APC BC-107-Christology

BC-107
Christology
All Peoples Church & World Outreach

#319, 2nd Floor, 7th Main, HRBR Layout
2nd Block, Kalyan Nagar
Bangalore 560 043, INDIA
apcwo.org | contact@apcwo.org
CONTENTS
1. THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST.......................................................................................4

2. HIS EQUALITY WITH THE FATHER AND THE SPIRIT..........................................................7
3. HIS ROLE IN CREATION..................................................................................................10
4. THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING......................................................................................12
5. UNDERSTANDING THE INCARNATION...........................................................................17
6. THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST...........................................................................................22
7. THE PURPOSE OF THE INCARNATION............................................................................26
8. THE VIRGINAL CONCEPTION.........................................................................................32
9. THE SINLESS LAMB........................................................................................................33
10. HIS SUBSTITUTIONARY SUFFERING.............................................................................38
11. HIS RESURRECTION AND EXALTATION........................................................................42
12. HIS PROMISED RETURN..............................................................................................42
13. THE SON OF GOD........................................................................................................42
BIBLIOGRAPHY.....................................................................................................................43
Christology (BC-107) Page 2

Course Overview
This course is designed to help us gain an understanding of the following:

 To understand clearly the deity of Christ and who He truly is
 To understand that Jesus was truly human
 To see the unique nature of Christ - human and yet God
 To understand the significance of the doctrine of Christ and its impact on the
believers in Christ
 To create in us an awe and love for the Person of Jesus Christ
Grading
Based on Assignments, Class tests, Mid-term test & Final exam
Recommended Reading
Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

1. THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST
Did Christ exist before He came into the world? If He did exist, who was He? This chapter
examines what the Bible says about the pre-existence of Christ.
1.1. Four Attributes Of The Pre-Existent Christ

John 1:1–4
1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He
was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him
nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
The Word ‘logos’ (Gr.) refers to Jesus Christ.
John 1:14
14
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Revelation 19:13
13
He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
Let us consider the use of the Greek word logos. This is translated in the New Testament as
‘word, speech, reason, report or judgment.’ However, when we examine the use of this
word in its historical Jewish setting, we see that this word has a richer meaning. Heraclitus
was a Greek philosopher who lived in the 6th century BC. He defined logos as ‘an eternal
principle, which gives order to the universe.’ Chrysippus, another Greek philosopher who
lived in the third century BC, used logos to refer to ‘a purposeful and guiding reason.’ Other
philosophers during this time used logos for ‘the rational principle in the mind, which is
expressible in speech.’ A Jewish interpreter of the Old Testament named Philo, who lived
during the first century AD, understood logos to refer to ‘an intermediary between God and
the universe.’ With these Jewish antecedents, we now gain insight into the significance of
the use of this word by Apostle John. Logos at that time seemed to have a cosmic
significance attached to it.
However, John makes it clear who the ‘logos’ is. The logos that John refers to is not just ‘a
guiding reason, or a principle in the mind,’ or even ‘an intermediary between God and the
human race.’ The logos whom John is declaring has these four important attributes:
1.1.1. The Word was in the beginning

This indicates Christ’s existence not only before He came into this world, but also before all
time. He was not just from the beginning but also in the beginning. He had His being before
the beginning. “He never began and therefore was ever.”(ref?)
1.1.2. The Word was with God

Jesus was ever with God—the Father and the Spirit. He was in the bosom of the Father
(John 1:18), which means He was intimately one with the Father.

1.1.3. The Word was God
Jesus was God. He possessed in essence and substance all that made God ‘God.’ The logos
was not an intermediary creature between God and man. The logos was God Himself. Psalm
90:2 highlights an important attribute of God. “Before the mountains were brought forth, or
ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are
God.” God is God from everlasting to everlasting. God transcends time. Therefore in saying
that the Word was God, we understand that the Word was from everlasting (eternity past)
and will be to everlasting (eternity future).
1.1.4. In Him was Life

The Greek word for life is zoe. This word is used in the New Testament to refer to spiritual
life, especially to eternal life that comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ. John 5:26
gives us an insight into what zoe is. It reads: “For as the Father has life (zoe) in Himself, so
He has granted the Son to have life (zoe) in Himself.” Zoe is the life that God has in Himself.
God is self-existent. He is not dependent on an outside source for His continuity. So zoe is
the self-existent, self-sustaining and eternal life of God. Therefore, Jesus is self-existent, self-
sustaining and eternal (from eternity past to eternity future) because in Him is this zoe. In
fact, He is zoe (John 14:6).
1.2. He Is God In Nature And Attributes
Philippians 2:5–7
5
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God,
did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation,
taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Note the important facts this passage presents concerning Christ’s pre-existence. Jesus was
“in the form of God” and was “equal with God.” We will do well to clarify the meaning of
the word ‘form.’
Form ‘Morphe’ (Gr.)= form, nature.
Philippians 2:6a, Amplified Bible

6
Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God (possessing the
fullness of the attributes which make God God), …
Philippians 2:6a, New International Version

6
Who, being in very nature God …”
The word ‘form’ is therefore more than the outward appearance. It refers to the very
essence of His nature and attributes.
Jesus eternally existed as God and was equal with the Father. Jesus possessed the fullness of
the divine qualities, which make God ‘God,’ obviously implying His pre-existence.
1.2.1. He was always there—He is self-existent

Colossians 1:17
17
And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

1.2.2. Jesus existed before all things. He was pre-existent
Before Abraham:
John 8:58
58
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
By using the words “I AM,” Jesus was declaring that He had no beginning. He was the
eternally self-existent One. As we see later, the words I AM in Jewish heritage was
attributable to God alone. Therefore, Jesus was declaring His equality with God.
With the Israelites:

1 Corinthians 10:1–4
1
Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the
cloud, all passed through the sea, 2 all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the
sea, 3 all ate the same spiritual food, 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they
drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.
There is reference to the Exodus—the leading of the people of Israel out of Egypt, through
the wilderness and into the Promised Land—in 1 Corinthians 10:1–4. God led His people by
a cloud during the day (Exodus 13:21,22). God parted the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 14)
and the people walked on dry land. He fed them with food from heaven (Exodus 16) and
provided water out of a rock (Exodus 17:1–7; Numbers 20:1–3). The writer states in 1
Corinthians 10:1–4, “That Rock was Christ.” Jesus Himself was with the people as they
passed through the wilderness.
This once again points to the pre-existence of Christ. His birth into the world was not His
beginning; it was simply His incarnation (God taking on human form).
1.2.3. Origins from a dateless eternity

Micah 5:2
2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet
out of you shall come forth to me the one to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are
from of old, from everlasting.
The Jewish priests and scribes knew that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and that
is exactly where Jesus was born.
Matthew 2:1–6
1
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold,
wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is He who has been born King
of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.” 3 When
Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he
had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them
where the Christ was to be born. 5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it
is written by the prophet: 6 ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least
among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people
Israel.’”
What does this verse reveal about the pre-existence of Christ? It shows us that His “origins

are of old,” from eternity. It shows that Jesus always existed in eternity past. He was pre-
existent.
Questions for Meditation:
 What are the four important attributes concerning the pre-existent Christ mentioned
in John 1:1–4?
 Using John 5:26, explain in your own words what it means to be self-existent.
 Philippians 2:6 states that Christ was “in the form of God.” What does this mean?
 What does “whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting” in Micah 5:2
mean?
2. HIS EQUALITY WITH THE FATHER AND THE SPIRIT
In the earlier chapter, we discussed the pre-existence of Christ. Now we turn our attention
to His equality with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We will refer to Scriptures that
present this fact. This truth is important, to realize that Christ indeed was deity and not an
intermediary being of lesser importance than God the Father. Let us first review some of the
passages that we have considered so far.
2.1. Christ Is God

John 1:1–3
1
nothing was made that was made.
Note what John 1:1–3 presents. The Word Who was in the beginning (in the dateless past)
with God was also God. He is co-equal with the Father.
Philippians 2:5–7
5
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did
not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking
the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:5–7 tell us that Jesus was equal with God and yet did not think it as something
to be held on to (we will discuss this in another chapter). Being equal with God, He shared in
all the glory of the deity.
John 8:58
58
Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Exodus 3:13,14
13
Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them,
‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’
what shall I say to them?” 14 And God said to Moses. “I A M WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus
you shall say to the children of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.’”

