Is Christ a Created Being?

Christ and His Righteousness-  E.G. Waggoner

'Is Christ a Created Being?

Before passing to some of the practical lessons that are to be learned from these truths, we must dwell for a few moments upon an opinion that is honestly held by many who would not for any consideration willingly dishonor Christ, but who, through that opinion, do actually deny His Divinity. It is the idea that Christ is a created being, who, through the good pleasure of God, was elevated to His present lofty position. No one who holds this view can possibly have any just conception of the exalted position which Christ really occupies.

The view in question is built upon a misconception of a single text, Rev. 3:14: “And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write, These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God.” This is wrongly interpreted to mean that Christ is the first being that God created--that God's work of creation began with Him. But this view antagonizes the scripture which declares that Christ Himself created all things. To say that God began His work of creation by creating Christ is to leave Christ entirely out of the work of creation.

The word rendered “beginning” is arche, meaning, as well, “head” or “chief.” It occurs in the name of the Greek ruler, Archon, in archbishop and the word archangel. Take this last word. Christ is the archangel. See Jude 9; 1 Thess. 4:16; John 5:28, 29; Dan. 10:21.

(((Jud 1:9  Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Dan 10:21  But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.))))

This does not mean that He is the first of the angels, for He is not an angel but is above them. Heb. 1:4.

(((Heb 1:4  Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. ))))

It means that He is the chief or prince of the angels, just as an archbishop is the head of the bishops. Christ is the commander of the angels. See Rev. 19:11-14.

(((Rev 19:11  And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
Rev 19:12  His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
Rev 19:13  And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
Rev 19:14  And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. ))))

 He created the angels. Col. 1:16.

(((Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him))))

 And so the statement that He is the beginning or head of the creation of God means that in Him creation had its beginning; that, as He Himself says, He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Rev. 21:6; 22:13. He is the source whence all things have their origin.

Neither should we imagine that Christ is a creature, because Paul calls Him (Col. 1:15) “The First-born of every creature” for the very next verses show Him to be Creator and not a creature. “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created by Him, and for Him and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” Now if He created everything that was ever created and existed before all created things, it is evident that He Himself is not among created things. He is above all creation and not a part of it.

The Scriptures declare that Christ is “the only begotten son of God.” He is begotten, not created. As to when He was begotten, it is not for us to inquire, nor could our minds grasp it if we were told. The prophet Micah tells us all that we can know about it in these words, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2, margin. There was a time when Christ proceeded forth and came from God, from the bosom of the Father (John 8:42; 1:18), but that time was so far back in the days of eternity that to finite comprehension it is practically without beginning. ((((My thoughts- I dispute this. Christ as the I AM is ever-existent, self-existence. Without father or mother.  And yet we know that a DECREE was made that determined that God the Father would take on that role and God the Son would take on His role.  We have to be able to comprehend this. If both God the Father and God the son are the Alpha and Omega, their beginning was the same, their end the same, their existence the same.  We truly can imagine this as a reality, it's not so far fetched we cannot comprehend how it could be. Even in our own governments we make decrees that determine the position of people. A father can decree that all his wealth will be left to his last son and not the first, the decree would make it so.  A person could have no status whatsoever and then by decree they are given one. The counsel was between them BOTH. 

Zec_6:13  Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

We know that they share counsel.  We know that often when there are two equally qualified people for a position that it is merely by decree that one is given that position and the other the next.

Father and Son, this makes sense because we are adopted -- yes, WE are adopted into this family and it is a FAMILY.  Our Creator did not want to simply rule over us, but He wanted to LOVE us as a Father.  Christ was brought forth from God the Father only in the sense that Christ emptied Himself and when that happened, God filled Him.  Of His own self, Christ could do nothing. 

Joh_5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.

Joh_5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Joh_8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

As the only begotten of the Father, Christ took on flesh and yes, in that flesh He, like all of us, was subject to learning and He learned from God the Father. ))))  End my interjection and continuing with Waggoner--

'But the point is that Christ is a begotten Son and not a created subject. He has by inheritance a more excellent name than the angels; He is “a Son over His own house.” Heb. 1:4; 3:6. And since He is the only- begotten son of God, He is of the very substance and nature of God and possesses by birth all the attributes of God, for the Father was pleased that His Son should be the express image of His Person, the brightness of His glory, and filled with all the fullness of the Godhead. So He has “life in Himself.” He possesses immortality in His own right and can confer immortality upon others. Life inheres in Him, so that it cannot be taken from Him, but having voluntarily laid it down, He can take it again. His words are these: “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” John 10:17, 18.

