Skip to main content

Brief Reflections on our Statement of Faith: #3 The Lord Jesus Christ


Article 3. – The Lord Jesus Christ.

We believe that the eternal Son of God became incarnate through the virgin birth, and received a human body and a sinless human nature. He became and remained a perfect man, and yet He retained His absolute deity, and is at the same time very God and very man (Luke 1:30-35; 2:40; John 1:1-18; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 4:15).
We believe that in fulfillment of prophecy He came first to Israel as her Messiah-King, and that being rejected of that nation, He, according to the eternal counsels of God, gave His life as a ransom for many. Jesus Christ died on the cross in our place, for our sins, as our substitute (John 1:11, 29; Acts 2:22-24; Romans 3:23-26; 2 Corinthians 5:14, 21; 1 Timothy 2:6; Hebrews 10:5-14; 1 Peter 3:18).
We believe that Jesus Christ literally arose from the dead in the same body, though glorified, in which He had lived and died. The resurrected Christ walked and talked with men and women. His resurrection confirmed the truth of all He said, and it guarantees the redemption and resurrection of all who believe in Him (John 20 & 21; Romans 1:4; 5:8; 4:25; 1 Corinthians 15:5-6; 15:20-22; 2 Corinthians 4:14; Ephesians 1:19-22; 1 Peter 1:3-5).
We believe that Jesus Christ ascended to heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as Head of the Church and as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate (Acts 1:9-11; John 14:2; Ephesians 1:20-23; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 4:14-16; 6:20; 7:25; 9:24; 1 John 2:1-2).

Why is it important to believe that Jesus was truly God and truly man? Fundamentally, because were he not both of these things, he could not be our Savior. 

In Romans 5:12 and following, the apostle Paul helps us understand that because it is through a man that sin entered the world, it will only be through a man that sin is dealt with. However, no mere man can pay the penalty for sin. Our own sins are too much for us, and to add the sins of another to our account would make the burden impossible. We need a Savior who is a man, but who is also more than a man. 

And so we read that the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. The eternal Word of the Father came into history as the man Christ Jesus. His divinity, his God-ness, is the real thing. He has always been God and been with God. Yet his humanity is also the real thing. He took on our human weaknesses, and experienced our temptations. But he didn't ever sin. And so, as a sinless man, he was fit to stand in the place of human sinners. But as the God-man, he was also able to take our sins and pay them in full.

 This is what Christians call the Gospel, or the Good News. Jesus died and rose again so that sinners who trust in him may have eternal life. And it is all dependent upon Jesus being truly God and truly man.

Popular posts from this blog

Sermon: Jesus and Judgement, John 7:53-8:11

Jesus and Judgement? John 7:53-8:11 Remsen Bible Fellowship, 08/25/19 Intro:  Do you know what it’s like to feel desperate? Like you’re in dire need of someone to rescue you from your situation? Perhaps it’s a situation for which you are responsible: you’ve made a big mistake at work; or at home you’ve overspent your budget and an unexpected bill hits; perhaps you’ve lied to a friend and now they’ve found out. Desperate situations come in all shapes and sizes, sometimes of our own making, sometimes not. We are going to meet a woman in our passage this morning who is in a very desperate situation. A woman needing rescue.  Read: John 7:53-8:11 1: Difficulties and Approach  Before we dive into the text itself, we need to address the oddity of what we find in our Bibles here. If you’re looking at a bible in your lap or on your phone, you’ll see that these verses are either placed in brackets, or even relegated to a footnote. Then there is bracketed explanat...
Read more

Unity and Glory; John 17:20-26

Unity and Glory John 17:20-26, Remsen Bible Fellowship, 05/24/2020 Introduction, v20 For the past two weeks, in v6-19 , we heard Jesus praying for his disciples. The argument I made in those sermons, though, was that those prayers didn’t merely apply to the original 11, but that they had implications for us in the 21st century. But today, I don’t have to make that argument. Jesus does. Look at verse 20, I do not ask for these [the 11] only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. Do you believe in Jesus this morning? Do you believe that he came from the Father, lived a perfect life, died a substitutionary death for you, and rose again promising life to all who trust in him? If you believe this message, preached by the apostles and recorded in the Scriptures, if you believe in this Jesus, then listen up. Because we’re about to read his prayer for you.  Read the text.  I think it’s useful to note at the outset this simple fact: Jesus is praying for us. Las...
Read more

Love is the Root and the Fruit John 15:9-17

Love is the Root and the Fruit John 15:9-17 Remsen Bible Fellowship, 02/16/20 Introduction: Do you know how it feels to be loved? To feel like someone is totally for you, would give their all for you?  What does that sort of love do to you? How does it change you? Think in the context of a child, spouse, parent, or friend. A Context of Love: v9, 13 Remember that we are in the upper room. John 13:1 Jesus has just given the illustration of vine/branches: now he’s unpacking that. As Jesus moves toward laying a heavy emphasis on obedience, he wants us to remember the setting in which that obedience lies: his full and perfect love. V9 How long has the Father loved the Son? John 17:24 Jesus wants that same love to be in us ( 17:26 ), and for those chosen by Christ you have been loved since before the foundation of the world. Eph 1:3-6, esp v4 How does Jesus demonstrate, ultimately, that too the max love? The cross. V13 Commands of Love: v9, 10, ...
Read more