August 20, 2000 Volume 1 Number 34
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JESUS WAS BOTH
GOD AND MAN AT THE SAME TIME The
idea of Jesus being both God and man at the same time is not easily
understood. Jesus had flesh and bones Lk 24:39, just as we do. He
had blood, which was shed for us for the remission of our sins Matt.
26:28. Yet, at the same time Jesus was God on earth. To Philip He
said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” Jn 14:9.
We know that this is so because the Bible says, “All scripture is
given by inspiration of God” 2 Tim 3:16a. But, how do we
see this? Is it possible that we have come to look upon Him ONLY as God?
Some think of Him ONLY as man. We must not make either of these
mistakes. This brief article will help us understand this dual aspect of
Jesus. Future lessons will, first, let us understand Jesus As God In
this, as in all our studies, the scriptures must be accepted as our only
guide, the infallible source of our information. Since these scriptures
have “Given us all things that pertain to life and godliness” 2
Pet. 1:3, we can confidently rely upon what they have to say. The
scriptures may not tell us everything that we wish to know; some things
belong only to God Deut. 29:29 says, "The secret things
belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong
to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this
law.” However, we are told everything that we need to know,
everything that pertains to life and godliness! A
few months before Jesus was born, the angel of the Lord told Joseph, “Behold,
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His
name Immanuel, which is translated, ‘God with us’” Matt
1:23. Jesus was to be called, "Immanuel," which simply
means, "God with us". So, Jesus was indeed, God living with
among us (human beings)! The
birth of Jesus was in fulfillment of what the prophet had said about
this most important matter, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give
you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall
call His name Immanuel” Isa 7:14. Also notice Jn 1:1-2,
14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. And the Word
became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” Another
way to see Jesus, as God is to notice that He did things that only God
could do! All of the miracles of Jesus would support this idea; but we
will notice only two such incidents. The first is in Mark 2:1-12.
Here Jesus had said to the paralytic man, “Your sins are forgiven
you.” His opposition declared immediately that “God alone”
could forgive sins. They were right! And, to prove that He was God in
the flesh, forgiving the sins of this man, Jesus then healed the
paralytic man. The
second one is found in Matt. 11:1-5, where John sends two of his
disciples to ask Jesus if He was the Messiah, or should they look for
another. Jesus replied that they should tell John what they saw: “The
blind received their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached
to them.” Jesus was offering these things as proof of who He was!
Yes, He was God in the flesh; but let us, also, understand Jesus As
Man Paul
shows this dual aspect of Jesus in Phil. 2:5-8; read it carefully
and notice the following facts: Jesus was in the form of God, He was
equal with God —– BUT —– He was made in the likeness of men, He
took the form of a servant, and He was in the likeness men. Finding
Himself as a man, Jesus became obedient until death. In this He is our
example, for we are told, “Let this mind be in you, which was also
in Christ Jesus” Phil 2:5. Jesus understands our
infirmities, weaknesses, and problems, because He was “tempted as
we are” Heb. 4:15. Hebrews 2:14-18 is an unforgettable
commentary on Jesus, being like us, while on earth. Jesus
was repeatedly referred to as a man in the gospel. The examples are
plentiful. The scriptures, tell us that Jesus was MAN, even as He was
GOD. Indeed, He was like us. He was born into this world like we are, He
hungered and thirsted as we do, He was tempted like we are, He had many
of the same decisions to make that we do, He faced many of the same
problems that we face; and, finally, He faced death as we must do. He is
able, willing, and anxious to be our companion in this life, as well as
being our sympathetic and understanding helper. Will we welcome Him to
this role? (This short article
is edited from a lesson written by Olen Holderby.) Carlos Aguilar Home and Family: [From
Part 1] Parents today often sin against their own children. The effect of
their sin is not always immediate. Sometimes it takes years to see the
consequences of sin. But, as Paul warned the Galatians, "Do not be
deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also
reap" (Galatians 6:7). Proper
Instruction Another
way we can sin against our children is by failing to teach them the will of
God. The ultimate responsibility for this teaching rests with the father
(Ephesians 6:4). Many parents today have abdicated their responsibility.
