The Truth About The Christ (continued from www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthaboutthechrist/iam.html)
The Incarnation of Christ
In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All
things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made
that was made.... And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father,) full of grace and truth.
John 1:1-3,14
The incarnation
is herein stated by God, “The
Word was God ... and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us,
full of grace and truth.” Few comprehend the power of such a
truth. Every true believer needs it moved to the forefront of their
studies if they will be “a workman that needeth not be
ashamed.”
On the Incarnation of Christ,
the basic doctrine is
again best examined from Dr. Cambron's Bible Doctrines
book.
It is given in the block quote below:[block
quote of Dr.
Cambron's Bible
Doctrines
(Zondervan) 69-81, (TheCambronInstitute.org) 54- 61.]
Cambron's
II. THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST
This
is a cardinal truth of Christianity. It is the fundamental foundation
upon which our faith rests. Without the incarnation, Christianity
could not stand. There is no way of getting rid of the incarnation
without getting rid of Christianity. Mere man did not reveal this to
us but God Himself did, through the revelation of His Word:
“I
would that ye knew what great conflict [fear or care] I have for you,
and for them at Laodicea .
. . that
their hearts, might be comforted, being knit together in love, and
unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the
acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of
Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and
knowledge”
(Col. 2:1-3).
The
word “incarnation” comes from the Latin word
meaning enfleshment;
thus, when we speak of the incarnation of Christ Jesus, the Son of
God, we mean the “enfleshment” of God —
God
manifest in the flesh.
A.
The Fact of the Incarnation.
Two
of the Gospels, Matthew and Luke, record the full account of it. Both
accounts are different, but both agree in the true facts. Matthew,
which portrays Christ as the King throughout the whole Book,
describes His birth as: “He who is born King of the
Jews,”
tracing His line through Solomon to David. Luke, which reveals Christ
as the perfect Man, emphasizes the humanity (human nature) of Jesus,
showing that His lineage went back through Mary, to Nathan (another
son of David), then to David, and on to Abraham, and finally to the
first man, Adam.
1.
As
To the Virginity of Mary. Both
Matthew and Luke state she was a virgin. “Now the birth of
Jesus
Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Ghost” (Matt. 1:18). “In the sixth month the
angel Gabriel
was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and
the virgin’s name was Mary. .
. . Then
said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a
man?” (Luke 1:26, 27, 34).
2.
As
To Her Discovered Motherhood Before Her Marriage to Joseph. “Joseph
also went up from Galilee .
. . to
be
taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child”
(Luke
2:5). See also Matthew 1:18-20.
3.
As
To the Divine Paternity. If
Joseph was not Jesus Christ’s father, then who was? God,
of
course: “Behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring
forth a
son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He
shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the
Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. .
. . And
the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon
thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore
also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the
Son of God” (Luke 1:31, 32, 34). See also Matthew 1:18-20. 54
B.
The Manner of the Incarnation.
The
reason why so many do not believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ
is that they think His birth was the birth of a mere baby, and not
the birth of God, the Son. Remember, this is the incarnation —
the
enfleshment of God, God manifest in the flesh!
1.
As
Testified By Matthew.
a.
In
the Genealogy of Christ. Tracing
the Lord’s descent from Abraham in chapter one, verses one
through
seventeen, we notice that the word “begat” is
mentioned
thirtynine times, but is omitted after the name Joseph, the husband
of the Virgin, Mary. Joseph did not
beget
Jesus Christ: “Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of
whom was
born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Matt. 1:16).
Then,
one may ask, why is this genealogy mentioned in the first place? The
reason is this: the future King of Israel had
to
come through this line (David, Solomon, etc.); and, in order to prove
that Jesus was the rightful heir to the throne of David, it had to be
shown that He came from this line. When Joseph married the Virgin
Mary, her virgin-born Son became the legal
heir
of Joseph and first in line for the throne.
Was
Christ an actual son of David? Certainly He was, but not through
Joseph to Solomon and David. He was a son of David by His mother;
she, herself, was a princess in Israel, tracing her lineage through
Nathan (another son of David) on to David. By blood Christ Jesus was
a son of David through Mary; legally He was a son of David through
Joseph.
b.
In
the Attitude of Joseph. For
this let us turn to Matthew 1:18-25: “Now the birth of Jesus
Christ
was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph,
before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy
Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to
make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But
while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord
appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear
not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in
her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou
shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their
sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was
spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be
with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name
Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being
raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and
took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth
her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.”
Now
if this does not speak of the virgin birth, how would you state it?
