Title: Incomparable Humanity of Christ
Bible Book: 1 John 1 : 1-10
Author: Denis Lyle
Subject: Christmas; Jesus; Birth of Jesus; Humanity of Jesus
Objective:
Introduction
1 John 1:1-10
WE BELIEVE THAT CHRIST INCOMPARABLE HIS HUMANITY
On one occasion the great Daniel Webster the American statesman was dining with a company of literary men in Boston, a Unitarian stronghold, when the conversation turned upon Christianity. As the gathering was in honour of Mr. Webster he was expected to take a leading part in the conversation and he frankly stated his belief in the deity of Jesus Christ and his personal dependence on His finished work. A Unitarian minister opposite him said,
“Mr. Webster, could you comprehend how Jesus Christ could be both God man?” Webster fixed his eye on him and said, “ No, Sir, I cannot it, and I would be ashamed to acknowledge Him as my Saviour if I could comprehend it. If I could comprehend Him, he would be no greater than myself. And such is my conviction of my accountability to God, my sense of sinfulness before Him, and my knowledge of my own incapacity to recover myself, that I feel I need a superhuman Saviour.” Do you not find yourself in hearty agreement with Webster’s reply? You see, that Christ is very God and very Man, perfect God and Perfect Man is the teaching of Scripture. The Constitution of this Church talks about, The essential Deity and Perfect Humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Gospel Mission of South America states, We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, …. and is true God and true Man.
Spurgeon’s Catechism poses the question, How did Christ, being the Son of God become man?
Christ, the Son of God, became man by taking to Himself a true body, and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin Mary and born of her without sin.
Now the word “ human,” refers by definition to that which is of, or belonging to man. “ Humanity,” refers to the attributes which mark the human race. Neither of these words is found in the Bible but as with many other truths within the Scriptures, the humanity of the Lord Jesus is a vital matter to consider and understand. That He is, in His person both God and Man, is referred to in the Word of God as “ the mystery of godliness.” (1 Tim 3:16) It has been said that, at His incarnation, our Lord Jesus Christ became what He had never been before, without ceasing to be what He had been eternally. Also, what He became at Bethlehem, He will never cease to be. Now although there are those today, as in every age, who deny Christ’s Deity, there are also who affirm His Deity but stop with description of Him. This is also an error. For a second, equally important fact is that He is fully man. He is not man from eternity past, as is true of His Godhead. Rather He became man at a particular point in time through the incarnation. But now, having become man, He is in His person both God and man. The Bible is never hesitant to put the twin truths of the full deity and perfect humanity of Christ together. Do you recall that Christ performed His first miracle at a wedding in Cana of Galilee? I mean nothing could be more human than a wedding. Yet when the wine was exhausted Christ, the Lord of Creation, turns the water into wine and reveals His glory (Jn 2:11)
Do you remember when the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee when a storm arose? The Lord Jesus exhausted from the days activities was fast asleep (Mk 4:38) What a beautiful blending we have here of the Deity and Humanity of Christ. He was God, yet He was man. He was man yet He was God. As man, there He was asleep on a pillow. Yet there He was as God about to calm the storm. No wonder the disciples exclaimed, “ what manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him? (Mk 4:41)
My …. could anything be more human than Christ’s death by crucifixion? Could anything be more divine than the darkening of the sky, the rending of the veil, the rising of the saints, and the opening of the tomb on that first Easter morning? Now these twin truths of the Deity and Humanity of Christ have not always been acknowledged down through the centuries. Arianism denied the Deity of Christ, Docetism or Gnosticism denied the Humanity of Christ. At the end of the first century Marcion and the Gnostics taught that Christ only appeared to be a man. You see, this is why the apostle John was at pains to establish the perfect humanity of Christ. To counteract this heresy of Gnosticism that was prevalent in his day.
