIV)
A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
The Wycliffe Bible Commentary explains Ecclesiastes 3 this way.
By the Laws of God. 3:1-15. All of life, including human activity, is part of a determined cycle. Although man longs for something more, he can do nothing about it. He must be content to get what little happiness he can while engaging in this endless round of events.
To everything there is time. Everything in nature and in human life is under a set scheme, There is a season (an appointed time) and a time (a predetermined occurrence) for all that takes place under the sun. Seemingly chance events are all part of a huge plan.
God’s Word tells us:
This, my friend, is the reality we live in. God is in total control, Sovereignly and Providentially. His plans cannot be thwarted by man or Satan.
All human existence, when lived apart from God, is frustrating and unsatisfactory. All the pleasures and material things of life, when sought for their own sake, bring nothing but unhappiness and a sense of futility.
Therefore, Solomon’s quest to find meaning and happiness in his life “under the sun” through Satan’s human wisdom doesn’t really turn up anything of value. From this human point of view, the Teacher has summed up everything quite well. Life lived apart from God comes to only one end — meaninglessness and despair. The unbelieving world is faced with a life that will ultimately end and become irrelevant.
If there is no God, and no Salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, then not only is there no point to life, but also no purpose or direction to it. The world “under the sun,” apart from God is frustrating, cruel, unfair, brief, and “utterly meaningless.”
The unbelieving world run by Satan continues to reinforce the belief that we, not God, are in control of our own destiny. “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” But the realization is that the unbelievers cannot alter what God has prescribed, even if they want to.
Since God has designed each happening to fit perfectly into its appropriate setting, the unbelieving world is confused and refuses to accept whatever circumstances God sends them. The world interprets “under the sun” as just bad luck, and thinks hang in there, things will get better or just try harder next time.
Why is this so hard for the unbelieving world to understand and accept?
Satan has blinded the minds of the unbelieving world; they have no concept of the Sovereignty and Providence of God.
Some may say that the unbeliever simply must read the Bible to find out what God is up to. However, there is a small glitch to that way of thinking.
Because of their blindness, God’s Will cannot play into their thinking process. Satan and his “under the sun” philosophies have taught them that great things are caused by their own abilities, chance, or luck.
They don’t understand that the curse placed on the earth after Adam’s sin is why everything goes wrong in our world and why life is such a fight all the time. Humanity must always run uphill to accomplish anything. (Genesis 3:17-19)
They don’t understand that the Common Grace God has shown to everyone is the reason for any success they have. This is God’s compassion and kindness shown to everyone.
So, for the unbeliever, after a life of meaninglessness, what will be the final chapter to their story?
For the unbeliever, reading this disastrous life scenario and the end that awaits you, my prayer is that this series has truly opened your eyes, your heart and mind. Do not waste your life only to satisfy Satan’s desires. Seek the Lord and change your eternal destiny. We’ll talk more at the end of this lesson.
Godly Wisdom
Now sets up the battle between earthly wisdom and Godly wisdom. Up to this point, King Solomon has been looking at life from a worldly, horizontal, under-the-sun perspective, and the conclusion that seems inescapable —life is short, so live for today. Enjoy whatever your sinful nature wants to because you don’t have much time. He found that everything was a temporary diversion, and that without God, there was no purpose or longevity.
With the final chapter, Ecclesiastes 12, comes a shift in viewpoint and a recognition that life is highly significant when God is enthroned in a human life. The conclusion of the matter: “Taking everything into consideration, the experiences and the mental turmoil through which King Solomon has gone, the highest good in life is a proper reverence of God in all life.” This is where we will find true meaning, satisfaction, and the key to existence in this sinful world we live in.
Ray Stedman states.
God uses eleven chapters in Ecclesiastes to illuminate the folly of worldly thinking. He wants us to realize, whenever we see or hear people who live on the basis of “eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you die,” this is all that the world has to offer, apart from God. This is the logical conclusion of a life that has erased God from the picture.
My dear friend, you need to realize the Lord God of the Universe has already planned out your life even before you were born.
