A Brief Reflection on the Incarnation
January 11, 2012
As we come out of a season in which we spent some time meditating on the incarnation of Jesus Christ, and as we move into a series in the gospel of John (which opens meditating on the incarnation of Jesus Christ), I thought that it might be valuable to think through the immense theology of the incarnation. J.I. Packer notes in his book Knowing God that the incarnation might in fact be the greatest mystery of all. Packer writes,
“But in fact the real difficulty, the supreme mystery with which the gospel confronts us, does not lie here [in the atonement, the resurrection, or the Gospel miracles] at all. It lies not in the Good Friday message of atonement, nor in the Easter message of resurrection, but in the Christmas message of Incarnation. The really staggering Christian claim is that Jesus of Nazareth was God made man — that the second person of the Godhead became the “second man” (1 Cor 15:47), determining human destiny, the second representative head of the race, and that he took humanity without loss of deity, so that Jesus of Nazareth was as truly and fully divine as he was human.” (J.I. Packer, Knowing God, p.53)
In John 1 the apostle stresses Jesus’ humanity and his divinity. We see his humanity stressed by the word “flesh,” and we see his divinity stressed by John’s use of the phrase “and the Word.” When you connect those phrases, as John does in John 1:14 by saying, “the Word became flesh” we have quite clearly a description of the theanthropic person – that Jesus had two distinct natures united in one person.
Very early on, John defines what he means by the Word and the flesh. With his use of “Word,” John alludes to a period of time before the creation of the universe where the Word was not only in fellowship with God, but that the Word was God. John does not leave it at that for he goes on to say that the Word became flesh. In this John is stressing that the Divine Logos (the Son and Second Person in the Godhead) took to himself human nature. This is an important point for John. In fact, throughout John’s gospel this will be an emphasis, and it will become especially clear for in John’s passion narrative he would describe how the spear would pierce Jesus’ flesh. John is at pains to communicate Christ’s full humanity throughout his gospel, and especially in John 1.
But perhaps you wonder how should this effect your tomorrow. Recognizing the truth that Jesus is fully God should guard us from diminishing him, and positively encourage us to worship him. We should always remember that this man Jesus is our Lord, and we are to love him, obey him, and bow before him in humble praise. Still, recognizing the truth that Jesus is also fully man should bring us great comfort and encouragement, for our Lord and God has walked more than “a mile in our shoes.” He has known the trials and struggles of this life. He knows the fallen world that we have endured in pain and sorrow. Every word that falls from his lips comes from the mind and heart of our Redeemer and Friend. Jesus is not a person you want to reject or neglect, because he is fully God and fully man, he is a person that you want to come to know and love more and more each new day.
“A Brief Reflection on the Incarnation” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
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Give Ear
January 4, 2012
Sometimes we fail to recognize the interdependent nature of much of theology. In other words, while one doctrine may be distinct from another that does not mean they are unrelated. That seems fairly obvious when we think of the doctrine of the Trinity and the Doctrine of the Second Person of the Trinity. There is clearly a connection between the two. The same can be said of the doctrine of Scripture, and in this instance we could even say that the attributes of Scripture stand or fall together. The authority of Scripture, its clarity, its necessity, and sufficiency all depend upon one another and are intimately related to one another. So let’s think about those attributes for a moment.
The Bible itself claims that all of the Words of Scripture are God’s personal words to his people, and if they are God’s words they are authoritative words. On several occasions throughout the Old Testament, we read the words “Thus says the Lord.” This formula is not merely some simple statement that God is going to inform his people of something interesting. It may in fact inform, but more often than not, the declaration “Thus says the Lord” comes to the people of Israel with ethical demands. The Lord has said, and now his people must do. Similarly, in the New Testament, Jesus makes his words a test of discipleship. In John 12:47-48, Jesus declares that his words will judge his hearers on the last day. If his words will judge, then certainly they contain the authority to do so. Similarly, those whom Jesus commissioned to bear witness to his saving work also speak and write authoritatively calling the young churches into action.
Like the attribute of authority, the Scriptures also testify to their clarity. It must be said that this does not mean that everything in Scripture is equally clear, but this refers to those things that are necessary to be believed for salvation. We see this in 2 Timothy 3:15 where Paul reminds Timothy that the Scriptures can make us wise unto salvation. Moreover, in Psalm 19:7-9, we’re told that the Scriptures make wise the simple. And in Deuteronomy 6:4-9, parents are instructed to teach their children God’s word. That would be a very odd command if the word of God was not clear. No, the Word of God is clear, it is a lamp unto our feet and a light to our path. It clearly shows us the path of following the Lord Jesus Christ in faith.
