Intending to debate that out this morning, but in fact, God the Son became a man, but also to clarify the nature of it.
! What is the reality of this God-man?
!
Since the beginning, all of those errors that I mentioned to you, Christians have gathered together and they have made statements to make it clear what the Bible teaches about the Incarnation.
An example, in 451, in the former city of Chalcedon, now part of Istanbul, a council convened for just this purpose and adopted the Chalcedonian Creed.
I'm going to read to you an English translation of it.
I'll try to do so carefully for your edification, and then I'm also going to lay out some summary points to clarify.
But listen to what they wrote. This is the translation of it.
We then, following the Holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
The same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood.
Here's a key phrase.
Truly God and truly man.
Of a reasonable soul and body, co-substantial with us according to the manhood, in all things like unto us without sin.
Begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days for us and for our salvation.
Born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
According to the manhood.
One and the same Christ, Son, Lord only.
Unchangeable, indivisibly, inseparably.
The distinction of nature's being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved.
And concurring in one person and one subsistence.
Interexistence.
This is called the hypostasis or hypostatic union of Christ.
Not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, as the prophets from the beginning have declared concerning him.
And the Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the Holy Fathers has handed down to us.
End quote.
Now, you go, I didn't catch any of that.
That's fine.
The point being, they were very careful in defining the nature of the embodied Christ.
They saw it as important.
They were pushing back against unbiblical falsehoods, and we need to do the very same thing.
So, six summary points that we can derive from the Chalcedonian Creed, which is coming from the scriptures.
Number one, Jesus Christ is one person, one being, with two natures.
Once again, he is truly God and truly man.
Some people will say fully God and fully man.
Like 200%.
Not half God, half man, but completely, fully both.
The divine nature was not diluted by the incarnation, nor was the human nature somehow abstract or incomplete.
Right?
Truly both at the same time.
Number two, two natures united without confusion, change, division, or separation.
Divine and human natures are distinct yet united in one person.
This is a mystery, to be clear.
Right?
Again, this is the hypostatic union.
It's a thing for us to marvel over.
I don't know that we're going to fully comprehend it, this side of glory.
But we should try as best we can to understand this nature of Christ.
They are not mixed, not divided, and not reduced to a third nature.
Thirdly, the human nature was fully assumed.
Jesus had a real human body, mind, soul, and will.
Everything essential to true humanity.
Right?
He was like us in that way, and the clarification is, yet without sin.
That's the part of the human nature that he did not take on.
Right?
Born of a virgin, he didn't inherit the line, the sin line and the sin nature.
That we have.
Fourthly, the divine nature remained fully intact.
So even though he took on human flesh, at the incarnation, Christ did not lay aside his divine attributes.
Fifthly, the person of the Son is the subject of both natures.
Right?
By that I mean, Jesus is not two persons or a split consciousness.
Right?
The eternal Son is the acting subject of both divine and human experiences.
So, to make that more real for you, he hungered as a man.
He got tired as a man.
He experienced the pain of suffering as a man.
And yet he worked miracles.
He walked on water.
He raised people from the dead.
He forgave sins as God.
Yet, always as one person who we most often call the Son of God, as we're thinking about his incarnation.
The incarnation, sixthly, was for our salvation.
And we'll talk about that more in our third point.
But, briefly here, Jesus became man, not merely to reveal God, but to redeem sinners through his substitutionary death and victorious resurrection.
The unity of his person ensures the efficacy.
Right?
That it actually worked.
That his work was the work that he said it was.
Yes, only one who is God could save and only one who is man could die in our place.
Again, the incarnation is not easy to grasp.
But it is good.
And it is a necessary reality to be grasped.
In order for us to be saved, we must repent of our sins and place faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
I don't know if that phrase has ever puzzled you.
I say it all the time.
What do we place faith in?
Not just the work, but the person and work of Jesus Christ.
Because if Jesus is not who he said he is, then the work itself wasn't effectual.
Right?
Jesus has to be who the scripture says that he is in order for it to have its proper effect.
We are concerned with the person of Jesus because it makes possible the work of Jesus.
And so we need to believe in both.
And we need to be clear about what the scripture says those things are.
Cyril of Alexandria, who was a 5th century church leader.
