Jesus the Manifestation of God in the Flesh

Jesus the Manifestation of God in the Flesh JESUS THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD
IN THE FLESH
By Roy H. Lanier

Jesus of Nazareth has been the marvel of all men for nearly twenty centuries. His friends have loved and worshiped him as the sinless Son of God and Saviour of men from their sins. His enemies, unbelievers of all shades and degrees, while making countless vain efforts to discredit him, have been forcd to admit that from every point of view he was a super-man. He lived as none before or since his day ever lived; his teaching is superior to that of any other man in any age, both as to method and content; his works, if there be any truth in words falling from the lips of dying men, were truly the works of God; and his influence, in spite of the most persistent and malicious opposition, has been felt by more people and has done more goo 1 than that of any other man before or since his day. Evil men and unbelievers have tried to account for these facts in various ways, but there is only one s tisfactory explanation, which is at once both simple a.d superb, contained in the words of that Israelite in whom was no guile, “Rabbi, thou art the Son of God.” That this Jesus of Nazareth, according to the teaching of the Scriptures, was God, God in flesh, God n'nde flesh, God manifested in the flesh, it is the purpose of this paper to prove.

1. The Prophets Said He Would Be God

Hundreds of years before Jesus was born Isaiah said: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,” (Isaiah 7:14). Matthew says this prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was born, and interprets the word “Immanuel” for us as meaning “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). So according to Isaiah and Matthew Jesus was “God with us.” And again Isaiah foretells his coming in these words: “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, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). In this statement we learn that the one to be seated upon the throne of David was to be the “Mighty God.” The angel Gabriel undoubtedly alluded to this prophecy when he told Mary she was to have a son and call his name Jesus. “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David” (Luke 1:31-32). The son of Mary was to be called “the Son of the Most High” because he was the “Mighty God” of Isaiah’s prophecy. The prophet Micah said: “But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall one come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth are from old, from everlasting” (5:2). It was to this prophecy that the chief priests and scribes turned when Herod asked where the Christ was to be born. It was this prophecy that caused Herod to send the wise men to Bethlehem where they might find him “that is born King of the Jews” (Matthew 2:2-8). So the one who was born King of the Jews is the one who, according to Micah, is from everlasting. This can be said of no creature; only the creator can be described in such terms. So according to prophecy he was to be God.

2. Jesus Said He Was God

Before citing the Scriptures to prove that Jesus claimed to be God, let us study the Jewish conception of the Messiah. As expressed by one of their number, Trypho, in his celebrated dialogue with Justin Martyr, their conception was: “That this Christ existed as God before the worlds, and then submitted to be made and born a man, and that he was not a man begotten of man, seems to me not only incredible, but silly. . . . To me their doctrine appears much more credible who say, that he was born a man, and that, by election, he was anointed~~and made Christ, than those things which you affirm. For we all also think that Christ shall be a man born of human parents, and that Elias shall come and anoint him. And if this man should appear to be the Christ, we ought by all means to believe that he is a man, and that he was born as other men. But I neither believe that he is Christ,,nor that Elias is come” (pp. 233-236, from The Eternal Son- ship, by R. Treffry Jr., pp. 80, 81). That the Jews had this conception in the time of Jesus is seen from an incident recorded in Matthew 22:41-45 : “Now while the Pharisees were gathered togethes, Jesus asked them a question, saying, What think ye of the Christ? Whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I put thine enemies underneath thy feet’ ?

If David then calleth him Lord, how is he his son? And no one was able to answer him a word.” Why could not those Jews tell why David called him Lord? Simply because they expected him to “be a man born of human parents” of the family of David. If they had known their Scriptures taught that he was to be God in flesh, flesh descended from David, they could have answered the question. But again, it was no great sin in the estimation of the Jews for one to claim to be the Christ, the Messiah; nor was it a crime for people to believe one to be the Christ. In Matthew 9:27 two blind men call Jesus “the son of David”; and in Matthew 15:22 the woman of Canaan does the same. Then when Jesus rode into Jerusalem in what is called his “triumphal entry” the multitudes went before him, saying, “Hosanna to the son of David” (Matthew 21:1-17). They used the expression “son of David” in the same acceptation as used when the Jews told Jesus that the Christ was to be the son of David. So the multitudes were calling him the Christ. However there were but very few of them who believed him to be the Son of God, God in flesh, for only a few days later they joined the leaders in condemning him for blasphemy because he said he was the Son of God.

