1. 1. The Ministry of Jesus The Son of God
2. 2. Three Modes of Existence 1. Pre-Incarnate Existence 2. Incarnate Existence 3. Ascended Incarnate Existence 2
3. 3. 1. Pre-Incarnate Existence The Christian God is Triune in nature OT & NT are unanimous that there is only one God (monotheism, not polytheism) Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the Lord is one (Deuteronomy 6:4) Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel: "I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god. (Isaiah 44:6) We know that an idol has no real existence, and that there is no God but one. (1 Corinthians 8:4) 3
4. 4. The Triune God Father SonHoly Spirit 4 Jesus said, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19) When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" (Galatians 4:4-6)
5. 5. Why a Triune God? Scripture does not fully describe how God can be three and one, but simply asserts God as being this waybut why? If God is love (1 John 4:8), love must have another to love Prior to creation the Father loves the Son who loves the Father who love the Spirit, etc. After creation, the persons of the Trinity love one another and all creation A loving God will be complex not unitary, for God is not self-love (narcissism), but true love 5
6. 6. Trinity Irrational? The Trinity teaching challenges human reason Is it irrational to think of a relational God? Perhaps the category of supra-rational is useful: the Triune God is above and beyond human reason It is rational to expect that an infinite God would exceed the capacities of human reason 6
7. 7. 2. Incarnate Existence Incarnation: the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God, assumes human nature of flesh and blood, body and soul The Gospels teach: The Holy Spirit miraculously worked a conception in Marys womb apart from intercourse (a virginal conception), so that Jesus is born without inheriting sin (Luke 2:26-38) Jesus is a unique person, bearing two natures: fully divine and fully human (but without sin) 7
8. 8. Fully Divine Scripture reports Jesus as: Omniscient: Jesus knew all people and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone (John 2:25). Omnipotent: Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me (Matthew 28:18). Omnipresent: Jesus said, Behold, I am with you always to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20). On earth Jesus does not always use these divine attributes; he specifically declines to call upon them so that he can suffer and die in humanitys stead 8
9. 9. Fully Human Scripture reports Jesus as experiencing: Growth: Jesus increased in wisdom and years, and in divine and human favor (Luke 2:52). Hunger: He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished (Matt. 4:2). Sleep: But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion (Mark 4:38). Anger: Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves (Mark 11:15) Grief: Jesus wept (John 11:35). Compassion: Jesus had compassion on them, for they were like sheep without a shepherd (Mark 6:34) Death: When Jesus had received the wine, he said, It is finished. Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit (John 19:30). 9
10. 10. Incarnation Affirms Humanity Jesus incarnation reveals Gods commitment to humanity: To be human and possess a body is a noble state that Jesus honors by becoming flesh To view the Christian faith as being primarily about saving souls limits the significance of Jesus incarnation 10
11. 11. Incarnation Invites Trust Jesus understands humanitys deepest issues since he has experienced them: Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation [= a sacrifice that reconciles] for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tested. (Hebrews 2:14-18) 11
12. 12. Incarnation Enables Atonement An atoning sacrifice is required to remove the offense sin creates between fallen humans and the holy God To atone for a wrong is to do what is necessary to remove the offense, to make right what was wrong Since death is the just punishment for sin, a death is required to remove the offense In the OT God accepted animal offerings as provisional atoning sacrifices All OT sacrifices pointed forward to the perfect atoning sacrifice Jesus would offer 12
13. 13. Incarnation Enables Atonement As the sinless Son of God, Jesus one offering was sufficient to make right with God all the sins of all humanity [Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2) Jesus could not have offered himself as the atoning sacrifice without first becoming incarnate, revealing the importance of his embodied state 13
14. 14. Incarnation Enables Resurrection In physically rising from the dead on Easter, Jesus shows that he has conquered death since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. (Rom. 6:9-10) 14
15. 15. The Resurrected Body of Jesus A real body, not a ghost Jesus is seen, recognized, and touched (John 20:1-27) Jesus eats (Luke 24:36-43) A glorified body Never again to die (Romans 6:9-10) 15
16. 16. 3. Ascended Incarnate Existence Jesus ascended to his Fathers side in glory 40 days after his resurrection, still possessing his glorified resurrected body Jesus governs all things until he returns: God raised Jesus from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. He put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1:20-23) Jesus must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Corinthians 15:26) 16
17. 17. Jesus Return at the End Jesus second coming to earth will occur at the end of the age No one knows when Jesus will return: Jesus said, About that day and hour [the end, when Jesus returns] no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. (Matthew 24:36-44) Many people have claimed to have discovered hidden clues in the Bible about the time of Jesus return, but the above words of Jesus have always proved true 17
18. 18. Jesus Return at the End There will be a final judgment: Those who have received forgiveness through faith in Jesus will be welcomed into paradise Those who have rejected Jesus in unbelief will be excluded from Gods presence. We who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will by no means precede those who have died. For the Lord himself, with a cry of command, with the archangel's call and with the sound of God's trumpet, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up in the clouds together with them to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-18) 18
19. 19. Incarnation, Resurrection, Hope Jesus resurrected body is a model of the body believers in Christ will receive at the end of time Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Philippians 3:20-21) From incarnation to resurrection to ascension to second coming, Jesus reveals his goal to redeem all that was fallen in body and soul Thus, for any person to serve others in body and soul is fully congruent with the Christian faith 19