Lord Jesus Christ

Necessity for the God-Man

1. It was necessary for one member of the Godhead to become humanity because:

a) Sovereignty: Not subject to death.

b) Righteousness: Cannot have contact with sin.

c) Eternal life: Cannot die.

d) Omnipresence: Cannot be reduced to one point — the cross.

e) Omnipotence: Able NOT to die; not able to die.

f) Immutability: Cannot change, none of these characteristics can change.

2. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to become man to be qualified to be our saviour. Only a human being who lives a perfect life would be qualified to pay the penalty of sin which is spiritual death. (Absolute righteousness cannot have contact with sin)

3. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to become humanity in order to die physically, so that he could have a resurrection body, so that believers could have a resurrection body.

4. It was necessary for humanity (in a resurrection body) to ascend into heaven and be acceptable to God the Father, so that believers in resurrection bodies would also be acceptable to God the Father — John 3:13.

5. It was necessary for God to become man in order to act as mediator between God and man. A mediator must be equal with both parties.

6. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to become man in order to be our High Priest — Hebrews 7-9.

7. It was necessary for Jesus to become man in order to fulfill the Davidic covenant which says that David will have a Son who will reign forever — 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89; 2 Chronicles 21.

Acceptability in Session

1. No humanity was in heaven before the humanity of Jesus Christ — John 3:13.

2. Issue: Would the humanity of Jesus Christ be acceptable to God the Father? It was — Hebrews 1:13; 12:1-2; also 1:3.

Hebrews 1:3, “Who (LJC) being the brightness (shining forth) of His glory (Essence of God) and the express (exact) image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself, purged our sins, SAT DOWN on the RIGHT HAND (place of honour) of the majesty (God the Father) on high.”

3. His acceptability indicated:

a) Completion of Christ’s work of salvation: Hebrews 10:11-12 — “But this man ...” Referring to Christ’s humanity.

b) That the Person of God the Son satisfied the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God the Father — Romans 3:23.

c) That the work of God the Son satisfied the justice of God the Father. Justice demanded a penalty for sin — Romans 6:23.

4. The acceptance of the Lord Jesus Christ as a man meant the acceptance of His sacrifice. The acceptance of His sacrifice meant the acceptance of all who seek entrance to the presence of the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.

5. Through His redemptive work, His ascension and session, the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished bringing many sons into glory — Hebrews 2:9-10.

6. Because the God-Man is accepted, every believer is also accepted by the Father — Ephesians 1:6, … “accepted in the beloved.”

7. Because the God-Man is seated, every believer is seated positionally, at the right hand of the Father. Ephesians 2:6 — “And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

8. Humanity of Jesus Christ is glorified above all angels — Hebrews 1:13.

9. Every believer is positionally higher than angels, so each believer has a guardian angel — Hebrews 1:14.

10. Because of this position, believers will judge angels at the second advent.

Advocacy

1. Jesus Christ is the believer’s defense attorney at all times.

2. He defends the believer against Satan’s attacks, whether or not that believer has confessed his sins.

3. The basis for this is unlimited atonement. Jesus Christ bore the sins (pre and post salvation sins) of the whole world. 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Revelation 1:5; Colossians 2:14; Hebrews 9:27,28.

4. The Father judged all sins when Christ was bearing them — the Hebrew of Psalm 22:1-6, and in 1 Peter 3:18.

5. Since a person’s sins were judged once at the cross, they cannot be judged again. Romans 6:10. Law of double jeopardy.

6. Therefore, since you can only be judged once for a sin, Satan’s accusations thrown out of court. Jesus Christ was judged in your place for your sin.

7. Jesus Christ is our defense attorney, seated at the right hand of the Father, and He defends us — 1 John 2:1.

8. The believer’s sin then becomes a family matter.

9. If the believer does not confess his sins, he is subject to the Father’s chastisement — Hebrews 12:6.

10. The basis of His defense is 1 John 1:7. The blood of Jesus Christ keeps cleansing from all sins.

11. Jesus Christ is representing us in Heaven. We are representing Him here on earth.

12. Jesus Christ has never lost a case and never will. His defense is always the same: the completed work on the cross.

Impeccability

1. The deity of Jesus Christ was always impeccable (sinless).

2. Humanity of Christ is also impeccable — 1 John 3:5; 2 Corinthians 3:21.

3. Jesus was born spiritually alive — the sin of Adam was not imputed to Him — 1 Corinthians 15:22.

4. Jesus was born without a sin nature because of the virgin birth.

5. Adam was the first man CREATED without a sin nature.

6. Jesus, in His humanity, was the first Man BORN without a sin nature.

7. Jesus remained sinless while on earth — 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22.

8. Jesus Christ was never commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit. He was always filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was given without measure to Him — John 3:34.

