Understanding the Significance of Jesus' Baptism...and Yours!

 This past Sunday (January 12), many churches around the world observed "The Baptism of the Lord Jesus".

The Christmas season began by us celebrating the birth of a babe in a manger.

The Season of Epiphany focuses on the growing child who was worshiped by the Magi and revealed in His adult baptism to be God, the Son.



The Godhead manifested at the Baptism: God, the Holy Spirit alighted on Jesus as a mantle and God, the Father spoke from Heaven--the first time the distinct Persons of the one essence of the Trinity were made visible to humankind:

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from Heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well-pleased. (Matthew 3: 13-17)

Ritual cleansing with water was well known to the Jews. Even today, Orthodox men immerse themselves before the Sabbath and holidays. Scribes do so before writing a Torah scroll. Jewish women often follow the Mikvah prior to marriage. Ritual immersion symbolized a renewed commitment to purity and devotion to God. People considered it very important during major transitions of life such as ministry (age 30) and marriage.

John began to preach during human history's greatest transition--from shadow to substance, promise to fulfillment, from works to grace.

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, .Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.'
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Now John himself was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins. (Matthew 3:1-6)

As the 400 years of prophetic silence were drawing to a close, John preached repentance and its accompanying fruits in order to prepare people for Christ's arrival. Obviously, those who had been baptized by John were made ready for the message of the Kingdom. It enabled them to better recognize and respond to their Messiah. That’s what real repentance does. It makes you a ready vessel for God; its corresponding fruit is an amended life.

When John saw Jesus, he questioned why the Sinless One was coming to be baptized. Note Jesus' answer: "It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness".

Jesus already possessed righteousness, but it was important to publicly demonstrate that right standing. In doing so, He established a standard for those who were to follow Him.

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. (1 Peter 2:21)

Prior to this event, the locals knew Jesus only as an ordinary man, the carpenter, son of Joseph and Mary--perhaps wise beyond his years--even a prophet. But when He emerged from the water, Jesus' full identity and purpose was revealed to those who had readied ears to hear and eyes to see!

John had been instructed ahead of time to watch for this sign as confirmation:

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

And John bore witness, saying, "I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that THIS IS THE SON OF GOD." (John 1:29-34)

The Ceremonial Law was meant to be a lesson in the futility of man's own efforts to become righteous. When he inevitably failed, God's mercy allowed the innocent blood of animals to stand in humanity's stead for judgment. The sights, sounds, and smells of the animals being sacrificed all added to the compounding pain of of man's estrangement from God. But the coming of Jesus changed all of that!

"I (John) indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3:11, 12)

John’s baptism unto repentance didn’t save those who went into the water. It made them ready for what was to come. John clearly proclaimed that those who were baptized into the coming Christ would be saved—cleansed to the deepest levels of the heart—by the fiery, transforming power of the Holy Spirit.

If Jesus is our pattern, then let's look at our own baptisms to get a better understanding and appreciation for what God has done for us.

Upon genuine repentance* (conversion), God forgives you for your personal sins.

By the "fire" of the Holy Spirit, you are regenerated into a new creature in Christ--out of obligation to Adam's deficiencies and dysfunctions and into Christ-- thereby removing you from the damning indictment of Original Sin. This is being "born again".

Then you are instantly justified--having Christ's righteousness credited totally, permanently as yours.

Next, because of belonging to Christ, you are adopted by God as His son or daughter with full benefits and privileges as an heir and joint heir with Christ. All of this is accomplished from start to finish by grace as you place your active faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Finally, with Jesus as your pattern, you follow through and also make your 'appearing' to the world and validate who you are by baptism. Folks may have known you for years as the sad drunk, wayward son, abusive father, or drug addict, but now the Godhead declares you to be brand new and devotedly THEIRS!

Our baptism is meant to be earthly evidence of our Heavenly status, where our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Adoptees on earth have legal proof of their new identity and home and so do we. Earthly adoptions cannot be formalized in solitude; neither can Heavenly ones. BOTH must be public.

Some people say baptism is not necessary for Salvation; they are right. But it IS necessary to fulfill all righteousness! Jesus was sinless, yet went into the water to demonstrate the importance of baptism.

A genuine convert already has imputed righteousness, but still must follow through in baptism in order to not complete the righteousness, but 'fill" it (Greek-Pleroo..."to fill, as a house with perfume or a net with fish.)

Both vivid examples of perfume and fish indicate evidence that can be weighed with one or more of our five earthly senses. The house or net is already yours--now fill it!

Did you know that the Father spoke over you at your baptism? What did He declare? If Christ is our pattern, then here it is:

"This is my beloved son (daughter), in whom I am well pleased."

God's acceptance of you is not based on your performance. He loved you from the foundation of the world. Now that you are restored to right standing, there is nothing that remains in the way of you walking in that love as His adopted child. What you could not become by human nature, He made you by divine grace.

In fact, you are as righteous now as you ever will be! As you grow in Christ, the reality of what you have been given will manifest more and more here on earth, but your standing with God cannot increase through good works or decrease through faith's struggles.

The Holy Spirit anointed Jesus, launching Him into His public ministry:

How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. (Acts 10:38)

At your baptism, you were also anointed to go about doing good and continue the earthly ministry of Jesus with particular gifts and callings. Some abilities may have already been evident or in use. However, following your obedience into baptism, the Holy Spirit anoints all your gifts (even the dormant ones that will surface as needs arise),  placing a special grace of favor and effectiveness upon them that you cannot achieve on your own. God’s purpose for your life becomes clearer!

In summary, at your baptism:

God, the Son affirms you have been legally redeemed out of corrupt Adam and safely into Him.

God, the Father officially receives you into the family and places you under an “Open Heaven” whereby “His Kingdom can come and His will be done” in your earthly life. He identifies you as His beloved child.