God’s Word may be authoritative and clear, but is it necessary? Protestant Christians have not only taught that Scripture is necessary, but they have taught that Scripture is most necessary. General revelation (creation and the image of God in man) is not enough. It is insufficient to bring us to a saving knowledge of God. If it is necessary for us to believe God’s word of promise in order to be saved, then it is necessary for us to have that word from God. And praise God that we do!
The final attribute of Scripture is often classified as sufficiency (or perfection). The Bible contains all that we need for life and godliness. It is a perfect and complete treasure of heavenly instruction. If the Bible lacked perfection or did not sufficiently or fully communicate God’s will to us, then its authority wouldn’t be absolute. One of the strongest claims of the Bible’s sufficiency is found in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 where we’re told that the Scriptures have been provided so that the man of God may be complete and equipped for every good work.
When considering the attributes of Holy Scripture and why they stand or fall together, it is important to remember precisely what is being considered – just how it is that the Bible functions in relation to the believer, the church, and the Holy Spirit. In sum, when we believe God’s Word by the grace and power of the Spirit we are brought into fellowship with Christ. If God’s Word is to be believed, then it must possess the authority to issue the call for us to believe. If the Word does possess that authority, then what it is calling us to believe must necessarily be clear. Such authority and clarity actually presupposes the fact that the Word is necessary for faith and life. If the Word is necessary for faith and life, then it must also be sufficient for faith and life.
In order for sinners to be saved it is necessary for God to speak authoritatively, clearly, and completely (sufficiently/perfectly). If God does not speak in this way, then there is no hope of salvation, but the glorious good news is this – he has. This is not just some abstract idea that has no connection to your life. As you read God’s Word this week in your quiet time, or as you study God’s Word in your Bible Study, or as we gather to hear from God’s Word on Sunday morning we can rejoice that we are reading, studying, and hearing God’s personal Word to us. May we all, as Psalm 49:1 says, “Give ear.”
“Give Ear” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
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Jesus is God
November 30, 2011
On Sunday we had the privilege of studying Psalm 45. In the sermon I pointed out that the King was described as being divine. Verse 6 unmistakably makes that point, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness.” I took a little bit of time to explain that this makes complete sense with regard to what we know about Jesus. Jesus was fully God and fully man, and Psalm 45 in conjunction with Hebrews 1:8 explicitly affirms the full deity of the Son. I wanted to spend about ten minutes proving from Scripture the deity of Christ, but found that I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked. So I want to do that important work now, but before I do let me just say a word or two about why this is important.
Christ’s deity is hugely important to the Christian Church for several reasons, not least of which is that the people of God need to know that they have been saved and forgiven by God. Christ’s deity is also important because if he is not God, then he is not to be worshiped and adored by the people of God. With that said, let’s move on to the biblical evidence for Christ’s deity. The Scriptures testify to the deity of Christ, and they do so through multiple lines of evidence. The writers of Scripture directly affirm Christ’s deity, and imply his deity as he exhibits characteristics and performs duties that can only be attributed to God. As readers we are not left in doubt as to who Jesus Christ really is, fully God.
The Scriptures directly affirm Jesus to be God. The author of Hebrews recognizes that God the Father says the following about the Son in Hebrews 1:8 “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.” The Apostle Peter ties the names of God and Christ together so that both are applied to Jesus. We see this in 2 Peter 1:1 where Peter writes, “Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.”
The Apostle Paul does the same thing as Peter in Titus 2:13, where he writes, “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Paul gets even more explicit in other texts simply stating that Jesus is God. We see this in Romans 9:5, “To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” Moreover in Colossians 2:9 Paul tells us that in Christ “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
Paul and Peter were not the only Apostles who explicitly declared Christ’s deity. The Apostle John’s writing is filled with such references. Perhaps the most famous reference in John’s writing is found in the prologue of his gospel where John writes of Christ, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In the middle of John’s gospel, John records Jesus own words declaring that he is the “I AM,” which his readers would have known as the name of the Covenant God found so often in the Old Testament. So we read in John 8:58,“Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’” Jesus is not the only one in John’s gospel to declare that he is God, “Doubting” Thomas does just that in John 20:28, “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” Finally, in John’s first epistle we find an explicit declaration that Jesus is God, “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).
