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From the
previous lessons, we've studied the scriptures that the
"True Jesus" is indeed the
Christ the "Son of God"
(Lesson-3G).
As the "Son of
God", the scriptures are also very clear that Jesus is
indeed a Man in nature and state of being. For Jesus Himself
said that He is a Man who heard the truth from God. A Man
attested by God
by doing the miracles, wonders and signs through Him.
A Man
sitting at the right hand of God pleading to God on men's
behalf as the only one Mediator between God and men.
And the
Man chosen by God to judge the world for Him. Thus according to the scriptures, Jesus as the
Son of God is unquestionably a Man in nature and state of
being and He is distinct (separate being) from God who
proved to everyone by raising him
from the dead
(Lesson 3H).
But many people still believe that Jesus is God
incarnate or God who became flesh. Incarnation
represents the belief that Jesus, who is the non-created
second person of the triune God, took on a human body and
nature and became both man and God
(Lesson-3C.1). Let us
therefore continue our study of the scriptures so we may
come to know the truth. . . .
-
if Jesus Christ changed from being God the Son to
become both man and God or God-man.
- Or, Is Christ Jesus the same yesterday, today
and forever.
Before continuing
the study, you may review the previous
Lesson
2M, to verify if the All Powerful God changed
to a man or became God-man.
Jesus was prophesied to be a "man"
of sorrows:
3I.1
What did Prophet Isaiah prophesy
about Christ Jesus?
In Isaiah 53:3, Prophet
Isaiah recorded this prophecy about 700 years before
Jesus was born:
He is
despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows
and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it
were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we
did not esteem Him. (Isaiah 53:3, NKJV)
The same verse in another version
of the Bible:
He was despised and rejected-a man of
sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We
turned our backs on him and looked the other way
when he went by. He was despised, and we did not
care. (NLT)
The Prophet Isaiah
prophesied that the Christ would be a "man", a man of
sorrows and acquainted with grief. He is despised and
rejected by men.
Jesus
was conceived and brought forth as a Man
3I.2
What was declared by the angel when the fulfillment of the
prophecy was about to happen?
In the following verses,
these are written:
As he
considered this, he fell asleep, and an angel of the
Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph, son of
David," the angel said, "do not be afraid to go
ahead with your marriage to Mary. For the child
within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit.
(Matthew 1:20, New Living Translation)
Then
the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for
you have found favor with God.. "And behold, you
will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son,
and shall call His name Jesus. (Luke 1:30-31,
New Living Translation)
The Angel declared the
following . . . .
-
For
the child within Mary has been conceived by the Holy
Spirit.
- Mary
will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and
you are to name him Jesus.
As the
angel declared the
child within Mary is a son, and his name will be Jesus.
Thus, Jesus was conceived as a man.
3I.3
What is the
proof that the child within Mary is "Human" though it was
conceived by the Holy Spirit?
Other people may reason
out that the child is "God" because He does not have a
human father for he was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Then,
how would you call Adam and Eve who was created
without even a human father and mother?
Then the Lord God
formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living being. (Genesis 2:7,
New American Standard)
And the Lord God caused a
deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the
flesh in its place. Then the rib which the
Lord God had taken from man He made into a
woman, and He brought her to the man.
(Genesis 2:21-22, NKJV)
Adam and Eve was
created by God without a human mother and father,
but still they are undeniably human because they are
our ancestors.
Being conceived by the
Holy Spirit is not a proof that the child within Mary is
God, because God is not like a human father, who needs
to be in union with a woman to produce a biological
child.
God is the Creator of
all things; In the Bible, God created people in four
different ways:
-
So,
by the power of God, the first man Adam was created
by forming him from the dust of the ground
(Gen.2:7).
-
and
by the power of God, He created Eve, the first
woman, by taking a rib from Adam and made it into a
woman (Gen.2:21-22).
- and
also by the power of God,
Mary a human being,
conceived in her womb or became pregnant by the Holy
Spirit and brought forth a son and he was named
Jesus (Matt.1:20; Luke1:30-31).
-
and
by the power of God, through the union of a man and
a woman, conceives and develops in the mother's
womb, to give birth to every man and woman who live
in this world (Ecclesiastes 11:5, Psalms 139:
13-17).
Thus, it
is very clear that even though Jesus was conceived in the
womb of Mary or Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit,
Jesus is still undeniably a Man because His mother is a
human being and He was brought forth or born as a Man.
Jesus was born as a baby and grew up as a
child:
3I.4
What happened when the time came for
Mary to give birth?
What is the
proof that Jesus was born as a baby and grew up as a Child,
and not as God?
