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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
April 1924
Mew Studies in the Life of Christ Rev Charles H. Leggett, Superintendent of the Springfield Resene Mission, Massachusetts
|OLY reverence should characterize the approach to any study of the life of Him of whom it was said “Never man spake like this man,” and of whom it could as well be said “Never man was born like this man,” “Never man lived like this man,” “Never man performed like this man,” “Never man died like this man,” and “Never man arose from the grave and ascended into heaven like this man.” Jesus Christ was and is, in every sense of the word, a man. Equally true is the statement that Jesus Christ was and is, in every sense of the Word, God. What quality or attribute of humanity can you name which He did not have, saving only sin? and what quality, attribute or power of Deity can you name.which He did not possess? Reconciliation of the Deity and humanity of Christ is the problem of some among us, but why stumble here? Science, reason and human perception fail, but faith shines forth and makes the way resplendent with glorious revela tion. Peace follows in its wake and love and hope burst into full fruition. “Before Abraham was— I Am!” Suppose we let the sacred page speak for itself, or rather for Him who is its subject and object, and let faith guided by the Holy Spirit, the Author of the Book, interpret. Turn ing to Heb. 1:1-3, 10 we read that He laid the foundations of the earth, made the worlds, the heavens are the work of His hands and He upholds all things by the word of His power. Comparing these statements with Col. 1:16, 17 and John 1:3, the devout believer beholds a marvellous picture of the pre-incarnate Christ, while bearing in mind His own words “before Abraham was I AM.” In this latter phrase, by smashing the rules of man’s grammar God dis closes a stupendous truth! John 8:56 gives the unquali fied affirmation of Jesus Christ to the Jews, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.” As Jesus always assumed the Jehovah title, the reference is evidently to the occurrence in the plain of Mamre when Abraham made intercession for Sodom as re corded in Gen. 18. Regarding the Jehovah title, Thomas Newberry has this to say, commenting on Rev. 1:4. “ ‘Him which is, which was, and which is to come,’ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew title Jehovah, a title combining the past present and future ip one word. It occurs about seven thousand times in the Hebrew Scripture but is only so translated about seven times in the Authorized Version.” There are a number of instances in the Old Testament ac count where Christ appeared in angelic or other assumed form to holy men. The Virgin Birth Passing to the incarnation, we examine such passages as Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:18-21, Luke 1:30-35 and John 6:38-42, not to speak of John 3:16, and are profoundly impressed with the everywhere confirmed statement that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin and was indeed “God coming in the flesh.” Heb. 10:5 informs us that His incarnation body was an especially adapted one. Adoration and unabashed worship of Him by angels, shep herds, and magi proclaim Him as fully God when in the manger as on the throne. The doctrine of the Kenosis, if accepted as set forth in Phil. 2 and other Scriptures and viewed in the light of all Scripture, will not rob the Babe in the manger of one scintilla of His deity. How pusill
animous, then, appear the fables of those modem critics who, like their kind in Jesus’ day, claim Him to be the son of Joseph! Gratifying indeed is the recent action of the House of Bishops of the Episcopal Church, in their meeting at Dallas, in reaffirming belief in the Virgin Birth. Other Christian bodies are taking similar action. The blatancy of the Unitarianism of the hour makes imperative fresh emphasis. As to the holy birth let one of America’s great est surgeons and most prominent Christian layman speak. Says Dr. Howard A. Kelly of Baltimore, “If in rare oc casional instances a virgin birth could be shown to have occurred, then the Scripture claim as to Christ’s divine de scent would at once lose all value.” It is most distressing to note the apparently large number of ministers in all de nominations who either doubt or deny this basic Christian truth. To the intelligent student of the Bible, it is plainly evident that Deity demands virgin birth; that if there was no virgin birth there wafc no Deity. Divine wisdom has drawn a veil over the life of the God- man from babyhood to manhood and the veil was drawn aside but once in order to show that He was indeed the God-man. A most beautiful and suggestive picture this of the boy Jesus amidst the doctors in the temple! The meager additional information vouchsafed us is found in the statement that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man,” the evident mean ing of the idiom being that his mental and physical de velopment were similar to that of any normal child. His subjection to Joseph and Mary and His thirty years seclu sion at Nazareth were plainly part of the self-emptying to which allusion has already been made. The Limitations of His Humanity A few questions might here arise concerning the limita tions of His humanity. Was there ever a time when Jesus did not know that He was God? Did His .Godhood grow on Him gradually? When was it that He fully realized His messiahship? All such questions are readily and satis factorily answered if one keeps in mind the sixth chapter of John in which it is stated that twelve times Jesus makes the claim that He “came down from heaven” or that the “Father sent Him.” Being "God manifest in the flesh,” (1 Tim. 3:16) He always knew, that is in His God Nature. Just how in the infant brain, belonging to His human side, and in His mental development this knowledge was taken care of we are not told. These phenomena are part of His miraculous coming and let us not try to speculate where God has been silent. It would seem that the spiritual and Scriptural reasoner would find little difficulty here. Only this may be added to round out the thought, that doubtless not to exceed three people beside Jesus Himself, knew He was the Lord:— Namely Mary, Joseph and Elizabeth. Of the three, in all probability, only the former fully appre hended the significance of His coming, until after John baptized Him in Jordan and He entered upon His public Ministry. As soon as the day of His manifestation came, however, all secrecy and seclusion were over, and the God-man stands forth a perfect revelation, not to Himself for He always knew, but to the world. Now it is that He spake as never man spake, “no human being ever approached His teach ings, His parables, His wisdom. No human being ever ap- (Continued on Page 256)
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