If anyone springs the old cavil, how Christ could be immortal and yet die, we have only to say that we do not know. We make no pretensions of fathoming infinity. We cannot understand how Christ could be God in the beginning, sharing equal glory with the Father before the world was and still be born a babe in Bethlehem. The mystery of the crucifixion and resurrection is but the mystery of the incarnation. We cannot understand how Christ could be God and still become man for our sake. We cannot understand how He could create the world from nothing, nor how He can raise the dead nor yet how it is that He works by His Spirit in our own hearts; yet we believe and know these things. It should be sufficient for us to accept as true those things which God has revealed without stumbling over things that the mind of an angel cannot fathom. So we delight in the infinite power and glory which the Scriptures declare belong to Christ, without worrying our finite minds in a vain attempt to explain the infinite.

Finally, we know the Divine unity of the Father and the Son from the fact that both have the same Spirit. Paul, after saying that they that are in the flesh cannot please God, continues: “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Rom. 8:9. Here we find that the Holy Spirit is both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Christ “is in the bosom of the Father” being by nature of the very substance of God and having life in Himself. He is properly called Jehovah, the self-existent One and is thus styled in Jer. 23:56, where it is said that the righteous Branch, who shall execute judgment and justice in the earth, shall be known by the name of Jehovah-tsidekenu--THE LORD, OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Let no one, therefore, who honors Christ at all, give Him less honor than He gives the Father, for this would be to dishonor the Father by just so much, but let all, with the angels in heaven, worship the Son, having no fear that they are worshiping and serving the creature instead of the Creator.

And now, while the matter of Christ's Divinity is fresh in our minds, let us pause to consider the wonderful story of His humiliation.'

More tomorrow by the grace of God.

Truly Christ is God and deserving of all our glory, all our honor, all our praise, the UNCREATED ONE, ever existent.

Please Lord, help us to comprehend what we need to know so that we may never be deceived by the craftiest devices that Satan will use upon mankind to lead them to destruction. Let us know the truth, YOUR truth. Let us live the truth all through You and Your righteousness, by Your grace and mercy, in Your love!

Amen!

Christ as Creator

Christ and His Righteousness-  E.G. Waggoner

'The fact of the Divinity of Christ will also appear very distinctly as we proceed to consider:

Christ As Creator

Immediately following the oft-quoted text which says that Christ, the Word, is God, we read that “all things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” John 1:3. Comment cannot make this statement any clearer than it is, therefore we pass to the words of Heb. 1:1-4, “God...hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 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 on the right hand of the majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”

Still more emphatic than this are the words of the apostle Paul to the Colossians. Speaking of Christ as the One through whom we have redemption, he describes Him as the One “who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature; for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Col. 1:15-17.

This wonderful text should be carefully studied and often contemplated. It leaves not a thing in the universe that Christ did not create. He made everything in heaven and everything on earth. He made everything that can be seen and everything that cannot be seen--the thrones and dominions and the principalities and the powers in heaven, all depend upon Him for existence. And as He is before all things and their Creator, so by him do all things consist or hold together. This is equivalent to what is said in Heb. 1:3, that He upholds all things by the word of His power. It was by a word that the heavens were made, and that same word holds them in their place and preserves them from destruction.

We cannot possibly omit in this connection Isa. 40:25, 26: “To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.” Or, as the Jewish translation more forcibly renders it, “from him, who is great in might, and strong in power, not one escapeth.” That Christ is the Holy One who thus calls the host of heaven by name and holds them in their place is evident from other portions of the same chapter. He is the One before whom it was said, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” He is the One who comes with a strong hand, having His reward with Him; the One who, like a shepherd, feeds His flock, carrying the lambs in His bosom.

One more statement concerning Christ as Creator must suffice. It is the testimony of the Father Himself. In the first chapter of Hebrews, we read that God has spoken to us by His Son; that He said of Him, “Let all the angels of God worship him” that of the angels He saith, “Who maketh his angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire,” but that He says to the Son, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.” And God says further, “Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands.” Heb. 1:8-10. Here we find the Father addressing the Son as God, and saying to Him, Thou hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. When the Father Himself gives this honor to the Son, what is man, that he should withhold it? With this we may well leave the direct testimony concerning the Divinity of Christ and the fact that He is the Creator of all things.

