The Body of Christ - Part 3

At this time, it is of utmost importance that we look at the body Christ received and lived in during His time upon the earth.

Jesus Christ Was Born of a Virgin

Perhaps the greatest miracle concerning the birth of Christ is the fact that He was born of a virgin. This fact is a cardinal truth of Christianity, and in no wise can it be compromised. No one who teaches otherwise is a Christian! To claim to believe any other way concerning Christ’s birth is to believe a lie! Look at the scriptures:

Isaiah 7:14 – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

Matthew 1:22, 23 – “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.”

I am fully aware that many of the newer versions of the Bible omit the word, “virgin,” replacing it with “young woman.” THIS IS WHY I HAVE PREACHED, AND CONTINUE TO PREACH, THAT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A KING JAMES BIBLE, YOU ARE IN DIRE NEED OF A BIBLE! If the only Bible you possess is a New International Version, a plain-Jane, dog-eared, King James, Gideon Bible would beat your so-called Bible all to pieces!

Yes, I believe in the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Mary was a virgin when she brought forth her firstborn son, Jesus Christ. The atheist says, “That’s not scientific!” Well, I’ve got news for the atheist. The same atheist who says that the virgin birth of Jesus Christ is not scientific will turn around and say that the first human being was born of apes (or at least a non-human “missing link”). THAT’S NOT SCIENTIFIC EITHER! So, dear atheist, if you are going to discount the Bible because of its miracles, then quit being a hypocrite and denounce the goofy miracles of evolution and the big bang theory (neither of which are scientific).

“What is the big deal about the virgin birth?” you may ask. The virgin birth is of vital importance because it defines clearly who Jesus Christ is. Jesus Christ had a Father – but not an earthly father. Had Mary not been a virgin when Christ was born, then Christ’s father would be Joseph. But Christ’s father was NOT Joseph! Christ was not the son of Joseph; Christ was the Son of God!

Luke 1:35 – “And the angel answered and said unto her [Mary], 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.”

It would be good, at this time, to point out that Jesus Christ, God-in-the-flesh, was Mary’s Saviour! Mary made this claim! Had Mary not had a Saviour, she would have gone to hell. MARY WAS NOT IMMACULATE! Mary herself claimed to have had a Saviour!

Luke 1:46, 47 – “And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

Yes, the body that Jesus Christ received was a product of a virgin!

Christ’s Body Was Like Ours!

Romans 8:3 – “For 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.”

Philippians 2:7 – “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”

It is another vital fact that Christ not only took upon Himself flesh, but He took upon Himself flesh like ours! He was made like me and you! He knows what it is to grow tired, to get hungry, to be betrayed by friends, to be mistreated, to be rejected, to pray in agony, to feel alone, to suffer physically, and to be poor. Everything you have ever suffered, whether you can comprehend it or not – our Saviour has experienced it!

Hebrews 2:17, 18 – “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.”

Hebrews 4:15 – “For 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.”

In His body, Christ suffered what we suffer. Yet He suffered it without sin. He suffered it without complaint. He suffered it, providing us an example of victory. His example of a holy life in a human body makes us inexcusable. The same Christ who lived holy in His body can live holy in yours! Two crucial facts concerning Christ’s body while upon the earth – His body was like ours; and in His body He was perfectly sinless!

Understanding that Christ’s body was like ours, we know that Christ was limited. Jesus Christ, the limitless God, voluntarily limited Himself by clothing Himself in a body. It is very difficult for us to grasp – the fact that Jesus Christ humbled Himself in such a manner. Scholars through the centuries have tried to explain this great humility of our Saviour, and most such endeavors are insufficient. Scholars call it the “self-emptying” of Christ. There are many debates concerning HOW Christ emptied Himself; and TO WHAT EXTENT Christ emptied Himself. But let us not forget the important fact – Christ took upon Himself a human body, limiting Himself in the flesh. He who was once omniscient humbled Himself, “increasing in wisdom.” He who was omnipresent confined Himself to one location in a human body.

Oh, how our great Saviour humbled Himself, departing from the ivory palaces of heaven to live in this dark world. No one will fully understand the demotion that Christ took to rescue mankind from our sins. May we stand in awe in His presence, dwelling upon such a great matter as this!