Gnostic comes from the Greek word (gnosis) meaning “to know.” The word “ agnostic,” means “ someone who does not know,” therefore a “ Gnostic,” was “ a religious know it all.” The Gnostics believed that all matter was evil. This means the body was evil, the flesh was evil, anything material or physical was evil. Therefore, they denied the humanity of Christ. They were going around saying that Jesus Christ was not human at all, He just appeared to be human. He was a phantom. Others said that Christ was a human being and that the divine Christ came upon Him at His baptism and departed at His crucifixion. You see, they did not believe in the incarnation, the literal coming into human existence of the Lord Jesus.
My …. who told you that doctrine does not matter? Doctrine matters. For deny the humanity of Christ, and you’ll have to deny the work of Christ, and if you deny the work of Christ, there’s no salvation. For example in our day Christian Science denies the humanity of Christ,
“Christ is incorporeal, and spiritual,” wrote Mary Baker Eddy in her Miscellaneous Writings, thus denying the reality of His body and His real humanity. John denounces such heresy by saying, “ Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, is not of God and this is that spirit of antichrist.” (4:3) Now this …. I want to touch on a few things in relation to His Humanity.
(1) THE PROMISE OF HIS HUMANITY
Let’s consider,
(a) The First Recorded Prophecy in the Bible:
Look if you will at (Gen 3:15) It should be noted that this statement is the first recorded prophecy in the Bible.
Notice several truths here.
1. What is Typified:
The “ woman,” here typifies Israel, the woman from whom the promised seed came, the woman of
(Rev Ch 12) The children of Israel, being the appointed channel through which the Messiah was to come, became the object of Satan’s continued enmity and assault. Think of the edict of Pharaoh to destroy all the male children, the Egyptian attack at the Red Sea, the attacks of the Canaanites when in the land, the plot of Haman. Are all these not just examples of the enmity between Satan and
“ the woman,”? What about the continual persecution of the Jew by the Gentile? What about the future opposition of the Beast in the days of the Tribulation? All of these things point to one thing. Satan hates the Jews.
2. What is Prophesied:
For two “ seeds,” are referred to here. “ Thy seed,” and
“ her seed,” that is Satan’s seed and the Woman’s Seed, the Antichrist and the Christ. My …. in these two persons all prophecy converges. In “ thy seed,” we have a hint of the supernatural and satanic nature of the Antichrist. From the beginning the Devil has been an imitator, and the climax will not be reached until he copies the hypostatic union of the two natures in our blessed Lord, His Humanity and His Deity. You see, the Antichrist will be the Man of Sin and yet the Son of Perdition, literally the
“ seed,” of the serpent, just as our Lord was the Son of Man and Son of God in one person. For surely if “ her seed,” culminates in a single personality, the Christ, then “ thy seed,” must also culminate in a single person the Antichrist. 1, 2,
3. What is Identified:
“Her seed,” that is the woman’s seed. Here we have the first announcement concerning the supernatural birth of our Saviour. Do you see that the Lord Jesus is going to enter this world in a unique way? “ Her seed,” the woman’ seed, and not the mans. Do you not see here the first mention of the virgin birth? The “ seed,” of procreation in Scripture is generally described in Scripture as coming from the man, but in this passage God is indicating to Satan, that the promised Deliverer would come into the world through the woman. He would be the promised Messiah who is the only one described as the seed of the woman. (a)
(b) The Further Recorded Prophecy in the Bible:
Look if you will at (Is 7:10-14) Now Matthew makes it clear that the Virgin Birth of Christ was the specific fulfillment of this Old Testament passage. “ Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matt 1:22-23) These words of Isaiah contain a remarkable prophecy. Ahaz the wicked king of Judah had been offered advice from Jehovah concerning the threatening powers which were advancing on Jerusalem at that time. The offered sign that this evil man refused turned out to be the most fundamental promise that Jehovah ever made to the house of David. The sign referred to was greater than that which would meet the local and temporary need of Isaiah’s day. Indeed the use of the phrase “ the house of David,” should be noted. You see, Jehovah was looking on to His divine and final provision for His chosen people. “ A virgin shall conceive and bear a son,” (Is 7:14) Now some tell us that the Hebrew word ‘ alma,’ is used elsewhere of a maiden who is not necessarily a virgin.
