Thank you those who Worship the Lord Worship in spirit and true Those who Worship the Lord worship and spirit and Truth Obey his word and we walk in the light the way yeah If we obey is then we walk in the line You say that but we don’t keep his word then we walk in the darkness and the truth And the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from sins away in the truth Obey babe Foreign Well good morning friends I gotta get my finger there we go I’ve got that where it needs to go now trying to do too many things here at one little moment but hey um I am glad to be with you here we we’ve begun the migration over to the Daily discipleship podcast

Facebook page and buy next week Monday we will have transitioned completely over to uh to that channel uh I may be allowing it to and Dot and I may be allowing it to stay on the veracity side but friends the chat the the chat will be the comments will be will want them

To be on the daily discipleship podcast page uh I get to see where all the chats are from you know uh so I I see the chats from a couple different YouTube channels I see the chats from a couple different Facebook pages and there Don has put it in there for us

You can see it uh they’ll link into it uh stay where you are for this morning I think uh or comment which which page are you on are you on resty Chapel or are you on um are you on uh The daily discipleship podcast or anybody that’s jumping in we’re transitioning over uh to uh a dedicated page for this broadcast that way it isn’t uh mucking up if you will the and that was an m just want to clarify uh mucking up the page uh muddying the page for

Veracity Chapel uh especially is as I’m going into um uh some different directions with my life and veracity Chapel still our family I mean I had my last elders meeting last night and was uh you know I got to the end I got up clocked out and

Started to walk out and go this just feels weird and uh in fact went up into the sanctuary to pick something up there and uh I thought man for you know almost 14 years they’ve been coming up here and really since the media box has been

Built which is more like five years been coming up to here and my my preaching Bible sits in a particular place and whatnot and it’s like that’s all coming to an end and uh but I’m not and the ministry is not the ministry is expanding the ministry is growing

And uh and you can continue to be a part of that you can continue your partner to think of it as think of it as participation in expanding ministry that’s what it is and our our elders feeling the same way it’s a participation expanding the ministry and

You get to participate in that now having said that I I do want to uh I do want to let you know uh uh I’m looking for something that I can’t quite find um there it is okay yeah I I’ve got it here I don’t

Know if I can copy it or paint and paste it I’m going to try it uh uh sorry folks I do this to myself and no I can’t but but anyway you get to participate let me let me keep let me keep on Focus here so you can participate uh

With with what’s going on uh in the expansion of ministry and it’s my prayer and I want you to hear this that uh veracity you that are part of the Rhapsody Chapel family we’ll say that this is an expansion of our ministry and uh what Jim does i i my

Prayer and hope would be that you would see New England Bible College and seminaries an extension of the ministry of veracity Chapel that’s my prayer my prayer is that uh you would see what I’m doing with concentric Global uh in all the places that I go is an extension of

The ministry of veracity chapel and that in a good way you could take some pride in that you could take pride in expanding the work of the Kingdom all over the state of Maine in New England through New England Bible College and Seminary that you also can take pride

In participating in what’s happening globally and uh in the participation of various things that I’m doing I’ve got a pretty robust travel schedule uh coming up this year trying to balance the two uh between the college and and concentric uh but friends I mean you’re part of that you

You’re a part those of you that are participated in the the trips this last uh um last spring you were a part of touching South Sudan uh you were a part of impacting the lives of people uh from uh All Over America who were part of especially our Israel trip but then also

All the way down into Costa Rica a Honduras Brazil you’re a part of that by extension and your participation uh helps so very very very much and I’m going to put in the comments uh I’m going to invite you because not everybody that listens here is a part of

The veracity family but if you want to become a part a partner I’m praying that God will give me at least a hundred Partners who will be faithful prayer warriors uh I’m praying that God will give me at least 100 Partners who who would say hey we will participate uh uh in in

Supporting the work whether it’s supporting projects uh and when I from time to time say hey I’m raising money for and some of you already do that I’m still raising money for South Sudan haven’t quite reached my goal and some of you have given toward that thank you

Very much this is to train leaders who will help uh expand and multiply the sustainability efforts and the disciple making efforts in the church planting efforts there in South Sudan and so you might say I want to participate only in special projects and I’ll let you know

What those are or you might say hey I want to participate in supporting what you’re doing it costs money to travel these places and uh so I’m going to type into the comments a link that if if you’re not a part yet this is triggered there are people beginning to become

Those types of Partners and I’m going to put that in the comments and give you a little bit a little bit of instruction and then we’re going to get into the Bible because that is really why we’re here and there you go that that is a place um that you can go

Concentricglobal.org backslash give and then down below it’s gonna it’s if you get there it’s going to say choose your designation in fact let me put that I can I can share this with you uh like this there we go there now you can see what it looks like

Here you can see the web address up on the top you can choose a designation a an amount you can choose one time I really am in need of having at least a hundred Partners at a hundred dollars a month um is the goal the ultimate goal here

Within the next couple of years to be at least at that level because it is quite expensive to travel the places we travel but we also do a lot to support people locally so you can see you can choose the amount uh and then down below there’s a place that says choose your

Designation you click on a little drop down menu you will see a list of just a few names uh Steve Hudson who was my predecessor Mike harder who is my partner uh my boss we’re Partners really uh projects and forums so those are are things that we’re doing uh and then

Um Israel study tour Ministry opportunities and uh uh and then down here the ministry of Jim Culbertson with concentric so I would love I would welcome you becoming a part of that with me and I need to have those partners and it’s something that you can do to uh to touch the world

Just from your own perch your own place so enough on that I will probably put a little thing up on the screen that you’ll be able to look at each day so you will know where you could give and participate and anyway you’re getting the point and Friends sing over here in the

Comments you know I got thinking about it the change uh yeah it is uh it is I thought about that last night what what Fran’s talking about I thought about uh just the feeling of the change and I get it I I feel it too and I thought

You know I need to as well uh take the time to to feel uh the change uh to embrace it to think about there’s a lot of good memories so Fran don’t get me started I’m gonna be an emotional mess so hey anyway let’s get into the text of scripture today and uh

Second Peter chapter one and versus we did verses one uh we did verses three and four well actually one through four his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his glory and goodness

Through these he has given us his great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires so we looked at that yesterday we are invited to be participants uh in the divine nature we are invited to be

Participants in becoming like Christ that is what that means some people would say well is it saying that we become God no we don’t become God we don’t even become part of God we become like Christ and in that way we’re participants in the divine nature we are

To become like Christ and we know that when either we are called home through death or called home through through Rapture um or called home through um invited into the millennial Kingdom how whatever however your theology rolls that out or whoever your life’s experience rolls that out then we will

Be like him because we will we will see him as he really is and we will be made like him in the twinkling of an eye in that moment in that time we will be fully like Jesus but until then as it says in verse 4 through these he has

Given us his very great and precious promises so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires that’s God’s part God has given us everything that we need for life in godliness in Christ it’s all there he’s

Given us everything we need to escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires it’s our own evil desires I mean there’s the world system that lines itself up against Christ but then there are our own evil desires that get in the way and they do they trip us up and you

Know sometimes they’re they’re uncontrollable things like outbursts of anger uh but sometimes they’re also lingering less that we may have and those types of things that that are a part of uh that are a part of living in this flesh things over which we must overcome uh and I I think of a

Verse I’m going to go to that verse and show you that verse and and I’ll be honest sometimes it’s a verse I don’t like because sometimes I don’t want to overcome my Temptations here it is First Corinthians 10 13 no temptation to seized you except what is common to man

And God is faithful he’ll not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear but when you’re tempted he will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it God is faithful it will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear but when you’re tempted he’ll also

Provide a way out God provides a way out uh now would anybody else be honest enough to say sometimes I’m not interested in taking the way out because I want my Temptation that’s what makes it Temptation what makes it tempting is that it is um salted caramel cheesecake with whipped

Cream and a cherry on top that’s what makes it tempting Temptation isn’t because it’s something nasty like you know you ever have some vegetables in your fridge that you’re not sure if they’re still good you know is the Slime the butter from when they were cooked or the Slime that they’re

Going you know so you understand what I’m saying that’s not so tempted it’s like should I eat that should I not eat that but when it’s salted caramel cheesecake with whipped cream and a cherry on top and it’s fresh and you know you shouldn’t have it because you’re like me you’re trying to

Lose weight and be healthy but it’s good Don says in the comments he says my blood sugar just skyrocketed good one Don I I like it but see that’s what makes it Temptation Temptation isn’t something that’s nasty temptation is something that you want you get what I’m talking about you know

It can be the temptation of food uh it can be the temptation of the eye gate it can be the temptation to say something that you really shouldn’t say you know it’s the temptation to give someone a piece of your mind that actually you yourself cannot afford to lose

But there’s that Temptation that temptation to I deserve to be mad and angry you know the temptation to um be coarse in in a joke or some language uh in a setting that that shouldn’t happen you know you name it you list it there’s all kinds of Temptations God’s word says right here

Second Corinthians 10 13 no temptation to seize you except what is common to man God is faithful he will not let you be tempted Beyond you can bear but when you’re tempted he’ll provide a way out so you can stand up under it so yeah and here’s another one uh

Nell putting it uh in the comments here and we agree with what she’s saying and temptation to tell someone off or to hold my words and show Grace I mean the Temptation the Temptation is want to tell somebody off I just want to let them have it you know that’s a temptation

God’s word promises that he’ll give us wet if we’ll look for the way out if we’ll look to God we’ll see the way out we’ll take the way out sometimes we do sometimes we don’t would you agree with me on that point sometimes we take the way out that God

Gives us and sometimes we don’t take the way out he has given us everything that we need for life and godliness in Christ now let me get us back into second Peter because second Peter chapter one it speaks of what we have just looked at the part that God gives us uh

Really says he’s given us everything we need but we need to be active we need to do our part so we pick up in verse 5 and we probably won’t get through all this this morning maybe we will it says for this very reason because God has given

Us all these things make every effort to add to your faith goodness to goodness knowledge to knowledge self-control to self-control perseverance and to perseverance godliness to Godliness brotherly kindness to brotherly kindness love love is like the bow that wraps them all together says for if you possess these qualities

An increasing measure they’ll keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but if anyone does not have them his niece nearsighted and blind has forgotten he’s been cleansed from his past sins therefore my brothers be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure

For if you do these things you will never fall and you’ll receive a rich welcome into the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and he says so I will always remind you of these things even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth

That you now have I think it’s right to reflect to refresh right no it’s not right to refresh it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body because I know that I will soon put it aside as our lord Jesus

Has made clear to me and I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things Peter even speaks about his own part he’s doing everything he can to stimulate them he’s doing everything he can to stir them up he’s

Doing everything he can to inspire them to encourage them to challenge them to show them that they’ve been given what they need to show them what steps they need to take to show them what they need to work at Peter is saying I am making every effort before my departure

So that you will remember these things now he’s talking about Departures departure of death as he said there in verse 14 down here at the bottom uh I will soon put it aside as our lord Jesus has made clear to me you you can see it

Down here he knew his death the time of his death his martyrdom was coming now back up to the top we see this list of all these various uh qualities that we are to develop in our lives it begins with faith friends it all starts with faith we we

Need to have the faith to believe that God has given us what we uh what we need to do he’s given us every step he’s given us now the things to go after but it’s activated by faith we’re going to trust God that God has provided a way

Out from the Temptation we’re going to trust God that God has has given us his strength we’re going to trust God that in his word and the knowledge of him and his precious promises that we have what we need that is the faith and then Peter

Goes on and then begins to to delineate the various qualities to develop so make every effort to add to your faith goodness I mean goodness we’ll probably go over and look at some other translations here but but to be a good person it’s morally good I I think there’s the

Moral aspect of goodness but I also think there’s an aspect of goodness of the type of goodness that you like to be around it let me give you an example another example um you ever buy a little packet of blackberries you’re going to Hannaford’s you get some blackberries and they all

Look just really good and they open up they taste good but then you know after a day or two you start looking around the edges and those on the edge or on the bottom begin to get that white Mossy stuff growing that’s not goodness goodness flavorfulness that our lies

Would would be demonstrative of a pleasant good flavorfulness of Christ that people would get the sense of Christ around us that there’d be an aroma of Christ in our lives so there’s the moral goodness yes but then there is also the goodness of of freshness like good baked bread uh with

Warm with butter on it and blueberry jam they are done did I Skyrocket your sugar again yes so goodness then it says add to your goodness the next thing he adds is knowledge now what knowledge we can spend our time looking up lots of things

And I do I I’m one of those as a philosopher I have my philosophers ask questions that’s what they do and then they seek answers there’s all kinds of things that I want to know about but but ultimately the best knowledge is the knowledge of God Don sitting there going like this not

Listening as uh as I talk about these foods but the knowledge of God so to read Christian books to listen to Christian broadcasts to read scripture those types of things so we we add knowledge and then on top of knowledge he says to add self-control again personal responsibility this is

Where theological camps break down those who believe totally and I will have some people who say what about the sovereignty of God uh okay because they’ll want to argue a point so is God’s sovereignty allowing you know making that person sin over there there is human culpability there is

Human responsibility and we need to demonstrate responsibility in demonstrating self-control eating less not eating the sugar uh having half the slice of the bread instead of the whole slice or having one slice instead of two or three and that’s tough when it’s warm and the butter is melted but to exercise self-control