TO BE CONTINUED…

The Body of Christ - Part 2

Having seen to some degree the importance of the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, had a body, I will continue to discuss this actual, physical body our Lord obtained.

The Body of Christ before His Birth

First, I want to look at the body Christ had before He was born. Jesus Christ did exist before He was born. No, I am not teaching the false idea that when Christ was born He was reincarnated. Reincarnation is a lie from hell. However, Christ did exist prior to His birth in the form of God. At His birth, He who was in the form of God took upon Himself the form of flesh – the form of a servant:

Philippians 2:6, 7 – “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.”

Christ existed before He was born. His existence was not in the form of an animal, another human being, or any earthly creature. He existed in the form of God!

Although Christ existed before He was born – He had no human body! His Father prepared Him a body. The scripture records this conversation between the Father and the Son, concerning the Son receiving a body. Before I look at this conversation, allow me to briefly discuss a couple of points that will benefit the reader.

God is Holy!

This is the forgotten attribute of God today. When Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up, the heavenly hosts cried out, “Holy, holy, holy!” The church world today cries out, “Love, love, love!” But Isaiah beheld angelic beings acknowledging the holiness of God. Upon beholding God in his holiness, Isaiah cried out, “Woe is me! For I am undone!” In the first five chapters of Isaiah, we read where Isaiah cries out against the sins of various people. In Isaiah 3:9, he cries out, “Woe unto their [Jerusalem’s] soul!” In Isaiah 3:11, it was, “Woe unto the wicked!” In Isaiah 5:8, he cries, “Woe unto them that join house to house!” In Isaiah 5:11, he states, “Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink!” He continues in Isaiah 5:18, “Woe unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity.” In the same chapter, verse 20, Isaiah says, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.” This verse is followed by verse 21, where Isaiah says, “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes.” Then in verse 22, “Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine.” But when we come to Isaiah chapter 6, and Isaiah catches a glimpse of God Almighty upon His throne, the tone changes. It is no longer, “Woe unto this one,” and “woe unto that one!” Now, Isaiah’s heart’s cry is, “Woe is me! For I am undone!” God is so holy that even Isaiah the prophet, a good man, had to hide his face in the presence of a holy God. When I say God is holy, I am saying that God is spotless. God is pure. God is righteous. God is without any blemish of any kind. God is perfect, as far as you wish to spread that word. God is so holy that all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags in His sight!

Isaiah 64:6 – “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

God is so holy and pure that when John the Revelator saw Him upon His majestic throne, the question rang out throughout the heavens, “Who is worthy to open the book?” The Father had a book in His hand, sealed with seven seals. No one in heaven and earth was found worthy to even OPEN A BOOK in the presence of a holy God! There was one who finally was found worthy, and it was Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God! I have heard people boast of their own sinlessness. How sick! I read on Facebook once where a man claimed to have gone 27 years without committing a single sin! However, when I read Revelation 5, and the question is asked, “Who is worthy to open the book?” none of these sinless people step forward! Let us get this straight – God is absolutely holy, and mankind is disgusting in His sight! Flesh reeks in the nostrils of God Almighty!

The Holy God of the Bible is Just, and He Hates Sin!

When I speak of God’s holiness, I am speaking jointly of God’s holy hatred toward sin. This is another point that so many ministers wish to skip over. But we must not avoid it. Sin is abominable in the sight of God Almighty. God is INTOLERANT toward sin. Offending God Almighty is serious business!

God is not only holy in his character; but He is also just in His dealings with sin. God will deal with sin. Sin will not be winked at; it will be recompensed. Mankind is guilty of sinning against a holy, just God. What should God do with us? I’ll tell you what God should do. If there were no gospel message; if Jesus had never come; if God Almighty had left us to ourselves; if God the Father would open up the earth, and swallow every human being into the pit of a dark, black hell – that would only be fair! That would be just and right.

“If God is just,” you say, “then why doesn’t He just cast us all into hell?” That brings us to this ever-important point.

