Christology- Lesson 3

Overview

Why the Humanity of Christ Matters

The three ecumenical creeds—Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian—give the Church concise, scriptural language to confess who Jesus is: fully God and fully man. The Athanasian Creed states the matter especially clearly: our Lord became flesh, born of His mother, "existing fully as man with a rational soul and a human body." He took humanity into Himself; He did not transform deity into humanity. As one early church father put it, "The invisible Lord is now made visible. The immaterial one is now made flesh. He who cannot be limited accepted the limitations of an earthly life. The immortal came willingly to death."

Scripture testifies abundantly to Christ's true humanity. He was born of a woman, shared in flesh and blood, grew, hungered, wept, ate and drank, and lived under the law. The synoptic accounts of His forty-day fast in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-2) all emphasize that He was genuinely famished—His body required nourishment as ours does. This refutes the ancient heresy (Docetism) that taught Christ's body and sufferings were only an illusion. Secular sources from antiquity likewise confirm that a man named Jesus lived, taught, and was executed under Pontius Pilate.

The Chasm Closed by a True Man

After the fall, a vast chasm opened between Creator and creature—not only moral, but existential Genesis 3:19. Adam and Eve were driven from Eden, and humanity now stands under the sentence that "it is appointed for mortals to die once, and after that the judgment" Hebrews 9:27. The Levitical sacrificial system foreshadowed the remedy: an unblemished victim offered in the place of sinners. But those sacrifices had to be repeated continually, because no animal—and no fallen human—could be the final atonement. Only a sinless human could offer the once-for-all sacrifice Hebrews 7:26-28.

This is precisely what Christ accomplished. He became "like his brothers and sisters in every respect" so that He might be a "merciful and faithful high priest" who makes atonement for the people Hebrews 2:14-18. He was tested in every way as we are, yet without sin, and so He is able to sympathize with our weaknesses Hebrews 4:14-15. Paul writes that, though He was in the form of God, He emptied Himself, took the form of a servant, and humbled Himself to death on a cross Philippians 2:5-8—not exchanging deity for humanity, but refusing to cling to divine privilege for our sake. As 1 Timothy 2:5-6 declares, "There is one God; there is also one mediator between God and humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all."

Made New in Him

A pastoral note worth pondering: Adam was created in God's image, but after the fall he fathered Seth "in his likeness, according to his image" Genesis 5:1-3. The image was marred. It is in Christ that we are remade: "If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. Everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new" 2 Corinthians 5:17. Through Word and baptism, the Holy Spirit calls us into faith and recreates us in God's image—not as a vague human birthright, but as a gift given in Christ.

Because Jesus truly became man, we have a Savior who suffers with us and for us, who has reconnected us to God, and who draws our human lives into His divine life. So as we await His return, we need not tremble. Christ has died for our sins; He is risen; and we look toward His coming with longing, eager to dwell with Him in the fullness of His glory.