In his own mind, Joseph was convinced of the impurity of Mary, his
espoused wife. He reasoned that if he had not known her some other
man must have. Living under the law, a just man, he thought of two
things to do: divorce her; or have her exposed and stoned to death.
He never once conceived of the idea of taking her and making her his
wife; indeed, not until the angel appeared unto him and commanded him
to do so; and this he did.
Men
today, even some preachers, think it is smart to deny that Jesus was
of a virgin birth. 55 They say that Joseph was the father, but
Joseph said he was not.
c.
In
the Worship of the Wise Men. “There
came wise men... saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. .
. . And
when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with
Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him” (Matt. 2:
2,
11).
These
wise men were indeed wise men. They worshiped the Baby, and not the
mother Mary. These men were men of God, taught and led by God; they
would not have worshiped the Baby if Joseph had been the father.
d.
In
the Expressions of “the Young Child and His
Mother.” Four
times is this statement made (Matt. 2:11, 13, 14, 20); never does it
say, “your wife and your child.” In connection with
this we note
another statement: “When they were departed, behold, the
angel of
the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the
young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt; and be thou there
until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to
destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by
night, and departed into Egypt: and was there until the death of
Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the
prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.” (Matt.
2:13-15). My
Son.
Not Joseph’s, but God’s!
2.
As
Testified by Luke.
a.
In
the Enunciation to Zacharias. “The
angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard;
and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his
name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall
rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled
with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. And many of
the
children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall
go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of
the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the
just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke
1:13-17).
Herein
Zacharias was told that he was to have a son who would be the
forerunner of the Christ, the Son of God.
b.
In
the Enunciation to Mary. “The
angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with
God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a
son, and shalt call his name JESUS” (Luke 1:30, 31).
Mary
became a woman with child out of wedlock, which was evil unto God;
but Mary found favor in God’s sight. Thus, if Mary had become
with
child by man, and God still blessed her while in that condition, then
God would be a God of evil. But we know He found favor with her, and
she with Him, for she was with child, but by the Holy Ghost.
c.
In
the Praise of Elizabeth. “She
[Elizabeth] spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this
to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon
as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped
in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall
be a performance of those things which were told her from the
Lord”
(Luke 1:42-45). 56
Was
this the praise to Mary? No!
d.
In
the Song of Mary. “Mary
said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in
God my Saviour...”
(Luke
1:46-55). This was not a song of a woman that had conceived and was
to bear in shame; it was a song filled with joy and praise to God,
who had selected her to bring forth the Messiah.
e.
In
the Prophecy of Zacharias. “Thou,
child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go
before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways” (Luke 1:76).
This
is only a portion of the prophecy of the father of John the Baptist
concerning the work of John, then just born. He declares that the One
whom John shall go before is the Son of God, and not the son of a
man.
f.
In
the Experience of Shepherds. “There
were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping
watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came
upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they
were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall
find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host
praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth
peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:8-14).
When
Christ was born, Heaven shouted a message of praise. Would all this
have happened over a bastard child? Of course not! But Jesus was what
the Word says He is —
Christ
the
Lord!—
the
virgin
son of Mary.
C.
The Objections to the Incarnation.
Many
of the enemies of God are within the body of professed believers —
those
who
claim to be Christians, but deny the virgin birth of Christ. Someone
may ask: “When a person is to be saved, does he have to
believe in
the virgin birth of Christ to be saved? Is this one doctrine which
one must believe and understand to be saved?” Let us answer
by
asking this: “Do you believe that it is possible for a saved
person
not to believe in the virgin birth of Christ?” Of course not!
All
saved, born-again saints of God will believe that our Saviour was
virgin born. The only thing that a lost person has to do to be saved
is to repent of his sins and trust Christ as his Saviour, believing
that He died for his sins and that He rose again from the dead. Saved
people will believe in the virgin birth of our Lord.
Those
who say they are Christians, and deny the virgin birth, are mere
“professors” and not
“possessors.” These enemies within, and
those without the professing Church, object to the virgin birth by
the following arguments:
1.
The
Scholarship of the Day is Against It. This
statement is not true, but it would not matter much if it were, for
we know that “the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it
is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7).
The
unconverted heart 57 knows not God nor of the things of God; and, of
course, it would not believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
lJnregenerated scholars may not accept this divine truth, but there
are great minds of this world sitting upon the chairs of learning in
our leading colleges and universities —
saved
men
- who believe and testify to the virgin birth of Jesus. Really, a
person is not indeed educated until he believes God and His Word:
“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge” (Pro. 1:7).