To add to self-control he says perseverance to persevere and being self-control so we know we’ve gotten the knowledge uh and so now we try to apply self-control to that knowledge and then we continue to persevere in applying the self-control you get the point then it says to perseverance godliness to Godliness brotherly kindness

And then to brotherly kindness love we have all this kindness uh that we should possess that if we’re living in the Holy Spirit the holy spirit’s living in us friends that is a theological fact that when you become a genuine converted regenerative regenerated born-again Christian the Holy Spirit takes up

Residence in your life permanently it’s taught we’ve looked at it in Ephesians before and as we allow him to have control of Our Lives one of the fruits of the spirit when we’re living in the spirit when we’re walking the spirit is kindness brotherly kindness and so we we

Demonstrate brotherly kindness all these qualities that we would add to our lives and and Peter goes on and says look if if you possess these things in growing and increasing measure you won’t be ineffective and you won’t be unproductive in your knowledge and the idea of the knowledge is now the applied

Knowledge of Life In Christ um so grow in these things verse 10 he says this he says if you he says be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure for if you do these things you’ll never fail I mean these things are

Indicators of the fact that we have a legitimate faith that we are in fact called that we are in fact elect of God and if we don’t do these things if we don’t see these things in a person’s life if we don’t see spiritual fruit in

A person’s life that reality may be that they in fact may not be saved they may say well I’m a Christian but if you don’t demonstrate fruit how do you know buy your fruit by their fruit you will know them there’s fruitfulness that should be demonstrative in the life of an elect believer

These things should be there so so work them out work out your salvation Paul says in Philippians chapter 2 verse 12 to work out your salvation with fear and trembling does it say work for it but work it out live it out in your life now let me just

Finish out with a few verses here and it’s time to get off the broadcast it says verse 11 you will receive when you do these things you receive a rich welcome into the Eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ I think those trying

To live it out are going to be the ones that really get the hey I’m so glad you’re home I’m so glad you’re here I think that the people who just have Jesus you know maybe just enough of Jesus in their life to get them saved and Paul talks about

This in First Corinthians 3 uh that they may make it as one escaping through the Flames by faith in Christ but it’s like oh okay I’m glad you’re here but for those of us who are really trying to live out the life Peter says that there will be a rich welcome into

The Eternal Kingdom uh I want that to be me I want that to be you and so as we read this we see things that we’re to work out we claim God’s promises the first few verses of second Peter chapter one and then we see our work we see our part

But ultimately it all comes down to living life in the Holy Spirit Well friends I’d encourage you go back and read and reread this passage again tomorrow we might make a brush up against it as we move forward in the passage and look at it through another

Paraphrase but for day for for today we’ve gotten our encouragement we’ve gotten our inspiration we’ve gotten our marching orders that we would live for Christ in ever increasing fullness Lord hear our prayer to become more like Jesus hear our prayer to become participants in the divine nature

And to escape the corruption in this world caused by our evil desires Lord hear our prayer for the holy spirit’s helped to make application of what we’ve looked at today that we might not only be better Christians but might glorify Christ along the way in an ever-increasing fashion Lord hear

Our prayer in Jesus name amen friends we’ll see you tomorrow have a great day

#Peter #part #Part #Participating #Divine #Nature

Well greetings to everyone the subject of our study during this hour is thoughts on the human nature of christ this is a very solemn and very important message i would like to pray as we start to ask for the lord’s blessing father in heaven we come before your awesome

Throne in the powerful name of jesus our intercessor we ask that you will be present through the ministry of your spirit that you will bless this presentation help us understand that it is possible to overcome through divine power thank you for hearing our prayer for we ask it in jesus name amen

On february 17 through 19 2015 the biblical research institute of the general conference held a symposium in the city of medellin colombia the symposium was for all pastors administrators and teachers of the entire country most of the members who serve on the bri committee of the general conference were there

To present papers on different theological issues that were facing the church at that time and still face the church the organizers of the symposium invited me to make two presentations on the human nature of christ however they never asked me beforehand what i believed about the subject at the symposium i presented the

Post-labcerian view and nothing short of an earthquake ensued the tumult occurred because the overwhelming majority of those who were present believe that christ took the sinless nature of adam before the fall things got so testy that one of the representatives of the biblical research institute who for several years served as its director

Stood up before the plenary session of over 600 delegates to pacify the turbulent waters he said that my presentation was very well done and that it was one of two views that are held presently by scholars in the seventh-day adventist church however he lamented that someone did not present the

Opposing view to the view that i had presented he underlined that the church had no official position on the human nature of christ and therefore both views pre-lapserian and post-lapsarian were equally acceptable the waters were calmed somewhat several days later another member of bri who did not participate in the symposium

But shared the view that i have called me and said the following at our meeting this morning at the general conference we got a report that you had an excellent presentation on the human nature of christ in the city of medellin many of the thoughts that i’m going to

Share are from that symposium as well as from a book which i consider to to be the best on the human nature of christ it’s called touched with our feelings a very important book the subtitle is a historical survey of adventist thought on the human nature of christ and the author is gene

Searcher it’s a book that has been out of print however you can obtain copies from secrets unsealed let me tell you something about the author gene searcher before he died he was the director of the biblical research institute of the euro africa division as well as division secretary

He served as theology professor in several seventh-day adventist universities he also had his book published this book by the review and herald in the year 1999 which means that at that time it was not deemed heretical the book is a historical and theological study of how the seventh-day adventist church

Changed its view of christology in the decade of the 1950s dr searcher was an accomplished scholar he also wrote a book called the nature and destiny of man on anthropology a book that was acclaimed internationally by non-adventist scholars as we approach this subject we want to ask several questions and i’ll go through

Them quickly i’m trying to synthesize two presentations in one what do we mean by a sinful and a sinless human nature is it a sin to have a sinful nature or is sin allowing the sinful nature to express itself in sinful acts thoughts and words in what way does the roman

Catholic view of original sin differ from the adventist concept that we inherit the sinful a sinful nature now we all agree that jesus is 100 percent god and 100 man however the critical question is this what kind of humanity did jesus take when he came to this earth did he

Take the human nature of adam before the fall or did he take his nature after the fall what did ellen white mean when she wrote that jesus had no evil propensities towards sin in our last presentation we heard quite a bit about this is it possible to gain a total victory over sin

While we are living in sinful flesh would it be fair for jesus to expect that we follow his example if he had a different human nature than we do will god have an end time generation that will totally overcome sin in sinful flesh when will jesus remove the sinful nature from his people

Will god’s people continue sinning in words acts and thoughts after the close of probation will we be able to send our sins to the heavenly sanctuary after the close of probation is there biblical corroboration that confirms that ellen white was right when she said that god’s people will

Have to live in the time of trouble without an intercessor or mediator and finally the last question will the last generation be different than any previous generation now there’s uh there are some aspects that are not negotiable when we come to this subject first while jesus was on earth he was 100

God and 100 man but he never used his own divine power to conquer temptation he always depended on the divine power of his father second it is possible for us to overcome as jesus overcame if we depend on the same power that he did the sinless example of jesus is attainable

Three the temptations of jesus were far greater than the ones that adam faced or we face adam was not tempted to turn stones into bread adam did not bear the sins of the world upon himself adam was not pursued 24 7 365 by satan the temptations of jesus were infinitely greater

Than the temptations that we face so as ellen white says we can imitate the example but we cannot copy the example because his temptations were far greater than ours finally the fourth issue that is non-negotiable is that jesus never cultivated evil tendencies towards sin he never felt inclined to sin

In fact he recoiled from temptation the instant that temptation came now there are dangers lurking with both views on the one hand those who believe in total victory over sin before the close of probation are always in danger of falling into the deadly errors of perfectionism and fanaticism thinking highly of themselves and

Criticizing others for not reaching their high plain of spirituality however the danger on the other side is to take sin lightly and to justify it because of our inherited and cultivated tendencies the danger of this site is to teach that man’s human nature is so powerful that not even god’s omnipotent enabling grace

Can give us total victory over it those who say that it is not possible to totally overcome sin before the close of probation are not really saying that sinful human nature is weak but rather that god is not powerful enough to help us overcome it they are saying perhaps inadvertently that our sinful

Flesh is more powerful than the enabling power of god those who are closest to perfection can never say i have arrived in fact those who are most holy in the sight of god even those who will go through the time of trouble are those who feel the most sinful

Because they are constantly beholding the perfect beauty of christ’s character and how much sin cost in gethsemane and on the cross like isaiah when they contemplate the holiness of jesus they will say i am undone like peter they will say depart from me for i am a sinful man

Like paul they will exclaim who shall deliver me from this body of death like holy daniel they will say we have sinned now there’s a very important point let’s not attempt to defend the indefensible by saying that the adventist church has always believed that jesus took the nature of adam before the fall

It is a documented fact that the seventh-day adventist church in its majority has changed its christology and it was changed in the middle of the 20th century from a post-lab syrian view to a pre-lab syrian view as i learned in the symposium in medellin most scholars in our theological schools and seminaries

And probably most of our administrators and pastors have embraced the new christology it’s interesting that jones and wagener of 1888 fame taught that jesus took human nature after the fall in fact waggoner suggested that we consider the genealogy of jesus in order to determine the human nature that jesus took

Upon himself among the ancestors of jesus was lying abraham david the adulterer and murderer and manasseh the idolater jesus received the sinful fallen nature of his human ancestors but he never sinned in that sinful nature jones wrote that jesus possessed the passions and tendencies of sinful flesh

But he never participated in those sins it is vital to understand the difference between having the passions and tendencies and yielding to those passions and tendencies a.t jones wrote in general conference bulletin 1895 page 328 the following words the flesh of jesus christ was our flesh

And in it was all that is in our flesh all the tendencies to sin that are in our flesh were in his flesh drawing upon him to get him to consent to sin but of course jesus never consented to the tendency w prescott uh whose view ellen white enthusiastically endorsed

Wrote the following although jesus christ took sinful flesh flesh in which we sin he took that flesh and emptying himself and receiving the fullness of god himself god was able to keep him from sinning in that sinful flesh so that although he was manifested in sinful flesh god by his spirit dwelling

In him kept him from sinning in that sinful flesh on october 31 1895 ellen white heard elder prescott preach a sermon on the word made flesh and enthusiastically endorsed his uh presentation catholics and many protestants teach the doctrine of original sin the basic idea is that we are born sinners

Because adam bequeathed the guilt of his original sin to us in other words we are guilty because as descendants of adam we inherit adam’s sinful flesh according to this view if jesus had been born with the same sinful nature as the rest of humanity he would have been sinful by birth in

Such a case jesus would have needed a redeemer there is no doubt that everyone in this world is born with a sinful human nature that is to say the pull of sin dwells in each descendant of adam and that power or pull entices us to commit actual sins jesus had the pull

But jesus did not sin is sin a state of being or is say sin a choice we sin because we choose to act speak or think contrary to the revealed will of god sin is to allow our fallen human nature to act in opposition to the will of god

If sin is not a matter of nature but rather of choice then jesus could have inherited our sinful human nature without becoming a sinner jesus remained sinless because the very moment the temptation came he chose by a decision of his will to obey god and never allowed sinful human nature to control

His actions his inheritance was like ours but his choices were different ellen white confirmed this point of view she wrote there are thoughts and feelings suggested and aroused by satan that annoy even the best of men but now listen to this but if these thoughts and feelings are not cherished if they

Are repulsed ellen white says that jesus recoiled when he was tempted if they are repulsed as hateful the soul is not contaminated with guilt and no other is defiled by their influence powerful statement here’s another one by faith and prayer all may meet the requirements of the gospel

No man can be forced to transgress listen carefully now his own consent must first be gained the soul must purpose the sinful act before passion can dominate over reason or iniquity triumph over conscience temptation however strong is never an excuse for sin messages to young people page 67.