Transcript

Heavenly Lord, we thank You so much for this morning, 0s

for calling us into gather, to hear Your Word, 3s

and to receive Your sacrament. 7s

We ask that during this education hour 9s

that Your Spirit would guide the conversation, 12s

guide the lesson, and that we would grow 15s

in knowledge and love of You, Lord. 17s

We thank You for sending Your Son. 20s

And it is in His name that we ask all of this, 22s

giving You all praise and glory, Amen. 25s

So when last we met, we were talking about Jesus, 28s

surprise, surprise. 34s

But we've been going through Christology, 37s

studying the two natures of Jesus Christ. 41s

And we've been focusing, we first started with the creeds, 45s

because we're basing these lessons out of the creeds. 49s

So we're going to review very quickly. 52s

We have the senior high with us today, right? 54s

So we're going to just back up a smidgen and review. 58s

So in the Lutheran Church, we hold to three ecumenical creeds. 62s

And ecumenical means the unity of the Christian Church. 68s

So the creeds are statements of faith. 74s

They are what we use to concisely say what we believe. 79s

They've been used in the church throughout the centuries. 84s

In this church, we use the apostles creed, 89s

the nice scene creed, and the Athanasian creed. 93s

Most Sundays we do share or profess our faith, 96s

confess our faith with the words of the apostles creed, 99s

though on a couple of Sundays a year, 103s

we use the nice scene creed. 105s

There are some churches, some Lutheran congregations 108s

that use the Athanasian creed on Trinity Sunday. 111s

That's the long creed. 115s

But we stick to the apostles in the nice scene 118s

for confessing our faith as a group. 121s

We're using the creeds as a guide in our study of Christology. 126s

But that's only because the creeds are the church's way 132s

of confessing or stating in a very clear and concise matter 137s

scriptural truth. 142s

So everything within the creeds that we profess, 144s

it's not that we're basing all of our faith around 148s

or our studies around some words that some men 152s

once came together with, right? 156s

Everything within the creeds is based in scripture. 158s

In the first class, I had a handout 163s

where it had the apostles creed with scriptural lines 165s

of where those statements of faith 168s

or statements of belief came from. 172s

So we are studying what these creeds say 175s

about Christ specifically in his two natures, 179s

fully human and fully God. 183s

In the apostles creed, we're looking at 185s

where it says, born of the Virgin Mary, 189s

suffered under Pontius Pilate, 191s

was crucified by, and was buried. 192s

I got my microphone stuck on this. 196s

I thought I was gonna be so smooth. 199s

Okay, oh, thanks. 203s

I have learned long ago there's not a lot of smooth 207s

about me, kind of a clunky person. 210s

Okay, so going back to the apostles creed, 216s

what we're looking at here. 219s

Born of the Virgin Mary, 219s

suffered under Pontius Pilate, 221s

was crucified, died, and was buried. 222s

He descended into hell. 225s

The third day, he rose again from the dead. 227s

From the Nicene creed, very similar. 230s

For us men and for our salvation, 233s

he came down from heaven, 235s

was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, 237s

and was made men. 240s

And was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. 241s

He suffered and was buried. 244s

And the third day, he rose again, 246s

according to the scriptures, 248s

or in fulfillment of the scriptures, 249s

and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father. 252s

One little portion that we're really focusing on today 256s

with the Athenation creed, 260s

is our Lord Jesus became flesh. 262s

He is man, born in the world from the being of his mother, 265s

existing fully as man with a rational soul and a human body. 270s

He has taken humanity into himself. 274s

He does not transform deity into humanity. 276s

He's suffered death for our salvation. 280s

He descended into hell and rose again from the dead. 282s

And I think that's a really crucial point there 286s

that he's not transforming his deity into humanity, right? 288s

He is still fully God. 294s

He is also fully human. 297s

In the incarnation, 301s

the invisible Lord is now made visible. 304s

And I didn't make this thing up. 307s

This is a really smart sentence here. 309s

This is from one of the early church fathers. 312s

