The Provision (Part 2)

God provided man a savior who is able to bear and survive His infinite wrath for He sent someone who is infinite—that is, God in the person of Christ. However, man needed, at the same time, a human being who can perfectly obey the commandments of God. Thus, a savior should not only be God but also a man.

May this lesson amaze you on the wonder of the incarnation of God. Though God is the highest, He humbled Himself and became man and dwelt among us.

A. Jesus had human origin

1. He had human conception

Mary was not yet married with Joseph when she conceived Jesus Christ (Matt. 1:18). They were only engaged. Thus, the Bible de- clares the conception as miraculous since Mary was a virgin upon conceiving Christ in her womb.

2. He had human family

B. Jesus had human body

C. Jesus had human growth

Jesus grew through childhood to adulthood just as other children grow. The Bible proclaims that Christ progressed in all areas of his humanity. Fill in the blanks below. Get your answer from Luke 2:52, a passage describing Christ’s growth as man.

Luke 2:52 - 'And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.'

Christ humanity is mysterious having the fact that He is not only fully human but also fully God. He is the only person who is 100% God and at the same time 100% man. He is God-man. He is one person but has two natures – divine and human. He is both eternal and temporal, uncreated and created.

Even the Apostle Paul was profoundly in awe of the wonder of the union of Christ’s divinity and humanity. He said, “great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh” (1Timothy 3:16).

A. Jesus Christ is Fully God and Fully Man

1. Who is Jesus Christ according to John 1:1-3?

John 1:1-3 - ' In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. '

2. What did Christ become and do according to John 1:14?

John 1:14 - 'And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. '

3. Who is Jesus Christ according to Philippians 2:6?

Philippians 2:6 - 'who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, '

4. What did Christ become according to Philippians 2:7?

Philippians 2:7 - 'but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. '

The following is Dr. Sam Storms’ insightful reflection on the mystery of the divine and human nature of Christ and of the wonder of the incarnation of the Son of God.

The Word became flesh / God became human / the invisible became visible / the untouchable became touchable / eternal life experienced temporal death / the transcendent one descended and drew near / the unlimited became limited / the infinite became finite / the immutable became mutable / the unbreakable became fragile /spirit became matter / eternity entered time / the independent became de- pendent / the almighty became weak / the loved became the hated / the exalted was humbled / glory was subjected to shame / fame turned into obscurity / from inexpressible joy to tears of unimaginable grief / from a throne to a cross / from ruler to being ruled / frompower to weakness.  

A. It is necessary for man’s salvation

2. It is necessary for a savior to die as substitute for the guilty. “If Jesus had not been a man, he could not have died in our place and paid the penalty that was due to us... Jesus had to become a man, not an angel, because God was concerned with saving men, not with angels. But to do this he ‘had to’ be made like us in every way, so that he might become ‘the propitiation’ for us, the sacrifice that is an acceptable substitute for us” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p540). This subject will also be tackled deeper in the next Bible Study material.

3. It is necessary for a savior to be a man and not some other being or thing so that He can be the One mediator between God and men. “We needed a mediator who could represent us to God and who could represent God to us” (Grudem, 541).

B. It is necessary for God’s glorification

The humanity of Christ magnified the different facets of God’s all-glorious attrib- utes. For lack of space, only three will be mentioned here. First, Christ’s humanity shows the trustworthiness of God as He kept His promise to provide salvation for man (Genesis 3:15). Second, it shows the humility of God. He is infinite yet be- came finite.

Third, the humanity of Christ shows the graciousness of God. Salvation is a gra- cious (undeserved) gift from the Lord (Ephesians 2:8). God did not come down fromheaven to earth because man is worth dying for. He came on earth in spite of man’s unworthiness. He came to demonstrate His merciful love towards sinners (Romans 5:8), people who have rejected and insulted Him by valuing other things more than Him. He came down to rescue people who are His enemies (Romans 3:10). As Dr. Storms says, “The marvel of it all is that he did it for you and me! It was an expression of the depths of his love for you that the Word entered the depths of human ugliness, human weakness, human humiliation.”

What truth from this lesson is most meaningful for you?

What are some of the things you should do in relation to the truths you learned here?

Suggested Readings: The Gospel of John, at least 1 chapter a day