Here’s one more the son of god in his humanity wrestled with the very same fierce apparently overwhelming temptations that assail men temptations to indulge of appetite to presumptuous venturing where god has not led them and to the worship of god of this world to sacrifice an eternity of bliss for

The fascinating pleasures of this life everyone will be tempted but the word declares that we shall not be tempted above our ability to bear so we do not inherit the guilt of our ancestors because we receive a sinful nature from them we are only guilty when we personally

Choose to respond to the pleadings of our sinful nature notice deuteronomy chapter 24 and verse 16 fathers shall not be put to death for their children nor shall children be put to death for their fathers a person shall be put to death for his own sin ezekiel chapter 18

Verse 20 adds its testimony the soul who sins shall die the son shall not bear the guilt of the father nor the father bear the guilt of the son the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself now i’m going to skip

One statement because we have very brief time let’s go now to the way in which the christology of the adventist church has changed let’s examine first of all a portion of the 1947 edition of bible readings for the home and by the way it is the same all the way back to the

Year 1914 in bible readings for the home we’re going to go to section 4 chapter 39 the title is a sinless life question number six question number six in bible readings for the home says this how fully did christ share our common humanity now comes the answer from hebrews 2 17. wherefore in

All things it behold him to be made like unto his brethren that is like us that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to god to make reconciliation for the sins of the people so that’s the biblical answer now there’s an explanatory note

In the 1947 edition it reads like this in his humanity christ partook of our sinful fallen nature if not then he was not made like unto his brethren was not in all points tempted like as we are did not overcome as we have to overcome and is not therefore the complete and perfect

Savior man needs and must have to be saved the idea that christ was born of an immaculate sinless mother inherited no tendencies to sin and for this reason did not sin removes him from the realm of a fallen world and from the very place where help is needed

On his human side christ inherited just what every child of adam inherits a sinful nature on the divine side from his very conception he was begotten and born of the spirit and all this was done to place mankind on vantage ground and to demonstrate that in the same way everyone who is

Born of the spirit may gain like victories over sin in his own sinful flesh thus each one is to overcome as christ overcame without this verse birth there can be no victory over temptation and no salvation from sin what a powerful note this is however in 1949 the review on herald requested

Professor d.e reebok who was teaching at the seminary in washington dc to review the text of bible readings for the home with the intent of publishing a new edition and in the 1949 edition the note that we read was deleted ralph larson in his book the word made flesh documented how ellen

White repeatedly wrote that jesus took our sinful nature and gives multiple quotations from adventist authors before 1949 who wrote the same it is indeed tragic that after the church had existed for 90 years suddenly a change was made leroy froome explained the reason for the deletion of the note

I read coming up on this unfortunate note that is reebok on page 174 in the study about the sinless life he that is reebok recognized that this was not true so the inaccurate note was deleted and has remained remained out in all subsequent printings elder froome and other leaders of the church wanted

The evangelicals to recognize the seventh-day adventist church as a bonafide mainstream denomination and in order to accomplish this they saw the need to discard the idea that christ took the sinful nature of adam yet without committing sin according to donald gray barnhouse in an article that he published our seventh-day adventist

Christians in the eternity magazine he had told walter martin the following they had among their number that is adventist certain members of their lunatic fringe even as there are similar wild-eyed irresponsibles in every field of fundamental christianity between 1955 and 1956 18 meetings took place between evangelicals and seventh-day adventist leaders

And our leaders assured evangelicals and now i quote from eternity magazine the majority of the denomination has always helped and and i’m going to add this in parentheses so we can understand the rest of the statement have always held the humanity assumed by christ to be sinless holy and

Perfect despite the fact that certain of their writers have occasionally gotten into print with contrary views completely repugnant to the church at large absolute untruth you can read all the statements before 1949 and you’ll find that they say that christ inherited the sinful human nature in the book questions on doctrine leroy froome

Included only quotations that supported his point of view and ignored the overwhelming witness of those who contradicted his view many of his supporting quotations were taken out of their legitimate context and he added subtitles that certainly misled the evangelicals to think that adventists had always believed that jesus took the sin the sinless

Nature of adam before the fall another one of the leaders of that time r.a anderson wrote the following our lord partook of our limited human nature but not our corrupt carnal nature with all its propensities to sin and lust in him was no sin either inherited

Or cultivated as in common as is common to all the natural descendants of adam he added when the incarnate god broke into human history and became one with the race it is our understanding that he possessed the sinlessness of the nature with which adam was created in eden the environment in which jesus

Lived however was tragically different from that which adam knew before the fall saw there was a difference in environment but jesus had the sinless nature of adam that adam had before the fall it’s interesting that the seventh-day adventist bible commentary prepared by 40 seventh-day adventist theologians between 1953 and 1957

Has no vestige of the new christology in spite of the fact that the book questions on doctrine was published in 1957 also during this period selected messages volume 1 was published many pages speak about the message of jones and wagner in 1888 and in that volume you find no indication

Of the new christology according to roman catholic theology a baby is born guilty of original sin and therefore they must be baptized to re to remove the makula as quickly as possible the biblical and spirit of prophecy view is different we believe that we inherited the consequences of adam’s sin

His sinful human nature but god does not hold us guilty until we choose to sin adventist theology teaches that we inherit a sinful human nature that is slanted towards sin and for this reason god makes us participants of the divine nature in order to overcome sin in sinful flesh

The more we yield to the pull of our sinful human nature the stronger that nature becomes in other words the nature that we feed becomes strong and the nature that we starve becomes weak jesus had a sinful nature but he starved the sinful nature to death

Now what does the bible have to say about the human nature of christ let’s read romans 1 3 and 4. paul a bond servant of jesus christ called to be an apostle separated to the gospel of god which he promised before through the prophets in the holy scriptures concerning who his son christ

Jesus christ our lord who was born of the seed of david according to the flesh let’s go to romans chapter 8 verses 1 to 3. there is therefore no condemnation to those who are in christ jesus who do not walk according to the flesh by the way the word walk when it’s used

Figuratively in the bible it’s talking about behavior or conduct so in other words who did not conduct himself who did not act according to the flesh but according to the spirit that’s because jesus has had a sinful nature but the spirit led him to resist the inclinations of that sinful nature

Verse 2 for the law of the spirit of life in christ jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death for what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh god did by sending his son in the likeness of sinful flesh

On account of sin he condemned sin in the flesh in what kind of flesh we just read in the likeness of sinful flesh verse 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit that word

Likeness there is very interesting that jesus came in the likeness of sinful flesh the greek word is homomati and it’s used three times in the new testament three critical points really all three of them refer to the incarnation the first is of course romans 8 verse 3 the second

Is in hebrews 2 17 and the third is in philippians chapter 2 and verse 7. each time homayomati is used it refers to similarity not difference clearly jesus was not identical to us in what way was jesus different than us was he different because he took adam’s nature before the fall

Or was he different for another reason the book of hebrews tells us that jesus was made in all things like unto his brethren but there’s one exception and that is that jesus never sinned and hebrews makes that same clarification in hebrews chapter 4. in other words jesus had sinful flesh like ours

But he did not he was not altogether like us because he never allowed that inclination or that evil propensity to manifest itself in sin he was so much under the control of the holy spirit that he recoiled from evil his human nature certainly was not like that of adam before the fall

Because then the word likeness could not be used because jesus would have been different not like ellen white wrote in steps to christ page 93-94 speaking about jesus he is a brother in our infirmities in all points tempted as we are but as the sinless one his nature recoiled from evil

He endured struggles and torture of soul in a world of sin his humanity made prayer a necessity and a privilege he found comfort and joy in communion with his father and if the savior and if the savior of men the son of god felt the need to prayer of prayer how much more

Should feeble sinful mortals feel the necessity of fervent constant prayer let’s read now hebrews chapter 2 11-18 we’re dealing with texts that speak about the human nature of christ it says there in verse 11 for both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified notice that this is talking about

Believers it is talking about people who have accepted jesus christ not a common sinner who has not been born again for both he who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren saying i will declare your name to my

Brethren that is those who have been converted to jesus christ those who have a new nature the nature given by the holy spirit i will declare your name to my brethren in the midst of the assembly i will sing praise to you and again i will put my trust in him

And again here am i and the children whom god has given me and now notice verse 14 in as much then as the children that is us have partaken of flesh and blood he himself likewise there you have the word likewise shared in the same that through death he might destroy him

Who had the power of death that is the devil and released those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage for indeed he does not give aid to angels but he does give aid to the seed of abraham which he couldn’t do

If he had adam’s nature before the fall folks it continues in verse 17. therefore in all things he had to be made like here’s the homo yomata again like his brethren and light doesn’t mean difference it means similarity he had to be made like his brethren now we’re going to notice that

The apostle paul makes a clarification when he says all things there’s one exception so let’s continue reading therefore in all things he had to be made like his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to god to make propitiation for the sins of the people

For in that he himself has suffered being tempted he is able to aid those who are tempted hebrews 14 gives us the difference between jesus and us for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses but was in all points you remember he was tempted in all

Things we just read in hebrews chapter 2 he was tempted in all points as adam was that’s not what it says he was tempted in all points as we are yet without sin that is the difference between jesus and us now let’s go to philippians chapter 2 verses 6 through 8.

Jesus made himself of no reputation taking the form of a bond servant and coming here’s the third use of the word homayomata and coming in the likeness of men did jesus just come like men but he wasn’t a real man when it says that he that he had the

Likeness of man it means that he was a real man so it says jesus made himself of no reputation taking the form of a bond servant and coming in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of

Death even death of the cross now let’s go to james chapter 1 14 and 15. this is really really interesting because it describes the process of sin james chapter 1 verses 14 and 15 let no one say when he is tempted that’s point number one that i want us

To notice let no one say when he is tempted i am tempted of god for god cannot be tempted by evil nor does he himself tempt anyone but each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed and now notice the next point then when desire

Has conceived the sinful act hasn’t come about yet but the person has has inclined himself to the temptation then when desire has conceived or has been yielded to it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full grown brings forth death now let’s take a look take a look

At the stages that we find in these verses first of all you have the temptation at this point sin has not been conceived second you have yielding to the sinful dire desire or the sinful propensity that is the moment when sin is what conceived then you have the birth

Of sin then you have the growth of sin and eventually you have death at which of these stages did jesus defeat sin was it at the point of yielding no jesus defeated sin at the first point when the sin came when the temptation came rather jesus immediately rejected the temptation he

Did not play with it he was not inclined he didn’t have a tendency to commit that sin which eventually conceived sin and leads to birth of sin and leads to the growth of sin and eventually leads to death the bible defines what sin is first john 3 verse 4 in the king james

Version whosoever committeth sin transgress this awful also the law for sin is the transgression of the law in other words sin is not something that we are guilty of when we are born sin is a choice it’s a choice to disobey god’s will to disobey god’s law

Ellen white adds in the book faith and works page 56 now we want to understand what sin is that it is the transgression of god’s law this is the only definition given in the scriptures now let’s talk about evil propensities for a few moments what are evil propensities basically

They are inclinations to sin that have been strengthened by sinful indulgence the propensity itself is not sinful until we give in to the propensity ellen white explained that jesus took the fallen nature but not corrupted by sin because he never allowed the propensity to express itself he never was inclined to sin

In other words there was never a if you please the conception of sin which ultimately leads to committing the sin we find this very interesting statement manuscript 57 1890 here’s the test to christ here the test to christ was far greater than that of adam and eve for christ took our nature

Fallen but not corrupted and would not be corrupted unless he received the words of satan in place of the words of god clear absolutely clear statement ellen white repeatedly underlined that jesus took adam’s fallen nature but that that nature never expressed itself in sinful acts the sinful human nature was ever under

The control of the holy spirit jesus jesus never toyed with temptation he never wondered should i do it or shouldn’t i do it the very moment that the temptation came the holy spirit led him instantly to reject it in this way jesus condemned sin in sinful flesh

To use the childbirth analogy of james when temptation came to jesus he never allowed it to conceive and therefore sin was never born a propensity is a tendency or an inclination to sin is the inclination or tendency sinful no if the propensity is under the control of the holy spirit

The propensity is not sinful inherent propensities to sin become evil propensities only after giving into temptation and the more we give in the stronger the sinful propensity becomes now i’m going to go to the next section what did ellen white have to say about the kind of nature

That jesus took upon himself when he came to this earth unfortunately we don’t have time probably to read all these statements all of them are powerful by the way if you if you are watching you’ll be able to get all of my notes from the three presentations as well as the notes of

Many of the other speakers maybe all of them so contact secrets unsealed what kind of nature according to ellen white did jesus take upon himself notice this in taking upon himself man’s nature in its fallen condition can you argue with that was it before the fault no in taking

Upon himself man’s nature in its fallen condition now notice christ did not in the least participate in its sin sinful nature with without sinning he was touched with the feeling of our infirmities that’s the title of this book and was in all points tempted like as we are

And yet he knew no sin we should have no misgivings in regard to the perfect sinlessness of the human nature of christ why was the human nature of christ in this it was sinless because he didn’t sin folks it wasn’t different than the nature that we receive in another statement ellen white wrote

Wrote the great work of redemption could be carried out only by the redeemer taking the place of fallen adam with the sins of the world upon himself he would go over the ground where adam stumbled he would bear a test infinitely more severe than that which adam failed to endure notice the statements

Fallen adam where adam stumbled and where adam failed to endure he would overcome a man’s account and conquer the tempter that through his obedience his purity of character and steadfast integrity his righteousness might be imputed to man that through his name man might overcome the foe on his own account here’s another one

Which is very well known it would have been an almost infinite humiliation for the son of god to take man’s nature even when adam stood in his innocence in eden notice if jesus had taken the nature of adam before the fall it would have been an almost infinite humiliation but now

Notice there’s a but but jesus accepted humanity when the race had been weakened by 4 000 years of sin like every child of adam he accepted the results of the working of the great law of heredity what these results were were is shown in the history of his earthly ancestors he came

With such a heredity to share our sorrows and temptations and to give us the example of a sinless life i’m going to skip the next quotation that i have and i’m going to go to the following one after that adam was tempted by the enemy and he failed now notice this

It was not indwelling sin which caused him to yield for god made him pure and upright in his own image he was as faultless as the angels before the throne there were in him no corrupt principles no tendencies to evil speaking about adam but now knowledge christ

But when christ came to meet the temptations of satan he bore the likeness of sinful flesh wow here’s another one in our humanity christ was to redeem adam’s failure but when adam was assailed by the tempter none of the effects of sin were upon him he stood in the strength of perfect manhood

Possessing the full vigor of mind and body he was surrounded with the glories of eden and was in daily communion with heavenly beings it was not thus with jesus when he entered the wilderness to cope with satan for 4 000 years the race had been decreasing in physical strength