The invisible Lord is now made visible. 314s

The immaterial one is now made flesh. 317s

He who cannot be limited accepted the limitations 319s

of an early life. 323s

The immortal came willingly to death. 325s

So then two weeks ago, we looked at Jesus. 329s

And we're looking at his human nature. 334s

We see that Christ's body, or there was a group 338s

in the early church that said that Christ's body 342s

was not actually human. 346s

It had the appearance of a normal human body, 347s

but it was actually an illusion or an apparition. 350s

The people who taught that or believed that 355s

also taught that the actions and sufferings 357s

that Jesus did or underwent were also an illusion 360s

so that as he suffered and as he died on the cross, 364s

it only appeared that it was happening. 368s

This is a heresy that is not true. 372s

We know from the biblical sources, 375s

and we went through a list two weeks ago, 379s

through biblical sources, we know that Jesus, 382s

the man was born of a woman. 385s

He shared with humanity flesh and blood. 387s

He had a childhood, he grew up and he became strong, 391s

and he underwent temptation. 395s

And as we talked about temptation, 397s

afterwards a question was brought to me 400s

and raised regarding Jesus' time in the desert, 403s

was Jesus really able to survive for 40 days 408s

without food? 413s

So let's open our scripture and find out what it says. 415s

We're gonna go to Mark, we're just gonna go, 419s

or Matthew first, we're gonna go right down the list 422s

of the synoptic gospel. 425s

So Matthew first, Matthew chapter four, 426s

that's the first book in the New Testament. 429s

So Jesus was baptized, 438s

and then starting in verse one in chapter four, 441s

then Jesus was led up by the spirit 444s

into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 446s

He fasted 40 days and 40 nights, 449s

and afterwards he was famished. 453s

So he ate no food and he was hungry. 457s

Let's go over to Mark, the first chapter. 461s

So you're just gonna flip to the next gospel, 464s

which is Mark. 468s

And we're gonna read verses 12 and 13. 471s

Again, this is right after his baptism. 475s

Mark chapter one, verses 12 and 13. 479s

The spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 483s

He was in the wilderness 40 days, 488s

tempted by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts 490s

and the angels waited on him. 494s

That's a little more concise. 496s

It doesn't give us as many details 498s

as the other synoptic gospels, the Matthew and Luke do. 500s

So let's turn over to Luke now. 503s

Luke chapter four, so we're gonna go one more gospel over. 506s

Luke chapter four, 511s

and this will also be verses one and two. 515s

And we're just talking about that temptation of food 519s

or that fasting that he had. 522s

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan 526s

and was led by the spirit in the wilderness 529s

where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil. 531s

He ate nothing at all during those days 534s

and when they were over, he was famished. 537s

So could Jesus as a human survive those 40 days 542s

with no food? 549s

Every synoptic gospel, those first three gospels, 552s

tell us the account of Jesus' temptation. 555s

And every single one says he fasted from food. 558s

We read that his physical body was hungry. 563s

He was famished. 567s

He needed the nutrients. 568s

So medical documentation, it doesn't say anything in here 571s

that he fasted from drink. 575s

We know that he had no food 577s

and medically there are documents where it says 580s

that a human can indeed survive for 40 days, 584s

30 to 40 days before starvation sets in. 589s

Starvation sets in approximately 35 to 40 days 593s

and then death generally after fasting 597s

or starving death would set in generally 601s

between 45 and 61 days. 604s

So we know that he could indeed 607s

survive those 40 days as a human in his human nature 614s

without food and we know that in his human nature 619s

he was hungry. 623s

The gospels or the texts also tell us 625s

then moving back to the biblical sources of Jesus' humanity 629s

that he ate and drank food, that he had emotions. 632s

Remember he wept when Lazarus had died 636s

and that he lived under the law. 640s

He was born by a woman under the law. 643s

So he had the same expectations and law 646s

to live under that every human does. 650s