A word of caution may be necessary here. Let no one imagine that we would exalt Christ at the expense of the Father or would ignore the Father. That cannot be, for their interests are one. We honor the Father in honoring the Son. We are mindful of Paul's words, that “to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Cor. 8:6); just as we have already quoted, that it was by Him that God made the worlds. All things proceed ultimately from God, the Father; even Christ Himself proceeded and came forth from the Father, but it has pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell, and that He should be the direct, immediate Agent in every act of creation. Our object in this investigation is to set forth Christ's rightful position of equality with the Father, in order that His power to redeem may be the better appreciated.'

My Thoughts-

Again, this is truth! All truth!

God with God, God decreed to be the Son, henceforth God the Father, God the Son. The Son in the flesh upon His incarnation. The Son the creator God having not taken on flesh yet, but decreed to be the only begotten Son of the Father.  As Melchizedek having no father, no mother. From everlasting to everlasting. Self-existent, ever existent.  We can comprehend this only by the grace of our LORD through the Holy Spirit.  Does it matter if we comprehend it? It does.

There will be those who will confuse things, those who will so work things that they make Christ inferior to God by stripping away His self existence, His ever existence. When you strip away this most important truth you lose just that...the truth. When you lose the truth you are building upon a false foundation. If you build upon a false foundation then all things you hold to as truth, are tainted by the lie.  We must believe in ALL truth and only the truth!

Please Lord, help us to continue to learn more and more of ONLY Your truth! Open our hearts and minds to only truth and no lies!  Guide us, Lord, protect us, love us, live in us!

All by Your grace!

Forgive us, Lord, save us!

Is Christ God?

Christ and His Righteousness-  E.G. Waggoner

'IS CHRIST GOD?

In many places in the Bible Christ is called God. The Psalmist says: "The mighty God, even the Lord [Jehovah], hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people. Gather My saints together unto Me; those that have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare His righteousness; for God is judge Himself." Ps. 50:1-6.

That this passage has reference to Christ may be known (1) by the fact already learned, that all judgment is committed to the Son; and (2) by the fact that it is at the second coming of Christ that He sends His angels to gather together His elect from the four winds. Matt. 24:31. "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence." No; for when the Lord Himself descends from heaven, it will be "with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." 1 Thess. 4:16. This shout will be the voice of the Son of God, which will be heard by all that are in their graves, and which will cause them to come forth. John 5:28, 29. With the living righteous they will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air, ever more to be with Him; and this will constitute "our gathering together unto Him." 2 Thess.2:1. Compare Ps. 50:5; Matt. 24:31, and 1 Thess. 4:16.

(((2Th 2:1  Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him

Psa 50:5  Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.

Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first))))

"A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him;" for when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, it will be "in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." 2 Thess. 1:8. So we know that Ps. 50:1-6 is a vivid description of the second coming of Christ for the salvation of His people. When He comes it will be as "the mighty God." Compare Habakkuk 3.

This is one of His rightful titles. Long before Christ's first advent, the prophet Isaiah spoke these words of comfort to Israel: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." Isa. 9:6. These are not simply the words of Isaiah; they are the words of the Spirit of God. God has, in direct address to the Son, called Him by the same title. In Ps. 45:6 we read these words: "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of Thy kingdom is a right scepter." The casual reader might take this to be simply the Psalmist's ascription of praise to God; but when we turn to the New Testament, we find that it is much more. We find that God the Father is the speaker, and that He is addressing the Son, calling Him God. See Heb. 1:1-8.

(((Heb 1:1  God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,

Heb 1:2  Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

Heb 1:3  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 on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

Heb 1:4  Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Heb 1:5  For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

Heb 1:6  And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Heb 1:7  And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

Heb 1:8  But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.))))

This name was not given to Christ in consequence of some great achievement, but it is His by right of inheritance. Speaking of the power and greatness of Christ, the writer to the Hebrews says that He is made so much better than the angels, because "He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." Heb. 1:4. A son always rightfully takes the name of the father; and Christ, as "the only begotten Son of God," has rightfully the same name. A son, also, is, to a greater or less degree, a reproduction of the father; he has, to some extent, the features and personal characteristics of his father; not perfectly, because there is no perfect reproduction among mankind. But there is no imperfection in God, or in any of His works; and so Christ is the "express image" of the Father's person. Heb. 1:3. As the Son of the self-existent God, He has by nature all the attributes of Deity.

