| JESUS, THE CHRIST
OF GOD
Section
1 - Introduction
The Image and the Firstborn
Introduction
There have been many men
the world recognises as great, men who have had a strong influence on the
way people think and on the way things are done. They range from scientist
to statesman, from soldier to philosopher, and from artist to religious
leader. The criteria used to nominate these men have been according to
the wisdom of the world, criteria set up by their fellow human beings and
are, therefore, just as fallible as they are.
Scripture, however, operates
under another set of criteria; by standards set up by God, the Creator
of all. Among men born under the natural process of procreation through
parents, Scripture nominates John, the baptist (Mt.11:11). But, the Man
Who surpasses all of humanity in greatness, is undoubtedly Jesus Christ
after Whom all of humanity is modelled (cf. Mk.1:7).
But, Who IS this Christ Jesus
in God’s scheme of things? This we will attempt to establish from Scripture,
which is God’s word on the subject.
The
Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of every creature
Scripture declares that God
is love (1Jn.4:8,16). Love demands an object to express itself, else it
would be impotent and frustrated. It is, therefore, in God’s very essence
to create a counterfoil for His love.
Because God is good
(Lk.18:19), He designed it so that His acts will bring blessings to His
creation. Because God is light (1Jn.1:5), He determined a way to
reveal Himself to His creatures. Because God is spirit (Jn.4:24),
His intimate secrets are revealed in the realm of spirit.
1Cor.2:14
the soulish man is not receiving those things which are of the spirit of
God,
for they are stupidity to
him, and he is not able to know them,
seeing that they are spiritually
examined.
1Cor.2:9
according as it is written, That which the eye did not perceive,
and the ear did not
hear, and to which the heart of man did not ascend--
whatever God makes ready
for
those who are loving Him.
1Cor.2:10 Yet
to
us God reveals them through His spirit,
for the spirit is searching
all, even the depths of God.
1Cor.2:11-13
... that which is of God no one knows, except the spirit of God.
Now we obtained, not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God,
that we may be perceiving
that which is being graciously given to us by God,
which we are speaking also,
not with words taught by human wisdom,
but with those taught
by the spirit, matching spiritual blessings with spiritual words.
There is only ONE God (1Cor.8:4;
Gal.3:20; Eph.4:6; 1Tim.2:5). He is spirit (Jn.4:24) and not matter and
is, therefore, intangible (Jn.3:8). He does not conform to laws which dictate
shape and form. Though He permeates the universe (Jer.23:24, Ps.139:7-12),
He is invisible (Col.1:15; 1Tim.1:17; 2Cor.4:4 CV ed.s2) and cannot be
actually seen by His creatures.
So, ‘the One Who is operating
all in accord with the counsel of His will’ (Eph.1:11) brought into
being One Who is 'the Image of the invisible God'. This one was
given a form that God chose which would adequately and honourably represent
Him
to His creation. He was created in 'the form of God', and had every right,
given by God, to represent Him in all things (Phil.2:6)! As such He is
‘the Effulgence of His glory and Emblem of His assumption’ (Heb.1:3).
He is God's Representation as well as His Representative!
Image: from the Greek eikön,
literally SIMULATE
Effulgence: from the Greek apaugasma, literally FROM-RADIANCE
Emblem: from the Greek charaktêr,
literally CARVing
2Cor.4:4 the
evangel of the glory of Christ, Who is the Image of the invisible
God,
Col.1:15
Who is the Image of the invisible God,…
Phil.2:6
Who, being inherently in the form of God,
deems it not pillaging to
be equal with God,
Jn.6:46 Not
that
the Father has been seen by anyone,
except by the One
Who is from God. This One has seen the Father.
Jn.14:9
He who has seen Me has seen the Father,
and how are you saying,
`Show us the Father'?
It is interesting, here, to
consider the fact that this God-determined form that Christ has, is the
same form chosen for man at his creation. God decided,
Gen.1:26,27
Make will We humanity in Our image, and according to Our likeness,
And creating is the Elohim
humanity in His image.
In the image of
the Elohim
He creates it.
1Cor.11:7
…a man, … being inherently the image and glory of God.
Rom.8:29
whom He foreknew, He designates beforehand, also,
to be conformed to the
image of His Son,
for Him to be Firstborn
among many brethren.
Col.3:10
being renewed into recognition,
to accord with the
image of the One Who creates it
God has determined that we,
human beings, are to represent Him in ruling the new heaven and new earth
(Heb.2:5-8; 1Cor.6:3; Rev.21:1). To this end He has brought us into being
(Eph.3:9), placing us in the controlled environment and time-frame in which
we live (Eph.1:11) which, in reality, is an excellently-equipped workshop
in which He is moulding useful, practical, objects of exquisite craftsmanship
(Eph.2:10; Rom.9:20-24; Phil.2:13), modelled after His Original masterpiece
(Rom.8:29; Col.3:10; Rev.3:14), for His pleasure and glory (Eph.1:12).
To resume our study: at this
beginning, Scripture identifies this One as the Word (Greek logos
meaning expression) and indicates His focus and function.