Now we also looked at some secular historical sources 654s

and from those we learned that Jesus was indeed a man. 659s

There was a man named Jesus who was executed 664s

in the reign of Tiberius by Pontius Pilate. 666s

One of the historians referred to him as Christ 670s

as if that were his name instead of a title 674s

and that this Christ was associated with the beginning 678s

or with the movement of Christians 683s

that there was at the beginning this Christ, 685s

that there was a man who was called 690s

as a definer for one historian, the Messiah 692s

or the one who is called Messiah. 696s

Other historians wrote about a man named Jesus 700s

who was a wise man and who did surprising deeds. 703s

Jesus was described in other secular texts 708s

as a wise Jewish king or a magician 711s

and he was also described as an instigator, 715s

one who caused problems. 718s

We have sources, both biblical and secular 721s

that confirmed indeed Jesus was a human being 726s

that lived and walked upon this earth. 730s

He was fully human with everything that humanity entails. 734s

So now this week we're gonna look at why this matters. 739s

Why is it important that we uphold this truth 744s

that Jesus was man? 749s

So before the incarnation there was a chasm, 753s

a vast chasm that existed. 757s

It was between the creature and the creator. 759s

It was not only a moral chasm, a moral separation 763s

but it was a separation in existence. 766s

In Genesis 3, verse 19 and then verses 22 through 24, 769s

after Adam and Eve had sinned and they hid from God 778s

and God said what's going on and they tried to, 783s

you know, oh she made me, she made me eat this fruit. 786s

Oh the serpent made me eat this fruit. 789s

Then God curses and gives them a curse, 790s

tells them the consequences of their actions in sinning 793s

and he tells Adam, by the sweat of your face, 797s

you shall eat bread until you return to the ground. 800s

For out of it you were taken, you are dust 803s

and to dust you shall return. 805s

There's death, right? 808s

You will die, this has caused death. 810s

Then the Lord God said, see the man has become like one of us, 813s

knowing good and evil and now he might reach out his hand 818s

and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever. 821s

Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden 825s

to till the ground from which he was taken. 828s

He drove out the man, the man, 831s

and at the east of the Garden of Eden 834s

he placed the cherubim and a sword flaming 836s

and turning to guard the way to the tree of life. 838s

So Adam and Eve were banished from Eden. 842s

They were banished from that daily physical walk 847s

they had with God. 852s

So there was a full separation from God due to sin 855s

and we know that man must die as a consequence of sin 860s

in our lives and in this world. 868s

In Hebrews chapter 9 verse 27 it says, 871s

it is appointed for mortals to die once 875s

and after that the judgment. 877s

So again in Hebrews the author is saying mortals have to die. 880s

We have to die and then face the judgment. 886s

So the Levitical Sacrificial System, 890s

we're gonna just sit here for a second 893s

with the sacrificial system. 896s

It was given to Moses for the Israelite people 899s

and it was a way or a means for the Israelites 905s

to approach God, to try to make things right 909s

or to try to have a relationship with God. 915s

There's a very complex system of sacrificing 920s

before the Lord, there were five major kinds 924s

of sacrifices or offerings that were to be made. 927s

Every animal involved in a sacrifice 932s

that the priest would sacrifice 935s

or that the people would give as a sacrifice. 938s

Any animal that was used must be without blemish. 941s

It had to be pure, clean. 945s

No marks against it. 949s

The high priest would enter into the holy place offering 953s

a sacrifice to a tone for his sins 956s

and to a tone for the sins of the Israelites. 958s

The sacrificial system if you read through Leviticus 964s

and I know a lot of people go, 969s

oh that's one we're skipping, that's one we're skipping. 970s

But it's actually a very, very interesting book 974s

and I highly encourage you to read it, 978s

get a good study on it, we can recommend some. 982s

It's really interesting to see how that system was put 986s

in place of the law and what the Israelites had to live 989s

under and how they had to sacrifice an attempt 995s