Here is the meaning of life. If you understand the Sovereignty and Providence of God and truly see it from His perspective, your life will take on great meaning and purpose, “eat … drink … rejoice … do good … live joyfully … fear God … and keep His commandments!” My friend, if you follow this path, skepticism and despair will melt away. View your life as a daily gift from God. So, live within His parameters of one day at a time.
In this fallen world, the believer must turn to God and ask, \”Lord,” what would you have me do today? I know my life has an eternal purpose. I desire to understand how all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). Each day when the believer wakes up, there should be joy and anticipation in their heart of what God has in store for them today.
What is anticipation? It is an emotion involving pleasure or anxiety in considering or awaiting an expected event.
Dr. David Jeremiah in his book, “Revealing the Mysteries of Heaven,” describes anticipation this way.
“Psychologists tell us that anticipation, which is the opposite of surprise, is an emotion with marvelous healing powers. Can you imagine a world without anticipation? Welcome to the unbelievers’ world. Without Christ, there’s no ultimate anticipation. There may be momentary prospects and incremental excitement, but lasting expectancy is missing. Everything is different for believers! Our best days are ahead of us, and we can anticipate all the glories of eternity. That should motivate our daily faithfulness as we await His return.”
With Christ, our earthly lives are but a shadow of the glories to come in a heaven that is only accessible through Him. “Life is but a shadow of the glories to come in heaven.” My friends, think about this statement. All of our joyfulness, satisfaction, pleasure and exhilaration that we find today in Jesus Christ is but a small taste of what awaits us in Heaven when we behold Him face to face.
Ultimately, every disappointment and vanity described in Ecclesiastes has its remedy in Christ, the wisdom of God and the only true meaning to be found in life.
Ray Stedman summarizes Ecclesiastes this way.
The author recommends sensible and rational pleasure. Satisfy your heart’s desires, he says, but remember that God has certain requirements for living, and that he punishes excess and abuse of his will.
The foundation of life is fear of God, that is, reverence toward him, a proper acknowledgment of who he is, and what he demands of men in everyday life (Prov 15: 33).
If we fear God and keep His commandments, then we have finally found meaning. All is no longer “vanity of vanities,” no longer meaningless. Life is vibrant, exciting, exhilarating. This is the meaning we were meant to build our lives upon. In knowing Him, we find wholeness. In serving Him, we are doing what we were created to do. In receiving eternal life, we find true satisfaction. The secret of living is to enthrone God in our lives. The sooner we learn this truth, the richer our lives will be. That is why chapter 12 emphasizes the importance of obeying God “in the days of your youth.” Thinking back on my own youth, I feel a great sympathy for young people today. They don’t want to waste their lives; they want their lives to count for something, to have meaning. That’s why the book of Ecclesiastes is such an important book for young people to understand. It knocks all the false props out from under us, then points the way to true significance and satisfaction in life. I can testify that the Teacher’s conclusion is true: Everything is indeed vanity and meaninglessness—apart from God. But if you place God at the center of your life, you will discover all that God designed you to be. The person who truly walks with God will never have lived in vain. All of life and even death itself will have meaning. Trust Him, worship Him, follow Him, love Him, and you will rejoice all the days of your life.
How do you do this? You must focus each day on one priority only. Day in and day out, make your relationship with God your number one focus. As you go through life, seek after God in everything you do. If you take care of that one thing, God will take care of everything else. Love the Lord God of the Universe with all your heart, mind, body, soul and spirit. Then do whatever you want.
Your Very Personal Invitation
As I said earlier, I now want to talk to those who haven’t yet made a decision to follow Jesus. I feel sorry for those who have gone before us and neglected to make this decision. The scriptures clearly tell us that they are in Hell, spending eternity separated from their creator, God, our Heavenly Father.
I hope you’ve learned by now how futile a life you’re leading without Christ. It’s utterly meaningless. You may think that you are in control of your life, but you are not. Who’s in control? Satan. He is leading you around on a leash with the ring of sin in your nose. Like a trained puppy, you are following him wagging your tail straight to hell.