In the following verses,
these are written:
"And
this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby
wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger." (Luke
2:12, New American Standard Bible)
And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she
wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger,
because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke
2:7, New American Standard Bible)
Mary gave birth to a
baby, her first born son. and she wrapped him in
cloths, and laid Him in a manger,
What
was the proof that Jesus was born and grew up as a
Child, and not as God?
And the Child continued to grow and become
strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of
God was upon Him. (Luke 2:40, NASB)
The Child grow and
become strong, increasing in wisdom. The Child is
not God because as a Child the grace of God was upon
Him.
Note: Jesus was conceived
in Mary by the Holy Spirit. He was born into this world
as a man without a human father, but that does not make
Him God because the true God has no beginning.
During His public ministry - Jesus
himself declared that He is a
Man who told the truth He heard from God:
3I.5
During the Lord's public ministry, what did Jesus say about
Himself? What is His nature of being?
In John 8:40, this is
written:
but
now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told
you the truth that I heard from God. This is not
what Abraham did. (NRSV)
Clearly and
unmistakably Jesus said that;
We can be sure that
Jesus told the truth, for the scripture says "He never
sinned, never told a lie" (1 Peter 2:22, Living Bible).
Thus, if Jesus said
"He is a Man", then, He must be a Man and not God, for
Jesus always tells the truth, otherwise He should have
told the people that He is God or god-man.
Death on the cross -
Jesus died as a Man:
3I.6
When Jesus was crucified, did He die
as a Man? What is the proof that Jesus died as a Man?
In Matthew 27:45-50, this
are written:
The
Death of Jesus 45. From noon onward, darkness came over the whole
land until three in the afternoon. 46. And about three o'clock Jesus cried out in a
loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which
means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" 47. Some of the bystanders who heard it said, "This
one is calling for Elijah." 48. Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he
soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it
to him to drink. 49. But the rest said, "Wait, let us see if Elijah
comes to save him." 50. But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice,
and gave up his spirit. (Matthew 27:45-50, New American Bible)
International English Matthew 27:46 At about three o'clock, Jesus shouted
this loudly: ``Eli, Eli, lema sabakthani?'' (This
means: ``My God, my God, why did you abandon me?'')
Just before Jesus
died, He cried out loud and call upon God. "Eli, Eli, lema
sabachthani?" which means, "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken (abandoned) me?
In the following verses,
this are written:
Jesus
cried out in a loud voice, "Father! In your hands
I place my spirit!" He said this and died. (Luke
23:46, TEV)
So
when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said,
"It is finished!'' And bowing His head, He gave up
His spirit. (John 19:30, NKJV)
Just before Jesus died
or breathes His last, He placed or entrusted His spirit
to the Father.
Why, what will happen to the spirit of a man when dies?
Then the dust will return to the earth as it
was, and the spirit will return to God who
gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7, NKJV)
What
are the proof that Jesus died as a Man?
-
The
fact that Jesus died is enough proof that He is
a Man, because God is immortal (does not die). (1
Tim. 1:17)
-
The
fact that Jesus called upon God before He died, is
proof that He is a Man and not God, for He is
clearly distinct or a separate from God whom He called upon.
-
The
fact that Jesus gave up His spirit when He died is
proof that He died as a Man for a man's spirit will
return to God who gave it (Eccle. 12:7).
Questions to
Ponder:
< Click for
details |
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Why
didd Jesus die if He is
God?
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If Jesus is indeed God, why
did He call His God before He
died? Is it not absurd for a God
to call upon another God who can
help Him?
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If Jesus is God, why
did He
entrust His spirit to God just
before He died?
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Resurrection - Jesus a Man raised from the dead by God:
3I.7
Who is responsible for Christ's resurrection? Did
Jesus resurrect Himself? Or Did God raise Jesus from
the dead?
In Acts 4:8 & 10, Apostle
Peter said this truth as he was filled with the Holy
Spirit:
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to
them, "Rulers of the people and elders of
Israel: "let it be known to you all, and to all the people
of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised
from the dead, by Him this man stands here
before you whole. (Acts 4:8,10, NKJV)
The Apostles testified
that it is God who raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
The fact that Jesus
died and was raised from the dead by God is undeniable
proof that Jesus Christ is a Man and not God for He is
clearly distinct or a separate being from God who raised Him from the dead.
Questions to
Ponder:
< Click for
details |
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Why is
there a need for God to
raise Jesus from the dead if
Jesus is also God?
-
Why can't Jesus resurrect himself?
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Jesus Himself proved that He is still a "Man"
after His resurrection:
3I.8
After Jesus was
resurrected or was raised from the dead by God, did He
became a spirit or is He the same Man with flesh and
bones?
