The Lord Jesus Christ (Christology) --- Incarnation (TBC Carpenter Flock teaching notes)

IV. The Lord Jesus Christ (Christology)

A. Person of the Trinity

B. Incarnation

1. We teach that the Lord Jesus before His incarnation existed in the form of God and of His own choice laid aside His divine glory and took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.¹ In His preexistent state, He was with God and was God.² He is a divine person possessed of all of the attributes of Deity and should be worshipped as God by angels and men.³ "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."⁴

2. We teach that in the incarnation (God becoming man) Christ surrendered only the independent exercise of His Divine prerogatives, but nothing of the divine essence, either in degree or kind. The Lord Jesus Christ became in every respect a real man, possessed of all the essential characteristics of human nature⁵ and represents humanity and deity in indivisible oneness. He was God incarnate--revealing God,⁶ redeeming men,⁷ and ruling over God's kingdom.⁸ In His incarnation, Christ's divine nature united with a human nature in an indissoluble (permanent) union, and so He became the God-man (100% God and 100% man).

¹  Philippians 2:5-8  ² John 1:1-2; 17:5; Col. 1:17; Rev. 1:8     ³Matthew 14:33; 28:9; Philippians 2:9-10; Revelation 5:11-12  ⁴ Colossians 2:9  ⁵ Luke 24.38-39; John 1.14; Hebrews 2.14; 1John 4.2   ⁶ Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 4:1-2     ⁷ John 1:29; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 7:25-26   ⁸ Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:9-11

C. Life and Ministry     D. Redemption     E. Resurrection     F. Return

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Discussion Questions:

· What three things do Philippians 2:3-4 say keep us from having the mind of Christ?

· What adjectives describe Christ’s attitude? (Philippians 2.6-8)

· What are the "prerogatives" that you tend to "grasp" for?

· What lessons do Christ’s equality and voluntary submission teach us about our relationships with our boss, spouse, and children?

· Sometimes we see our humanity as being sinful or a shortcoming. How do passages like  Luke 19.41 and Matthew 26:37-38 help us to understand "normal" human struggles in a righteous man?

In`car*na"tion\, n. [F. incarnation, LL. incarnatio.]

1. The act of clothing with flesh, or the state of being so clothed; the act of taking, or being manifested in, a human body and nature.

2. (Theol.) The union of the second person of the Godhead with manhood in Christ.

3. An incarnate form; a personification; a manifestation; a reduction to apparent from; a striking exemplification in person or act.

She is a new incarnation of some of the illustrious dead. --Jeffrey.

The very incarnation of selfishness. --F. W. Robertson.

4. A rosy or red color; flesh color; carnation. [Obs.]

5. (Med.) The process of healing wounds and filling the part with new flesh; granulation.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

incarnation  1297, "embodiment of God in the person of Christ," from O.Fr. incarnation (12c.), from L.L. incarnationem (nom. incarnatio), "act of being made flesh" (used by Church writers esp. of God in Christ), from L. incarnatus, pp. of incarnare "to make flesh," from in- "in" + caro (gen. carnis) "flesh."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper

Incarnation
that act of grace whereby Christ took our human nature into union with his Divine Person, became man. Christ is both God and man. Human attributes and actions are predicated of him, and he of whom they are predicated is God. A Divine Person was united to a human nature (Acts 20:28; Rom. 8:32; 1 Cor. 2:8; Heb. 2:11-14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Gal. 4:4, etc.). The union is hypostatical, i.e., is personal; the two natures are not mixed or confounded, and it is perpetual.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

The Personal Union of Jesus’ Two Natures

So “hypostatic union” may sound fancy in English, but it’s a pretty simple term. Hypostatic means personal. The hypostatic union is the personal union of Jesus’ two natures.

Jesus has two complete natures—one fully human and one fully divine. What the doctrine of the hypostatic union teaches is that these two natures are united in one person in the God-man. Jesus is not two persons. He is one person. The hypostatic union is the joining of the divine and the human in the one person of Jesus.

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/what-is-the-hypostatic-union

The word incarnation means “in flesh” and denotes the act whereby the eternal Son of God took to Himself an additional nature, humanity, through the virgin birth. The result is that Christ remains forever unblemished deity, which He has had from eternity past; but He also possesses true, sinless humanity in one Person forever (cf. John 1:14; Phil. 2:7–8; 1 Tim. 3:16).

Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 222.

IV. The Lord Jesus Christ (Christology)

A. Person of the Trinity

B. Incarnation

1. We teach that the Lord Jesus before His incarnation existed in the form of God and of His own choice laid aside His divine glory and took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men.¹ In His preexistent state, He was with God and was God.² He is a divine person possessed of all of the attributes of Deity and should be worshipped as God by angels and men.³ "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."⁴

2. We teach that in the incarnation (God becoming man) Christ surrendered only the independent exercise of His Divine prerogatives, but nothing of the divine essence, either in degree or kind. The Lord Jesus Christ became in every respect a real man, possessed of all the essential characteristics of human nature⁵ and represents humanity and deity in indivisible oneness. He was God incarnate--revealing God,⁶ redeeming men,⁷ and ruling over God's kingdom.⁸ In His incarnation, Christ's divine nature united with a human nature in an indissoluble (permanent) union, and so He became the God-man (100% God and 100% man).

¹  Philippians 2:5-8  ² John 1:1-2; 17:5; Col. 1:17; Rev. 1:8     ³Matthew 14:33; 28:9; Philippians 2:9-10; Revelation 5:11-12  ⁴ Colossians 2:9  ⁵ Luke 24.38-39; John 1.14; Hebrews 2.14; 1John 4.2   ⁶ Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 4:1-2     ⁷ John 1:29; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 7:25-26   ⁸ Isaiah 9:6; Philippians 2:9-11

C. Life and Ministry     D. Redemption     E. Resurrection     F. Return

1. Surrendered His Divine prerogatives.

"to make empty, to empty," is translated "should be made of none effect"

Philippians 2:5-8:  Of what did Christ empty himself?

G2758 κενόω — to completely remove or eliminate elements of high status or rank by eliminating all privileges or prerogatives associated with such status or rank—‘to empty oneself, to divest oneself of position.’ ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσεν ‘he emptied himself’ Php 2:7.

Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains (New York: United Bible Societies, 1996), 739.

2. His preexistent state

John 1:1-2  In the beginning was the Word, and ...

John 17.5  Jesus praying to the Father: ...the glory I had with You before the foundation of the earth...

Colossians 1:17  Showing the primacy of Christ:  And He is before all things...

Revelation 1:8   Jesus Christ (v5) ...who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty

3. worshipped

Matthew 14.33  Jesus calms the storm and  Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God."

Philipinans 2.9-10   Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,

Revelation 5.11-12  Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom, And strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

4. 

Col. 2.9  ⁸ Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; ¹⁰ and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

5.

Luke 24.38-39 Post resurrection appearance to the disciples  38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

John 1.14;

Hebrews 2.14

14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

1 John 4.2 Probably against the pre-gnostic or early Gnostic teachings

 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

He was God incarnate--revealing God,⁶

 ⁶ Hebrews 2:14;

14 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

1 John 4:1-2   

 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that[a] Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

redeeming men,⁷

 ⁷ John 1:29;

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ 31 I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

Titus 2:14;

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. 15 Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you.

Hebrews 7:25-26  

24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

26 For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.

ruling over God's kingdom.⁸

⁸ Isaiah 9:6;

  6 For unto us a Child is born,
      Unto us a Son is given;
      And the government will be upon His shoulder.
      And His name will be called
      Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
      Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
       7 Of the increase of His government and peace
      There will beno end,
      Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
      To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
      From that time forward, even forever.
      The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

Philippians 2:9-11

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Sifting Through the Christ Controversies

A quick summary of the competing schools of thought.
The Editors

The seventh-century Egyptian ivory carving of Jesus above, with halo and Bible, illustrates early Christians' beliefs about the uniqueness of Christ. But the more they thought about it, the more they disagreed on exactly how unique. This led to the major controversies in the early centuries.

Many distinctions they made are difficult to translate into English. Still, all parties agreed on one thing: God is impassible, that is, he not subject to change or feelings. But how do you combine this with the Scriptures that imply Christ "became" human and suffered?

In particular, Christians argued passionately about two things: Is Jesus Divine or Human?

Christ Is Fully Divine!

     Most of these people were driven by the conviction that only God can save humankind. Thus they were willing to protect the deity of Christ, even at the expense of his humanity, or in the case of the modalists, at the expense of the Trinity of persons.

