Transcript of Lesson 5
Welcome to Section B of our course on The Doctrine of Salvation - How “Righteousness by Faith” Really Works
Let’s pray before we begin: Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your Word that explains Your great plan for our salvation. Please bless these studies by sending us Your Holy Spirit. We want to understand Your Word, to draw closer to You and to be sanctified by your Truth. We ask this in your Son’s precious name. Amen.
We are in Section B: How did Christ Live? And this is Lesson 5: The Word Became Flesh
Why should we study the subject of Christ coming into our world as a human being at this point? Because just about everything we need to know about salvation and righteousness by faith can be learned by a careful study of the life of Christ.
Most of the misunderstandings about how a person is saved can be cleared up easily by studying:
So, we will study the most important subject in the world in the next four lessons.
Let us first consider: Who is Jesus? John 3:16-17 tells us: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
Jesus was the fully divine Son of God. We must understand that Jesus did not come into existence when He was born as a human baby in Bethlehem. If Jesus had not been fully divine as the Son of God, His sacrifice on Calvary would have been of no more value than a martyr's death. He could not have saved any soul from condemnation and death.
Second, we must understand that Jesus actually became a real human being. The Son of God not only came into our world, but He became a man who could experience human life just as we all experience it.
Philippians 2:5-8 explains: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
The original Greek word for the phrase, “made himself of no reputation,” really means “emptied himself.” In order to become a real human being, Jesus had to empty Himself of all His divine qualities which He fully possessed and freely exercised in His previous existence as the Son of God, before His Incarnation. Which begs the question: What did Jesus leave behind?
Jesus tells us in John 5:30: “I can of mine own self do nothing.” The most amazing thing we learn about the Incarnation is that Jesus laid aside all His divine attributes when He became a man. For Jesus to truly live as a human, He could not use any of His abilities as the divine Son of God. Jesus had to live in the only way that it is possible for normal human beings to live. Whatever Jesus did on earth, He did in the same way that we all do it. Since we do not have special powers over nature and life itself, He relinquished His powers in order to experience life just as we experience it.
But if that is true: How did Jesus do His miracles? Jesus explains that in John 14:10-12: “The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works...He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.”
Jesus tells us that the works He performed were not done by His own power or ability. He depended on God the Father for His power, just as we can do. Jesus voluntarily suspended the exercise of His own power so He could show us the power that is within the reach of all human beings. He is telling us that if we believe in Him, we can do the same works that He did.
The proof of this promise can be seen in the many miracles performed by normal human beings throughout the Bible record. Moses and Elisha and Peter and Paul had no more power than any other human being, but God performed remarkable miracles through them.
Another important question is: Did Jesus remember His previous existence? Luke 2:52 tells us: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
To grow in wisdom, one must be lacking in wisdom and then must learn. Therefore Jesus, as a man, could not have been omniscient (all knowing, like he was in His God nature before His Incarnation), because there would have been nothing for Him as a human to learn. Here is a beautiful quote from an insightful bible scholar:
“The very words which He Himself (Jesus) had spoken to Moses for Israel, He was now taught at His mother's knee...He gained knowledge as we may do...He who had made all things studied the lessons which His own hand had written in earth and sea and sky.” Desire of Ages, p. 70
Because no human being has a memory of a previous existence, Jesus came to live in the same way without knowledge of His previous existence. He had to learn about God and salvation. Gradually, He became aware of who He was (the divine Son of God) and why He was sent to earth as a human.
If Jesus had retained knowledge from His previous existence to help resist temptation, then His life as a human with human problems would have been totally different from our experience.
If Jesus wasn’t “all knowing” as a human: Did Jesus know the future? Jeus tells us in Mark 13:32: “Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but (only) the Father.”
In this text, Jesus is speaking of His second coming. While He was on earth, He did not know when He would be coming back, because the Father had not revealed that to Him.
During His life on earth, Jesus did not know the future, except as the Father revealed the future to Him. Once again, since none of us know what the future holds, Jesus did not know the future either. He lived under the same conditions with the same limited knowledge under which we all live.
So, what else did Jesus leave behind? Isaiah 53:2 says: “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”
Jesus had to leave behind the majestic glory which was His as the Son of God in order for human beings to exist in His presence. When people looked at Him, they saw nothing physically special about Him. If they were to follow Him, it would have to be because of His teachings, not His appearance.
In Conclusion, Jesus laid aside all aspects of His divinity. He chose to not use those aspects of His divinity which set Him apart from us as the Son of God. He would live as a man among men. It was the human Jesus who made decisions and who overcame life's problems. That was the tremendous risk of the Incarnation.
While it is correct to say that Jesus did not cease to be Divine while He was a man, Jesus did lay aside the attributes by which He functioned as the Son of God, so that He could live as a man – a regular human being.
It is at this point that the wonder of the Incarnation baffles our understanding and humbles our pride. While we are always seeking to be more than who we are, Jesus laid aside most of what He was to become fully human.
Jesus truly did “empty Himself,” so that He could be just like you and me! He experienced our weakness and natural limitations. The great Creator became a limited human being, having to depend totally on His Father for everything He did. Not just in performing miracles, but also in living His sinless life.
This is the great Example that Christ set for all His followers. This is the “faith of Jesus” that we as believers are to have in these last days.
Jesus tells us this in Revelation 3:21: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” And in Revelation14:12 Jesus says: “Here is the patients of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
What a tremendous gift God has given us in His Son, Jesus! We can respond to this gift by giving Him our weaknesses and inabilities. Christ is willing and able to give us courage and wisdom just as His Father gave Him what He needed to live victoriously.