It is true that there are many sons of God; but Christ is the "only begotten Son of God," and therefore the Son of God in a sense in which no other being ever was or ever can be. The angels are sons of God, as was Adam (Job 38:7; Luke 3:38), by creation; Christians are the sons of God by adoption (Rom. 8:14, 15); but Christ is the Son of God by birth. The writer to the Hebrews further shows that the position of the Son of God is not one to which Christ has been elevated, but that it is one which He has by right. He says that Moses was faithful in all the house of God, as a servant, "but Christ as a Son over His own house." Heb. 3:6. And he also states that Christ is the Builder of the house. Verse 3. It is He that builds the temple of the Lord, and bears the glory. Zech. 6:12, 13. Christ Himself taught in the most emphatic manner that He is God. When the young man came and asked, "Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" Jesus, before replying to the direct question, said, "Why callest thou Me good? there is none good but One, that is, God." Mark 10:17, 18. What did Jesus mean by these words? Did He mean to disclaim the epithet as applied to Himself? Did He mean to intimate that He was not absolutely good? Was it a modest depreciation of Himself?—By no means; for Christ was absolutely good. To the Jews, who were continually watching to detect in Him some failing of which they might accuse Him, He boldly said, "Which of you convinceth me of sin?" John 8:46. In the whole Jewish nation not a man could be found who had ever seen Him do a thing or heard Him utter a word that had even the semblance of evil; and those who were determined to condemn Him could do it only by

hiring false witnesses against Him. Peter says that He "did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth." 1 Peter 2:22. Paul says that He "knew no sin." 2 Cor. 5:21. The Psalmist says, "He is my Rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him." Ps. 92:15. And John says, "Ye know that He was

manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin." 1 John 3:5.

Christ cannot deny Himself, therefore He could not say that He was not good. He is and was absolutely good, the perfection of goodness. And since there is none good but God, and Christ is good, it follows that Christ is God, and that this is what He meant to teach the young man.

It was this that He taught the disciples. When Philip said to Jesus, "Show us the Father, and it sufficeth us," Jesus said to him: "Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known Me, Philip? he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the

Father?" John 14:8, 9. This is as emphatic as when He said, "I and My Father are one." John 10:30.

So truly was Christ God, even when here among men, that when asked to exhibit the Father He could say, Behold Me. And this brings to mind the statement that when the Father brought

the First-begotten into the world, He said, "And let all the angels of God worship Him." Heb. 1:6. It was not simply when Christ was sharing the glory of the Father before the world was that He was entitled to homage, but when He came a Babe in Bethlehem, even then all the angels of God were commanded to adore Him. The Jews did not misunderstand Christ's teaching concerning Himself. When He declared that He was one with the Father, the Jews took up stones to stone Him; and when He asked them for which of His good works they sought to stone Him, they  replied: "For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that Thou, being a man, makest Thyself God." John 10:33. If He had been what they regarded Him, a mere man, His words would indeed have been blasphemy; but He was God.

The object of Christ in coming to earth was to reveal God to men, so that they might come to Him. Thus the apostle Paul says that "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself" (2 Cor. 5:19); and in John we read that the Word, which was God, was "made flesh." John 1:1,14.

In the same connection it is stated, "No man hath seen God at any time; the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (or made Him known). John 1:18.

Note the expression, "the only-begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father." He has His abode there, and He is there as a part of the Godhead, as surely when on earth as when in heaven. The use of the present tense implies continued existence. It presents the same idea that is contained in the statement of Jesus to the Jews (John 8:58), "Before Abraham was, I am." And this again shows His identity with the One who appeared to Moses in the burning bush, who declared His name to be "I AM THAT I AM."

And, finally, we have the inspired words of the apostle Paul concerning Jesus Christ, that "it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." Col. 1:19. Christ And His Righteousness. What this fullness is, which dwells in Christ, we learn from the next chapter, where we are told that "in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." Col. 2:9. This is most absolute and unequivocal testimony to the fact that Christ possesses by nature all the attributes of Divinity. The fact of the Divinity of Christ will also appear very distinctly as we proceed to consider Christ and His Righteousness.

*******

My thoughts-

Christ, the only begotten of the Father.

Read this--

Gen 22:13  And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son.

Gen 22:14  And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen.

Gen 22:15  And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,

Gen 22:16  And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

Gen 22:17  That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

Gen 22:18  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Now please re-read verse 16 and note the ending.

God speaking to Abraham-  '...and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son.'

Didn't Abraham have another son? Ishmael?