In Luke 24:33-37, these
are written:
33.
And they got up that very hour and returned to
Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven
and those who were with them, 34. saying, "The Lord has really risen and has
appeared to Simon." 35. They {began} to relate their experiences on the
road and how He was recognized by them in the
breaking of the bread. Other Appearances 36. While they were telling these things, He Himself
stood in their midst and *said to them, "Peace be to
you." 37. But they were startled and frightened and
thought that they were seeing a spirit. (Luke
24:33-37, NAS)
After Jesus was
resurrected, having raised from the dead by God, Jesus
appeared before His disciples, but, His
disciples were startled and frightened.
Why were His disciples startled and frightened?
Did Jesus
allow His disciples to have a
wrong understanding about Himself?
38.
And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why
do doubts arise in your hearts? 39. "See My hands and My feet, that it is I
Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have
flesh and bones as you see that I have." 40. And when He had said this, He showed them His
hands and His feet. 41. While they still could not believe {it} because
of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have
you anything here to eat?" 42. They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; 43.
and He took it and ate {it} before them.
NO, As a matter of fact He
corrected their wrong perception about Him, He said;
"Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your
hearts?
As
Jesus showed them His hands and His feet, He proved that
He is still Himself, a Man with flesh and bones.
What
else did Jesus do to prove that He is still a Man with
flesh and bones?
Thus, Jesus has proven
to His disciples that, He is still a Man with flesh and
bones after He was raised from the dead by God.
Why was it very important for Jesus to correct a wrong
perception that He became a spirit after His
resurrection?
In John 4:21-24, these
are written:
21
Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is
coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor
in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22. "You worship what you do not know; we worship
what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the
true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be
His worshipers. 24. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship in spirit and truth." (John
4:21-24, NKJV)
Because Jesus taught
this about God:
It is
very important for Jesus' disciples to clearly
understand that He is a Man with flesh and bones, and
not God who is a Spirit, for He has taught them that the
true worshipers of God must worship God in sprit and
truth. Clearly, Jesus a Man with flesh and bones and He
is
distinct or a separate being from God who is Spirit.
In Heaven - Jesus a Man sitting at
the right hand of God:
3I.9
What
is the prophesy about the One who is at the right hand of
God?
In Psalms 80:17, the
prophecy is written:
Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for
Yourself. (Psalms 80:17, NKJV)
The Old Testament
gives a prophetic description of the One who sits at the
right hand of God.
King David as with the
Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 53:3, has prophesied it as a
man who was made strong by God.
3I.10
Who is this Man who sits at the right hand of God in heaven?
In Hebrews 10:10,12, this
is written:
10.
By that will we have been sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all. 12. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice
for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,
(NKJV)
Jesus Christ is the
Man who sits at the right hand of God.
3I.11
If Jesus
Christ is a Man in heaven, what kind of body does He have
that befit eternal life in heaven?
In Philippians 3:21, this
is written:
20.
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also
eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
21. who will transform our lowly body that it may be
conformed to His glorious body, according to
the working by which He is able even to subdue all
things to Himself. (Philippians 3:21, NKJV)
Christ is a Man in
heaven with a "glorious body".
3I.12
What kind of Body is this Glorious Body of the Man
Jesus?
The following verses will
give us the answer:
When
he comes back he will take these dying bodies of
ours and change them into glorious bodies like his
own, using the same mighty power that he will
use to conquer all else everywhere. (Philippians
3:21, Living Bible)
in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last
trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead
will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality. So when this corruptible has put
on incorruption, and this mortal has put on
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in
victory.' (1 Corinthians 15:52-54, NKJV)
Now
this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption
inherit incorruption. (1 Corinthians 15:50, NKJV)
The Glorious Body of
the Man Christ Jesus is Incorruptible or imperishable
and Immortal or eternal. This is the kind of body
that befit the eternal life in heaven for flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.
Questions to
Ponder::
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The Trinity doctrine
states that God is the Triune God, existing as three
persons, but one being.
Members of the Trinity are said to be co-equal and co-eternal, one in essence,
nature, power, action, and will. (Lesson-2C.1)
-
If Jesus is indeed co-equal as
God in the Trinity, why did He
have a glorious body unlike God
the Father who is a spirit?
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How can Jesus be co-equal as
God in the Trinity, if He is a
Man sitting at the
right hand of God?
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On Judgment Day - a "Man" chosen by God to do the judging
for Him:
3I.13
When Christ returns on Judgment Day to judge the world, will
He perform this God given task as God or as a Man?