He died a couple of years before the Council of Chalcedon.
I think he would have been there had he not passed a few years before.
Said this, and this is the quote on the back of your bulletin today.
He said,
And I love this quote particularly for the phrase,
They're inexpressible and inexplicable concurrence into unity.
That person has made possible the work.
And it's by that, both person and work, that we declare Jesus the Lord and Son of God.
God.
The word became flesh.
Not only that, but it became flesh and dwelt among us.
Dwelt is a form of a Greek verb that means literally to live in a tent.
We can read in Exodus the account of God tenting with Israel as his glory dwelt in the tabernacle.
Of course, later this same presence dwelt, same word usage in Hebrew, in the temple.
God dwelt among us in the incarnate Christ, and he will dwell with his people again.
John picks up this language in Revelation chapter 21.
Verse 3 and following, he says,
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying,
Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man.
The tenting place of God is with man.
He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.
And God himself will be with them as their God.
He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.
Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore.
For the former things have passed away.
He came and he dwelt.
He dwells in us now by his Spirit, and one day fully we will dwell together with him.
John goes on to say,
He dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.
Glory as of the only Son from the Father.
Jesus manifested God's glory during his earthly existence in a more magnificent way than ever before.
Right?
I mentioned a couple of these ways that God's glory dwelt.
Right?
In the tabernacle, and then in the temple.
But now in person, in flesh.
Jesus' tenting was more glorious than previous tenting,
but still a shadow of the things to come.
Jesus' human flesh still veiled his full glory.
John, the author of the words that we're reading,
along with Peter and James,
were invited to see Jesus' unveiled glory at the transfiguration.
That's what's so significant about it.
Interestingly, John doesn't record anything about the transfiguration.
I'd like to wrap my head around why.
But we can read in Matthew chapter 17 and verse 2,
Jesus was transfigured before them,
and his face shone like the sun,
and his clothes became white as light.
John and Peter and James beheld God's glory.
His magnificence.
This was glory as of the only Son from the Father,
because the Son and the Father have the same nature.
So I think when John says,
we, we have beheld his glory,
we have seen his glory,
he is most certainly referring to himself
and Peter and James.
He has to have that in his mind.
But he is also,
although perhaps unwittingly,
maybe it's just that he's being carried along by the Spirit,
he's referring to all of us who have seen Christ
in the Scriptures
and placed our faith in him.
Why can I make such a claim?
That we,
we share in this we
that he's talking about here,
beholding the glory.
If there is an event in history,
I think I would want to be on that mount
and see the transfigured Christ.
I think that's the one I would want to be whisked away to,
to witness.
But listen to the astounding thing
that Peter says
with reference to that very same event
in 2 Peter chapter 1.
You may enjoy joining me there.
It's a little bit longer text.
This is verse 16
and following.
Listen to what Peter says.
For we do not follow
cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We weren't following just some teaching
when we told you about
the power and coming of Christ.
Why?
But we were eyewitnesses
of his majesty.
We were eyewitnesses
of his glory.
How do I know he's talking
about the transfiguration?
Because he goes on in verse 17.
For when he received
honor and glory
from God the Father
and the voice was born to him
by the majestic glory,
this is my beloved son
with whom I am well pleased.
We ourselves heard this very voice
born from heaven
for we were with him
on the holy mountain.
Right?
So he's talking about
the transfiguration there.
He's talking about the voice
that's recorded for us
that came from heaven.
He's saying we heard
that very voice.
So we're not appealing to you.
We're not trying to teach you
Christ about his power
and his coming
because we heard
somebody else say it.
We were actually there.
We were eyewitnesses
of the transfiguration
of Christ.
And then he says this.
How I read the Bible
as a young man,
read it through
time and time again
and wasn't arrested
by this,
I do not know.
But when it arrested me,
boy, did it.
Verse 19.
Peter says this.
And we have
the prophetic word
more fully confirmed.
We have the scripture
more fully confirmed
then standing on the mountain
and watching Christ
be transfigured
and a voice from heaven
saying,
this is my beloved son
with whom I am well pleased.
We have the prophetic word
more fully confirmed.
Why?
How is that possible?
Right?
Have I experienced
God's word in the way
it must have been
to stand on that mountain?