The Scriptures directly affirm Christ’s deity, but they also imply Christ’s deity when he is said to exhibit the characteristics and perform the duties of God. The author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus exhibits an immutable character. “Jesus Christ,” we read in Hebrews 13:8, “is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Earlier in his work, in 4:15, the author of Hebrews tells us that Jesus is without sin, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Paul also tells us that Jesus is without sin. In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul writes, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Paul further implies that Jesus is God as he attributes to him the power to create and uphold the creation. We see this in Colossians 1:16-17 where we read, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” In these verses, Paul not only declares that Jesus is the creator and sustainer of all things, but he declares that all of creation is for him, meaning for his own glory. Only such a statement should be attributed to one who is God.
Finally, in Mark 2:5, which is perhaps my favorite passage concerning Jesus’ deity, Jesus states that he has the power to forgive sins, thus implying his own deity. In Mark 2:5 we read, “And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’” In the verses that follow, Mark beautifully underscores the importance of such an audacious statement. The scribes sitting in Jesus’ presence understand the implications of Jesus declaration that this man sins were forgiven. They understood that only God could forgive sins, and that anyone else who made that claim was claiming to be God. Jesus then proves that he has the authority to forgive sins (because he is God) by healing the paralytic.
This evidence for Christ’s deity only begins to scratch the surface of the Bible’s teaching on the subject, but I believe that it is sufficient to prove that our Savior is in fact our God. Not only does the biblical evidence assure us that we have been saved and forgiven by our God, but it calls us on to worship Jesus Christ as our glorious Lord and God, just as Thomas did so many years ago.
“Jesus is God” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
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Theology and Coherent Living
October 19, 2011
Theology helps us to live coherent lives. Take, for example, the doctrine of God’s providence. As the Baptist Catechism of 1813 states,
“God’s works of providence are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures and all their actions.”
This truth is confirmed by the testimony of Scripture.
Ephesians 1:11 – In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.
Colossians 1:17 – And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Hebrews 1:3 – He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
But having read God’s Word on the doctrine of providence, you may think to yourself, “How does the doctrine of God’s providence help me to live a coherent life?” Well, just to pursue one path, if God did not exercise his Fatherly care, in this world then we would have constant uncertainty. Our dominating thought would be, “Who is in control?” Anxiety would be an understandable and reasonable emotion. Constant anxiousness would actually be the coherent worldview. It would be coherent to trust yourself and your own strength by developing countless scenarios and ways out of those fearful scenarios because there is not a sovereign, all-wise, all-powerful, and all-good God in control of all things.
However, as we ourselves know from experience, anxiety is anything but coherent. Constantly worrying about things over which we have no control makes very little sense. We borrow trouble when we don’t even know if trouble will come our way. The doctrine of God’s providence grants us the clarity we need to see that the God who rules and works all things according to the counsel of his will is indeed trustworthy and we can place our very lives into his gentle hands. Or as Herman Bavinck puts it,
“In all circumstances of life, it (meaning God’s providence) gives us good confidence in our faithful God and Father that he will provide whatever we need for body and soul and that he will turn to our good whatever adversity he sends us in this sad world, since he is able to do this as almighty God and desires to do this as a faithful Father.” [Bavinck, Herman, Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 2: God and Creation, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008). p. 619]
God’s providence provides coherence and rest, both for today and for all eternity. Praise God for his great providential work in our lives and in this world.
“Theology and Coherent Living” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
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What Will You Say to Him?
August 31, 2011
Christians often take great comfort and joy in God’s words of love to them in Scripture, and rightly so. What child of God is not comforted by Paul’s reminder, “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)? Or what adopted son or daughter is not enamored with the Savior who says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:14-15)?
There are so many more words of love that God has spoken to his people in his Scriptures, but have you considered the love of God in the mere act of speaking to his people? God has spoken words of love, and he spoke those words of love because there was an already existing love that prompted him to speak. More than that, isn’t it loving of God to give us his words in a way in which we can understand them and receive them with joy? Doesn’t this reveal to us that he wants us to know something of his love, and in return give voice to our love for him?
