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The Faith of Contemporary Believers (03) : Jesus Christ - the Man

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  • The Faith of Contemporary Believers (03) : Jesus Christ - the Man
Translator: Chris | Narrator: Lincoln | Audio: Chi | Producer: Yvette
27 Jan 2021

Hello brothers and sisters, welcome back. The God we believe is the One God. However, there are three-persons in the One God: the first is the Holy Father, the second is the Holy Son, Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into the world means God came into the world. When He was on earth, He said to His disciples: “You believe in God; believe also in Me.” (John 14:1) Why do you believe in Jesus in addition to God? Who is Jesus? We can be very certain of this from the life of Jesus and the words that He spoke. Jesus is not an arrogant person who said this to exalt Himself.

However, Jesus is indeed a highly controversial figure. When Jesus was on earth, there were numerous people who plotted to kill Him. Nevertheless, we have seen in history that tens of thousands of people voluntarily died for Him. So we have to ask: Who is Jesus?

The theologian, John Calvin, clearly pointed out that if we only regard God as the object of faith without belief in Jesus Christ - who was sent by God - then “we will not gain the knowledge of God that is necessary for salvation.” That is to say, if we do not know God through Jesus Christ, we have yet to know the True God. It is obvious that Jesus Christ has an esteemed position in the Christian faith.

We can sum it up like this: without Jesus Christ, there will not be true salvation of faith. This is very critical. Many religions have different views of God. But if we do not talk about God’s view of Jesus Christ, then our view is not a Christian view because the God of Christianity is through Jesus Christ, who came and revealed to the world so that we can know who God is.

How do we know that Jesus Christ became MAN?

Jesus Christ is God who becomes man. He is fully human. Where is the evidence? How is Jesus being one in flesh and blood different from us? This is the first topic to be discussed.

According to Hebrews 4:15, “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.” Jesus Christ is different from us because He did not sin. We sin while we're in the world. We must admit that. Just because we might not have committed a gruesome act like murder, it does not matter, we are all sinners. Deep down in our hearts we know very well that we have done things that are not conscientious and we have behaviour that is immoral. Jesus Christ is the only man who was tempted like we are , but did not sin.

  1. The life manifestations of Jesus Christ when he was alive shows that He was really man

What life manifestations of Jesus Christ indicate that he is really man? He's not a weirdo, he's not an alien, he's human like us.

  • Luke 2:5-7, “He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.” In other words, Jesus Christ, like humans, was born through pregnancy because He is a man.
  • Luke 2:40, “And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him.” Jesus did not come as an adult in a flash, he grew up as a baby. He did not come into the world in the form of an alien.
  • Matthew 4:2, “After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.” He got hungry like you and I.
  • John 4:7, “When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, ‘Will you give me a drink?’” He asked for water because he was thirsty.
  • Matthew 8:24, “Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping.” He was really tired and fell asleep during the storm because He is man.
  • Luke 23:46, “Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.” He breathed His last and died because He is a man.
  1. Some creditable titles of Jesus Christ indicate that he is really man

In addition to the living manifestations of Jesus Christ that shows He is really man, some of His titles indicate that He is human as well.

  • John 3:13-14, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” Brothers and sisters, Jesus Christ came into the world and became the Son of Man, nonetheless, it is amazing that He is still in heaven. And He is called the Son of Man because He is Man.
  • 1 Corinthians 15:47, “The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven.” The first man, of course, refers to Adam. Here He is referred to as the Second Man from God, therefore, He is from heaven.
  • Matthew 13:55, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?” He is the son of a carpenter, he has a mother, and many brothers while on earth.
  • Matthew 11:19, “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by her deeds.” He was called a glutton and a drunkard because He was willing to eat and drink with them. Others called Him a friend of tax collectors and sinners because He was willing to spend time with tax collectors and sinners, which was seen as unacceptable to the Pharisees. However, from these names, we also know that Jesus is really a man.
  1. What are the differences between Jesus Christ and us?

In what ways is Jesus Christ different from us? According to Matthew 1:18-25, although He is God, He is also really man. But what kind of the Man was He? What are the differences between Him and us?

Matthew 1:18-25 says, “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
When Jesus Christ was on earth, the Bible described His birth as very, very exceptional. He was born through the virgin, Mary. Virgin means that she conceived without a man and gave birth to Jesus Christ, which is a wonderful act by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, in those days, the angel said to Mary, “The Spirit of the Lord God overshadows you.” ‘Overshadow’ in the original text reads “God’s power has come upon you.” It was a wonderful act of God to have Mary give birth to this child.

Perhaps you ask, “How is this possible?” In fact, in the history of mankind, God has shown several ways to make man. ① When God made Adam, there were no man nor woman. ② He made Eve when there was Adam, a man, but no woman. God made Eve from the rib He took out from Adam. ③ God gave birth to you and I through a man and a woman. My father and mother gave birth to me after they got married. ④ God used a very particular way to give birth to Jesus (through Mary, without a man). In other words, in the course of human history, God has used different ways to create man: first, made Adam without a man and a woman; second, He made Eve with just a man, without a woman; thirdly, made you and I through a man and a woman; and fourthly, gave birth to Jesus without a man or a woman.

The incarnation of Jesus is a miracle. No wonder Paul calls it “the mystery from which true godliness springs is great”. (1 Timothy 3:16) Therefore, we cannot use our birth and inheritance, our experiences of having children, and apply it to Jesus Christ. He is the Son of God, who came into this world through incarnation. And the significant difference was that He was born through the virgin, Mary.

What makes Him different from us is what we have just read in the Hebrews 4:15: “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.” Jesus Christ never sinned. Not only was He born through Mary and without sin, He did not sin all His life. This is indeed unique. When Jesus was on earth, to prove that He is without sin, He asked some of those who were against Him, “Can any of you prove me guilty of sin?” No one could testify against Him, including disciples who were close to Him for many years. Mary, the mother of Jesus who was a Jew, would not accept a sinner as her Saviour. However, the Bible clearly states that Mary regarded Jesus Christ as her Saviour and called Him God. Based on these, we have proof that Jesus Christ is truly the Son of God, He came to the world and He is the Lord without sin.

Such being the case, Jesus is the source of our lives and the best example that we can learn collectively. There are times when someone asks, “What kind of person are we ought to be?” I reply, “You are to be like Jesus – loving, compassionate, righteous, just, we need such people. If we can exhibit these traits in our lives, we will be man as God intended, more and more like Jesus, and that’s wonderful! May God helps us to know that our Lord, Jesus Christ is truly the God made of flesh, the true eternal Word made flesh that came into the world.

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