A Doctrine a Day to Keep the Devil Away: Christ Incarnate

[Dr. K.R. Allen]

Doctrine: Christ Jesus, the God-Man, Came to Earth as the Second Adam to Save Mankind from the Curse of Sin
All of the religions of the world, and every human being who has ever lived or will ever live, must give an answer as to who is Christ Jesus. Some call him Yeshua (from the Hebrew name), some call him Jesus (from the Greek name), but all who know him personally call him Lord (Romans 10:9-10). As the Lord he holds in his hands each person's eternal destiny. There is salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12). As he himself said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). He alone, as God in the flesh (John 1:14), is the only perfect substitute to resolve the sin problem that Adam, who represented all of humanity (Rom. 5:12), brought into our world. As John said of him, he is the "lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the fulfillment of all of what Moses and the prophets spoke of (Luke 24:27) lived, died, and arose again. This is of "first importance" (1 Cor. 15:3) for without the life, death, and resurrection of Christ our "faith is futile" and we would still "be in" our "sins" (1 Cor. 15:16). It is by Christ and his "atoning sacrifice" (1 John 2:2) whereby he died in our place (Rom. 5:18-19; 1 Peter 3:18) appeasing God's eternal wrath against us so that we experience by "faith" eternal life in him (Eph. 2:8-9). All religions, all works, all faiths, and all people must give an account to him because God has "fixed a day on which he [God] will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:31). Jesus Christ owns all of humanity and all of history. He, by God's divine appointment, will one day judge each person as they will be drawn to him to stand before him to give an account of their life (Rev. 20:11-15).



Life Application
Many people today have an earthly focus on life. As natural humans our worldview is shaped by the limitations of our finite minds that is plagued with sin. We are in despair, a hopeless human race, alone, and with nothing to look forward to but our bodies dwindling away as we decay and die. That is all we have if we have an earthly focus. But there is true life (John 10:10) if we come to the Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus Christ who is Lord of lords and King of kings. Sadly, many will one day stand before him and say, "Lord Lord" but they will not enter the kingdom as they will be told to depart for Christ never "knew" them (Matt. 7:21-23). Many will obtain great wealth and riches on this earth. But they too will forsake their soul for earthly gain. Christ warned these people by saying, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul" (Matt. 16:26)? What drives you? Are you pursuing Christ and is he your ultimate mission in life to honor him, live for him, and to share for others what he has done for them by his life, death, and resurrection? Life is not about us. True life is about God's glory as revealed in the Lord of love. Do you know that love? Have you ever been born from above by his love experienced through unmerited, unearned, and undeserved grace? If not come to him today in humble submission and confess him to be your personal Master, your God, your Savior. Your life, both here and in eternity, hinges upon this.

Dr. Allen

 

[Doc]

Re: A Doctrine a Day to Keep the Devil Away: Christ Incarnat

Read Doc Burkhart's blog here: http://docburkhartisthinking.blogspot.com

In addition to Jesus’ specific claims about Himself, His disciples also acknowledged the deity of Christ. They claimed that Jesus had the right to forgive sins—something only God can do—as it is God who is offended by sin (Acts 5:31; Colossians 3:13; Psalm 130:4; Jeremiah 31:34). In close connection with this last claim, Jesus is also said to be the one who will “judge the living and the dead” (2 Timothy 4:1). Thomas cried out to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Paul calls Jesus “great God and Savior” (Titus 2:13) and points out that prior to His incarnation Jesus existed in the “form of God” (Philippians 2:5-8). God the Father says regarding Jesus: “Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8). John states that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word [Jesus] was God” (John 1:1). Examples of Scriptures that teach the deity of Christ are many (see Revelation 1:17, 2:8, 22:13; 1 Corinthians 10:4; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Psalm 18:2, 95:1; 1 Peter 5:4; Hebrews 13:20), but even one of these is enough to show that Christ was considered to be God by His followers.