Have you done that today? Have you given voice to your love for God? Remember, what he has said to his children, “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38-39). What will you say to him?
“What Will You Say to Him?” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
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How we need the Word and Spirit of God!
August 24, 2011
Some time ago, I remember a believer asking me to help them answer a question from a child. The child had asked, “How do we know God exists?” In preparation for an upcoming class, I’ve been reading the various arguments for God’s existence. There are almost an infinite number of arguments advanced to make the case for the existence of God, but most have recognized that, historically speaking, the arguments for God’s existence fall into roughly one of six different arguments (cosmological, teleological, ontological, moral, universal consent, and historical-theological).
In the glossary of his Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Wayne Grudem provides incredibly helpful and brief definitions for a few of these arguments. Here is what Grudem says about the first four: The cosmological argument is an “argument for the existence of God based on the observation that, since every known thing in the universe has a cause, the universe itself must also have a cause, which can only be God” (p.1238). The teleological argument is an “argument for the existence of God which reasons that, since the universe exhibits evidence of order and design, there must be an intelligent and purposeful God who created it to function in this way” (p.1255). The ontological is an “argument for the existence of God that begins with the idea of God as the greatest of beings that can be imagined. As such, the characteristic of existence must belong to such a being, since it is greater to exist than not to exist” (p.1249-1250). The moral is an “argument for the existence of God which reasons that there must be a God who is the source of man’s sense of right and wrong” (p.1248).
Herman Bavinck in his Reformed Dogmatics, Vol.2: God and Creation helpfully defines the final two arguments in the following way: The universal consent is an argument for the existence of God which reasons that since “there are no peoples on earth without religion,” nor have there ever been, that the universal consent or inclination of humanity in this regard displays the existence of God. From universal consent we learn that “religion is not an individual or particularistic but a universal phenomenon rooted in human nature itself” (p.87-88). Finally the historical-theological argument is based “either on the facts that historians unearth or on the idea from which, consciously or unconsciously, their view and study of history proceed.” Scholars take their evidence and notice that “there is a momentum in history, that an idea and a plan are being realized, that a goal is being pursued,” and that all of this “points back to a wise and omnipotent World-Ruler” (p.88).
For a more comprehensive explanation of these arguments and an evaluation of them, let me encourage you to read more about them in Herman Bavinck’s Reformed Dogmatics, Vol.2: God and Creation. In sum, Bavinck concludes that they are all helpful, but that they don’t actually prove what they set out to prove. Rather, together these “proofs” powerfully testify to the truth that God exists. And I think he is right. Do not fear. God exists. Only a fool says in his heart there is no God (Psalm 14:1).
So how do we answer that question, “How do we know that God exists?” Well, I’ve often answered it in the words of the Baptist Catechism of 1813, “The light of nature in man and the works of God plainly declare there is a God; but his Word and Spirit only do it fully and effectually for the salvation of sinners.”
We may and should point our children, family, and friends to the evidence that God presents to us in creation (see Rom. 1:19-20), but O how we need the Word and Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:10; 2 Tim. 3:15-16)! We need God’s Word and Spirit in order to truly understand and believe not just that God exists, but that a personal, holy, and gracious God exists. It is helpful to take our friends to the evidence that the creation presents, to show them how the heavens declare the glory of God, and to have their consciences cry out to them as they look at the wonder of the creation, but we must take our friends and family to the Bible if they are to ever come to true and saving faith in Jesus. And if we ever needed a good reason to study the Bible here is one – it is only in the Bible that we truly come to know who God is, what he has done, and how we might know him, love him, glorify him, and enjoy him for all eternity. For it is not enough to know that a God exists, we need to know that God, and know him personally. So let’s pick up and open our Bibles each day with joy, knowing that we have the privilege of learning about our great and gracious God.
“How we need the Word and Spirit of God!” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
Resources:
Bavinck, Herman, Reformed Dogmatics, Volume 2: God and Creation, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008).
Grudem, Wayne, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994).
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Love the Church?
