Thursday, January 26, 2023

What Was Christ Jesus!?



Our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, has warned us – ’ Take heed that no one deceives you. 5) For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I AM the Christ,’ and will deceive many’ – Matthew 24:4-5. WARNING that many will correctly say that He is the Christ – yet will deceive many!

The apostle Paul in approximately AD 49, in his epistle to the brethren there in Galatia, writes – “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7) which is NOT ANOTHER; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” – Galatians 1:6-7.

So, not only were some even then turning to “a different gospel, which is NOT ANOTHER,” but they were also turning to a different Christ. To a Christ that did not die. Recall, God’s living words say, “For IF we believe that Jesus died …” which certainly means that there are millions of our peoples who believe that HE DID NOT DIE! MILLIONS of sincere believers are deceived by a global deception!

A Global Doctrine of the Anti-christ

There was growing during the mid-1st century AD a doctrine of the Anti-christ – that our Lord Jesus Christ was not actually a human and that He did not inherit human nature from Adam. And that He did not have all the normal human passions, emotions, and weaknesses of which we all have to struggle with – that our Lord and Savior did not truly “become flesh.” This false doctrine is called the Anti-christ doctrine.

I have spoken of this false doctrine before, as I stated in “Prophecy – According to Jesus Christ” - Most of this world does not believe that Jesus died. Many – including a friend of mine who was a minister of the Assemblies of God – sadly, believe that upon giving up “the ghost,” He went down into the “pit” – into prison – to preach to spirits, and that He had an immortal “soul,” of which He could not die. But, friends, in His own words, Jesus said, ’ I AM He who lives, and was dead.’ I believe Jesus’ own words when He said that! So many have this misunderstanding about the immortality of the soul.

Be sure to read Personal From… Most Horrendous Lie Perpetrated Upon Mankind for more information on the false concept of the immortality of the soul.

Let us be warned TODAY – “every spirit that DOES NOT CONFESS that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh IS NOT OF GOD. And this is the spirit of the Anti-christ, which you have heard WAS COMING, and is now already in the world” – 1 John 4:3. The year was approximately AD 85-95.

MILLIONS UPON MILLIONS this day are being taught, in one form or another, this grave deception manufactured by Satan the Devil! One of the more off-the-wall teachings – is that Jesus had a “special kind of blood.” Then there is a teaching that Jesus DID NOT inherit His mother’s human nature. Of course, this erroneous teaching blatantly denies many Scriptures showing us that our Lord and Savior came as the Son of Man! Sadly, even TODAY – in this 21st-century world – multiple millions of our peoples are being deceived by this doctrine.

Was Christ Jesus human, or was He Divine!? Or was He both!? It’s IMPORTANT to know the TRUTH OF GOD on this vital subject. Your very life depends upon it!

A Doctrine of Satan

In the spring of 2018, while I was studying God’s living word in relation to the resurrections, I came across the conversation that our Lord Jesus had with Jarius, the synagogue ruler, regarding his daughter. I came to our Lord Jesus’ words, “’ Stop wailing,’ Jesus said, ‘she is not dead but asleep.’” A soft whispering voice in my mind spoke to me which said, “You must believe Me!”

This too must be applied to the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ actually DIED and ROSE – was resurrected. WE MUST BELIEVE !

One of the main reasons of why Satan the Devil – our mortal and spiritual enemy – formulated this doctrine of the Anti-christ is this -

To deny the truth that a normal human being – with HUMAN NATURE – could, with the glorious help of God’s Spirit, live in perfect obedience to the immutable LAW OF GOD as our Lord Jesus Christ did.

The apostle Paul explains why He came IN THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH –

“For what the law [the Old Covenant] COULD NOT DO in that it was weak THROUGH THE FLESH, …”

Minister Michael C. Garrett explains –
“It’s talking about the law of the Old Covenant. The law of the Old Covenant is an extremely physically oriented ritualistic grouping of ideas for people who were unconverted and very carnal, very physical – naturally human. But the Old Covenant, even though it had its place for a time, it ultimately could not solve your problems, because there was never life – there was never a promise of eternal life – contained in the tenants of the Old Covenant. The New Covenant, under which we now live with Jesus Christ being not only our Savior but now our living High Priest. That’s an agreement that has the PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE! … It is an extremely important principle! … The weakness of that covenant was the human carnality – the human flesh of people.” 1
“ … God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, …”

Our Lord Jesus Christ substituted HIMSELF for sinful flesh. He, being the sacrifice!