Jesus is also given titles that are unique to YHWH (the formal name of God) in the Old Testament. The Old Testament title “redeemer” (Psalm 130:7; Hosea 13:14) is used of Jesus in the New Testament (Titus 2:13; Revelation 5:9). Jesus is called Immanuel—“God with us”—in Matthew 1. In Zechariah 12:10, it is YHWH who says, “They will look on me, the one they have pierced.” But the New Testament applies this to Jesus’ crucifixion (John 19:37; Revelation 1:7). If it is YHWH who is pierced and looked upon, and Jesus was the one pierced and looked upon, then Jesus is YHWH. Paul interprets Isaiah 45:22-23 as applying to Jesus in Philippians 2:10-11. Further, Jesus’ name is used alongside God’s in prayer “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2). This would be blasphemy if Christ were not deity. The name of Jesus appears with God's in Jesus' commanded to baptize “in the name [singular] of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19; see also 2 Corinthians 13:14).

Actions that can be accomplished only by God are credited to Jesus. Jesus not only raised the dead (John 5:21, 11:38-44) and forgave sins (Acts 5:31, 13:38), He created and sustains the universe (John 1:2; Colossians 1:16-17). This becomes even clearer when one considers YHWH said He was alone during creation (Isaiah 44:24). Further, Christ possesses attributes that only deity can have: eternality (John 8:58), omnipresence (Matthew 18:20, 28:20), omniscience (Matthew 16:21), and omnipotence (John 11:38-44).

Now, it is one thing to claim to be God or to fool someone into believing it is true, and something else entirely to prove it to be so. Christ offered many miracles as proof of His claim to deity. Just a few of Jesus' miracles include turning water to wine (John 2:7), walking on water (Matthew 14:25), multiplying physical objects (John 6:11), healing the blind (John 9:7), the lame (Mark 2:3), and the sick (Matthew 9:35; Mark 1:40-42), and even raising people from the dead (John 11:43-44; Luke 7:11-15; Mark 5:35). Moreover, Christ Himself rose from the dead. Far from the so-called dying and rising gods of pagan mythology, nothing like the resurrection is seriously claimed by other religions, and no other claim has as much extra-scriptural confirmation.

There are at least twelve historical facts about Jesus that even non-Christian critical scholars will admit:

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. He was buried.
3. His death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope.
4. Jesus' tomb was discovered (or was claimed to be discovered) to be empty a few days later.
5. The disciples believed they experienced appearances of the risen Jesus.
6. After this, the disciples were transformed from doubters into bold believers.
7. This message was the center of preaching in the early Church.
8. This message was preached in Jerusalem.
9. As a result of this preaching, the Church was born and it grew.
10. Resurrection day, Sunday, replaced the Sabbath (Saturday) as the primary day of worship.
11. James, a skeptic, was converted when he also believed that he saw the resurrected Jesus.
12. Paul, an enemy of Christianity, was converted by an experience which he believed to be an appearance of the risen Jesus.

Even if someone were to object to this specific list, only a few are needed to prove the resurrection and establish the gospel: Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and appearances (1 Corinthians 15:1-5). While there may be some theories to explain one or two of the above facts, only the resurrection explains and accounts for them all. Critics admit that the disciples claimed they saw the risen Jesus. Neither lies nor hallucinations can transform people the way the resurrection did. First, what would they have had to gain? Christianity was not popular and it certainly did not make them any money. Second, liars do not make good martyrs. There is no better explanation than the resurrection for the disciples’ willingness to die horrible deaths for their faith. Yes, many people die for lies that they think are true, but people do not die for what they know is untrue.

In conclusion, Christ claimed He was YHWH, that He was deity (not just “a god” but the one true God); His followers (Jews who would have been terrified of idolatry) believed Him and referred to Him as God. Christ proved His claims to deity through miracles, including the world-altering resurrection. No other hypothesis can explain these facts. Yes, the deity of Christ is biblical.

Read Doc Burkhart's blog here: http://docburkhartisthinking.blogspot.com