EXPLAINING THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS -GOD Part 2
By Rev Michael Benson Ajayi
Psalm 40:5-7 KJV “ Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Heb 10:5-7)
The Council of Chalcedon was a church council held from October 8 to November 1, AD 451 concluded that , Christ is one person with two distinct natures, human and divine , in one person . The biblical doctrine of incarnation demands that the natures of God are not fragmented but treated as a whole in one person.This is best appreciated when we take an in-depth study of psalm 40:6-8 . The phrase ‘thou prepared me’ is the Hebrew word ‘Katartizo’ and it means: to complete thoroughly , repair , adjust . This word is derived from two words , the first ‘kata’ which means , ‘when they were’ and ‘artios’ which means complete. From these words we can deduce that the process of the incarnation of God was necessary and an adjustment needed to repair the relationship between man and God in which case before Christ was conceived by Mary , He existed in the father as a complete man-God entity.
This is similar to Adam’s incarnation in Eden, the scripture says “Let us make man in our own image “ (Gen.1:26) not ‘create man’. You make a thing out of an already existing material like a car from metals and plastic etc. Creation requires bringing into existence from non-existent materials. The blue print for Adam’s body already existed likewise that of Jesus . The difference between the two is that while Adam was bound by law (symbolized by the tree of good and evil) Jesus on the other hand was not bound by any law. He is the Spirit of liberty.
The renowned modern philosopher Dr. William Craig’s view on Jesus’ incarnation is as follows “… the incarnation is a matter of addition—of God’s taking on in addition to the divine nature He already had another, distinct nature as well, a human nature, so that in the incarnation God the Son came to have two natures, one divine, which he had always had from eternity, and one human, which began at the moment of its conception in Mary’s womb. Thus, he had all the properties of divinity and all the properties of humanity.” …. Since God doesn’t have a body, He does not have an animal nature. But God is the ultimate rational mind. Therefore God the Son already possessed prior to his incarnation rationality and personhood. Therefore, in taking on a human body God the Son brought to the physical body of Christ precisely those properties which would elevate it from a mere animal nature to a complete human nature, composed of body and rational soul” He also said that “the divine aspects of Jesus’ personality were largely subliminal during his earthly life.”
His birth (incarnation) through a virgin was part of God’s reparation strategy for women who were hitherto considered inferior after the fall in Eden , so if Satan could use a woman, God can do likewise thus balancing the equation and restoring the dignity of womanhood. One may ask , what was the state of the universe while this was ongoing ? There was absolutely, no difference, since God’s influence over space and time is infinite. God can be doing an infinite number of things at the same time and yet emerge as a human through a woman. He wants to have a one-of-a-kind personal relationship with you through Jesus Christ.
Prayer : Heavenly Father forgive me for my sins against you, I believe Jesus Christ died and was raised again for my salvation ,I receive him as lord and saviour and receive grace for an undeniable manifestation of your glory in my life in Jesus name.
Pics credit :pixabay / unclelkt
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