“ … on account of sin: He condemned sin IN THE FLESH” – Romans 8:3.

Christ opened the door to ending death. JESUS CHRIST opened the DOOR to all of us being under the bondage of sin and death (here speaking of the eternal second death).

“that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us …” meaning that the righteousness of God will be fulfilled in us. “ … who do not walk according to the flesh …” which means following certain physical rituals. “ … but according to the Spirit [of God] – Romans 3:4.

So, Satan the Devil manufactured this idea that it is impossible for a human being to keep the spiritual Law of God, and so Jesus came as our Savior – not “IN THE FLESH” but that He was only Divine so that He could keep the Law of God perfectly in our stead! And thus therefore we don’t have to keep the spiritual Law of God. Truly, what our Lord Jesus Christ did in our stead was to sacrifice HIMSELF! His obedience is our EXAMPLE!

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22) ‘Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth’ – 1 Peter 2:21-22.

For our Lord Jesus teaches us – “ … ‘ if you want to enter into life [eternal life], KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS’ – Matthew 19:17. “ …’ For it is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’ – Luke 4:4.

As our upper heavenly Elder Brother, High Priest, and Savior explains to us in the likes of the Book of Matthew chapter 5, we are to DO and TEACH the commandments of God, and that our righteousness (and it’s not our own righteousness, but a righteousness which is through faith in Christ, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS FROM GOD BY FAITH – cf. Philippians 3:9) should exceed ‘the righteousness’ of the scribes and Pharisees.

Our Lord Jesus goes on in this chapter to actually mention some of His commandments that were given at Mount Sinai – about murder, stealing, about adultery. Speaking of the letter of the commandments. Our righteousness (and again, not our own righteousness - THE RIGHTEOUSNESS WHICH IS FROM GOD BY FAITH) is to exceed the uber-religious of our day – of those who want to be JEWISH and Christian. Or, the term Judeo-Christian. And to this day – within the Church of God – there are people throughout all of these congregations who believe that they want to become followers of Jewish tradition and that somehow that will make them more righteous. Of this, our Lord Jesus tells us – ’ For I say to you, that unless your righteousness [the righteousness which is from God by faith] exceeds the righteousness [the righteousness from their trying to keep all the extremely physically oriented ritualistic laws] of the scribes and Pharisees, you WILL BY NO MEANS ENTER THE KINGDOM [FROM] HEAVEN’ – Matthew 5:20.

It wasn’t God’s eternal and relevant Law that was the problem – it was that people could never perfectly keep God’s Law. 

For His Law defined just what sin is.

In Romans 7:12 the apostle Paul writes, “Therefore the Law [speaking here of the TEN COMMANDMENTS] is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.”

Continuing in chapter 5 of the Book of Matthew we see that our Lord Jesus elevated God’s Law to a spiritual plane.

Turning over to the Book of Matthew chapter 23 Jesus stated –

Verse 2 – “ … ‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3) Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, …’

They were actually speaking and teaching God’s Law out of the ‘Book of Moses’ – as they call it. And He actually told the multitude and His disciples to ‘observe and do’ what they were teaching in regards to God’s Law. “ … ‘but …’ He continues, “ … ‘do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.’

It's like what I have witnessed personally by some “ministers of righteousness” in which I have heard quote our Lord Jesus, ’ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, … By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.’ Yet, sadly, they neither have nor do they show this ‘love for one another.’ Again, our Lord Jesus Christ, ’ do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do.’

Satan the Devil through his false ministers who appear as “ministers of righteousness” are deceiving this whole world into believing in a FALSE CHRIST! A Christ who not only did not come in the likeness of flesh, but who did away with God the Father’s Law and made it possible for mankind to inherit eternal life WITHOUT having to build – with the help of God’s Spirit – holy, righteous GODLY CHARACTER. As they teach – just believe and you will be saved.

Christ Was Human and Divine

One of the most puzzling problems to many a theologian is understanding just how the LORD God ordained that the ultimate penalty for humanities sin was to be paid. In fact, it was a large contention even during the apostles’ day.

One truth we need to understand is that the reward of sin – its very penalty – is eternal DEATH. Unfortunately, another thing that the churches of this world teach as doctrine – you’ve all heard it many times – is the immortality of the soul. Oh, do they love to talk about the immortality of the soul! And yet, not one place in the Bible can you find that concept! Not one! Now, you can find where Jesus Christ is the only One who has immortality within Him. And, obviously, God the Father has immortality within Him. But as far as us!? You know, Ezekiel 18 two times says, “The soul who sins SHALL DIE.” And, in the Book of Romans 1:32 – “…that those who practice such things are deserving of DEATH, …” Romans 6:16 – talks about a ‘sin leading to death.’ And Romans 6:21 – “…the end of those things is DEATH.” As well as –

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” – Romans 6:23.

