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What
Christadelphians believe about ...
Jesus Christ
"Who was Jesus Christ, who died and
rose again?"
This question must be important to all who believe the
words of Christ when he said, "Except ye believe
that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (John
8:24), and also the words of John, "Whosoever
believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God"
(1 John 5:1).
It was a
question that Christ himself put to the religious leaders
of his day: "What think ye of Christ? Whose son is
he?" It is a question that has agitated the world
ever since, going beyond even the bounds of debate, and
extending to violence, bloodshed, and war, fulfilling
Christ's own prediction, "I am not come to send
peace on earth, but a sword, for from henceforth there
shall be division" (Luke 12:49,53). Thus this very
turmoil is evidence of the divinity of the subject.
There
must have been something extraordinary about Christ for
him to have filled so large a place in the world's
history, and to have been such a bone of contention with
both Jew and Gentile. But let us see what the Scriptures
testify of him rather than human thinking.
1 They give us a
reason why Jesus Christ was called the Son of God. He was
not naturally begotten, but generated in a virgin mother
by the power of the Spirit of God, which created all
things.
| Luke 1:35 |
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"The
angel said unto her (Mary), the Holy Spirit shall
come upon thee, and the power of the Highest
shall overshadow thee: Therefore also, that holy
thing that shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God" |
| Matthew
1:20 |
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"Joseph,
thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee thy
wife, for that which is conceived in her is of
the Holy Spirit" |
| Isaiah
9:6 |
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"Unto
us a child is born; unto us a son is given" |
2 They inform us
that though the Son of God, he was of like physical
nature with man, and was put to the proof in all points
as others are, though demonstrating perfect obedience.
| Hebrews
2:14 |
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"Forasmuch
then as the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, it became him likewise to partake of the
same" |
| Hebrews
2:17 |
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"In
all things it behoved him to be made like unto
his brethren" |
| Hebrews
4:15 |
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"He
was in all points tempted like as we are, yet
without sin" |
| Hebrews
5:7,8 |
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"Though
he were a son, he learnt obedience through the
things that he suffered" |
| Romans
5:19 |
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"By
the obedience of one shall many be made
righteous" |
| Hebrews
9:12; 5:9 |
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"He obtained eternal
redemption …he became the author of eternal
salvation to all them that obey him" |
| Ephesians
1:20 |
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"God
hath raised him from the dead" |
| Romans
1:3 |
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"He
is declared to he the Son of God … by the
resurrection from the dead" |
| Romans
6:9 |
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"Being
raised from the dead, he dieth no more: death
hath no more dominion over him" |
| 2 Corinthians
4:14 |
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"He
that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us
also by Jesus" |
| Philippians
3:21 |
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"He
shall change our vile body and fashion it like to
his own glorious body " |
3 On the other
hand, while the Scriptures speak of Christ as "the
man Christ Jesus" (the Son of God who was in
subjection to the Eternal Father, learning wisdom and
yielding obedience), they show him at the same time as
the manifestation of God upon earth. This they do on
account of the divine presence that begat him, dwelt in
him, spoke through him, worked by him, and abode with
him. So he was constituted identically with the Father,
who thus manifested Himself.
| Matthew
1:23 |
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"Emmanuel,
God with us" |
| John 1:14 |
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"The
word made flesh" |
| John
10:30 |
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"I
and my Father are one" |
| John 6:38 |
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"I
came down from heaven" |
| Colossians
1:15 |
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"The image of the invisible
God … the express image of his person" |
| Hebrews
1:3 |
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| 1 Timothy
3:16 |
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"Great
is the mystery of godliness, God (or as the RV
has it, "He who") was manifested in the
flesh" |
| John 14:
9, 10 |
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"The
words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself
… the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth
the works. He that hath seen me hath seen the
Father" |
These
Scriptural statements show us that Jesus Christ was the
incarnation of the Eternal Father, who, though dwelling
in heaven, and filling immensity with His Spirit,
manifested Himself on earth 2000 years ago, in the
wonderful manner shown in the birth, life, works, death,
and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
This article is based
on one of a series of Bible Fingerposts
originally published by the Christadelphian
Office.
A link to The Christadelphian Office's own
website can be found on our Links page.
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