I AM ‘Hayah’ (Heb.) = to be.
This reveals God’s attributes of being self-existent, self-sufficient, all-sufficient, eternal and
unchangeable. By using the words I AM, Jesus was making Himself co-equal with the God of
Israel i.e., YAHWEH or JEHOVAH or LORD.
2.2. The Mighty God

Isaiah 9:6
6
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His
shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
Jesus is ascribed the titles “Mighty God” and “Everlasting Father.” As Mighty God, the
Omnipotent One, we see His co-equality with God the Father. The child that was born
therefore was God incarnate. The title of “Everlasting Father” ascribed to Jesus does not
conflict with God the Father. It reveals Christ’s eternal nature and character as Father.
Revelation 21:6,7
6
And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the
End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. 7 He who
overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.
2.3. The First And The Last
Isaiah 44:6
6
Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the L ORD of hosts: ‘I am the First
and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God.’
Isaiah 48:12
12
Listen to me, O Jacob and Israel, My called: I am He, I am the First, I am also the last.
Here we see YAHWEH (Jehovah) referring to Himself with the title, “the First and the Last.” In
the Book of Revelation, we see Jesus using this title for Himself.
Revelation 1:8
8
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, who is and
who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation 22:13
13
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.
Jesus uses God’s title for Himself. He is therefore no less in power or divinity than the
Father. Alpha and Omega, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, declare that
God is everything from the beginning to end. All of history originates in Him and culminates
in Him. He is the origin and the destination.

2.4. Our Great God
Romans 9:4,5
4
Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of
the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom,
according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
There are two important facts about Christ that are contained in Romans 9:5. Christ is “over
all,” which means He is Supreme, Master, Sovereign and Lord. Christ is the eternally blessed
God. He is the One who is from eternity to eternity. He is the One who is worthy to receive
all honor, blessing and glory. And He is God—co-equal with the Father and the Spirit.
Titus 2:13
13
Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus
Christ.
Jesus is our great God. There can be no denying the fact that Jesus is God, that He is deity.
Many new theories are being propounded that question the deity of Christ. However, from
the Scriptures, it is clear that Jesus IS God.
2.5. The Father, The Son And The Holy Spirit
John 15:26
26
But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth
who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
Jesus came to reveal the Father. John 14:7 says, “If you had known Me, you would have
known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” He was now
returning to the Father. John 14:28 says, “You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away
and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to
the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.” The Spirit of God comes from the Father and
reveals Christ to us.
Note the equality in origin and unity, in the operation of the Father, Son and Spirit.

 There are five titles given to Christ in Isaiah 9:6. What do each of these mean to
you in your relationship with Jesus?
 Jesus said that He is “the Alpha and the Omega … the First and the Last.” What
does this mean in the light of Isaiah 44:6?
 Explain the two important facts about Christ in Romans 9:5 in your own words.
 What does John 15:26 tell you about the interrelationship of the Father, the Son
and the Spirit?

3. HIS ROLE IN CREATION
In this chapter, we will briefly look at Christ’s role in creation.
3.1. All Things Were Created By Him

John 1:1–3
1
nothing was made that was made.
John reveals to us that all things were made through or by the Word—the Lord Jesus Christ.
Colossians 1:16,17
16
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were
created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things
consist.
All things in the natural and spiritual realms were created by Christ, through Him and for
Him, and in Him all things consist.
3.1.1. Created by Him

He is therefore the Creator. This is once again proof of His deity. In Genesis 1:1, we read, “In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” He is worthy to receive all glory,
honor and power because He is the Creator.
Revelation 4:11
11
You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things,
and by Your will they exist and were created.
3.1.2. Created through Him

He is therefore the Mediator of the entire process of creation. Perhaps we could see it this
way: God the Father planned it, Jesus spoke it, and the Holy Spirit brought it to pass.
Hebrews 1:1–3 states this fact.
Hebrews 1:1–3
1
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of
all things, through whom also He made the worlds;
3
who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and
upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins,
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Hebrews 1:2 says, “Through whom (Jesus) also He made the worlds.” Hebrews 1:3 continues
saying that Jesus is “upholding all things by the word of His power.”
3.1.3. Created for Him

He is the reason for all creation. All creation will therefore serve Him.
3.1.4. In Him all things consist

He is therefore the sustainer of all creation.
Acts 17:28
28
For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have
said, ‘For we are also His offspring.’
1 Corinthians 8:6
6
Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
The entire universe is held together by His Word.
Hebrews 1:3
3
Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and
upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins,
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Creation is a ‘painting’ that reveals the glory of the Artist. The Psalms tell us, “The heavens
declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork” (Psalm 19:1). The
vastness of our universe is indicative of the greatness of our Creator-God. Scripture also
says that God “counts the number of stars; He calls them by name” (Psalm 147:4).
Therefore, the Psalmist exalted God, “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His
understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5) Truly, our Lord is infinite. God measures out the
heavens with a span and calculates the dust of the earth in a measure.
Isaiah 40:12,13
12
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, measured heaven with a span
and calculated the dust of the earth in a measure? Weighed the mountains in scales and
the hills in a balance? 13 Who has directed the Spirit of the L ORD, or as His counselor has
taught Him?
Have you taken time lately to think of Him as the Omnipotent Creator, to worship Him for
His glorious creation, to ponder on His majesty? The Psalmist said, “When I consider Your
heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what
is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:3,4).
Take time to ‘consider’ His creation. You will see God’s glory there. Paul wrote in the Book of
Romans: “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being
understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they
are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Have you heard the melody which all creation sings of
its Creator?

Remember that the God of glory came down to visit man in the person of Christ.

 Colossians 1:16 states that all things visible and invisible were created by Him. What
insight does this give you, concerning Christ’s authority in the invisible realm?
 “In Him all things consist.” Explain this in the light of Acts 17:28.
 How will you apply 1 Corinthians 8:6 in your daily life?
4. THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING
In this chapter, we will look at some of the important Old Testament prophecies that
foretold the coming of Christ as the incarnation (God taking on human form). There are
other Old Testament prophecies relating to various aspects of Christ’s work, which we will
be studying in subsequent chapters. It is important for us to grasp the fact that the
incarnation and the coming of Christ was foretold many hundreds of years prior to its
occurrence. Christ’s incarnation was an event planned in the mind of God in the ages past.
Although the Jewish people anticipated the coming of the Messiah (the Christ), they did not
expect Him to come as the crucified Lamb of God but rather as a triumphant King and
Liberator.
4.1. The ‘Edenic’ Covenant—The Promise In The Garden

Genesis 3:14,15
14
So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more
than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you
shall eat the dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the
woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall
bruise His heel.”
Genesis 3:15 is often referred to as the ‘proto-evangel,’ the first Messianic prophecy in the
Old Testament. It is also referred to as the ‘Edenic Covenant’ and is the basis for the
development of all redemptive covenants.
Much of this verse is in the figurative sense (i.e., one thing is said in the form or figure of
another). The serpent is representative of the devil (Revelation 12:9) and the woman is
representative of the entire human race. The phrase “her Seed” could represent the people
of God or more specifically the Lord Jesus. The word ‘seed’ (Heb. Zerah) could be
understood either as collective or a singular, and so also the words ‘He’ and ‘His.’ The word
‘He’ could stand for ‘it’ or ‘they.’ Similarly, the word ‘His’ could stand for ‘its’ or ‘their.’
The term ‘head’ Rosh (Heb.) = supreme, prince, leader, chief refers specifically to satan.
Note some important facts:

 Enmity was to exist between satan and the human race, implying that God and the
human race would be reconciled. This has been made possible through the work of
Christ.

 The seed of the woman will bruise (crush) the head of the serpent, satan. This has been
literally fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews 2:14) and is being fulfilled in the people of God
(Romans 16:20).
 The serpent was to “bruise His heel” which portrays the prolonged struggle between
good and evil.
4.2. The ‘Abrahamic’ Covenant—The Promise To Abraham

Genesis 22:18
18
In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed my
voice.
Galatians 3:8,16
8
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the
gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” 16 Now to
Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds” as of
many, but as of one, “And to your Seed” who is Christ.
As part of God’s covenant to Abraham, God promises that through Abraham’s seed
(descendant) all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Paul, in the New Testament, writing
to the Galatians, indicates that “his Seed” whom God was speaking about is Christ Himself. It
is also interesting to note that the marginal rendering of the American Standard Version
reads: “In thy seed shall all the nations bless themselves.” This implies that the nations of
the earth should seek Christ, and thus receive blessings on themselves through Him.
However, not all nations seek Him, and hence the need for us to actively proclaim Christ
among the nations.
4.3. The One To Whom All Authority Belongs

Genesis 49:10
10
The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until
Shiloh comes; and to him shall be the obedience of the people.
This prophecy explicitly foretells the coming of a particular individual who obviously is
Christ. In Old Testament times, Shiloh was a city where the tabernacle was set up (Joshua
18:1). This city was later destroyed (Jeremiah 7:12–14). Ancient Jewish scholars explained
that ‘shiloh’ was a word compounded from ‘shel’ and ‘loh’ meaning “to whom it belongs.”
Therefore, the sentence then reads: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah … until the
one comes to whom it belongs.” Jesus came out of the royal tribe of Judah (Hebrews 7:14).
There is also an element of prophecy referring to Christ’s second coming: “to him shall be
the obedience of the people.”
4.4. A Prophet Like Moses

Deuteronomy 18:15,18
15
The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your
brethren. Him you shall hear, 18 I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among
their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I
command Him.