to make a tone for their sins. 997s

But it was a precursor or a sign of what the people 1002s

ultimate sacrifice would be, right? 1008s

You hear that the animals had to be without blemish 1011s

where we think about the ultimate sacrifice Jesus 1015s

was without blemish, no marks against him. 1019s

The animals sacrificed were used in place of man 1024s

because that animal had to be blemish free without sin. 1028s

No man could be found to be without sin 1033s

until a man could live an absolute perfection 1038s

under the law, the animal sacrifice was going to be it 1040s

that was the only sacrifice and it happened over 1045s

and over, it was a continual, we have to sacrifice again, 1049s

we have to make another sacrifice. 1052s

There was not an end under the Jewish law 1054s

until the promise of Christ was fulfilled. 1059s

Let's turn to Hebrews, we're gonna spend a lot of time 1062s

in Hebrews today. 1065s

Let's turn to Hebrews, the seventh chapter. 1067s

So after Paul's writings, you will come to Hebrews. 1071s

It's the first non-pollion writing. 1078s

Chapter seven, so Hebrews chapter seven, 1088s

starting in verse 26. 1091s

Hebrews seven, 26 through 28. 1101s

For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, 1105s

holy, blameless, undefiled, separated from sinners 1109s

and exalted above the heavens, 1114s

unlike the other high priests, 1116s

he has no need to offer sacrifices day after day, 1118s

first for his own sins and then for those of the people. 1123s

This he did once for all when he offered himself. 1126s

For the law appoints as high priests, 1131s

those who are subject to weakness, 1134s

but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, 1137s

appoints a son who had been made perfect forever. 1140s

And then let's back up to Hebrews four. 1144s

So you're just gonna go back a couple of pages. 1147s

Hebrews four, verses 14 and 15. 1149s

Hebrews four, 14 through 15. 1158s

Since then, we have a high priest, 1161s

a great high priest who is passed through the heavens, 1163s

Jesus, the Son of God. 1167s

Let us hold fast to our confession. 1168s

Four, we do not have a high priest 1171s

who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, 1173s

but we have one who in every respect has been tested 1177s

as we are, yet without sin. 1181s

Christ was tempted just as every other human being. 1186s

He had to live under the same law 1191s

that every other human being had to, 1195s

but he didn't fall weak just as other high priests 1199s

had done before him. 1204s

In every respect, he is just like you, me, 1206s

the people of the early church who the writer of Hebrews 1212s

is writing to, he was like anyone, everyone, 1215s

but he didn't fall and he didn't fail under that weakness. 1220s

He didn't have that weakness. 1225s

He can sympathize with it. 1228s

He experienced what we experience as humans, 1229s

but he was able to stand in that. 1234s

Cyril, or Cyril, who was a church father in the fifth century, 1237s

he said, the divine Lord truly experienced 1242s

all that is genuinely human in order to transform 1245s

that which is mortal into the immortal. 1249s

Cyril saw the incarnation of Christ 1253s

comparable to the transfiguration of Christ's disciples. 1256s

Let's flip over to Philippians. 1259s

So we're gonna go back into Paul's writings 1262s

of few letters. 1267s

If you get to Ephesians, you've gone one too far. 1269s

You're gonna go past the T-books, 1272s

and you'll find Philippians. 1275s

We're gonna go to Philippians two, 1277s

versus five through eight. 1280s

Philippians two, five through eight. 1287s

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 1290s

who though he was in the form of God 1294s

did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 1296s

but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, 1300s

being born in human likeness, 1304s

and being found in human form, he humbled himself, 1307s

and became obedient to the point of death, 1310s

even death on a cross. 1313s

This does not mean that Jesus exchanged his deity 1315s

for humanity, it just means that he didn't cling 1320s

to the glory or the privileges 1324s

that he certainly could have had, 1327s

or could have clung to, as the eternal son 1330s

or the second person of the Trinity. 1333s

God embodied humanity in order to offer us 1336s

that opportunity or that recreation in his image. 1342s

We're gonna go back to Genesis. 1348s

Genesis five, so that's the first book in the Bible. 1351s