Most of the misunderstandings about how a person is saved can be cleared up easily by studying:
- How Christ came into our world.
- How He lived on a day-to-day basis.
- How He met the temptations of Satan.
So, we will study the most important subject in the world in the next four lessons.
- What kind of a man was Jesus?
- What nature did Jesus take?
- How was Jesus like us?
- How was Jesus different from us?
- Can we really live like Jesus did?
- Or is that totally impossible for us?
Let us first consider: Who is Jesus? John 3:16-17 tells us: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
Jesus was the fully divine Son of God. We must understand that Jesus did not come into existence when He was born as a human baby in Bethlehem. If Jesus had not been fully divine as the Son of God, His sacrifice on Calvary would have been of no more value than a martyr's death. He could not have saved any soul from condemnation and death.
Second, we must understand that Jesus actually became a real human being. The Son of God not only came into our world, but He became a man who could experience human life just as we all experience it.
Philippians 2:5-8 explains: “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
The original Greek word for the phrase, “made himself of no reputation,” really means “emptied himself.” In order to become a real human being, Jesus had to empty Himself of all His divine qualities which He fully possessed and freely exercised in His previous existence as the Son of God, before His Incarnation. Which begs the question: What did Jesus leave behind?
Jesus tells us in John 5:30: “I can of mine own self do nothing.” The most amazing thing we learn about the Incarnation is that Jesus laid aside all His divine attributes when He became a man. For Jesus to truly live as a human, He could not use any of His abilities as the divine Son of God. Jesus had to live in the only way that it is possible for normal human beings to live. Whatever Jesus did on earth, He did in the same way that we all do it. Since we do not have special powers over nature and life itself, He relinquished His powers in order to experience life just as we experience it.
But if that is true: How did Jesus do His miracles? Jesus explains that in John 14:10-12: “The Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works...He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do.”
Jesus tells us that the works He performed were not done by His own power or ability. He depended on God the Father for His power, just as we can do. Jesus voluntarily suspended the exercise of His own power so He could show us the power that is within the reach of all human beings. He is telling us that if we believe in Him, we can do the same works that He did.
The proof of this promise can be seen in the many miracles performed by normal human beings throughout the Bible record. Moses and Elisha and Peter and Paul had no more power than any other human being, but God performed remarkable miracles through them.
Another important question is: Did Jesus remember His previous existence? Luke 2:52 tells us: “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.”
To grow in wisdom, one must be lacking in wisdom and then must learn. Therefore Jesus, as a man, could not have been omniscient (all knowing, like he was in His God nature before His Incarnation), because there would have been nothing for Him as a human to learn. Here is a beautiful quote from an insightful bible scholar:
“The very words which He Himself (Jesus) had spoken to Moses for Israel, He was now taught at His mother's knee...He gained knowledge as we may do...He who had made all things studied the lessons which His own hand had written in earth and sea and sky.” Desire of Ages, p. 70
Because no human being has a memory of a previous existence, Jesus came to live in the same way without knowledge of His previous existence. He had to learn about God and salvation. Gradually, He became aware of who He was (the divine Son of God) and why He was sent to earth as a human.
If Jesus had retained knowledge from His previous existence to help resist temptation, then His life as a human with human problems would have been totally different from our experience.
If Jesus wasn’t “all knowing” as a human: Did Jesus know the future? Jeus tells us in Mark 13:32: “Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but (only) the Father.”
In this text, Jesus is speaking of His second coming. While He was on earth, He did not know when He would be coming back, because the Father had not revealed that to Him.
During His life on earth, Jesus did not know the future, except as the Father revealed the future to Him. Once again, since none of us know what the future holds, Jesus did not know the future either. He lived under the same conditions with the same limited knowledge under which we all live.
So, what else did Jesus leave behind? Isaiah 53:2 says: “For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.”
Jesus had to leave behind the majestic glory which was His as the Son of God in order for human beings to exist in His presence. When people looked at Him, they saw nothing physically special about Him. If they were to follow Him, it would have to be because of His teachings, not His appearance.
In Conclusion, Jesus laid aside all aspects of His divinity. He chose to not use those aspects of His divinity which set Him apart from us as the Son of God. He would live as a man among men. It was the human Jesus who made decisions and who overcame life's problems. That was the tremendous risk of the Incarnation.
While it is correct to say that Jesus did not cease to be Divine while He was a man, Jesus did lay aside the attributes by which He functioned as the Son of God, so that He could live as a man – a regular human being.
It is at this point that the wonder of the Incarnation baffles our understanding and humbles our pride. While we are always seeking to be more than who we are, Jesus laid aside most of what He was to become fully human.
Jesus truly did “empty Himself,” so that He could be just like you and me! He experienced our weakness and natural limitations. The great Creator became a limited human being, having to depend totally on His Father for everything He did. Not just in performing miracles, but also in living His sinless life.
This is the great Example that Christ set for all His followers. This is the “faith of Jesus” that we as believers are to have in these last days.
Jesus tells us this in Revelation 3:21: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” And in Revelation14:12 Jesus says: “Here is the patients of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.”
What a tremendous gift God has given us in His Son, Jesus! We can respond to this gift by giving Him our weaknesses and inabilities. Christ is willing and able to give us courage and wisdom just as His Father gave Him what He needed to live victoriously.
Does Jesus’ great gift of His divine self to us inspire you to give yourself - body, heart, mind, and soul - totally to Him?