Some modern versions have altered their text to reflect this. Beware of modern versions that seek to dethrone the Lord Jesus. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament comments on this as follows, “ There is no instance where it can be proved that ‘ alma,’ designates a young woman who is not a virgin.” (Gen 24:43 Ex 3:8 S.S. 6:8) In light of this, and in light of the clarity of (Matthew Ch 1) why have some translators made the change to “ a maiden,” or “ a young woman,”? Mary was a virgin and this is confirmed by the words of the Angel to Joseph. (Matt 1:20) It is well known that every virgin is a maiden, but not every maiden is a virgin. What a prophecy this was of a child that would be born completely free from all taint of sin. My …. the miracle of the incarnation is in the conception which took place within the womb of Mary. Do you recall Isaiah’s further prophecy? “ For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” (Is 9:6) Notice that the “ child is born,” that confirms the true humanity of the child, but ‘ the Son,’ was given. Paul says, “ But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” (Gal 4:4) (1)
(2) THE PROOF OF HIS HUMANITY
The writers of the four gospels were never in doubt of the reality of Christ’s humanity. For example think about,
(a) HIS ANCESTRAL ROOTS:
“Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.”
(Is 9:6) Who would have thought that so simple a statement would convey so much? But that’s exactly what it does and the gospel record bears it out. Matthew and Luke set before us the fact that Jesus Christ was the child born. Both take us back to the manger and deal with events surrounding Christ’s birth. Matthew shows us Christ’s connection with the Hebrew race. He underlines the fact that the Lord Jesus was the true Messiah, the son of David (2 Sam 7:12) and the promised King. Luke shows us Christ’s connection with the Human race. He underlines the fact that Jesus Christ was a true man. Matthew traces the ancestry of Jesus through His foster father, Joseph, the husband of Mary. Luke traces the ancestry of Jesus Christ through the virgin Mary. Matthews shows us that Christ was legal heir to David’s throne, Luke shows that Jesus was lineal heir to David’s throne. But both Matthew and Luke are agreed. Jesus Christ was “ the child born,” as foretold by the prophet Isaiah. He was born of the Virgin Mary conceived of the Holy Spirit. And around this amazing event countless carols have been sung. For the meaning of Christmas is not “ here comes Santa Claus.” It has nothing to do with “ Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer.” My …. are these not deliberate attempts by the enemy to dilute and distort the true significance of the Advent season? Christmas and Calvary are two of God’s hammer blows directed at the devil. Christ’s coming and Christ’s cross are two massive blows from which Satan will never recover. So then,
“ unto us a Child is born.”
John, on the other hand shows us the Son given. He does not take us to manger, he stays clear of Bethlehem altogether. John instead, takes us back not to Christ’s earthly birth, but back to the very beginning. “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” (Jn 1:1) John shows us the Son given. When we put the two together, the Child born and the Son given, what do we have? Deity in humanity. We have One who was both Man and God. We have the greatest mystery in the universe. Never before has anything like that happened. The Lord Jesus stands apart from all others. But the reality of His humanity is seen in His ancestral roots.
(b) HIS NATURAL GROWTH:
Look if you will at (Lk 2:46-52) Here is Luke writing from the standpoint of a Doctor, telling us that Christ’s humanity passed through the various stages of growth, like that of any other member of the race. The Lord Jesus experienced normal physical development. Luke tells us
“ And the child grew,” (Lk 2:40) My …. pictures of the Lord Jesus with a halo on His head, do Him a great disservice. He was indistinguishable from other children except for the absence of sin. He passed through all the stages of normal development. He grew up just like a normal human boy. Except for sin. He was wholly free from sin. Outside of Nazareth was the hill on which the city was built. Certainly, there would have been no boy of Nazareth, in that day who did not climb that hill. Every field and farm, every garden and glen, every house and shop would be familiar to Him.
