A gracEmail subscriber from New Hampshire asks the meaning of Jesus' frequent description of himself as the Son of Man. * * * This expression, which is Jesus' favorite self-designation in Matthew and Luke, sparkles with a variety of possible meanings. Throughout the Bible, "son of man" sometimes means "human being" -- one who descends from mortal flesh (Num. 23:19; Ps. 8:4). God addresses the prophet Ezekiel this way more than 90 times. Indeed Jesus' humanity is an important New Testament theme, especially in Luke and in Hebrews, but long before Jesus the expression "Son of Man" had taken on … [Read more...]
JESUS THE SON OF GOD
A gracEmail subscriber asks if Jesus was God's son even before he was born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary. * * * John's Gospel tells us that the man Jesus of Nazareth was in fact the incarnation of the divine Word ("Logos") which from the beginning was "with God" and "was God" (John 1:1-14). The Apostle Paul writes that Jesus is "the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15) who "existed in the form of God" but emptied himself and became a man (Phil. 2:5-7). The unknown author of the Epistle to the Hebrews calls Jesus "the radiance" of God's "glory" and "the exact representation of his … [Read more...]
LOOKING AT JESUS
The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most gospel-packed yet least-studied books of the New Testament. It focuses squarely on Jesus Christ as our high priest and personal representative before the Father. Jesus is indeed "Our Man In Heaven." Our greatest need is to keep our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus. Three times the author of Hebrews urges us to do just that. * * * SEE JESUS. The unknown author of Hebrews first gathers a bouquet of Scriptures from throughout the Old Testament that contrast the exalted position of angels with the far greater position of Jesus the Son of God (ch. 1). Yet … [Read more...]
PREINCARNATE JESUS?
A gracEmail subscriber writes: "If Abraham's three visitors in Genesis 18:1-15 were men, and one of the men was also 'the Lord,' wouldn't that man have been Jesus Christ, Emmanuel, God with us, a pre-incarnation? As I said, it's of no particular importance, just something I wondered about." * * * Many people think they see an appearance of the pre-incarnate Jesus at various points in the Old Testament – Abraham’s visitor (Gen. 18:1-15), Melchizedek (Gen. 14:17-20), the captain of the Lord’s host who appeared to Joshua (Josh. 5:13-15), the fourth man in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:24-25), and … [Read more...]
WHEN GOD BECAME MAN
The greater miracle, it has been said, is not the virgin birth of Jesus but the fact that in that wondrous conception the eternal God took on human nature and the Creator condescended to join his creation. Mary's son is none other than Immanuel -- "God with us" (Matt. 1:23). Like the Magi, we fall down and worship him. The Christmas carol has it right: "Hail, the incarnate deity!" He who existed in the form of God emptied himself and was made in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:6-7). It is part of the mystery of godliness that in Jesus of Nazareth God was "revealed in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16). He … [Read more...]
JESUS’ DIVINE CONCEPTION
A gracEmail subscriber's 26-year-old son believes that whatever Scripture teaches is true but suggests to his mom that the Bible is not "black and white" that Jesus was born of a virgin. The young man's mother considers this to be a foundational doctrine and asks for my assistance. * * * Both Matthew and Luke affirm as sober narrative that Jesus was conceived in Mary's virgin womb by the direct power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18-25; Lk. 1:26-38). Inspiration aside, this is significant testimony. Matthew was a tax-man used to paying attention to detail. Luke was a physician who understood … [Read more...]
INCARNATE DEITY
A gracEmail subscriber from England writes: "Edward, can you give us just one scriptural verse that adds to the fact of Jesus' virginal birth (from Mary's womb), the 'fact' that Jesus is deity, i.e., that he pre-existed his human birth when the ONE true God (John 17:3; 1 Cor 8:6) became his literal father?" * * * Three scriptural affirmations come quickly to mind. "In the beginning," John's Gospel begins, "was the Word (Logos) and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). The "beginning" here is at least as early as Creation, for the Word was God's agent in that process (v. … [Read more...]
CHRIST IN THE PSALMS (2)
Psalm 118:22-23 foretells Jesus' rejection by others, as it portrays the rejected building stone which God selects and uses as the cornerstone for his Temple (Matt. 21:42; Acts 4:11-12; Eph. 2:19-22; 1 Pet. 2:4-8). Psalm 16:7-11 expresses the faith of a righteous man that God will have the final word over death, and it is fulfilled in Jesus' resurrection from the dead (Acts 2:31-32; 13:34-37). Although the New Testament does not make the point, Jesus' ascension and entry into heaven then fulfill the scene portrayed in Psalm 24:7-10, which is the reward of the godly life described in Psalm … [Read more...]
CHRIST IN THE PSALMS (1)
New Testament authors quote the Book of Psalms more than any other Old Testament book except Isaiah (Deuteronomy has third place), echoing at least 101 of its 150 individual Psalms. Small wonder that Jesus taught his disciples about himself from the Psalms (Luke 24:27, 44-45). If we read the Psalms as Jesus' disciples did, with the Savior in our minds, we will see even more "fulfillments" in Jesus which are not quoted in the New Testament. Read Psalms 1 or 23, for example, and notice how Jesus best personifies these portrayals of God's faithful.servant on the earth. The imagery of "Son of … [Read more...]
CHRIST IN THE PROPHETS
Someone has said that the New Testament is the Old Testament plus Jesus. Jesus "fulfilled" the Prophets' inspired predictions, but he also filled full the highest prophetic dreams, ideals, aspirations and hopes. For example, the virgin Mary conceives a son (Isa. 7:14 in Greek), who is born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-5). Jesus is born to be the consolation of Israel and a light to the nations (Isa. 42:6). The infant Jesus escapes from Herod, then returns from Egypt (Hosea 11:1). Bethlehem's infants are slaughtered amidst great weeping (Jer. 31:15). Thirty years later, John announces in the … [Read more...]