Apostle Peter quotes this passage in his sermon (Acts 3:20–26) revealing to us that the
Prophet referred to is Christ Himself (John 3:34).
4.5. A Virgin Shall Bear A Son

Isaiah 7:14
14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and
bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 9:6
6
For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His
shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace.
We are familiar with these two passages, Isaiah 7:4 and 9:6, that foretell the birth of Christ.
These prophecies were delivered over 700 years prior to their fulfillment.
4.6. He Will Come From Bethlehem

Micah 5:2
2
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet
out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose going forth are
from of old, from everlasting.
We see the literal fulfillment of Christ coming out of Judah in Mathew 2:1–6.
4.7. He Will Come Riding On A Donkey

Zechariah 9:9
9
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold your King is
coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the
foal of a donkey.
This clear prediction of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem was about 400 years beforehand. Jesus
did enter Jerusalem riding on a donkey’s colt (Matthew 21:1–11).
4.8. The Messenger Of The Covenant

Malachi 3:1
1
Behold I send My messenger, and he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord,
whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant,
in whom you delight. Behold, He is coming, says the LORD of hosts.
Jesus quotes Malachi 3:1 in Matthew 11:10. John the Baptist was the messenger who would
prepare the way for Jesus (Isaiah 40:3; Luke 1:76; John 1:23). It is said that the Lord would
suddenly come to His temple, the fulfillment of which seems to be referred to in John 2:14,
15. Notice that Jesus is referred to as “the Messenger of the covenant.” Jesus came to fulfill

the Old Covenant (Matthew 5:17) and to usher in the New Covenant (Hebrews 8:6–13;
Galatians 3:23–25).
4.9. The LORD’s Servant

Isaiah 42:1,6,7
1
Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put
My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles. 6 I, the LORD, have called
You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant
to the people, as a light to the Gentiles, 7 to open blind eyes, to bring out prisoners from
the prison, those who sit in darkness from the prison house.
This is one of the four “Servant Songs” we find in the Book of Isaiah. The Servant here is
Jesus (Acts 3:13) upon whom God has put His Spirit (Isaiah 61:1–3; Luke 4:18,19). Notice the
three important facts about the Servant.
First: The Servant was to be given as a Covenant to the people. This refers to the New
Covenant that Jesus came to give us. But notice that the Servant Himself was to be given as
a Covenant: “I will … give You as a covenant to the people.”
The Scriptures teach us that:

 Jesus is the One who establishes the new covenant.
 He is the Priest who officiates in the covenant by sprinkling the blood (Isaiah 52:15;
Hebrews 9:11–15).
 He is the Testator, or the One who dies (Isaiah 53:8?; Hebrews 9:16,17) to make the
covenant effective.
 He Himself is the Covenant . Jesus is the New Covenant. The New Covenant is embodied
in the Messiah.
Second: Isaiah 42: 1,6,7 say that the Servant was to open blind eyes, bring prisoners out and
those who sit in darkness out of the prison house. We see this fulfilled in Matthew 4:12–16,
Isaiah 9:1,2? and Luke 4:17,18. This continues to be fulfilled even today, as people come out
of darkness and into the light of the Gospel!
Third: The Servant was to bring forth justice to the Gentiles. This was something that Jesus
did not do in His earthly ministry. The task has been assigned to the Body of Christ. We are
to bring forth justice to the Gentiles and be a light to the Gentiles. Christ is fulfilling this task
through His Body, the Church.
Acts 13:46–48
46
Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God
should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of
everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. 47 For so the Lord has commanded us: “I
have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the
earth.” 48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the
Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

Let us take the light of the Gospel to the nations of the world because people NEED the
Gospel.
 Re-read Genesis 3:15 substituting ‘they’ for ‘He’ and ‘their’ for ‘His.’ Comment on
how this applies to you as you share in Christ’s triumph.
 What do you think is the blessing that the Seed of Abraham gives to all the nations
of the earth?
 “The scepter belongs to Jesus”—what do you understand by this?

5. UNDERSTANDING THE INCARNATION
Having studied the biblical account of Christ being the eternal Word, we now turn our
attention to His incarnation (God taking on human form) and His earthly ministry—the 33-
year period when He walked the earth in and around the area now known as Israel. Our
focus however, will not be so much on the historical aspect of His earth-walk but rather on
its spiritual implications.
In this chapter, we try to gain insight into the ‘how’ of the incarnation. What
happened when the eternal God became the Man of Galilee? We desire to gain a Biblical
perspective of His incarnation.
5.1. The Word Became Flesh

John 1:1–3,14
1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2
He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him
nothing was made that was made. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth.

Notice once again the term that Apostle John designates to Christ in His pre-existence—
logos, The Word. In explaining the Scriptures, Jewish thinkers used the expression, “The
Word of the Lord,” to refer to the manifested Jehovah. So, in choosing this title, the apostle
is drawing our attention to the function of Christ—to reveal the Father. The Word is God
speaking to man, God revealing Himself to man. The Word is God manifested.
The incarnation was the eternal logos becoming flesh to dwell among humankind. The word
‘flesh’ is not to be thought of only in terms of the human body. The word ‘flesh’ here is to be
understood as representing the fullness of humanity. The eternal logos took on humanity.
The word ‘dwelt’ literally means ‘tabernacled.’ This refers to the tabernacle in the
wilderness when God manifested His glory among His people (Exodus 40:34–38). God lived
and moved with His people in this tabernacle (1 Chronicles 17:5). “In all their affliction He
was afflicted” (Isaiah 63:9a). So also in the incarnation, God had come to dwell with
mankind.
In Isaiah 63:14, the word ‘glory’ comes from the Greek word ‘doxa’ that originally meant
honor, reputation, or esteem given to a person. In the New Testament, doxa is used to
denote honor, splendor and majesty. It is the manifestation of divine splendor or power.
The glory that Jesus manifested when He walked the earth was His ‘Sonship glory.’ John
1:14 says, “the glory as of the only begotten of the Father.” This was characterized by grace
and truth. Jesus did not manifest all the eternal glory He had, for in His eternal glory He
dwells “in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). He
manifested only His Sonship glory.

By becoming flesh, the eternal Word submitted Himself to certain limitations that for us is
not easy to understand or completely define. He could reveal only what could be revealed in
the limitations of humanness, and that which could be perceived by other human beings.
What we do need to understand is that on the earth He was true-God and true-Man, the
God–Man. He did not become flesh in the sense of ceasing to be what He eternally was
(God), rather the eternal God took on the fullness of humanity (spirit, soul and body) while
limiting the manifestations of His divinity.
5.2. God Has ‘Spoken’ In His Son

Hebrews 1:1–3
1
God, who at various times and in various way spoke in time past to the fathers by the
all things, through whom He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and
the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when
He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
God has spoken to us in His Son. The Word incarnate is God speaking to us.
Notice two other facts with regard to the incarnation:

 Jesus is the brightness of God’s glory.
 Jesus is the express image of God’s Person.
Hebrews 1:3a, Amplified Bible

13
He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-Being, the out-raying or radiance
of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of (God’s) nature.
Hebrews 1:3a, Jerusalem Bible

13
He is the radiant light of God’s glory and the perfect copy of His nature.
Hebrews 1:3a, New International Version

13
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.
Hebrews 1:3a, Literal Greek

13
Who being radiance of the glory and representation of the reality of Him.
Jesus is the brightness of God’s glory. God’s glory is the manifestation of the nature and
attributes of God. It is the expression of who God is and what He does. Jesus is the
brightness, the outshining of the nature and character of God. All who God is shines out in
Jesus. Jesus is the express image of God’s Person. Jesus is the perfect and complete copy or
representation of God, the nature of God, of what God is really like. So in the incarnation,
we have a complete revelation of the living God. We begin to know and understand what
God is like.

