Interpreting the Incarnation

Interpreting the Incarnation

Oct 4-5, 2008

John 3:13-16;John 8:58;2

Corinthians 5:21;

1Pet 2:22

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Introduction

These scriptures and the concept this lesson considers compares the spiritual and the carnal (or earthly.) How did Jesus become "True God And True Man?" Because we are firmly grounded on earth some mysteries remain and reserved to the Lord. Several of the Epistles were written to deal with he false Gnostic. These false teachers asserted spiritual items were intrinsically good, but that carnal members were essentially bad or evil. These ideas ignore that passage in Genesis that God Pronounced the creation "Good" and at the end Very Good! This teaching had two separate but related conclusions. The first pictured Jesus as either not a true incarnation but instead an apparition, kind of a Ghost! To their thinking, if He was real and physical then he could not, by their definition be "Perfect." Either side of this error excluded Jesus as a possible Messiah. The second conclusion ruled that since the flesh was essentially evil, a just God could not condemn a man for what was done in the flesh. This thought denied responsibility for all sin. Over time, this resulted in a class of "sensual Christians" who had no restraint on physical desires; particularly sexual activities. Either error had the effect of nullifying the Gospel for their time. The primary reason that Jesus incarnation must remain of prime importance is that exchange salvation; our sin for the Righteousness of Jesus. Such an exchange requires Jesus to have been human. Another part of redemption, the intercession of Jesus at the right hand of the father, also requires the humanity of Jesus.

God Loved His World

John 3:13-16;8:58; John 8:2

Man could not approach God, So God approached Man

13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

16 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.

God Loved His World and wants each of us to carry this message of his love

I Am

John 8:58

Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Jesus Taught

John 8:2

2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them.

How much would one sacrifice for another? Using the transactional understanding of relationships one sees actions in the context of exchanges.The way to understand a relationship is to see what exchanges are made in the course of the out working of the circumstances. In our world for a person to die is to exit the world. So why would a person die for another? It would have to be a reason larger than life itself. The person would have to be getting something that was more valuable than life itself. With this in mind we have to conclude that perishing must be worse than death to this life. Having only heard others describe this outcome of perishing, The scripture does give a glimpse of this place, called Hell! Life After Death? A question that arises in these discussions: Is there any proof of life after death?

Jesus started off in his ministry knowing the cost of his message. Not deterred by the prospects he began to prepare himself for the trial he could see coming from the very beginning. He was not surprised by the reception that the religions leaders gave his message of life. They permitted his message with out contradiction until he stepped on their toes in the matter of their control over the people and ultimately over the revenue that resulted from that control. To that they reacted violently from the first instance till the last. This is a definite verification that Jesus did walk on the earth as well as heal, speak, in particular teach, preach and in general elevate the hearers to a new plateau of understanding. In summary his main goal was to introduce his friends to a spiritual understanding. this understanding was to transform each into a new creature. this new creature would be partially earthly or carnal and partially spiritual. Once he said I call you
Friends, and another time he said Eternal Life is to know God. This is such a outlandish statement to the ear of a carnal person. It is like a picture of a known area that has a new sign. A person seeing the new sign within the picture gets no direction from the marker.

No Sin

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In Garden of Eden

Genesis 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Genesis 1:31 ¶ And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

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Righteousness of God in Him

2Corinthians 5:21

21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

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In Him Was Found No Guile

1Pet 2:22

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:

Hebrews 4:15

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;

but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

Jesus understands. He has been there.

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Hell is Real

Revelation 21:8

Lake of Fire

But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers,

and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burnt with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

There is a result of rejecting the words of life!

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Life after death is Real

Story of Rich Man and Lazarus
Luke 16:20

20 And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores,

21 And desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table: moreover the dogs came and licked his sores.

22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;

23 And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.

25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that your in thy lifetime received good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would like to pass from here to you cannot; neither can any come who would like to pass to us.

27 Then he (the rich man) said, I pray you therefore, father, that thou would send him to my father’s house:

28 For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.

29 Abraham said unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

30 And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will

repent.

31 And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

This passage shows that the rich man had consciousness, memory, reasoning ability and feeling. He had compassion for his brothers, and problem solved a creative solution to a problem the five brothers did not know that they had. At this point he could for see the path the brothers were traveling and its destination. He also assumed that they would be able to heed the caution of a person like Lazarus should he be sent with warning. Can there be any question as to whether he was a person after the death experience. The purpose of this illustration is to shown that there is another realm in which people exist in spirit. It is therefor possible to have a person move between these. Examining this example shows only a one way direction through the passage. Any concept or example of two way passage or communication is extra scriptural. The only example of two way communication was that of Saul consulting the forbidden method of witch craft. It cost him a early death and the inference is that any negotiation with the dead is either deception or demonic (or both.)

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Intercession
Hebrews 7:25

Wherefore he (Jesus) is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he (Jesus) ever lives to make intercession for them.
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I call you Friends
John 15:15

Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
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Know God
John 17:3

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
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Appear like Him
1John 3:2

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:

but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

No Sin
1John 3:5

And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
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