Gen 16:15  And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

Did Abraham claim Ishmael, recognizing him as his son?

Gen_17:18  And Abraham said to God, Oh that Ishmael might live before You!

He did. Abraham knew that Ishmael was his son, his first born to Hagar.

What made God say that Isaac was Abraham's only son when the facts clearly reveal Abraham had another son?

Isaac was a very special birth, wasn't he? He wasn't born naturally. What made His birth different? God's supernatural intervention was needed to make Isaac's birth possible. In fact, it was physically impossible for Sarah to conceive a child. Every woman who has ever gone through menopause and is years and years passed it, knows they will not get pregnant no matter how hard they try with their partner, it is no longer physically possible. Nowadays women might seek medical intervention but unless there is intervention there is no way a woman will bear a child many years after she's ceased to be fertile.  God intervened with Sarah. God restored to Sarah the ability to reproduce for this one very special birth- Isaac. He was UNIQUELY begotten.  And because he was THE child of God's promise, He was the ONLY child uniquely begotten, the child of God's promise.

Christ was UNIQUELY begotten.  A child by decree. A child born of the Holy Spirit. This is why Christ could be the first raise from the dead. He was uniquely raised.  He was the only being raised from the dead that never deserved death at all.

Rev 1:5  And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood

Uniquely begotten. He was begotten uniquely, his birth was unique.

God who took on flesh.

God who dwelt among us.

Mat 1:20  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

Mat 1:21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Mat 1:22  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Mat 1:23  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

God with us.

God - ever existent God.

We mustn't forget Melchizedek.

Gen 14:18  And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Heb_6:20  where Jesus entered as forerunner for us, having become a High Priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.

The order of Melchizedek- God called Melchizedek to the High Priest position.  This was long before the ceremonial laws were passed down to Moses and the Levitical priesthood was established.  God called. And Jesus is uniquely called- uniquely born, uniquely dies, uniquely resurrected, uniquely made a High Priest. 

Heb 7:1  For this Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;

Heb 7:2  To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;

Heb 7:3  Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.

Heb 7:4  Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.

We cannot deny the uniqueness of Melchisedec.

We cannot deny the uniqueness of our Savior.

Jesus - God with us.  To be God with us, He must be God.

To be accused of blasphemy and WRONGLY accused for Jesus was not guilty in anything, He must truly be God.

Ever existent.

The I AM.

Joh 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Exo 3:14  And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

I AM   --  self-existent

That I AM  -- ever- existent

God with us.

God with God.

God decreed a Son.

A Son was born uniquely as God became flesh.

God with us.

Only God could save us, only that ultimate of sacrifices could truly end sin once and for all- nothing else, nothing else could ever have been worthy.

A Creator - God with God in the Creation of all things.

A Creator  sacrificing Himself in order to save His creatures.

God with us.

Yes, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior was/is - God.

God the Son.

Blessed be the name of our Lord God always!

All by His mercy and grace, His love!

May we study more tomorrow growing ever closer to HIM and He to us!  All in His righteousness, His LOVE. 

Christ and His Righteousness (Pt. 2)

Studying from the book-  Christ and His Righteousness   by  E.J. Waggoner

Christ and His Righteousness  (Pt. 2)

Chapter 1-

'How Shall We Consider Christ?

But how should we consider Christ? Just as He has revealed Himself to the world, according to the witness which He bore concerning Himself. In that marvelous discourse recorded in the fifth chapter of John, Jesus said, “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son; that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent Him.” Verses 21-23.

To Christ is committed the highest prerogative, that of judging. He must receive the same honor that is due to God and for the reason that He is God. The beloved disciple bears this witness, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1. That this Divine Word is none other than Jesus Christ is shown by verse 14: “And the Word was made 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.”

The Word was “in the beginning.” The mind of man cannot grasp the ages that are spanned in this phrase. It is not given to men to know when or how the Son was begotten; but we know that he was the Divine Word, not simply before He came to this earth to die, but even before the world was created. Just before His crucifixion He prayed, “And now, O Father, glorify thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.” John 17:5. And more than seven hundred years before His first advent, His coming was thus foretold by the word of inspiration: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2, margin. We know that Christ “proceeded forth and came from God” (John 8:42), but it was so far back in the ages of eternity as to be far beyond the grasp of the mind of man.'