Nothing about immortality! He goes on, Romans 7:5 – talks about the ‘motions of sins, which did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto DEATH.’ And then, Romans 8:6 – “For to be carnally minded is DEATH.” I think you get the idea. The Bible, over and over says, if we don’t walk the correct path and have the correct relationship with God, we are subject to eternal death. The Book of Revelation on two occasions talks about the ‘second death.’ Not just the death of our human bodies, but the death of our totality! Just gone! Just burned up – gone! No more! Cease to exist! No such thing as the immortality of the soul.

Jesus Christ was the ultimate sacrifice, which permanently deals with sin and this ENDS the sacrificial system!

“For I [the apostle Paul] delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ DIED for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4) and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4.

Since the apostle Paul – through the inspiration of the Spirit of God – indeed calls Satan the Devil the “god of this age” who has “blinded” this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), the greater majority of people have indeed been blinded, and have yet to be covered by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ – our very Creator. Yet, this will happen for nearly all who will be called in an age to come – as God’s Master Plan of redemption and salvation to all, and not just today’s elect.

Our great High Priest was VICTORIOUS over Satan! 

And as the apostle Paul says, “But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterwards those who are Christ’s at His coming” – 1 Corinthians 15:23. And then all who has ever lived or will live (cf. Revelation 20:5, 11-13). Now, this atoning sacrifice doesn’t apply to humans UNTIL God the Father calls them, repent, baptized, and been gifted God’s Holy Spirit (cf. John 6:44; Mark 4:10-12; Acts 2:38) and truly try (with help from Almighty God and our Lord Jesus Christ) to live as THEY would have us live (cf. 1 John 2:6).

But, if our Lord Jesus Christ was ONLY human, He would have only been able to pay for one life - His own! No human being could have saved all humanity! Yet, the Word (the Logos, cf. John 1:1 – the being who would become our Lord Jesus Christ) alone could not of HIMSELF pay the penalty of mankind’s sin. Because the penalty is the forfeiting of HUMAN LIFE - not plant or animal life. The LORD God (the family of God; which at the moment consists of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ) are not only the source of all life, They also have life within Themselves! Notice –

’ For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself’ – John 5:26.

This means They – having life in Themselves and being wholly spirit beings – cannot die.

“ … For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” – 2 Corinthians 4:18b.

Therefore it was essential that there be One who was not only human but also divine.

UNLESS Jesus Christ and God the Father directly intervene there is no life after death! There is no such thing as an “immortal soul.” And the whole concept of an “immortal soul” began way back in the garden of Eden with our enemy Satan the devil – cf. Genesis 3:4.

Man DOES NOT have life inherent within himself. The LORD God tells us –

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being – Genesis 2:7.

The LORD God told Adam because he heeded the voice of his wife –

’ In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you RETURN to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return - Genesis 3:19.

Then the LORD God sent man out of the garden of Eden – “lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” – verses 22-24.

So we see that man DID NOT have eternal life within themselves – and the LORD God did not permit man to obtain eternal life at that time.

The LORD God ALONE has life to give –

“In Him was LIFE [eternal life], and the life was the light of men” – John 1:4.

And, as our Lord Jesus told Lazarus’ sister Martha, ’ I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live’ – John 11:25.

So, if our Lord Jesus Christ was only human, He could have saved but only one person – Himself. And given eternal life to no one. To do this required God – the very life and power of THE CREATOR OF ALL LIFE!

Jesus of Nazareth IS THE CREATOR!

The very first place in God’s living word where God is mentioned in time sequence is in the Book of John chapter 1 – we should all be familiar with it.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2) He was in the beginning with God. 3) All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” – John 1:1-3.

Again, this revelation from Jesus Christ may seem redundant to some, yet this is knowledge that so few in this world truly grasp. The Word was a personal being, and He was called “the Word.” Originally written in the Greek language, the word was Logos – which translates to Spokesman, or the One who speaks. So, this Word was with God.

God is another being. So now we have two beings. Because then apostle John says, “and the Word was God.”

Under the very inspiration of the Spirit of God, the apostle Paul wrote –

“He [Jesus the Christ] is the image of the invisible God [God the Father], the firstborn over all creation. 16) For BY HIM all things were created that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created THROUGH HIM and FOR HIM” – Colossians 1:15-17.