5.3. The ‘Image’ Of God
Colossians 1:15a
15
He is the image of the invisible God.
2 Corinthians 4:4b
4
Christ, who is the image of God.
As before, the word ‘image’ means an exact representation and revelation. In the
incarnation, the invisible God becomes visible.
5.4. Seven Steps In The Incarnation
Philippians 2:6–8
6
Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but
made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the
likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and
became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Note the steps in the incarnation:

 Christ was in the form of God.
 Christ was equal with God.
 He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God.
 He made Himself of no reputation.
 He took on the form of a bondservant.
 He came in the likeness of man.
 He was found in appearance as a man.
Let us consider each in sequence.
5.4.1. Christ was in the form of God

The literal Greek reads: “Who subsisting in the form of God.” The word ‘form’ is the same
word used in the phrase “form of a bondservant” and is to be distinguished from mere
‘likeness’ or ‘appearance,’ which are words that are also used in the same passage. The
word ‘form’ is used not to denote something that is outward or external. It refers to the
being, attributes and the essential nature, which consequently is worn or seen outwardly. So
Christ existed as God, possessing and being all that pertains to the divine nature.
5.4.2. Christ was equal with God

This has been explained before that Christ was co-equal and one with God.
5.4.3. He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God

The literal Greek reads: “Did not deem being on equality with God as something to grasp” or
to “hold on to.” Though Jesus was co-equal with God and had the right to be honored and
worshipped as God—He did not hold on to this glorious estate and heavenly privilege.

5.4.4. He made Himself of no reputation
The literal Greek reads: “But emptied Himself.” Christ emptied Himself—indicating
condescendence (voluntary descent from one’s rank or dignity). He emptied Himself not in
the sense of laying aside His essential nature as Deity, but rather in willingly refraining in the
exercise and expression of divine attributes (that of omnipotence, omniscience and
omnipresence). He laid aside His position of equality with God.
Jesus in His high priestly prayer in John 17 prayed: “And now, O Father, glorify Me together
with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5). There
was a glory Jesus had prior to the incarnation, which He did not have during His earthly
walk, but was restored to Him after His ascension. This was His position of equality with
God, at the Father’s right hand. He did not consider equality with God as something to be
held on to, and therefore willingly laid it aside in the incarnation. This does not mean that
Jesus was not Deity during His earthly walk. Jesus was all-God and all-Man in His earthly
walk. He had made the choice—for you and me—to lay aside the power and the glory of
Deity and to submit Himself to the Father. Jesus said towards the end of His earthly
pilgrimage: “If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for
My Father is greater than I” (John 14:28). There was a sense of joy in returning to the Father
for the glory He would regain.
5.4.5. He took on the form of a bondservant

He left His place of equality with God, to assume the state of a servant. Jesus is called the
“Servant of God” in the Book of Isaiah. A servant is one who willingly submits to another.
He willingly offers obedience, devotion and service, and subjects his will to that of his
master. Speaking of Jesus, Hebrews 10:7 says: “Then I said, ‘Behold I have come—in the
volume of the book it is written of Me—to do your will, O God.’” Jesus came to do the
Father’s will (John 5:30).
5.4.6. He came in the likeness of men

Philippians 2:7b, New International Version
7
Being made in human likeness.
Christ conformed Himself to the likeness of one of His creatures, entered into human
existence and continued in life as all men do. He came in the likeness of men. Jesus was
really a man and His humanity was genuine. In all aspects, He submitted Himself to the
limitations of human experience. In the incarnation, the Deity came in the likeness—the
limitations, the frailty, the reality—of humanity. We will look in detail at the humanity of
Christ in the next chapter.
5.4.7. He was found in appearance as a man

Now human eyes could see the full expression of the nature of Deity through another
human. He appeared as Man because He had come to reach and touch man (i.e., human
beings). He spoke in a way people could understand. He lived among human beings in a way
that people could see, touch, handle and thus relate to the heart of the Father. This was
possible because of the incarnation.

5.5. God Manifested In The Flesh
1 Timothy 3:16
16
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the
flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in
the world, received up in glory.
I Timothy 3:16 reveals the mystery of godliness. The phrase “without controversy” in the
verse means, that which Paul was saying was without dispute or beyond question. The word
‘God’ is not found in most of the original manuscripts and should correctly read with the
word ‘who’—“The mystery of godliness who was manifested in the flesh.” “Mystery” is
something that was once hidden but has now been made known. “Was manifested” is to
make known what was once hidden. Therefore, I Timothy 3:16 teaches us about the
incarnation—the One who had previously existed, but was unknown to the world, was now
made known in the flesh.
5.6. God With Us
Matthew 1:23
23
Behold, the virgin shall be with the child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel, which is translated, “God with us.”
The incarnation is Immanuel—God with us in a real, tangible way. God was with men as
Man.
From our discussion thus far, we can make the following observations:
 God revealed Himself in the person of Christ.

 Since God is unchangeable (Malachi 3:6) and Christ is the full and complete revelation
of God—there is therefore no need for more than one revelation.
 In the incarnation, God came to be with man. He however did not cease to be God. He
was all-God and all-Man.
 The incarnation is NOT about a man becoming a God through some mystical experience
or through gaining divine enlightenment.
 In the incarnation, God became man in totality—spirit, soul and body. His humanity was
real and total.
 “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.” Describe
some of the ways in which this glory may have been seen in the humanity of Christ.
 “God has spoken to us by His Son.” What is the message that God speaks to you
personally through His Son Jesus Christ?
 Explain in your own words—Jesus is “the express image of His person.”
 Which one of the seven steps in the incarnation impacts you the most. How can you
apply this in your life as you mature towards Christ-likeness?

6. THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST
In this chapter, we take a close look at the humanity of Christ. We discover that Christ was
really human in all areas. When we grasp the fact that He willingly restricted Himself to the
limitations of a human being, and was in every way (except for His sinlessness) truly human,
we begin to grasp the importance of His incarnation. Why was it necessary for Jesus to
become a human?
We could briefly summarize some of the important reasons:

 Christ’s humanity is the basis for God’s self-revelation.
 The humanity of Christ provided the basis for His ‘substitutionary’ work of
identifying with the human race.
 Through His humanity, Christ was able to set an example for us.
Through what Jesus did for us in His humanity, we have the privilege of becoming the sons
and daughters of God. We are also able to understand how we, who believe in Him, can live
as He lived and do the works He did.
6.1. Born Of A Woman

Galatians 4:4
4
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born
under the law.
The first step in Christ becoming human was that of being “born of a woman”—as all
humans are. The phrase “born of a woman” describes human origin with all its weakness
and frailty. Imagine, the eternal Son of God subjecting Himself to the physiological process
of development within the womb, the process of childbirth, infancy and growth. The Son of
God was born of a woman.
Jesus’ humanity can be seen:
Physiologically: “The child grew” (Luke 2:40).

Intellectually: He “increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52).
Biologically: He thirsted (John 4:7; 19:28).
He hungered (Luke 4:2; Matthew 21:18).
He felt pain (Hebrews 5:8).
Psychologically: He expressed compassion (Matthew 9:36).
He expressed joy (John 15:11).
He expressed anger (Mark 3:5).
He expressed sorrow (Matthew 26:37,38).
He expressed loneliness (Matthew 27:38) and so on.
He was tempted as we are (Matthew 4:1–11; Hebrews 4:15).

6.2. A Descendant Of David
Romans 1:3
3
Concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord who was born of the seed of David according to
the flesh.
The natural lineage of Jesus is identified. “Who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption,
the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; of
whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all,
the eternally blessed God. Amen” (Romans 9:4,5).
6.3. Heard, Seen And Handled

1 John 1:1–3
1
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of
life— 2 the life was manifested and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you
that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us –
3
that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you may have fellowship
with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.
Note the apostle’s testimony to the tangibility of the incarnate Son of God. The Son of God
was heard, seen, looked upon and touched by mankind. His humanity was real—in flesh and
blood.
6.4. The Man

1 Timothy 2:5
5
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.
Note that in His ‘mediatorial’ role, Christ is identified as “the Man.” As the Man, He was a
true representative of the human race before the Father. He was reaching up to the Father
and building a bridge (which is His own Self) between the Father and humanity. As the Man,
He was reaching upward to God from the lowest depths of human frailty. He was the only
Man who could do so and because of Him, other men (people), no matter where they are,
can approach God.
God was reaching down to men in Christ, and in Christ, man was seemingly reaching back to
God. God and men were reconciled in the Man—Christ.
6.5. The Man Approved By God

Acts 2:22
22
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by
miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves
also know.