Right now, as you are reading this, I can assure you that Satan and his demonic minions are at work beside and in you trying to keep you from reading further. The phone will start ringing, someone will call out to you, the baby just woke up, the dog is barking at something outside, or you just remembered that television show you’ve been waiting all week to watch is about to come on.
I ask you to read on and to focus on you and God, blocking out everything else. Please understand that;
Friend, this is your moment. Don’t let Satan interfere because he doesn’t care at all about you, and neither does this world we live in. His only goal is to destroy everything God wants for you and to keep you in Hell along with all the others that walked away at this moment.
Prepare your heart by reading what God has written in Romans 10:9-13
Ephesians 2:8-9
This is the first step of faith the Bible talks about — God’s gift to you, no strings attached. You can take it, accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Below is a sample prayer that you can use to guide you through your confusion of faith. Remember, your prayer must come from your heart, not your mind:
Dear God, I realize I am a sinner in need of salvation. I know that all my own good works and religious rituals can never save me. Only Jesus can save me. I believe that Jesus, my Savior, came to earth for me and that he died on the cross for my sins. I believe that He was buried and on the third day rose and now sits at your right hand as my advocate. Jesus, I am asking You to forgive my sins and to come into my life now and be my Lord and Savior now and forever more. Thank you for accepting me and giving me eternal life.”
If you prayed this prayer with your heart and believe that Jesus Christ is now your Lord and Savior, except for your birth, this is the most exciting day of your life. You are now redeemed with God, your Father. You have now secured your place in eternity with Him. The Bible tells us that right now the angels of God in Heaven are rejoicing (Luke 15:10). Can you hear them?
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this ends, “The Anatomy of Sin.” I hope it’s been as much a blessing to you as it has been to me to write it. I am genuinely excited for the next series of lessons I am now preparing for you. This has been a burden on my heart for several years to write about. Now is the time. Join me as I launch the next series entitled,
“The God/man”
a conversation about Christ Jesus.
Until next time, my friend, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
Welcome back, my dear friends. It has been awhile since we last got together. Over that period of time, I have been studying the Word of God in my quest to seek and know the Lord God of the Universe in a more intimate and personal way. My hope and prayer is that you too have grown closer to Him also.
When I left you the last time, I promised I would come back and begin a series on “What Does the Bible Say?” The first topic in this new series is:
“What Does the Bible Say About Sin?”
So, why would I choose the most difficult of Bible topics to start my new series? Because sin is the one and only thing that separates you and me from enjoying a loving and eternal relationship with our Heavenly Father.
However, it won’t be unusual if we have trouble accepting His perspective, because we are all sinners, and by our sinful heart and nature, we do not really want to hear God’s view of sin. Romans 3 tells us simply that we are naturally opposed to God’s view.
The Apostle Paul describes God’s view of a sinner.
Well, then, are we Jews better than others? No, not at all, for we have already shown that all men alike are sinners, whether Jews or Gentiles. As the Scriptures say, “No one is good—no one in all the world is innocent.” No one has ever really followed God’s paths or even truly wanted to. Every one has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right; not one. Their talk is foul and filthy like the stench from an open grave. Their tongues are loaded with lies. Everything they say has in it the sting and poison of deadly snakes. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They are quick to kill, hating anyone who disagrees with them. Wherever they go they leave misery and trouble behind them, and they have never known what it is to feel secure or enjoy God’s blessing. They care nothing about God nor what he thinks of them. So the judgment of God lies very heavily upon the Jews, for they are responsible to keep God’s laws instead of doing all these evil things; not one of them has any excuse; in fact, all the world stands hushed and guilty before Almighty God. Romans 3:9-19 (TLB)
All the world stands hushed and guilty before Almighty God. What a vile description and verdict of who we truly are in the sight of God.
We must learn to accept God’s view of our sinfulness if we are to continue to grow and become more like His Son, Jesus Christ. We need to understand that our Lord God in His Perfect Holy Wisdom cannot tolerate sin in any form, nor even gaze upon it.