May 11, 2011
Many today think little of the Church (universal and local), but the New Testament and theologians throughout church history have spoken of the Church in some of the most elevated terms. In Acts 20:28, Luke exhorts pastors to care for the flock entrusted to them because the church has been purchased by God “with his own blood.” Paul teaches in Ephesians 3:10 that it is through the church that “the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” In 1746, Jonathan Edwards had this to say about the church:
“The creation of the world seems to have been especially for this end, that the eternal Son of God might obtain a spouse (i.e. the Church) towards whom he might fully exercise the infinite benevolence of his nature, and to whom he might, as it were, open and pour forth all that immense fountain of condescension, love, and grace that was in his heart, and that in this way God might be glorified” [Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), "The Church's Marriage to Her Sons, and to Her God," sermon preached September 19, 1746, at the installment of the Rev. Samuel Buel as pastor of the church and congregation at East Hampton on Long Island. (Works 25.187)].
And in 1830, Anglican minister Charles Bridges wrote the following:
“The Church is the mirror, that reflects the whole effulgence of the Divine character. It is the grand scene, in which the perfections of Jehovah are displayed to the universe. The revelations made to the Church — the successive grand events in her history — and, above all — the manifestation of ‘the glory of God in the Person of Jesus Christ’ — furnish even the heavenly intelligences fresh subjects of adoring contemplation” [Charles Bridges, The Christian Ministry, (Carlisle, Pa.: Banner of Truth, 1830, 1997), p. 1].
How do you think about the Church? Is it important in your life? Essential? Do you love the Church? I pray that our love for Christ and for his Church will grow more and more. He loved the Church, and if we truly love him, we too will love the Church.
“Love the Church?” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
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Faith: A Gift of God
May 4, 2011
In our discipleship hour this past Sunday, we dove into a thrilling discussion on God’s gracious work in the salvation of sinners. I’ve been in the midst of doing some reading for school and I came across this helpful excerpt on the subject from J. Gresham Machen’s classic work, Christianity & Liberalism.
“The beginning of the Christian life is an act of God. It is an act of God and not an act of man. That does not mean, however, that in the beginning of the Christian life God deals with us as with sticks or stones, unable to understand what is being done. On the contrary He deals with us as with persons; salvation has a place in the conscious life of man; God uses in our salvation a conscious act of the human soul – an act which though it is itself the work of God’s Spirit, is at the same time an act of man. That act of man which God produces and employs in salvation is faith” [J. Gresham Machen, Christianity & Liberalism, (Grand Rapids, MI: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1923), p.141].
Praise God for the work of his Spirit, for faith, which is as Paul says in Ephesians 2:8, is a gift of God!
“Faith: A Gift of God” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
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Under Blog, Grace Happenings, Theology
Good Friday Service
April 20, 2011
This coming Friday from 7:00-8:00pm, we will take time to reflect and meditate on Christ’s sacrifice on the cross through a Good Friday service. In our service, we’ll be walking through three narratives in Matthews’s Gospel which detail part of the events of Jesus’ passion. We hope to celebrate Christ’s death by coming together, hearing God’s Word read, singing songs that reflect on Christ’s sacrifice, hearing a short sermon on the cross, and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. In order to prepare for such a meditation on Christ’s sacrifice, consider some reflections from J.C. Ryle:
We must not be content with a vague belief that Christ’s sufferings on the cross were vicarious. We are intended to see this truth in every part of His passion. We may follow Him all through, from the bar of Pilate to the minute of His death, and see Him at every step as our mighty substitute, our representative, our head, our surety, our proxy – the divine friend who under took to stand in our place and, by the priceless merit of his sufferings, to purchase our redemption.
Was He flogged? It was done so that “by His wounds we are healed.”.
Was He condemned, though innocent? It was done so that we might be acquitted, though guilty.
Did He wear a crown of thorns? It was done so that we might wear the crown of glory.
Was He stripped of His clothes? It was done so that we might be clothed in everlasting righteousness.
Was He mocked and reviled? It was done so that we might be honored and blessed.
Was He reckoned a criminal, and counted among those who have done wrong? It was done so that we might be reckoned innocent, and declared free from all sin.
Was He declared unable to save Himself? It was done so that he might be able to save others to the uttermost.
Did He die at last, and that the most painful and disgraceful death? It was done so that we might live forevermore, and be exalted to the highest glory.
From “The Sufferings of Christ” by J.C. Ryle in Jesus, Keep Me Near The Cross: Experiencing The Passion and Power of Easter, edited by Nancy Guthrie, pp. 58-59.
HT: Erik
“Good Friday Service” is a post from the Grace Baptist Blog by Mike Law
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Under Blog, Church, Grace Happenings, Reflections, Theology