Christ Our Lord (Part 1)

In this presentation, we shall give consideration to some vital and important as­pects of the sonship of our Lord. In doing this, however, it must ever be remembered that much we would like to know pertaining to this theme has not been revealed. In fact, the ques­tion of the Godhead, also that of the Incar­nation, and many other phases of God's plan to save man are in the realm of mys­teries.

When writing to Timothy, the apostle Paul declared, concerning the Word being made flesh, "Great is the mystery of godli­ness: God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim. 3:16).

Ellen G. White has written on this theme as follows: "In contemplating the incarna­tion of Christ in humanity, we stand baf­fled before an unfathomable mystery, that the human mind cannot comprehend."

This is true. It is impossible for the human mind to comprehend this grand and glorious theme, but it is also true that God has revealed some things in His Word that will enable us to understand, to some degree at least, the philosophy and plan of salvation. On this we read:

That God should thus be manifest in the flesh is indeed a mystery; and without the help of the Holy Spirit we cannot hope to comprehend this subject?

On the other hand, we have definite counsel to consider these themes:

When we want a deep problem to study, let us fix our minds on the most marvelous thing that ever took place in earth or heaven—the incarnation of the Son of God.³

It is this theme we shall consider in this and future articles, and it will mean medi­tating on certain expressions used in Holy Writ concerning our Saviour Jesus Christ. Such expressions as "the only begotten Son" (John 3:16), the "firstborn from the dead" (Col. 1:18), the "firstborn of every creature" (Col. 1:15), "firstbegotten" (Heb. 1:6), et cetera, will be studied and con­sidered.

We shall endeavor to hold firmly to what God has been pleased to reveal, avoiding all speculation. This is vital in the study of the Holy Scriptures at all times, and es­pecially so, when meditating on such themes as this subject involves.

Three Vital Considerations

As a background for this presentation, let us keep in mind some considerations that are fundamental, and which must be recognized and believed, despite isolated Biblical references that might appear diffi­cult to harmonize. These we will list briefly as follows:

The Deity of Christ

Several scriptures in both the Old and the New Testament emphasize the deity of our Lord. In Isaiah 9:6 the Messiah is called "the mighty God." The Jews of old recognized this text as applying to the Mes­siah: "'I have yet to raise up the Messiah,' of whom it is written, For a child is born to us (Isa. 18:5)." "His name has been called from of old, Wonderful counsellor, Mighty God, He who lives forever, the Anointed one (or, Messiah)."

In Jeremiah 23:6 Gad the Father calls God the Messiah "The Lord our Right­eousness." The Jews recognized Jeremiah 23:5, 6 also as applying to the Messiah. In the Talmud we read: "[As regards] the Messiah—it is written: And this is the name whereby he shall be called, The Lord is our righteousness" (Jer. 23:6).²

Psalm 45:6, 7 reads: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever."

That this applies to Christ our Lord is seen in Hebrews 1:8, 9 where the passage mentions that God says this to His Son. Again, we find the Jewish writings apply­ing this to the Messiah:

"This Psalm came to be understood as referring to King Messiah. . . . Thy throne, O God, appears to be the obvious transla­tion." Thomas called Christ "My Lord and my God" (John 20:28), and in Romans 9:5, Paul says: "And from among whom (the seed of David) Messiah appeared in the flesh, who is God over all." (Syriac tr.)

The truth of the deity of Christ is stressed over and over again in the writings of El­len G. White. We read:

Jehovah [LORD - YAHWEH] is the name given to Christ. "Behold, God is my salvation," writes the prophet Isaiah; "I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord JEHOVAH is my strength and song; He also is become my salvation.'

He [Jesus] shared the lot of man; yet He was the blameless Son of God. He was God in the flesh.⁸

The apostle would call our attention from our­selves to the Author of our salvation. He presents before us His two natures, divine and human. Here is the description of the divine: "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God." He was "the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person."

Now, of the human: "He was made in the likeness of man: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death." He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was His own act, and by His own consent. He clothed His divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but He did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity which had com­manded the homage, and called forth the admira­tion, of the universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but He divested Himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes He became poor,that we through His poverty might be made rich. He laid aside His glory and His majesty. He was God, but the glories of the form of God He for a while relinquished....

As a member of the human family He was mortal, but as a God He was the fountain of life to the world. He could, in His divine person, ever have withstood the advances of death, and refused to come under its dominion; but He voluntarily laid down His life, that in so doing He might give life and bring immortality to light. He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty which rolled like a mountain upon His divine soul. He yielded up His life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by His own free will..

What humility was this! It amazed angels. The tongue can never describe it; the imagination can­not take it in. The eternal Word consented to be made flesh! God became man! It was a wonderful humility."

The Pre-existence of Christ

This is stressed in such scriptures as John 8:58 where Jesus said: "Before Abra­ham was, I am." And in chapter 17:5 He prayed: "Glorify thou me ... with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." In John 1:1 we read: "The WORD existed in the beginning and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God" (Fenton).

The following from the writings of El­len G. White should be noted:

With solemn dignity Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM.

Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been prom­ised to Israel, "whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity." "

The world was made by Him, "and without Him was not anything made that was made." If Christ made all things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God es­sentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forever­more."

"Before Abraham was, I am." Christ is the pre­existent, self-existent Son of God. The message He gave to Moses to give to the children of Israel was, "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." . . . In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellow­ship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him.""

The Eternity of Christ

Evidence of the eternal nature of our Lord is seen in the following scriptures: He is "from the days of eternity" (Micah 5:2, margin); He is "from everlasting, from the beginning" (Prov. 8:23); He is "Alpha and Omega, . . . the first and the last" (Rev. 22:13).

Notice also the following pertinent re­marks:

From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was "the image of God," the image of His greatness and majesty, "the outshining of His glory." ¹⁴

The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly in­telligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right. This was no rob­bery of God."

There are light and glory in the truth that Christ was one with the Father before the founda­tion of the world was laid. This is the light shining in a dark place, making it resplendent with divine, original glory. This truth, infinitely mysterious in itself, explains other mysterious and otherwise un­explainable truths, while it is enshrined in light, unapproachable and incomprehensible.¹⁵

These three considerations are basic and fundamental; they should be kept in mind when meditating on such expressions as "only begotten," "firstborn," "first begot­ten," et cetera. As we have already seen, Christ the Messiah is referred to several times by such terms as "begotten," "only begotten," "firstborn," "first begotten."

In view of these vital and important truths concerning the deity, pre-existence, and the eternity of the Son of God, it must be apparent that the terms mentioned above can have no final and complete re­lationship to what we know as birth, or be­ing born of human generation. To urge such a concept would postulate beginning, that there was a time when He was not; but that there came a historic point when He became—all of which would certainly conflict with the Biblical data that our Lord is eternal.

In the articles that follow, we shall give study to the expressions, "firstborn," "only begotten," "begotten." We shall think of these terms, not only as they are translated in our King James Version, but shall ob­serve also the significance of the words as they are used in the language in which the New Testament was first written.