Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1). We studied the deity of Christ in
Chapter 4 of these notes. Jesus Christ is the Almighty
JEHOVAH God, the Great "I AM"!
As we read God’s Word, we make an amazing discovery. Not only is Jesus called "GOD" (John 1:1; Titus 2:13), but He is also called "the _______ Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). In fact, in John 8:40 Jesus calls Himself "a m _________." Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Matthew 16:16), and He is also the Son of _________ (Luke 19:10). He is God’s Son (Matthew 3:17), and He is also Mary’s son (Matthew 13:55), David’s son (Matthew 1:1), Abraham’s son (Matthew 1:1), and Adam’s son (Luke 3:23,38). He is called "the L__________ of G____________" (1 Corinthians 2:8), and He is also called "a _________ of sorrows" (Isaiah 53:3).
We find the very same thing in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 9:6, He is called "The mighty _________" and "The everlasting Father." In this same verse He is also said to be a C_________ who is born! In Micah 5:2, He is described as the everlasting King (the eternal One), Who would be born as a human baby in Bethlehem!
Many verses describe Jesus Christ as God (these were examined in Chapter 4). Do these verses mean that He was God but that He was not really a man? On the other hand, many verses describe Jesus Christ as a man. Do these verses mean that He was a man but that He was not really God? No, Jesus Christ was really God, and He was really a man. He is fully God, and He is fully man. He is the GOD-MAN, our Lord and Saviour!
One day Jesus asked the Pharisees a question that baffled their minds and which they could not answer. He asked, "How can Christ [the Messiah] be both David’s Lord and David’s Son?" (see Matthew 22:41-46). This question can only be answered when we realize that Jesus was both God and man:
The God-Man |
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As God he is David's |
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As Man he is David's
THE SON OF DAVID
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The Lord Jesus Christ has always been God. He was with the Father even before the _________________was (John 17:5). He is the eternal God: "In the ___________ was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was _________" (John 1:1).
The Lord Jesus Christ has not always been man. The Bible teaches us that He became a man: "And the Word was made (became) flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).
The Son of God became flesh! He became a man! He was born of a virgin named Mary and He became a member of the human race! He possessed a true human body made of flesh and blood and bones! He became a man! "God was manifested in the __________________" (1 Timothy 3:16).
A caterpillar becomes a butterfly. When we say it becomes a butterfly, we are saying that there was a time when it was not a butterfly. When we say that the Son of God became a man, we are saying that there was a time when He was not a man. He has always been God. He became a man nearly 2000 years ago.
We have a special word to describe what happened when God became a man. It is the word "incarnation". It means that Christ came in the flesh, took on a human body, and became a real man. Every true believer is able to say, " I confess and I believe that Jesus Christ has come in the ____________" (see 1 John 4:2-3 and 2 John 7).
God became a man. Does this statement mean that when He became a man He stopped being God? No, in the last chapter we saw that this amazing man claimed to be God, allowed Himself to be called God, and even permitted people to worship Him as God! He became a man without ceasing to be God. He’s the GOD-MAN!
Jesus Christ died, was buried, rose again, and went back to heaven. When Jesus went back to heaven, did He stop being a man? No, the Bible says that we have a mediator in heaven who is called "the ________ Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). Someday our heavenly Lord will return to this earth in power and great glory. This One who shall return to earth is called "the Son of ____________" (Matthew 24:30). Jesus will never stop being a man. He will never stop being God. He will be the GOD-MAN forever!
Jesus was a real man. He was a part of this human race just like we are. His physical appearance was that of an ordinary man. His appearance was not unusual or stranger. People did not pass by Him and say, "Look at that Person! That’s not just a Man; that’s a GOD-MAN! God has paid a visit to this planet, and there He is!" No, Jesus had a human appearance, and He resembled other Jewish men who then lived in Palestine. Did the woman of Samaria recognize Jesus as a Jew right away (John 4:9)? ________ He did not have a glowing light or a halo around His head (as some paintings seem to show), nor did He have long, flowing hair which made Him look different from His disciples and other men of His day. In age, He appeared to be about 30 years old (compare Luke 3:23 and John 8:57). When Jesus said that He was the One who came down from heaven, did the Jews find His statement easy to believe (see John 6:41-42)? ________
In every way Jesus was a real man just like us. There was only one big difference--He was ________________ _______ (see the last two words in Hebrews 4:15). He was a sinless man in the midst of sinful men! He was the holy Saviour who had come to seek and to save lost sinners! In the next chapter we will learn more about the sinlessness of our Lord.
