THE ESSENTIALS The Persn f Christ Key Dctrines fr Starting and Finishing Strng LESSON 2 Part 2 As the print f the seal f the wax is the express image f the seal itself, s Christ is the express image the perfect representatin f Gd. AMBROSE MAIN POINTS IN THIS LESSON: His Nature What Kind f Persn Was Jesus Christ? His Offices In What Rle Des He Functin Nw? His Character What Type f Persn Was/Is Jesus?
Are the fllwing statements true r false? (circle ne) Jesus is part Gd and part man. T F Jesus was nt a nrmal human being.. T F Be n the lkut fr the answers t these questins as we study the Wrd f Gd. His Nature What Kind f Persn Was Jesus Christ? This sectin is critical t wh we say that Jesus is because all false teaching and/r cults will err n this subject. A. The Bible gives tw tests that will reveal false teaching abut the persn f Christ. False teachers and/r cults will deny ne f these truths abut His nature: 1. 1 Jhn 2:22-23: 2. 1 Jhn 4:1-3: B. We have already lked at His Deity; nw let us cnsider His humanity. What are the prfs f His humanity? 1. He had a human. (Gal. 4:4; Matt.1:18-2:11) 2. He had human. (Luke 2:52) 3. He experienced human and limitatins. (Mark 4:38; Luke 4:2; Jhn 4:6, 11:35; Heb.2:18) It is imprtant t knw that Jesus human nature cntinues frever. He did nt stp being a man when He ascended t heaven. Nw, He exists as the Gd-man. His resurrected human bdy is a pattern f the bdy f believers wh will be raised (1 Cr.15:20-23, 42-49). In additin, His cntinued humanity is cnnected t the final judgment (Acts 17:31) and His rle as mediatr (1 Tim.2:5).
C. One f the mst difficult issues that arises abut the nature f Christ being Gd and man is: hw can these tw natures exist tgether withut affecting each ther? This is imprtant because if any f His attributes f deity were lst in the incarnatin, then He was nt truly Gd and, therefre, culd nt save us. Or, if He was nt truly a human being, then He culd nt truly die in ur place and bear ur sin debt. Jhn Walvrd writes, T rb the nature f Gd f a single attribute wuld destry His deity, and t rb man f a single human attribute wuld result in the destructin f a true humanity. It is fr this reasn that the tw natures f Christ cannt lse r transfer a single attribute. (Jesus Christ ur Lrd, p.121) Hw can we explain the dual nature f Christ? A. First, we must understand that JESUS IS NOT deity pssessing humanity. This wuld make His humanity inhuman r superhuman. B. Secnd, we must understand that JESUS IS NOT humanity merely indwelt by deity, fr then He wuld have been a man just filled with Gd and nt Gd Himself. The dual nature f Christ, r hypstatic unin, as it is called, can be best described as the Sn f Gd uniting with a human nature: undiminished deity and true humanity united in ne persn frever. This Christ can, at the same mment, have seemingly cntradictry qualities. He can be weak and mniptent, increasing in knwledge and mniscient, finite, and infinite. His Offices In What Rle Des He Functin Nw? The ffices f Jesus refer t the functins r rles that He serves as the Sn f Gd. There are three ffices that Jesus fulfills in His incarnatin. Read the fllwing verses t discver His three-fld ffice: A. Jhn 1:18: (See als Jhn 4:25) A prphet s rle was t reveal the will and Wrd f Gd t peple. In a much greater way, Christ nt nly revealed Gd s will in His spken ministry, but als in His life and persn. B. Hebrews 3:1-6: A priest is a persn wh is appinted t act fr ther men in things pertaining t Gd. Jesus is truly ur High Priest. (Heb.7:25) C. Jhn 18:37: (See als 1 Tim.6:15)
His prphetic ffice is cncerned with the revelatin f the truth f Gd. The priestly ffice is related t His wrk as Savir and Mediatr. His kingly ffice has in view His right t reign ver the kingdm f Gd, the church, and the entire earth. His Character What Type f Persn Was Jesus Christ? A. What des the writer f Hebrews reveal t us abut the character f Christ in Hebrews 4:15? B. Accrding t 1 Peter 2:21-22, what example des Peter challenge believers t fllw? Discussin: Culd Jesus Christ have sinned? The pint f view that Christ culd sin is called by thelgians peccability ( psse nn peccare, Latin fr ability t sin ). The ppsing view, which states that Christ culd nt sin, is called impeccability ( n psse peccare, Latin fr inability t sin ). (2 Cr.5:21; Heb.7:26; 1 Pet.1:19; 1 Jhn 3:5) Here s an illustratin: Picture a muscular weight lifter hlding a strng, steel chain. He grabs ne end f the chain with ne hand and the ther end with the ther hand. He tries with all f his might t pull in ppsite directins and break the chain, but he cannt. The chain is unbreakable. Nw, hand this same strng man a piece f string. Ask him t d the same with the frail, thin string. When he tries t pull the thread in half, it easily rips in tw. Nw, take the same string and weave it thrugh each link f the steel chain s that the tw are inseparably cnnected tgether. Hand the chain back t the muscular man and ask him t break the string. Mustering all his strength, the weight lifter cannt rip the string. Why? The answer is bvius. The frail string is nw as strng as the chain because the string is interwven with the chain. This is a picture f the nature f Christ. The human nature f Christ was inseparably jined t His divine nature at the incarnatin. Therefre, Christ s human will was as strng as His divine will. His deity was nt as weak as His humanity; rather, His humanity was as strng as His deity. His human will was unbreakable because His divine will was unbreakable. Bttm line, Jesus was impeccable! He culd nt sin ( nn psse peccare ). Because it is impssible fr Gd t sin, it was impssible fr Christ t sin. Why? JESUS IS GOD!