Christ Jesus – the Son of God – “His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, THROUGH WHOM also He made the worlds; … to the Son He says: ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. … 10) And: ‘You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11) They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12) Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail’ – Hebrews 1:2, 8, 10-12.

“For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast” – Psalm 33:9.

This shows us that Jesus of Nazareth was also divine and that He was (and is) the very CREATOR OF ALL THINGS VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE!

HE IS GOD OUR SAVIOR!

Therefore, His life which He SACRIFICED for all of us is of greater value than the complete total of all human beings past, present, and future!  

And then Hebrews 7 we read about Melchizedek. Notice verse 3 – this being – “without father, without mother, …” So, how can you be a being and not have a father or a mother!? Well, there are only two such beings. “ … without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, …” – and even angelic beings and demonic spirits have a beginning. At one point they didn’t exist, and at one point they were created. “…but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually.” And then it goes on to say, in verse 4 – “Now consider how great this [M]an [really] was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.” Melchizedek, king of Salam, without mother, without father, without beginning or end of days – the One we now call Jesus Christ! Abraham believed the One we now call Jesus Christ! And Abraham was the first person to understand the concept of the New Covenant.

Yet, we see that He was “like the Son of God.” He wouldn’t become the Son of God until He was born of the virgin Mary.

So, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ – the very One through whom God the Father created the heavens and the earth, was translated INTO FLESH!

Notice God’s living word –

“ … Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel – Isaiah 7:14.

Which means “God with us.” Now, certainly, it must have been a difficult time for Joseph – wouldn’t you say!? Here he was betrothed (engaged to be married) to a young Jewish virgin, and he discovers one night while sitting down eating dinner, she’s pregnant. Surely it would have been difficult and troubling news for him to have found out. And it says that he didn’t want to “make her a public example” and instead decided to “put her away secretly” – which was lawful for him to do if she was found pregnant. “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream” and told him, “Do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” – the very power and Spirit of the Creator Almighty God! – cf. Matthew 1:18. God (Jesus the Messiah) is coming to be a human being!

And one of the FIRST PROPHECIES OF THIS VERY THING  – Genesis 3:15.

Here we see that even our Lord Jesus Christ’s glorious name revealed Him both as SAVIOR AND GOD! A divine being with us IN THE FLESH!

And as stated earlier - the Word (the Logos, cf. John 1:1 – the being who would become our Lord Jesus Christ) alone could not of HIMSELF pay the penalty of mankind’s sin. In order to pay the penalty of human sin, it wasn’t enough that He was divine. HE ALSO MUST BE HUMAN.

The LORD God’s definition of what sin is –

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness - 1 John 3:4.

Lawlessness against the Government of God!

From the very foundation of the world, the LORD God’s Law was given to man – which included the TEN COMMANDMENTS – cf. Romans 4:15!

The transgression of the LORD God’s Law constitutes sin.

And to note: "For it is not possible that THE BLOOD OF BULLS AND GOATS could take away sins. 5) THEREFORE, when He came into the world, He said: 'Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. 6) In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. 7) Then I said, 'BEHOLD, I HAVE COME─In the volume of the book [the HOLY BIBLE] it is written of Me─ To do Your will, O God'" - Hebrews 10:4-7.

God had added this sacrificial system there at Mount Sinai which had to do with the sacrifice of bullocks, goats, lambs, and turtle doves. Along with the sacrificial lamb at Passover – these were all a symbol of redemption until the ‘SEED SHOULD COME’ – the ONE AND ONLY true sacrifice! God added this sacrificial system as a temporary atonement for His people UNTIL THE TIME OF REFORMATION - cf. Hebrews 9:10.

We see this principle – that a blood sacrifice must be made to atone for sin – when Abel sacrificed a firstborn of his flock, a lamb.

“And in the process of time [not long after creation, in Hebrew, ‘at the end of days’ – some suggesting that Cain might have brought the offering on the Sabbath 2] it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4) Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his OFFERING, 5) but He did not respect Cain and his OFFERING. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell” – Genesis 4:3-5.

Abel gave a BLOOD SACRIFICE for the atonement of sin. Cain did not bring any firstborn from a flock – he just brought a basket of fruit.

So here is the very possibility of sin for Cain – and he could not have sinned if there had not been a Law for him to transgress.

In chapter 8 of the Book of Genesis when the ark came to rest in the seventh month, on the mountain of Ararat – Noah did something.

“Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and every clean bird [see Leviticus 11:1-47], and offered burnt offerings on the altar” – Genesis 8:20.

The patriarch Noah gave a BLOOD SACRIFICE for the atonement of sin.

Now, we are still centuries before the LORD God gave His Law at Mount Sinai having to do with the sacrificial system of the Old Covenant – of the Mosaic law. Here, Noah built an altar – and not only did he take of animals, but he took only of every clean animal.

Turning into the Book of Leviticus chapter 16 we see the goat slain at the Atonement ceremony – and one doesn’t have to fully understand Leviticus 16 to have the love of our Savior Jesus Christ to be poured out upon them, or His grace, His Spirit, His glorious promise of eternal life. Yet, a great many churches that are still deeply entrenched in the Old Covenant make you think that this is the ultimate crux of the gospel of Christ. It is not!

It is true that our Lord Jesus Christ would become our Atonement – it was prophesied – we often read this during the Passover – or the Lord’s Supper – because it’s such a description of what Jesus endured – Isaiah 53:1-3.

The LORD God’s Master Plan laid out before us!

“In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [atonement] for our sins” – 1 John 4:10.

“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7) For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8) But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9) Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10) For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11) And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” – Romans 5:6-11.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was the ‘atonement’ for us in the reconciliation to Father God.

The LORD God explains to us in 1st Corinthians –

“For since by man [Adam] came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23) BUT EACH ONE IN HIS OWN ORDER: Christ the firstfruits [Our Lord Jesus Christ HIMSELF], AFTERWARD those who are Christ’s at His second coming [a first resurrection of the dead – in Christ]. 24) Then comes THE END, …” – 1 Corinthians 15:22-24.

Jesus Christ had HUMAN NATURE

This nature is but an invisible pull toward the likes of self-centeredness, vanity, lust, greed, jealousy, envy, hatred, and rivalry. It is a nature of rebellion, and hostility against authority. He also had another pull, as we all do, the inordinate desire of the FLESH – an unrighteous desire of our five senses. Yet, He lived WITHOUT SIN!

The apostle Paul wrote –

“Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world [meaning, under the bondage of the Mosaic law].”

The Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary writes according to this “elements of the world” – “The Jews in their bondage to the law of Moses, as the representative people of the world, include all mankind virtually amenable to God’s Law. … Even the Gentiles were under “bondage,” and in a state of discipline suitable nonage, till Christ came as the Emancipator” 3

4) But WHEN THE FULLNESS OF THE TIME HAD COME, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law [the Mosaic law], to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons [of sonship] – Galatians 4:3-5.

So, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born of a woman “under the law” – here meaning the Mosaic law. And being human He was under the inevitable law that human cells die – which results in death. All cells in a human being and in animals have a clock, represented by the telomeres on the ends of the chromosomes. When these are worn away, the cell dies. Material things are not eternal. 

Our Lord Jesus took upon Himself a physical human body and was made subject to death to be our Savior! Not only the natural first death but also the eternal second death! However, our Lord Jesus Christ had to be sacrificed for the Scriptures to be fulfilled - cf. Isaiah 53:7. The LORD God has a MASTER PLAN to save all mankind (past, present, and future) from the death penalty, and our Lord Jesus was the "Lamb of God" who came to take away the sin of the world - John 1:29.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, HE HIMSELF LIKEWISE SHARED IN THE SAME, that THROUGH DEATH He might destroy him who had power of death, that is, the devil” – Hebrews 2:14.

The apostle Paul further explains –

“who, being in the form of God, …” – this exactly tells us that Jesus was a member of the divine Elohim – the God family. “ … did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.” – in other words, He was on a level with the God family. He was a divine being that had been there with God. And He did not think that position of authority and power was something to be grasped at – to cling to. He believed that it was more important to risk eternal life – giving it all up. “but made Himself of no reputation, …” – and I have written in my margin, “He emptied Himself.” He let go of all of that power, glory, position, and the eternal life that He had. “ … taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.” – that’s the kind of mind that we are to have! We are to be willing to go all in when it comes to Almighty God and Jesus Christ!

And in living a perfect life, and in doing great miracles, our Lord Jesus DID NOT have any special help from God the Father that we cannot also have.

Sadly, this is a truth of which so many are deceived. □

Bibliography

2) Jamieson Fausset and Brown Commentary on the Whole Bible. Jamieson Robert, Fausset R. A., Brown David, Zondervan Publishing House, 1961, pg. 20.
3) Ibid. pg. 1269.


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