Now to the passages where Jesus calls himself God. He uses the term “Son of God” to mean God, just as the expression “son of man” means man. In John 5:17-18 we read; “Jesus answered them, My Father worketh even until now, and I work. For this cause therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath, but also called God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” The Jews called themselves sons of God, and called God their Father (John 8:41), and surely they would not object to Jesus calling God his Father. But they did. Why? Because he used the term “own Father,” which made “himself equal with God.” When he used a term which made himself equal to God, it was the same as calling himself God, which they considered blasphemy. Again in John 8:53-54 the Jews ask him, “Whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, if I glorify myself, my glory is nothing; it is my Father that glorifieth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God.” Here Jesus identifies his proper Father as being the one whom the Jews called their God. This is another way of saying that he is the Son of God in a distinct way in which no other being is, and therefore equal with God. That the Jews understood him to make himself equal with God when he called himself the Son of God is made clear in John 10:30-36. Jesus said: “I and the Father are one. The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shown you from the Father; for which of those works do you stone me? The Jews answered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus said .... say ye of him whom the Father sanctified .... Thou blasphemeth; because I said, I am the Son of God?” Here it is plainly set forth that when Jesus called himself the “Son of God,” the Jews understood that he made himself God.
It was this claim that finally led him to his death.

Before the Jewish council he was asked two questions. The first was, “If thou art the Christ, tell us.” To this his answer left them no room to doubt his claim. But there was no law against a man claiming to be the Christ, hence they could do nothing. The second question was, “Art thou then the Son of God?” He answered, “Ye say that I am,” which was an affirmation. And then the Jews said, “What further need have we of witnesses? for we ourselves have heard him from his own mouth” (Luke 22:66-71). They then took him before Pilate and his first accusation there was that he made himself Christ a king. When they saw this accusation would not secure sentence, they said: “We have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God” (John 19:7). According to their law one guilty of blasphemy was to be put to death (Leviticus 24:16), and they accused him of blasphemy because he had confessed to being the Son of God (Matthew 26:63-66). So Jesus claimed to be on equality with God; he claimed to be God in the flesh.

3. The Apostles Said He Was God

Those men who were nearest Jesus while he was on earth; those men who saw his miracles, and heard his teaching constantly for more than three years; those men who saw him and ate with him after he arose from the grave; yea, those men who were baptized in the Holy Spirit who not only guarded them from error but gave them the words they should use in conveying to us the message, those men said he was the Son of God, God made flesh, God manifested in the flesh. John, that beloved disciple, who perhaps entered most fully into a correct understanding and appreciation of our Lord’s relationship with the Father, guided unerringly by the Holy Spirit wrote: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made. In him was life; and the. life was the light of men . . . And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-4; John 1:14). That the “Word” here mentioned was the second person of the Godhead, I suppose, I need not argue; and that this “Word” became Jesus need not be argued, for it is all but stated in verse fourteen. Let us then, first, notice the things said about this “Word” that prove him to be God; and, second, we shall notice that this “Word,” which is proved to be God, became flesh and was known as Jesus of Nazareth. The eternity of the Word is first stated by the words “in the beginning” was. This Word already “was” when all things else began to be, hence was before all created things. He therefore was no part of creation; he is eternal. None but God is eternal; he, therefore is God. Next, his co-existence with the Father is stated, “and the Word was with God.” The Word was in the beginning with God. Next, his essential and personal deity is affirmed, “And the Word was God.” And then his distinction from the Father is stated, “The same was in the beginning with God.” These words are but an unintelligible jumble if they do not convey the idea that there are two beings of each of whom it may be said, He is God. The “Word was God” and yet he was with another being called God; consequently there were two beings called God, and yet, because of their unity it can be truly said, “There is one God.” Further, this Word is said to be the creator, “All things were made through him; and without him was not anything made that hath been made.” This again proves that he existed before all creation, therefore he was not created. His self existence and vitalizing and enlightening power are next stated, “In him was life; and the life was of the light of men.” According to this he is the source of all life and light. Truly he was God. But we have now to notice that this being, this Word, became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. And m becoming flesh he lost none of those attributes which characterized him as the Word, God. In the flesh he asserted his eternal existence when he said, “Before Abraham was born I am” (John 8:53). Not as the eternal Word, but as Jesus of Nazareth, he declares his co-existence with the Father by saying, “Glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory w'hich I had with thee before the world was” (John 17:5). That he asserted his deity by declaring himself to be the Son of God I have before shown, lie demonstrated his creative powers by turning the water to wine and by increasing the loaves and fishes so that after feeding the thousands more was gathered in baskets than they formerly had And Paul says that the worlds were made through that Son through whom God has spoken to us in these last days (Ileb. 1:2). And Jesus declared he was the source of life when he said, “I am the livmg bread w’hich came down out of heaven; if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever” (John 6:51). And again he said, “I am the resurrection and the iife” (John 11:25). And he claimed to be the liprht of men when he said, “Yet a little while is the light among’ you . . . While ye have the light, believe on the light, that ye may become sons of light” (John 12:35-36). This is not intended as an exhaustive study of this phase of the subject, tout at as sufficient to prove that Jesus of Nazareth possessed all the attributes of deity which the “Word” of John 1:1 possessed, and that, therefore, il is proper to speak of him as God.