My thoughts-

Further and deeper, very prayerful study has revealed that this isn't quite so.  What I mean by that is, Christ is from everlasting to everlasting. Christ was in beginning. Christ is the Alpha and Omega. The Almighty Father was in beginning. The Almighty Father is from everlasting to everlasting. The Almighty Father is the Alpha and Omega. These are Biblical FACTS.

Rev_21:22  And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

The LORD GOD ALMIGHTY   (GOD THE FATHER)

AND

The LAMB  (GOD THE SON)

Rev_1:8  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.  

GOD THE FATHER.

Rev 22:12  And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Rev 22:13  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

GOD THE SON.

They are BOTH from everlasting, they are both Alpha and Omega, they are both the Beginning and the End, they are both the First and the Last.

How can this be if one is the Father and one is the Son?

This is how… a DECREE was made.

Psa 2:7  I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

This verse is clarified in John and Hebrews-  (the only BEGOTTEN)

Joh 1:14  And the Word was made 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.

Joh 1:18  No man hath seen God at any time; the only BEGOTTEN Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Heb 1:5  For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I BEGOTTEN thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Heb 1:6  And again, when he bringeth in the firstBEGOTTEN into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Heb 5:5  So also Christ glorified not himself to be made an high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to day have I BEGOTTEN thee.
Heb 5:6  As he saith also in another place, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

A decree- by decree.

Definition of 'decree'-

noun
noun: decree; plural noun: decrees
    1. 1.
an official order issued by a legal authority.
        ○ the issuing of a decree.
"the king ruled by decree"
        ○ a judgment or decision of certain law courts.
verb
verb: decree; 3rd person present: decrees; past tense: decreed; past participle: decreed; gerund or present participle: decreeing
    1. 1.
order (something) by decree.
"the government decreed a ban on any contact with the guerrillas"
   

Pasted from


Can you give an order or make a decree to someone that doesn't exist?

No.

We've read this before-- 
Zec 6:12  And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Zec 6:13  Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.

The counsel of peace shall be BETWEEN THEM BOTH.

Here we have two beings from everlasting to everlasting, and the COUNSEL that is between them both could very well have been the decision they needed to make before they undertook the creation of human beings.  Just imagine for a moment of you will - two business men deciding to undertake some amazing adventure together. They aren't going to start before they have a plan, before they've thought everything out. Their plan is going to be thorough and every contingency will be thought of before it's needed.  God the Father and God the Son, both knew that sin could enter their perfect world and if it did what needed to be done. They made a plan. The only thing that could atone for any sin corruption would be for one of them to take on flesh, and sacrifice themselves to save their Creations.  The decision was made, the decree would be given, and was given. The Word took on Flesh. The Only Begotten was in fact Begotten.

Heb 1:5  For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I BEGOTTEN thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?

Do you normally need to make a decree that your son in your son? We know the Word was in beginning with God when the worlds were made.  We know the Word took on flesh and BECAME the ONLY BEGOTTEN of the Father.  When this plan was enacted the roles were defined. A Father God and a Son God.  One who would give power to the One who would give up His power.  Forever now the Father God and the Son God, the Father God and the Savior who showed us the Father.

Our Bibles tell us  the TRUTH.

Joh 8:42  Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

It was the power of God that brought forth Christ through the Holy Spirit. When God the Son gave up His power to become flesh, He had NO POWER to bring Himself forth as the Son. He emptied Himself.  As One who is emptied of His power He could not create Himself He had to be begotten of the Father, He had to be sent by the Father, He had to proceed forth from the Father.

Php 2:5  Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6  who, being in the form of God, counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God,
Php 2:7  but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men
(RV)

The miracle of Christ made Flesh is just that, a miracle. We can never know all of the mystery, but we must by faith believe in our Creator, our Redeemer.

More tomorrow by the grace of our GOD, our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST.

All in HIS LOVE!

Christ Our Righteousness Pt. 1

We are going to read from the book- Christ and His Righteousness   by  E.J. Waggoner- and study from it, praying all the while that the Holy Spirit impress upon us only the truth as it is found in Christ and no other!

We begin with the introduction. Please, take your Bible, or open your Bible App, or click on the link to your Bible, however you study God's word, PLEASE open that HOLY WORD and with a very prayerful heart take each verse and study it for yourself. We can listen to others interpretations all day long, but in the end it is God's word that is holy, not ours or others.

May the grace of God fill our lives as we study to know more of Christ.

*******

'Introduction

In the first verse of the third chapter of Hebrews we have an exhortation which comprehends all the injunctions given to the Christian. It is this: “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.” To do this as the Bible enjoins, to consider Christ continually and intelligently, just as He is, will transform one into a perfect Christian, for “by beholding we become changed.”

(Heb 3:1  Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.

2Co_3:18  But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.)

Ministers of the gospel have an inspired warrant for keeping the theme, Christ, continually before the people and directing the attention of the people to Him alone. Paul said to the Corinthians, “I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified” (1 Cor. 2:2), and there is no reason to suppose that his preaching to the Corinthians was different in any respect from his preaching elsewhere. Indeed, he tells us that when God revealed His Son in him, it was that he might preach Him among the heathen (Gal. 1:15, 16), and his joy was that to him grace had been given to “preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.” Eph. 3:8.

(Gal 1:15  But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,
Gal 1:16  To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood)

But the fact that the apostles made Christ the burden of all their preaching is not our sole warrant for magnifying Him. His name is the only name under heaven given among men whereby we can be saved. Acts 4:12. Christ Himself declared that no man can come unto the Father but by Him. John 14:6. To Nicodemus He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:14, 15.

This “lifting up” of Jesus, while it has primary reference to His crucifixion, embraces more than the mere historical fact; it means that Christ must be “lifted up” by all who believe in Him, as the crucified Redeemer, whose grace and glory are sufficient to supply the world's greatest need; it means that He should be “lifted up” in all His exceeding loveliness and power as “God with us,” that His Divine attractiveness may thus draw all unto Him. See John 12:32.

(Joh 12:32  And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. )

The exhortation to consider Jesus and also the reason therefore, are given in Heb. 12:1-3: “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him that endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” It is only by constantly and prayerfully considering Jesus as He is revealed in the Bible that we can keep from becoming weary in well-doing and from fainting by the way.

Again, we should consider Jesus because in Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” Col. 2:3. Whoever lacks wisdom is directed to ask of God, who gives to all men liberally and upbraids not, and the promise is that it shall be given him, but the desired wisdom can be obtained only in Christ. The wisdom which does not proceed from Christ and which does not as a consequence lead to Him is only foolishness, for God, as the Source of all things, is the Author of wisdom; ignorance of God is the worst sort of foolishness (see Rom. 1:21, 22) and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in Christ, so that he who has only the wisdom of this world knows, in reality, nothing. And since all power in heaven and in earth is given to Christ, the apostle Paul declares Christ to be “the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Cor. 1:24.

(Rom 1:21  Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Rom 1:22  Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools)

There is one text, however, which briefly sums up all that Christ is to man and gives the most comprehensive reason for considering Him. It is this: “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.” 1 Cor. 1:30. We are ignorant, wicked lost. Christ is to us wisdom, righteousness, redemption. What a range! From ignorance and sin to righteousness and redemption. Man's highest aspiration or need cannot reach outside the bounds of what Christ is to us and what He alone is to us. Sufficient reason this why the eyes of all should be fixed upon Him.'

*******

Amazing. 

I especially want to look at this sentence- ' The wisdom which does not proceed from Christ and which does not as a consequence lead to Him is only foolishness, for God, as the Source of all things, is the Author of wisdom; ignorance of God is the worst sort of foolishness (see Rom. 1:21, 22) and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hid in Christ, so that he who has only the wisdom of this world knows, in reality, nothing.'

'He who has only the wisdom of this world knows, in reality, nothing.'

This is TRUTH!

This is the sort of truth people do not want to hear and do not want to believe. They love to believe that all their smarts are just that, theirs and therefore they are good, and right. The truth is that there is not one thing that we know - not the hardest mathematics, not the deepest science, not the seemingly impossible wealth of knowledge so that you hold millions of facts in your head- none of that matters in the least little bit unless you first know Christ and Him as a reality in your life.  Christ as our wisdom. Christ as our righteousness. Christ as our redemption.

Be as brilliant as the highest winner on the television show Jeopardy,  be as amazingly smart as the highest ranking scientific mind in the word, invent something so astounding that in changes the lives of everyone in the entire world and still… it is NOTHING!  NOTHING!

Why is it nothing? Because all things here and now in this world, and I mean ALL things outside of Christ, are temporary to eternity.

More tomorrow … by the grace of GOD.

All by the love and mercy of our Savior, Jesus Christ!

Judgement

Judgment-   Please read all the following verses on judgment, we need to study this because as we know our every work is going to be brought into judgment.

Isa 26:8  Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O LORD, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee.
Isa 26:9  With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Beautiful.