God, the Holy Spirit begins to equip and prepare you unto service in the world and unto sanctification for Heaven.

Did you realize all of this?

Growing up as an evangelical, I recall that the act of baptism seemed to center around what the people were doing. Very little thought was given to God’s perspective. Some of my friends have been re-baptized in order for the experience to be more 'meaningful'--even traveling to the Holy Land’s Jordan River--as if the setting or their later maturity in Christ makes it really count.

I say, God got it right the first time!

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit. ( 2 Corinthians 1:21) 

In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel  of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. (Ephesians 1:13)

Proof of this sealing is baptism. You do not seal the commitment--God does! What do repeated baptisms say of the integrity of God's sealing power? Can it be eroded through the ups and downs of the Christian life or stolen by the devil? No!

Consequently, we must be careful to faithfully represent God and His intents to a watching world. Is the focus more on what we want, think, or feel, rather than on what God has said and done through our baptism?

Hank Hanegraaff, in his excellent article on baptism, notes that Charles Hadden Spurgeon, often referred to as the Prince of Preachers, said that he was afraid to confess Christ before his baptism.

Thereafter, he lost all fear of man and never hesitated to boldly profess his faith. He likened his baptism to "burning the boats". "No retreat was possible after that,” he said, "nor have I ever wanted to go back to the world from which I then came out." (Spurgeon at His Best, Baker Book House)

Hanagraaff reminds us that while baptism is not essential to salvation (nor its modes), the mandate of baptism is essential to obedience. Although it is not the means by which we are saved, it is the means by which we are set apart. Read the entire article

Are you a believer who has yet to be baptized? Fulfill all righteousness, make the path straight, and be baptized. Show yourself publicly to be set apart from the world and unto Christ. Show your “legal papers”, so to speak, of being adopted out of doomed Adam and into the abundant life in Christ. Baptism, if properly understood, can become the anchor that steadies us.

Are you a baptized believer? Seek to understand and appreciate your outward sign of an inward grace. The next time you’re tempted to doubt your salvation, be reminded of your baptism and what reverberated through the Heavenlies as you came up out of the water: “This is my beloved!”


A few notes on true repentance, and the problem with altar calls for salvation:

Repentance differs from mere regret or remorse. We are normally regretful when our behavior brings difficulties upon others or ourselves. We might experience profound remorse when the consequences of our actions result in horrible pain or loss.

"Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation..." (2 Corinthians 7:10a)

Being exposed, getting caught, or coming to an end of one's means or wits produces only worldly sorrow. The focus is entirely on how the uncomfortable consequences are disrupting our lives and pleasures.

Godly sorrow is experienced when we have come face to face with the goodness and love of God, and we break for breaking the heart of God. The focus has now shifted to how God sees the sin and resulting estrangement.

A crisis can certainly lead us to the place of true repentance, but we often confuse regret or remorse for repentance. We cut short the conviction process when we ask others to pray for us so we can simply feel better. There's nothing wrong with lingering conviction that's allowed to work its way down into the deepest motives of our hearts.

Don’t be so quick to always end pain in your life or in the lives of others. Pray first, and see if God desires to use it for a greater, redeeming purpose!

**The first altar calls and "sinners' prayers" in the Church were introduced by Evangelist Charles Finney in the 1800s. Prior to Finney, a person under conviction would come into the church through the witness and prayers of others, and arrange for instruction and baptism. It became a relational journey of prolonged conviction (letting the Holy Spirit do a thorough job), learning, and readiness to enter the Kingdom.

For over 1,800 years in the Church, baptism itself was the public renouncement of the old life, accompanied by the convert's first public profession of faith.

His new church family participated from start to finish--much as midwives--in bringing the new convert along to a successful birth. Baptism was the proof, not an afterthought. It was not an empty ritual or ceremony; baptism was (and is) the public signing and sealing of the covenant of redemption between God and the new believer.

How different from most of our modern altar calls and baptismal services, where the congregants are mere spectators who often remain relationally detached from the convert before and after his "decision".

"Church wide, there's an 84% to 97% "fall-away" rate among those who make decisions for Christ at the altar. The most logical inference is the 20th century evangelism practice of telling everyone they are saved at the altar without regard for their true condition is producing a staggering number of stillborn--not born again Christians." (Society for Effective Evangelism)

The Society for Effective Evangelism also reports that 90% of those who come to crusades and evangelistic meetings for conversions do not join themselves to a church afterward. (It also stands to reason that most people within this 90 percent have not been baptized.)

Also disturbing is the organization’s revelation that 74% of Americans who once walked an aisle and shook a pastor's hand claim they are born again and have been told they are secure for eternity!

At least Finney (and later D.L. Moody) had inquirers' rooms where counselors would spend time with seekers to determine true conviction BEFORE leading them in the sinner’s prayer. A prayer of commitment was never spoken at the altar, and both Finney and Moody believed that only a few of the people who filled the rooms were actually ready to be saved (10% or less).

Those who did make a decision for Christ were assigned a local pastor who personally followed up with the new convert in discipleship for several years to make sure the “birthing” process into the Kingdom of God was authentic and complete.

All of this changed with Billy Sunday’s meetings in the first half of the twentieth century. He was frustrated with the labor-intensive inquirers’ rooms and developed the “prayer at the altar” shortcut without prior assessment of the seeker’s heart. Everyone who came forward to shake Sunday’s hands at the altar was considered saved by an act of faith.

“What I want and preach,” said Sunday, “is that a man can be converted without any fuss.” He later boasted that he had so streamlined the salvation process that he could make converts for two dollars a soul.

At first, Billy Graham brought back the private inquirers’ room prior to the sinner’s prayer and attempted to strengthen follow-up with local churches. However, as the crowds attending his crusades grew, Graham, like Sunday, streamlined by leading those who came forward in a corporate, open sinner’s prayer before ushering people to the rooms.

