From His birth, Jesus was both the Son of man, and Son of God. He was the Son of man by reason of being born of a human mother, named Mary. Through the law of heredity He inherited from His mother what other children inherit from a mother, namely, mortality. Mortality may briefly be defined as a sin-death physical constitution, or flesh and blood nature.
Same flesh and Blood
The flesh of Christ was of the same physical substance as others, Heb. 2:14. The chemical properties of His blood were identical to those of all others. He came in the flesh (1 John 4:3), in the sense that He possessed the same flesh of sin that others possess, (Rom. 8:3). He was in all things made like unto His brethren, so that His physical nature was the same as those whom He came to redeem, (Heb. 2:17). He was tempted in all points like us by the impulses of sin in His members, yet without transgression, Heb. 2:18. These physical features qualified Him to be a representative sin bearer for others. Being a Son of man qualified Him to represent man.
Not a Mere Man
If we were to stop here and say no more, or if we were to affirm that Christ was no different from other men in ANY Respect; or if we were to declare that Christ had nothing more than other men in His physical and mental makeup, we would be reducing the status of Christ to that of a mere man. We know that Christ was more than just a mere man. He was the Son of God, as well as the Son of man. Mary was his mother, God was his Father. Christ was begotten of God. His begettal was a divine act. It was a miracle. Nature could never have produced an individual comparable to Christ. It was the direct work of the Holy Spirit! He is the ONLY begotten Son of God, John 3:16.
He is unique, one of a kind. He is the first begotten Son of God, and the last to be begotten in this way, (Heb. 1:5; Rev. 1:11.) There was both a human and a divine aspect of Christ. It was the divine begettal that made Him the Son of God, Luke 1:32. He was Emmanuel: God with us, (Matt. 1:23) or God manifested in the flesh, (1 Tim. 3:16). A child receives something from both parents. We know what He received from his mother. What divine qualities did He receive from His Father? Whatever He received from His Father as the result of His begettal by the Holy Spirit, must have manifested itself through the flesh of Christ, because, apart from the flesh, or body, He did not personally exist.
Divinely Superior
We stress the likeness of Christ to His brethren when battling the doctrine of the Trinity, but we must not in doing so make Him a mere man. If there was a likeness, there was also a difference. This difference consisted of His superiority. He was divinely superior. David in Spirit called Him Lord, Psa. 110:1. He is our Lord and Master. What was there about His begettal that made him divinely superior? Anything? Or nothing?
The Veil, His Flesh
In Heb. 10:20 we have a statement that may enlighten us on this. There the writer refers to the veil of the tabernacle, and makes it signify the flesh of Christ. He speaks of “the veil, that is to say, his flesh.” The veil was the curtain of the Mosaic tabernacle which separated the holy from the most holy compartment. The veil typified, or represented, the flesh of Christ at the time he gave himself as an offering for sin.
If we turn to Ex. 26:31 we find that the veil was a composite fabric. It was a composition of various colors and materials. The colors and materials used, tell us something about the flesh of Christ. There was blended in Christ all of the elements foreshadowed by the different colors and materials of the veil. It was the work of intricate and skillful design. In this we see that the flesh of Christ was divinely formed, and divinely handled, in such a way that God through it could accomplish his plan and purpose in bringing Him into existence, 1 Jo. 3:5.
It was to be of “blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning (or skilled) work: with cherubim’s shall it be made” (with cherub design skillfully embroidered, Berkeley Version). In the blue we see his heavenliness, his divine origin. He came down from heaven (John 3:13). “I came down from heaven” (John 6:38,51). “I am from above,” (John 8:23). These expressions refer to His divine begettal. In the purple we see royalty. He was to be a royal personage. When asked if he were a king, He replied, “To this end was I born,” (John 18:37). In the scarlet we see Christ’s relationship to sin, “He was made sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21), in being given a physical constitution, or make up of sin, and in being treated as a sinner. The fine twined linen speaks of righteousness (Rev. 19:8); a special righteousness skillfully wrought, or performed, under the direction of divine instruction. In the cherubic embroidery on the veil, we see the Divine Glory that was manifested by God through Him, John 1:14.
Specially Prepared
To produce the personage foreshadowed by the veil, a divine begettal by the Holy Spirit was essential. No mere seedling of Adam could ever have fulfilled this ritual prophecy. Only an individual especially prepared and fitted for his task by God, could accomplish what was signified.
There is a prophecy in the Psalms (139:13-16) concerning the conception of Christ in the womb of Mary. In the Rev. Std. Ver. we read, “For thou didst form my inward parts, thou didst knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise thee for thou are fearful and wonderful. Wonderful are thy works! Thou knowest me right well: my frame was not hidden from thee, when I was made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth. (Earth in relation to God’s dwelling place is referred to as “the depth,” while heaven in relation to the earth is referred to as “the height above.” Is. 7:11) Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance; in thy book were written, everyone of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.”
The Finished Product
The divine begettal was the beginning. In the veil we see the finished product. There was the forming, the shaping, and the finishing or polishing process in the formation of the character of Christ Without the basic ingredients there can be no finished product. And the basic ingredients, or materials must be blended together correctly, and proportionately, if the desired result is achieved. So it was with Christ. In the forming of the flesh substance of Christ in the womb of Mary, something must have been done to make Christ divinely superior to others in being able to combat sin, and emerge victorious over it. What was done? In what did his superiority over others consist? In what special way was he fitted for his struggle against the impulses of sin? He obviously possessed whatever was necessary to enable him to conquer sin by rendering perfect obedience, something others could not do.