Chuck Swindoll in his book, Jesus: The Greatest Life of All, describes us this way, “You are a sinner. I know this to be true because the Bible says every man, woman, and child who has ever lived has done what is wrong. And more than once . . . in fact, many times. Furthermore, the Bible says that the penalty for committing those sins is eternal death—unending torment in a place that Jesus described as unspeakably horrible.”
Sin is simply described as rebellion against God.
The Bible, tells us that we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s Glory (Romans 3:23). God’s word goes on to say that the wages or payment for our sin is death (Romans 6:23), the physical and spiritual separation from God for all eternity.
This series will be one of the most exciting and difficult studies I’ve ever done. Not only are we going to learn what sin is and how it affects us, but, most importantly, we will learn how Satan uses it against us.
You’ll begin to see how Satan’s sin plan weaves together throughout the entire globe and why things that are happening now are going according to his plan.
You’ll understand why you act like you do. Because, you’ll have a clear understanding of who you truly are inside.
I know I will hit on some personality traits that will offend some of you, and you’ll say that’s not me. But, keep in mind, I’m sharing God’s view of us not my own view.
So, literally, my intent with this series is to discuss Sin from a Biblical perspective to a readership that really doesn’t want to hear about it. Thus we will need grace and light from God’s Spirit to handle this solemn topic biblically.
I will cover three major topics in this series entitled:
What is Sin?
What is Satan’s Sin Plan?
What is God’s Redemption Plan?
Throughout this study we will examine topics such as; The characteristics of Sin, Did God create Sin? How did Sin begin? Are there really degrees of Sin? What does Total Depravity of man mean? What is Satan’s role in Sin? How Satan uses God’s Common Grace and our moral conscience against us. How does Satan know what to tempt me with? Satan’s four step approach to get you to sin. What are the three Covenants of God that deal with Sin? Why are there two Adams in the Bible? How can I be victorious over Sin?
Join me as we dive into God’s Word and find out the truth about Sin and its effects on us in our day-to-day lives and for all eternity. Until next month, my friend, may His mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.
We are not sinners because we sin.
We sin because we are sinners.
My friends, wouldn’t you agree that our lives today are surrounded by almost every kind of evil and wickedness that man can imagine. This evil causes wars, fighting, pain, greed, hate, envy, quarreling, dishonesty, injustice and murder. And the wickedness can be found in those rude, prideful, boastful, backstabbing, gossiping individuals we live and work with. Do you know someone who constantly breaks their promises and at times seem so heartless, and callous when they want something you have? All of this evil and wickedness that is in the world today finds its root cause in one word, “SIN.”
The history of civilization as presented in God’s Word is primarily a history of man in a state of sin and rebellion against God and of God’s plan of redemption to bring man back to himself. Man has by nature an irresistible bias for evil.
Our sin nature is that trait in us that makes us rebellious against God. When I speak of the sin nature, I’m referring to the fact that we have a natural inclination to disobey God, given the choice to do God’s will or our own, we will naturally choose to do our own thing.
As the Scriptures say, “No one is good—no one in all the world is innocent.” No one has ever really followed God’s paths or even truly wanted to. Every one has turned away; all have gone wrong. No one anywhere has kept on doing what is right; not one. Romans 3:10-12 (TLB)
Proof of our sin nature abounds. No one has to teach a child to lie or be selfish; rather, we go to great lengths to teach children to tell the truth and put others first. Sinful behavior comes naturally.
Throughout the Old and New Testaments Scriptures man appears as a law breaker by nature, and the question, how did we acquire that nature, naturally arises. What does the Bible reveal on that point?
Sin was not a calamity that came upon man unexpectedly, poisoned his life, and ruined his happiness. Sin was an evil course which Adam deliberately chose to follow. A choice which carried untold misery with it.
Scripture and experience both teach us that sin is universal, and according to the Bible the explanation for this universality lies in the fall of Adam.
Adam yielded to the temptation and committed the first sin by eating of the forbidden fruit. But the matter did not stop there, for by that first sin Adam became the bond-servant of sin.
Sin was the result of a free but sinful choice Adam made by exercising the free will God had given him. Satan, the ruler of the spirit world, suggested to Adam that if he challenged God’s command not to eat of the forbidden fruit he would not die, but, instead he would become like God.
“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. Genesis 3:4-6 (NLT)
Let’s begin our journey to understand the meaning of Sin. Sin is not an object or a thing that “exists” — it has no independent being. Rather, sin is a lack of something, a failure to fully obey God’s moral laws and live up to His glory. Sin is a falling short of God’s standards.
Webster Dictionary defines Sin as:
Sin is described in the Bible as disobedience of the law of God which I will discuss later in the study.
Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. 1 John 3:4 (NLT)
We can define sin as follows: “Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.” Remember this statement as we journey throughout our study, for it is the very foundation I will build on.
Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.
Sin includes not only individual acts such as stealing, lying or committing murder, but also attitudes that are contrary to God.
1: SIN IS A SPECIFIC KIND OF EVIL.
2: SIN HAS AN ABSOLUTE CHARACTER.
In your mind, you determine the morals and ethics you will live by. This is where you determine between good and evil.
However, sin is not a lesser degree of goodness, but a positive evil.
“Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me. Matthew 12:30 (NLT)
Simply put, we are either on the side of God or we are not. There are no gray areas with God, even though Satan would like you to believe that. Remember we serve a Holy and Jealous God.
Then Joshua said to the people, “You will not be able to serve the Lord. For He is a holy God. He is a jealous God. He will not forgive your wrong-doing or your sins. Joshua 24:19 (NLV)
3: SIN ALWAYS HAS RELATION TO GOD AND HIS WILL.
1. Now there is no doubt about the great central command of the law. Which, is to love our Lord God of the Universe.
Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’’ This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: ‘Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself.’ All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.” Matthew 22:37-40 (ERV)
2. If moral goodness consists with loving our God, then moral evil must consist of the opposite or not loving our God.
Then he said to them, “You like to appear righteous in public, but God knows your hearts. What this world honors is detestable in the sight of God. Luke 16:15 (NLT)
Don’t love this evil world or the things in it. If you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. This is all there is in the world: wanting to please our sinful selves, wanting the sinful things we see, and being too proud of what we have. But none of these comes from the Father. They come from the world. 1 John 2:15-16 (ERV)
3. Because sin separates us from God, we are in opposition to God and even grow a hatred of God. This manifests itself in constant transgression of the law of God in thought, word, and deed.
They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too. Romans 1:32 (NLT)
4: SIN INCLUDES BOTH GUILT AND POLLUTION.
1. Guilt is the state of self-deserving blame or shame we feel when we’ve committed some deed or act that we know is a violation of God’s moral law. Witness the birth of guilt.
That evening they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden; and they hid themselves among the trees. The Lord God called to Adam, “Why are you hiding?” And Adam replied, “I heard you coming and didn’t want you to see me naked. So I hid.” Genesis 3:8-10 (TLB)
2. Beginning at birth, we are all hardwired to sin and to lead a sinful life. Our being is polluted with the natural feelings of pride and self-centeredness; we are constantly looking out for Numero Uno. Our heart desires all of the things this world has to offer.
For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God’s laws, and it never will. That’s why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God. Romans 8:7-8 (NLT)
3. This is what the Bible refers to as “the Flesh or Old Nature,” and it stays with us all through our life, even after you’ve become a believer.
4. Satan, the god of this world, has designed and filled this earth with all of the desires your sinful heart could want, including his false self-centered religions and cults.
5: SIN HAS ITS SEAT IN THE HEART.
1. Sin resides in one function of the soul, the heart, which is the central organ of the soul, out of which spring the issues of life.
“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)
Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)
A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart. Luke 6:45 (NLT)
6: SIN DOES NOT CONSIST EXCLUSIVELY IN EXPLICIT ACTS.