The number of counselors available in Graham’s crusades has often been woefully inadequate, and many volunteers publicly bemoaned the fact that they’ve watched as people grew tired of waiting in line and walked away. Yet, those who left had been assured by the famous evangelist that they were saved and headed for Heaven!

Having worked in many follow-up rooms myself, I can personally attest to restless seekers walking out of the room and the pressure on us as counselors to “hurry up". I also know how easy it is for names on a card to get lost or carelessly neglected.

I am convinced relational evangelism within a community of believers is the best way to bring someone authentically into the Kingdom of God. It is neither easy nor convenient. It requires commitment to attend to the convert from conception to gestation, then on to birth and into a healthy spiritual childhood.

The Incarnation of Christ Part Three: Son of God AND Son of Man

The Incarnation of Christ Part Three:
Son of God AND Son of Man

Years ago I taught a series for our church on the Incarnation of Christ, which covered such difficult subjects as the Trinity and Jesus being both God AND Man.

To appreciate the astonishing message of Christmas--"God with Us"--we must first attempt to better understand (better, but not fully, of course) the Trinity.

Part I addressed the Trinity, and how Jesus
represents God to man.

Part II--His representation of Man (Adam II) to God
Part III--Son of God And Son of Man

Part IV--Christ in You, the Incarnation Continues!

"For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."  (Colossians 2:9)

Church teaching interpreted the above verse to mean that the divine nature penetrates and perfects every aspect of the human; and the human is diffused by the divine. (John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith, 111.8)

Jesus' conception was supernatural--exceeding natural explanation. His birth was natural.

Thomas Oden, Methodist theologian and author, comments: “The deity participated in the Passion of the humanity and the humanity in the majesty of the deity without blurring or confusing either.” (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, the Word of Life)

Lewis Sperry Chafer, evangelical theologian, stated in his Systematic Theology: "The Incarnation introduced the unique situation in which God and man became one without depriving either of their essential qualities...Jesus Christ was perfect God and became perfect man--being all that God in His deity and all that man is apart from sin."

"Jesus did not temporarily become man, but his divine nature was permanently united to his human nature...

"And He lives forever NOT JUST as the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity...but also as Jesus, the man who was born of Mary, and as Christ, the Messiah and Savior of his people. Jesus will remain fully God and fully man, yet one person, forever." (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology)

Theologians call these two natures of Christ occurring together in one Person the Theandric Union.  Theandric is a contraction of theanthropos or "God-man".

Christ is one person, two natures. God is three persons, once essence!

His union, contends Oden, was not like a physical union, as when form and matter are united. Nor is it like a union of friends. "It is a more profound union than two people in marriage, for the unity of marriages leaves husband and wife, even after their union, two persons, nor is it one nature being mingled and absorbed by the other.

"Rather, Christ's personal union is a union that can only exist in one distinctive person in who there is an intimate and perpetual conjunction of divine and human natures in one individual, wherein the human nature was ASSUMED by the Logos so as to be the WORD IN PERSON." (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, The Word of Life)

As mentioned in previous notes, many heresies arose that either rejected Christ's humanity or deity, or dualized the one person. Here's a simple breakdown:

Heresies against Christ's humanity:

Docetists-Christ as not fully in flesh

Apollinarians-Logos replaces human spirit

Eutychians-Christ as a single mixed nature

Heresies against Christ's divinity:

Eutychians-Christ not fully divine, but mixed nature

Ebionites-Jesus as the natural son of Joseph and Mary

Arians-Christ as creature, not eternal

Heresy that rejects Christ's person union:

Nestorians-Christ as two persons

Early Church Father Novatian warned, "He is a man who is of man and He is a God who is of God...however, when you read about both these truths, there is a danger that you will believe not both them, but only one." (Trinity 11)

In order to attempt to solve the problems raised by the controversies over the person of Christ, a large church council was convened in the city of Chalcedon near Constatinople (modern Istanbul) in A.D. 451.

The result was the Chalcedon Creed, which has been taken as the standard, orthodox definition of the biblical teaching on the person of Christ since that day by Catholic, Protestant, and most Orthodox branches of Christianity.

The Chalcedonian Definition declares that our Lord Christ is to be acknowledged in two natures:

Inconfusedly--no mixing of the two natures, which remain distinct even while they are in communion

Unchangeably--the deity is not transmuted in humanity, nor humanity into deity

Indivisibly--unable to be divided--the personal union is never at any point split apart

Inseparably--undissolved through eternity and perpetual

(We must rigorously examine what we believe about Christ in the honest light of Scriptures and in the clarity brought forth from the early church fathers. These heresies are STILL around--parading under different names, of course, and deceiving many well-intentioned converts!)

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." (Luke 2:52)

"Much discussion has arisen in theology over the question of Christ's self-consciousness. How could He know and sense the infinite might and wisdom of God, and at the same time appear with normal human weaknesses and limitations apart from complications with immorality?

"How could He know and not know? How could He be the source of all power and yet be prone and exposed to human frailty?

"The answer to the problem is that Christ operated in the human sphere to the extent it was necessary for Him to accomplish His earthly purpose, but at the same time continued operating in the divine sphere to the extent that it was possible in the period of His humiliation." (Chafer)

As God, the Son knew He was human. As human, He knew that He was God.

Thomas Oden further explains: “The Logos is united not with an individual person that existed prior to the God/man, but with a human nature that had no separate identity before union with the divine, for Jesus' human body had not existed eternally, but was born in time.

“Hence, there are not two conscious persons, but a single conscious person uniting the divine and human natures. It is not one or the other nature that speaks when Jesus Christ speaks, but one person bearing the harmonious imprint of two natures.”

I do not think of Christ as God alone, or man alone, but both together.

For I know He was hungry, yet I know that with five loaves He fed 5,000.