The Mind of Christ
When we look at the members of the body of Christ such as feet, legs, arms, heart, and lungs we do not see them as being superior to the members of others. But when we come to the head and look at the seat of intelligence and thought, we see something greatly superior emanating therefrom. It was in his mental makeup that Christ was so divinely superior to others. He possessed a mental capacity that exceedingly surpassed that of all others. It was in his brain power that the distinguishing feature of Christ was evidenced. It has been said that the reason why some are naturally mentally superior to others, is because of the better natural arrangement of the molecules of the brain cells. A misplaced molecule can interfere with the brain’s ability to think. Now in the case of Christ, where so much was to depend upon his mental capacity, (His ability to think and reason in harmony with the mind and will, and purpose of God), is it to be supposed that God would leave to chance arrangement, or emplacement of the molecules of the brain cells? Or would God in forming the brain (which is the organ of thought and reason) arrange the cells in such a manner that as a result, Christ would possess a divinely superior mind which would enable him to develop a sensitivity or consciousness, toward God’s law to the extent that it would be possible for him to avoid mistakes of ignorance, and other mistakes due to lack of sufficient knowledge? The formation of the brain of Christ, and its relation to his nervous system, required the skillful and unerring hand of God.
To avoid making mistakes due to ignorance, it would be imperative for Christ to be amply informed of God’s requirements of him. This accumulated development of knowledge would have to start at a very early age, if he were to avoid the sins of youth. To build a knowledge equal to the requirement, would necessitate a mental capacity far superior to that possessed by anyone else of the human race.
There was also the factor of environment. This was positively necessary. He was instructed and taught the law of God in his home, and also he was instructed and taught God’s way by his Father. So he was specially prepared for his task of overcoming sin, both hereditarily and environmentally; and also at his baptism he was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure. He was from this point on a full manifestation of God in or through the flesh, and was qualified to offer himself as a perfect sacrifice.
Was it Unfair?
It may be objected that if Christ were equipped with something in his struggle against sin that others do not have it would have disqualified Him from being a true representative for others, because it would have made him a different kind of person, thus making the contest an unfair one! But it is to be borne in mind that there was no interference with the will, or desire, or freedom of choice for Christ. He was not forced, or compelled. It was a voluntary submission to the will of God. He was specially equipped and prepared for the task, but the choosing of that which was right was his responsibility. He knew just when a thought or act was about to become a sin, and was able to check it.
It was not so much the question of possessing something that others do not (though this was true), but rather the fact that he was divinely superior to all others. This superiority did not disqualify him. It was essential because he was called upon to perform a work that others could not do. His obedience had to be absolutely perfect. There could be no forgiveness for any of his mistakes. With us it is different.
If Christ had to be exactly, and precisely as we are, and in no respect different from us in order to be our representative sin bearer, then obviously, he would have had to be a sinner. This however would have disqualified him, because a sinner can neither redeem himself nor others. If the possession of something that others do not have (by reason of his divine begettal) would be an unfair advantage in helping him to overcome sin by rendering a perfect obedience to God’s requirements, (because it would constitute a difference from us), then why wouldn’t his being anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure at his baptism do likewise, seeing that none but he has experienced this? Why should something extra given to him at his begettal tend to disqualify him as a representative, but something extra given him at his baptism would not? Why the one and not the other?
Choosing the Good, Refusing the Evil
Apart from the mind, attitude, and disposition of Christ toward God’s will, all of his ability would have counted for nothing. He was given the capability, but he had to do the choosing of the good, and the refusing of the evil. There was in him the blending of both the ability and the inexorable, or unyielding desire to render perfect obedience. The amazing part of the work of Christ was his unqualified, and unreserved acceptance of God’s requirements of him! It was this that endeared him so to God. It was this that earned him the title of “BELOVED” Son. His attitude and desire was foreknown, and was foretold in a Psalm. “I delight to do thy will, 0 my God: yea thy law is within my heart.” (Psa. 40:8). He said, “My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work,” (John 4:34). It was not a work of experiment. God foreknew the results, (Acts 15:18).
So he possessed both the ability, and the desire to perform the work that God had appointed him to do. His righteousness, developed through obedience, was his own. But he did not accomplish it however, on his own, or apart from God’s help. It took the closest cooperation between himself and his Father to be successful in overcoming sin.
Obedience Required
If God required perfect obedience from us as a condition of eternal life, we would all be eliminated. We render obedience to God, but only in the comparative, not in the absolute sense. Our righteousness is only comparative, not absolute. No matter how much we may desire to render perfect obedience, we cannot, because we do not possess the ability to do so. We often lack the wisdom to choose what is right. We make mistakes, we require forgiveness, 1 John 1:8. Paul writing to the Galatians believers tells them, “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye Cannot do the things that ye would,” (Gal. 5:17). And so it is.
Why then, it may be asked, does God command us not to sin, when it is not possible for us to entirely cease from it? It is only logical that God forbids us to sin. To do otherwise would be to permit sin. God never permits, or condones sin. It is never all right to sin. Every sin must be accounted for and forgiven by God, if we are to enter into the Kingdom. One unforgiven sin would bar our entrance into the kingdom.
What God wants from us
God wants us to put forth our best effort to obey Him. We cannot render perfect obedience, no matter how much we may desire to do so. But we can reduce our sins to a minimum. And we can succeed in pleasing Him to the point where He will forgive us our shortcomings and imperfections. We can render an acceptable degree of obedience, and we can be comparatively righteous. And this we must. If we try He will help us to succeed.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One