| 1. Jesus had a real physical birth. He went
through a real birth process (Luke 2:7; Galatians 4:4). His birth
was also unique. It was a virgin birth, and the baby that was born was
holy and sinless (Luke 1:35). 2. Jesus had real ancestors. The Bible gives us two genealogies of Jesus (Matthew 1; Luke 3). 3. Jesus grew up (Luke 2:52). He grew physically, socially, mentally and spiritually. As an infant, He had to learn to walk, to talk, to read, etc. 4. Jesus had a real physical, flesh and blood body (John 1:14). He knew what it was like to be hungry (Matt. 4:2). He knew what it was like to get tired (John 4:6). He knew what it was like to sleep (Mark 4:38). He knew what it was like to suffer and to feel pain. 5. Jesus was part of a real family. He had a mother and father (Luke 2:48), four brothers and at least two sisters (Mark 6:3). Of course, due to the virgin birth, Joseph was not his biological father, and his siblings were half-brothers and half-sisters. 6. Jesus had a job or an occupation. He is called "the carpenter" (Mark 6:3). No doubt he was trained by His father (Matthew 13:55). 7. Jesus was tempted (Hebrews 4:15), yet He was totally "without sin." In every temptation, He was victorious. |
The Bible clearly reveals why Jesus Christ came into the world: "Christ Jesus came into the world to S_________ S__________________" (1 Timothy 1:15). To save sinners, Christ had to die for sinners! God became a man so that He could die for sinful men. Jesus was made a little lower than the angels and He became a man "for the suffering of __________________, crowned with glory and honour; that He by the grace of God should taste _____________ for ____________ _______" (Hebrews 2:9). God became a man so that He could taste death for you! Christ became a partaker of flesh and blood so that He might die for us (Hebrews 2:14).
There are many things that God cannot do. One such thing is this: GOD CANNOT DIE! God is eternal. God lives forever! God is not subject to death (He is immortal--1 Timothy 1:17). In order to die, God had to become a man.
Here is an illustration that might help: We know that "the One who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Psalm 121:4). God never goes to sleep! He is eternally awake and alert and "on the job twenty-four hours a day"! And yet, even though God cannot sleep, when God became a man, and what did He (the God-Man) do (Matthew 8:24)? ______________
In Isaiah 40:28 we are told that the Creator-God "fainteth not, neither is weary." God never gets tired, worn out or weary. God never needs to stop and rest. However, when God became a man, what are we told about the Him (John 4:6)? ____________________________
The Bible teaches that God knows all things; He is omniscient--1 John 3:20. There is nothing that God does not know. However, when God became a man, according to Mark 13:32 (see also verses 35-37), was there anything that the God-man did not know (yes or no)? _________
Because Jesus was a real man, He slept, became weary, did not know the time
of His coming, and found it necessary to eat and drink. God cannot die, but God
became a man and died on the cross to save us from our sins. As the hymn says, "Amazing
love, how can it be, that Thou my God should die for me!"
Because Christ became a man, no one can ever look up into heaven and say, "God, You do not know what it is like to be a man. You do not know what I am going through and the problems that I am facing right now. You do not know what it is like to be in my shoes. You do not know, and You do not care." This is something that can never be said! The God who is in heaven has walked on this earth as a man. He knows what we go through because He has been here on earth (Hebrews 4:15).
Is God aware of our problems? Does He understand what we go through, or is He some far away, distant deity who knows nothing of the suffering and sorrow of humans on this earth below? Our hearts cry out for a God who can feel what we feel and experience what we experience!
Because of the incarnation, we have good news. Christ does feel our heartaches. He perfectly understands our humanity because He was and is a man! Christ knows what we go through because He has already gone through it! Here’s a question to think about: Was there once a time when Jesus Christ was the very same age you are right now? ______ Suppose you are thirteen years old. Does He know what it is like to be a thirteen years old? _______
Christ knows just what we go through. To show you this truth, please do the following MATCHING problem:
| 1. | ____ |
Jesus knows what it is
like to suffer. |
A. | Matthew 26:31,37,38,40 |
| 2. | ____ | Jesus knows what it is like to be unnoticed and rejected. | B. | Matthew 27:41-43 |
| 3. | ____ | Jesus knows what it is like to be called names. | C. | Matthew 27:46 |
| 4. | ____ | Jesus knows what it is like to be mocked and made fun of. | D. | Mark 6:3 |
| 5. | ____ | Jesus knows what it is like to have loved ones who do not believe. | E. | John 1:11-12 |
| 6. | ____ | Jesus knows what it is like to stand at the grave side of a loved one. | F. | John 7:5 |
| 7. | ____ | Jesus knows what it is like to toil and work hard with His hands. | G. | John 8:48 |
| 8. | ____ | Jesus knows what it is like to be disappointed by close friends. | H. | John chapter 11 |
| 9. | ____ | Jesus knows what it is like to be alone, deserted even by his dearest companions. | I. |
John 13:18 (Psalm 41:9) |
| 10. | ____ | Jesus knows the awful separation that sin brings. Even though He Himself never sinned, He did experience this separation. | J. | 1 Peter 3:18 |
Yes, the Lord Jesus has already traveled down life’s road before us, and He traveled it as a man. The road is often bumpy, but He has been over every bump before us! There is only one difference between Him and us: He was completely without sin (Hebrews 4:15). His sinlessness is what we want to study in the next chapter.
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