Genesis five. 1356s

I think this is something that we really need to keep in mind 1360s

and remember what we're gonna talk about here, 1364s

well always what we talk about here, 1368s

but this particular point, you hear all the time 1370s

that we're all made in the image of God, 1375s

but that is not so. 1377s

That's not so. 1380s

We're gonna look here at Genesis chapter five, 1381s

starting in, where do I have it? 1385s

Starting in one, so one through three, 1387s

and we're gonna start kind of in the middle, 1389s

that second sentence of one. 1392s

When God created humankind, he made them 1394s

in the likeness of God, male and female he created them, 1397s

and he blessed them and named them humankind 1401s

when they were created. 1404s

When Adam had lived 130 years, 1406s

he became the father of a son in his likeness, 1408s

according to his image and named him Seth. 1413s

So Adam was created in God's image, 1419s

but that was lost in the fall, 1422s

and when Adam had Seth, Seth was made in Adam's image. 1425s

He was not made in God's image. 1431s

If you go to second Corinthians, 1434s

we don't have to, we can stay here for a moment. 1437s

But in second Corinthians five, verse 17, 1440s

it says, if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation. 1443s

Everything old has passed away, 1448s

see everything has become new. 1450s

So we lost birth in the image of God. 1455s

We lost that in the fall. 1460s

When we are called into faith, in our baptisms, 1462s

when we are called into faith by the Holy Spirit, 1465s

we are reborn or born a new, 1469s

and that is when we are born in the image of God. 1472s

That's when we are created new. 1476s

So Corinthians five, 17 is saying, 1478s

if anyone's in Christ, they are a new creation. 1481s

So we can claim that truth, that we are children of God, 1484s

that we are born of his image or born in his image 1489s

because we have been baptized into that as new creations. 1493s

I think that's a really, really important fine point 1499s

that we should keep in mind, 1505s

because a lot of what we hear in the world, 1506s

in the Christian world tells us something different. 1509s

But what an amazing word that is to bring 1512s

that extra scriptural point and truth 1516s

and to lift up the truth of our being created 1519s

truly in our baptisms as new creations. 1525s

So as Christians who have been made new, 1529s

just as Christ emptied himself and humbled himself, 1534s

we are transformed by God's word, 1537s

and that allows us to look outside of ourselves 1540s

and serve and love others. 1544s

How Cyril understood it, he was that the deity of Christ 1547s

didn't suppress or falsify his own humanity, right? 1551s

Christ was fully, fully God, fully man, 1556s

and that the deity didn't suppress Christ's humanity 1559s

for the redeemed person, union with God, 1563s

does not cramp our individuality, 1566s

but it liberates our personhood. 1569s

It enhances who we really are. 1572s

The human and divine nature's in Jesus Christ 1575s

is a testament or a promise of how our human lives 1578s

are destined to be drawn into his divine life and transformed. 1582s

So Christ had to make that sacrifice. 1588s

As the only man who lived without sin, 1593s

the only man who was unblemished without blemish, 1597s

he could make that final sacrifice for us, 1601s

and then he can, so he's reconnected us, 1607s

and then he has, through his word, through baptism, 1610s

given us that ability to be made new, new creations, 1614s

which then we get to live as we were intended to live 1619s

with one another, with God in union. 1625s

Christ had to have the human nature 1630s

in order to be the perfected sacrifice for sin. 1633s

The ultimate and final sacrifice that would be accepted, 1638s

it would be done. 1642s

The sacrifice, the sacrificial system would be complete 1644s

because Christ sacrificed himself. 1647s

Let's go back to Hebrews. 1651s

Hebrews is just, you read one sentence in there, 1652s

and you kind of go, it's so rich and so thick 1659s

with just incredible, incredible theology and doctrine. 1662s

So that's another, so Leviticus and Hebrews, those two, 1667s

this week, all of you go. 1671s

Okay, so we're going to Hebrews chapter two, 1673s

it really just is phenomenal. 1679s

I know I say that about a lot of the books, 1683s

but it really is. 1685s

Okay, so Hebrews chapter two, picking up in verse 14, 1686s