Acts 2:22 reveals an important truth about the humanity of Christ. Notice that the miracle
ministry of Christ is linked to His humanity, not to Him being deity. The mighty miracles He
did, He did as a Man—being human and from within the limitations of His humanity.
Jesus was a Man through whom God did mighty miracles, wonders and signs. Jesus never
attributes His miracles to His being deity. At the beginning of His ministry, He declared that
the Holy Spirit was upon Him, because God had anointed Him (Luke 4:18,19). When He cast
out demons, He said He did it by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28). The miracles
were signs, not of His being deity, but of Him being sent by the Father (John 5:36; 10:24,25)
and of the indwelling presence of the Father (John 14:10,11). The apostles recognized this
fact and hence attributed the healing works of Christ to the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts
10:38).
Prior to His ascension, Jesus commissioned His disciples saying: “As the Father has sent Me, I
also send you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive
The Holy Spirit”” (John 20:21,22). The presence and working of the Spirit of God is
unquestionable both in the earthly ministry of the Son of God and that of His disciples (Acts
1:8). It is important to understand that when He walked as a human being, it was the
empowering of the Holy Spirit that enabled Jesus to do the miracles He did. Having
ascended to the Father, He has sent us the Holy Spirit who empowers us to do the
miraculous works He did (John 14:12).
6.6. In The Days Of His Flesh

Hebrews 5:7–9
7
Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with
vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save from death and was heard because
of His godly fear, 8 though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He
suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all
who obey Him.
Note the numerous references to the humanness of Christ “in the days of His flesh”—in His
humanity:
 “He had offered up prayers and supplications” (Hebrews 5:7)—Jesus prayed.

 “With vehement cries and tears” (Hebrews 5:7)—Jesus wept.
 “His godly fear” (Hebrews 5:8)—Jesus revered the Father.
 “He learned obedience” (Hebrews 5:8)—Jesus was taught by the Father.
 “He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8)—He experienced pain and anguish.
 “Having been perfected” (Hebrews 5:9)—Jesus had to prove Himself qualified to
be
the author of our salvation.
The reality of His humanity is unquestionably demonstrated by His experience as He walked

in submission to the Father. His example ought to be our model. Apostle Peter wrote that
Christ, in His suffering left us an example that we should follow His steps (1 Peter 2:21).

6.7. The Man Who Will Judge The World
Acts 17:30,31
30
Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men
everywhere to repent, 31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world
in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all
by raising Him from the dead.
Salvation for the world was promised through the Man- Jesus. The judgment of the world
will be executed by the Man. It is interesting to note that the world will be judged by
someone who actually lived, and walked as one of the human race.
 When Christ faced temptation, He overcame it as a human being. What significance

does this have for us believers?
 When Christ carried out His healing and miracle ministry, He did it as a human being
in the power of the Spirit. What significance does this have for us believers?
 When Christ obeyed the Father’s will, He did it as a human being, by submitting His
will to the Father’s will. What significance does this have for us believers?

7. THE PURPOSE OF THE INCARNATION
Having understood what the incarnation (God taking on human form) involved and having
examined the humanity of Christ, we now summarize the ‘Why’ of the incarnation. What
was the purpose of the incarnation? Why did Christ have to become a man and take on the
fullness of humanity? What was God doing through the humanity of Christ that He could not
do by any other means? In this chapter, we will attempt to answer these and other related
questions by studying the Scriptures.
7.1. God’s Last And Final Word

Hebrews 1:1,2
1
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
all things, through whom also He made the worlds.
God spoke to people through the prophets. The prophets brought a word from the Lord.
But the time came when God sent the Word—God spoke by His Son. Everything that God
wanted to say to man, He said it in the person of Christ. The incarnation of Jesus therefore is
God’s final and complete Word to man. The incarnation is God speaking to man through the
Man.
“Jesus Christ is the Self-manifestation of God, the final culmination of all the acts of
revelation of the Old Covenant, and their fulfillment, the highest, personal, peculiar Word of
God.”
7.2. The Only One In The Bosom Of The Father

2 Corinthians 4:6
6
For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
John 1:18
18
No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the
Father, He has declared Him.
As we have stated many times before, God was revealing Himself through the person of
Christ. The light that brings to us an understanding of God’s glory, shines through Christ. In
the incarnation, the Son of God who is intimately one with the Father—being “in the bosom
of the Father”—reveals, declares and makes plain the Father’s glory. There was no one else
who was qualified to reveal the Father, for there was no other who was intimately one with
the Father. No angelic being has ever had this honor of being in the bosom of the Father.
7.3. He Suffered In The Flesh

1 Peter 3:18
18
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to
God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:18,19
18
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and
has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the
world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the
word of reconciliation.
Colossians 1:21,22
21
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and
blameless, and above reproach in His sight.
The verse from 1 Peter tells us that Christ was put to death in the flesh—in His human body.
Therefore, the human body provided a means for Christ to die. The purpose of His death
was “that He might bring us to God.” This is reconciliation—God and man being brought
together. This is the emphasis of 2 Corinthians 5:18,19. It tells us that it was God who was
reconciling the world to Himself in Christ. God was not holding the sins of the people against
them. Once again in Colossians 1:21 and 22, we see how ‘we’ who were enemies with God
have become His friends through Christ’s physical death.
The purpose of the incarnation therefore was to provide a body, which facilitated Christ’s
physical death. (We do know that the full impact of Christ’s ‘substitutionary’ work was more
than just His physical suffering. However, His physical death is an important part of His
complete substitutionary work on the cross). It was through this death that God and man
are reconciled. It is through this death that we have been made blameless and free from
guilt. We have boldness to go before God by a new and living way, which Jesus has made
possible through His death (Hebrews 10:19,20). Christ suffered for us—for our sins—in the
flesh (1 Peter 4:1).
7.4. He Bore Our Sins In His Own Body

John 1:29
29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world!”
Hebrews 10:5,6
5
Therefore, when He came into the world He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not
desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. 6 In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You
had no pleasure.”
1 Peter 2:24
24
Who himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins,
might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
In the incarnation, Christ took on a body, which had been prepared for Him. And in this
body, He became the “Lamb of God.” He was the one Sacrificial Lamb who was to do away
with burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin. The offering of this Lamb would be a complete,
sufficient and final sacrifice for the sins of all humanity. It was necessary for any sacrificial
lamb to be “without blemish”—that is to be perfect. Therefore, it was Christ alone who
could take this position as the Sacrificial Lamb—the incarnation made it possible.

7.5. Conquered Sin In The Flesh
Romans 8:3,4
3
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending
His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the
flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk
according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
What the law could not do, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.
What was it that the law could not do? While the law made its righteous demands, it
provided no spiritual aid or strength for the individual to keep it. Man’s flesh (the sinful
human nature) dominated him.
So God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. Jesus came in all the limitations of
humanness. He took on the physical body, which for man was a vehicle of sin and
ungodliness.
Note the two reasons why God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh:
7.5.1. Sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin
The phrase “on account of sin” in the literal Greek has a sacrificial connotation to it.
Romans 8:3b, New International Version

3
God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering …
Romans 8:3b, The Amplified Bible

3
Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin …
God sent His Son in the flesh so that He could be a sin offering. In the Old Testament, we
read about the Day of Atonement.
Yom Kippur (Heb.); Yom = Day, Kippur = Atonements.
We have the following explanation recorded in Leviticus 16: Two goats were used as part of
the atoning ceremony—a sacrificial goat and a scapegoat. The sacrificial goat was the goat
for the sin offering—it had to be killed. The scapegoat was the sin-bearer. Hands were laid
on it, the sins of the people confessed over it and it was led away into the wilderness. Thus,
it was symbolically carrying away the sins of the people. Jesus was both our sin offering and
our sin-bearer. Romans 8:3,4 speaks specifically about Jesus coming in the flesh to be our
sin offering. He came in the flesh to be our sin offering—to be sacrificed on account of all
our sin.
7.5.2. He condemned sin in the flesh

God condemned sin—He “subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power” (Amplified Bible) in
the flesh. In the exact ‘environment’ (that is the flesh) where sin reigned, God in Christ
broke sin’s power. In the incarnation, God broke the power of sin. Therefore, we who are in
Christ do not need to be in subjection to the dictates of the flesh. Instead, we follow the
guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus, the righteous requirements of the law are fulfilled (legally
satisfied) in us because of what Christ has done.

