Christ Church

Through the Blood of His Cross (A Chalcedon Christmas #4)
Christ Church on December 19, 2021
Read Full Article

The Person & Work of Christ (A Chalcedon Christmas #3)

Christ Church on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

INTRODUCTION

At the beginning of Hebrews 3, we are told that Jesus Christ is the Apostle and High Priest of our confession. As an apostle, sent from the Father, He represents God to us. As a high priest, designated to come before God on our behalf, He represents us to God. Consequently, the bridge between God and man is a bridge that can be traveled in both directions—from God to man, and from man to God. But in order to be the high priest, He also had to serve as the sacrifice, and this meant that He had to be a spotless sacrifice. This also is addressed by the author of Hebrews.

THE TEXT

“Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 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. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:14–16).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

Because Christ was given to us, we have a great high priest. Because He is our high priest, He travels away from us, in order represent us in the heavens. In the heavens, He sprinkles His own blood on the altar (Heb. 9:12), and in the heavens He also intercedes for you (Rom. 8:34), praying for you by name.

We are instructed to hold fast our profession precisely because we have a high priest in the heavens, and this high priest knows exactly what it is like down here. The original word here is sympatheo—we have a high priest who is sympathetic with us in our infirmities. He was tempted in all the same basic areas we are tempted, and yet without sin. His ability to sympathize with us is not despite His perfection, but rather is the result of His perfection.

His throne is a throne of grace, not a throne of recrimination or accusation. It is a throne of grace. So, we are told, when you are in need of grace (unmerited favor) or mercy (demerited favor), or both, you are supposed to come to his throne boldly.

All of this is reflected wonderfully in the Definition of Chalcedon, which says that Christ was “like us in all respects, apart from sin.”

TRUE TEMPTATION?

Some people are prone to rely on their own wits instead of the plain instruction of Scripture, and so they reason something like this. “If it was not possible for Christ to sin, then in what way was His temptation a true temptation?” And because we share some of the frailties of the objector, this kind of thing sometimes make sense to us.

Let us answer it with another illustration. Were Christ’s bones breakable? And the answer to that question is both yes and no. They were breakable in that they were made of the same breakable substance as our bones are. His bones were not unbreakable; they were not made out of titanium. But because Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35), because the Word of God is unbreakable, His bones were not going to be broken (Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Ps. 34:20; 1 Cor. 5:7; John 19:36).

So Christ’s human nature was peccable (capable of sin), but the promises of God concerning Him were impeccable, which meant that God’s Word was going to be fulfilled in Christ, and that Christ would see the desire of His soul and be satisfied (Is. 53:11). The Christ will prevail through all of His temptations and trials, and He will praise His Father in the great congregation (Ps. 22:25).

TRUE SYMPATHY?

We can only come before this throne of grace boldly if we are sure of our reception, and if we are also sure that the one who receives us warmly is actually capable of helping us. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). We must believe that He is there, and we must also believe that He is both willing and able to help us. “And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean” (Matthew 8:2). And Christ said yes.

Suppose that temptation is the wind, and that sinning consists of blowing right over. Suppose also that all of we assigned the task of walking 10 miles in winds that were up to one hundred miles per hour. To make this an illustration with nice round numbers, suppose that 100 of us were told to walk this distance in this wind. Ninety of us blew over the moment we stepped outside, nine of us blew over after three yards—true saints, all nine of them, and one of us (Jesus) walked the entire distance. Now which of the 100 can be considered a wind expert? Who knows the most about it?

When you sympathize with a fellow right next to you, who blew over the same moment you did, your sympathy is weak and pathetic compared to the true sympathy that Christ has for you and for him. His sympathy is the stronger for His strength. His strength does not render Him a weak high priest. How could it?

COMPLETE MAN, COMPLETE OFFICER

We have considered the person and work of Christ. The person of Christ was the result of the great miracle that was wrought by the Holy Spirit nine months prior to Bethlehem (Luke 1:35). And because He was the complete and perfect man, He also perfectly fulfilled the calling of His various offices (prophet, priest, and king). Only a perfect man can be a perfect prophet (Dt. 18:15). Only a perfect man can be a perfect high priest (Heb. 4: 14-16). Only a perfect man can be a perfect king (Rev. 19:16).