In mental power and in moral worth and christ now this is really amazing and christ took upon him the infirmities of degenerate humanity only thus could he rescue man from the lowest depths of degradation let me read a few more in christ where united the divine and

The human the creator and the creature the true notice this the nature of god whose law had been transgressed and the nature of adam the transgressor met in jesus what was the nature that met in jesus the divine nature and what the one of adam the transgressor

The son of god and the son of man here’s another one think of christ’s humiliation he took upon himself fallen suffering human nature degraded and defiled by sin because sin sinful human nature is degraded by sin but you only become a sinner when you actually sin she continues he took our sorrows

Bearing our grief and shame he endured all the temptations wherewith man is beset some people say well jesus was tempted from outside but not from inside no it’s this statement he knows how strong are the inclinations of the natural heart and he will help in every time of temptation

And then we have ellen white’s comment about the latter that came from heaven to earth christ is the latter that jacob saw the base resting on the earth and the topmost round reaching to the gate of heaven to the very threshold of glory if that now listen

To this carefully if that ladder had failed by a single step of reaching the earth we should have been lost but christ reaches us where we are he took our nature not adam’s nature our nature and overcame that we through taking his nature might overcome made

In the likeness of sinful flesh he lived a sinless life so he had sinful flesh but he lived a sinless life now by his divinity he lays hold upon the throne of heaven while his by his humanity he reaches us he bids us by faith in him attained to

The glory of the character of god therefore are we to be perfect even as our father which is in heaven is perfect now let’s notice the next one we’re running out of time you know they gave us less time than i’m usually used to but let’s go for it

The son of god was assaulted at every step by the powers of darkness after his baptism he was driven of the spirit into the wilderness and suffered temptation for 40 days and then ellen white speaks about letters that have been sent to her letters have been coming into 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 now ellen white explains 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 was a solemn reality that christ came to fight the battles as man in man’s behalf his temptation and victory tell us that humanity must copy the

Pattern man must become a partaker of the divine nature let me just read the last one that i have here in my notes what love what amazing condescension the king of glory proposed to humble himself to fallen humanity he would place his feet in adam’s steps he would take adams

He would take man’s fallen nature and engage to cope with the strong foe who triumphed over adam he would overcome satan and in thus doing he would open the way for redemption for the redemption from the disgrace of adam’s failure and fall of all those who would believe on

Him can we have the same overcoming power that jesus had let me just read you a couple of statements sin could be resisted and overcome only through the mighty agency of the third person of the godhead who would come with no modified energy but in the fullness of divine power

It is the spirit that makes effectual what has been wrought out by the world’s redeemer it is by the spirit that the heart is made pure through the spirit the believer becomes a partaker of the divine nature christ has given his spirit as a divine power to overcome all

All what to overcome all hereditary and cultivated tendencies to evil wow i’m going to skip the next one and i’m going to go to the one after that the tempter’s agency is not to be accounted an excuse for one wrong ad satan is jubilant when he hears the professed

Followers of christ making excuses for the deformity of character it is these excuses that lead to sin there is no excuse for sinning a holy temper a christ-like life is success accessible to every repenting believing child of god now i’m going to read a final statement from ellen white

It has three parts but it’s the one single statement let’s read the first part that has to do with us this is uh from the book the great controversy page 623 first part deals with us now while our great high priest is making atonement for us we should seek to become perfect in

Christ how perfect not even by a thought could our savior be brought to yield to the power of temptation not had a sinful nature but not even by a thought would jesus yield to temptation and then she explains about us satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold

Some sinful desire is cherished ah this is where the sinful tendency is what it’s strengthened because we yield to the tendency so once again satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold some sinful desire is cherished by means of which his temptations assert their power in other words

Sin is conceived if you please so that’s us now let’s know let’s notice about jesus second part of this single statement but christ declared of himself the prince of this world cometh and hath nothing in me satan could find nothing in the son of god that will enable would

Enable him to gain the victory he had kept his father’s commandments and there was no sin in him that satan could use to his advantage and so you say well one case is us and the other case is jesus let me read the last third part of this statement amazing

This is the condition what she just described about jesus not even by a sinful thought this is the condition in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble the last generation will be a generation with sinful natures until this corruptible body is transformed at the coming of jesus

They will have the sinful nature totally under the control of the holy spirit because during the time of trouble there will not be a mediator or an intercessor for sin may the lord strengthen us may we pray for the spirit that he might give us victory over sin You

#Human #Nature #Jesus #Christ #Sermons #Pastor #Stephen #Bohr

A number of years ago I started to notice that some of my students would talk about Jesus as though he were something other than human something unrelatable distant static emotionless or impervious to The Human Condition I felt like they were missing the boat on an important part of who we worship and why

So I wrote and prepared a talk on the subject and gave it at BYU’s Easter Conference here’s a little excerpt from it Jesus became a mortal like you and like me in every sense of the word in spite of the sentimental Christmas hymn that we sing every year Away in a

Manger as a baby little Lord Jesus probably cried a lot most babies do presumably he fussed and didn’t sleep through the night he probably tried to put everything in his mouth he rolled over and then stumbled to an unsteady walk like all kids do he probably threw temper tantrums and cried

Till he fell asleep on the floor his hair wet with sweat uh just like my kids have done and yours he babbled and then he had to learn how to make word associations ironically think about this the man who made the trees had to learn how to say the word tree

I once held my two-year-old son Calvin in my arms and when he was learning to talk I pointed to a tree and I said what’s that and he said dog and I said no little buddy that’s a tree can you say tree and he said tree and I

Said good job high five and I can imagine Joseph or Mary having a similar conversation with a two-year-old Jesus can you say tree Jesus and Jesus says tree and they say good job Jesus and they probably added a PostScript but Jesus be careful uh what

You say to that tree because you made it and it will obey you after my talk as I was visiting with various attendees a woman came up to me and thanked me for my remarks but then she said something interesting she said something along the lines of I felt like

You made Jesus Too Human to be divine maybe she was right but therein lies the difficulty that Christians have been struggling with for a few millennium we worship a being who is a God after all a member of the godhead but who also was a human and relates with us as

Mortals how do we understand and balance that in our worship Professor Jason Combs from BYU’s Department of ancient scripture has looked into this tension from its earliest Christian centuries until now where does the emphasis fall sometimes we tend to emphasize more his divinity but but if we don’t emphasize enough his

Humanity then then we can forget that he really knows us he really knows what it means to be human of course if we emphasize his Humanity too much we forget that he in fact is our God and savior and has the power to overcome all weakness and and trial and sin and death

On today’s episode prepare yourself to enter the discussion on balancing the humanity and Divinity of the Savior and to understand why both aspects are so crucial to the god that we worship this is why religion foreign each year religion professors at Brigham Young University produce hundreds of Publications on subjects related to the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this podcast brings this Research into one place to Enlighten the everyday seeker of Truth see learning even by study and also by faith interviewing the author we discuss why this study was done why it matters and why the professor chooses to be both a

Scholar and a disciple this is why religion research to Enlighten your mind recently Professor Ryan sharp from BYU’s Department of ancient scripture sat down with his colleague Professor Jason Combs to discuss his research publication called Christ after the apostles the humanity and Divinity of the savior in

The second century published in the book Thou Art the Christ the son of the Living God the person and work of Jesus in the New Testament in part one Professor Combs discusses why he did this publication including misconceptions about the writings of the early Christian fathers and Believers he

Also explains the concept of christology discussing four types of beliefs about the nature of Jesus Christ that are prevalent in part two he moves a little bit more into why this subject could matter today giving examples of individual and Christian groups about where they fall on the spectrum of Christ’s humanity and

Divinity why this dialogue is still so important and where Latter-Day Saint theology fits in this discussion and in part three Dr Combs will talk more personally telling us about his own academic training what led him to BYU and why he chooses Faith so without any further Ado here is Dr Sharp

Interviewing Dr Jason Combs the title of your chapter and the one that we’re going to be unpacking today is Christ after the apostles the humanity and Divinity of the savior in the second century so I want to actually start by telling you how much I enjoyed this chapter and want to begin by

Reading your opening paragraph sounds good so this is what it says late one evening in the middle of the second Century A.D a small group of Christian priests trained in the philosophy of Plato met in secret in the back room of church in Rome their goal to complete the work of

Transforming the pure doctrine of Christ into a philosophically sound but morally deficient theology they forged documents and altered scripture to suit their needs in the end over the course of that evening they succeeded in Forever altering the true doctrine of the nature of Christ into a fraud that would be

Propagated throughout the centuries unquote so that intro is captivating and I’m sure causes each of us who heard it to be filled with some righteous indignation but in your mind there’s one really important fact about this story that you feel at least ought to be considered what is that yeah uh the most

Important fact about that story is that it’s not true yeah yeah I I made the whole thing up yeah but the reason the reason that I started with that story is because I think a lot of Latter Day Saints have that Vision in their head I think we we

Create this image of early Christians as all being Wicked priests or something like that who are trying to dismantle yeah these secret societies right uh I think we sort of assume that uh we have this time period where Jesus and his apostles were active Jesus dies is is

Resurrected comes back speaks to his Apostles they form a church and then that’s the end of the story and there’s darkness and then years later a few Christians come back on the scene and start writing and by then things have totally changed uh that’s simply not the case once Christians

Start writing they never stop Christians um are are very prolific and so um the the new the New Testament texts span the whole first century and by the beginning of the second century we have other Christians writing many many of whom were Disciples of the early Apostles and they write their

Experiences and and they write advice to other Christians this is a group that’s sometimes called the apostolic fathers because they were so close to the time of of the Apostles and sometimes we’re Disciples of them after them Christians continue writing um there’s a wide variety of writings in

The second century and beyond some Christians continue writing things in the style of some of the text we have in the New Testament so for instance um when you read the gospels oftentimes well let’s just take the example of the Gospel of Luke when you’re reading the

Beginning of the Gospel of Luke you you get these great stories about Jesus birth then it skips ahead a number of years and you get a story about Jesus as a kid then it skips ahead a bunch of years and you get the story of Jesus as

An adult about to be baptized and that’s that’s where the story really picks up and so you can imagine Christians reading that as as we do today and thinking wow I wonder what happened in between uh some Christians wrote stories about what happened in between some tried to fill in the blanks uh

We don’t think that those stories are all that historically accurate we don’t think that they’re representing what Jesus’s infancy was actually like I’m thinking for instance of the infancy Gospel of Thomas um but it does help us to know what Christians in the second century were thinking that Jesus’s childhood was like

And we can go on from there so so there are there are lots of writings that that are patterned after the kinds of writings we have in in the New Testament today uh and then we have other writings we have sermons we have um letters written from one Christian to

Another we have writing some of the writings that are addressed in this particular um chapter that I wrote uh Christ after the apostles some of the writings that I address most frequently here could be called heresyological writings they are they are writings they’re trying to catalog groups of Christians that they believe

Are Heretics that they believe are preaching false Doctrine and this this style of writing becomes quite popular as well this the whole the entire book that this article is published in is is on christology uh christology comes from two Greek words uh the word that we get Christ from

Christos and the word Lagos which can be translated as word or as thought or as study or lots of things so just as theology is is study or talk about God christology is study or talk about Christ and christology tends to focus on understanding the nature of Christ

How is Christ similar to and different from us as as human beings and that’s really helpful and one of my favorite parts from your chapter and I’m going to read it with a warning that it’s it’s a little bit longer of an excerpt uh but I I think it’s well worth

It so this is what you write and then I’d love for you to maybe um take it whichever direction you want after this so this debate was not uh purely intellectual Pursuit this um debate about christology while early Christians certainly brought all of their intellectual resources to bear on these questions their concern

Was far from academic in fact for them the salvation of humanity was at stake were Jesus Christ not sufficiently human how could he have the ability to rescue Humanity were Jesus Christ not sufficiently Divine how could he have the power to rescue Humanity the debates about the nature of Jesus Christ were

Debates about the relationship between humans and God as well as about how humans might be saved and what they might be saved from the christological debates of the second century represent in Latter-Day Saint terminology the work of the early Saints to understand the central role of Jesus Christ within the

Plan of Salvation in end quote and I love this because it underscores that the stakes are high we might even say eternally high in the minds of these early Christians just as they’re eternally high for for us so I’d love for you to take this kind of whatever Direction you want yeah so

That’s right what what’s at stake is is the atonement of Jesus Christ how Jesus Christ saves us so early Christians as we do today acknowledge that there is a great Gulf between us and God and they would explain that in in different ways we of course would think

Immediately of our our sinfulness our sins separate us from God but even before we were sinful we were not exactly like God God is more glorious exalted and powerful than than we are and so how do we bridge that Gap well the answer is Jesus Christ and so early Christians struggle to understand

How exactly Jesus Christ accomplished this for us and one of the answers seems to be in his very nature in his nature of even though he was even though he is God even though he is part of the godhead he condescended and took on Humanity he

Took on human flesh and with human flesh all that comes with that human weakness a veil of forgetfulness we would say is Latter-Day Saints um and and all the struggles and pains of of humanity with one exception that he was without sin that of course doesn’t mean that he wasn’t tempted in

Fact in the Gospels it makes it quite clear that he was tempted but he resisted those Temptations so he experienced fully what it was to be human at the same time he he retained his divinity Jesus Christ was and is God and so Christians throughout time and and we even today uh

Sometimes struggle with how to describe that where where does the emphasis fall sometimes we tend to emphasize more his divinity but but but if we don’t emphasize enough his Humanity then then we can forget that he really knows us he really knows what it means to be human of course if we

Emphasize his Humanity too much we forget that he in fact is our God and savior and has the power to overcome all weakness and and trial and sin and death and so so with this you introduce in this chapter four types of belief about the nature of Christ that that we’re

Prevalent and I I think these are fascinating and I’m wondering if you could introduce these four types and then maybe just Summarize each one of them for our listeners sure so the the most common way to describe this is to take uh ancient heresyological definitions uh while acknowledging that these definitions are extremes

Uh so that’s what I do in the chapter I begin with with these four definitions that are all extremes and then I show how people who are often classified as fitting one of these categories don’t perfectly fit the mold how each one of them uh May emphasize things uh it may emphasize

His divinity a little more than his Humanity or his Humanity a little more than his divinity but but don’t fit the extremes that I’m about to lay out so the two extremes on one side you have what’s called docitism docitism comes from the Greek word doke which means to

Seem or to appear it’s a belief that Christ is So Divine that he only seemed or appeared to be human but he actually didn’t want to have anything to do with with this filthy human flesh or this this material world full of sickness and death and disease and and coronavirus and and what

Have you right um the opposite extreme of this is called adoptionism that’s the belief that Jesus was in fact fully human and that he was just such a good human that God adopted him as his son that God said you know you are doing such a good

Job Jesus I am going to call you my son uh these these are two extreme positions one’s strongly emphasizing his divinity to such an extreme that it’s it’s a denial of his Humanity another emphasizing his Humanity to such an extreme that it’s denying his divinity when you read the New Testament you find

Examples of of statements that could appeal to both of these positions right um and because you find statements that could appeal to both of these positions Christians tried to synthesize them and came up with different with two other positions these are not extremes these are more Centrist

Positions one of them could be called possession christology or it could be called a separationist christology this is the belief that Christ was born human uh just as we all are but that at some point in his life the Holy Spirit entered into him in a way that goes

Beyond the way we talk about the Holy Spirit touching our hearts right that that it literally possessed him such that he took on Divine attributes it it empowered him to do Miracles and was it is it pretty common to think for this group of the baptism being that moment

Or their other yes yes that is that is traditionally the most common point that that these Christians would the most common event that these Christians would point to that uh the Holy Spirit not only descends Upon Jesus but enters into him and therefore and then empowers him uh it’s it’s sometimes called a

Separationist christology because they also believe that the Divine cannot be killed and therefore this Holy Spirit who possessed Jesus and gave him Divine Powers throughout his life left him before he died on the cross so that he could die on the cross so this is a separationist possessionist christology

Finally the one that that we adhere to that also comes out of the second century and early 3rd Century it could be called an incarnation christology and that’s the belief that Jesus being God descended uh and took on flesh through his birth to Mary that he inherited Humanity from his mother Mary

And retained his divinity from his Heavenly Father and that throughout his life he was both human and divine sometimes I’ve I’ve heard Latter-Day Saints say this means he was half human and half Divine that would make any other Christian cringe uh and and probably should make us yes yes

Because because uh in in early Christianity what that would sound like it would sound like you’re describing somebody like Hercules it would sound like you’re describing a Greek demigod who’s half human and half Divine uh the the the Christian the early Christian response to that was no we are we are

Not pagans we we do not believe in Pagan polytheism we do not believe uh in in demigods Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully Divine he he retains his complete divine nature and takes on our human nature again in all things except for sin If you’re interested in more peer-reviewed high quality gospel scholarship about Latter-Day Saint history Doctrine or scripture like this publication BYU’s religious study center is a great place to check out since we have been talking about the nature of Christ in this episode I want to call your attention to a book

Published by the religious study center in 2020 called how and what you worship christology and Praxis in the revelations of Joseph Smith edited by Rachel cope Carter Charles and Jordan Watkins christology has to do with the study of Christ’s nature as we’ve been discussing and Praxis involves religious practice

Section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants is a revelation that insists on both the how and the what of worship section 93 of the Doctrine and Covenants is a revelation that insists on both the how and the what of our worship indicating that knowledge and practice are often Inseparable as this volume

Demonstrates Joseph Smith’s Revelations and teachings constitute a unique textual setting to analyze this relationship this volume focuses on both the person of Christ and the practice of worshiping him as outlined in the revelations of Joseph Smith as we seek to understand and follow a being who

Grew From Grace to Grace again the book is called how and what you worship christology and Praxis in the revelations of Joseph Smith check it out and pick it up at rsc.byu.edu we’ve been listening to Professor Jason Combs discuss his research article called Christ after the apostles the

Humanity and Divinity of the savior in the second century in part two of our religion we typically move a little bit more toward application looking at why this publication could matter to an everyday Saint to help us learn live and apply aspects of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ

In this part Dr Combs gives examples from Christian groups about where they fall on the spectrum of Christ’s humanity and Divinity why this dialogue is important and where Latter-Day Saint theology fits in this discussion so here’s Dr Sharp and Dr Combs could you just summarize maybe three or

Four of the most important things that you think we should know about these discussions and about this dialogue that was happening sure um first I think it’s important to realize that Christians who we would disagree with and who other Christians disagreed with in Antiquity were not inventing their christology their

Beliefs about Christ out of thin air they were coming to conclusions based on careful reading of scripture so a few minutes ago I mentioned that even these extreme positions could find hints in the language of the text of the New Testament so for instance a Christian like marcian who definitely tended to

The side of docitism and was accused of being a docetist even though there are some some suggestions that he may not have been that extreme that he may have believed Christ had some form of a body uh but on the side of docitism you could turn for instance to

Um Paul’s letter to the Romans and Romans 8 3 Paul says Paul describes God as sending his own son into likeness of sinful flesh or in his letter to the Philippians Philippians 2 7. uh Paul describes Christ be who makes himself of no reputation who who took upon himself

The form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men and so that that term in the likeness you can see how a Christian could could take that and say oh well this means he’s not actually a man he’s not actually human he’s only he

Only seems to be he only appears to be he’s kind of like a human right um now of course we would turn to other scriptures and say no that’s that’s not what it means at all but but for a Christian like marcian uh he could point

To that and say well that this is this is what’s going on another thing that’s important to remember is in the second century there is no New Testament the the texts that are in our new testament today all exist but no one yet has has gotten together and said you

Know what these are our official texts in fact marcian may have been one of the first Christians to try to create a new testament and in marcian’s New Testament he had uh his version of the Gospel of Luke and then a collection of Paul’s letters and that was it he said that is

Our scripture No Old Testament um no other gospels no Book of Revelation or or letters of Peter or James or John none of those just the Gospel of Luke and a collection of Paul’s letters and is he is he intentionally leaving some out that don’t fit with that theological

Understanding oftentimes that that that is absolutely a contributing factor in how it was decided what should be in the New Testament um there are lots of factors that that played out in the debate over time over what should be included in the New Testament uh including things like

Whether uh a text could be traced to an apostle uh whether it was used widely in the church um but one of the factors was does the texts support my theology it is the text Orthodox according to my opinion is it is it correct doctor and correct belief

According to my opinion so yeah absolutely that definitely influenced marcian so Marcin is just one example uh who who tended towards the the side of of docitism another example was a group of Jewish Christians called the ebionites who seemed to tend towards the adoptionist side of things or maybe possessionist separationist christology

And they likewise would have turned to scripture for support of this so I think it’s important to remember that all of these Christians are reading their texts their sacred texts and and trying to understand them as best they can another thing that’s really important to realize is that these differing opinions

Contributed to our belief that Jesus is both fully human and fully Divine it was as other Christians disagreed with Martian or with the ebionites and tried to explain why they were wrong that they more carefully organized their own thoughts and came to the conclusion that that Jesus

Was both Divine and human at Birth I I’d like to share real quick just a quotation here from uh one early Christian tertullian is on page 225 of of my chapter um I I want to share this because again this is this is a period that we often

Label apostasy and therefore we don’t read these Christians and yet so much of what they write is is beautiful and and should draw Us in and and help us to understand our own beliefs better so when tertullian summarizes his own view about the humanity and Divinity of Christ here’s what he says

Thus the nature of the two substances displayed in him that is in Christ as man and God in one respect born in the other unborn in one respect fleshly in the other spiritual in one sense weak in the other exceedingly strong in one sense dying in the other living

This property of the two states the Divine the human is distinctly asserted with equal truth of both Natures alike with the same belief in both in respect of the spirit and of the flesh the powers of the spirit prove him to be God his sufferings attested the Flesh of man

And it’s so beautiful so would you say that’s representative of what you’re I don’t know if you’re calling it or if this is a phrase that you mentioned this kind of proto-orthodox position help us situate where Latter-Day Saint theology fits into this yes so uh we absolutely regarding Jesus

Christ I think except this this proto-orthodox position that Christ is both fully human and fully divine I think there are ways in which we would differ from early Christians uh I mentioned before that we see the primary distinction between us and God being one our sinful nature and two even before

Our sinful nature we would describe God as being more exalted and glorious and and perfect right um some Christians come to describe the gulf between us and God as even wider they describe us humans as creation as creatures and God as God the father as uncreated as as not a CR as as

The one who has always existed as Eternal and therefore uncreated and therefore they see a even wider Gap there and and for them for Christians who emphasize the Gap in that way as not seeing us being like God from birth but seeing us as as utterly different in our very Natures from God

For them that emphasizes even more strongly the importance of Jesus Christ coming down and taking on flesh because Jesus Christ in his Incarnation Incarnation literally means him being in fleshed taking on flesh that Bridges the gulf it’s it’s a way of thinking about the beginning of the atonement the beginning of making us

At one with God by Jesus Christ overcoming that Gap and becoming one with us irenaeus who I also talk about here irenaeus is one of the first Christians that describes the necessity of Christ coming down and taking on flesh in this way he says that that Christ became man so that men might

Become God I I want to share one more excerpt from your chapter and then ask kind of one final question about it in your conclusion you write the story of the christological developments of the second century has been told in different ways larde sane authors have sometimes conveyed this story as though

It were a disaster narrative in which all that is good collapses and is lost or scattered the Orthodox Christian telling of this story is one of heroes and villains in which authors such as irinius and tertullian Triumph over the heretical rivals the story that I have related is less

Dramatic and less triumphalist it is not a story of a fight for survival and not a story of good versus evil rather it’s a story of various ancient Christians who worked to understand their relationship with Jesus Christ end quote so I want to give you one more

Opportunity to share why you feel so strongly about this and how some of these ideas that that we’ve discussed and you’ve explored can help our listeners good I I would hope that the model or or the approach that I am modeling in this chapter could apply as much today as it

Does in the study of and today in our relationship with other Christians as it does in the study of ancient Christianity what I’m modeling is trying to understand ancient Christians on their own terms rather than taking the position of irenaeus or tertullian and immediately saying someone like marcian or

Valentinus or the evianites are Heretics and therefore looking for the opportunity to disparage them I’m saying how can we understand their beliefs and how they arrived at those beliefs and I think that is so important for the way we understand each other rather than immediately putting up a wall and declaring another Christian

Denomination apostate try and understand them on their own terms I think that’s what we would hope they would do for us right um too often I think we use our Narrative of a great apostasy as a chance to Pat ourselves on the back and say we’re right everybody else is

Wrong rather than taking the approach of Joseph Smith and bringing Brigham Young and acknowledging there is truth out there let’s go seek it and gather it all up and bring it home to Zion and I I think any time that we feel the need to disparage somebody

Else’s beliefs in order to feel good about our own I think it’s time to check our faith uh we we shouldn’t feel the need to do that in fact um I I would go so far as to say that that is a sin that it’s the sin that that President

Ezra Taft Benson called Pride when we compare ourselves to others in that way in order to put down what somebody else believes in order to feel good about our own beliefs If you want to read Professor Combs article called Christ after the apostles the humanity and Divinity of the savior in the second century go to why religion.byu.edu where we have placed a link to it there you can also get access to past episodes and their available articles

And learn more about the professors who publish them and as usual if you’re on Instagram please give us a follow at why religion podcast to get posts related to episode content get some bonus and behind the scenes material and to comment on why religion episodes that

You’ve liked along with others in the Y religion Community again that’s at why religion podcast all right we’ve arrived at the last part of our religion where we like to talk a little bit about the professor’s academic journey and Faith so here’s Professor Jason Combs giving us some

Insight into his background on why he chose to become a religious educator and why he is a person of Faith tell us a little bit about where you studied and what you studied in your uh in your academic training sure so uh I I served a mission came home from my mission and

Was going to a local community college trying to figure out what to do with my life and at the time was thinking maybe I’d do something with either psychology or I was also really into theater so it’s kind of going between those as possible majors at the time it never

Occurred to me that Latter-Day Saint could study religion as a career um I ended up then transferring to Brigham Young University and uh was was flipping through the catalog at the time we had hard copy catalogs this is back in the 90s yeah yeah yeah exactly

Um and and came came across uh this this Miner called uh the the ancient near Eastern studies minor uh that allowed you to uh to to get a minor just for completing um some Old Testament classes there was a class in biblical archeology a couple of Hebrew classes and I thought wow this