7.6. A Three-Fold Purpose
Hebrews 2:14–18
14
Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise
shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of
death, that is, the devil, 15 and release those who through fear of death were all their
lifetime subject to bondage. 16 For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give
aid to the seed of Abraham. 17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren,
that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make
propitiation for the sins of the people.
18
For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are
tempted.
Why did Jesus have to partake of “flesh and blood?” Why did Jesus have to share in our
humanity? This passage presents three purposes for the incarnation and one consequence
of it.
7.6.1. Christ shared in our humanity—to destroy the power of death

Christ shared in our humanity so that through His death He could destroy the one who had
the power of death, that is, the devil.
We learnt from Genesis 3:15 that the Seed of the woman would crush the head of the
serpent. Christ came to fulfill this prophecy. Apostle John wrote that Christ came to destroy
the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). Not only did Christ destroy the works of the devil but
through His death, Christ destroyed the devil himself.? The word ‘destroy’ in the Greek
means “to paralyze, to undo, to bring to nothing, to make of no effect.” Christ reduced
satan’s power to nothing.
Colossians 2:15 tells us that on the cross Christ “disarmed principalities and powers, He
made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Principalities and powers
refer to demonic hosts (Ephesians 6:12). On the cross, Christ stripped them of all their
power and openly displayed His triumph in the heavenly realms. Christ came to destroy the
devil. Notice that Christ’s triumph over the devil is associated with His humanity and not His
Deity. In His humanity, Christ defeated the devil, as a representative of the human race. The
Captain of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10) defeated the devil on our behalf—as our Captain.
We share in His victory.
7.6.2. Having destroyed the devil, Christ can now bring deliverance
Having destroyed the devil, Christ can now release those who through fear of death were
subject to bondage all their lives.
When people have no assurance of salvation they are afraid to die. This fear of death holds
people in bondage—as slaves. Jesus came to bring release from this tormenting fear. What
great news to share with a world held in the fear of death!

7.6.3. Christ the merciful and faithful High Priest making an atonement for the sins of the
people
Hebrews 2:17 says that He became like us, so that He might be a “merciful and faithful High
Priest“ in things relating to God, so that He could make an atonement for the sins of the
people.
It would be an interesting study to go back into the Old Testament and see the way the high
priest offered sacrifices on behalf of the people to atone for their sins. To represent the
people, the high priest had to be one with the people. Therefore, we see that the purpose of
the incarnation was that Christ could become one with us, and thereby represent us before
the Father, as our compassionate and faithful High Priest. The Bible says that we have an
advocate, a lawyer, an intercessor who stands on our behalf before the Father. This is Jesus
Christ the Righteous (1 John 2:1).
Consequently, because of the incarnation— because Jesus walked as a Man, was tempted
and overcame-- He is able to assist, aid and relieve those who are being tempted (tested,
tried). See Hebrews 4:14–16.
7.7. To Redeem Those Under The Law

Galatians 4:4–7
4
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman,
born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption as sons. 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into
your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son,
and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
God always fulfils His Word in “the fullness of the time.” Although the incarnation had been
foretold many thousands of years before, it was only in due season that God sent His Son.
This passage reveals one of the many purposes of the incarnation. Christ came to redeem
those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Let us briefly
look at the background of both the Book of Galatians and the passage quoted. This will
enable us to understand in a greater measure what Christ came to do. This Epistle was
written by Paul to a group of churches located in the region of Asia Minor, called Galatia.
This region included the towns of Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. There were both Jews
and Gentiles who had come to faith in Christ. However, there were some, referred to as
Judaizers, who taught that certain Old Testament practices had to be followed even after
one became a Christian. In addition to exercising faith in Christ, they insisted that people
had to be circumcised. Since this was not what Paul taught, the Judaizers began to discredit
Paul’s claim to apostleship and declared him to be inferior to the other apostles. It is this
issue that Paul is addressing in this letter. So in Chapters 1 and 2, Paul defends his
apostleship by declaring how he received the Gospel from the Lord Jesus Himself, and not
from any of the other apostles. Then in Chapter 3, Paul declares how the Gentile Christians
become the descendants of Abraham through Christ. He states that the law was intended
only as an intermediary and disciplinary system. Christ was the end of the law. He now
proceeds to show how those who belong to Christ inherit the blessings of the promise, but
escape the weight, the condemnation and curse of the law.

In Galatians 4:3, Paul states: “Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under
the elements of the world.” The elements of the world refer to the rituals and philosophies
of tradition. Being under the law was like being under bondage, being a slave. So God sent
His Son to set free those who were under the law, free from its bondage—to bring them out
from slavery into the glorious liberty as sons of God. “Christ has redeemed us from the curse
of the law“ (Galatians 3:13a).
Jesus came to set us free from the “weak and beggarly elements” (Galatians 4:9)—the
rituals and laws, so that we can be free to live as the sons and daughters of God. We need to
realize this truth. God does not want His people to be bound under rituals and traditions.
Paul admonished saying: “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us
free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Galatians 5:1). However there
is a balance to this whole fact of “liberty in Christ.” Paul states: “For you, brethren, have
been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as on opportunity for the flesh, but through
love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).
7.8. The Divine Exchange

2 Corinthians 8:9
9
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your
sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.
We have seen in great detail all that was involved in the incarnation. Here we see the whole
purpose of the incarnation summed up in one verse. Christ became poor for our sakes so
that we through His poverty (the incarnation) could become rich.
 Christ came to our level to lift us to His level at the right hand of God (Ephesians 2:4–6).
 Christ became what we were so that we could become what He is (1 John 4:17b).
 Christ became our sin so that we could become His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
 Christ was cursed on the cross so that we could be blessed with all spiritual blessings
(Ephesians 1:3).
 Christ became sick with our sickness so that by His stripes we could be healed (1 Peter
2:24).
 Christ became the Son of Man so that we become the children of God (John 1:12).
 Christ was born in subjection to the law so that those under the law could be redeemed
(Galatians 4:4,5).
 Christ came to the earth to tell us about the Father. Then He went to heaven to tell the
Father about us (Matthew 10:32).
 The incarnation (God taking on human form) is God coming down to be with man. The
resurrection is man being raised to be with the Father.ref?
 Christ was separated from the Father, so that we who were enemies could be
reconciled to God (Colossians 1:21).
 Based on John 1:18, why would it not be possible for an angelic being or even a holy
man to reveal the Father?
 List at least seven different things that Christ accomplished “in the flesh.”
 In what sense did Christ become poor?

8. THE VIRGINAL CONCEPTION
In this chapter, we briefly discuss Christ’s virginal conception.
Isaiah 7:14
14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and
bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Luke 1:26–38
26
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named
Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of
David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice,
highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”
29
But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of
greeting this was. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have
found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a
Son, and shall call His name JESUS. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the
Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Then Mary
said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” 35 And the angel
answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be
called the Son of God. 36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in
her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. 37 For with God
nothing will be impossible.” 38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it
be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
There has been much controversy concerning the virginal conception of Christ. The term
‘virginal conception’ is preferable rather than the more commonly used ‘virgin birth,’ since
the miracle was in the manner of conception and not in the manner of birth. In Isaiah 7:14,
the Hebrew word for virgin is ‘almah’ which could be translated either as ‘young woman’ or
‘virgin.’ Therefore, there have been questions raised about whether this verse supports the
virginal conception or not. However, both Matthew and Luke in their Gospel accounts use
the Greek word ‘parthenos’ which can only mean ‘virgin.’
The virginal conception of Christ can be understood from the fact that it was the miraculous
power of the Holy Ghost that brought it about. Yes, such an event is unscientific and violates
all natural laws. But to God who formed man out of the dust, it indeed is an easy task to
bring about the miraculous conception.
The virginal conception and the incarnation are interdependent.

The two events stand or fall together.

9. THE SINLESS LAMB
Jesus is referred to as the ‘Lamb’ over 30 times in the New Testament. In this chapter, we
consider this title and role of Christ, both from the Old and New Testaments.
9.1. The Lamb Of God

John 1:29
29
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God
who takes away the sin of the world!”
Jesus came as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world. The Jewish people were
familiar with the term ‘lamb.’ The lamb was so much a part of their rituals, as we shall see in
our study. There was only one way in which a lamb could take away sin, and that was by
sacrifice. It is important to note that Jesus came to take away the sins of the whole world. It
was not just the sins of the nation of Israel, or the sins of Christians that Jesus dealt with. He
paid for the sins of the whole world. We have a message to share with all the people of the
world.
9.2. The Passover Lamb (The Paschal Lamb)