It's hard to say
that I have.
He says,
to which you will do well
to pay attention
as a lamp shining
in a dark place
until the day
dawns
and the morning star
rises in your hearts
knowing this first of all
that no prophecy
of scripture
comes from someone's
own interpretation
for no prophecy
was ever produced
by the will of man
but men spoke
from God
as they were carried along
by the Holy Spirit.
So how do we have
the word more fully confirmed?
Right?
It was written
by the Spirit of Christ
and the Spirit of Christ
illuminates him to us
as we take it up
and we read.
That's incredible.
Right?
We get to behold
the glory of God
in the Son
as we take up
and read
and understand
who he is.
We have seen
his glory.
Glory as of the only
son
from
the Father.
We live in an age
of great consumerism.
Emotions
lead the charge.
We're looking for
experiences
all the time
and I just want to say
to you
beloved Christians
do not
downplay
the ordinary
means
of grace.
God has given to us
the gathering
of his church
the opening
of his word
the singing
of true songs
the praying
in and day out
week by week
by week.
This is regularly
normatively
how God grows
his people.
Just because
you're not having
a transfiguration
kind of moment
when you come
to the church
week in
and week out
recognize
that Christ
is being exalted
from the text
and Peter says
this is better
than standing
on the mountain.
Now I would like
to make a little
translation note
at this point.
I'm preaching
from an English
Standard Version
we've kind of
encouraged others
to have the same
some of you
may not have
the same
translation.
Some of your
translations
in the place
of only son
as I have it
before me
may say
only begotten
God
or some
variation
of that.
And if your
translation says
that it's actually
a more
word for word
translation
from the Greek.
So I want to
commend the
translation
for doing
that.
ESV is
trying to
tidy up
some potential
confusion
at that point.
We could argue
whether that's
a good thing
or not.
To always be
clear
the original
text is the
inspired text.
These are just
translations of
that inspired
text.
So we've got
to do work
as we come
across things
like this
in the text.
Again that
only begotten
son is a
more literal
translation of
the Greek
phrase
found there.
But it
does bring
to the
surface
this word
begotten.
This word
begotten.
If you are
a careful
listener
perhaps you
heard the
same word
used in
the Chalcedonian
Creed
although I
imagine you
glazed over
as I was
reading that.
But maybe
you heard
that word
found there
as well.
The challenge
of the word
is that it
can mean
to generate
or create.
It can
mean just
simply that.
It could
be said
that my
sons,
my earthly
sons are
begotten.
They were
created.
A misunderstanding
here has
led to all
sorts of
error
concerning the
incarnation.
A lot of
Greek words
have a lot
of elasticity
to them.
We have
English words
that are
the very
same.
This
Greek word
can also
mean
unique,
radically
different,
and without
equal.
So what
John is
doing
is
distinguishing
Jesus
as the
Son of
God
from others
who by
faith will
be called
Sons of
God.
I can't
remember which
song it was
but we sang a
song just
earlier this
morning about
being called
children of
God.
By faith
that's what's
accomplished.
We,
believing in
the Son of
God,
have the
privilege of
being adopted
sons of
God.
And ladies,
you want to
be sons of
God because
you want
inheritance in
him.
The language
is communicating
to us.
But we
will never
possess the
status that
he possesses.
He is
unique,
radically
different,
and without
equal.
He is the
Son of
God.
And when
you see
that word
begotten,
that's what
it's
communicating
to us.
Not that
he was
created,
but that
as he
is God
the Son,
he is
different.
That title
is not
given to
anybody
else in
that way.
And John
goes on,
just after
this,
to say
that he
is full
of grace
and truth.
More on
this in a
minute,
that Jesus
is the
full
expression
of God's
grace
and the
necessary
truth
for us
to place
our faith
in and
be saved.
It's
found in
his
person
and
his
work.
We
need
not
look
further.
Jesus,
full
of
grace
and
truth.
Second
point,
the witness
to the
incarnation.
Very
briefly,
we see
this insertion,
verse 15,
John bore
witness about
him and
cried out,
this was
he of
whom I
said,
he who
comes after
me ranks
before me
because he
was before
me.