And precisely because Christ has entered into His inheritance, it is possible for us to enter into ours—because all that He has and is belongs to us by grace. “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Read Full Article

Truly God & Truly Man (A Chalcedon Christmas #2)

Christ Church on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

INTRODUCTION

As we reflect on the mystery of the Incarnation, we have to recognize that we are dealing with a staggering miracle. And the miraculous aspect of it has to do with what Chalcedon confesses of the one person, Jesus of Nazareth. He is one person, with two natures, and these natures are conjoined, but not jumbled or confused.

THE TEXT

“Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) 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” (Romans 1:1–4).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

In this introduction to the epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul mentions three things that are right at the heart of what we are going to be addressing today. The first is that he refers to one person, God’s Son, Jesus Christ our Lord (v. 3). The second thing is that “according to the flesh,” He was a Davidson—descended from that great king of Israel (v. 3). And the third thing is that He was declared to be the Son of God through His resurrection (v. 4). This is when He was declared to be the Son of God, not when He became the Son of God.

CAREFUL DEFINITION

So here is the heart of the matter.

We “teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood.”

Here it is in a nutshell. What can be predicated of one nature can be predicated of the person. What can be predicated of the other nature can be predicated of the person. This is because those two natures are conjoined (this is the miracle) in what is called the hypostatic union. The word hypostasis simply means “person.” But what is predicated of one nature cannot be predicated of the other nature. We may not reason thus: “Jesus was six feet tall. Jesus is God. Deity is therefore six feet tall.” You might be tempted to think something like “of course not,” but neglect of this has gotten numerous people in trouble. Jesus is God. Mary is the mother of Jesus, and so Mary is the mother of God. No, she is the mother, according to the flesh, of the one who is God.

BUT WHY?

Whatever would possess us to paint ourselves into this glorious corner? Why do we talk this way? We do it because of our faith in Scripture. Scripture tells us things that we—if we believe the Scriptures—we must harmonize.

And the most obvious thing that strikes the reader of the four gospels is the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was a singular personality. In everything He does, we see a glorious consistency and unity. Whether we read the scriptural accounts as believers or unbelievers, the person of Christ strikes us as a unitary force to be reckoned with. We are dealing with Jesus of Nazareth, not Jekyll and Hyde, or someone with a schizophrenic multiple personality disorder. That would Legion, living in the tombs, and not the Lord, who was the most fully integrated person who ever lived. That was an aspect of His perfection.

But what happens when we look closely?

FULLY MAN

When we read carefully, we see the scriptural testimony that Christ participated in all the limitations of human nature. He experienced them. He knew what it was to be thirsty (John 19:28). He was tired enough to be able to sleep in a tempest (Matt. 8:24). He walked to get places (Mark 10:32). He needed to ask for information (Mark 5:31). He was no ghost—He could be heard, seen and touched (1 John 1:1). In short, He was manifestly a man. “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” (Hebrews 4:15). The only part of our humanity that Jesus did not participate in was our sinning, and even that He took on Himself at the cross (2 Cor. 5:21).

FULLY GOD

Thomas addressed Him correctly. “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Who was the Word that became flesh (John 1:14)? It was Jesus. And what is said of Him. He was with God in the beginning, and He was God in the beginning (John 1:1-2). He is the Creator (John 1:3), and God is the absolute Creator (Gen. 1:1). He is the one who made all the worlds (Heb. 1:2), and who sustains all things by the word of His power (Heb. 1:3). If it is created, then the Word created it (Col. 1:16-17).

The fundamental Christian confession is this—Jesus is Lord (Rom. 10:9). We must confess that He is Lord. But what kind of Lord are we talking about? Paul supports his claim by citing Joel 2:32, “whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Rom. 10:13). This is written in Greek, so the word for Lord is kurios. That could simply refer to a man. But the Hebrew passage he cites says that whoever calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved. The basic Christian confession is that Jesus is Jehovah.

THE PERSON AND WORK

The person and work of the Lord Jesus cannot be separated. We are not cleansed and forgiven because we admit that somebody died. No. We must look at this straight on. God took on human flesh in order to be able to die. He did this so that such a death would be followed by a resurrection, in which resurrection the identity of Christ would be proclaimed by God to the world (Rom. 1:4). And this is the meaning of Christmas. When Mary held the desire of nations in her arms, she was holding the body that would be broken and sacrificed for the life of the world (John 6:51). The Incarnation was the gift that made the great gift a possibility. And what will we do with this? How shall we respond?