1 Corinthians 5:7
7
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are
unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
Exodus 12:1–14
1
Now the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “This month shall
be your beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year to you. 3 Speak to all
the congregation of Israel, saying: ‘On the tenth of this month every man shall take for
himself a lamb, according to the house of his father, a lamb for a household.
4
And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house
take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall
make your count for the lamb. 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first
year. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats. 6 Now you shall keep it until the
fourteenth day of the same month. Then the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel
shall kill it at twilight. 7 And they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two
doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it. 8 Then they shall eat the flesh
on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat
it. 9 Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its
legs and its entrails. 10 You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it
until morning you shall burn with fire. 11 And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your
waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It
is the LORD’s Passover. 12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will
strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of
Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the L ORD. 13 Now the blood shall be a sign for you on
the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague
shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. 14 ‘So this day shall be

to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the L ORD throughout your
generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.
God was preparing to deliver His people out of slavery in Egypt and to lead them into
Canaan, a land He had promised to give them. At this time, God instituted the “feast of the
Passover” which He said was to be observed “throughout your generations.” The feast of
the Passover is celebrated during the first month of the Jewish calendar (the month of
Nisan) which is sometime between March and April.
The Passover speaks of the redemptive work of Christ. The New Testament tells us that
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. The Old Testament feast of the Passover
therefore is a type and shadow of the New Testament reality. The Old Testament Passover
lamb is a figure of Christ, the true Passover Lamb. The Old Testament feast speaks ahead of
time, pointing to what the true Lamb of God would be like and what He would accomplish.
There is an important characteristic of the Passover lamb, which we can see clearly in Christ
—“Your lamb shall be without blemish” (Exodus 12:5a). The lamb that was to be used as a
Passover lamb was to be without blemish. It was to be perfect, complete, spotless, whole
and healthy and 1 Peter 1:19 tells us that Christ was “as a lamb without blemish and without
spot.” 1John 3:5 says, “He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no
sin.” “A lamb without blemish” illustrates Christ’s sinlessness—His perfection and purity.
9.3. The Lamb Of The Morning And Evening Sacrifice

Exodus 29:38–42
38
“Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs of the first year, day by day
continually. 39 One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer
at twilight. 40 With the one lamb shall be one-tenth of an ephah of flour mixed with one-
fourth of a hin of pressed oil, and one-fourth of a hin of wine as a drink offering.
41
And the other lamb you shall offer at twilight; and you shall offer with it the grain
offering and the drink offering, as in the morning, for a sweet aroma, an offering made by
fire to the LORD. 42 This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at
the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the L ORD, where I will meet you to speak
with you.
Hebrews 7:26,27
26
For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, as those
high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for their own sins and then for the people’s, for this
He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 10:11,12
11
And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices,
which can never take away sins, 12 but this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins
forever, sat down at the right hand of God.
The morning and evening sacrifices which had to be offered daily were burnt offerings, that
is, the sacrifice was completely burnt at the altar (Leviticus 1:9). In addition to the lamb, the
sacrifice consisted of a grain and drink offering (also known as a meal offering), which

consisted of products not containing blood. These usually accompanied other blood-
containing offerings (Leviticus 2:1–3; 23:17,18).
The burnt offering was primarily a means of atonement—a covering for sin (Leviticus 1:4;
Genesis 8:20,21). The death of the animal as a substitute made this possible. The burnt
offering also spoke of complete consecration, as the entire sacrifice was consumed in the
fire.
Usually the meal offering consisted of people giving the firstfruits (first produce) of their
labor (Leviticus 2:14). Therefore, the meal offering spoke of consecrating one’s life and
substance to God.
The daily sacrifice spoke of daily atonement and daily consecration.
Moving on to the Book of Hebrews, we learn that Jesus did not need to offer up daily
sacrifices. Instead, He offered Himself as one sacrifice for sins forever and this He did once
and for all. The reason He could do this was because He was holy, harmless, undefiled and
separate from sinners. Christ was one with the Father, fully surrendered and totally
consecrated. He was the sinless Lamb, who by the offering up of Himself as a sacrifice
brought an end to the daily sacrifices.
9.4. The Suffering Lamb

Isaiah 53:7–10
7
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His
mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His
generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My
people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at
His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it
pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an
offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the
LORD shall prosper in His hand.
Hebrews 13:11,12
11
For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high
priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify
the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
1 Peter 2:21–24
21
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example,
that you should follow His steps: 22 “ Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His
mouth”; 23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did
not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 who Himself bore
our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for
righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

The Scriptures talk about Christ as the suffering Lamb—“He was oppressed and afflicted”
and “when He was reviled, did not revile in return” (see also Acts 8:26–35). It describes how
Christ willingly and passively bore the penalty for our sins. He was stricken for the
transgression of the people. It was the will of the L ORD that Jesus be bruised. Note the
purpose of His suffering: “You make His soul an offering for sin.”
Offering ‘asham’ (Heb.) = trespass offering.
Christ became the suffering Lamb of God so that He could make His soul an offering for sin—
a trespass offering (also known as guilt offering). We find the trespass offering defined in
Leviticus 5:14–6:7 and in Numbers 5:7,8. It was an offering that also included restitution.
This meant that the individual must cover whatever damages he had done in addition to
making a sacrifice with an animal. The trespass offering not only involved making atonement
but also involved social restitution for the wrong that had been done. Christ, the suffering
Lamb was our trespass offering.
Notice in the passage from Hebrews that Christ “suffered outside the gate” and that is
related to the bodies of those animals being burnt outside the sanctuary. In studying Christ
as the sinless Lamb, we see how the sacrifices in the Old Testament spoke clearly and
specifically about the various aspects of Christ as the Lamb of God. It is important to know
that throughout the Old Testament, God was foreshadowing the coming of Christ in many
different ways—one of them being through the institution of the sacrifices.
9.5. The Lamb Of Revelation

Revelation 5:11–13
11
Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living
creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand,
and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was
slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and
blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth
and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor
and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and
ever!”
15
And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty
men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the
mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of
Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His
wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
Revelation 14:1,9,10
1
Then I looked, and behold, a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him one hundred
and forty-four thousand, having His Father’s name written on their foreheads. 9 Then a
third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his
image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink

of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of his
indignation. He shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy
angels and in the presence of the Lamb.
12
The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but
they received authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and
they will give their power and authority to the beast. 14 These will make war with the
Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and
those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful.
This last section on the Lamb of Revelation may seem out of context in dealing with the
subject of Christ as the incarnate Son of God. However, to maintain our flow of thought on
Christ as the Lamb of God, we consider this here.
There are about 28 references made to Jesus and the Lamb, in the Book of Revelation. We
have quoted just a few of these.
When we move into an apocalyptic view of the Lamb, He is no longer pictured as a passive,
submissive and suffering sacrifice. Instead, while recognizing Him as the One who was slain,
the Lamb is pictured as the triumphant, victorious and overcoming Conqueror. It is
interesting to note that the figure of a lamb (or ram) is used in Jewish apocalyptic literature
to represent the agent of God who overcomes evil and delivers the people of God. It is in a
similar context that the Lamb of Revelation is viewed. It is also interesting to note that the
Greek term used for “Lamb” is not the same as that used in John 1:29. The Lamb of
Revelation is the One who has conquered all, the Lamb who is King of kings and Lord of
lords.
 “Christ as the Lamb of the morning and evening sacrifices”—discuss the similarities
you see in the Old Testament sacrifices and the New Testament reality.
 Give at least one outstanding feature of each of the specific aspects of the Lamb of
God (For example, The Lamb of Revelation features Christ as Victor and Conqueror).

10. HIS SUBSTITUTIONARY SUFFERING
In discussing Christ’s suffering, we will be focusing on His substitutionary work on the cross.
Christ was made a curse for us. He bore our sins, our grief and carried our sorrows, was
wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities and tasted death for every man.
Christ was therefore taking our place—doing what we should have done, bearing what we
should have borne, suffering what we should have suffered and paying for what we should
have paid for.
The primary aspect of a substitutionary sacrifice is that the one making the sacrifice
fully identifies with the one on whose behalf the sacrifice is made. The one making the
sacrifice suffers with the other’s adversities, sorrows and pains, and takes the burden of the
other’s evils on himself.
10.1. He Did It For Us

Isaiah 53:4–6
4
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was
bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His
stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to
his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
This passage from Isaiah 53 speaks in detail of Christ’s substitutionary work.

 He bore our grief.
 He carried our sorrows.
 He was wounded for our transgressions.
 He was bruised for our iniquities.
 The punishment needed to obtain our peace was upon Him.
 His stripes provided our healing.
 The LORD laid on Him all our iniquity.
Notice that everything Jesus did was done on our behalf—this is His substitutionary
suffering.
Borne ‘nasa’(Heb.) = to convey, to remove to a distance, to lift, take away, cast away.
Note the different things Jesus bore—our grief, our sorrows, our transgressions, our
iniquities and our chastisement (punishment).
Grief ‘choliy’ (Heb.) = sickness.