2.
The
New Testament is Silent Concerning It. Certainly
Matthew is not silent concerning it; surely Luke is not silent
concerning it. God has provided two
witnesses, for
“in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be
established” (II Cor. 13:1). God fulfills the Law, thus
establishing the truth concerning the virgin birth of our Redeemer.
What if there were only one
witness?
It still would be true, for it is God who speaketh.
a.
But
There is the Testimony of Mark. By
this we present indirect evidence which proves the virgin birth of
Christ. There is nothing said against the virgin birth. Mark does not
record the birth of the Lord; does he mean to state that Christ never
existed? Of course not. The Gospel of Mark presents Jesus as the
Perfect Servant; and when considering a servant, no one cares to know
his genealogy; thus the birth of Christ is omitted. The first verse
of Mark’s Gospel states: “The beginning of the
gospel of Jesus
Christ, the Son of God.” Any Hebrew knows that this means
that
Jesus Christ was on an equal with God, and we know that the record
tells us of things Jesus Christ did which no other man could ever do.
b.
But
There is the Testimony of John. “In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God. .
. . And
the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his
glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of
grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). Indeed this is not the
record of a
mere man, but the Son of Man, the Son of God, God Himself!
c.
But
There is the Testimony of Paul. While
stating that these arguments are of Mark, John, Paul, and others, let
us bear in mind that, while these men penned these words, the words
are the words of God, and they express His mind upon the virgin birth
of His Son.
Paul
was separated “unto the gospel of God .
. . concerning
his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David
according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power,
according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the
dead. .
. . what
the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God
sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin,
condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 1:3, 4; 8:3).
“Ye
know
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for
your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be
rich”
(II Cor. 8:9). See also Philippians 2:5-7; Galatians 4:4; I John
4:2; Colossians 2:8.
3.
The
Early Church Didn’t Believe It. This
is another false argument against the virgin birth which can be
refuted easily. The early creeds of the Church plainly declared the
virgin birth.
a.
The
Apostles’ Creed. This
dates back to the second century. The word “creed”
comes from the
Latin, credo,
which
means, “I believe.” These creeds came first orally,
58 then
written.
b.
The
Nicene Creed. This
goes back to the fourth century. When Arius stated that Jesus was a
created being, and not the Son from all eternity, a council was
called to settle the fact that Christ, though born of the virgin, has
existed co-eternally with the Father. The Council at Constantinople
(381) was called. This council also refers to the fact of the virgin
birth of Christ.
c.
The
Te Deum Laudamus. This
was an ancient hymn preserved by the Church, which proved that the
Early Church believed in the virgin birth of Christ.
4.
It
Is Against the Laws of Nature. To
this argument against the virgin birth, we reply, “It most
certainly is
against
the laws of nature.” For this was not the birth of a mere
baby, but
the birth of the Son of God in the flesh. Did you ever take time to
consider that this might have been the only way by which God could
have come in the flesh —
by
the
virgin birth?
There
are three ways by which God made human beings not according to the
laws of nature: (1) When He made Adam without the aid of a man and
woman; (2) when He made Eve without the aid of a woman; (3) when He
made Christ without the aid of a man.
5.
It
Is Too Much Like Mythology. It
is true that many idolatrous religions have taught that their gods
were the offsprings of women, but not wholly of virginity; rather,
that these women had carnal relations with other gods which produced
the people’s gods. Can there be any comparison between the
birth of
Jesus Christ and the reported stories of those myths? Of course not!
The virgin births of the men of mythology are not virgin, but the
result of carnal intercourse.
6.
In Calling Himself the Son of Man Christ Denied the Virgin Birth.
Remember,
the Lord Jesus Christ never said, “I am a
Son
of
a
man”;
but, “I am the
Son
of
Man.”
7.
The
Need of a Purification Proved That This Was a Natural Birth. Under
the law of Israel all women were unclean. The purpose of this law was
hygienic, to save the woman’s health, protecting her from the
pleasure of her husband while she was still in a weakened condition,
caused by childbirth.
D.
The Objects of the Incarnation.
What
were the purposes of the virgin birth?
1.
To
Reveal the Invisible God. “No
man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the
bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). Jesus
Christ is the Exposition of God, the Revealer of God. If you want to
know what God is like, look upon Jesus.
2.
To
Fulfill Prophecy.
a.
The
Seed as an Example. “I
will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and
her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his
heel”
(Gen. 3:15). A woman does not have seed; seed belongs to the man. But
this Scripture mentions the “seed of the woman.”