I know He was thirsty, and I know He turned water into wine.

I know that He was carried in a ship, yet I know that He walked upon the sea.

I know that He died, yet I know that He raised the dead Himself.

I know that He was set before Pilate, and I know that He sits with the Father in His throne.

I know that He was worshiped by angels, yet He was scourged by man." (John Chrysostom)

THE TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST

"The questions of sin and temptation in Christ from an orthodox point of view should be answered by the statement that He could not sin. As far as the divine nature is concerned, it is clear that God could not sin and that God cannot be tempted.

"On the human side it is obvious that Christ could be tempted, and the human nature by itself could sin. But when the human and divine natures were united in Christ, that left the person of Christ in a situation where the Person can be tempted but where the Person cannot sin because of the presence of the divine nature.

"The doctrine is not simply that Christ was able not to sin but that Christ was not able to sin because He is God." (Chafer)

"Then Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but  what He sees the Father do; for whatever he does, the Son also does in like manner'." (John 5:19)

At the sixth ecumenical council (Constantinople III in 681), the undivided Church confessed that Christ possesses two wills and two natural operations, divine and human; and they are not opposed to each other, but cooperate in such a way that Christ's human will submits to His divine will.

Oden comments that the divine will always went before (lead the way) for the human will, so that the human will chose freely in accord with the divine will. The pattern is the Gethsemane prayer, in which is faced and resisted in a way fitting to the human nature and then freely offered up to God.

"...And so, the Lord's soul was freely moved to will, but it freely willed those things which His divine will willed." (John of Damascus, On the Orthodox Faith, 111.18)

"For I have come down from Heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day." (John 6:38-39)

Although Christ has retained His human body, He has not added to the Godhead, but simply enriched it forever.

Part IV will show us how to take the truths of the Incarnation out of the theology book and into the practicalities of everyday life as Christians.

The Incarnation of Christ Part Two:Declaring Man to God

The Incarnation of Christ Part Two: Declaring Man to God

Several years ago, I taught a series for our church on the Incarnation of Christ. It covered such challenging subjects as the Trinity and Jesus being both God AND Man.

To appreciate the astonishing message of Christmas--"God with Us"--we must first attempt to better understand (better, but not fully, of course) the Trinity.

Part I addressed the Trinity, and how Jesus represents God to man.

Part II--His representation of Man to God

Part III--Son of God AND Son of Man

Part IV--Christ in You, the Incarnation Continues!

"For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous."  Roman 5:19

The Word became incarnate not only to manifest God to man, but man to God!

Adam failed in the stewardship of his humanity but the last Adam, Jesus Christ, is the all-satisfying ideal of what mankind should be--perfectly tuned to God's will and living in unbroken, joyful fellowship with Him.

God, the Son arrived legally into the world through a human birth canal and first shed His blood UNDER (or to) to Law, served it flawlessly throughout His life, and then shed His blood one final time to gain our freedom FROM the Law.

You see, Jesus had no need to earn righteousness for Himself. He did so out of love as our representative. He gave us the benefits of His obedient life and substitutionary death. The sins of all men were paid by one Man…and He did it in a way where justice could still be served.

His payment cleansed and continues to cleanse us from sin; His unblemished life covers us before the Father. No longer estranged, we can enter into God’s family by grace…"that He (Jesus) might be the firstborn among many brethren." (Romans 8:29b).

"For it was fitting for Him, for whom all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

"For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren." (Hebrews 2:10-11)

The late, reformed theologian R.J. Rushdoony observed in his Systematic Theology that the most common title of and reference to Jesus Christ in Scripture is LORD, "Kurios".

The term is used perhaps 6,700 times; it means absolute property owner, God, and sovereign. St. Paul ties the Lordship of Jesus Christ to His office as covenant man, and as head of the new humanity which He, as the second Adam, generates by grace. (Romans 14:7-9)

Here's the bottom-line meaning: We are born in the earth of Adam I, but he does not own us nor is he our lord. We are born again in Adam II.

"By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God."   (1 John 4:2-3)

In contrast with today, the early church had more difficulty believing in the full humanity of Christ than in His deity.

The Fourth Council of Chalcedon censured the claims of Apollinarius, who taught that Christ had no human soul. The Scriptures clearly reveal a Savior who experienced a whole range of human emotions.

Therefore, the council affirmed that Jesus was true God, truly human, with soul and body, of one essence with the Father as touching His Godhead, and of one essence with us as touching our humanity--like us in all things except sin.

The Creed of Epiphanius in A.D. 374 declared that the Logos "assumed a perfect man--soul and body and mind (spirit), and all that belongs to man, without sin."

"The mediator between God and humanity would have to be nothing less than God and nothing less than fully human; otherwise, this mediatorship would have been impossible. How can one mediate in a conflict in which one has no capacity to empathize with one or the other side?" (Thomas Oden, Systematic Theology, Vol. II-The Word of Life)

Church Father Ambrose stated that since God, the Son was standing in legally as Adam again..."If He lacked anything as man, then he did not redeem all (that pertains to our humanity)..." (Letters 48)

Indeed, Church Father Gregory Nazianzen remarked, "For that which He has not assumed He has not healed, but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved. If only half of Adam fell, then that which Christ assumes and saves may be half also; but if the whole of his nature fell, it must be united to the whole nature of Him that was begotten, and so be saved as a whole." (Epistle 101)

Hebrews 4:15, 16 tells us: "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Rushdoony cautioned that stressing only the deity of Christ--His sovereign being, His eternal decree, His magnificent glory and eternity--can result in an indifference to history and a lack of cultural consciousness. Similarly, focusing only on Christ's humanity results in a loss of perspective and a rapid decline into humanism.

We must realize there is a delicate, divine balance. Jesus is not just a good man or wise prophet, nor is He an unapproachable, distant deity. A correct understanding of the Incarnation helps us worship the Lord in spirit and truth.