9. Jesus Christ was unable to sin when filled with the Holy Spirit (which was all the time) because the Holy Spirit is God and God cannot sin. His volition was involved in not sinning.

10. He remained impeccable to the cross, even though the trials where they beat Him, were awful.

11. As Humanity:

a) He walked as a Man.

b) He was sustained by the Holy Spirit.

c) He was absolute righteousness in His humanity.

d) he fulfilled the Mosaic law.

e) he revealed the essence of God to the human race (Humanity revealed deity)

Miracles that followed Christ’s death

1. First Miracle: Matthew 27:51a, “Behold the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom ...”

a) The veil in the temple was between the holy of holies and the holy place.

b) The rending of the veil indicates the removal of the barrier between man and God when the death(s), both spiritual and physical, of the Lord Jesus Christ took place.

c) God Himself splits the veil, which represents the body (humanity) of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:19,20) which was bruised for us to provide access to God.

2. Second Miracle: Matthew 27:51b, “ … and the earth (Palestine) did quake, and the rocks rent.” This was so great an earthquake that the rocks were literally split in two.

3. Third Miracle: Matthew 27:52-53

“And the graves were opened; and many (not all) bodies of the saints which slept (Christian death) arose, and came out of the graves after (associated with) His resurrection, and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.”

a) This is NOT Old Testament saints being resurrected. Christ Himself had not ascended into heaven — and He is the firstfruits — (1 Corinthians 15) in entering into heaven.

b) They are being resuscitated for several reasons:

i. The tremendous power of God exercised in resurrection brought them out from the lower part of the earth. (Believers)

ii. This (bringing back someone from the dead) was a crash program of witnessing.

iii. This was necessary because all the disciples (except John) were hiding.

results of these miracles: Salvation. Example: Salvation of the centurion and those with him — Matthew 27:54.

Qualification to be Saviour

1. Only the Lord Jesus Christ (in hypostatic union) was qualified to die for the sins of the world.

2. Jesus Christ, in His deity, could not be saviour:

Sovereignty: Not subject to death or anything.

Righteousness: Cannot have contact with sin.

Eternal life: Cannot die.

Omnipresence: Cannot be reduced to one point: Cross.

Omnipotence: Not able to die, able not to die.

Immutability: Cannot change, none of these characteristics can change.

3. Therefore He added to His deity True Humanity, Hebrews 2:14-16; Philippians 2:6-8; John 1:14, “became flesh.”

4. He became the UNIQUE PERSON OF THE UNIVERSE: the God-Man.

5. Jesus Christ, in His humanity, was qualified to be our saviour:

a) No imputed sin — 2 Corinthians 5:21

b) No inherent sin — 2 Corinthians 5:21

c) No personal sin (all personal sin comes from the sin nature).

6. The human race comes into the world under:

a) Imputed sin: (Spiritual death)

b) Inherent sin: (old sin nature)

c) Personal sins: (a sinner) In the slavemarket of sin.

7. Jesus Christ was qualified because through the virgin birth, He came into the world as a free man:

a) The sin of Adam was not imputed to Him.

b) He did not inherit and old sin nature, and

c) He had not committed any personal sins.

8. He was qualified to, and did:

a) Die with reference to the old sin nature, condemning it.

b) Bare the sins of the old sin nature.

c) Rejected the human good which comes from the area of strength in the sin nature — Titus 3:5.

9. He died spiritually so that we might have spiritual life — 1 John 5:11,12. He died physically so that we might have a resurrection body. Romans 4:25 — the “for” means “because of.”

Uniqueness

1. His uniqueness is set forth in Isaiah 9:6.

“child is born”: Humanity

“son is given”: Deity.

2. He is two natures inseparably united, yet no mixture, no loss of separate identities. UNIQUE.

3. DIVINE NATURE: Undiminished deity. Perfect in every way and Eternal God. He retained all the characteristics of God when He became humanity. Romans 1:14, “declared” means marked out.