A son that never did amiss
That never shamed a mother’s kiss
Nor crossed her fondest prayer
Isn’t it interesting the way the Doctor traces Christ’s development here? Dr. Luke first calls Christ a ‘ babe,’ (Lk 2:16) then a ‘ child,’ (2:40) then a ‘ boy,’ (2:43) then ‘ Jesus.’ (Lk 2:52) Incidentally, should our parenting not take into account these four areas in the lives of our children? Should we not seek to train them intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially?
(c) HIS ACTUAL APPERANCE:
We know nothing as to the appearance of the Lord Jesus for we have not got a picture or photograph of Him. Yet from the few references we have we can say that the Lord Jesus was normal in appearance. To those two despondent
disillusioned disciples on the road to Emmaus, He was just a fellow citizen who was certainly out of touch with recent events. (Lk 24:18) When He appeared to Mary Magdalene on resurrection morning she mistook Christ for the gardener. (Jn 20:15) When the disciples were coming home after a fruitless nights fishing the Bible says, “ Jesus stood on the shore but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.” (Jn 21:4) You see, all these incidents underline the naturalness or humanness of Christ’s physical appearance. Do you remember that day when He stopped at Scyhar’s well? Do you recall how He engaged that sinful woman in conversation? She noted that there was nothing unusual about His appearance. To her He was just another hated Jew and so she says, “ how is it that thou being a Jew, askest drink of me which am a woman of Samaria? (Jn 4:9)
This woman evidently recognized the Lord Jesus as a Jew by His features or speech. To her He was just an ordinary Jew at least to begin with. His pure life no doubt gave Him a distinguished look, just as good character distinguishes men today, but there was a naturalness about the Saviour. Do you recall Paul’s words? He “ was made in the likeness of men,” (Phil 2:7) sin apart. My …. Christ had all that is essential in a man. He spoke of His body: He said, “ In that she poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.” (Matt 26:12) He referred to His soul: He said, “ My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.” (Matt 26:36) He spoke about His spirit: for on the cross He cried, “ Father into thy hands I commend my spirit.” (Lk 23:46) Now these elements are essential to humanity and Christ possessed them all. My …. are you beginning to see that the One who is your Saviour is not only perfect God but perfect Man? What about,
(d) HIS TOTAL EXPERIENCES:
Dr. William Evans says
There is not a note in the great organ of our humanity, which, when touched does not find a sympathetic vibration in the mighty range and scope of our Lord’s being, saving of course the jarring discord of sin.
What does William Evans mean? Well, let me ask, are there times when you encounter satanic temptation? Christ knows all about it. (Matt 4:2) He “ was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin.”
(Heb 4:15) Are there times when you are hungry?
Christ knew hunger. (Matt 4:2) Are there moments when you are weary? “ Jesus therefore being wearied with His journey,” (Jn 4:6) Have there been times when you have stood at the grave of a loved one and wept? The shortest verse in the Bible tells us that at the grave of Lazarus
“Jesus wept.” (Jn 11:35) Are you experiencing right now physical suffering and pain? Well, listen to Matthew’s record, “ And when he had scourged Jesus he delivered him to be crucified.” (Matt 27:26) Hunger, weariness, thirst, tears, temptation, pain, even death Christ experienced. Now in view of all that we have previously said about Christ’s absolute Deity these experiences of Christ’s do not indicate that this man is not really God, but rather that this God is really man. Perfect God and Prefect Man. But what was,
(3) THE PURPOSE OF HIS HUMANITY
(a) TO SAVE:
To provide an effective sacrifice for sin. You see, without the Incarnation we would have no Saviour. Sin requires death for its payment. God does not die. So the Saviour must be human in order to be able to die. But then the death of an ordinary man, could not pay for sin eternally, so the Saviour must also be God.