since therefore the children share flesh and blood, 1692s

he himself likewise shared the same things 1695s

so that through death he might destroy the one 1699s

who has the power of death, that is the devil, 1702s

and free those who all, who all their lives 1706s

were held in slavery by the fear of death. 1710s

For it is clear that he did not come to help angels, 1713s

but the descendants of Abraham. 1717s

Therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters 1719s

in every respect so that he might be a merciful 1724s

and faithful high priest in the service of God 1729s

to make a sacrifice of atonement for the sins of the people 1732s

because he himself was tested by what he suffered, 1738s

he is able to help those who are being tested. 1741s

In his humanity, he had to become man. 1748s

I love that. 1752s

He had to become like his brothers and sisters. 1753s

He had to become like you in every respect 1756s

so that he could make that accepted sacrifice of himself. 1760s

He was tested by what he suffered, 1767s

but that so that he can help those who are tested. 1770s

And we are all tested. 1775s

It's so beautiful to know that we have a savior 1777s

who suffers with us and for us. 1781s

It's incredible. 1786s

In First Timothy, let's go back, 1788s

we're just gonna go back a couple of pages 1791s

I'll say here. 1796s

So you're gonna go past Philemon Titus, 1798s

Second Timothy, First Timothy, 1802s

we're gonna go to the second chapter. 1804s

And you may wanna mark this one. 1812s

This is a great one for upholding the humanity of Christ. 1815s

First Timothy, chapter two, verses five through six A. 1822s

There is one God. 1829s

There is also one mediator between God and humankind. 1833s

Christ Jesus, Himself, human, 1838s

who gave Himself a ransom for all. 1841s

We had to have as humans a human die 1846s

as a sacrifice for sin. 1852s

No human can live without blemish, save one. 1855s

Jesus, Jesus is the one human who walked this earth, 1863s

who could not sin or did not sin, 1867s

who could be that sacrifice, be that high priest, 1871s

atoning for not only the Israelites' sins, 1874s

not only his own sins, but atone for our sins. 1878s

It is that new covenant for us, 1882s

that promise for us that we have forgiveness through his sins. 1885s

So two things, and then we'll have questions, 1893s

and you'll give me things to study, I know. 1896s

Okay, so first, just a reminder that next week, 1899s

we do not have adult education. 1903s

We have the wonderful Christmas pageant 1907s

with the Sunday school kids. 1909s

They're working so hard on that, 1912s

and it will be a wonderful preaching of the Christmas story. 1914s

So I really encourage you to go and allow them 1917s

to preach the word to you through storytelling and song. 1923s

Our next Christology class is going to be December 22nd, 1927s

and we're going to now shift into the divinity 1931s

of Jesus of Nazareth. 1935s

So we have seen the biblical, the historical sources 1937s

of the humanity, the human nature of Jesus, 1943s

now and why that matters. 1947s

Now we're going to shift into the divine nature of Jesus, 1948s

and look at his divine self. 1952s

Now I'll take a question. 1958s

Okay, yeah. 1960s

The Jews don't believe that Christ was Messiah. 1962s

Why don't they sacrifice Him? 1965s

How do they get Him to go together and don't do this? 1968s

Okay, so Rick has a great question. 1970s

He said, if the Jews don't believe, 1973s

if Jewish, modern Jewish people do not believe 1976s

that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, 1979s

indeed the ultimate sacrifice for all sin, 1981s

then why don't they have Jewish sacrifices anymore? 1985s

Why don't they have that levitical practice? 1989s

That's a great question that I'm going to write down. 1994s

You know, that's a really good one. 2000s

I know that Orthodox Jews would still hold to the kosher 2002s

way of butchering their meat, 2007s

but I don't know that they would still sacrifice any. 2011s

So I'm going to look into that. 2016s

I'm not super up on all the current Jewish. 2018s

And a lot of, there are a lot of very faithful practicing Jews, 2022s

but there are a lot of Jewish people today 2028s

that are more culturally Jewish. 2030s

So I'm going to look that one up. 2035s

Yes. 2038s

According to the law, it was very specific about 2039s

where those sacrifices were to be made, 2042s

and the temple was laid out, 2044s

