No one can bypass Jesus Christ
As we cannot explain God in His nature, His manifestations,
we cannot explain our Lord in the realm of salvation.
If the Lord is shown in any way concerning His Kingdom, in
His Church, we see Him as Son of man, Son of God, Son of
David, Lamb of God, High Priest, Mediator, Advocate and so
on. When He is shown in such a way we see Him as man besides
God, but never as another divine person. This is clearly
shown in all the Scriptures.
When Jesus spoke as the Son of man He had to say, »the
Father is greater than I« — only the Father does know the
time and the hour, not the Son of man — and »He can do
nothing but what He sees the Father do« (Jn. 5: 19-20 a.
o.). He was the promised Prophet, the seer (Dt. 18: 15-18).
To Him was shown by vision what was and would take place.
The very thoughts and intentions of man’s heart were
revealed to Him »Before Philip called thee, when thou wast
under the fig tree, I saw thee.« (Jn. 1: 48).
»… For thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now
hast is not thy husband; that saidst thou truly … The woman
saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, who is called
Christ; when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus
saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.« (Jn. 4:
16-26).
»But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew
all men, and needed not that any should testify of man; for
he knew what was in man.« (Jn. 2: 24-25).
So the scripture of Dt. 18: 18 was fulfilled, as shown by
Peter in his second sermon after Pentecost, »For Moses truly
said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord, your God,
raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall
ye hear in all things, whatever he shall say unto you. And
it shall come to pass that every soul, who will not hear
that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.« (Acts
3: 22-23). As »Son of man« he was the Prophet and servant (Isa.
42: 1-4; 52: 13; Acts 4: 23-31 a. o.). As »Son of God« He is
Saviour and Lord. As »Son of David« He is King. He is King,
High Priest and Prophet — all in the right order and place.
Whatever our beloved Lord did, what He said, and what is
written about Him, must always be seen in connection with
that part of the plan of salvation. The terms used of Him
can never be exchanged one with the other. For instance,
almost eighty times we find in Ezechiel and in the Gospels
the term »Son of man«. Where it is, is where it must remain.
When we find written »Son of God«, that is where it needs to
be. The same applies to »Son of David« and all the other
terms associated with Christ. In God’s Word everything is
connected to the Plan of Salvation and is in divine order.
God did not multiply within Himself. He is still the only
One true God. Through the Son, Who is the firstborn, He has
through the begetting by the Spirit, performed the spiritual
multiplication of all the firstborn. The Word of Truth
brought them into being, through the working of the new
birth by the Holy Spirit (Jas. 1: 18; 1 Pt. 1: 23 a. o.)
they were adopted as sons and daughters of God . »And this
is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true
God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.« (Jn. 17: 3).
»And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us
an understanding, that we may know him that is true; and we
are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This
is the true God and eternal life.« (1 Jn. 5: 20).
Stephen saw Him as the Son of man standing at the right hand
of God (Acts 7: 56). John saw Him as the Son of man walking
in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks (Rev. 1).
Daniel saw Him coming as Son of man with the clouds of
heaven (7: 13-14 a. o.). He had to be High Priest, Mediator,
Advocate, Saviour and so on, manifesting His attributes. The
Apostle writes to his co-worker Timothy, »for there is one
God and one mediater between God and men, the man, Christ
Jesus.« (1 Tim. 2: 5).
The Apostle John expresses it like that, »and if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous.« (1 Jn. 2: 1b).
Viewing God’s plan of salvation we see redemption in the New
Testament is in and through the Son. Even in His humanity
the Son is the object of true living faith which saves men:
»… ye believe in God, believe also in me!« (Jn. 14: 1). Only
whoever believes in the Son of God truly believes in God.
Living, saving faith is only possible in the manifested God.
Everything else is religious activity bypassing God. Only in
the Son has the Father met us, only in Him can we meet the
Father. With this in mind we are able to place the following
references in a proper order: »Serve the Lord with fear, and
rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he is angry, and
ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a
little. Blessed are all they who put their trust in him.«
(Ps. 2: 11-12).
»… Who by him do believe in God , who raised him up from the
dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in
God.« (1 Pt. 1: 21).
The salvation given by God in His Son is received by all the
sons and daughters of God. Therefore the apostolic condition
is still valid today, »Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and
thou shalt be saved, and thy house.« (Acts 16: 31).
»He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he
that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath
of God abideth on him.« (Jn. 3: 36).
»And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal
life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath
life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.« (1
Jn. 5: 11-12).
»Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father; he
that confesseth the Son hath the Father also.« (1 Jn. 2:
23).
New creation
Our Lord says, «Behold, I make all things new.« The
beginning was made with the New Covenant. All who truly
believe are renewed and born again, they receive new life
from God. Paul stated, »Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creation …« (2 Cor. 5: 17). God has given us a
new life, a new heart, a new spirit, as promised in the Old
Testament, through the New Covenant in Christ Who is the
beginning of this new divine creation (Rev. 3: 14).
Upon humanity which multiplied by natural begetting through
unbelief and disobedience came death and separation from God
and the fellowship with Him — the expulsion from paradise.
Because the fall into sin happened in flesh and blood,
reconciliation and salvation had to be wrought in the same
body of flesh and blood. Life is in the blood (Lev. 17: 11),
therefore it was necessary that His sacrificial blood and
life was given for our reconciliation and salvation. In the
Son begotten by the Holy Spirit was the Life of God. »In him
was life; and the life was the light of men.« (Jn. 1: 4). In
the flesh He became mortal and died. In the Spirit He went
down into the lower regions of hell (1 Pt. 3: 18-23) to
conquer death, hell and Satan and to give that great victory
to all His sons and daughters. The damage caused by Satan
through the serpent God turned around and made good as
Father through the Son. The way to Paradise is again free.