The writer to the Hebrews says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same, that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb 2:14-15)
Paul says, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Tim 1:15)
John says, “ For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 Jn 3:9)
My …. without the true manhood of Christ these aspects of God’s saving purpose would have been impossible. The Lord Jesus Himself said, “A body hast thou prepared me.” (Heb 10:5) James McBroom has observed,
He is the ‘ Son of Man,’ and as such passed through every stage of human life from the manger to the cross. In Matthew He is the Kingliest of Kings, in Mark the most faithful of all servants, in Luke the most gracious and tender of all men, and in John while these are present He is the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.
My …. Christ had to become a man, in order to save. Paul says, “ There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” (1 Tim 2:5) Paul is emphasizing that He who came was ‘ Himself man,’ and therefore entirely competent to be the only suitable Mediator. Let’s pause for a moment to think of the stoop that He took, the sacrifice that He made, the salvation that He purchased, for you, for me.
(b) TO SUCCOUR:
Look if you will at (Heb 2:18) Why?
1. Because Christ Understands our Nature:
Do you see what (2:16) says? “ For verily he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” The Lord did not take on an angelic nature but a human nature. He became a member of a human family, specifically a Hebrew family. Some years ago the dean of women of a great Christian institute wrote an article for a Christian magazine, based on her experiences with hundreds of young women over a considerable period of time. Entitled, “ If were a Mother,” doubtless it was a very good article but it lacked something, for after all, she wasn’t a mother. Motherhood has all kinds of feeling and fears and frustrations that no single woman can ever know …. except academically. My …. the Lord Jesus is no academic Saviour. He understands our nature because He has entered human life. Yes, 1.
2. Because Christ Understands our Need:
For look at (Heb 2:17) The Lord Jesus has made been like His brethren so that He can be to us all that we need. We need someone to intercede for us compassionately. He is merciful. We need someone to intercede for us continuously. He is faithful. He can take care of our needs in God’s presence. Moreover He understands our needs in an experimental way, “ for in that He himself hath suffered, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”
(Heb 2:18) It’s a bit difficult for leaders of political parties to enter government and legislate for the poor, when they themselves have been brought up in affluent surroundings. Undoubtedly the poor would feel better if the man making the laws had been raised in a slum, for he would understand better what it means to be poor and underprivileged. My …. Christ has experienced temptation. He knows what it is like. That’s why He is able to succour. The word means “ to run to the cry of those in distress and danger and bring them help.” It’s the picture of a mother responding to the cry of her distressed child. My …. are you facing temptation? Is Satan tempting you in different ways? Is he tempting you at different times? Is he tempting you through different people? Your Saviour knows all about it, and He wants to succour you, help you, and relieve you.
(c) TO SYMPATHISE:
Slip over a page to (Heb 4:14-16) The Amplified Bible put it like this, “ For we do not have a High Priest Who is unable to understand and sympathize and have a fellow feeling with our weaknesses and infirmities and liability to the assaults of temptation, but One who has been tempted in every respect as we are yet without sinning.”
The very word “ sympathy,” means a suffering with, but how can there be a suffering with another if the suffering itself be personally unknown? No-one can really sympathize with the afflicted but those who have passed through similar afflictions. We might as well expect a newly married bride to sympathize with a bereaved widow, or a millionaire business man with a ruined bankrupt, as for the unafflicted to sympathize with the afflicted. But bless the Lord, we have a Saviour who can sympathize for He suffered. Our High Priest is not cold and heartless but merciful and sympathetic. The words mean “ to suffer with another person, to sympathize with him to the extent of entering into his experience and feeling his heartache yourself.” That’s exactly what the Saviour does,
For in every pang that rends the heart
The man of sorrows has a part
He sympathizes in our grief
And to the sufferer sends relief
Years ago someone put a sign outside their house that said
“Puppies for sale.” Among those who came to enquire was a young boy. “ Please Sir, I would like to buy one if they are not too expensive.” “ Well, son they are 25 dollars each.” The boy looked disappointed and said, “ I have only 2 dollars but could I see them anyway.” “ Of course,” said the owner, “ perhaps we can work out something.” The boy’s eyes danced at the sight of those 5 little balls of fur. “ I heard that one has a bad leg,” said the young boy. “ Yes, I am afraid she is crippled for life.”