It is not the purpose of this paper to enter the endless intricate theological meanderings of those who have tried to search out how the Word became flesh. But it does seem needful to say that the expression “became flesh” must not be made to mean that spirit was turned into flesh. Neither does it mean that a physical body became the tabernacle of the eternal Spirit for a third of a century, afterwards yielding it up to return to its former plane and mode of existence. But rather that the Word partook of human nature, flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:14); that he became identified with humanity, not for a third of a century, bur forever. While he was here he possessed all the essential attributes of humanity as well as those of divin ity. When he left this world he did not leave behind his humanity. His body was raised Incorruptible and immortal. And we are told that we shall be like, him. (1 John 3:2), and our vile bodies shall be fashioned anew that they may be conformed to the boay of hi3 glory (Php_3:21). “God is a Spirit” John 4:24), and is not to be thought of as having a body. And such we conceive the Word was until the Word became flesh, or was born of Mary From that time forward forever he is identified with humanity. This conception should heighten our appreciation of his sacrifice, and our privileges which we enjoy in him both now and throughout eternity. In the first epistle of John is to be found further evidence of the divinity of the Lord Jesus. He says, “To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). This of course means that the Son of God was manifested in the flesh, for it is plainly taught in Hebrews 2:14 that he partook of flesh and blood “that through death he might bring to nought him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” So bear in mind the form of the expression, the Son of God was manifested in the flesh. But we have learned that when that expression was used it meant equality with God; Jesus was accused of making himself God because he claimed to be the Son of God. So to say that Jesus was the Son of God manifested in the flesh is equal to saying he was God manifested in the flesh. But further, John says, “The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us” (1 John 1:2). This is so similar to John’s statement in the gospel. Notice, that life which was manifested was the eternal life. It was first with the Father and then was manifested unto us. If the Son of God was with the Father and then was manifested unto us, and the eternal life was with the Father and then was manifested unto us, are we not justified in concluding that the eternal life was the Son of God? But we are not left to such uncertain conclusions. “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20-21). From this we learn that the Son of God is that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us in the flesh, and known as Jesus Christ. We might well make this the end of our quest, for we have found the positive inspired statement that this Son of God, his Son Jesus Christ, that which became flesh and dwelt among us, “is the true God.” I am aware of the fact that the pronoun “this” is made by some to refer to God and not to the Son. But such an interpretation violates a simple rule of grammar which says the demonstrative pronoun always refers to the nearest antecedent. And next the pronoun “this” must refer to the Son for this true God is said to be the eternal life, and in 1 John 1:2 this eternal life is said to have been “with the Father, and was manifested unto us.” This is positive proof that the Son, Jesus Christ, is the true God.