1. Our sinful state and acts are the basis of our sinful habits, and these manifest themselves in our sinful deeds. Below is a comparison of the fruits of an unbeliever to the fruits of a believer
| Unbeliever\’s Fruits of Sin | Believer\’s Fruits of the Spirit |
| Adultery | Love |
| Immorality | Peace |
| Theft | Patience |
| Hatred | Kindness |
| Murder | Goodness |
| Gluttony | Faithfulness |
| Lying | Gentleness |
When you consider the horrible effects of sin in the world at large, it should grieve you to know that we contribute to the pain of the world through the very sin that lurks in each of our hearts. Sin is why Hell exists.
What Law of God should we follow?
Over and over again, scripture refers to sin as contrary to the law of God. So what law is God exactly referring to? Is it the Old Testament Mosaic Law that the Jews were commanded to follow, or is there another law that we are now under? Let’s find out.
1. The key to understanding the relationship between the Christian and the Law is knowing that the Old Testament law was given to the nation of Israel, not to Christians.
a. The more than 600 laws were made up of three parts for the Jewish nation to follow.
b. Some of the laws were to reveal to the Israelites how to obey and please God (the Ten Commandments).
c. Some of the laws were to show the Israelites how to worship God and atone for sin (the sacrificial system, offering, priesthood and the tabernacle).
d. Some of the laws were intended to make the Israelites distinct from other nations (the food, festival and clothing rules).
2. None of the Old Testament law is binding on Christians today.
3. When Jesus died on the cross, He put an end to the Old Testament law
But before the time for faith came, the Law kept us all locked up as prisoners until this coming faith should be revealed. And so the Law was in charge of us until Christ came, in order that we might then be put right with God through faith. Now that the time for faith is here, the Law is no longer in charge of us. Galatians 3:23-25 (GNT)
4. In place of the Old Testament law, Christians are under the law of Christ.
The Great Commandment
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they came together, and one of them, a teacher of the Law, tried to trap him with a question. “Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and the most important commandment. The second most important commandment is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ The whole Law of Moses and the teachings of the prophets depend on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:34-40 (GNT)
5. The Ten Commandments were essentially a summary of the entire Old Testament law. Nine of the Ten Commandments are clearly repeated in the New Testament (all except the command to observe the Sabbath day).
6. Even though we now live under the Grace of God, there is no better starting point for understanding God’s moral laws than in the nine remaining commandments. Let’s remind ourselves of them.
1. You must not worship any other gods except Me.
2. You must not make any idols. Don’t make any statues or pictures of anything up in the sky or of anything on the earth or of anything down in the water.
3. No using the name of God, your God, in curses or silly banter.
4. Honor your father and your mother, so your life may be long.
5. Do not kill other people.
6. Do not carry out sex sins.
7. Do not steal.
8. Do not tell a lie about your neighbor.
9. Do not have a desire for anything that belongs to your neighbor.
As I’ve already explained, in our mind, we determine the morals and ethics we will live by; this is where we differentiate between good and evil. All of the commandments above deal solely with a conscious decision that you and I make to either conform to God’s moral laws or not. Our problem is that we have by nature an irresistible bias for evil.
Remember, “Sin is any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature.”
The answer to this question is a resounding no! When God created man and angels, He created them with a free will, and if someone has a free will, there is at least the potential that he will choose badly. The potential for sin was a risk God took. He created human beings in His image, and, since He is free, humans were created free also.
So God created humans in his own image. He created them to be like himself. He created them male and female. Genesis 1:27 (ERV)
When He created the universe and our world, as of yet no sin existed or God would not have said.
God looked at everything he had made. And he saw that everything was very good. Genesis 1:31 (ERV)
1. God is not able to sin
“Listen to me, you who have understanding. Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin! The Almighty can do no wrong. Job 34:10 (NLT)
4He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect. Everything he does is just and fair. He is a faithful God who does no wrong; how just and upright he is! Deuteronomy 32:4 (NLT)
They will declare, “The LORD is just! He is my rock! There is no evil in him!” Psalm 92:15 (NLT)
2. God positively hates sin
It is your sins that separate you from your God. He turns away from you when he sees them. Isaiah 59:2 (ERV)
All who cheat with dishonest weights and measures are detestable to the LORD your God. Deuteronomy 25:16 (NLT)
O God, you take no pleasure in wickedness; you cannot tolerate the sins of the wicked. Psalm 5:4 (NLT)
5The LORD examines both the righteous and the wicked. He hates those who love violence. Psalm 11:5 (NLT)
Don’t scheme against each other. Stop your love of telling lies that you swear are the truth. I hate all these things, says the LORD.” Zechariah 8:17 (NLT)
AN ANGEL NAMED LUCIFER
The angel named Lucifer was no ordinary angel created by God. God created Lucifer and he belonged to the cherubic order, in fact he was the chief or head of this highest class of all God’s creatures— “the cherub.”