A Conversation between the Father and the Son

Before Jesus was born in Bethlehem, He was in heaven with the Father, equal with God. At some point before His birth, Jesus Christ the Son had a conversation with His Father about the very point we are discussing. In the following passage, we have the Son speaking to the Father:

Hebrews 10:5-7 – “Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but A BODY HAST THOU PREPARED ME: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”

The Son acknowledged to the Father that it was the Father’s will for a body to be prepared for the Son! Jesus would come to earth and be given a human body! The Son tells the Father, “A body hast thou prepared me!” I like that word, “prepared.” God the Father spent centuries preparing this body! He called Abraham out of the land of the Chaldees, to make a great nation of him! This great nation would be the people from which Christ’s body would come! Ruth left Moab to meet Boaz. Why? Because God the Father was preparing the Son a body! Samuel went to Jesse’s house; not just to anoint a king; but because God was preparing His Son a body! The righteous line that led to the birth of Christ was attacked by the enemy, but it was preserved by God the Father! The Father was preparing a body for His Son!

What is the big deal about the Son telling His Father, “A body hast thou prepared me”? Here are some important implications of this truth:

1) Jesus would take upon Himself a human body.

2) In this human body, Jesus would live a sinless life. This is extremely important.

3) Jesus would give His body to the wrath of His Father. God, who hates and must punish sin, would lash out in anger against His own, innocent, sinless, spotless, holy Son! Jesus wanted His Father to give Him a body so that His Father’s wrath could be poured out upon that body, instead of being poured out upon us! If Jesus had committed one sin in that body, He would not be able to die for us; He would have died for His own sin!

Yes, I am humbled to think that the Son of the living God, who is perfectly holy and innocent, would ask His Father for a body, for the sole purpose of bearing His Father’s wrath for me! What a Saviour!

The Body of Christ

God Became a Man!

Upon seeing the subject of this post, the reader may assume that I will write concerning the church of Jesus Christ. In assuming this, the reader is only partly right, as truths concerning the church constitute only a small part of the content herein.

I want to focus on the physical body of Jesus Christ for my subject today, and trust that the reader will be blessed.

I rejoice in the truth that God Almighty took upon Himself a human body. Had there been no body, there would have been no blood. And without the shedding of blood is no remission for sins. The scriptures also make quite an ordeal about God clothing Himself in humanity.

Matthew 1:23 – “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.”

John 1:1, 14 – “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…”

Romans 8:3 – “For 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.”

Philippians 2:5-8 – “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

II Timothy 3:16 – “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh…”

I make an ordeal about God being clothed in flesh because the Bible makes an ordeal about it. Shepherds traveled over the plains to see the King wrapped in swaddling clothes. Wise men came from afar to see God Almighty who was wrapped in the form of a child. Angelic hosts praised God from the heavens when God became a man! The Father Himself beheld as His only begotten Son would exit the glory world, taking a journey to this corrupt and filthy earth to redeem lost mankind. Since the scriptures make such a big deal of this dynamic doctrine, it would be in order for every gospel preacher to make an equivalent ruckus concerning the matter.

I will go as far as to say that the doctrine of God becoming man is as important as any doctrine of the Word of God. If you do not believe that Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh, you do not believe the Bible. If you believe that Jesus Christ was God prior to His birth, but at the time of His birth lost His deity, you have departed from the solid teachings of Scripture. The Father Himself promised the Son that His throne of deity would NOT be temporary, but that it would be forever.

Hebrews 1:8 – “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.”

Now, it goes without saying that, in order to take on a human body, limitations would be placed upon God’s omniscience. Luke tells us that the child “increased in wisdom.” One who is omniscient (knows everything) does not increase in wisdom. Obviously, Jesus laid aside His omniscience to become a man. BUT LAYING ASIDE OMNISCIENCE DID NOT CHANGE WHO HE WAS! While in the flesh, His name was called Emmanuel, meaning “GOD WITH US!” Obviously, since Jesus was in a human body, He was not omnipresent (everywhere at once). A body limited Him. But a body did not change who Jesus was! No matter how much God limited Himself to take on a human body, none of these limitations changed God! God changed forms – He who was in the form of God changed forms, taking upon Himself the form of flesh – but the form of flesh could not change who He was! If you saw Jesus, you saw the Father! If heard the words of Christ, you heard the words of God!

God, in the person of Jesus Christ, took a human body upon Himself. We celebrate this truth each time we take communion. “This is my body,” Jesus said, “which is broken for you!” Had it not been for His broken body, how lost we would be!

TO BE CONTINUED…