· Docetists, e.g., Gnostics: The divine Christ would never stoop to touch flesh, which is evil. Jesus only seemed (dokeo, in Greek) human and only appeared to die, for God cannot die. Or, in other versions, "Christ" left "Jesus" before the Crucifixion.
Key text: Phil. 2:8: " … and [Christ] being found in appearance as a man … "

· Apollinarians: Jesus is not equally human and divine but one person with one nature. In Jesus' human flesh resided a divine mind and will (he didn't have a human mind or spirit), and his divinity controlled or sanctified his humanity.
Key text: John 1:14: "The Word became flesh" [and not a human mind or will].

· Modalists, ————————————->

· Modalists, a.k.a. Sabellians: God's names (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) change with his roles or "modes of being" (like a chameleon). When God is the Son, he is not the Father. There is no permanent distinction between the three "persons" of the Trinity, otherwise you have three gods.
Key texts: Ex. 20:3: "You shall have no other gods before me" and John 10:30: "I and the Father are one."

Christ May Be Special, But He's Not Divine!

These people took seriously the Gospels' portrait of Christ, in which Jesus is portrayed very much as a human being.

· Ebionites: For these conservative Jewish Christians, God is one, and Jesus must be understood in Old Testament categories. Jesus was merely a specially blessed prophet.
Key text: 1 Tim. 2:5: "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ."
Adoptionists, a.k.a., dynamic monarchianists: No denying Jesus was special, but what happened is this: at birth (not conception) or baptism, God "adopted" the human Jesus as his special son and gave him an extra measure of divine power (dynamis, in Greek).
Key text: Luke 3:22 (in some ancient versions): "You are my beloved Son, today I have begotten you."

· Arians: The Son as Word, Logos, was created by God before time. He is not eternal or perfect like God, though he was God's agent in creating everything else.
Key text: John 1:14: "The Word [is] the only-begotten of the Father."

How Is Jesus Both Divine and Human?

Christ: One Nature!

Monophysites, e.g., Eutychians: Jesus cannot have two natures; his divinity swallowed up his humanity "like a drop of wine in the sea."
Key text: Col. 1:19: "For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in him."

Christ: Two Persons!

Nestorians: If you dismiss Jesus' humanity like that, he cannot be the Savior of humankind. Better to say he has two natures and also two persons: the divine Christ and the human Christ lived together in Jesus.
Key text: John 2:19: "Destroy this temple and I will raise it up in three days" [i.e., though the human Christ will be destroyed, the divine Christ will continue].

The Orthodox View

Jesus is fully human and fully divine, having two natures in one person-"without confusion, without change, without division, without separation."

Key text: Phil. 2:5-11: "Christ Jesus … being in very nature God, [was] made in human likeness … and become obedient to death . …Every tongue [should] confess Jesus Christ is Lord."

Copyright © 1996 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian History magazine.
Issue 51, Summer 1996, Vol. XV, No. 3, Page 20

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/1996/issue51/5120.html

Discussion Questions:

· What are the "prerogatives" that you tend to "grasp" for?

· What three things does Philippians 2:3-4 say keep us from having the mind of Christ?

· What adjectives describe Christ’s attitude? (Philippians 2.6-8)

· What lessons does Christ’s equality and voluntary submission teach us about our relationships with our boss, spouse, and children?

· Sometimes we see our humanity as being sinful or a shortcoming. How do passages like  Luke 19.41 and Matthew 26:37-38 help us to understand "normal" human struggles in a righteous man?

· What are the similarities and distinctions between worship and patriotism?

Next month The Moody Handbook of Theology continuing in chapter 20

Elder Deacon Meeting  090414

http://www.shortercatechism.com/

THE

WESTMINSTER LARGER CATECHISM;

AGREED UPON BY THE ASSEMBLY OF DIVINES AT WESTMINSTER, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF COMMISSIONERS FROM THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, AS A PART OF THE COVENANTED UNIFORMITY IN RELIGION BETWIXT THE CHURCHES OF CHRIST IN THE KINGDOMS OF SCOTLAND, ENGLAND, AND IRELAND.

AND APPROVED ANNO 1648, BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND, TO BE A DIRECTORY FOR CATECHISING SUCH AS HAVE MADE SOME PROFICIENCY IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE GROUNDS OF RELIGION, WITH THE PROOFS FROM THE SCRIPTURE .