John the
apostle inserts
this parenthetical
about John the
Baptist bearing
witness to the
fact that Jesus
is the
Christ.
This, I
think, is a
summary of the
witness that
will be detailed
more fully
beginning in
verse 19,
so we don't
need to spend
much of our
precious time
here this
morning.
something worth
noting,
though.
When John
the apostle
wrote his
gospel,
there was
still a
group that
claimed John
the Baptist
as the
Messiah.
It wasn't a
very large
group as far
as we can
tell, but
there was
still a
John the
Baptist cult
out there.
So John
seems to be
addressing that
here at the
very beginning
of this
account.
John makes
clear in
verses 7
and 8
that John
the Baptist
was not
the Christ.
He was not
the light.
He came to
bear witness
about the
light.
And he
does so
again here
in verse
15, but
this time
he does
it in
John's
own words.
So perhaps
to some
of these
John the
Baptist
followers
of the
day,
they may
have taken
up this
writing and
seen that
John himself
said,
John the
Baptist,
this was
he of
whom I
said,
he who
comes after
me ranks
before me
because he
was before
me.
The one
whose
ministry
starts after
my ministry
is actually
greater than
me.
John the
Baptist
acknowledged
the supremacy
of Jesus
Christ and
boldly
proclaimed so
by appealing
to his
eternal
preexistence.
Jesus was
born six
months after
John.
So he
can't possibly
be referring
to their
birth order.
He
recognizes
that Jesus
is the
eternal
God.
So I
think John
the apostle
is being
careful
inserting that
here at
this point
and he
takes back
up what
he's trying
to teach
us of
Christ.
In our
third point,
the
accomplishment
of the
incarnation.
There is so
much to
unpack here.
Here is
what we
are going
to do.
It is
almost
noon.
We are
going to
do a
part two
of John
chapter 1
verse 14
through 18
because I
don't want
to rush
through this.
It's way
too good
to rush
through it.
I want to
carefully show
you why
the
incarnation,
the proper
understanding
of it
matters for
all of the
work that
it accomplishes
on our
behalf.
Let me
try to
give you
a really
quick.
I'll do
a brief.
Let's
focus in
on verse
17 for
just a
moment.
John
says,
the law
was given
through
Moses.
Grace
and truth
came
through
Jesus
Christ.
Two
characters
bringing
different
things
to the
table.
The law
is given
through
Moses to
bring about
the conviction
of sin
not the
salvation
of souls.
We'll
unpack that
more next
week.
The law
comes to
bring about
the conviction
of sin,
show us
our need
of salvation,
our need
of a
Savior.
Jesus
Christ
is that
Savior.
It's meant
to aim
us at
him.
Here's a
text that
may help
us understand
that.
Paul
writes in
Galatians
chapter 3
verse 23
through 26,
Now before
faith came,
we were
held captive
under the
law.
imprisoned
until the
coming
faith
would be
revealed.
So then,
he says in
verse 24,
the law
was our
guardian
until
Christ
came.
And the
picture of
guardian is
like a
schoolmaster
meant to
teach us
something.
A guardian,
this Greek
word would
have been
used of
a father,
a wealthy
father,
hiring somebody
kind of like
a tutor
for his
son.
Like while
he's a
child,
he's meant
to help
him,
nudge
him along,
take him
towards
manhood.
That's the
unpacking of
that word
in brief.
So the
law serves
as that
for us,
pushes us
toward,
shows us
our need
of Christ.
The rest of
verse 24
says,
in order
that we
might be
justified
by faith.
The law
being
insufficient
to save
us,
but showing
us our
need of
salvation,
it could
never
justify us.
How are
we to be
justified,
declared
righteous
before God,
restored to
relationship
with him,
saved from
the penalty
of our
sin,
delivered to
life forever
by faith.
By faith,
believing in
the person
and work
of Christ.
So verse 25
says,
but now that
faith has
come,
we are no
longer under
a guardian,
for in
Christ Jesus
you are all
sons of
God,
lowercase
sons of
God,
through
faith.
So the law
was given
through Moses.
Grace and
truth came
through Jesus
Christ.
So I have
up here with
me in
closing my
two favorite
books.
The Bible
is my first
favorite book,
book,
and it
is my
favorite
book in
much,
much higher
order,
infinitely higher
order than
the other
book.