This is contrary
to nature and refers, of course, to the 59 virgin birth —
fulfilled
when Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ.
b.
The
Virgin as an Example. “The
Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive,
and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Is.
7:14). This
Scripture means exactly what we mean.
3.
To
Fulfill the Davidic Covenant. “There
shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall
grow out of his roots. .
. . And
in
that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an
ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest
shall be glorious” (Is. 11:1, 10). “Behold, the
days come, saith
the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in
the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell
safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS” (Jer. 23:5, 6). “Men and brethren,
let me freely
speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and
buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a
prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of
the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up
Christ to sit on his throne; he seeing this before spake of the
resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither
his flesh did see corruption” (Acts 2:29-31). See also I
Samuel
7:4-17; Luke 1:32, 33.
4.
To
Sacrifice For Our Sins. “Ye
know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no
sin” (I John 3:5). “It is not possible that the
blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the
world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body
hast thou prepared me. .
. . Above
when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering
for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are
offered by the law; then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.
He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the
which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:4, 5, 8-10).
“Moreover,
brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you,
which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye
are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye
have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that
which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to
the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the
third day according to the scriptures” (I Cor. 15:1-4).
a.
A
Sacrifice of Beast Never Took Away Sin. It
is God who instituted animal sacrifice. Yet all the blood for
centuries shed upon Jewish altars never took one sin away.
Why,
then, was it commanded? It was commanded in order to provide a
“covering” for sins until the blood of Christ would
come and
“wash” them away. No, animal sacrifices could never
take away
sin, for the sacrifice must come up to the level of man, for whom it
is sacrificed.
b.
The
Sacrifice Must Be Sinless. We
agree that a “man must be sacrificed for a man”;
animals do not
come up to the level of man. Yet one sinful man cannot be offered up
as a sacrifice for another sinful man, for if the first sinful man
must die, he must die for his own
sin.
c.
The
Sacrifice Must Be an Infinite Sacrifice. Not
only must the sacrifice come up to the level of man, for whom it is
offered, but it must come up to the level of God,
whom
it 60 must satisfy! Jesus, our Lord, fulfilled all! “His own
self
bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
sin, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were
healed”
(I Peter 2:24).
5.
To
Provide the Redeemed With a High Priest. “In
all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he
might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. .
. . Wherefore,
holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the
Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus”
(Heb.
2:17; 3:1).
Today
we have One, even Jesus Christ, who stands for us before God. We have
an accuser (Rev. 12:10), who accuses us daily before God, but we also
have an advocate with the Father, who maketh intercession for us.
6.
To Show Believers How To Live. “He
that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as
he walked” (I John 2:6). “For even hereunto were ye
called:
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye
should follow his steps” (I Peter 2:21).
7.
To
Become the Head of a New Creation. “He
that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he
said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful”
(Rev.
21:5). See also II Corinthians 5:17; I Corinthians 15: 4, 47.
E.
The
Perpetuity of the Incarnation.
By
this we mean the “everlasting of the incarnation.”
God will
always be manifested in the flesh in the person of His Son Jesus
Christ.
1.
Is
Essential To the Integrity of Our Lord’s Manhood. Our
Lord, now in glory, has His manhood. He is man today.
2.
Is
Essential To Our Lord’s High Priesthood. “Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also
himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime
subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of
angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all
things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he
might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that
he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them
that are tempted” (Heb. 2: 14-18). “And they truly
were many
priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of
death: but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable
priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost
that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice,
first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this
he did
once, when he 61 offered up himself. For the law maketh men high
priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was
since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for
evermore”
(Heb. 7:23-28). “For Christ is not entered into the holy
places
made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven
itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us” (Heb.
9:24).
“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who
for
the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God”
(Heb. 12:2).
3.
Is
Essential To Our Lord’s Return and Millennium Reign. “While
they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up,
behold,
two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This
same Jesus, which
is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye
have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:10, 11). “I
have said,
Mercy shall be built up for ever; thy faithfulness shalt thou
establish in the very heavens. I have made a covenant with my chosen.
I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish for
ever, and build up thy throne to all generations” (Ps.
89:2-4). “In
that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and
close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I
will build it as in the days of old” (Amos 9:11). See also
Isaiah
9:6, 7; 55:3, 4.
F.
The Proofs of the Incarnation.
The
proofs of the incarnation are centered in Christ Himself!
1.