Jn.1:1,2
In the beginning was the word,
and the word was toward
God, […pros ton Theon ]
and God was
the word.
[ the presence of the
verb to be ‘was’ indicates figurative usage ]
This was in the beginning
toward
God. […pros ton Theon ]
Not only was He to represent
God, the primary function and focus of the Word, in relation to the rest
of creation that was about to be brought into existence, is to direct
every one of them toward God (Jn.1:1,2, where the Greek pros
should be more exactly translated ‘toward’ rather than ‘with’)
- to a knowledge and realisation of God and to a relationship with God!
This process, which began at the creation of the universe, is ongoing through
the eons and will find its completion at the Consummation (1Cor.15:22-28).
Scripture declares that Jesus
Christ is the First of God’s creative acts, the First to
come into being in God’s creation. Scripture recognises Him as ‘God’s
Creative Original’ (Rev.3:14) and ‘the beginning of the creation
of God’ (KJV).
Rev.3:14
…the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, and God's Creative Original:
* Greek …hê
archê tês ktiseös tou Theou
* KJV, RSV, MLB, DV, etc
… the beginning of the creation of God;
* NIV … the ruler
of God's creation.
Rev.22:13 ..the
Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,
the Origin and the
Consummation.
* Greek … hê
archë kai to telos
* NIV, KJV, RSV, MLB, DV,
etc. … the Beginning and the End.
Prior to His being brought into
being by God, there was nothing in existence except God Himself! Then,
out of Himself (and not out of nothing - 2Cor.5:18), God brought into being
the Word. Jesus Christ IS, therefore, the ‘Firstborn of every creature’
and He ‘is before all’. Everything else, without exception, that
has ever come into existence was created IN the Firstborn by God Who, then,
working THROUGH this Original, brought the ‘blueprint’ into reality and
sustains its operation.
Eph.3:9
...which has been concealed from the eons in God, Who creates all,
Col.1:15-17
Who is the Image of the invisible God,
Firstborn of every creature
[CV, KJV, RSV, DV, Gk: prötotokos pasês ktiseös]
for in Him is ALL created,
[CV, RSV, DV, Gk: oti en autö ektisthê ta panta ]
that in the heavens and
that on the earth, the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones, or lordships,
or sovereignties, or authorities,
ALL is created through Him
and for Him, and He is before ALL,
and all has its cohesion
in Him.
Jn.1:3
ALL came into being through it,
and apart from it not even
one thing came into being which has come into being.
1Cor.8:6 … one
Lord, Jesus Christ, through Whom ALL is, and we through Him.
Col.2:9
for in Him the entire complement of the Deity is dwelling bodily.
In His primary function of fully
revealing God to His creatures, this Original of God’s creation divested
Himself of all the glory that is rightfully His and, in accord with God's
design and schedule,
Jn.1:14
… the Word became flesh and tabernacles among us,
and we gaze at His glory,
a glory as of an only-begotten from the Father,
full of grace and truth.
Phil.2:6-8 Who,
being inherently in the form of God,
deems it not pillaging to
be equal with God,
nevertheless empties Himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming to be in the likeness
of
humanity, … being found in fashion as a human,
Jn.17:5
And now glorify Thou Me, Father, with Thyself,
with the glory which I had
before
the world is with Thee.
1Jn.4:2 every
spirit which is avowing Jesus Christ, having come in flesh, is of
God,
1Jn.4:3 … which
is not avowing Jesus the Lord having come in flesh …
is that of the antichrist,
2Jn.7-9
many deceivers came out into the world,
who are not avowing Jesus
Christ coming in flesh.
This is the deceiver and
the antichrist….
Everyone who is …not remaining
in the teaching of Christ has not God.
He who is remaining in the
teaching,… has the Father as well as the Son.
It is Jesus, God's Christ, Who
has the exclusive privilege and responsibility of revealing to us in stages,
in an unfolding, Who God really is.
Jn.1:18
God no one has ever seen.
The only-begotten God, Who
is in the bosom of the Father, He unfolds Him.
1Jn.5:20 the
Son of God is arriving, and has given us a comprehension,
that we know the
True One,
Mt.11:27 neither
is anyone recognizing the Father except the Son
and he to whom the Son
should be intending to unveil Him.
Jn.14:6
Jesus is saying to him, "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.
No one is coming to the
Father except through Me.
Jn.1:17
For the law through Moses was given;
grace and truth came through
Jesus Christ.
Lk.10:21 …"I am acclaiming
Thee, Father,…
for Thou dost conceal
these things from the wise and intelligent
and Thou dost reveal them
to minors… thus it became to be a delight before Thee
Jn.17:3
that they may know Thee, the only true God,
and Him Whom Thou dost commission,
Jesus
Jn.17:4
"I glorify Thee on the earth, finishing the work which Thou hast given
Me
Rev.19:10
…Worship God! for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Jn.12:49,50
the Father Who sends Me, He has given Me the precept,
what I may be saying
and what I should be speaking....
according as the
Father has declared it to Me, thus am I speaking.
For this 'down-to-earth' and
'mind-opening' operation a humble virgin was chosen to be His mother, to
sustain Him through gestation and to nurture and care for Him through childhood.