In he following verses,
these are written:
He
has set a day when he will judge the world's people
with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to
do the judging for him. God has given proof of
this to all of us by raising Jesus from death. (Acts
17:31, Contemporary English Version)
But
of that day and hour no one knows, neither the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
(Mark 13:32, NKJV)
God has already set
the day when He will judge the world in righteousness.
God has chosen the Man Christ Jesus Christ to do the
judging for Him, But of that day and hour no one knows,
neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the
Father.
Thus, Jesus Christ is
still a Man on the Day of Judgment.
- The scriptural
fact that the Man Jesus was chosen by God to do the
judging for Him is undeniable proof that Jesus is a
Man and not God for Jesus is clearly distinct from
God who made the choice.
- The scriptural
fact that Jesus, the Son, does not know the day and
the hour when He will be sent by the Father for the
second time is undeniable proof that He is indeed a
Man and not God.
At the time of the end - Jesus
still a "Man" will turn over the kingdom and be subject to
God the Father:
3I.14
Will He (Jesus) still be a Man before
and during the time of the end?
In the following verses
these are written:
21.
So you see, just as death came into the world
through a man, Adam, now the resurrection from
the dead has begun through another man, Christ.
22. Everyone dies because all of us are related to
Adam, the first man. But all who are related to
Christ, the other man, will be given new life.
23. But there is an order to this resurrection:
Christ was raised first; then when Christ comes
back, all his people will be raised. 24. After that the end will come, when he will
turn the Kingdom over to God the Father, having
put down all enemies of every kind.* 25. For Christ must reign until he humbles all his
enemies beneath his feet. 26. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death.
27. For the Scriptures say, "God has given him
authority over all things."* (Of course, when it
says "authority over all things," it does not
include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.)
28. Then, when he has conquered all things,
the Son will present himself to God, so that God,
who gave his Son authority over all things, will be
utterly supreme over everything everywhere. (1
Corinthians 15:21-28, NLT)
Apostle Paul explains
what will happen before and during the time of the end:
- For the resurrection from
the dead has begun through the Man Christ Jesus.
- And all those
related to the Man Christ Jesus will be given new
life.
- Then, when Christ
comes back, all his people will be raised to life.
- After that the
end will come, Christ Jesus will turn the Kingdom
over to God the Father,
- Then, the Son
will present himself to God, so that God, who gave
his Son authority over all things, will be utterly
supreme over everything everywhere.
Clearly then, Christ
Jesus will still be a Man until the end, when He present
Himself and turnover the kingdom to God and be subject
to Him,
so that God, will be utterly supreme over everything
everywhere.
Questions to
Ponder::
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If Jesus is God Himself, then . .
. . .
-
Why
would He turnover the kingdom to God
at the time of the end?
-
Why
would Jesus present himself and be
subject to
God? Are they not one and the same Triune God?
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In summary - the teachings of the
Apostles about the "true Jesus":
From the prophecy, to His conception,
birth, and childhood; during His public ministry, death, and
resurrection; all through His ascension and stay in
heaven, on His return on the day of judgment, and up to the
time of the end, the verses of the Bible are very clear that
the true Jesus is unquestionably a "Man".
3I.15
What did the Apostles teach about
the "true Jesus"?
In Hebrews 13:8-9, this
is written
8Jesus
Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same,
yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages). 9Do not be carried about by different and
varied and alien teachings; for it is good for
the heart to be established and ennobled and
strengthened by means of grace (God's favor and
spiritual blessing) and not [to be devoted to] foods
[rules of diet and ritualistic meals], which bring
no [spiritual] benefit or profit to those who
observe them. (Amplified Bible)
The same verse in
another version of the Bible:
8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and
forever.
9
Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead
you into the wrong way. Your hearts should
be strengthened by God's grace, not by obeying
rules about foods, which do not help those who
obey them. (NCV)
The
Apostles taught the early Christians that . . . .
The
Apostles even warned them that . . . . . .
Questions to
Ponder::
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In the
Doctrine of Incarnation, it is said that is Jesus
who
is the non-created second person
of the triune God, took on a
human body and nature and became
both man and God
(Lesson-3C.1)
, then. . . . .
-
Why did the Apostles say
that Jesus Christ is always the same
yesterday, today and forever?
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_____________
The
scriptures are consistently and unmistakably clear that the Lord Jesus Christ
is a Man and He is absolutely the same, yesterday,
today, and forever. Hence, there is no reason for everyone to
believe in strange and/or different teachings
about Jesus that
are not written in the Bible, for such teachings will only
lead people to the wrong way, that is to eternal punishment
and not to eternal life.
_____________________
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