The Greatest Mystery: God Incarnate J.I. Packer Knowing God Chapter 5

When Reason fails  The Atonement  The Resurrection  Virgin Birth  Gospel Miracles Walking on waterWalking on water Feeding 5,000Feeding 5,000 Raising the deadRaising the dead

1. The Greatest Mystery - Why make faith harder than need be? Forget the others. Look here. - The supreme mystery: The God-Man - Plurality of persons within Godhead - “The Word became flesh.” ……. God became flesh Luke 1:34-35Luke 1:34-35 Charles Wesley: Our God contracted to a span, Incomprehensibly made manCharles Wesley: Our God contracted to a span, Incomprehensibly made man

2.The Reality of the Incarnation Dissolves Other Issues of Belief  Foundational issue is identity of Jesus  “Once His divinity is established, it is all of a piece, a unity and hangs together complete.”

3.Going Deeper into the Identity of the Christmas Child  Mark, Matthew and Luke  John’s Prologue  1 Tim 1:3 “instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines”  Two Clear Essential Truths About the Baby Born at Bethlehem: 1. He was God 2. He was God made man

4.The Baby was God “The only begotten Son of God” John 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 John 5: John 1:18 – No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. 1 John 5:11-12 – And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; He who does not have the Son of God, does not have the life.

4.The Baby was God (continued) Still Questions Deut. 6:4 “The Great Shema”Deut. 6:4 “The Great Shema” Divisions: Jews, Arians, Muslims, Unitarians, Jehovah WitnessesDivisions: Jews, Arians, Muslims, Unitarians, Jehovah Witnesses

John wrote to set record straight John 1: “The Word” “The Word” God’s creative utteranceGod’s creative utterance “ In the beginning God... God said, ‘Let there be... and there was' …”“ In the beginning God... God said, ‘Let there be... and there was' …” It is His power in action fulfilling His purposeIt is His power in action fulfilling His purpose

Seven Truths about Word of God John 1:1 - “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 came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.

Seven Truths about Word of God 1.Eternal - John 1: 1 2.Personality - 1:1 3.Deity - 1:1 4.Creating - 1:3 5.Animator - 1:4 6.Revealing - 1:4 7.Incarnate - 1:14

5.The Baby was God made man A real human baby …… who had not ceased to be God Not minus divinity, but plus manNot minus divinity, but plus man Fair game for Satan Hebrews 2: 17 – 18; 4: Fair game for Satan Hebrews 2: 17 – 18; 4:

Made Less than God? Phil. 2: 7 “made Himself of no reputation” KJV “Emptied Himself” NAS “Made Himself nothing” ESV, NIV “Kenosis” literally means “to make empty.” The word is used 5 times in NT. Rom. 4:14, 1 Cor. 1: 17 In both cases, it is translated as “void,” “empty,” “worthless,” “none effect.” Kenoticism: “A form of Christology, which lays emphasis upon Christ’s “laying aside” of certain divine attributes in the incarnation.”

The Roots of Kenoticism Arius: An elder in the church at Alexandria in early 300’s. He taught: “The Logos (Word) is not eternal. God begat him, and before he was begotten, he did not exist.” His teaching, known as Arianism, caught on and was adopted by many churches and tensions mounted. Emperor Constantine convened a council of Bishops at Nicea in 325.

Athanasius to the Rescue: Deacon of church at Alexandria, chief spokesman at the Council for the full deity of the Word and Christ. Result of the Council at Nicea: Arius repudiated and the Nicene Creed first drafted. Wording of the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one being with the Father.

Sonship of the Word. Sonship of Jesus. Last week: Sonship of Jesus Psalm 2:7 “You are My son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will surely give the nations as your inheritance and the very ends of the earth as your possession.” Heb. 10:5 “Therefore when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body you have prepared for Me.’” 7 “Then I said, ‘Behold I have come to do your will, O God.’” (Ps. 40:6)

Sonship of the “Logos,” the Word. “the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father.” Definition of the word: Beget, Begotten. MacMillan Dictionary: 1 To cause to be, to cause something to happen. 2 To become the father of a child. “Even though the Son is eternally existent, the Father “causes Him to be.” God is the cause of His own existence.” Does not mean “born.” It expresses the eternal relationship of the Father to the Son, not an event in time.

John 5: 26 “For Just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son, also to have life in Himself.” “Eternally begotten” expresses continuing constant relationship of the Father to the Son. Their life is essential and intrinsic. 1 Jn 5:11 “He who has the Son has the life”

More details on the “Kenosis Theory.” In order to be fully human, the Son had to give up some of divine attributes (omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience). Otherwise, he could not share the human experience of being limited in space, time and knowledge which is essential to being human. Indeed, what we see seems to be the Son minus omniscience. Mk.8: 23; John 11: 34; Mk. 13:32 So how do we account for his limited knowledge?

But at other times, He displays supernatural knowledge: Death of Lazarus, past of woman at well, the coin in the mouth of the fish. And He displays supernatural power (miracles). How do we account for this Off and On supernatural knowledge?

The Answer: “ The Son can do nothing by Himself.” “By Myself, I can do nothing.” John 5: 19, 30 “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” “I do nothing on My on…I always do what pleases Him.” John 6:38 and 8: Jesus is always obedient to the will of the Father. As the 2 nd person of the Godhead, He submits always to the 1 st person of the Godhead. “I and My Father are one.” He knew what the Father wanted Him to know.

Philippians 2: 6 “Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form God (possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God, God), did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained.” 7 But stripped Himself of all privileges and rightful dignity, so as to assume the guise of a servant, in that He became like men and was born a human being. Amplified Bible Context is Clear: What Jesus gave up was His divine glory and dignity, not his attributes.

Born to Die 2 Corinthians 8:9 “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” The baby in the manger … not simply a marvel of nature, but rather a wonder of grace

Application Christmas Message  Hope for ruined humanity  Hope for peace with God  Hope of glory  “Most wonderful message world has or will ever hear” Our Attitude: Philippians 2:1 -3

Philippians 2:1-3 “Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ (and there is), if there is any consolation of love (and there is), if there is any fellowship of the Spirit (and there is), if any affection and compassion (and there are), make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind, regard one another as more important than yourselves.”