Reflectin: Hw shuld a greater understanding f Jesus Christ affect yu? It shuld affect my wrship by... It shuld affect my bedience by... It shuld affect my relatinships by... It shuld affect my salvatin by... It shuld affect my hpe by... It shuld affect my instructin by... It shuld affect my praise by... Years ag, William Bradbury wrte a great hymn f the Faith, The Slid Rck: My hpe is built n nthing less than Jesus bld and righteusness. I dare nt trust the sweetest frame, but whlly lean n Jesus name. On Christ, the Slid Rck I stand, all ther grund is sinking sand, All ther grund is sinking sand. When darkness seems t hide His face, I rest n His unchanging grace. In every high and strmy gale, my anchr hlds within the veil. On Christ, the Slid Rck I stand, all ther grund is sinking sand, All ther grund is sinking sand. Clsing: Applicatin questins: Being a Der f the Wrd 2 Timthy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by Gd and prfitable fr teaching [what is right], fr reprf [what is nt right], fr crrectin [hw t get right], fr training in righteusness [hw t stay right]; s that the man f Gd may be adequate, equipped fr every gd wrk. 1. What did I learn ( teaching )? 2. Where d I fall shrt ( reprf )? 3. What d I need t d abut it ( crrectin )? 4. Hw can I make this a cnsistent part f my life ( training )?
Answer Key: Are the fllwing statements true r false? F F His Nature What Kind f Persn Was Jesus Christ? A. 1. His deity 2. His humanity B. 1. mther 2. develpment 3. challenges His Offices In What Rle Des He Functin Nw? A. Prphet B. Priest C. King His Character What Type f Persn Was Jesus Christ? A. He can sympathize with ur weakness B. the example f Christ, wh cmmitted n sin
Hly Habits Weekly Devtin This week s memry verse: 1 Timthy 2:5 Fr there is ne Gd, and ne mediatr als between Gd and men, the man Christ Jesus. This week s hly habit: Prayer Certainly, there is pwer in prayer that is aligned with the will f Gd. We glrify, thank, and petitin Him, because we shuld. When ur spiritual vibrancy wanes, ne f checkpints where we can begin trubleshting is ur prayer life. Prayer time is available t us thrughut the day, and we need t actively nurture this life-sustaining habit. Perhaps, yu have set times: when yu wake up; during meals; befre retiring fr the evening; when yu are trubled; etc. If yu d nt cnsistently d s, cnsider briefly praying right n the spt: when His grace and svereignty are n display; as yu take nte f the natural beauty arund yu; befre respnding t a verbal prvcatin r dealing with a challenging persn/situatin at hme, schl, r wrk; fr yur life and the lives f thers; etc. There truly are numerus pprtunities t call n ur lifeline. Father, let us be intentinal abut ding s. DAY 1 Read Hebrews 7:23-28. Cnsider Christ s functins that He fulfills in His incarnatin: Prphet, Priest, and King. Chse ne r mre f these ffices, and ffer up thankful prayers fr their influence in yur life. DAY 2 Read 1 Timthy 2:5. Spend sme time thinking abut what Jesus Christ being the Gd-man means t believers. Thrughut the day, pray that thse peple yu knw wh are prfessing t have faith, but are denying this fact, wuld cme t knw and accept this truth. DAY 3 Read Ephesians 5:1-2. Thse wh seemingly deserve lve the least are the nes wh need it the mst. Christ understands and sympathizes with us in spite f ur flaws. Pray that yu will be able t imitate this type f character with smene wh has been challenging t yu. DAY 4 Read 2 Thessalnians 3:1-5. As yu hear abut evil acts arund yu, thank Gd right n the spt fr hw much He restrains it and rchestrates its impact t fulfill His purpses. Read Genesis 50:20 and ffer up a prayer f thanks fr a time when yu persnally experienced this. DAY 5 Read Ephesians 6:18-20. Pray the pprtunity t share what yu have learned/what std ut fr yu with smene wh needs t hear it.
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