4, HUMAN NATURE: True humanity, genuine, real. Yet He was without sin, NO imputed, inherent (old sin nature) or personal sin.

5. Both God and man in one person forever.

No less God because of His humanity.

No less man because of His deity.

6. Different from God, in that he is man.

Different from man, in that He is God.

7. The uniqueness of the PERSON OF CHRIST leads to the uniqueness of the WORK OF CHRIST.

8. His crucifixion was unique among crucifixions because the purpose was different: bearing the sins of the world, not just physical death.

9. His physical death was unique. He died voluntarily — Luke 23:46.

10. His resurrection was unique. He was the first person to come back with a body of incorruption — 1 Corinthians 15:53, “firstfruits."

Resurrection: Never dies again.

Resuscitation: Dies again (Like Lazarus)

11. Jesus Christ, the unique person, can cleanse. God the Father can forgive but not cleanse. God the Holy Spirit can produce divine good in the believer, but not cleanse.

12. The uniqueness of His person led to the:

a) Uniqueness of His Work: (Spiritual death)

b) Uniqueness of His physical death: (Voluntary)

c) Uniqueness of His resurrection.

d) Uniqueness of His present position at the right hand of the Father.

Virgin Birth

1. The virgin birth was planned in eternity past — Psalm 2:7.

2. The virgin birth was prophesied — Isaiah 7:14.

3. God made preparation for the virgin birth.

4. Attacks were made on the humanity of Christ by Satan.

5. Hebrews 10:1-22 is Christ’s birth (humanity) from the standpoint of deity.

6. Luke 1 is Christ’s birth from the standpoint of humanity.

7. Jesus Christ (humanity) came from God (virgin birth) and went back to God in resurrection and ascension.

8. Jesus was born of the virgin Mary — Luke 2:11. Mary was the mother of the humanity of Jesus Christ, not the mother of His deity, Mary was NOT the mother of God. (Only mother of His humanity)

9. The provision of God the Holy Spirit in the virgin birth is given in Luke 1:35.

10. Romans 1:3, “… made … according to the flesh” means made according to the norm or standard of the flesh. He was bona fide humanity. He was born trichotomous: Body, soul, and spirit. The human race is born spiritually dead — dichotomous, no human spirit. (Ephesians 2:1,5, no ability to have fellowship with God.

11. It was necessary for Jesus Christ to have a human spirit to understand what the will of God is, in His humanity.

12. He did not have a human father, so He did not have an old sin nature.

13. The virgin birth fulfills the Davidic Covenant — 2 Samuel 7; Psalm 89; 2 Chronicles 21. Mary is in the line of David. God promises unconditionally to David that he will have a son who will reign forever and ever, anticipation of the fulfillment of the second advent.

14. There are two genealogies of Jesus Christ (humanity):

a) Legal line: Joseph.

b) Birth line: Mary (royal line). Both came from David.

15. Without the virgin birth there is no salvation.

Virgin Birth Preparation

1. God’s great plan of redemption (from His sovereignty) was set into operation when Adam sinned.

2. Throughout the Old Testament the Jews looked forward to the coming of a saviour, as revealed through the sacrifices, feasts, holy days, etc.

3. Extensive preparation was made so there would be no doubt as to who He was.

4. First promise of salvation, with emphasis on the virgin birth, is given in Genesis 3:15.

5. God Prepares a nation — Israel: Genesis 12:1-3.

6. God prepares a kingdom. The new nation became very large. God chose a king (David) for this nation.

7. 2 Samuel 7:16, God told David his kingdom would last forever, that His Son would reign forever.

8. God prepares a city. David was born in Bethlehem. Micah 5:2 tells where the Saviour would be born.

9. God prepares a mother — Isaiah 7:14 with Luke 1:35. Mother of the humanity — NOT THE MOTHER OF GOD.

10. God prepares a body — Hebrews 10:5.

a) Luke 1:35: Mary is told.

b) Luke 1:37: Mary is reminded.

c) Luke 1:38: Mary’s response.

11. God also prepares a man to take care of His Son while He was growing up: Joseph, Matthew 1:18-25.

12. God prepared a name: Isaiah 7:14, “Immanuel”: God with us. (God-Man)

13. God prepared a birthplace: Mary lived in Nazareth. They journeyed to Bethlehem — Luke 2.

14. God prepared a stable for His Lamb — Revelation 13:8; Luke 2:7.

15. So:

“When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law” — Galatians 4:4.