Incidentally these passages should be quite sufficient to settle the age old controversy as to whether the expression “Son of God” refers to the divine or the human nature of Jesus. Brother Isaac Errett says, “Jesus is not, as the creeds sometimes style him, ‘the eternal Son of God.’ He is the eternal Word of God; but ‘the Word made flesh’ is the Son of God. He became the Son of God by virtue of his participation of human nature” (“Evenings With the Bible,” Vol. Ill, p. 44). While others, as Treffry, argue with equal clearness on the other side. But if words are faithful vehicles of ideas, if they mean what they say, John teaches that the “Son of God” is his “Son Jesus Christ” and that this is the true God and eternal life. The Son of God is that eternal life. And he further says this eternal life was with the Father and was manifested unto us. This is equal to saying that the Son of God was with the Father and was manifested unto us. But if the expression “Son of God” is the “Word made flesh,” John would be guilty of saying that the Word made flesh, Jesus of Nazareth, was with the Father and was manifested unto us. So it would seem that those who hold to the eternal Sonship have the edge of the argument. But my conception of the matter does not permit of such an argument; I see not how we may divide our Lord and say this part is human, and this part is divine. He was God with all the essential attributes of humanity; he was human with all the attributes of divinity. There was such perfect fusion of divinity and humanity that he was a human being composed of body, soul and spirit, yet he was God in whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. I do not object to the terms “human nature” and “divine nature” as being dangerous or hurtful; but as being too literal and material. The next apostle who writes of the divinity of Jesus is Paul, that apostle to whom the Lord appeared after he had ascended to heaven, that one who was caught up and allowed to see and hear things not lawful for him to utter. He said, Jesus “existing in the form of God, counted not the being on equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross” (Php_2:6-8). Here Paul says this Jesus was once on equality with God, but that he emptied himself of, gave up, that equality. But while here Jesus was the equal of God in that the fulness of the godhead, all the powers of God, dwelt in him. In what way was he not the equal of God? In that he was made in the likeness of men, and was no more in the likeness of God, a Spirit. He gave up that when he identified himself with humanity. But here we have that for which we search, that he was God made in likeness of men and dwelt among us as God in the flesh. Hebrews 2:14-17 is of identical import so far as our use of it is concerned, so space will not be used in the discussion of the passage.

Paul further says of the Son of God, “Who is the image of the invisible God, the first born of all creation; for in him were all things created .... all things have been created through him, and unto him; and he is before all things, and in him all things consist” (Colossians 1:15-17). Those who do not believe in the divinity of Jesus use the phrase “firstborn of all creation” to mean the “first made creature.” But the next statement is given as the reason why he is the firstborn of all creation—for by him were all things created. The word “firstborn” means heir and lord, as well as one born first. So he is Lord of all creation, for all things were made by him. This makes good sense; the other interpretation does not. “He is before all things,” meaning all created things. This argues his divinity in that he existed before all created beings. “And in him all things consist.” This cannot be said of a created being, but may with propriety be said of him who created all things. The same apostle, Paul, argues along this same line in Hebrews 1:2-4; Hebrews 1:8; Hebrews 1:10. In this passage he adds, “When he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” This purification was made through “the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:10). To develop this line of argument would require too much space, but it is suf-ficient to say here that the offering of a human body would not have made purification for sins, therefore his was the offering of-more than a human body; it was the offering of God in flesh. But in verse 8, he is called God, “But of the Son he saith, Thy throne, 0 God, is forever and ever.” And again, verse 10, “Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth.” The next statement from Paul is one too plain and unequivocal to admit of doubt or misunderstanding. In speaking of the Jews he said, “Whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever” (Romans 9:5). This simply says that the Christ, brought forth in the flesh by the Jews, is over all, God blessed forever; he is God entitled to blessings instead of cursings which he was, and is, receiving from the Jews. Here, as in other passages, I am mindful of, and in a measure acquainted with, the attacks made upon the verse by those who disbelieve the divinity of our Lord, but space forbids further discussion. The plain import of the passage in its present translation is that Christ, in the flesh given him by the Jews, is God. The apostle Paul considers the resurrection of Jesus as the greatest proof that he was the Son of God, or God in the flesh. Twice God had spoken from heaven saying, “This is my beloved Son,” but the Jews refused to believe him. Jesus had performed such miracles as no man ever had done, and yet they did not believe him. He had testified under oath that he was the Son of God, but, instead of accepting this testimony, they crucified him as a blasphemous imposter because of it. And now* the Great God of heaven reverses the decision of the highest courts of earth and, by raising him from the dead, declares that he is his Son. Hear Paul as he writes about the gospel of God “Concerning his Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ-our Lord” (Romans 1:3-4). Here Paul calls Jesus Christ our Lord God’s Son. His Son was one who had his humanity through David, but his resurrection declares that he was more than human. He was crucified for saying he was the Son of God; that, though he was the son of David, he had a higher relationship than that. His divinity was not derived through his connection with David, but through his relation to God. And God honors the claim that Jesus made by raising him from the dead. This passage stands as solid rock in proof of both the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ. It ties humanity and divinity together in the person of “Jesus Christ our Lord,” and calls that per-son God’s Son. It is worthy of notice that Paul says, relative to the flesh, he was “born” of the seed of David. Birth denotes the beginning. But of the spirit he said “who was declared to be” the Son of God. That does not denote a beginning. In Jesus of Nazareth we see the fusion of that humanity, which had its beginning at birth, and divinity, which was with God and was God. In him, and in him alone, do we see God manifested in the flesh.