Such
As His Sinless Life. “We
have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin” (Heb. 4:15). “For he hath made him to
be sin for us,
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in
him” (II Cor. 5:21). Only God, in human flesh, could live the
sinless life.
2.
Such
As His Resurrection. “Now
is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them
that slept” (I Cor. 15:20). Would He have been raised from
the dead
had He not been the incarnate Son of God? Of course not.
[This
ends the block quote of Dr. Cambron. Dr. Cambron's book, Bible
Doctrines
will, with the permission of the Cambron Institute,
be given in block quotes throughout this effort. The book is readily
available through http://www.thecambroninstitute.org,
and it forms the foundational basis for much of this Systematic
Theology.]
The
Wolves Without Attack
Those that would deny
the incarnation are wolves, but they have set aside their sheep's
clothing. "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the
Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he
that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." (1John
2:22-23) Such deniers are often labeled as a "cult"
, "a
religion or
religious sect generally considered to be extremist or false, with
its followers often living in an unconventional manner under the
guidance of an authoritarian, charismatic leader."
Such a title is aptly applied to both Joseph Smith (1805 –
1844),
the founder of the Mormon religion, and Charles Taze Russell (1852
– 1916), the founder of the JW religion. Each had a beginning
in
"Christianity" and came to a place where they set aside
their sheep's clothing and denied the incarnation. The Apostle John
says of these "They went out from us, but they were not of us;
for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with
us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they
were not all of us." (2:19) Ellen G. White (1827 – 1915), the
founder of the Seventh Day Adventist, is characterized a cult
because of her false teachings about the means of salvation and the
advents of Christ, but she, in doctrine, never denied the
incarnation. She, and the SDA, do, however, deny the power and
efficacy of the incarnation of Christ. The are aptly called a cult.
Other religions which
deny the incarnation are not categorized as cults because they never
donned the sheep's clothing. False religions, which make no pretense
of believing the Holy Bible, are labeled as false religions, not as
Christian cults. Indian Hinduism and its three reformations, Jainism,
Buddhism, and Sikhism; Oriental Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism,
Persiona Zoroastrianism, and Islam,
all these deny the incarnation of Christ, but they deny the label
"Christian" as well. Christianity is not a religion, it is
a relationship, a relationship based on the incarnation of Christ.
The real attack on the doctrine of the incarnation comes from within.
The
Wolves Within Attack
The far more subtle and
dangerous wolf is the one still wearing the sheep's clothing. The
American Baptist Churches (USA) and its larger enterprise the Baptist
World Alliance (BWA), an ecumenical alliance founded in 1905, does
not deny the Virgin Birth of Christ, nor the incarnation, they just
refuse to acknowledge that it is a doctrine. Their intent is to "Let
the Spirit unite us, and not let doctrine divide us." For the
American Baptist Association, inclusiveness is more important than
doctrine. Ergo they have said "The virgin birth is only recorded
in two of the four gospels, so it is only 50-50 whether one believes
it or not."
These are false teachers that remain among us, and although they do
not deny the incarnation of Christ, they will not preach the
incarnation of Christ. Christ warns us "Beware of false
prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly
they
are ravening wolves." The incarnation of Christ is a cardinal
Christian doctrine.
It needs to be said
again that the Holy Bible is to be the sole authority for our
Christology. What the philosopher says, and what the Roman historical
perspectives say are dangerous and always detract from a pure Bible
source. The danger is illustrated via Stephen J. Wellum, PhD, Trinity
Evangelical Divinity School, professor of Christian theology at the
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, who
published his 2016 book, “God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine
of
Christ.” In his flyleaf he says that he “lays out a
systematic
summary of Christology from philosophical, biblical, and historical
perspectives.”
Fred G. Zaspel, Author and Pastor of a Reformed Baptist Church
endorses Wellum's treatment saying it is marked by “a close
acquaintance with the centuries of discussion surrounding
it,” and
Michael Horton, Professor of Systematic Theology at Westminster
Seminary California, concurs that “Wellum engages a wide
range of
issues and conversation partners. Consolidating the gains of
evangelical Christological reflection... as well as philosophical,
systematic, and historical theology.”
Protestant and Reformed theology
books do not value the
Holy Bible as the sole source of their doctrine. With no philosophy,
and no Roman history lessons, Christology, the Doctrine of Christ, must
be based on three things, The Holy Bible, The Holy Scripture,
and The Word of God, or the Bible, the Bible and the Bible.
The Two
Natures of Christ
www.truthaboutthechrist.com/thetruthaboutthechrist/twonatures.html
This Series' Table of
Contents