Could Jesus be a mere man only? No!

Secularism in Canadian culture, and the liberalism and self-centeredness in the church would have us believe Jesus Christ was a mere man!  They cannot and will not accept the mystery that Jesus is both God and man in one Person.

          Yes this is a mystery that cannot be explained.  Yet it is the mystery and truth which does explain the power of God in the world and the Christian church.

          B.B. Warfield put it this way.  “Without it (deity & humanity of Christ in one Person forever) everything else is an incomprehensible mystery: the whole developing history of the kingdom of God, the gospel-record, the great figure of Paul and his great Christological conceptions, the rise and growth and marvelous power of nascent Christianity, the history of Christianity of the world, the history of the world itself for two thousand years – your regenerated life and mine, our changed hearts and lives, our assurance of salvation, our deathless hope of eternal life.  And yet we are invited to believe Him to have been a mere man, on no other ground than that it is easier to believe him to have been a mere man than a God-man!  For that, after all, is what the whole ground of the assertion that Jesus was a mere man ultimately reduces to. But is it possible to believe that all that has issued form Jesus Christ could issue from a mere man?”  (B.B. Warfield.  The Person and Work of Christ) 

Excerpts from Bavink's Reformed Dogmatics vol.2: The Centre of all dogmatics - God.

The great and all pervasive subject of church dogmatics, sermons, and theology is and always must be God himself.  Herman Bavink makes this point right out of the gate in volume 2 of his Reformed Dogmatics.  He says…

“All the doctrine treated in dogmatics, in sermons, or in other theological treatises, whether they concern the universe, humanity, Christ, and so forth - are but the explication of the one central dogma of the knowledge of God.  All things are considered in light of God, subsumed under him, traced back to him as the starting point....this has practical usefulness in life...the more (we) reflect on God, the knowledge of whom is its (dogma, theology, sermons) only content, the more we will be moved to adoration and worship.  The fact is “The knowledge of God-in-Christ is life itself (Ps 89:16; Is 11:9; Jer 31:34; Jn 17:3).” (Page 29)

Does the Pope's resignation matter to us? Should it?

I read this blog entry over at Rev. Doug Wilson's blog.  He makes a very good point.

http://www.dougwils.com/Sex-and-Culture/your-average-evangelical-squish.html

Sanctification Part 7: Jesus has given us promises for our sanctification

Over the past while I have been writing on the ways Jesus Christ helps Christians grow in holiness or sanctification.

Here is what we have covered so far…

1.  Christ in us makes us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:23)

2.  Christ together with the Father has sent to us the Holy Spirit, and the work of sanctification is constructed, built, and directed in us by the Holy Spirit.  (Look at 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; Galatians 5)

3.  Jesus Christ changes us to want holiness.  God by Christ working in us gives us is the freedom, and argument, and motive for us to live obediently.  If Jesus is in our lives we will want to obey.  (Philippians 2:6-8)

4.  Jesus Christ is our mould for holiness. According to the will and purpose of God, he is our copy and our example of holiness.  He in his humanity and divinity sets before the pattern and path of Christian holiness.  (Look at 1 Peter 1:15 and 1 Peter 2:21) 

5.  Jesus Christ nourishes us in holiness. (John 15:1-15)

We come to discuss another way in the entry today.  In 2 Corinthians 7:1 we have this Word from God.  “Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God." (ESV).  Jesus has given us these promises.  Jesus helps us in our sanctification for he has given us great and precious promises.

What are those promises?  They are the promises given in connection with the New Covenant he installed in this world at the cross. Let me mention 4 that pertain to holiness in the Christian.

One.  God’s law is written on our hearts by the Spirit (Hebrews 8:10; Jeremiah 31:33)

Two.  In Christ we are God’s people, and God is our God (Hebrews 8:10; Jeremiah 31:33)

Three.  Because Jesus is our great High Priest who died on the cross as our sacrifice he is our Mediator who promises to always intercede for us and help us in our times of need (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Four.  Christians are given the hope of the glory of God!  This hope produces holiness in the Christian’s life (Romans 5:1-5).

Because these promises are secured and given to the believer through Christ, holiness will grow in the believer.  Of course we do not all grow to Christian maturity or holiness at the same rate; and sometimes we don’t seem to grow at all, but grow we will because Christ Jesus has given us precious growing-in-holiness-promises.

Sanctification # 6: Given Christ for holiness.

Writing on how specifically Jesus works for me and helps me to grow in Christian holiness (sanctification) has encouraged me.  Remembering that for our joy and good, and his glory Jesus is for us in this too helps the believer press on.  Well, today I want to remind you that Jesus is our help in holiness in that he was given to us by God the Father to make us holy.

Ephesians 4:1 says, "We were chosen in him (Christ) before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy."  How amazing is that!  Ephesians 5:25-27 says, "Jesus gave himself for the church, that he might sanctity and cleanse it, that he might present to himself a glorious church, that it should be holy."  Look at these Scripture texts Colossians 1:2,22; Hebrews 2:11; 1 Corinthians 6:17.  In all these texts we learn the holy Jesus was given to us, and gave himself on the cross for us that we might be holy.  Jesus who is sanctified and those he sanctifies (makes Christians) are all one!

The greatest joy for the Christian is God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  And we want to be holy, even as he is holy.  Now then, is it not marvellous that God in Christ gave himself to us for that very purpose.  No wonder we have the promise that we are sanctified and will be sanctified...we are given Christ for this purpose.

Sanctification Part 5: Jesus Christ nourishes us to holiness

I was listening to a radio program about the relationship between plants and the sun the other day.  The plant specialist guy had nothing but praise for the sun as he talked about the suns role in a plants growth.  Sunlight is made up of electromagnetic radiation.  This electromagnetic radiation is the key in photosynthesis.  This photosynthesis is important because it is the way in which plants derive their energy to grow.

In the past studies we have been looking at how Jesus Christ helps us in sanctification.  We continue that discussion today by focussing on the truth that Christ helps us to grow in Christ-likeness by being our strength.  His blessing and strength flow to us for holiness.

Jesus Christ is the vine; we are the branches (John 15:1-15).  We the branches are engrafted into him and therefore we get nourishment and strength from him that we may work, walk, and grow as becomes the Christian.  He is our “sap” as it were. 

By faith we abide in him, and trust in him.  In faith we maintain that he is the fountain and source of all good things in us.  He is in a place in our life where he in his love purposes to grant us sunshine, rain, nutrients, etc, (grace and help) to make us fruitful Christians.  Look at Ephesians 2:10.  We are created in Christ Jesus for good works.  As the sun gives plants the light they need in order to grow, God has given us to be with Christ so we might grow in holiness and do the good works God has ordained that we do.

Yes, Jesus Christ is the nourishing, life giving vine.