Read Full Article

The Virgin Birth (A Chalcedon Christmas #1)

Christ Church on

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

INTRODUCTION

In our denomination, all churches are required to adopt three creeds into their statement of faith. Those three are from the time of the early church, and are the Apostles Creed (2nd century), the Nicene Creed (4th century), and the Definition of Chalcedon (5th century).

If all the great figures of history were little pinpricks of light, small twinkling stars, Christ arrived 2,000 years ago as something of a supernova. His life, death, burial and resurrection transformed everything, and those who accepted the reality of that manifestation of divine grace still had to grapple (and grapple for centuries) on how to talk about it. The basic outlines of the gospel story were set down in the Apostles Creed, but there were still questions. By the 4th century, the Church rightly insisted on the full deity of Jesus Christ (as well as His full humanity). But that created another question—what was the relationship of this deity to this humanity, and so that was addressed by Chalcedon.

This is why we recite the Definition of Chalcedon during Advent, and this Advent season I am going to be showing the scriptural case for certain elements of this Creed, as well as the importance of those elements. Today we are going to consider the crucial doctrine of the virgin birth— “as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin” (Chalcedon).

THE TEXT

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

“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” (Matthew 1:20–25).

SUMMARY OF THE TEXT

In the passage from Isaiah, the word rendered as virgin is almah, which can mean either virgin or young woman. And in Isaiah’s case, with regard to its immediate fulfillment, the sign that he was offering to King Ahaz was a sign that involved a young woman and her young child, not a virgin. More than a few have pointed at this and said that it shows that the Christian insistence on a virgin birth for Christ is simply a pious superstition. But there was a double fulfillment involved, as Matthew shows us.

Joseph was betrothed to Mary and he was troubled about what to do. When she turned up pregnant, he knew as well as we do that this could not have happened unless Mary had been unfaithful to him. And yet, because Joseph was a righteous man, he was trying to figure out how to divorce her without humiliating her (Matt. 1:19). While he was mulling all this over, the angel of the Lord came to him in a dream and calls him a son of David. He also told him of Mary’s innocence by assuring him that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit (v. 20). The child was going to be a boy, and His name would be Jesus because He was going to save His people from their sins (v. 21). We are then told that this was in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy above (v. 22), but this passage was written in Greek, not Hebrew. Here the word virgin is the translation of parthenos, which means virgin, only virgin, and nothing but virgin. The result of this remarkable conception and birth was Immanuel, which means God with us (v. 23). That God with us there is the center of centuries of theological reflection and debate. When Joseph woke up, he obeyed the angel and took Mary as his wife—although he did not have relations with her until after Jesus was born (v. 25).

THE VIRGIN BIRTH OR THE VIRGIN MARY?

We know from elsewhere in Scripture that Joseph and Mary had at least six other children (Matt. 13:55-56). Although they did not believe in Jesus initially (John 7:5), two of the brothers went on to write books of the Bible (James and Jude). In fact, James is mentioned as one of the witnesses of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:7). This means that for faithful Protestants, the confessional issue is the virgin birth. We do not hold to what is called the perpetual virginity of Mary, an understanding that makes his brothers and sisters into cousins or such like. But while we hold to the virgin birth simply, it is only fair to note that some of the Reformers did hold to Mary’s perpetual virginity (e.g. Luther, Calvin). But you will notice that in the Apostles’ Creed, as we recite it, there is a comma between Virgin and Mary.

BUT WHY A VIRGIN BIRTH?

In order to die for us wayward sheep, the Lord had to be two things. He needed to be a true Lamb, because the sacrifice needed to be one of us. But the problem is that if He were one of us, would He not be corrupted also, like we all are? The Lamb had to be one of our number, and yet the Lamb needed also to be spotless. This will likely come up later, but Gregory of Nazianzus said this” “For that which He has not assumed He has not healed.” But how could He assume human nature, which needed to be redeemed, without being contaminated by the state of the nature which needed to be redeemed.

We do not know precisely how, but it appears that the covenantal guilt for Adam’s sin descends to us all through our human fathers. And this is how God arranged our salvation, through a true man, but one who had no human father—“at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man.” Apart from a virgin birth, this would not be possible.

“But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4, NKJV). And why? So that you might redeemed from the curse of the law.

Read Full Article