it's accessories to point it out, 2047s

but with that temple no longer exists. 2050s

They can be antithomical and make the sacrifice 2053s

the same temple. 2056s

That's a great answer. 2057s

So Jennifer makes the point that in Leviticus, 2059s

it's very specific about where and how those sacrifices 2063s

are made, and the temple was destroyed, 2066s

and so they can no longer go to that temple. 2070s

I'm still going to look more up on that. 2074s

What? 2078s

What did they do when they were captive in Babylon? 2078s

You're asking me a lot of history questions. 2083s

No, that's fine. 2088s

No, this is good. 2089s

I love researching these questions because it allows for me 2091s

to know more, to have a richer background, 2096s

and a wider, I mean, we go over a lot in seminary, 2099s

but one semester of Old Testament history is not a lot. 2105s

So no, I really appreciate this. 2111s

Over here, over here. 2113s

Yes, Sharon. 2118s

There are all living, they can begin raising the talents 2118s

for their diverse, very moving forward in the coming days 2124s

for the sacrifice. 2128s

The ones that sacrifice and the great of them, 2129s

and all year, can be given all the conditions 2132s

and they need to be worried, and they're all in it. 2136s

They're waiting for all of this, so they're ready. 2141s

They're ready, they need to be ready to do so they're waiting. 2145s

Okay, I am going to look up that to see what source is your finding. 2152s

So she has, she's read somewhere that there are in preparations of, 2160s

I just want to check different sources and find out. 2165s

Yeah. 2167s

Okay. 2172s

All right, I have, yes. 2173s

It has to be an easy question. 2181s

Okay, no, I'm just kidding, go ahead. 2185s

Why don't the Jews rebuild the talent? 2188s

They're not coming in to do so. 2191s

Why don't the Jews rebuild the, 2194s

you guys are asking a lot of Jewish history. 2196s

Well, I know there are, there are a lot of political and religious issues 2201s

in the Middle East, in Israel, and warring over who has what land 2210s

and who doesn't and who's, you know, who it belongs to. 2217s

And so some of it may come under that. 2220s

We're going to have an interesting recap in a couple of weeks here. 2226s

I'm glad I have two weeks to look at this. 2229s

Bruce, do you have some answers? 2231s

Yes, there is a mosque where the temple was. 2235s

Yes. 2237s

Yes, yes. 2239s

I did know that. 2241s

I did know that. 2243s

But these are good, I just want to, I know. 2244s

But I will, but I'm really, I think these are really good questions 2252s

because, yeah, the Jewish history and where it's come today, it's good to know. 2255s

Yes. 2263s

Also, if that is under Jewish prophecy, like a Jewish belief, 2280s

or if that is an incorrect Christian belief of end times, 2288s

and so I don't know that that's actually a Jewish belief, 2298s

but I know Christians, some Christian denominations, 2303s

teach that really we're going to have this new reclaiming of Judaism 2307s

where we're all kind of living this Christian Jewish life. 2313s

It's a little wonky. 2319s

I know that you're not going to have to go to the church, 2322s

but it's a long period of time and it's scary. 2324s

Right, well, and that gets a little bit into some incorrect teachings on revelation. 2331s

So, don't live in fear. 2339s

Don't live in fear. 2345s

We don't have to live in fear. 2346s

We're saved children of God. 2349s

I heard this morning, this beautiful sentiment, 2353s

and I'm going to take just 30 seconds to tell you, because this was gorgeous. 2356s

So someone, it was a sermon about Advent, and this pastor had this epiphany, 2359s

which is in a couple of seasons, but he had this epiphany that he said, 2365s

you know, so many people wait and are looking toward the second coming of Christ, 2369s

trembling in fear because of the judgment. 2376s

He said, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, we're Christians. 2380s

We should be looking toward that with longing. 2383s

We can't wait for Christ to come again, 2386s

because we will be in the fullness of His glory with Him, tabernacle, dwelling with Him fully. 2389s

And that will be a beauty, and with our brothers and sisters. 2399s

So, I thought that was really interesting. 2401s

None of us should look toward the judgment in fear and trembling when we know that Christ has died for our sins, 2403s

which you should know Christ has died for your sins. 2413s

Amen. 2421s