Lk.1:35
the messenger said to her, "Holy spirit shall be coming on you,
and the power of the Most
High shall be overshadowing you; wherefore
also the holy One Who is
being generated shall be called the Son of God.
The Word was a complete Being
from His beginning and He remained a whole Being when, by the power of
the Most High He was placed a complete embryo in the womb of the
virgin. He was not a sperm, nor was He transformed into one, to impregnate
an egg from Mary for completion! He was not one
incomplete
part that needed to fuse with an additional part from Mary for completion!
That would have contaminated Him with sin through Mary who, along with
the rest of Adam’s progeny, is constituted a sinner (Rom.5:19a)!
He, thus, becomes the ‘only-begotten from the Father’ (Jn.1:14). Mary served
God as a surrogate mother to His Son, a function that has since been demonstrated
and established. (This would also answer the question Christ put to the
Pharisees in Mt.22:41-46).
This also removes the ‘necessity’
of declaring her to have been born without sin, and that she continued
living without sin - as some factions claim in their doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception. Such a position is contradictory to Scripture where it is clearly
asserted that
Rom.3:22,23
…there is no distinction,
for ALL sinned and
are wanting of the glory of God.
Rom.5:12
and thus death passed through into all mankind, on
which all sinned--
Rom.5:18
…it was through one offense for all mankind for condemnation,
Rom.5:19
through the disobedience of the one man,
the many were constituted
sinners,
Scripture declares that Mary
had children (and the boys are even named) through her husband, Joseph,
the carpenter (Mt.13:55,56). This agrees with Scripture where it says that
Jesus was Mary’s firstborn (Lk.2:7; from the Greek prötotokon,
literally BEFORE-most-BROUGHT-FORTH) and not her only child (Lk.7:12;
8:42; from the Greek monogenês, literally ONLY-BECOME). This
establishes the truth that, though Mary was a virgin at the conception
of Jesus, she did not remain so after His birth. This fact is reinforced
by the Scripture which says that Joseph…
Mt.1:24,25
…accepted his wife, and he knew her not till she brought forth a
Son,…
where the ‘till’ denotes a point
where a change in status takes place. The doctrine that Mary was a virgin
all through her life, therefore, directly contradicts Scripture!
These considerations also
establish the fact that, since Jesus Christ represents God to His creation,
He may be called God - but not in any absolute sense. This makes
redundant the impertinent and preposterous doctrine which honours Mary
as ‘the Mother of God’, where ‘God’ is used in the absolute sense!
Lk.1:30-33
And the messenger said to her,
"Fear not, Miriam, for you
found favor with God.
And lo! you shall be conceiving
and be pregnant and be bringing forth a Son,
and you shall be calling
His name Jesus.
He shall be great, and Son
of the Most High shall He be called.
And the Lord God shall be
giving Him the throne of David,
His father, and He shall
reign over the house of Jacob for the eons.
And of His kingdom there
shall be no consummation."
Mt.16:15-17
He is saying to them, "Now you, who are you saying that I am?"
Now answering, Simon Peter
said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Now, answering, Jesus said
to him, "Happy are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,
for flesh and blood does
not reveal it to you, but My Father Who is in the heavens.
‘Jesus’ is the anglicised
Greek form Iêsous of the Hebrew Joshua which is a contraction
of Jehoshua which means
Jehovah-Saviour. Jehovah is the anglicised
form of the Hebrew Yahweh
from the tetragrammaton
YHVH.
‘Christ’ is the anglicised
Greek Christos, the equivalent of the Hebrew Messias, and
means Anointed. It may be applied to priests, kings, and prophets
after their official consecration by an anointing with oil.
Put together, the name Jesus
Christ identifies The ‘Anointed Saviour’, the One Who is appointed
and consecrated by God for the purpose of saving.
Mt.1:21
Now she shall be bringing forth a Son,
and you shall be calling
His name Jesus,
for He shall be saving
His people from their sins.
1Tim.1:15 Faithful
is the saying, and worthy of all welcome,
that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners,…
Heb.1:3,4 Who,
being the Effulgence of His glory and Emblem of His assumption,
besides carrying on all
by His powerful declaration,
making a cleansing of sins,
is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in the heights;
becoming so much better
than the messengers
as He enjoys the allotment
of a more excellent name than they.
Phil.2:9-11
Wherefore, also, God highly exalts Him,
and graces Him with the
name that is above every name, that in the name of Jesus
every knee should
be bowing, celestial and terrestrial and subterranean,
and every tongue
should be acclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord, …
April 2001
Back to:
....Main
menu of articles
Proceed to:
....Section
2 - The
Son of God
......................The
Christ of God
....Section
3 - The
Way Jesus is God
....Section
4 - Christ
Came: To Minister to the Lost Sheep of Israel
......................Christ
Came: To Confirm the Patriarchal Promises
....Section
5 - Christ
Came: To Save All Mankind
......................Christ
Came: To Annul the Works of the Adversary
....Section
6 - Scriptural
Evaluation
......................Conclusion
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