THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRIST'S
HUMANITY
(Romans Bible Study Series Tape Twenty-One)
Recommended reading - Romans 8:1-3.
The humanity of Christ is one of the most important
subjects in the study of righteousness by faith. The humanity of the Son
of God means everything to us. It is the link that ultimately leads to the
binding of our souls to God. Christ was a real man who gave proof of His
humanity. He was truly God in the flesh. The incarnation of Christ is a
deep study that will tax your mind. It is worth all that is put into it,
because it is the most marvelous event that has ever happened. The
humanity of Christ is everything to us and is vitally important to our
salvation. We must approach this study with reverence, humility, and with
a willingness to learn. The study into this subject will prove to be
fruitful and will repay those who dig deeply.
I. The Son of God became human?
· Why did Christ
become a man; and, what was God's purpose in sending His Son in human
flesh? These questions are very thought provoking. The answers to these
questions may seem obvious to some. We need to focus on the ultimate and
the primary reason, then we will be led to many secondary purposes. The
primary reason that Christ became a man was to become the Savior of the
world. To those who believe, Christ's life then becomes an example.
· We then ask the
question, "How did His humanity save us"? Christ took upon
Himself the humanity that stood condemned and needed redeemed. He took
it unto Himself so that He may directly redeem man.
· When Christ
assumed our corporate humanity he qualified to be the second Adam and
the Savior of the world. He could not have been the second Adam or the
Savior of the world and yet remain in the Spirit; He had to give that
up. By Christ's doing and dying, He not only provided salvation, He
actually changed the history of mankind in Himself. That is the message
of Romans 8:1-3.
II. We have a new history in Christ, a new identity, and a new
position.
· In Christ we
stand perfect, reconciled, and legally justified. One of the big issues
you run across while studying these verses is the word,
"likeness", in Romans 8:3. The Greek word for likeness
means, resemble or similar. Paul uses the word likeness both ways in his
writings. We cannot find the true meaning of the word in this verse by
doing a word study. We have to look at the word in its' context.
· We cannot get
so bogged down with one word that we both forget and lose the meaning of
what Paul is trying to convey in these scriptures.
· We also need to
understand other important words in these verses to properly grasp
Paul's intended meaning. Biblical commentaries reveal that the words
sinful flesh, in this chapter, refer to fallen human nature.
· To properly
answer the questions that arise from these verses, and to focus on the
meaning, we must look directly at the verses and read in context. Romans
8:1, the word "therefore" tells you that this verse is
connected with the previous statements that Paul had made.
· Remember, there
was no verse and chapter division, when Paul wrote. Paul had just
completed telling us in Romans 7:14-25, that there is a problem
of sin dwelling in each one of our lives. The law of sin dwells in our
members; we have a body that is condemned to death. Paul asks the
question, "who will deliver me"? The answer is in Romans
7:25, Jesus Christ!
· Paul then
explains in more detail in Romans 8:1. We are no longer
condemned, when we are in Christ. Verse 2 states, in Christ we
are covered. The words, "made me free", are in the past
historic tense. It is something that has already happened; we have been
freed from the law of sin and death. We have been freed in Christ. Paul
continues to explain the importance of Christ's humanity in verse 3.
III. The Law of God could not free us from the law of sin and death.
· What the Law
could not do, God did by sending His Son. God sent His Son with a human
nature that is like ours.
· God did not
condemn sins (plural), rather, He condemned sin (singular). The phrase,
"sin in the flesh", in verse 3, the phrase, "the
law of sin and death", in verse 2, the phrase, "the law
of sin found in my members, in Romans 7:23, and the phrase,
"sin dwelling in me", in Romans 7:17,20, are all
synonymous terms.
· Paul is not
dealing with our performance; he is dealing with the source and
foundation of our problems, which is sin dwelling in us.
· Christ did not
take the sinful nature that had sin dwelling in it. Christ would be a
sinner in need of a Savior, if He took that nature.
IV. The New Testament qualifies Christ's humanity.
· When the New
Testament talks about the humanity of Christ, it always uses a
qualifying word. In Romans 8:3, the qualifying word is
"likeness". In John 1:14 and Galatians 4:4, the word
used is "made", or "to become".
· The New
Testament simply teaches this, that in the incarnation Christ became, or
was made, or shared, what we are as humans. What we are did not belong
to Him by native right. He was not born in Adam, the way that we were
born in Adam.
· We must never
teach that Christ had a sinful nature; that would make Christ all
together like us. Christ assumed our sinful nature; He took upon Himself
what belongs to us, not to Him. It is true that, if Christ consented to
the sinful desires of the nature or yielded to that nature even by a
thought, He would have become a sinner. Christ was made flesh (sin), but
He was not sin.
V. We must never drag the will and mind of Christ into sin.
· Christ took and
struggled with our nature, but He conquered that nature and He executed
that nature on the cross.
· The blessing of
this wonderful truth is twofold. First, we are sinners by nature and by
performance. Jesus saved us from both. He took that nature and executed
it on the cross so that we are saved. We are blessed because there is no
condemnation for those who are in Christ. Secondly, it is possible that
the righteous requirements of the Law, which we could not keep
ourselves, might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the
flesh, but who walk according to the Spirit.
· If we walk in
the flesh, we will have the frustration of Romans 7. The same
Spirit that conquered and executed the law of sin and produced the
righteousness in Christ's humanity, is available to begotten Christians.
· When we walk in
the Spirit the righteous requirements of the Law may be fulfilled in us,
not to justify us, but as evidence that the gospel is the power of God
unto salvation. The humanity of Christ is everything to us.
The verses we have covered explain that Jesus not only
came to save us from our sins but as stated in John 1:29, He is the
Lamb of God who taketh away the sin of the world. He took the source of
our problem, and with it, He took our sins. In Christ, who became
one of us, we have a perfect redeemer. We have a new history and a new
hope. We have a Savior who came to where we are and struggled even as we
struggle. We have a High Priest in heaven that can sympathize, intercede
and help with us with anything, He is the great God who became one of us. |
The Truth About Christ's
Humanity 