Looks really cool um I can The Psychology major didn’t require any particular minor so I figured hey why not try this plus I learned on my mission I’d come across the fact that Joseph Smith had studied Hebrew I figured well if Joseph’s mistite Hebrews and we all and so uh so

I I started uh taking classes in that minor and and I just got hooked product um I I realized that uh that there was so much more to learn about what I believed about what other Christians believed about the history of of belief and so I I dove in and ended

Up switching switching my major to to near Eastern studies and that’s why I graduated with uh a bachelor’s in here at here at BYU uh at that point I I because I switched that major so late in my undergraduate career I realized I need a little more

Language training and at that point I also realized that I was more interested in the New Testament so I went to UCLA and and studied Greek and Latin there and then Classics post Baccalaureate program uh from there I went to Yale Divinity School and did a master’s

Degree in biblical studies there I then did a Classics Masters at Columbia University and uh did my PhD at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill it was a religious studies PhD but my my emphasis was ancient Mediterranean religions and in particular the study of early Christianity from the New

Testament really up to the 4th Century so you mentioned your graduate training at this is let’s see if I can get it so Yale Colombia and then UNC is that right that’s right um so take us kind of from that point then and how you ended up here at BYU

Good uh I think ultimately I always wanted to be here I phrase it like that because I’m remembering when I originally applied to BYU as an undergraduate including in my application letter a statement that I never wanted to go to BYU fortunately they they didn’t take me too

Seriously and they let me in but uh but the reason I wrote that is I followed It Up by saying because there are too many Mormons there at the time that’s what we called ourselves right I said there are too many Latter-Day Saints there I grew up in Southern California and I enjoyed

Uh the the diversity of religious belief in and and the opportunities that provided to talk about my beliefs with those of other faiths and so do you think by the way that that’s helped you resonate with some of these early Christians I think so I think so um

In fact I may be getting a little bit ahead uh with uh with what I’m about to say but uh my my whole intellectual career my whole desire to know more about religion and about early Christians and and about faith in general it was really born of my

Conversion to the church uh but I think that’s a question you’re about to ask so we can get to that in a minute let’s let’s go back to uh how I end up here at BYU um what I love about BYU is the opportunity to talk about faith to talk about what

We believe to talk about our our deepest most cherished beliefs in both a faithful and an intellectual way uh to to be Unapologetic about why we believe what we believe and yet be Searchers of Truth and willing to question even our most cherished beliefs

In a way that we can grow and build on those beliefs and come to new understanding I love that so maybe help us understand what you’re working on right now so this was published a couple years ago what are some of your current projects that might be of interest sure this this

Project actually has led right into my current project which in fact I was already thinking about at the time I’m currently involved in in co-editing a book that will come out with the Maxwell Institute in uh about a year from now uh the book is titled ancient Christians an introduction for Latter-Day Saint

And it is about the period that we most traditionally refer to as the apostasy it’s about Christianity in really the second up through sixth and a little bit beyond centuries um and it is really an invitation for Latter-Day Saints to find in these ancient Christians are spiritual ancestors

I I think that is let me put it like this when we read the Doctrine and Covenants when we read about the history of the restoration we we read it as a story of our people and I say that as a as a convert to the church

Um in fact let me share real quick an experience I had that this is directly relevant to my approach to ancient Christians this experiences uh one that I had soon after I returned from my mission I I wanted to go and see some of the the uh

Sites of the restoration and so I saved up some money and got together with a friend and and we went on a on a journey across the United States to visit as many church history sites as we could uh we didn’t get as far as New York we

Were starting off in California but we did get far enough to to hit some of the sites in Missouri and Illinois and then as we are making our return trip we arrived at winter quarters a little bit late at night and uh The Visitor Center had just closed down but there were some

Missionaries who were walking a family across the street to the to the cemetery site to a memorial and so we followed them hoping that maybe they could let us into the visitor center or at least to see what they were taking this family to see

And as we are over there looking at the site on this on this hollowed ground where so many pioneers had lost their lives the moment that I remember most is not the memorial I saw there but this young family who the missionaries had taken over to see the memorial

As they left the little girl who is probably only eight or nine years old turned back to us and said goodbye Brothers now of course we commonly refer to ourselves in church as brothers and sisters but to have that little girl call me brother while standing on that site touched me profoundly

And help me to realize that even though I’m a convert to the church even though these people who were buried there and who trekked across the plains were not my literal ancestors that they are my spiritual ancestors and that their Journey matters to me and to my faith today

And that has deeply influenced how I read scripture as well not only the Doctrine and Covenants but the Bible and the Book of Mormon these are stories of our spiritual ancestors of people who who labored in faith to serve our God in in ages past and I think there’s value to looking to

Some of our ancient Christian ancestors outside of the Bible in the seconds in the second century and on as also some of our spiritual ancestors and turning to them to to learn from their faith and their devotion when you read the stories of of what some of these Christians went through

Through the trials and through through periods of persecution and martyrdom it it’s it’s amazing to to see their faith and and the Legacy that they have left for us and thank you for that touching story now you have me crying over here but um so such a beautiful way of making all

Of this relevant uh I just want to give you kind of one one final opportunity to maybe share anything that you want to share about um your faith and why you choose to believe and your conversion uh just the other day in class um I I’m teaching the Jesus Christ and

The Everlasting gospel class this semester and and we conclude the semester talking about uh what it means to Believe In Christ in in today’s day and age in an age of secularism right um so when you when you ask a question like that when you say why you choose to

Believe it immediately makes me think about this this age that we live in I I think there’s value to framing the question like that but it’s interesting that we have to frame the question like that today that there there was a time when the the idea of choosing to believe

Just wouldn’t have made sense like if you would ask Joseph Smith why do you choose to believe you would be what I’m trying to ask which church I should join not whether I should join a church um so why do I choose to believe uh I mean the easiest

Answer to that is to turn to the spiritual experiences I’ve had in in my own life uh the moments that I’ve turned to God for help or for guidance uh the the wrestles that I’ve had in my life the struggles with becoming a better person that struggles with dealing with challenging situations

Whether that be challenging Financial situations or or just challenges of of family life and raising children uh the moments I’ve I’ve turned to God for help and and felt guidance and and power and and Aid uh I’d say I also choose to believe because of the times of Doubt uh the times of

Divine silence that I’ve had to struggle with and and work through and understand uh ultimately I I choose to believe because of a journey of discipleship that began in my teenage years when I agreed to well I’m about to say I agreed to read the book of Mormon but I didn’t I I

Laughed when somebody said will you read this book I said that’s way too long I don’t read my homework I’m not going to read that book she was really quick on her feet she said it’s okay I’ve got it on cassette tape you can listen to it

So uh it’s it’s it’s a journey life is a journey and and experiencing life’s journey as as a Journey of Faith and of trust and of hope in in God and in what lies ahead and Beyond uh brings me peace in difficult times and and inspires me to believe that I can do

More and and help in this challenging world foreign Thank you for listening to why religion this podcast is a production of religious education at Brigham Young University in Provo Utah my name is Anthony Swett I’m the executive producer the why religion podcast team also includes from BYU religious education professors Brad Wilcox Casey Griffis and Ryan Sharp recording and mixing were

Done by BYU students Mitchell Bashford and Connor Miller say hi Mitchell and Connor hi guys hi original music and scoring for why religion podcast was created by the fabulous BYU student musicians Grant Cagle Sam Claussen Colette Jones and Aleister shoyerman if you enjoy what you’ve heard please

Like And subscribe to why religion on wherever you get your podcast and leave us a rating it really helps and join us next time as we continue to bring the everyday Latter-Day Saint fascinating gospel studies done by Brigham Young University religion professors to Enlighten your mind and strengthen your faith

#Religion #Episode #Humanity #Divinity #Jesus #Christ #Jason #Combs

See And the surrounding See The news to see Pinky maybe [Applause] Basta we’re marching Great swing years before we raised inside [Applause] We’re marching through scrubs The next song we’ll sing is we shall meet beyond the river another one of our songs from a hundred and fifty years ago Forever as the king of righteousness we should be We shall solve our songs of Bye-bye We shall say we surely traverse departed from this world brokenhearted We should meet We shall sing his praises We should round First our Savior [Applause] We should be To come Are Savior’s I’m a pilgrim and I’m a stranger and that’s what all of us are here on this earth isn’t it Terry button Oh here in this country I can’t I can’t – a charger There is no sorrow I’m I can tell They will service car I can’t Time now for our theme song I’d like to invite all of you to stand with us and sing together you will see your cover Music Sounds is mine See Shall we bow our heads for the invocation Oh Heavenly Father we thank you for this camp-meeting season we praise you that we have been able to praise you in song and now as we worship you in the study of the word and the proclamation your Holy Spirit would come

Very close control of this place and each heart each mind that is here as we talk about the precious subject of the humanity of our incarnate Lord lord help us to be able to break it down so that not only the giraffes can feast on it but the common sheep and pine rich

Province oles bless us and strengthen us and we thank you for the promise of your spirit being with us in Christ’s name we invoke that presence good morning and welcome to Minnesota camp meeting 2019 our 150th anniversary at camp meaning and the Lord is blessed again this week we’ve had an awesome

Camp meeting together those who are just coming today welcome we hope that you will find this to be a blessing we hope that your spirits will be revived and that when we go home we will be a blessing to others we do have a few announcements Kathy Park come on up

Share with us Thank You Justin how many of you know what’s special about this year 150 years since our first camp meeting and we’re going to be having something very special this afternoon you don’t want to miss it we’re going to first of all start out with a little

Presentation by dr. Michael Campbell that gives us a little bit of history about camp meetings and then we are going to have a reenactment of the 1869 camp meeting how many of you were there last weekend when we did it in Wasi OSHA a few so there are a lot of you that

Missed what we did last week because last week we were actually on the original farm where the very first camp meeting was held and it was a very special time there we actually were there for a couple hours and did several reenactments of camp innings and then we

Went over to Medford and did some reenactments there of the camp meetings in Medford and then we spent some time up at Northfield too so we are going to repeat that first act from 1869 because we know a lot of you missed it last week

So you don’t want to miss it this week and and then I’ll follow up with a few thoughts after that so it’s a very special afternoon program make sure you’re here Thank You Kathy we have a few more announcements everybody should have received a program bulletin inside of there is a card that

Looks like this we want to remind you of the Ministry of the gift planning and Trust Services Department there’s also a drawing that’s taking place tonight and if you want to be included in the drawing process the table is in the administration building we have hearing assistance available in

The back here at the sound booth if you are struggling to hear what we’re saying we offered that service and we also have live streaming if you’re not aware or there you’re having trouble in the audience feeling anything that happens in this auditorium is being live-streamed okay and the address is

There in the bulletin we do encourage parents to keep track of their children while they’re here on the campgrounds there are a lot of people we don’t know who everyone is in this setting and we want your children our children to be safe so please keep an eye on the kids

Parking we would ask if you’ve parked in the boys dorm dorm parking lot and you’re not a senior citizen and you don’t have a handicap tag on your card we’d really like you to move the car because people are still coming and we’ve reserved those spaces for people

Who may not be able to walk from the field our young adult group is meeting in the Hutchinson Church today if you’re a young adult and wondering where that is because the program doesn’t say so it is in the Hutchinson Church I think that’s it for announcements welcome again to Minnesota conference

Camp meaning the Lord has been blessing this week he’s been blessing the Minnesota conference and most of that he’s doing through people like you and me and we pray that God will continue to work through his people god bless you good morning happy Sabbath isn’t it all

Of this week we have been focused on talking about evangelism and today is a special day because we’re going to pick up an offering for evangelism my name is Duane mock I’m the treasurer for the midst of the conference and I usually kinda get stressed out sometimes when

People come in want to spend money that I don’t have in the book and I wish I was the type of person that I could go out and really you know rouse every bite to just open their wallets and put in you know hundreds of thousands of dollars names of things but my

Personality is just you know I just think the facts and hope that people understand so I’m gonna read something that comes from Spirit prophecy and maybe that will say it better than me says here Christ method alone will give true success in reaching the people the Savior mingled with man is one who

Desired their good he’s so just sympathy for them ministered their needs won their confidence then he bade them follow me the minister of Conference Board of Trustees believes in this type of ministry so much that we have put our focus on evangelism with non-traditional methods and we are leaving the door open

To local churches as to how they want to use advances and funds they can submit those type of requests to the committee and most the time it gets approved everything from chip programs to 3d seminars to stewardship on our principles on stewardship you name it if

The church is willing to give it a go we’re willing to consider it the other thing that we’ve noticed is that the best type of evangelism is friendship evangelism the type where you have created friendships with your neighbors your workers your friends your family those come into the church

Quicker than anything and we have spent in 2017 we spent three hundred and seven thousand dollars on evangelism in 2018 we spent two hundred seventy-one thousand and for 2019 we have budgeted two and forty thousand and have already spent through May one hundred sixty thousand dollars I would love it if I

Could go to Justin and say stop telling people to bring money in to elder lions that’d be so cool if we could do what happened at Mount Sinai where we have so much money they came in we didn’t know what to do with it today yeah I would