"Remember, Christ was not a deified man, neither was He a humanized God. He was perfectly God and, at the same time, perfectly man."  Charles Spurgeon

Regardless of postmodern attempts to diminish the deity of Christ while overemphasizing His human nature, it is still important for us to acknowledge and rejoice in the full humanity of Jesus Christ.

"...For the MAN will not rest until He has concluded the matter this day." Ruth 3:18b 

The Old Covenant beautifully spoke of our coming Kinsman-Redeemer through the lives of Boaz, a type of Christ, and Ruth, a stranger in need of a God, a new life, and a home. She represents fallen humanity.

As Kinsman-Redeemer, Christ fulfilled what the Old Testament required:

1. The Redeemer must be a kinsman (Lev. 25:48-49; Ruth 3:12-13).

2. The Redeemer must be able to redeem (Ruth 4:4-6).

3. The redemption must be accomplished by the Redeemer paying the righteous demands involved (Lev. 25:27)

Gnostics, whose beliefs were condemned in the early church, believe that Jesus did not have a physical body. Rather, his apparent physical body was an illusion; hence, His crucifixion was not bodily.

They consider the human body evil and strive for higher, spiritual enlightenment that can "free" them from such a prison during their earthly existence. Most sects practice strict asceticism (body denials and punishments), while others defile their bodies, believing such indulgences do not matter since the body is already corrupt.

During the Dark Ages, even the Church-at-large sadly developed a negative view of the human body. Many leaders taught that one must tame its God-given passions and appetites through extreme measures of neglect or abuse.

This focus on dualism led to a perceived "split" from that which was done in the body as natural (and therefore considered ungodly) versus the spiritual (godly). Man was not viewed holistically. Akin to Gnostic thinking, Christians believed they were shamefully imprisoned in weak, sinful bodies that could not possibly please God. All the attention, therefore, was focused on Heaven and the future promise of perfection in a glorified body. Gradually, the Church returned to a more Biblical view of human existence.

"Flesh" and "spirit" are not two parts of man, but the whole man seen from two different aspects. All that man does in his natural state is "flesh" and is not necessarily associated with sin. It's the normal, day-to-day functions of mind, body, and soul which make us human. All that which man does under the control of the Spirit is "spiritual". Therefore, even the mundane things can be raised to a spiritual level if done for the glory of God.

"Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31)

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.  (I Corinthians 6:15, 19-20).

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Think upon this magnificent truth: It pleased the Son of God to live in His human body--not only on earth, but forever!

Yes! The Son of God determined to identify eternally with humanity. In this, He enhances the glory of being human...for "He chose to be what we are, that He might bring us to be even what He is Himself." (Irenaeus, Against Heresies)

"The glory of God is a human being fully alive"! (St. Irenaeus)


Part III is the apex of the series."Son of God AND Son of Man" will examine the expressions of Christ's humanity and divinity during His earthly life and ministry, and attempt to clear misconceptions about His self-knowledge and the genuineness of His earthly temptations.

The Incarnation of Christ Part One: Declaring God to Man

The Incarnation of Christ Part One :
Declaring God to Man

Several years ago, I taught a series for our church on the Incarnation of Christ. It covered such challenging subjects as the Trinity and Jesus being both God AND Man.

To appreciate the astonishing message of Christmas--"God with Us"--we must first attempt to better understand (better, but not fully, of course) the Trinity.

Notes on Part I will address the Trinity and how Jesus represents God to man.

Part II-His representation of Man (Adam II) to God

Part III-Son of God AND Son of Man

Part IV- Christ in You, the Incarnation Continues

"...He who has seen Me has seen the Father." John 14:9

 John 1:18 says that Jesus Christ has "declared God the Father".

Basic version of the "Shield of the Trinity" or "Scutum Fidei"
with translated English-language captions (in place of original Latin).

The Greek word "declared" is exegeomai, related to our word exegesis.

We have seen the love, holiness, and goodness of the Father animated and demonstrated directly for our benefit in the Person of Jesus Christ (1 John 4:9).

Therefore, Jesus Christ is the "line by line, precept upon precept" of God--the full and perfect exegesis (declaration, revelation). 

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word WAS God.” (John 1:1)

John testified about Him and cried out, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. (He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did'...)".  (John 1:15) 

"Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham I AM." (John 8:58)

Dr. Thomas Oden puts it beautifully: "God cannot be fully comprehended, but He can be apprehended." Aren't you glad? Would you really want to trust your well being and eternity to a deity that you--being finite and fallen--had totally dissected and understood?

Although the word, "Trinity" is not in the Bible, the doctrine is taught from the beginning in the first chapter and verse of the Bible. The early church had to grow in its understanding of this majestic truth. Church Father Tertullian was the first to use the word "Trinity" (three in one) in reference to the Godhead in the first century. 

Here are two amazing verses: 

Job 33: 28, 29: "He redeemed my soul from going down to the pit, and I will live to enjoy the light. God does all these things to a man--twice, even three times--to turn back his soul from the pit, that the light of life may shine on him."

Proverbs 22:20: "Have not I written to thee excellent (In Hebrew--"three-fold") things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth... 

Indeed, God has communicated to us throughout creation with the counsel and knowledge of "three-fold" things:

Objects have three dimensions--length, breadth, and height--that are distinguishable, but inseparable, unified in a single object, yet three-dimensional.

We live in three dimensions--time, space, and matter--unified, yet distinguishable.

Humans are body, spirit, and soul.

Our "soul realm" is the mind, emotions, and will.

Our world is full of "three's" in God's symbolism and instruction:

He created time with a past, present, and future.

"The Spirit, the water, and the blood," is the divinely perfect witness to the grace of God on earth (1 John 5:7).

In Hebraic tradition, a blessing is recited THREE times.