“Well, that’s the one I want.” “But she will always have a limp.” Smiling bravely the boy pulled up one trouser leg revealing a brace, “I don’t walk too well either,” then looking at the puppy he said, “ I guess she will need a lot of love and help I sure did, its not easy being crippled.”
“Take the pup,” said the man, “forget the money, I know you will give her a good home.” You see, that little boys experience had given him a feeling for that puppy. Christ’s experience has given Him a feeling for us in the times of temptation and trial.
Burdened believer,
Standing somewhere in the shadows
You’ll find Jesus
He’s the One who really cares and understands
Standing somewhere in the shadows
You will find Him
And you’ll know Him by the nail prints in His hand
(d) TO SUSTAIN:
For do you see how the chapter ends? “ Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb 4:16)
“Let us come,” Who? “ Us.” Every believer is to come for the way into God’s presence is open to all.
“Let us come,” How? “Boldly,” it means with confidence for God will accept us for Christ’s sake
“Let us come,” Where? To “the throne of grace,” not to a throne of judgment but to a place where the Lord is gracious.
"Let us come,” Why? To “obtain mercy,” for our constant need of pardon “ and find grace,” which is adequate and available.
“Let us come,” When? “In time of need.” Do you feel your need personally? Your need of pardon, purity and power? Will you come therefore to the throne of grace?
My …. do we feel our need corporately? Our need of revival, renewal, and restoration. Will we therefore come to this throne of grace? Do we feel our need evangelistically? As we think of souls hovering over the brink of hell. Will we therefore come to the throne of grace? My …. what a Saviour we have. A Saviour who through His humanity has opened up a way back to God, a Saviour who is able to succour, sympathize, and sustain, because He has walked the pathway before us. (1) (2) (3)
(4) THE PERPETUITY OF HIS HUMANITY
For the writer to the Hebrews says, “ Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.”
(Heb 6:20) Our Lord is not within the veil of an earthly sanctuary but rather in heaven itself. A real man has gone in first, He has taken humanity into heaven and sits as a man upon the throne of God. This,
(a) PLEDGES OUR SECURITY:
You see, the writer here gives three arguments for the certain salvation of all believers. God’s Promise:
(6:13-15) God’s Oath: (6:16-18) and God’s Son:
(6:19-20) Our hope in Christ is like an anchor of the soul. The anchor was a popular symbol in the early church, but Christians have but one anchor, Jesus Christ our hope. However, this spiritual anchor is different from material anchors on ships. For one thing, we are anchored upward, to heaven, not downward. We are anchored not to stand still but to move ahead. Our anchor is “ sure,” it cannot break, and “ steadfast,” it cannot slip, no earthly anchor can give that kind of security. My …. we are eternally secure. But this not only (a)
(b) PREDICTS OUR GLORY:
For notice (6:20) Will you notice that the movement described is that of bodily action. A real man has gone into glory, a man who is described as “ the forerunner.”
(6:19) This is a military term describing a scout that went ahead to prepare for the troops that followed.
My …. Jesus Christ is our advance guard. He has gone before us to open the door. He said, “ I go to prepare a place for you.” (Jn 14:2) And the entrance of the forerunner is that the pledge that one day we too shall be there with Him. Isn’t He a wonderful Saviour?
"He will keep me till the river
Rolls its waters at my feet
Then He’ll bear me safely over
Where the loved ones I shall meet
He and I in that bright glory
One deep joy shall share
Mine, to be for ever with Him
His, that I am there."