Parents in the days of Moses were commanded to teach God's word diligently to
their children and "talk of them when you sit in your house, when you
walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up" (Deuteronomy
6:7). Let me suggest several things you should teach your children. Instruct
your children to enjoy life (Ecclesiastes 3:13, 22; 5:19), but remind them all
of their life is overshadowed by the judgment. "Rejoice, O young man, in
your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth; walk in
the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes; but know that for all
these God will bring you into judgment" (Ecclesiastes 11:9). Educate
your children on the permanency of marriage. Remind them God intends their
marriage to be "till death do you part." His laws are so strict that
He has only allowed one reason for a married person to put away their spouse
and marry another, i.e. sexual immorality (Matthew 19:1-9; 5:32). Children
also need to learn respect for civil authority (Romans 13:1-7). Parents who
flaunt the laws of the land will raise rebellious children. Along with respect
for government, children need to appreciate God's command that "if a man
won't work, neither should he eat" (2 Thes. 3:10). A lazy man can not be
a faithful Christian. All honest work is honorable to God. It does not make
any difference if you're the president of General Motors or if you dig ditches
for a living. God wants you to labor and earn your pay. Parents, let's strive to raise godly children. The future of the Lord's church and the future of this nation depend on it. The responsibility is ours, not elders, preachers or the public school system. Never give up hope and continue to pray that God through His word will teach us how to bring up our children "in the nurture and the admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4). ~by
David Padfield
Teaching
the Gospel is not always easy. Probably the most difficult problem the
Christian faces in trying to teach the Gospel is teaching a person who has a
closed mind. How
often do we meet a person with an attitude that shouts "Don't confuse me
with the facts, my mind is made up!" In other words, "It does not
matter whether or not what you say is true, I am going to believe and do what
I want." You could point to many Scriptures; you could provide examples
from the New Testament; you could quote the very words of Jesus, yet such a
person will remain unmoved. Such an attitude would be almost humorous if it
were not so sad. We need to understand the world has always had such people in
it and learn not to be discouraged. For
120 years Noah preached repentance to a wicked world and warned of the
impending Flood. For 120 years people slapped their hands over their ears
whenever they saw Noah coming down the road. But then came the day when God
shut the door of the ark and the rain drops began to fall. The only ones who
were saved were those who had spent 120 years with a hammer and saw in their
hands, instead of their hands over their ears. Jeremiah
is known as the "weeping prophet" to us today and for good reason.
His mission was very similar to Noah's and his audience was just as stubborn.
For about 40 years, Jeremiah preached to the rebellious people of God to
repent or face the wrath of God. Jeremiah had good reason to cry because his
audience not only refused to listen to him but also, instead of putting their
hands over their ears, made fists and put them in his face. Jeremiah
was declared a dangerous fanatic; beaten and put in stocks; his writings were
burned by a king; he was called a traitor, beaten again and thrown in a
dungeon; he was thrown into a cistern where he sank up to his armpits in mud;
and finally he was carried off to Egypt. It is amazing what great lengths
people went to not hear Jeremiah. Somehow,
there are those who believe Jesus was exempt from prejudiced audiences. Even
the Son of God who spoke with all the power and truth of Deity faced people
whose attitude expressed, "Don't confuse me with the facts" There
were those who refused to listen to Christ; others mocked Him; one occasion a
mob tried to throw Him over a cliff and another time some tried to stone Him.
The prejudice against Christ and His message grew to the point, to silence
Him, His critics crucified Him. After
all the "plugged" ears Christians run into, See, Acts 28:25-27, not
only should Christians learn not to become discouraged, but also learn an
important lesson on dull ears and closed eyes. Christians should beware of
plugging their own ears, shutting their eyes and closing their minds to God's
Truth — the Bible. Christians
can "turn away their ears from the truth" 2 Tim. 4:4 and become just
as stubborn and prejudiced and even more so than those in the world See, 1
Tim. 4:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:1-4; Titus 1:13-16. If there is anything worse than a
person of the world with their fingers in their ears, its a professed
Christian with their fingers in their ears. The proper attitude for the Christian is to "Prove all things; hold fast to that which is good," 1 Thes. 5:21, studying to show thyself approved, 2 Tim. 2:15, and "examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things (are) so" Acts 17:11. It is an attitude that "thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; bears all things believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" 1 Cor. 13:5-7. The Christian with the proper attitude towards others and the truth has his fingers turning the pages of his Bible instead of stuck in his ears! ~by
Wayne Greeson A
Lie By Any Other Name . . . The
honorable person has nothing to fear from truth, but he certainly does from
lies. Lies put words in his mouth he didn't utter, accuse him of doing things
he didn't do, have him in places he didn't go, and attribute to him attitudes
he didn't manifest. Lies come in different colors and sizes: black lies, white
lies, big lies, little lies, and half-truths. And a lie by any other name is
still a lie. Regardless of shade or size or what it's called, it's still a
misrepresentation of fact and a perversion of truth. It may be called a
convenience in time of trouble, but time will prove it to be only a
complication and a trust-breaker. Business, education, politics, religion -
all things worthwhile - are crying out, Tell me no lies. Proverbs 12:22
says, "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal
truly are his delight." z Faithful Sayings If
We Die With Christ, We Shall Live With Him 2 Tim. 2:11 We
"die" with Him in baptism Rom. 6:1-8 Salvation
comes through His death Matt. 26:28 We
should bear the likeness of His death 2 Cor. 4:10, 11 Sentence Sermons You'll
never be able to speak against sin if you're entertained by it. The
best way to overcome temptation is to avoid the tempting situation. Never
put a question mark where God puts a period. And
Jesus Said “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Matt
4:19 We
hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study. 2
Sam 22:31
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