Jesus was made a Prophet, Priest, and King.

The Tabernacle had THREE compartments.

The Ark of the Covenant contained three objects--a jar of manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the Ten Commandments on stone.

Heaven is divided into THREE realms (Paul went to the THIRD Heaven).

There is also Gehenna, Hades, and Sheol.

The angels cry, "Holy, Holy, Holy!"

Jesus was tempted three times--the lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.

The husbandman gives the plant three years to bear fruit (Luke 13:6-9).

Spiritual man is fed with manna, milk, and meat (of the Word).

The three gifts of grace are faith, hope, and love.

God expressed Himself in the Old Covenant as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Three Major Jewish Feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles

Three parts to the Feast of Tabernacles: Unleavened Bread, Weeks, and Tabernacle

Jesus was raised on the THIRD DAY.

Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days.

The Christ Child was given three gifts-gold, frankincense and myrrh.

When God said, "Let US make man in our image" (Gen. 1:26), God was speaking in the first person in plural form. In fact, God clues us in from the beginning: In Gen. 1:1, at the beginning of creation, Elohim (God) is a plural noun, linked to a singular verb.

Genesis 3:22: And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Genesis 11:6-7: The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

Isaiah 6:8a: Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”

Look at the Shema: "Hear, O, Israel, the Lord is our God"—literally, "Our Gods" is "Elohenu...one Lord! (Deuteronomy 6:4)

"Remember your Creator in the days of your youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1) is literally "Remember your Creators" (Eth-bor-eka).

2 Corinthians 4:6 tells us that God, the Father created the world by direct address.

The Holy Spirit was hovering (brooding) over the face of the waters, dark and deep.

Then, God the Father released His Son (The Word-Divine Logos) over the void and empty waste.

John 1:3 tells us "All things were made by him (God, the Son); and without him was not anything made that was made. He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the Cross." (Colossians 1:15-20)

God, as one Being, expresses Himself through three Persons who have never changed or ceased, nor been divided or diminished in any time or space.

All three Persons of the Trinity are represented in Scripture as:

being addressed by name
possessing divine attributes
engaging in actions that only God can accomplish
being worthy of divine worship

God, wholly and simultaneously presents Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet meets us in human history as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.

The Son fulfilled the Father's plan of Redemption for all of mankind. The Holy Spirit now continues to work conviction in the earth in order to impart Salvation to willing hearts, equip and mature believers for service in the world, and prepare the faithful for eternal life.

At Jesus' Baptism, the Holy Spirit descended from above and the Father spoke from Heaven. (Matthew 3:16)

Jesus is called God: Matthew 1:23, Romans 9:5, Titus 1:3, 2:13, Hebrews 1:8

Thomas Cried, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28)

The Holy Spirit is called God: Acts 5:3, 4:1 Corinthians 2: 10b, 11

Our baptismal formula, commanded by Jesus, is to baptize in the NAME (not names) of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 28:19)

Beliefs against the Trinity that were rejected in the early church:

1)  Jesus was an ordinary man who, through obedience and devotion, became the Christ at his baptism, having been adopted by God.

Other adherents believed Jesus became the Christ at His resurrection. This belief, called "Adoptionism", was rejected church-wide by the third century.

2) Only one being is presenting himself in different aspects or roles.

This is the most common error regarding the Trinity, and it still lingers deceptively in some components of Christianity, despite the fact that Sabellius, who first suggested the concept, was quickly excommunicated from the undivided church in A.D. 220.

"Modalism", as it's often called, fails to account for greater than 70 passages in Scripture where the Father, Son and Spirit are mentioned together as distinct persons interacting with one another.

3) The Son is not God, but like God...existing before creation, but still a creature and different from God in essence.

A man named Arius first promoted this idea. His solution proposed that the Son (Jesus) was somewhere between God and man.Today, two major religions, self-aligned with Christianity, teach that Jesus was a created being, not God incarnate.

In overcoming this particular heresy, the undivided Church in A.D. 325 said:  "He (the Son) is begotten, not made...of one being with the Father. (Nicene Creed)

Michael Houdmann, graduate of Calvary Seminary and founder of the popular gotquestions.org, clearly explains the phrase "only begotten":

"The phrase “only begotten Son” occurs in John 3:16, which reads in the King James Version as, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The phrase "only begotten" translates the Greek word monogenes. This word is variously translated into English as "only," "one and only," and "only begotten."

It's this last phrase ("only begotten" used in the KJV, NASB and the NKJV) that causes problems. False teachers have latched onto this phrase to try to prove their false teaching that Jesus Christ isn't God; i.e., that Jesus isn't equal in essence to God as the Second Person of the Trinity. They see the word "begotten" and say that Jesus is a created being because only someone who had a beginning in time can be "begotten."

What this fails to note is that "begotten" is an English translation of a Greek word. As such, we have to look at the original meaning of the Greek word, not transfer English meanings into the text.

So what does monogenes mean? According to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BAGD, 3rd Edition), monogenes has two primary definitions:

The first definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship." This is its meaning in Hebrews 11:17 when the writer refers to Isaac as Abraham's "only begotten son" (KJV). Abraham had more than one son, but Isaac was the only son he had by Sarah and the only son of the covenant. Therefore, it is the uniqueness of Isaac among the other sons that allows for the use of monogenes in that context.

The second definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind." This is the meaning that is implied in John 3:16 (see also John 1:14, 18; 3:18; 1 John 4:9). John was primarily concerned with demonstrating that Jesus is the Son of God (John 20:31), and he uses monogenes to highlight Jesus as uniquely God's Son—sharing the same divine nature as God—as opposed to believers who are God's sons and daughters by adoption (Ephesians 1:5). Jesus is God’s “one and only” Son.