Like you to pray about it as the Deacons come forward to pick up the offering and give what you can because the work there’s so much to get to be done and if you’re not able to give of yourself by helping help financially so we can pay

For others who do and also for materials as the Deacons come forward let’s pray father we thank you so much for allowing us to come here and to enjoy a camp meeting father it is is enjoyable to be able to enjoy the 150 years of camp meeting but it’s also sad that we’re

Still here and father there’s much work yet to be done we know that and so we know that time is short and so help bless our people and those who receive the assistance to learn about you that we will be able to go home quickly Lord

And that we’re not here for a more longer time and the father would praise you for being our God and may this can mean be a prerequisite to heaven who asked this in Jesus name Amen It’s nice to see so many of you here for camp meeting Sabbath we are blessed by your fellowship and the spirit is here and we pray that your experience here would be a spark in your walk with Jesus Christ I would ask now that we all stand up and

Sing our theme song and let’s sing it so very well it’s a song it’s a heart beat it’s a song of hope very soon our suffering will be over and the NGOs will usher us into the presence of the Lord so let’s sing together we will let the

Musicians guide us as we sing let’s sing it with joy you see you come and you ser to come and you will see you coming feet a few more days music here the baby of music a future son Is my topic [Applause] Quentin sorry Would you bow your heads with me in prayer our Eternal Father we come now in thy presence to hear your weight we pray a special blessing upon the man that thou hast appointed to speak to us this hour we ask that you may cover him with a special garment of your righteousness

And that you would touch his lips with the call from the out of heaven we pray Lord that you will give him the ability to articulate your word loud and clear we ask that your enjoyment surround this place and your holy spirit may be poured

In a might way that all of us here seated to hear the word may be convicted of the truth but above all Lord we pray that each and every one here may be covered in your righteousness so that when we live this worship hour we would

Say like David said I was glad when they said let’s go into the house of the Lord for worship may we live this place celebrating in the salvation that has been given to us so free and so complete prepare us for that time when the sound

Is sounded and the sense of old and are brought forth and we come home to be with you now as we sit to listen we ask that you may strike a responsive chord in our hearts because we ask for these favors in Jesus name Amen good morning and happy Sabbath I have

The privilege of introducing our speaker for this morning he’s been with us for the last couple of days dr. Woodrow Wilson affectionately known as woody by his students and those who know him and befriend him I had the privilege of getting to know him a little bit at when

I was at Andrews University I didn’t take any classes with him he taught in the undergraduate department there while I was in seminary but I would hear him speak from time to time and meet him and something that’s always really impressed me about dr. Whitten is that he exudes

The love of Jesus amen he you know it’s it’s one thing to preach about salvation in Christ it’s another to really live it out so that your life really just shines with the love of Jesus and so thank you for being here dr. Whitten he was a

Pastor for two decades there in the 70s and 80s and then of course taught it and roost and then most recently at is the Seminary in the Philippines and now he’s retired but not really retired because you’re still traveling around and doing special speaking engagements here around

The country and around the world so so thank you again for being here dr. Whitten at this time the pilgrim singers from the South view church are going to minister to us in music There’s no disappointment in heaven nowhereness or oh no baby rockin no soul without mine our new friend we’re never a believer scar Oh I’m bound for that beautiful city – Miguel 44 we’re already in the dance Signori around the white throne sometimes homesick for heaven oh what a joy that will be when my Savior I see the beautiful city Oh I’m due Oh This side if I children we share ah bound for that beautiful to me my Lourdes me bad for his home Before what I do that’ll be when my second I say beautiful city I don’t know no Transformed in a moment of time That feel difference to me I’m honestly bad for these we already know I say Oh You guys are hot you’re explosive is this thing working it appears to be okay all right it’s still morning so good morning but it will be afternoon in about two to three minutes so good day to you it’s been a real privilege to be here this is

Not first time we’ve been to Minnesota camp meeting we were here two or three years ago we popped in here on sob that the president of the North American division was speaking and it was right before an important thing was going to be done on women’s ordination it was

That two or three years ago so we’ve been here my wife and I were traveling the United States at that time trying to go to all of the national parks in lower North America in other words we weren’t at that time aiming to go to Alaska or

Hawaii or the ones that are down in the Caribbean we were just trying to see all of those that were in continental North America the American national parks and so we had been up to whatever this one is up in the north well what is this one that hardly anybody knows about what

Voyagers yeah we had been up to voyagers and so we we decided to come and we also had of course been out to the island what’swhat’s that call the Big Island National Park well royal so and we want I want you to know we knocked off all of

Them in the lower 48 now we didn’t go to every thing that the National Park System controls but we went to the National Park National Parks okay that’s what we did so that’s our bragging rights on that and we did have a wonderful Sabbath here and saw many old

Friends and made many new friends now we’ve been talking about issues having to do with Christ and His righteousness and one of the reasons that I was asked to come here is because I have gained some notoriety for having written the definitive biography of elet Joseph Wagoner EJ Wagoner along with 80

Jones were the legendary purveyors of the Christ our righteousness revival that erupted out of the 1888 Minneapolis Minnesota General Conference and George night in his wisdom and creativity asked me to write the biography of Wagner he knew that I’d had a longtime interest in all things that Wagner was interested in

And he knew that I have a love for a story and Wagner is quite a story quite a story quite a bit of it I wish I didn’t know about that’s what I call the sad bad side of Wagner and Jones by the way let me just say here they were he

And his wife and Jones were deeply committed people but they were all hopeless workaholics and let that be a lesson to all you workaholics pray to God that He will give you the Burrow the victory over your workaholism to at least the extent that you will take time

To be with the Lord and take time to really serve the Lord but you know you can go to hell in a handbasket serving the Lord and not taking time to nurture your own soul and to care for your marriage and your children and so on okay Honey I I can’t preach over you there god bless you okay I did that myself when I was a camp-meeting one time so I’ve got to be patient god bless you parents you know I’ll get a little saying you just can’t go to heaven unless you’ve been married raise

Kids and pastored an Adventist Church those are all venues of sanctification and privilege but they also test our souls at their very core right because they all work on the principle of self-sacrificing love not me me me Wow if I don’t get my way now I was advertised to speak on at this

Particular slot on the Humanity of Christ and I had the conference office copy off copies for you of my article that appears in the Ellen White encyclopedia on this subject the humanity of Christ in seventh-day adventists history and particularly as it related to the ministry and the testimonies of not only scripture about

Ellen White and so I was my first inclination was to read through this thing but I want to tell you it’s very thorough but it’s quite technical and I don’t think it is fit for this venue necessarily maybe a classroom but the subject is absolutely central and

Important and it does have an important history coming out of the Minneapolis General Conference that did involve both Jones and Waggoner okay and this subject of the humanity of Christ is very important even though it is challenging even though it has had a long history of controversy in the seventh-day Adventist Church but

Controversy surrounding the issues of the deity and the humanity of Christ have been with us since day one of Christianity as Christians have sought to come to terms with the nature of the Lord Jesus Christ and the divine nature and personhood of the Holy Spirit we

Haven’t had a whole lot of debates over God the Father most of our debates have been over whether the Holy Spirit is divine and one of the Holy Spirit is personal the major debates over the person of Christ have been over whether he was fully divine because many of our

Pioneers were not Trinitarian they were in fact many of them were anti Trinitarian but officially trinitarianism has triumphed in the seventh-day Adventist Church worldwide but over the last decade or so we have had a real revival of very forceful anti trinitarianism all in the name of Ellen White Jones and Waggoner and our

Pioneers now let me share some things with you about that historically it is true historically there was a strong strain of anti trinitarianism including clear opposition that Jesus was the possessor of a full and eternal deity that he shared Co eternally with the father and the spirit there’s no doubt

About that we have a strong that in our history because many of our pioneers were what we call restorationist Christians restorationist Christians rose in American 19th century revivalism on the basic idea that we need to restore New Testament Christianity and even better biblical Christianity and let’s get rid of all of

These traditions and one of those traditions that they thought was part of the great catholic protestant apostasy was the trinity but you know what god raised up a prophetess among us and even though she never used the word Trinity she was 20 and in fact to the court and

It was her testimony that pretty much carried the day and forced the Brethren and the cisterns to go back to their Bibles and really study this out and then when she particularly came to the time when she wrote the book desire of Ages she had some stunning things in

Their presence that in Christ is life original unborrowed under I’ve now jerry moon john Reeve and I’ve we co-authored the book the Trinity was originally published by the review and Herald I don’t even know whether they still have any of those in stock but what we did is I covered the biblical evidence

I made the biblical arguments cherry moon took care of the early Adventists history on this and the backgrounds of our anti trinitarianism in other words we were not clear on the full personhood of the holy spirit and we were not clear on the Co eternal Co eternity of the Father

The Sun and the Sun with the father and the Holy Spirit with the father and son has three Co eternal divine beings okay and again it was the steady testimony of sister white that kept our theological noses to the grindstone but again more recently we have had this crazy revival

Of anti trinitarianism and I want to say to you that even those that hold that sincerely I want to say to you you are sincerely wrong I’m not here to question anybody’s sincerity but I am here to question heresy but more important than that I’m here to try to

Exalt the truth now let me tell you one thing about the truth of the Trinity and let me just say this sin is so antithetical to what it means to be human that it would take a god to get it corrected and it would take a triune God

Who is Father Son and Holy Spirit because without the Holy Spirit we will not be able to understand the scripture revelation without the revelation of the son and the power that is in his life in person and the power that emanates from his great sacrifice we will not be able to get right

Spiritually theologically whatever so this is important central stuff and I believe that seventh-day Adventism because of the problems it’s had with the atonement I think in other words the atonement is the ID yeah that in Christ ordained by the father ministered to us via the Holy Spirit there is full salvation in a

Completed atonement that was fully made at the cross now there’s more to the atonement than everything that led up to the cross and the cross because none of that will amount to anything if it is not communicated to us in other words what we call as theologians and

Christian thinkers the benefits of the life death burial resurrection ascension and intercession and soon return of Christ if we do not have a powerful Holy Spirit to communicate all of that through our study through our preaching through our teaching through our publications and want them out to a hill

Of beans spiritually to anybody nothing will really happen here today that amounts to anything unless the Holy Spirit who is intensely divine and intensely personal is permeating this place nothing will happen unless Jesus is uplifted and that is the work of the Holy Spirit to uplift Christ and to draw

Our hearts to him so that we can get the full treatment of all the facets of God’s atoning provision for our eternal salvation and the eternal final settling of the great controversies between good and evil between Christ and Satan by the way this is one of the reasons that I

Have remained a seventh-day adventists there’s only one argument that really solves the problem of evil and that comes out of the plot of the great controversy theme now we’re never going to be able to understand the origin of evil it will remain a mystery throughout all eternity because it’s impossible for

Us to plumb the depths of God’s love it’s impossible to fully explain the depths of creaturely sin and rebellion it will always remain a mystery that will leave us shaking our eternal sanctified heads but standing and awe and praising the glory of God that he worked out the atonement through the son

And the spirit with him and over all talk about the father over all control now one of the big problems that we’ve had as seventh-day adventists is getting clear the right relationship of calling convincing grace converting grace justifying grace transforming Grace and how all of that coordinates would

Glorifying grace and that’s what we’ve been talking about here this week now what I want you to do is concentrate with me a few moments and we’ll try to have a little bit of reflection on the issue of the humanity of Christ now before I that I do want to make a

Couple of plugs it’s also been mentioned here by dick Davidson and his presentations by the way dick Davidson is the smartest seventh-day adventists I have ever met him he makes me and Michael Campbell look like a couple of preschoolers alright ai-ai-ai-aight I tell you dick is bright but I tell you

He is also one of the ambles man I’ve ever met but he passionately loves truth and he’s on Michael and my’s team always cheering us on about what we’re doing as historical theologians and for that we’re intensely grateful and so in the light of all of the debates that has

Gone on and all of this on last generation theology that was cranked out by particularly EJ Wagoner and along with its false Christology we have produced the book called God’s character in the last generation now what I did I contributed chapter this on the history of last generation theology

That’s what I did but let me tell you we’ve got some heavy-hitter articles in here we’ve got one by one or two by Davidson we’ve got one by Darius Jankovic I don’t think you guys know anything about Darius but we just lost him at the seminary he and his wife are

Going back home to Australia to take care of their aging parents I mean they’re they’ve got jobs there but we just lost him but I want to tell you we’ve got some real bright smart guys at the seminary that faculty is an amazing faculty but one of the best articles in

Here is the one by Davidson on justification now let me tell you it’s a gospel beefsteak so get your dentures out and grow some really sharp teeth given by the Holy Spirit but follow it patiently now I have written a book and this is in George Knights library of Adventist

Theology series and he and I are the co-editors of the series but he commissioned me to write on the issue of assurance and I took it as an excuse to do a volume on all of the key aspects of the doctrine and experience of salvation so although my theme was Christian

Assurance I pretty much went the whole nine yards of trying to introduce people to what’s here now the reason this book is readable is because I spent the first half of my career feeding the sheep rather than comb the giraffes okay in other words I tried

To break it down so that the average layperson in a Sabbath School class would at least have a fighting opportunity to grasp what the issues of righteousness by faith are in the seventh-day Adventist Church this book thankfully and I don’t say this in any bragging way because I wouldn’t have