When dying on the cross, the Lord spoke the following words,
»Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in
paradise.« (Lk. 23: 43).
In the garden of Gethsemane the Son of God was praying,
fighting the greatest battle when He said, »O my Father, if
it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not
as I will, but as thou wilt.« (Mt. 26: 39).
»Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save
me from this hour. But for this cause came I unto this hour.
Father, glorify thy name.« (Jn. 12: 27-28).
Dying on Golgotha’s cross, the Son of God cried vicariously
for all the sons and daughters of God, bearing their guilt
and sin, suffering separation from God as they. We were the
ones, forsaken by God. There He took our place and cried in
our stead, »My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?« (Mt.
27: 46; Mk. 15: 34), as it was already predicted through the
mouth of David in Ps. 22: 1. Dying on the cross, He said, »It
is finished« (Jn. 19: 30). Everything happened as foretold
in the Old Testament.
All this was necessary according to the Plan of Salvation.
From His birth to His death we see the Son of man among men,
Who finally in dying spoke the words, »Father, into thy
hands I commend my spirit« (Lk. 23: 46). We were the ones
who were separated from God; now He stepped in and took our
place. He was the One who came forth from God to unite us
with God. Since then all of God’s children can say the same
when their earthly pilgrimage ends, »Father, into Thy hands
I commend my spirit!«
To the redeemed the following Scripture applies . »And you,
being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he made alive together with him, having forgiven you
all trespasses, blotting out the handwriting of ordinances
that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it
out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and, having spoiled
principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in it.« (Col. 2: 13-15). Amen! So it is!
The Son and the sons and daughters of God
With the birth of the Son Who was begotten by the Holy
Spirit God became the Father of all His sons and daughters
that He adopted. That is the whole purpose of the plan of
salvation; that was His intention. The created son — Adam —
was disobedient and became a child of death. And all the
descendants of Adam are children of death. Everyone knows it:
Nothing in life is as certain as death. The begotten Son,
the second Adam, was obedient until death on the cross. He
has accomplished redemption and is the mediator between God
and men who brought reconciliation. He suffered death in
order to overcome it. He rose triumphant as the great
Conqueror over death, hell and Satan.
It is written, »And it shall come to pass that, in the place
where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there
shall they be called the sons of the living God.« (Rom. 9:
26; Hos. 2: 23).
The manifestation in the Son had the highest purpose, that
we in Him were made the sons and daughters of God. From the
single Redeemer, »I will be his father, and he shall be my
son« (2 Sam. 7: 14; Heb. 1: 5), to the plural of the
redeemed, »… and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be
my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.« (2 Cor. 6:
18). The same Holy Spirit through Whom the Son was begotten,
creates the new life of God in us through the new birth (1
Jn. 5: 4). The Son of God is the firstborn of many brethren,
in Him the relationship of Father–child was established.
Therefore He could say, »But go to my brethren, and say unto
them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father and to my God
and your God.« (Jn. 20: 17).
God has accepted us in the Son. Therefore it is written,
»For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are
all things, in bringing many sons unto glory , to make the
captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For
both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all
of one, for which cause he is not ashamed to call them
brethren …« (Heb. 2: 10-12).
»… Having predestinated us unto the adoption of sons by
Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of
his will« (Eph. 1: 5).
»For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren.« (Rom. 8: 29 a. o.)
The two beginnings
The two beginnings are realities; one natural, one
spiritual. As certain as there was a natural beginning in
creation and mankind which still exists today, there was a
spiritual beginning which is a reality with all who truly
believe.
We do see Eve who received the seed of the enemy — the
serpent, and pulled Adam into the same transgression. We
also see Mary who received the divine seed and gave birth to
the Redeemer, the second Adam, Who brought eternal life back
for us (1 Cor. 15: 45-49). God has placed His Seed into
Mary, so the Son of God appeared in the flesh to bruise the
serpent’s head and to give redemption unto us. »Seed« means
posterity.
Because the serpent beguiled Eve, the natural seed was left
behind in Cain of whom the Bible does say, »… Cain, who was
of that wicked one …« (1 Jn. 3: 12), God said to the
serpent, »And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,
and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head,
and thou shalt bruise his heel.« (Gen. 3: 15). God had to
bring forth a natural seed, so the sting of death could be
pulled out from this body delivered unto death. In the
resurrection and transfiguration of the Son of God, the
resurrection and translation of all the sons of God is
guaranteed through Jesus Christ.
As the first Adam was disobedient and brought death, the
second Adam through obedience brought eternal life to fallen
humanity. As the following Scriptures plainly teach, »For
Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the
unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in
the flesh but made alive by the Spirit« (1 Pt. 3: 18).
»And you, that were once alienated and enemies in your mind
by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled in the body of
his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblamable
and unreprovable in his sight« (Col. 1: 21-22).
»Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith
in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission
of sins …« (Rom. 3: 25).
» For since by man came death, by man came the resurrection
of the dead. … And so it is written, The first man, Adam,
was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a life-giving
spirit … The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second
man is the Lord from heaven … And as we have borne the image
of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.«
(1 Cor. 15: 21, 45, 47 + 49).
»Therefore, as by the offence of one judgement came upon all
men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one the
free gift came upon all men unto justification of life . For
as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by
the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.« (Rom. 5:
18-19). |