 This truth is reinforced in John 10:30, making it very clear that the Father and the Son are a monad (single entity) who have been there from the very beginning, Micah 5:2; John 1:1, 18; 17:5

Jesus spent forty days instructing His Apostles in the "things of the Kingdom of God" (Acts 1:1-3). They pastored the early church with this knowledge and the help of the Holy Spirit. Their protégés were the men who encountered, confronted, and judged these early heresies-- based upon the Apostles' doctrine rooted in the instructions from Jesus. Since a spring is clearer at its source, we must study what the early Church had to say about the seductions that attempted to diminish the Lordship of the Trinity.

Beware! As I said before, these ancient anti-Trinitarian doctrines are still around under different names.

"Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either."  1 John 2:23

Jesus was God BEFORE, DURING and AFTER the Incarnation!

The Trinitarian unity (substance) of the Godhead continued without interruption...even when God, the Son assumed human flesh, entered earth's history, and was given the name Jesus. Read what Jesus said while conducting His ministry on earth:

"If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the SON OF MAN who IS in heaven." (John 3:12, 13)

He is God NOW as He sits at the right hand of the Father, while the Spirit dispenses grace to and through the Church. He has chosen to enrich (not add to) the Trinity by remaining in His human body--the God/Man Jesus Christ. One day, He will physically return to earth in that glorified body to rule and reign!

Much Ado About Christmas: Inappropriate for Christians in a Greedy, Commercialized Culture?

Critics of the celebration of Christmas within the Church find the holiday offensively wrapped in earthy materialism.

They claim Resurrection Sunday should be the primary focus of Christians.

I say the birth of Christ—even amid the tinsel and excesses—deserves to be gloriously celebrated with His Resurrection. We cannot separate the Manger from the Cross.


What should Christians shout from their decorated housetops this season? The beloved Christmas carol says it best: "Joy to the World, the Lord is come!"

To help us better appreciate what this phrase means, grab your favorite brew and sit down with me for a little informal, coffee shop theology.

During a probationary period between the fall of humanity’s representative on earth (Adam) and the arrival of humanity’s redeeming representative (Christ), innocent animals bore the penalty of humanity's sins. Their blood provided a temporary covering, but not a final remedy.

When God determined the time was right, His Son assumed human flesh and stepped into the limitations of our time and space. He was given the earthly name Jesus. He allowed His humanity to be tempted in every way so that He could identify with our needs and struggles. Yet, He remained sinless--qualifying Him as the final, innocent sacrifice to bear the sins of all people. The remedy had come!

The humanity that tragically broke fellowship with God was reconciled through the redeeming work of Christ. The estranged children were brought home through the perfect obedience of another. Salvation is a done deal for everyone. It is universally offered, but its benefits are limited to those who embrace Jesus and the work He accomplished at the Cross for them. No one is coerced. God created us with one of His greatest attributes--free will.

Once someone receives this gift, they are instantly regenerated and justified. Regeneration means that by grace—undeserved favor--a person becomes alive unto God for the first time by the power of the Holy Spirit. He or she is able to contain God’s indwelling presence for the first time.

Justification means that although clearly guilty, the person has been legally cleared of all charges before God in the highest of courts. The condemning record of wrongdoings is permanently wiped clean. (Jesus took the place of the guilty party and fully bore the consequences unto death as forensic evidence that justice had not been thwarted.)

Both the Father's holiness that could not wink at wrongdoing and His extravagant love met at the two beams of the Cross. Justice AND mercy were satisfied as the Son willingly stood in humanity's stead.

Therefore, I fully understand why the Church was compelled to set a date to call Christians throughout history --in one voice and mind--to honor a yearly, renewed proclamation of the Good News that the all-powerful, transcendent God of the cosmos is also intimately available to human hearts.

There's been a great deal of controversy surrounding the December 25 observance of the birth of Christ because it coincides with a pagan feast. Truth is, early church documents reveal that the birth of Christ was already being observed on various dates by Christians as early as 200 A.D.

I'd like to quote from "Christmas Is NOT Pagan"--a very thorough and scholarly work from Dr. Richard P. Bucher, former pastor at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Lexington, KY:

"The Romans, like many other cultures at the time of the winter solstice, had various festivals. Saturnalia, was a festival that honored Saturn, the god of agriculture, from Dec. 17-24. It was the most popular festival of the year and did involve merrymaking, gift-giving, relaxed morality, and temporary freedom for slaves, who were allowed to do and speak whatever they wanted.

"But not unlike many of our Christmas feasts today, by the early Fourth Century, the religious aspect of Saturnalia had faded, and the secular merrymaking had come to the fore. It is not likely, however, that Christians chose Dec. 25 to celebrate Christ's birth on the basis of Saturnalia.

"By the time that Chrysostom was Bishop of Constantinople (398-404), Christ's birth was being observed on Dec. 25 throughout Christendom, though the Church in Armenia observed it on January 6.

"But how did it happen that the early Christians began observing Christmas on December 25? Why this date? There are two theories about why December 25 was chosen:

" (1) The first theory holds that after careful research, Julius (337-352), Bishop of Rome, determined that Christ had been born on December 25; or at least he determined that December 25 was the best authenticated date in the Tradition. John Chrystostom states this in one of his writings (John Chrysostom, Homil. Diem Natal., 2; PL, 49, 552ff.).

"Chrysostom claims that Julius, after he had been requested by Cyril of Jerusalem, had the official records of the Roman census examined and determined that December 25 was the correct date. As Weiser points out, however, there is no evidence to back this up; in fact, "it was expressly stated in Rome that the actual date of the Saviour's birth was unknown and that different traditions prevailed in different parts of the world" (F. Weiser, Handbook of Christian Feasts and Customs - New York: Harcourt, Brace, and Company, 1958, 61.).

"The second theory states that the Church of Rome deliberately chose December 25 as the date of Christ's birth to turn people away from a pagan feast that was observed at the same time. Since the time of the Roman emperor Elagabulus (218-222), the god Sol Invictus (he Unconquered Sun god), had been one of the chief deities worshiped by the Romans.