The cherubim serve the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God. This is one of their main responsibilities throughout the Bible. In addition to singing God\’s praises, they also serve as a visible reminder of the majesty and glory of God and His abiding presence with His people. He was next in rank to God Himself, and his dwelling was next to God’s Throne. He was “set” or placed in this position by God. “The anointed cherub.” Inwardly Lucifer was full of wisdom and his outward appearance he was bright and beautiful.
‘The Lord God says: You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone—ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysotile, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle, and emerald—all in beautiful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I appointed you to be the anointed Guardian Angel. You had access to the holy mountain of God. You walked among the stones of fire. Ezekiel 28:12-14 (TLB)
THE FALL OF LUCIFER
“‘You were perfect in all you did from the day you were created until that time when wrong was found in you. Your great wealth filled you with internal turmoil, and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you out of the mountain of God like a common sinner. I destroyed you, O Guardian Angel, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. Therefore, I have cast you down to the ground and exposed you helpless before the curious gaze of kings. Ezekiel 28:15-17 (TLB)
As another has said, “Here was the first sin that broke the calm of eternity, and stirred up the storm that has not ceased to rage, with ever-increasing violence; and shall, till He quells it forever by His Word, ‘Peace be still’” (“Satan” by F.C. Jennings).
“Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty;” suggest that, instead of “the anointed cherub” finding his chief delight in the contemplation of his Divine God, he rejected the supremacy of his Master. He determined to be equal with the Most High. He was not satisfied with a subordinate role, but aspire to equality with the Almighty.
You said in your heart, ‘I will go up to heaven. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. And I will sit on the mount of meeting in the far north. I will go much higher than the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.’ Isaiah 14:13-14 (NLV)
Your heart was proud because of your beauty. You made your wisdom sinful because of your beauty. So I threw you to the ground. I laid you in front of kings for them to see you. Ezekiel 28:17 (NLV)
Pride comes before being destroyed and a proud spirit comes before a fall. Proverbs 16:18 (NLV)
Lucifer the fallen angel is now known as Satan (“adversary”) or the devil (“slanderer”).
Then a fall occurred in the angelic world, in which legions of angels fell away from God. The exact time of this fall is not designated.
Remember the angels who did not stay within the limits of their proper authority, but abandoned their own dwelling place: they are bound with eternal chains in the darkness below, where God is keeping them for that great Day on which they will be condemned. Jude 6:6 (GNT)
Angels are personal spiritual beings created by God, and like man, they were given intelligence, emotions, and a will. This is true of both the good and evil angels (evil minions). Angels are spirit beings without true physical bodies. God also created them in His image, and, since He is free like man, the angels were created free. So they too had the potential for sin. Needless to say, there arose a group of angels who rebelled against God in heaven and became sinful.
They were not satisfied with their lot, with the government and power entrusted to them.
If the desire to be like God was the temptation that caused Lucifer and the angels to sin, is it any wonder why they used the same approach when tempting Adam and Eve?
My friends, I know for some of you this will be a difficult topic for you to wrap your head around and understand. But, I promise you, if you’ll stay with me to the end of the series it will all fall into place and you will become a stronger Believer and lover of God.
Join me next month as we journey deeper in the Anatomy of Sin. I will be discussing how Satan brought Sin to earth. I’ll answer the questions: are there degrees of sin and what does the Total Depravity of man (of you and me) mean? Until next month, my friends, may His mercy, peace and love be multiplied to you.
The Anatomy of Sin
⇐ Introduction | What is Sin? Pt. 2 ⇒