Sorrows ‘makob’ (Heb.) = pains.
Isaiah 53:4, Young’s translation

4
Surely our sicknesses He hath borne, and our pains—He hath carried them.
Isaiah 53:4, Rotherham’s translation

4
Surely our sicknesses He carried, and as for our pains He bare the burden of them.
The Bible teaches us that Jesus, in His substitutionary work on the cross, bore our sicknesses
and pain (physical ailments), our sins and our punishment. Jesus took all of these upon
Himself and carried them away. Therefore, what He bore we need not bear any longer; and
what He carried we need not carry on ourselves.
There is therefore forgiveness for our sins, healing for our bodies and peace (Heb. shalom =
wholeness) for our complete person. All of this is made available to us through Christ’s
substitutionary suffering.
10.2. He Did It For Us Out Of Love

Romans 5:8
8
But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died
for us.
1 John 3:16
16
By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay
down our lives for the brethren.
2 Corinthians 5:14,15
14
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if one died for all, then all
died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but
for Him who died for them and rose again.
Note the statements:

 Christ died for us.
 He laid down His life for us.
 One died for all.
 He died for all.
These are emphatic in revealing to us that Christ’s suffering and death were “for us” and
“for all.” It was a substitutionary suffering and a substitutionary death.
These Scriptures also reveal that it was God’s love that prompted Christ’s substitutionary
suffering. When Christ went to the cross on our behalf, God’s love was being demonstrated.
Love is defined, displayed by Christ giving His life for us—in our stead. He was the true
friend with the greatest love for us because “He laid down His life for us” (John 15:13).
Further, the example of Christ’s love leading to His substitutionary suffering demands that
we follow in His footsteps—we should no longer live for ourselves but for Him.
10.3. Raised When We Were Justified

Romans 4:25
25
Who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our
justification.

Our offences were what caused Him to be “delivered up,” that is crucified. He took upon
Himself the consequences of our offences. This is substitution.
It is also interesting to note that Christ was raised “because of our justification.” This implies
that when our sins were paid for in full, and we were declared righteous in God’s sight,
Christ was raised. Therefore, Christ’s resurrection is proof or indication of the reality of our
justification.
10.4. Bore Our Sins In His Body

1 Peter 2:24
24
Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins,
might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
He bore our sins in His own body. Here is One who bears the misdeeds of others—who
endures the consequences which they should have endured.
Note the results of Christ’s substitutionary suffering:

 “That we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness”—a laying aside of sin
and
a life of righteousness and
 “By whose stripes you were healed”—healing and wholeness in our total man,
spirit,
soul and body.
10.5. Became Sin For Us

2 Corinthians 5:21
21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Him.
Christ was sinless, but yet for our sakes He was made to become sin. He entered into what
we were, to deliver us and make us what we ought to be. This is the essence of Christ’s
substitutionary suffering. Though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor (2
Corinthians 8:9). He entered into our experience, so that we through His poverty could
become rich.
10.6. Took Our Infirmities And Bore Our Sicknesses

Matthew 8:16,17
16
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And
He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, 17 that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He himself took our infirmities
and bore our sickness.”
Isaiah spoke prophetically about what Christ would accomplish on the cross. He would take
our diseases and bear our sicknesses. In the Gospel of Matthew, the writer quotes Isaiah
53:4 pertaining to Christ healing the sick, thus indicating the fulfillment of that prophecy.

This however does not mean that Isaiah 53:4 was a prediction of what Christ would do on
that one day, the events of which are recorded in Matthew 8:16. Nor does it refer only to
the healing ministry of Christ while He was on the earth. For in the context of Isaiah 53, the
taking of our diseases and bearing of our sicknesses was a work that was to be
accomplished on the cross, concurrently with the bearing of our sins. And it also shows that
many (Isaiah 53:11,12) would benefit from His substitutionary suffering, not just the few in
Matthew 8:16.
So what are the implications of the Spirit of God quoting Isaiah 53:4 in connection with the
healing of the sick in Matthew 8:16. Two important conclusions can be drawn:
 The ultimate purpose of Christ bearing our sicknesses and pain is the deliverance and
healing of the sick, possessed and oppressed. Christ bore our sicknesses and pain so
that we could experience healing and wholeness in our bodies.
 Healing and deliverance can be ministered to the sick, oppressed and possessed on the
basis of what Christ did on the cross. Because He bore all our sicknesses and diseases,
we can minister healing to those who are sick.
10.7. Became A Curse For Us

Galatians 3:13
13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is
written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).
Galatians 3:13 can be understood as having a dual implication. One of these is what we have
already discussed in Chapter 7. We consider the second implication of this verse here. Christ
set us free from the curse of the law. The law brought curses for disobedience. These are
listed in Deuteronomy 28:15–68. The curses include failure, poverty, oppression and every
kind of sickness and disease. Christ in His substitutionary suffering became a curse for us
and hence set us free from all the curses of the law.
10.8. Tasted Death For Everyone

Hebrews 2:9
9
But we see Jesus, Who has made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death
crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for
everyone.
Jesus experienced death for every individual person. He not only entered into our sin, our
sickness, our poverty, and our curse but even into death on our behalf.
“Jesus Christ, in His infinite love, has become what we are, in order that He may make us
entirely what He is” (Iranaeus).

 Highlight the various aspects of Christ’s substitutionary suffering by simply listing
the different things He did as our substitute.
 Expand on any three points you have listed above, specifically focusing on how
that aspect of Christ’s substitutionary work affects you personally.
 What Christ did, He did for the whole world. What are the implications of this?
11. HIS RESURRECTION AND EXALTATION
12. HIS PROMISED RETURN
13. THE SON OF GOD

BIBLIOGRAPHY
The following books/publications were used in compiling Jesus Christ—Volume One
Systematic Theology—Biblical, Historical and Evangelical, Vol. 1

James Leo Garrett, Jr.; William B.Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990.
What Can We Know About Jesus?

Howard Clark Kee; Cambridge University Press, 1990.
The Names and Titles of Jesus

Leopold Sabourin; The Macmillan Co. 1967.
Mercer Dictionary of the Bible

Watson E. Mills (General editor); Mercer University Press, 1990.
The New International Version Matthew Henry Commentary

Rev.Dr.Leslie F. Church (editor); Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy

J.Barton Payne; Harper & Row Publishers, 1973.
The Mediator
Emil Brunner; The Lutterworth Press, 1934.
Atonement and “The Atonement”

John Tallmadge Bergen; Fleming H.Revell Co., 1938.
The Expositor’s Bible

W.Robertson Nicoll (editor); Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1900.
The Substitutionary Sacrifice

Horace Bushell; Charles Scribner Co., 1866.
The Spirit-filled Life Bible

Jack W.Hayford (General editor); Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991.

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BC-107

All Peoples Church & World Outreach

1. THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST.......................................................................................4

Christology (BC-107) Page 2

This course is designed to help us gain an understanding of the following:

Based on Assignments, Class tests, Mid-term test & Final exam

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

Christology (BC-107) Page 3

1.1. Four Attributes Of The Pre-Existent Christ

The Word ‘logos’ (Gr.) refers to Jesus Christ.

1.1.1. The Word was in the beginning

1.1.2. The Word was with God

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1.1.4. In Him was Life

1.2. He Is God In Nature And Attributes

Philippians 2:6a, Amplified Bible

Philippians 2:6a, New International Version

1.2.1. He was always there—He is self-existent

Christology (BC-107) Page 5

With the Israelites:

1.2.3. Origins from a dateless eternity

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Questions for Meditation:

2. HIS EQUALITY WITH THE FATHER AND THE SPIRIT

2.1. Christ Is God

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2.2. The Mighty God

2.3. The First And The Last

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2.5. The Father, The Son And The Holy Spirit

Questions for Meditation:

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In this chapter, we will briefly look at Christ’s role in creation.

3.1. All Things Were Created By Him

3.1.1. Created by Him

3.1.2. Created through Him

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3.1.3. Created for Him

3.1.4. In Him all things consist

The entire universe is held together by His Word.

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Questions for Meditation:

4. THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING

4.1. The ‘Edenic’ Covenant—The Promise In The Garden

Note some important facts:

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4.2. The ‘Abrahamic’ Covenant—The Promise To Abraham

4.3. The One To Whom All Authority Belongs

4.4. A Prophet Like Moses

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4.5. A Virgin Shall Bear A Son

4.6. He Will Come From Bethlehem

4.7. He Will Come Riding On A Donkey

4.8. The Messenger Of The Covenant

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4.9. The LORD’s Servant

The Scriptures teach us that:

Christology (BC-107) Page 15

Questions for Meditation:

Christology (BC-107) Page 16

5.1. The Word Became Flesh

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5.2. God Has ‘Spoken’ In His Son

Notice two other facts with regard to the incarnation: