Partaking of Hatred For Unrighteousness.

 Chapter 8 -- PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE

Peter wrote that in the provision of God's power, there has been given "unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness," even "great and precious promises: that by these [we] might be partakers of the divine nature," and thus escape "the corruption that is in the world through lust."  1  

This participation in the "divine nature" is referred to as a divine culture that brings perfection. The servant of the Lord has stated: Divine culture brings perfection. If in connection with God the work is carried forward, the human agent, through Christ, will day by day gain victory and honor in the battle. Through the grace given he will overcome, and will be placed on vantage ground. In his relation to Christ he will be bone of His bone, flesh of His flesh, one with Christ in a peculiar relationship, because Christ took the humanity of man. He became subject to temptation, endangering as it were, His divine attributes. Satan sought, by the constant and curious devices of his cunning, to make Christ yield to temptation. Man must pass over the ground over which Christ has passed. As Christ overcame every temptation which Satan brought against Him, so man is to overcome. And those who strive earnestly to overcome are brought into a oneness with Christ that the angels in heaven can never know.

The divine culture of men and women will be carried forward to completion only as they are partakers of the divine nature. Thus they may overcome as Christ overcame in their behalf. Through the grace given, fallen man may be placed on vantage ground. Through toil, through patient trust and faith in Jesus Christ, through faithful continuance in well-doing, he may rise to spiritual victory.  2 

This experience is also referred to in the Spirit of Prophecy as a science "which is life unto eternal life." Note these words: Christ was invested with the right to give immortality. The life that He had laid down in humanity, He now takes up again, and gives to humanity. "I am come," He said, "that they might have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." John 10:10 …

All who are one with Christ through faith in Him, by the agency of His Holy Spirit, He carries through the science of that experience,

p 57 -- which is life unto eternal life ... Christ became one in flesh with humanity, that humanity might become one in spirit and life with Him. 3

In partaking of the "divine nature", there is an experience to be realized now by the believer, which is designated as "life" - real living, and a future experience - "eternal life", which is to follow. But the very essence of the future life is to be realized in the presently earthly experience. "Those who see Christ in His true character, and receive Him into the heart, have everlasting life. It is through the Spirit that Christ dwells in us; and the Spirit of God, received into the heart by faith, is the beginning of the life eternal."  4  "As through Jesus we enter into rest, heaven begins here. We respond to His invitation, Come, learn of Me, and in thus coming we begin the life eternal."  5

Life eternal begins now; eternal life follows. One is quality; the other is quantity. Unless it can be demonstrated that an individual has yielded his life to the Holy Spirit for the impartation of the "divine nature", God cannot trust that person with eternal life. A change of character must precede a change of being.

Paul declared that in Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."  6  Paul also prayed that the believer might "be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man," that Christ might dwell by faith in the heart, and that he "might be filled with all the fulness of God."  7  What Christ possessed, we are to have and experience now even the fullness of the Godhead! It is written: In Christ dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily. This is why, although He was tempted in all points like as we are, He stood before the world, from His first entrance into it, untainted by

p 58 --corruption, though surrounded by it. Are we not also to become partakers of that fullness, and is it not thus, and thus only, that we can overcome as He overcame?  8

That fullness that Christ possessed was the "divine nature" of which we are also to partake, if we are to overcome as He overcame. Carefully consider the following concepts:  Christ came to be our example, and to make known to us that we may be partakers of the divine nature ... Christ by His own example, made it evident that man may stand in integrity. Men may have power to resist evil - a power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can master; a power that will place them where they may overcome as Christ overcame. Divinity and humanity may be combined in them.  9

Scarcely can the human mind comprehend what is the breadth and depth and height of the spiritual attainments that can be reached by becoming partakers of the divine nature.  10

In creation, Christ gave to humanity an existence outside of Himself. In redemption, He takes humanity unto Himself. He makes it a part of His own being. We become one with Him, as He is one with God. The Holy Spirit, which proceeds from the only begotten Son, binds the believer, body, soul, and spirit to the divine-human nature of Christ. Finite man is united to the manhood of Christ. Through faith human nature is assimilated to Christ's nature. We are made one with God in Christ.  11

It is at this point that we stumble and fall; our faith doesn't even attain to the proverbial grain of mustard seed; our perception "blacks out." We throw up our hands in dismay and question - "divine nature" in us? "Divinity and humanity" combined in man? In order to understand this goal, we must ask ourselves another question, and understand the answer. What makes God, God? In answering -this question, we need to reconsider carefully the pre-existence and incarnation of our Lord. In His pre-Bethlehem identity, He was in the "form of God". At Bethlehem, He accepted the "form of a slave", yet He was "the fulness of the Godhead bodily." His position as God was not lost, though He changed forms. But in the change, He "veiled the demonstrations of Deity" and

p 59 -- "relinquished" the glories that are inherent in the form of God.  12  This is evident from the prayer request of John 17. He asked to be glorified with the very self-identification with God, which He had possessed "before the world was."  13   Yet when the Word was made flesh, His disciples saw a glory in Him as "the only begotten of the Father."  14

What is the difference between these glories?

As the pre-existent God, Christ was immortal; as the Son of man, He was mortal . 12 

As the One who shared the Throne of the Universe, He possessed infinite power; as a member of the human family, He declared, "I can of mine own self do nothing." 15 

Yet He possessed a glory that was the glory of God. That glory was the fullness "of grace and truth.   14 

One was the "quality" of God; the other the "quantity" of God.

One was the "life eternal"; the other is "the eternal life."

We might ask the primal question - "Which of these aspects of God did Lucifer call into question?" Not the "quantity" of God - His power, His immortality - for Lucifer desired these. But the character of God, the "quality" of God, the devil did not want.

The great controversy concerns the law of God, which is but a transcript of God's character - not a transcript of the "form of God." This differentiation must be clearly understood. 

God's character is as much a revelation of Himself as in His form. Only as His character is the essence of truth and righteousness could He use the powers inherent in His form for the welfare of His creation.

When Christ relinquished "the form of God" and took "the form of a slave" to save men, "He brought into His human nature all the life-giving energies that human beings will need and must receive."  12  With these "life-giving energies" He demonstrated that fallen human nature was no excuse for sinning, that the law

p 60 -- of God can be kept by man.

"It is through His intercession that we, through faith, repentance, and conversion, are enabled to become partakers of the divine nature, and thus escape the corruption that is in the world through lust."  16 

For its accomplishment in us, Christ has obtained the highest of all gifts that heaven can bestow - the Holy Spirit. This Gift "would come with no modified energy, but in the fulness of divine power ... Through the Spirit, the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature."  17  The Holy Spirit takes the things of Christ - "the life-giving energies" - and ministers these to the repentant believer.  18   In this Christ is glorified, for in the acceptance of these life-giving energies, man is enabled to reflect the image of Jesus fully, and thus the purpose of Jesus' mission is realized. What then are these life-giving energies - these energies solely of heavenly origin - by which man may possess the "divine nature.

Truth -- One of the glories which the disciples beheld when the Word was made flesh, was truth.  14   This was the basic issue of the conflict which began in heaven. Lucifer did not want to abide in the truth.  19  But truth is essential that man might be freed from the bondage of sin. Of truth as an energy solely of divine origin, it is written: Truth is sacred, divine. It is stronger and more powerful than anything else in the formation of a character after the likeness of Christ.... When it is cherished in the heart the love of Christ is preferred to the love of any human being. This is Christianity. This is the love of God in the soul. Thus pure, unadulterated truth occupies the citadel of the being.  20

No man can of himself originate truth. It is divine. It is a part of the fullness of the Godhead. When man, therefore, accepts truth, he is

p 61 -- partaking of the "divine nature". "All truth is to be received as the life of Jesus. Truth cleanses us from all impurity, and prepares the soul for Christ's presence.  Christ is formed within, the hope of glory.  21

Truth and our relationship to it is the basis for the message of righteousness by faith. Speaking of those who did not accept the message of 1888 which came to the Seventh-day Adventist church, the servant of the Lord indicated that the reason was they were "not willing to exchange their own righteousness, which is unrighteousness, for the righteousness of Christ, which is pure, unadulterated truth."  22

Even the disciples of Christ did not comprehend the truths which Christ taught during His years of earthly ministry. They failed thus to partake of His life, and manifest His character. They were weak and vacillating, doubting and perplexed. But when the Holy Spirit came upon them, truth dominated their life and experience. Of this transformation, it is written:         Christ was the revealer of truth to the world. By Him the incorruptible seed - the word of God - was sown in the hearts of men. But many of the most precious lessons of the great Teacher were spoken to those who did not then understand them. When, after His ascension, the Holy Spirit brought His teachings to the remembrance of the disciples, their slumbering senses awoke. The meaning of these truths flashed upon their minds as a new revelation, and truth, pure and unadulterated, made a place for itself. Then the wonderful experience of His life became theirs.  23

The Holy Spirit is the minister of the divine energy of truth. Jesus had promised that when "the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth."  24  This is possible because "the Holy Spirit ... is the truth."  25  "The impartation of the Spirit is the impartation of the life of Christ."  26  It is the impartation of "His fulness,"  27  "the soul of His life"  28  - those very "life-giving energies" that man must have and must receive, if he is to experience the

p 62 -- divine culture that brings perfection.

John the Baptist promised that Christ would baptize the believer "with the Holy Ghost and with fire."  29   In this hour when much excitement is being generated by folk who claim to have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, one is hesitant to confess that he has indeed been baptized by the Holy Spirit and fire, as has been promised in the Word of God. This hesitancy results from the fact that we do not understand what this experience really is. In the prophecy of Zechariah, the experience is described in the symbolism of the two olive trees which empty themselves of the golden oil through two golden pipes.  30  This oil is defined as "the Word of the Lord." This is declared to be "the baptism by the Holy Spirit with fire."   31  "The word of God - the truth - is the channel through which the Lord manifests His Spirit and power."  32  If then, the powerful energy of truth has filled one's life, he has been baptized by the Holy Spirit with fire. When the Day of Pentecost came, the Spirit symbolized by tongues of fire, representing the organ of articulation, awakened the slumbering senses of the recipient, not only permitting truth to find its way into his life, but also enabling him to speak truth that pierced the stubborn hearts of the murderers of Christ, and lifted the darkness from their minds.  33 

Jeremiah the prophet had received much abuse because he had spoken unflinchingly the word of the Lord to disobedient Israel. The burden had become so heavy that he decided the best course to follow was to keep his mouth shut and say nothing more. This he could not do for the word of God - the truth - according to his own testimony, "was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forebearing, and I could not stay."  34  This is the baptism by fire so needed today, and can only become real, when men and

p 63 -- women open their hearts to the life-giving energy of truth, which Christ wants to impart in unlimited power through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus declared, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  35   In the transforming power of truth, by which the divine nature is brought to us, there are those who would make this experience almost akin to a surgical heart transplant. They would have us believe that there must be an eradication of what is termed the "stoney heart", and an implantation of a "new heart." But this life-giving energy of truth restores the powers of the mind by removing the darkness which sin has brought. Of this experience it is stated:  The truths of the Word of God are the utterances of the Most High. He who makes these truths a part of his life becomes in every sense a new creature. He is not given new mental powers, but the darkness that through ignorance and sin has clouded the understanding, is removed. The words, "A new heart also will I give you," means, "A new mind will I give you." A change of heart is always attended by a clear conviction of Christian duty, an understanding of truth. He who gives the Scriptures close, prayerful attention will gain clear comprehension and sound judgment, as if in turning to God he had reached a higher plane of intelligence.  36  Truth does not destroy or eradicate the mind by which eternal decisions must be made, but it restores the mind to its original capacity to discern the deceptive temptations of the enemy so that the trauma of Eden need not be repeated.

Grace -- Along with truth, the disciples beheld the fullness of the grace of God manifest in the Word made flesh.  14 This grace was not a passive energy, but rather active. Paul declared:          For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world.  37

p 64 -- God's grace is not something by which He winks at man's transgressions, but His grace teaches us that we should deny ungodliness and lusts which war against the soul. That this may be accomplished in us, we must accept the promises of the powerful energies heaven has provided whereby we can escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. The grace which Christ implants in the soul through the Holy Spirit does something specific for the recipient. The Spirit of Prophecy states:       It is the grace that Christ implants in the soul which creates in man enmity against Satan. Without this converting grace and renewing power, man would continue the captive of Satan, a servant ever ready to do his bidding. But the new principle in the soul creates conflict where hitherto had been peace. The power which Christ imparts, enables man to resist the tyrant and usurper. Whoever is seen to abhor sin instead of loving it, whoever resists and conquers those passions that have held sway within, displays the operation of a principle wholly from above.   38

Grace does have a negative aspect. It creates hatred of, an abhorrence for, and an enmity against sin. This enmity is supernatural , wholly of divine origin. In this it reflects the very nature of Jesus. Of Him it is written, "Thou has loved righteousness, and hated iniquity."  39 

When Christ became an inhabitant of this earth, this enmity reached its highest degree of development. "Never before had there been a being upon the earth who hated sin with so perfect a hatred as did Christ. He had 'seen its deceiving, infatuating power upon the holy angels, and all His powers were enlisted against it." 40 

Genuine grace was the means of God's direct intervention in the fall of man to offset the advantage obtained by the enemy. Had not God intervened, man would have formed a firm alliance with Satan against heaven. "In the statement, 'I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed,' God pledged Himself to introduce into the hearts of human beings a new principle, - a hatred of sin, of deception, or pretense, of everything that

p 65 -- bears the marks of Satan's guile.  41

We hear much today about how easy it is to be a Christian; just believe and the grace of God will do all that needs to be done. But the implantation of the true grace of God in the soul - hatred of sin - is the beginning of a life-long struggle marked by tedious battles and severe, bitter contests.

It is written: The evil tendencies of mankind are hard to overcome. The battles are tedious. Every soul in the strife knows how severe, how bitter, are these contests. Everything about growth in grace is difficult, because the standard and maxims of the world are constantly interposed between the soul and God's holy standard. The Lord would have us elevated, ennobled, purified, by carrying out the principles underlying His great moral standard, which will test every character in the great day of final reckoning.  42 

Love -- Truth brings love, even the love of God.  20  The Bible declares that God is love.  43  It is His very nature. This love was revealed in the life of Christ. "In the light from Calvary it will be seen that the law of self-renouncing love is the law of life for earth and heaven; that the love which 'seeketh not her own' has its source in the heart of God."  44  The love which Christ manifested in His life is now to be implanted in the hearts of the believer "by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."  45

This genuine love, however, is not a love-sick sentimentalism which indulges sin, or the sinner. It is written:  True love seeks first the honor of God and the salvation of souls. Those who have this love will not evade the truth to save themselves from the unpleasant results of plain speaking. When souls are in peril, God's ministers will not consider self, but will speak the word given them to speak, refusing to excuse or palliate evil.  46

Christ's heart "overflowed with love for the whole human race, but He was

p 66 -- never indulgent to their sins. He was too much their friend to remain silent while they were pursuing a course that would ruin their souls, - the souls He had purchased with His own blood. He labored that man should be true to himself, true to his higher and eternal interest."   47

Summary --  48  Only through the impartation of the life-giving energies - the divine nature - can one realize the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

To be baptized by the Holy Spirit with fire - which is the truth as it is in Jesus; to be impregnated with supernatural enmity against sin - which is the grace which Christ implants; and to be imbued with the self-renouncing love which leads one to seek first the honor of God and the salvation of souls, is to be possessed with a power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can master. Divinity and humanity is thus combined in such an one.

1    II Peter 1:3-4

2    Ellen G. White, Letter 5, 1900 (7BC:926)

3    Ellen G. White, Ms. 131, 1897, Andreasen Collection #2

4    Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 388

5    Ibid., p. 331

6    Colossians 2:9

7    Ephesians 3:14-21

8    Ellen G. White, Ms. 16, 1890 (7BC:907)

9    Ellen G. White, Review & Herald Feb. 18, 1890

10  Ellen G. White, Letter 43, 1895 (7BC:943)

11  Ellen G. White, "The Word Made Flesh", Andreasen Collection #2

12  Ellen G. White, Review & Herald, June 15, 1905 (5BC:1126)

13  John 17:5

14  John 1:14

15  John 5:30

16  Ellen G. White, Ms. 29, 1906

17  Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 671

18  John 16:14-15 

19  John 8:44

20  EIlen G. White, In Heavenly Places, p. 140

p 67 --

21  Ellen G. White, Ms. 103, 1902 (7BC:957)

22  Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers, p. 65

23  Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 520

24  john 16:13

25  Ellen G. White, Testimonies to Ministers, p. 122

26  Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 805

27  Ellen G. White, Education, p. 95

28  Ellen G. White, Our High Calling, p. 150

29  Luke 3:16

30  Zechariah 4:11-14

31  Ellen G. White, Ms. 109, 1897 (4BC:1180)

32  Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 520

33  Acts 2:3-4, 36-37

34  Jeremiah 20:9

35  John 8:32

36  Ellen G. White, Review & Herald December 18, 1913

37  Titus 2:11-12

38  Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 506

39  Hebrews 1:9

40  Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, bk i, p. 254

41  Ellen G. White, Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 2, p. 6

42  Ellen G. White, The Faith I Live By, p. 135

43  1 John 4:16

44  EIlen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 20

45  Romans 5:5

46  Ellen G. White, Prophets and Kings, p. 141

47  Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 356

48  See Appendix B

In the Form of a Slave

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (KJV)

But Himself He made void a form of a slave taking Philippians 2:7 (Translated from Greek)

Php 2:7 But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave… (LITV)

William H. Grotheer

January, 1974

Our Hands Have Handled the Word of Life.

Chapter 7 -- THE INCARNATION ACCORDING TO JOHN IN HIS EPISTLES AND THE REVELATION

John introduced his first Epistle with the reality of Jesus in the flesh. He who was in the beginning with God, became flesh, and the reality of the experience was such that John declared - "We have seen [Him] with our eyes... and our hands have handled [Him]"  1 Coupled with this firm declaration of the reality of Jesus in the flesh is the warning that many false prophets have gone out into the world, which do not confess that Jesus did come in the flesh. This John declared to be "that spirit of antichrist."   2

Here is the great divide in the theologies that purport to be Christian.  a  Did Christ come all the way down in taking our flesh, or did He possess some higher kind of flesh unknown to man in his fallen state? On this point, Paul had emphatically stated that "without controversy great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh."  3  Paul had further emphasized that Christ partook of the "same" flesh and blood as man.  4  John declared that to deny this fundamental truth concerning the Incarnation was to reveal the spirit of antichrist.

If Christ came and lived on a different plane than man, in a different flesh than man has, then there would be no way for Christ to be man's Example, and a Christian could not really represent Him in the world. But John indicated that "as He is, so are we in this world." 5  And what was He? It is written:  To human eyes, Christ was only a man, yet He was a perfect man. In His humanity He was the impersonation of the divine character. God embodied His own attributes in His Son, - His power, His wisdom, His goodness, His purity, His truthfulness, His spirituality, and His benevolence. In Him, though human, all perfection of (a  See Appendix A)

p 53 -- character, all divine excellence dwelt. 6

The same relationship between Christ and His people as stated in the Epistle of John is also reiterated in the book of Revelation in the message to the overcomers of the church of Laodicea. Christ's followers are to overcome "even as [He] overcame."  7  Christ accepted the liability of "the" flesh, and met the Law of Equivalence, so that man might also experience victory by the way and through the means provided in the sacrificial offering on Calvary, and High Priestly intercession. On this point it is stated:       Christ came to this world to counteract Satan's falsehood that God had made a law which men could not keep. Taking humanity upon Himself, He came to this earth, and by a life of obedience showed that God has not made a law that man cannot keep. He showed that it is possible for man to perfectly obey the law. Those who accept Christ as their Saviour, becoming partakers of His divine nature, are enabled to follow His example, living in obedience to every precept of the law. Through the merits of Christ, man is to show by his obedience that he could be trusted in heaven, that he would not rebel.

Christ possessed the same nature that man possesses. He was tempted in all points like as man is tempted. The same power by which He obeyed is at man's command.  8

In the book of Revelation, the One exalted to the throne of God is revealed as still "the Son of man."   9  His pre-existence, and His incarnation are presented in the symbolism of Chapter Twelve. There, He as Michael - the name means, One who is like God - is portrayed in deadly conflict with the originator of sin and evil - the great-red dragon - who is declared to be the devil and Satan.   10  He is revealed as Christ - the Messiah and the Lamb - who cast down the "accuser" of the brethren, and through Whom the brethren in turn overcome the accuser.  11  But in the introduction of this whole chapter, there is portrayed in prophetic symbolism the first gospel promise made to Eve in Eden. The seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head.  12   This seed of the woman

p 54 -- is declared to be "a man-child."

In the Greek, there are three words that John could have used to describe Jesus as a man. He could have chosen -anqrwpoV - which is used to indicate man in the generic sense. Such a designation is found frequently in the gospels where Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of man.  13  He could have selected the word - anhr - which means man in reference to his sex, but also has broader shades of meaning. It is used to contrast an adult with a boy, and a husband in relationship to a wife. In the Scriptures this word is also used to designate non-sexual heavenly beings such as the angels."  14  John, however, moved by the Spirit chose the word - arsen or arsena - to express the thought conveyed in regard to the Man-child. This word denotes singularly the male sex. Jesus Christ was a man in every sense of the word. The emphasis is heightened by the fact that this designation is quoted from a prophecy of Isaiah, where the Hebrew word - zakar - is used to distinguish the male child.  15  The etymology of this word indicates the emphasis to be drawn.  16

Our Saviour in accepting humanity was not bereft of any organism or glandular structure common to the rest of the sons of Adam, but became liable to all the temptations such as are common to man. He understood the drives which the enemy could stimulate in seeking men to violate the seventh commandment. He was not a eunuch, nor an angel. Neither did He isolate Himself from contacts with the opposite sex. Seven times did the sexually weak, but evidently very desirable Mary hear Jesus pray for her, and rebuke the power that held her captive. There is no evidence that this was done in public meetings, but rather on such occasions which could be construed in modern parlance as private counselling sessions. But Mary came to understand how offensive was her sin to His

p 55 - unsullied purity.  17  So victorious was the Man-child that He could pin-point the violation of the seventh commandment to a mere look, and then after a ministry which involved close contact with the opposite sex, and with women as a part of His traveling company,  18  could ask the question - "Which of you convinceth Me of sin?" - and not one could lift an accusing voice!  19  He who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron, must first set an example that He was able to rule the nature of man with an iron rod.

The glory of this revelation is found in the simple declaration that "her child was caught up unto God and His throne."  20  There at the throne of God is One who understands all the feelings of our infirmities; Who was tempted in all points like as we are. He is able through His intercession to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him. He is indeed a complete Saviour because He completely identified Himself with the race He came to save, meeting in every respect the Law of Equivalence.

The final picture of this chapter "the remnant of her seed"  21  - overcome as He overcame, for they keep the commandments of God, revealing in their lives the testimony of Jesus.

1     I John 1:1 

2    1 John 4:1-3

3    1 Timothy 3:16

4    Hebrews 2:14

5    1 John 4:17

6    E11en G. White, Youth's Instructor, Sept. 16, 1897

7    Revelation 3:21

8    Ellen G. White, That I may Know Him, p. 292

9    Revelation 1:13

10 Revelation 12:7-9

11  Revelation 12:10-11

12  Revelation 12:1-5

13  Matthew 16:13

14  Luke 24:4; Acts 10:30

15  Isaiah 66:7

16  William Gesenius, A Hebrew and English Lexicon, 9th Edition, pp. 278-279

17  E11en G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 568

18  Luke 8:1-3

19 John 8:46

20  Revelation 12:5 

21  Revelation 12:17

God With Us, God As Us.

 Chapter 6 -- THE PAULINE CONCEPT OF THE INCARNATION -- 

PLEASE NOTE- the GREEK lettering did NOT translate well when I changed the font of this chapter. So if you are reading words that make no sense that is why. I'm leaving them for context- but know you can read the actual Greek of these words by following this link…  Thank you!  http://www.adventistalert.com/in.the.form.of.a.slave/Slave.htm

In the Form of a Slave

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (KJV)

But Himself He made void a form of a slave taking Philippians 2:7 (Translated from Greek)

Php 2:7 But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave… (LITV)

William H. Grotheer

January, 1974

 Chapter 6 -- THE PAULINE CONCEPT OF THE INCARNATION -- 

One event shaped Paul's life - the experience of the Damascus way. In this experience, Paul was brought face to face with the reality of the Incarnation. Armed with the authority of the high priest of Judaism to purge from the synagogues of Damascus all who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah of Israel and bring them bound to Jerusalem. Paul, intent upon his purpose, was making his way to the Syrian city, when suddenly at noonday a light brighter than the desert sun stopped him in his tracks.  1   A voice called to him from the brightness - "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" To this question, he responded - "Who art thou Lord?" The answer stunned him more than the brightness of the light, for the Lord of glory declared Himself to be that Jesus.  2

Jesus was the name that the Eternal Son had received at Bethlehem when He became man. To Paul this name meant nothing more than a Galilean carpenter who had disrupted the Jewish faith; and who had died forsaken of God on the cross for seeking to destroy the temple and its services. Reports of His resurrection formed the basis of the evangelistic fervor of His followers, but Paul knew better. He believed the word of the religious leaders of his people who had told him that the followers of Jesus had stolen His body from the tomb and proclaimed that He had risen from the dead.  3  All the information that Paul had ever been able to gather regarding Jesus from orthodox sources verified that He was only a man. Now this Man revealed Himself to Paul as the Lord of glory. How could the Lord of glory ever have become a man, and yet not be recognized as God? This fact was ever to remain in the mind of Paul as an awesome reality, yet ever to be the mystery of godliness. God had manifest Himself in the flesh. The

p 41 -- Lord of glory had been and was Jesus of Nazareth.

Blinded and humbled, yet wiser in the wisdom of God, Paul was led through the gate of Damascus. His mind cleared from the propaganda of his ecclesiastical superiors, he saw as never before the prophecies of the Old Testament in their true significance.  4  This became his study, and the burden of his new testimony. The recorded sermon of Acts 13 reveals this emphasis. He sought to clear the minds of his own people of the same, malicious propaganda that had darkened his own understanding. Paul declared that the people and their leaders had not recognized Jesus because they would not believe the voices of the prophets which were read to them every Sabbath day. These prophecies were fulfilled in the life and death of Jesus, but God had raised Him from the dead. Paul justified this assertion by the eyewitness testimony of the disciples, and the words of prophecy as found in the Psalms.  5   But in the presentation of the historical Jesus, Paul was not unmindful of the significance of the revelation of the Damascus way. He declared to the listeners at Antioch, referring to David, - "of this man's seed hath God according to His promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus."   6  The Saviour was Jesus, and Jesus was verily of the seed of David according to His human descent.

Paul did a lot of thinking before he set down in writing any positive pronouncements on the meaning and nature of the Incarnation. His theology on the Incarnation developed through the doctrine of the pre-existence of Christ. As he studied the prophecies of the Old Testament and the history of Israel, the conviction became clearer that the Unseen Leader who had established Israel as a nation, and who had led them through all their wilderness wanderings was the Rock, Christ Jesus.  7  As He contrasted the glory of the Eternal God, manifest to Israel from Mount Sinai and in the Shekinah glory of the Most Holy Place of

p 42 -- the Sanctuary, with the marked poverty of the Man, Jesus, he confessed the marvelous grace of the Lord Jesus Christ - "that though He was rich, yet for [our] sakes He became poor, that [we] through His poverty might be rich."  8

This poverty which Christ accepted was more than the poverty revealed in His words to a "certain scribe" when He said - "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay His head."  9  Alford indicates that this poverty was not merely the poverty resulting from "His renunciation of human riches during His life on earth, but by His exinanition of His glory." 10  Paul indicated that Christ accepted the basic poverty of man, the poverty of sin itself, for God "hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin."  11

The development of Paul 's theology of the Incarnation is seen in the progressively definitive statements found in his letters to the various churches.

To the Galatians -- To the churches of Galatia, Paul wrote:       But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under law in order that He might redeem those under law that they might receive the right to be sons of God.  12

Two definitive statements in regard to the Incarnation are set forth in these verses. One speaks of His human source, and the other, that which resulted from His human involvement.

Sin began with the woman in the garden of Eden. It was to be her seed that would break the dominion of the serpent over man. Thus from the very source of human existence - the womb of a woman - Christ was to come, and in so coming, He would accept what every other child of humanity accepts - the working of the law of heredity. In the Greek, there is no article before "law". The phrase is

p 43 -- upo nomon, under law. It is law in its general sense as associated with birth. Paul used the same word to describe Christ's source from a woman, as he used in stating Christ's relationship to law (genomenon). As He was born of woman, so also was He born under law.

Some might contend that since the letter to the Galatians was written concerning the laws of the Jewish religion both moral and ceremonial, that this statement by Paul merely set forth the fact that Christ would be subject to the Jewish law during His earthly life. And He was. He was circumcised.  13  He kept the passover.  14  But the Galatians were not necessarily Jews by birth, and therefore, not subject to all the Mosaic codes which would involve circumcision. The full statement by Paul speaks of redemption for all who are "under law" that they might receive the privilege of sonship whether they be Jew or Gentile. This is the basic gospel.  15  Men, who all their lifetime have been subject to bondage, are to receive power to become sons of God, being born anew of God, and thus the dominion of sin because of the law of heredity is to be broken and the original relationship re-established - men reflecting the image and character of God. To do this, Christ came under the same law of heredity to break the dominion and power of sin. This is the principle that Christ Himself projected when He asked - "How can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house."   16    Christ entered the "strong man's house" - He was born of a woman, born under law. It is stated:      When Adam's sin plunged the race into hopeless misery, God might have cut Himself loose from fallen beings. He might have treated them as sinners deserve to be treated.... But He did not do this. Instead of banishing them from His presence, He came still nearer to the fallen race. He gave His Son to become bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. 17

p 44 -- To the Romans -- In the very first chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, Paul differentiates between the gospel of God, and the gospel of Christ. The good news of God is "concerning His Son Jesus Christ, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."  18  The good news of Christ is the revelation of the power of God that operated in His life in human flesh wherein the righteousness of God was revealed, and which will be revealed in the life of each one who by faith accepts the provision made.  19

The gospel of God and the gospel of Christ are one, with two provisions:  - 1) -  What was done by Christ because of the Incarnation, and 2) What is to be done in the one who accepts by faith the power obtained through the atonement and intercession of Jesus Christ's priestly ministry. Thus to Paul, the gospel is based in that profound revelation that shook him to his very depths on the road to Damascus - the mystery of godliness, God's manifestation in the flesh. Jesus in His humanity was born verily of the seed of David with all that it implies. Paul used the same Greek word (genomenon) in Romans 1:3 when referring to the source of Christ's humanity being the seed of David, as in Galatians 4:4 when stating that Jesus was made of a woman.

The second definitive statement on the Incarnation in the book of Romans is found in the eighth chapter. There Paul declared that the Incarnation was necessary because of man's weakness. The Law of God could not be obeyed because of the weakness of the flesh. To counteract this impossibility in man, God sent His Son "in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, [kai peri amartiao - "to destroy sin"]  a  condemned sin in the flesh."  20  At the very source, man's flesh,

 a  The preposition [peri] is here used to indicate the design or purpose for removing something, or taking it away. See Thayer, p. 501, I-c-d.

p 45 -- the power of sin was to be destroyed. To do this Christ came in the "likeness of sinful flesh." How is this to be understood?

In this Eighth Chapter, Paul is placing "flesh" and "Spirit" in opposition to each other. When "flesh" is thus used, it "has an ethical sense and denotes mere human nature, the earthly nature of man apart from divine influence, and therefore prone to sin and opposed to God; accordingly it includes whatever in the soul is weak, low, debased, tending to ungodliness and vice."  21  Luther wrote:        Thou must not understand, "flesh", therefore, as though that only were "flesh" which is connected with unchastity, but St. Paul uses "flesh" of the whole man, body and soul, reason and all his faculties, because all that is in him longs and strives after the flesh.  22

To meet man's need, for sin to be condemned in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in him, Christ had to meet man's condition in the flesh as it was. He came in the likeness of sinful flesh. To this, an objection is raised, that "likeness of" is not "identity with". The word in Romans 8:3 is the same word as in Philippians 2:7, where Paul wrote - "in the likeness of men."   a  The question is simply - Did Jesus become a real man, or was He only a phantom, appearing as a man? As He was indeed a real man, then He did also in reality take upon Himself the form and nature of fallen man - the likeness of sinful flesh. Thayer indicates that the word - omoiwma - likeness, means, "resemblance, frequently such as amounts well-nigh to equality or identity" and then cites Romans 8:3 as an example.  23

Paul was very careful how he expressed this concept. He did not say, that Christ was in the likeness of the flesh of a sinner, and thus make Him a partaker of sin, nor did he write that Christ was merely in flesh, which would,

  a  Philippians 2:7 - en omoiwmati anqrwpwn genomenoV

                 Romans 8:3 - en omoiwmati sarkoV amartiaV

p 46 -- have omitted any connection between the Manhood of Christ and sin. He stated that God sent His Son in the "likeness of sinful flesh" thus "meaning.... He had a nature like sinful human nature, but had not Himself a sinful nature."  24

"How few of us can understand the love of God for the fallen race in that He withheld not His divine Son from taking upon Him the humiliation of humanity."   25    "He took upon His sinless nature our fallen nature."  26  In thus accepting our humiliating, fallen nature, He could understand "how strong are the inclinations of the natural heart."  27  Uniting in Himself "the offending nature of man"  28  "all the strength of passion of humanity" clamored for expression, but "never did He yield to temptation to do one single act which was not pure and elevating and enobling."  29  He condemned sin in the flesh.

To the Hebrews -- In this theological treatise, Christ is presented as "the express image of" Deity.  30   He is worthy of worship as God in His own right.  31   But Paul declared, "We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death."   32  The Lord of glory became Jesus. Deity stooped to humanity. He came to be a brother to mankind. "For both He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified, are all of one: for this cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren."  33

Christ's condescension involved full participation in the nature and form of those whom He came to sanctify. "Forasmuch as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same."  34   The order in the Greek is "blood and flesh." Not only did Jesus carry the outward resemblance of man - flesh; He also bore the inward nature of man - blood. "It was in the order of God that Christ should take upon Himself the form and nature of fallen man."  35

p 47 -- In commenting upon the force of the expression, "blood and flesh," Alford quotes Bleek as stating:       "It betokens the whole sensuous corporeal nature of man, which He has in common with the brutes, and whereby he is the object of sensuous perception and corporeal impressions: whereby also He is subjected to the laws of infirmity, decay, and transitoriness of material things, in contrast to purely spiritual and incorporeal beings."  36

This identification with the human race is presented by Paul as an obligation. "In all things it behooved Him to be made like unto His brethren."  37 The word, "behooved" (wfeilen), is a strong word. It expresses debt, and duty. Having accepted the responsibility to redeem man, Christ became duty-bound to be made in all things like unto His brethren whom He came to save. While made in all respects like His brethren, He did not do all the things His brethren did. "Jesus was sinless and had no dread of the consequences of sin. With this exception His condition was as [ours]"   38

The obligation that Christ accepted was for a purpose. He came to understand man's weaknesses and need. He "suffered being tempted," ((( a ))) so that He would be able to sustain "them that are tempted." 39  He was "touched with the feelings of our infirmities" being "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin"  40   "Christ possessed the same nature that man possesses. He was tempted in all points as man is tempted. The same power by which He obeyed is at man's command."   41

Another purpose of the obligation assumed by Christ is presented by Paul in the Fifth Chapter in the letter to the Hebrews. He was to become the author of eternal salvation. It is stated 

(((a  On the reality of the temptation of Christ, see Section, "The Temptation", pp. 30-33.)))

p 48 --thus:    Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared; though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him.  42

It states that Jesus supplicated the throne of God to be saved from death, and was heard. Yet according to the record, Jesus died. Then what was He saved from? Death is the result of sin. He was kept from sinning by the power of God. He was heard. Yet He died, but the sins that necessitated His death were not His. It was a struggle with the Son of God in human nature. He learned obedience by the things suffered. Now what we already know, we do not have to learn. Jesus did not begin the struggle in the days of His flesh as an already perfected Being. He learned obedience, and "being made perfect" through the experience of conflict with sin, "He became the author of eternal salvation." The example of sanctification set for man by the One who sanctifies was not even for Him an instantaneous process, but a growth in grace. One with us in blood and flesh; one with us in temptation and trial; He now wants us to be one with Him in the process of redemption "learning obedience", and "being made perfect."

To the Philippians -- The apex of Paul's theology on the Incarnation is reached in his letter to-the Philippians. Here he summarizes in final form the thinking of the years that followed the dynamic confrontation on the Damascus road. Jesus had been in the "form of God", equal in all respects with the Eternal Father. But this "form" He laid aside, and took in its place "the form of a slave."  43  The Greek word for, form (morfh), "always signifies a form which truly and fully expresses the being which underlies it."   44  So completely did Christ enter into the work

p 49 -- of man's redemption that He yielded up His identity with the Godhead, "the form of God" - never more to take it - and accepted the "form" of those He came to redeem - "the form of a slave." He entered into the bondage that became man's because of sin.

Christ did this act of condescension voluntarily, using His own omnipotence to divest Himself of the "form of God." The text reads - "Himself He emptied."   45  The word for, emptied (ekenwsen) is found in the papyrii. In its compounded form with the preposition, out of, (ek) it appears in a report of a man in the imperial corn service of Rome who had just unloaded (exekenwsa) his cargo vessel. In its simple form (kenow) as used by Paul , the word is found in an inscription meaning "to make void."   46  This concept approaches the nearest to the actuality of what was necessitated in accepting the slave-form of man. Christ voided Himself. He subjugated Himself to the very depths of the slave-experience of man - the bondage of death, even the death of the cross. But the Father in whom He trusted, and upon whom He relied, highly exalted Him. He returned to heaven bearing the form of man glorified by His victory over sin and death. It is the Man, Christ Jesus that intercedes at the Father's throne.   47

This condescension and exaltation is well summarized by Alford .  48   He wrote:      The Scriptures teach us, that He who was with God before the creation, from love to men put on flesh, and took the form of a servant, not all the while having on Him the whole fulness of His divine nature and divine glory, but having really and actually emptied Himself of this fulness and glory, so that there was not only a hiding, but an absolute kenwsiV, a putting off, of it. Therefore His subsequent exaltation must be conceived of as belonging, not to His Humanity only, but to the entire undivided Person of Christ, now resuming the fulness and glory of the Godhead (John xvii.5), and in addition to this having taken into the Godhead the Manhood, now glorified by His obedience, atonement, and victory. 49

p 50 -- l   Acts 9:1-3; 22:5-6; 26:13

2   Acts 9:4-5

3   Matthew 28:13

4   Ellen G. White, Acts of the Apostles, pp. 118-119

5   Acts 13:27-37

6   Acts 13:23

7   I Corinthians 10:1-4

8   II Cornithians 8:9

9    Matthew 8:19-20

10  Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, Vol. II, p. 681 (Moody Press Edition)

11  II Corinthians 5:21

12 Galatians 4:4-5 (Translation from the Greek Text)

13 Luke 2:27

14 John 13:1-2

15 John 1:12-13

16 Matthew 12:29

17 Ellen G. White, Sons and Daughters of God, p. 11

18 Romans 1:1, 3-4

19 Romans 1:16-17

20 Romans 8:3

21 "'John Henry Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 571, article, sarx, (4).

22 Martin Luther, Episitle to the Romans (preface) Quoted by Thayer, Ibid.

23 Thayer, Op. cit., p. 445, article, omoiwma. 

24 Alford, Op. cit., p. 387 

25 Ellen G. White, Review & Herald, March 18, 1875

26 Ellen G. White, Medical Ministry, p. 181 

27 Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol.5, p. 177

28 Ellen G. White, Review & Herald, July 17, 1900

29 Ellen G. White, In Heavenly Places, p. 155

30 Hebrews 1:3

31 Hebrews 1:8 

32 Hebrews 2:9 

33 Hebrews 2:11

34 Hebrews 2:14 

35 Ellen G. White, Spirit of Prophacy, Vol. II, p. 39

36 Alford, Op cit., Vol. IV, p. 48

37 Hebrews 2:17

38 Ellen G. White, Our High Calling, p.59

39  Hebrews 2:18

40  Hebrews 4:15

41 Ellen G. White, That I May Know Him, p. 292

42 Hebrews 5:7-9

43 Philippians 2:6-7 Greek Text.

44 James Hope Moulton & George Milligan, The Vocabulary of the Greek Testament, article, morfh, p. 417

45 eauton ekenwsen

46 Moulton & Milligan, Op. cit., article, kenow, p. 340

47 1 Timothy 2:5

p 51 -- 48 Alford is quoted frequently in this chapter, not because he is the only source on the subject, but because in 1958, his works were re-published by the Evangelical Moody Press. The positions that Alford takes on the doctrine of the Incarnation are very close to the revelations of the Spirit of Prophecy. It is true that the Moody Press edition carried revisions by Dr. Everett F. Harrison, who takes exception to the last quotation from Alford. (See Vol. IV, p. 758, on Hebrews 1:4) However with such an authority as Alford, there was no excuse for the leaders of the Seventh-day Adventist church to "sell out" to the Evangelicals in the Barnhouse-Martin conferences. See Questions on Doctrine, p. 383. It might be argued that inasmuch as the re-publication date of Alford postdated the publication date of Questions on Doctrine(1957), our theologians did not know the high regard with which Alford was held by the Evangelicals. Even granting this, we did not need to compound our apostasy in the book - Movement of Destiny. See pp. 427-428, 469-470, 497.

49 Alford, Op. cit., Vol. IV, p. 13.

Tempted Like We Are.

Chapter 5 -- A COMPLETE SAVIOUR

 Both the gospels of Matthew and Luke give a genealogical record in regard to Jesus Christ. While Matthew traces the ancestry of Jesus through the royal line of Israel, and sets Him forth as the Son of David, and the Son of Abraham,  1  Luke traces the lineage back to Adam who by creation was a son of God.  2  We might ask ourselves, why these records, when in reality Jesus Christ, as the pre-existent One, was one with the Father from the days of Eternity. These records show the identification of Christ with humanity, and the source of that humanity which He accepted in becoming the Son of man. It is written: Christ was to take humanity upon Him, not as it was when Adam stood in his innocence in Eden, but as weakened and defiled by four thousand years of sin. He was to come as the Son of man, like every child of Adam, accepting the results of the working of the great law of heredity. What these results were, what was the inheritance bequeathed to Jesus in his human nature, Scripture reveals in the history of those who were the earthly ancestors of our Saviour. With such a heredity, Jesus came as one of us, to share our sorrows and temptations, and give us the example of a sinless life.  3  And in that ancestral line through whom the humanity of Jesus was derived are such names as Jacob, Thamar, Rachab, Ruth, and David. Not only did Jesus accept a Jewish inheritance, but also a Canaanite, and Moabite background. He was verily a Son of man.

Why did Jesus accept such a heredity? We are told:  In our own strength it is impossible for us to deny the clamors of our fallen nature. Through this channel Satan will bring temptation upon us. Christ knew that the enemy would come to every human being, to take advantage of hereditary weakness, and by his false insinuations to ensnare all whose trust is not in God. And by passing over the ground which man must travel, our Lord has prepared a way for us to overcome.  4

p 30 -- The Hidden Years -- Except for the incident during the trip to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve, the "hidden years" between His birth and ministry are best described in the words of Luke - "The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon Him."  5  But even these years of growth and development according to natural laws did not afford Jesus freedom from trial and temptation. Writing to youth, the servant of the Lord directed their attention to how Jesus identified Himself with them in childhood and adolescence. She wrote: Jesus is the perfect pattern, and it is the duty and privilege of every child and youth to copy the pattern. Let children bear in mind that the child Jesus had taken upon Himself human nature, and was in the likeness of sinful flesh, and was tempted of Satan as all children are tempted. He was able to resist the temptation of Satan through His dependence upon the divine power of the heavenly Father as He was subject to His will, and obedient to all His commands. He kept His Father's statutes, precepts and laws. He was continually seeking counsel of God, and was obedient to His will.  6 On another occasion, writing to a young man, this same author stated: His body was susceptible to weariness, as yours. His mind like yours, could be harassed and perplexed. If you have hardships, so did He. Satan could tempt Him...Jesus was exposed to hardships, to conflict and temptation as a man...Jesus was sinless and had no dread of the consequences of sin. With this exception His condition was as yours.  7

The "hidden years" closed with the baptism of Jesus, and the pronouncement of John - "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world."  8  But before beginning His public ministry, Jesus departed into the wilderness to contemplate His life work and mission. It was after Jesus had fasted forty days that Satan decided to launch a major assault on the Son of man. The details of the temptation are clearly given in Matthew and Luke.  9

p 31 --The Temptation -- The encounter in the wilderness was not a "sham" encounter, with Jesus being immune to the suggestions of the enemy. Temptation was real to our Saviour. It could not be otherwise, and Christ be tempted in all points like as man is tempted. It is well stated: He could not have been tempted in all points as man is tempted had there been no possibility of His falling. He was a free agent, placed on probation, as was Adam and as is man.

Unless there is a possibility of yielding, temptation is no temptation. Temptation comes and is resisted when man is powerfully influenced to do a wrong action, and knowing that he can do it, resists by faith, with a firm hold upon divine power. This is the ordeal through which Christ passed.   10

We need to pause and consider the total reality of the Law of Equivalence. "The lower passions have their seat in the body and work through it."  11 All "our impulses and passions have their seat in the body."   12  These are the forces which we have to contend with through the inheritance we have received. If the humanity which Christ assumed was in any way exempt from the forces that strive for expression in man, then on that point, Satan would challenge the validity of the example which Christ set for man to follow. 13  But Jesus met and conquered sin in the flesh. "He knows how strong are the inclinations of the natural heart."  14  "He had all the strength of passion of humanity."  15

It is at this point that many draw back and exclaim, "If He had in His human nature all the cravings and weaknesses that seek expression in my life, He could not have been the immaculate Saviour of men." But temptation is not sin, and Jesus sinned not! This is the difference between Him and us. He demonstrated that the requirements of God could be kept, and thus God stands justified in demanding that we keep them in the humanity in which we live.

Such thinking as to the humanity of Jesus is not new, for on this very

p 32 -- point, Ellen G. White received correspondence. In replying, she wrote:  Letters have been coming to me, affirming that Christ could not have had the same nature as man, for if He had, He would have fallen under similar temptations. If He did not have man's nature, He could not be our example. If He was not a partaker of our nature, He could not have been tempted as man has been. If it were not possible for Him to yield to temptation, He could not be our helper. It is a solemn reality that Christ came to fight the battles as man, in man's behalf.

The victory of Christ served a specific purpose. It was a part of the plan by which He became a complete Saviour. He conquered in these "battles of man." It is stated: The victory gained was designed, not only to set an example to those who have fallen under the power of appetite, but to qualify the Redeemer for His special work of reaching to the very depths of human woe. By experiencing in Himself the strength of Satan's temptation, and of human sufferings and infirmities, He would know how to succor those who should put forth efforts to help themselves.  17

The magnitude of the victory of Christ over Satan can be best understood when we consider the contrast of circumstances between the first Adam in Eden, and this new Man - the second Adam - as He was in the wilderness, bearing the fallen nature of man. Adam in Eden could be tempted only from without; his nature had been created perfect without a bias.to evil. But Christ in assuming the fallen nature of man, could be encountered from both without and within. Not only did He experience "hunger" from within, but the enemy was there to suggest a solution from without which challenged the powers of His pre-existent Self - that power which He had laid aside in becoming a man. It taunted His in-most Ego. Could He stand such humiliation, and trust God to vindicate Him? A vivid description of this conflict has been penned for us. It reads: The great work of redemption could be carried out only by the Redeemer taking the place of fallen man. Burdened with the sins

p 33 -- of the world, He must go over the ground where Adam stumbled. He must take up the work just where Adam failed, and endure a test of the same character, but infinitely more severe than that which had vanquished him. It is impossible for man to fully comprehend the strength of Satan's temptations to our Saviour. Every enticement to evil, which men find so difficult to resist, was brought to bear upon the Son of God in as much greater degree as His character was superior to that of fallen man.

When Adam was assailed by the tempter he was without the taint of sin. He stood before God in the strength of perfect manhood, all the organs and faculties of his being fully developed and harmoniously balanced; and he was surrounded with things of beauty, and conversed daily with the holy angels. What a contrast to this perfect being did the second Adam present, as He entered the desolate wilderness to cope with Satan single-handed. For four thousand years the race had been decreasing in size and physical strength, and deteriorating in moral worth; and, in order to elevate fallen man, Christ must reach him where he stood. He assumed human nature, bearing the infirmities and degeneracy of the race. He humiliated Himself to the lowest depths of human woe, that He might fully sympathize with man and rescue him from the degradation into which sin had plunged him.  18

In contemplating this struggle for man, in man's behalf, we stand amazed at the love of God who would permit His Son to come and meet life's perils in common with every other fallen human being, and fight the battle as all must fight it - "at the risk of failure and eternal loss."  19  Such a fearful risk and bitter battle to make the path of life sure for us and our loved ones, causes one to exclaim - "0, wonderous, matchless love! To what depths has divinity descended, to uplift fallen hu'manity. Wonder, 0 heaven, and be astonished, 0 earth!"  3

A Lesson from a Miracle -- During the ministry of Jesus, many lepers sought healing from Him. In the gospel of Matthew, there is recorded the occasion when one such came to Jesus desiring cleansing. The record states that "Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him."  20  According to the law, he who touched a leper would himself be unclean.

p 34 -- But Jesus received no pollution, and the leper was immediately cleansed. "Thus it is with the leprosy of sin, - deep rooted, deadly, and impossible to be cleansed by human power.... But Jesus coming to dwell in humanity, receives no pollution. His presence has healing virtue for the sinner."   21

Though Jesus in accepting our fallen humanity was in constant touch with the drives, strengths of passion, and inclinations of that humanity, "He maintained the purity of His divine character."  22  He condemned sin in the flesh. But not only did He maintain the purity of His pre-existent Self, Jesus also developed in that conflict with the fallen nature, a perfect human character. Even as He cleansed the leper from sin, so "this holy Substitute is able to save to the uttermost; for He presented to the wondering universe perfect and complete humility in His human character and perfect obedience to all the requirements of God."  23  Such is the power of a complete Saviour.

In the Upper Room -- In the Synoptic Gospels the communion of the bread and wine are emphasized as emblematic of the broken body and spilt blood of our Lord.  24  Each time this service is celebrated, we commemorate "'the Lord's death till He come." John concentrates the reader's attention on the preliminary service that prefaced the bread and the cup, and which symbolized that which made possible the death on Calvary - His incarnation.

Christ and His disciples had gathered together in the upper room to eat the Passover. It was customary for the feet of the guests to be washed upon entering the room. This part of the preparation had been overlooked, and no one was there to perform this act of courtesy. According to Jewish custom, only a foreign slave could do this service; a Jewish slave was exempt. 25   But following

p 35 -- the Passover supper, Jesus arose "and laid aside His [outer] garments [ta imatia] and took a towel [lention] and girded Himself."  26  Every action that Christ performed had deep significance. He divested Himself of the "form of God" - His outer garments - and took upon Himself the form of a slave. Alford in commenting on this experience states simply, "He put Himself in the ordinary dress of a servant." Then he asks this searching question - "Or, which is far more probable, on the deepest grounds, did He not humble Himself so far as to literally divest Himself, and gird Himself merely as the basest of slaves?"  27  Thayer suggests that the "towel" was like the ones used to cover "the nakedness of a person undergoing crucifixion."   28

The text in John continues the symbolism "So after He had washed their feet."  29  Jesus told Peter that this washing symbolized a complete cleansing. He "washed us from our sins in His own blood."  30  The all-sufficient sacrifice on Calvary He provided. And when He had taken His [outer] garments [ta imatia]" again, He sat down. The glory which He had with the Father before the world was - the outer garments - was again restored to Him, in a glorified humanity. "When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."  31   Then He asked the question - "Know ye what I have done [for] you?" Do we understand what He did for us in the Incarnation - during that period of time when He laid aside His outer garments, and took the form of a slave? Do we ponder this question each time we come to celebrate the ordinances of the Lord's house?