4. His Works Declare Him To Be God The works Jesus did while here on earth, according to his own statement, were such as had never been done by any one else. He said: “If I had not done among them the works which none other did, they had not had sin” (John 15:24). He considered his works sufficient evidence of his deity, for said he, “For the works which the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me” (John 5:36). That they are abundantly sufficient as evidence is attested by the fact that all who disbelieve are condemned. “For except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins” (John 8:24). The power that Jesus exercised over evil spirits and his explanation of it is proof of a power beyond that of a human being. When he was accused of casting out demons by Beelzebub he replied, “No one can enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house” (Mark 3:27). Here he claimed a power beyond that of humanity. His very presence was disturbing to the demons. In the synagogue at Capernaum one cried out, saying, “Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). Another fell down before him and said, “Thou art the Son of God.” They recognized in him the one who is to destroy them, and asked, “Art thou come hither to torment us before the time ?” (Matthew 8:29). Aside from proving that his power was no less than that of God, these passages show that the demons recognized him as the Son of God, the One with whom they would have to deal when the time for their punishment arrives.

While here on earth Jesus forgave sins, which, as the Jews correctly said, none but God can do. They accused Jesus of blasphemy when he said to a man, “Thy sins are forgiven.” But he healed the man before their eyes to prove that he had the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:1-12). Incidentally this proves two things. First, that one who can, of his own power, heal the sick, can forgive sins. And secondly, that he could forgive sins, which none but God could do, and that, therefore, he was God. Time forbids that I should refer to his stilling the tempest, feeding the thousands with a morsel of bread and gathering twelve baskets of fragments, walking on the water, and raising the dead to life again, and bring each to its just conclusion that Jesus was God in the flesh. But since no man has ever been able to perform any such miracles, except while confessedly doing it in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, as did Peter (Acts 3:6) when he healed the lame beggar at the Beautiful gate, surely we are justified in concluding that Jesus, when he exercised the power in person, was God manifested in the flesh.

Conclusion This theme, that Jesus is the Son of God, God mani-fested in the flesh, is the very heart of the gospel. It is the foundation upon which everything else rests. Disprove the proposition and the gospel becomes a dead letter; admit the truth of the proposition and all humanity is obligated to live in harmony with his teaching. Therefore from this proposition we may draw many lessons of encouragement to sustain us in the hours of trial. Time forbids more than a passing mention of a few of these lessons.

Firstly, the superiority of Christianity over Judaism is based upon the fact that Jesus is greater than Moses. This is argued at length in the book of Hebrews.

Secondly, upon the truth that Jesus was God in flesh rests our hope of an exaltation above the angels. He is set forth as an example; he is the firstfruits as proof that we too shall be exalted and given an inheritance undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us.

Thirdly, God becoming flesh and living among men was a manifestation of his love for the lost. Here we have a picture of God seeking man. There is much said about the duty of man to seek after God; but it became the duty of man to seek God only because God has come to seek and to save the lost. It is interesting to note that the Son of God passed over the angels who had fallen and did not extend help to them; that he “giveth help to the seed of Abraham” (Hebrews 2:16). It was humanity that he loved and lifted, not angels.

Fourthly, God becoming flesh, living among men, and dying for man shows how valuable a human being is in the sight of God. Jesus taught the Jews that a man is worth more than a sparrow or a sheep. And, the fact that he died for man, that he gave his life in the place of ours, indicates that he valued our lives more highly than he did his own. He wishes to save us, not from hell only, but from sin in this life, that our lives may be worth as much as possible while here we live. If we live in sin, we are worthless. Living for him is the only way to make your life worthwhile.