Job 37:23  Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
Job 37:24  Men do therefore fear him...

We were told that our whole duty is to FEAR GOD and KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS.  Our God is excellent in power and in judgment. Truly we cannot find God out, His ways are beyond us, but He is EXCELLENT in power and in judgment and we do need to fear Him, reverently and with a real fear because if we don't fear God, who has total control of our eternal life, who should we fear?

Psa 9:7  But the LORD shall endure for ever: he hath prepared his throne for judgment.
Psa 9:8  And he shall judge the world in righteousness, he shall minister judgment to the people in uprightness.

We will be judged. Don't think you won't be. Don't think you're an exception.  Every secret thing whether it's good or evil.

Psa 94:14  For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.
Psa 94:15  But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

Judgment shall return unto righteousness. How beautiful is that?  Judgment isn't a bad thing, not like we make it out to be. We think being judged is something to be despised. Truthfully, judgment goes hand in hand with righteousness. If we accept Christ as our righteousness then as we are judged we will be judged in righteousness. There is nothing greater than Christ's righteousness. Nothing.  '...all the upright in heart shall follow it.'   By the grace of God we will follow Christ our righteousness and live as He would have us live. Our upright hearts are only upright because we have accepted Christ into our heart, He is our heart, our righteousness.

I have to pause here because there is a study tangent study I think we need to do…

Christ Our Righteousness.


By the grace of our LORD, tomorrow we will begin that study.

In HIS LOVE! HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS!

Moral Monitor

Ecc 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
Ecc 12:14  For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

The conclusion- the end- of the whole matter- of everything…

FEAR GOD
KEEP HIS COMMANDMENTS

This is our duty as human beings.

Why?

Because God will bring EVERY work into JUDGMENT.
EVERY WORK.
EVERY SECRET THING- good or evil.

*******

We've been studying this for a bit and no wonder, it's something we really need to believe.  It's easy to understand, yes? But harder to make a reality. To live with this belief in mind.

We must live with the comprehension we are to be judged by our Creator and Redeemer.

It's much too easy to live not believing we will be judged, or not caring, or believing but telling ourselves that no matter what we will be judged favorably.

How differently would people act if they truly believed they were being judged?

Someone could make a fiction movie about this -

There is a world where people live with a monitor attached to them. This monitor lists everything action they make, every word they speak, even their thoughts and each act, every word and thought are judged instantly. You grab up your monitor and look at it every evening going through all the things you've done and next to each act is  a mark for acceptable or unacceptable. You must then make a REAL apology for each unacceptable act. 

Now of course there has to be a story here- beginning, middle, and end.  The beginning- life, how you live with the monitor- the middle, an actual day in and day out enactment of this sort of life. The end however, what makes this a movie so to speak is that when a person dies their monitor goes blank- all the data going back to a mainframe. The mainframe goes through all the data and a determination is made- did that person live their life acceptably, were their apologies sincere, did they try to keep their evil actions to a minimum or did they live a life uncaring, even boasting of their evil? Based on this final evaluation a determination is made whether or not they deserve a new life in a new world that is being created. If it is determined they are undeserving then they are reserved for permanent termination.  The end of the movie shows a new world unveiling and millions of people filling it, while many more millions are destroyed.

Okay, people might think that this movie wouldn't make millions at a box office, but you know what... it's exactly what people think about life.  They don't care for it, it's not the type of story they want to believe or like, and it's not the sort of life they want to believe in either. People don't want to be accountable for their actions.

It's true that we can NEVER be good enough, that we NEED a SAVIOR and it's our Savior who we are apologizing to, asking forgiveness for our wrong doings. When we truly trust and believe in our Savior to forgive us, to save us with HIS righteousness He will know. When He is our everything, He knows. When we live our lives knowing that He is our all in all and we want to keep His commandments, then we are His, He knows us. We must be His. This is REAL! 

We aren't talking about a fictional movie, we are talking truth, we are talking REAL LIFE, OUR LIVES!

Do you believe it?  Do you wish you had a monitor attached to you? It would make our lives easier in some respects wouldn't it? But seriously, we are all accountable- every good or evil deed of ours we are accountable for and will be judged on. 

God knows we fall far short of being good, and that our righteousness truly is as filthy rags. We are only saved by the grace of our Lord, but we have to be willing to believe this, to believe in our SAVIOR, our GOD, our CREATOR, our REDEEMER!

May we believe!

All by His love, His grace and mercy!