Been able to do it without the help of a lot of people but this book has become the key textbook for almost all of the seminary doctrine of salvation classes and reason for that is it’s comprehensive but it’s accessible and readable now on today’s subject I have two books these

Were my first book length publications that erupted out of my PhD dissertation which was done as an analysis of the doctrine of salvation in Ellen White and so what I decided to do once I got my job at Andrews where I was expected and demanded that I publish the first book

That I wrote was Ellen White on salvation and then successive to that came its library ten twin Ellen white on the humanity of Christ now you don’t have to buy my argument I will respect you taking exception to my position on this but one thing I did put in this

Book in an appendix is all of the really important statements from the spirit of prophecy on the humanity of Christ okay so you can argue with me all day but whatever you do argue with sister white in these appendices here okay and I think that her testimony is really

Powerful now the subject again is very complex and not the easiest thing to understand but I do think it is practically and sensibly accessible so one last thing I want to mention as far as books are concerned both Michael Campbell and I we have been swimming along in the wake of our mentor

George Knight now sometimes as we beau found out that can be stormy waters because George is a very demanding mentor and he doesn’t suffer our foolishness very gladly but he and I are the beneficiaries of this and George has written this little book which is to me recently released called the end time

Events and the last generation the explosive 1950s and for any of you that are interested in theology and these particular controverted issues this is a must read you know George bless his heart he keeps saying woody I’m gonna quit I’m gonna quit but he just can’t help himself

He gets in that office down there in this house out there in Southern Oregon and all of a sudden he sees a pencil his eyes light up his brain comes along and he starts writing he literally writes he doesn’t know how to use a computer but his wife does so she’s his

Transcriptionist all right but anyhow those are some recommendations that I think will prove helpful to you now I don’t know that Ellen White on salvation and Ellen white on the humanity of Christ I don’t know that there anything there’s anything left and the publisher stock but I placed about how many was it

Peggy that we placed here at the ABC III I think it was about fifty of Ellen White on salvation and about twenty of Ellen White on the humanity of Christ and I only make a little bit off of this and plus the ABC needs to get a cut but I

Want you to know there are a number of these on available ok if you want to give them and again I think that the best thing about this one Ellen White on the humanity of Christ is the appendices where you can gather conveniently all of the key statements all right so enough

For all my book recommendations did I did I talk to you about selected messages book 1 I did what’s the key pages on righteousness by faith in here 300 to 400 don’t forget that if you forget anything I say today don’t forget that go do your own reading

Know what’s the issue with the nature of Christ there are basically two key issues one is what was the nature of Christ humanity the other one was Christ fully divine or was he a semi-divine being now you’re probably saying dr. Whitten what do you mean by semi-divine well there

Are people who do not believe that Christ existed from all eternity Co eternally with the father and the spirit in other words we have had this history of anti trinitarianism but I want you to know that in this history that if you do not believe in the full deity of Jesus

Christ you will be power challenged when it comes to spiritual power to overcome the great adversary and you will not have a correct understanding of righteousness by faith if it doesn’t flow out of the Trinity in other words the eternal deity and power and leadership of the Father the eternal

Deity of Christ that he was Co eternal with the Father and that Christ was incarnate and took the full human organism sin accepted now he was had that sin imputed to him at the cross so he bore it to the cross vicariously for us but his sinful nature was affected by

Sin but not infected with it and so when we talk about the nature of Christ we must be clear on his full coitus be clear that his incarnate existent was in a real human frame otherwise Christ could not be tempted it was only his humanity that was tempted and you know

What the greatest temptation was it was to depend upon his inherent deity and his inherent sinlessness do you understand that does does that does that settle in on you a little bit but you see the big debates have been over mainly the humanity of Christ and whether he felt real temptation real

Temptation well again I want to make it clear that his deity was not tempted but he sure was tempted to use his inherent deity rather than identify with us and depend every day upon the Ministry of the Holy Spirit and the angelic powers that were sent to aid and abet his ministry

Because he could not draw upon his own inherent deity or divine power that would have done us no good well you can say sure Christ could do it because he’s fully God but being fully man and sin affected mind you not sin infected he had to depend upon the daily

Outpouring of the holy spirit and the Ministry of the angelic powers to aid and abet him in his own battle with temptations and by the way Christ was tempted more than any man or woman ever in the history of the universe so here’s what the big debate has been about over

The humanity of Christ let me see if I can simply break it down for you here a little bit the question was is whether Christ’s humanity was totally sinless when it comes to propensity Xand tendencies to evil in other words the big question was you know you and I if you haven’t

Learned this yet we have a natural tendency to be selfish to want our own way and we’re more likely to do the wrong thing than we are to do the right thing I mean we are sin messed up now that will vary from person to person as

Far as degrees but the Bible says all have sinned and have continually come short of the glory of God I think that’s Romans 8:3 all right all have sinned and so we’re all in this mess but the issue of the humanity of Christ has been a real conundrum and

Most of our pioneers were what we call post-fall in other words they believe that Jesus was born with a nature just like ours in which he had natural propensities and tendencies to do the wrong thing but in the 1950s we had the powerful rise of what we call the so-called

Pre foo pre-fall school of thought which says that while Jesus was sin affected he was not sand infected okay so while his humanity was weakened and he had to depend upon the continual imparted power of God in his incarnation to aid him in battling the temptations and the salts of the devil

Just because he didn’t have a natural propensity in tendency to do the wrong thing doesn’t mean that he couldn’t be tempted and he was tempted more than any man I believe number one now I’m gonna be a little repetitive here to draw upon his own sanctified humanity but more

Importantly to draw upon his own inherent deity rather in concert with us to learn to trust the imparted power of the father mediated to us through the Holy Spirit now I want to get to a key point here and again I want to urge you to read carefully my article by the way

At the end of that article I have given all kinds of suggestions for reading including the publication’s of my most severe opponents in other words those that would disagree with me and my position so this was one of the features that we did in The Ellen White encyclopedia was each article was to

Have references for further research and study so you know you you can go there and you will see who all of the major partisans are on the either side of the pre-fall versus post-fall debate over the humanity of Christ now let me make a suggestion to you and I’m hoping my brain works

Michael if my brain falters feel free to get up out of your seat and run up here and help me and say woody move over my brain is working on that one okay my wife is praying for me all right now Ellen White is very clear that Jesus did

Not have natural propensities and tendencies to sin well how then could he be tempted if he did not have natural propensities and tendencies to do the wrong thing he was tempted more than anything else to draw upon his own inherent divine power to aid and abet him in his battles with the

Devil do you follow what I’m saying okay all right in other words his great temptation was to draw upon his own inherit divine advantages and then he was also tempted to draw upon his incarnate advantages that in his humanity he was affected by sin but he wasn’t naturally infected with it in the

Sense that he had a natural tendency to do the wrong thing now he was weakened by history of 4000 years but he did not have these natural propensities or tendencies to do the wrong thing now let’s think about his temptations for a moment try to imagine yourself there in

The wilderness and the devil comes to him after he has been fasting 40 days and 40 nights and he said I have some good news for you I want to remind you that you can turn stones to bread and I know you’re really hungry and I know that hunger is natural why

Don’t you turn these stones to bread and eat and satisfy your hunger do you think that was a temptation to Christ you better believe it was I can’t even fast for four days without getting desperately hungry okay I’m not a good faster I’m faster getting to the icebox

Than I am fasting all right so one of the first things that I think we ought to recognize is one of the basis of Christ’s great temptations no matter what the occasion was was to depend upon his own inherent divine advantage all right now did Jesus ever

Commit an act of sin or have a thought of sin spirit of prophecy is absolutely clear he did not he was completely victorious and I can give you reference after reference from the spirit of prophecy on this manner regarding the complete victory of Christ over every temptation that beset him well there was

A temptation to sexual appetite a temptation to food appetite a temptation to self exaltation he overcame them all by the imparted power of the Holy Spirit he did not once draw upon his inherent divine advantage I suggest to you that that became a huge disadvantage for him to win a quick

Victory by trusting his own inherent powers okay so now the question comes up how can Jesus help us who have all these propensities and tendencies to evil to call upon his name and ask him to impart his divine power through the mighty Holy Spirit okay alright again let me ask you

The question what was the great temptation of Christ it was not to go to that cross why because the spirit of prophecy says he could not see through the portals of the tomb let that sink in a moment now I’m gonna be quiet here for

A few seconds and I want you to really think about was Christ tempted absolutely and what was his great temptation not to go to that cross remember he’s there in gas M&E and what is his prayer Oh father if possible let this cup pass from me and what was the answer

Keep going go to pilots judgment hall go on to Calvary go submit yourself and be nailed up I will sustain you each step of the way but go walking by faith alone that was the greatest temptation in the history of the universe to not be able

To see through the portals of the tomb and yet go to that cross that’s the hell of hell pardon my language I don’t mean to sound profane I’m just laying it out and why is that the hell of hell because the ultimate moment of reckoning will be the

Last thought that any of us will ever have who might sadly end up in the lake of fire it will be it didn’t have to be this way if I just could have taken the work of the Holy Spirit more seriously in my life and have laid my all on

Christ who went through this for me paid the price for me that I could spend eternity with the Holy Trinity and the redeemed of all ages and the populations of the vast illimitable universe Wow what a deal don’t tell me that Christ had to have natural propensities and tendencies to evil his greatest

Propensity was to do what the father told him to do in the agreement of the Great Council of peace so that full provision could be made for the vindication of God the reconciliation of the lost human race and the reconciliation of an entire universe of beings that were created in the image of

God that inhabit other planets and worlds you see God had to think about an entire universe not just us but we became the showcase of the love of God in Christ for the entire unit folks I cannot think of a bigger vision for Christian theology to contemplate

And this of course arises out of the great controversy theme now one of my questions that I asked my post-fall partners in dialogue is how can Jesus help us with cultivated tendencies to evil since he had none this is what I asked them how can Jesus help us would

Cultivated tendencies to evil since he had done what would you answer to that question what would you answer that question I would say thank you very much you win the argument I’m going to walk off the field this is the bankruptcy of the post-fall Christology not that sincere people have not sincerely held

This and God well in probably many ways overlook that but the greatest temptation of all transcends and permeates everything when it comes to righteousness by faith Jesus won a complete victory for us therefore his obedience becomes our obedience his sin bearing death becomes our sin bearing death we will not have to face

The terrible terrors of the lake of fire the thoughts of eternal loss for an eternity that there that the Damned pardon my language that the lost the rejecters of God’s mercies will have to face that’s really something now not only was Jesus tempted to trust in

His own divine power what else was he tempted to do hmm hmm he was tempted not to trust the imparted power of the Father all right so can Jesus help us with all of these temptations no he can’t help us if you do not trust his imparted divine power through the Holy

Spirit you see what we’re talking about here you see this very deep deep stuff but to know that he took our humanity and was tempted to go it alone tempted by his own inherent powers and his own inherent human perfections you see Jesus was affected by sin but he wasn’t

Infected with it he was a rather normal-looking first century Jewish man okay spirit of prophecy is very clear on this that there were no imperfections about the physical person of Jesus and that he was in many ways perfection Pravana thong even though he was diminished in stature and was in many

Ways like his fellow first century human beings so my question is this Jesus had a great temptation to trust himself but he also had a great temptation not to trust the imparted power of the Father and folks here’s where the great identities come and this is where he can

Really help us okay all right now I want to close with a couple of exhortations here again continue to study this issue again in my appendix here in the book Ellen White on the humanity of Christ Appendix A I’ve got this all pretty well together here appendix a has Ellen White on depravity

And sin and then of course appendix B is all about the deity of Christ okay Ellen white on the humanity of Christ particularly the great testimonies regarding his full deity now let me just sum up this way and it’s time to quit conference presidents getting nervous wearing out the Saints can Jesus help

You yes how can he help you can he be your example yes your example to do what to trust the imparted power of the Holy Spirit in every occasion of witness and temptation every challenge that’s in your life every challenge that may come

As a husband as a wife as a parent as a church member as we get along seek to get along with each other if we would all be thinking more how the power of Christ mediated to us through the Holy Spirit could help us to be overcomers rather than overwhelm ursin you know

What we have in the Adventist Church is a lot of overwhelming I’m talking about people that like to win their theological arguments by what I call specious presuppositions let’s use the correct presuppositions all right and I invite you to continue to ponder this subject Ellen White has commanded us to do this

She has given us rich resources scripture is filled with many great resources on this issue let’s pray dear lord I want to thank you for the Incarnation I want to praise you and Jesus I want to shout out a praise to you thank you for coming to be one

With us thank you for taking yourself from your high estate in sharing the throne with the father and to come and be subject as a human being incarnate subject of the mighty Moving’s of the Holy Spirit and Lord we want to thank you for leading a powerful life under

The guidance and sustaining power of the Spirit we want to thank you for your example of importunate prayer and Heavenly Father we want to dress you now and we want to thank you for sending Christ and we want to thank you for sending the Holy Spirit and Holy Spirit

We would like to speak to you and thank you for coming thank you for being with Jesus strengthening him in his humanity and thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit that we may be your more able servants in all of the key roles in our lives in our families in our communities

And especially in our community of faith oh lord help us in Jesus name we do pray it give us mighty portions of your spirit Oh

#Nature #ChristHis #Divinity #Humanity #Personal #Salvation #Woodrow #Whidden