After leaving the upper room, Jesus led the disciples through the narrow streets of Jerusalem out to the Mount of Olives. Before crossing the brook Kidron, He gathered the little band of Eleven about Him, and prayed the great High Priestly prayer as recorded in John 17. In this prayer, He referred to

p 36 -- His Father as the "only true God", and asked that the Father glorify Him with His "own self with the glory which" He shared with Him "before the world was."  32  How dull of comprehension is the human mind to perceive all that Christ laid aside to accept the humanity of the sons of men. It is because we cannot appreciate the greatness of Deity, that we stand mystified by the condescension. Volumes are spoken in the brief words of the prayer - "the only true God." The Father alone remained in every respect the essence of Deity. The Son had "veiled the demonstrations of Deity" and "divested Himself of the form of God."  33  It must ever be remembered that the "man Christ Jesus was not the Lord God Almighty,"  34 and while Christ and God were, are, and ever shall be one in purpose and objective, the redemption of man brought the Father and the Son to a point where there was the "sundering of the divine powers,"  35  at the cross of Calvary.

"Jesus Christ laid aside His royal robe, His kingly crown, and clothed His divinity with humanity, in order to become a substitute and surety for humanity, that dying in humanity, He might by His death destroy him who had the power of death. He could not have done this as God, but by coming as man Christ could die."   36

The Cross -- "Christ has made an infinite sacrifice. He gave His own life for us. He took upon His divine soul the result of the transgression of God's law. Laying aside His royal crown, He condescended to step down, step by step, to the level of fallen humanity. He hung upon Calvary's cross, dying in our behalf that we might have eternal life."  37

It was at the Cross that Christ met the final aspect of the Law of Equivalence, becoming in every respect the Pattern-man, and answering forever the

p 37 -- charge of Lucifer that God was unjust in demanding of man obedience to the Law of heaven. At His birth, Jesus accepted the fallen nature of man; now at the cross He accepts the committed sins of man. We are told: When Christ bowed His head and died, He bore the pillars of Satan's kingdom with Him to the earth. He vanquished Satan in the same nature over which in Eden Satan obtained the victory. The enemy was overcome by Christ in His human nature. The power of the Saviour's Godhead was hidden. He overcame in human nature, relying upon God for power.  38

The power of Satan's kingdom is founded upon only one thing - sin.  39  But Christ in His own body brought the pillars of sin upon which that kingdom rests down to the earth by His death on Calvary. These twin pillars are the weakened hereditary nature of man, and the cultivated tendencies to sin that have become in man of himself, unbreakable habit patterns. For thirty years, the Son of God as the Son of man demonstrated that the weakened hereditary nature was no excuse for sin. He condemned sin in the flesh - His flesh. But the question remained - Could He carry the weight of the load of this accumulated transgression and remain faithful and true? Could He sense the need of men chained in the habit patterns of sin? No wonder all heaven looked on with amazement as the cup trembled in the hand of the divine Sufferer! Yet He drank it to the last bitter dregs!       

In His closing hours, while hanging upon the cross, He [Christ] experienced to the fullest extent what man must experience when striving against sin. He realized how bad a man may become by yielding to sin. He realized the terrible consequence of transgression of God's law; for the iniquity of the whole world was upon Him.  10

In the Wilderness of Temptation, the forces of cultivated sin were also felt by the Saviour, but not to the full extent as upon the Cross. Of the temptation in the wilderness, we read: "The weight of the sins of the world was pressing upon His soul, and His countenance expressed unutterable sorrow, a depth of anguish that fallen man had never realized. He felt the overwhelming tide of woe that deluged the world. He realized the strength of indulged appetite and unholy passion which controlled the world and had brought upon man inexpressible suffering." Ellen G. White, Confrontation, p. 36.

p 38 --Though the darkness covering the Cross hid from Christ the sustaining presence of His Father, and though He was unable to see through the portals of the tomb, Jesus, by faith, grasped the pillars of Satan's kingdom and brought them down, even as Samson in his blindness grasped the two central pillars of Dagon's temple, and brought the temple of the devil crashing in a heap of stones. Even as it cost Samson his life, so it cost the Son of God His life. He resisted unto blood - His very own life's blood - striving against sin. In that final cry from the Cross - "It is finished" - Jesus signed the final sheet of the "test paper" He had agreed to take using only the same kind of pen and pencil available to man, and He wrote the final answer still garbed in human faculties!

"0, He is a complete Saviour. He is a Saviour from sins committed, and the Conqueror of the tendencies to commit sins. In Him we have the victory."   40  "Thanks be unto God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Rom 7:12  Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. 

Rom 7:13  Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful. 

Rom 7:14  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. 

Rom 7:15  For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. 

Rom 7:16  If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. 

Rom 7:17  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

Rom 7:18  For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. 

Rom 7:19  For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. 

Rom 7:20  Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. 

Rom 7:21  I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. 

Rom 7:22  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 

Rom 7:23  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 

Rom 7:24  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 

Rom 7:25  I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 

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In the Form of a Slave

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant (KJV)

But Himself He made void a form of a slave taking Philippians 2:7 (Translated from Greek)

Php 2:7 But emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave… (LITV)

William H. Grotheer

January, 1974

*******

1    Matthew 1:1-16.

2    Luke 3:23-38

3    Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, Chapter IV, Pre-Publication copy. Andreasen Collection, #2. Compare with page 48, par. 5

4    Ibid., pp. 122-23

5    Luke 2:40

6    Ellen G. White Youth's Instructor, August 23, 1894

7    Ellen G. White, Our High Calling, pp. 57, 59; Letter 17, 1878.

8    John 1:29

9    Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13

10  Ellen G. White, Ms. 29, 1899

11   Ellen G. White, Adventist Home, p. 127

12  Ellen G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 346

13  Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 24

14  Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 5, p. 177

15  Ellen G. White, In Heavenly Places, p- 155

16  Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, bk. i, p. 408

17  Ellen G. White, Review & Herald, March 18, 1875 

18  Ellen G. White, Spirit of Prophecy Vol. 2, p. 88

19  Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 49

20  Matthew 8:2-3

21  White, Op. Cit., p. 266

p 39 -- 

22  Ellen G. White, Youth's Instructor, June 2, 1898

23  Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, bk., i, p. 256

24  Matthew 26:26-28; Mark 14:22-24; Luke 22:19-20; See also I Cor. 11:23-26

25  Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, Vol. 5, p. 1028

26   John 13:4

27  Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, Vol. I, p. 841 (Moody Press Edition)

28  John Henry Thayer, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, p. 376, article, ention. 

29  John 13:12

30  Revelation 1:5

31  Hebrew 1:3

32  John 17:3, 5

33   Ellen G. White, Review & Herald, June 15, 1905 (5BC:1126)

34  Ellen G. White, Ms. 140, 1903 (5BC:1129)

35  Ellen G. white, Ms. 93, 1899, (7BC:924)

36  Ellen G. White, Letter 97, 1898 (7BC:925)

37  Ellen G. White, Our High Calling, p. 17

38  Ellen G. White, Youth's Instructor, April 25, 1901 (5BC:1108)

39  Ellen G. White, Ibid., June 28, 1900 (7BC:924)

40  A. T. Jones, "The Third Angel's Message" - #14, General Conference Bulletin, 1895, p. 267