"When emperor Aurelian (270-275) came to power, he sought to restore the worship of the Sun god to prominence and make him the chief deity. In the last years of his reign, Sol was hailed as "The Lord of the Roman Empire." Sol, along, with Jupiter, appeared on the coins Aurelian had minted. In 274, the emperor built a magnificent temple to Sun god, and established a new college of senators which he named "the priests of the Sun god." Finally, December 25 was observed as "the birthday of the Sun god" (natalis solis invicti).

"Because the Sun god was identified with Mithra, a popular Persian god that also was viewed as the Sun god, pagan celebrations occurred throughout the empire on Dec. 25 (see Clement A. Miles, Christmas, New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1912, 23).

"The Church at Rome seems to have chosen this date to counteract this pagan feast of the sun god and turn people instead to the "Sun of Righteousness with healing in His wings" (Malachi 4:2; Luke 1:78). Or put another way, Julius chose December 25 so that the Son of God rather than the Sun god would be worshiped.

"Though there no direct evidence that proves that the Church of Rome deliberately chose December 25 so that Christ's birth would replace "the birthday of the sun," we do have sermons from fathers of the church who soon after this used this line of reasoning. For example, Augustine (354-430) in his sermon 202 and Leo the Great (440-461 -- PL 54 Sources chrtiennes 22) gives this line of reasoning."

A pagan-inspired conspiracy to corrupt the faithful? Hardly! Many churches in America offer alternatives to Halloween, such as Harvest or Hallelujah events on October 31. Will Christians years from now seek to ban these church celebrations are being rooted in evil paganism, using the same points as their unskilled predecessors?

In my opinion, getting the EXACT date right is not as important as choosing to set aside a time to ponder the wonders of the birth of Christ. In America, we've moved observances of several historical dates to coincide with weekends, making participation easier for working families. The meanings of these events have not diminished. Why the fuss about the accuracy of the Nativity?

Our calendars are full of activities, but I don't mind a symbolic reminder on March 25 (the Feast of the Annunciation) to halt my busy schedule and examine my heart for a suppleness like that of a young teen named Mary. She dared to trust God at the risk of being ostracized and even stoned.

Nine months later, on December 25, I love the idea of ending my year by celebrating what gives me hope for the new one--"Christ in me the hope of glory!" (Colossians 1:27)
 

The word "Christmas" is really two words put together: Cristes Maesse--the "Mass of Christ". It was not a day, but something you attended on the 25th. That day was known as The Feast of the Nativity.

On this holy day, Christians would traditionally attend one of three masses, attesting in a very tangible way to the truth of the Incarnation: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us..." (John 1:14)

Mensa is the Latin word for 'table', and the word Mass denotes a 'sending forth" from the Lord's table to serve the world as the visible Body of Christ. Another closely related word is the Spanish MESA, also meaning "table".

The first Mass was observed at midnight on Christmas Eve. Called "The Angels' Mass", it focused on divinity taking the initiative to reach down to redeem man in an extraordinary act of love. (Other religions focus on man striving to reach God.)

"The Shepherds' Mass" was celebrated at dawn. Its purpose was to honor Christ's willingness to be exposed to human needs and suffering from the womb to the grave in order to fulfill the Father's redemptive plan. His arrival was announced to ordinary men at work whose names we do not know--men of no import to the wealthy or noble. It pleased God to invite them first to see the Christ Child!

The final service on the Feast of The Nativity was usually held during the day and was known as "The Mass of the Divine Word". Christians worshiped the eternal God/Man Jesus Christ--fully God and fully man--a faithful, compassionate High Priest who is acquainted with our infirmities AND the King of Kings who reigns forevermore.

Many churches do not schedule Christmas Eve or Day services, preferring to let their congregants celebrate with family and friends. Although historic churches may have multiple masses on the 25th, they are often scheduled to accommodate larger crowds rather than designed to present the three-fold revelation of the Incarnation.

Does this mean that Christians who go to church on Christmas are holier than those who don't? No, far from it! Saints and sinners gather alike in a building and go through the motions, but only God knows who is really His. Again, it's not about how many times you go to church, what church you attend at Christmas or that you even go to church on December 25! It's about the receptivity of your heart toward the Incarnate Christ and how that affects you the other 364 days of the year.

If, after immersing yourself in holiday shopping, decorations, presents, and all that delightful food, you still find yourself secretly asking at the end of another Christmas Day, "Is this it?"

And...if you have an unexplainable emptiness in spite of the family and material blessings of the season, then I encourage you to explore beyond just knowing it's Jesus' birthday.

Delve deeper to understand what it cost God to come to earth to be sacrificed for people who did not know, much less love Him. Yet, rejoice in a Love so strong that it would spill its blood for the redemption of the whole world--past, present and future.

As we approach The Feast of the Nativity, I plan to re-post a series of articles on The Incarnation of Christ. These insights began as teaching notes for folks at my church who missed crucial foundation blocks in their faith. However, you must know that these truths have changed MY life as well!

In these articles, I try to explain, in easy language, concepts that puzzle many people—even Christians—when they hear the phrase “God with Us”:

How can Jesus be God when the Bible calls Him God’s Son?

How can Jesus be both God AND human at the same time?

If Jesus is God, then who was in Heaven while He was on earth?

We’ll start with a basic apprehension of the Trinity. One doesn't have to have full comprehension of God in order to apprehend Him. Whew! Aren't we thankful?

In another informal, coffeeshop-like setting, we'll take a closer look at God who wholly and simultaneously presents Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, yet meets us in human history as Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. (As Sanctifier, the Holy Spirit makes hearts ready for God through revelation and conviction, equips and matures Christians for better service in the world, and prepares them to meet Christ.)