Q44: How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?

A44: Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering himself a sacrifice without spot to God,[1] to be a reconciliation for the sins of his people;[2] and in making continual intercession for them.[3]

1. Heb. 9:14, 28

2. Heb. 2:17

3. Heb. 7:25

Q45: How doth Christ execute the office of a king?

A45: Christ executeth the office of a king, in calling out of the world a people to himself,[1] and giving them officers,[2] laws,[3] and censures, by which he visibly governs them;[4] in bestowing saving grace upon his elect,[5] rewarding their obedience,[6] and correcting them for their sins,[7] preserving and supporting them under all their temptations and sufferings,[8] restraining and overcoming all their enemies,[9] and powerfully ordering all things for his own glory,[10] and their good;[11] and also in taking vengeance on the rest, who know not God, and obey not the gospel.[12]

1. Acts 15;14-16; Isa. 4:4-5; Gen. 49:10; Psa. 110:3

2. Eph. 4:11-12; I Cor. 12:28

3. Isa. 33:22

4. Matt. 18:17-18; I Cor. 5:4-5

5. Acts 5:31

6. Rev. 2:10; 22:12

7. Rev. 3:19

8. Isa. 63:9

9. I Cor. 15:25; Psa. 110:1-2

10. Rom. 14:10-11

11. Rom. 8:28

12. II Thess. 1:8-9; Psa. 2:8-9

Q46: What was the estate of Christ's humiliation?

A46: The estate of Christ's humiliation was that low condition, wherein he for our sakes, emptying himself of his glory, took upon him the form of a servant, in his conception and birth, life, death, and after his death, until his resurrection. [1]

1. Phil. 2:6-8; Luke 1:31; II Cor. 8:9; Acts 2:24

Q47: How did Christ humble himself in his conception and birth?

A47: Christ humbled himself in his conception and birth, in that, being from all eternity the Son of God, in the bosom of the Father, he was pleased in the fulness of time to become the son of man, made of a woman of low estate, and to be born of her; with divers circumstances of more than ordinary abasement.[1]

1. John 1:14, 18; Gal. 4:4; Luke 2:7

Q48: How did Christ humble himself in his life?

A48: Christ humbled himself in his life, by subjecting himself to the law,[1] which he perfectly fulfilled;[2] and by conflicting with the indignities of the world,[3] temptations of Satan,[4] and infirmities in his flesh, whether common to the nature of man, or particularly accompanying that his low condition.[5]

1. Gal. 4:4

2. Matt. 5:17; Rom. 5:19

3. Psa. 22:6; Heb. 12:2-3

4. Matt. 4:1-12; Luke 4:13

5. Heb. 2:17-18; 4:15; Isa. 52:13-14

Q49: How did Christ humble himself in his death?

A49: Christ humbled himself in his death, in that having been betrayed by Judas,[1] forsaken by his disciples,[2] scorned and rejected by the world,[3] condemned by Pilate, and tormented by his persecutors;[4] having also conflicted with the terrors of death, and the powers of darkness, felt and borne the weight of God's wrath,[5] he laid down his life an offering for sin,[6] enduring the painful, shameful, and cursed death of the cross.[7]

1. Matt. 27:4

2. Matt. 26:56

3. Isa. 53:2-3

4. Matt. 27:26-50; John 19:34

5. Luke 22:44; Matt. 27:46

6. Isa. 53:10

7. Phil. 2:8; Heb. 12:2; Gal. 3:13

Q50: Wherein consisted Christ's humiliation after his death?

A50: Christ's humiliation after his death consisted in his being buried,[1] and continuing in the state of the dead, and under the power of death till the third day;[2] which hath been otherwise expressed in these words, he descended into hell.

1. I Cor. 15:3-4

2. Psa. 16:10; Acts 2:24-27, 31; Rom. 6:9; Matt. 12:40

Q51: What was the estate of Christ's exaltation?

A51: The estate of Christ's exaltation comprehendeth his resurrection,[1] ascension,[2] sitting at the right hand of the Father,[3] and his coming again to judge the world.[4]

1. I Cor. 15:4

2. Mark 16:19

3. Eph. 1:20

4. Acts 1:11; 17:31