It is God's
inspired word.
It is his
word itself
to us.
This is to
be treasured.
I also like
The Pilgrim's
Progress by
John Bunyan.
Not nearly as
much, but I do
rather enjoy it.
And if you've
been around for
very long, I
often joke, I'll
eventually read the
entire thing to
you.
In little bits
and pieces.
If you're
unfamiliar with
it, it's such
a work.
It's so
Bible rich.
It's so
very helpful.
If you don't
like allegory,
don't do it.
But I hope I
can convince you
to really,
really love and
appreciate this
work.
I want to read
just a little
bit of it to
you.
I think I've
read this to
you before,
but I think
this helps us
think about the
law being given
through Moses
and grace and
truth coming
through Jesus
Christ.
And so,
there's an
account, the
main character's
name is
Christian and
he meets a
man named
Faithful who
travels with
him for a
portion of his
journey.
So hear this,
Faithful is
already a
Christian in
this allegory.
He's already
in Christ.
He's repented
and believed.
And so, I
don't want the
point of this
to be lost on
somebody who
has yet to
do that, but
the word here
and the
encouragement here
is for that
person who has
repented and
believed in
Christ and
yet, and
yet, still
been tempted
by their
flesh, right?
Still has that
word of Moses
working in them
to show them
their
wretchedness.
And Faithful
is recounting
some of his
journey to
Christian.
Both of them
came to a
hill called
Difficulty.
And in
Christian on his
journey, he
fell asleep on
that hill.
He took a
rest and he
left behind a
promise.
He went on
on his
journey and
had forgotten
something and
he had to go
back and
retrieve it.
You'll see a
little clue of
that in here.
But Faithful,
before he goes
up the hill
called Difficulty,
encounters a
character by
the name of
Adam the
First.
And Adam
the First
lives in
the town
of deceit.
And he
tries to
convince
Faithful to
come and
work for
him.
And Faithful
is tempted
to do that
very thing,
but then he
perceives that
Adam the First
is going to
make him
a slave.
And so he
flees from
him, he
doesn't do
it, and
he heads
up the hill
called
Difficulty,
saying,
O wretched
man, and
he heads on
up the
hill.
And then he
says this,
and I
quote,
Now when I
had climbed
about halfway
up, I
looked behind
and saw
someone coming
after me,
swift as
the wind.
Soon he
overtook me
just about
the place
where the
arbor stands,
and Krishna
interjects,
that is the
place where I
sat down to
rest, fell
asleep, and
lost my
scroll.
And Faithful
says, dear
brother, hear
me out.
So as
soon as
the man
overtook
me, without
saying a
word, he
struck me
and knocked
me down
unconscious.
When I
came to, I
asked him
why he
had thus
assaulted
me.
He said
that it
was because
of my
secret
inclination
to follow
Adam
the first.
And with
that he
struck me
with another
deadly blow
on the
chest and
beat me
down
backward,
and I
lay at
his feet
as if
I
were
dead.
So here,
this man
overtakes
him, knocks
him down
unconscious.
When he
comes to, he
says, why
did you do
that?
And he
said, because
you were
tempted by
sin.
So when
I came
to, I
cried to
him for
mercy, but
he said, I
do not know
how to show
mercy.
And with
that he
knocked me
down again.
He would
have beaten
me to
death, except
one came
by and told
him,
to stop.
Now, I'm
reading for
you, and I
know you
can't see
it, but
in my
copy, one
is capitalized
as a proper
noun.
One came
by and
told him
to stop.
So a
Christian asked
Faithful, who
was it that
told him to
stop?
Faithful went
on, I did
not recognize
him at
first, but
as he
went by, I
saw the
wounds in
his hands
and in
his side.
Then I
concluded that
he was our
Lord.
So, I
continued up
the hill.
Christian then
explained, the
man who
overtook you
was Moses.
He spares
no one, and
he does not
know how to
show mercy
to anyone
who transgresses
his law.
And Faithful
said, I know
that very well.
It was not
the first time
that he had
met with
me.
The law
was given
through Moses.
Grace and
truth came
through Jesus
Christ.
Let's pray
together.
Let's
pray together.
Let's
Thank you.