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This is the Second London Baptist 
Confession of Faith, Chapter 8, beginning paragraph 1. It pleased God in His eternal 
purpose to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten 
Son, according to the covenant made between them both, to be 
the mediator between God and man. the prophet, priest, and 
king, head and savior of the church, the heir of all things, 
and judge of the world, unto whom he did from all eternity 
give a people to be his seed and to be by him in time redeemed, 
called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. The Son of God, 
the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal 
God, the brightness of the Father's glory, of one substance and equal 
with him who made the world, who upholdeth and governeth all 
things he hath made, did, when the fullness of time was come, 
take upon him man's nature, with all the essential properties 
and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin, being conceived 
by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the Holy 
Spirit coming down upon her, and the power of the Most High 
overshadowing her, and so was made of a woman of the tribe 
of Judah, of the seed of Abraham and David, according to the scriptures, 
so that two whole perfect and distinct natures were inseparably 
joined together in one person without conversion, composition, 
or confusion. Which person is very God and 
very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and 
man? The Lord Jesus, in his human nature thus united to the divine, 
in the person of the Son, was sanctified and anointed with 
the Holy Spirit above measure, having in him all the treasures 
of wisdom and knowledge. in whom it pleased the Father 
that all fullness should dwell, to the end that being wholly 
harmless, undefiled, and full of grace and truth, he might 
be thoroughly furnished to execute the office of mediator and surety, 
which office he took not upon himself, but was thereunto called 
by his Father, who also put all power and judgment in his hand 
and gave him commandment to execute the same. So you'll remember 
last time we introduced the topic of Christology. We introduced 
this study that we're doing in Chapter 8 of Christ the Mediator 
by first noting what Christology is. It is, of course, the study 
of or the doctrine of Christ, His person and His work. We looked 
at the importance of Christology, or maybe more specifically, the 
importance of the knowledge of Christ with respect to many things. understanding of and interpretation 
of the scriptures, the preaching of the gospel, the importance 
with regards to salvation, and the importance with regards to 
practical Christianity. Well, we're going to begin this 
time by looking at the confession in Christology very briefly, 
an outline of the confession, and some observations at this 
chapter, chapter 8, and then we'll get into a look at the 
person of Christ, the deity, and the humanity. We noted last 
time that we are going to spend two Sundays looking at the person 
of Christ and the Incarnation. So that's what we're doing today, 
beginning today. We're going to begin by a reading 
of the word of the living and true God from the Gospel of John. 
So you can turn there if you have your Bibles at the ready. 
We'll turn to John chapter 1 and read here with respect to the 
person of Christ, His deity, His humanity, and no doubt his 
incarnation. John 1, and we're going to read it in sort of a chopped up fashion. 
John 1, 1 to 3, then verse 14 and verses 17 and 18. So here we go, John 1, 1-3, In 
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the 
Word was God. He was in the beginning with 
God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing 
was made that was made. Verse 14, And the Word became 
flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory 
as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. And verse 17, for the law was 
given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus 
Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten son who is 
in the bosom of the father, he has declared him. And as was 
our style last Lord's Day will begin as well with a quote from 
Spurgeon with regards to the importance of the study of Christianity. 
This time a different quote, excuse me, with regards to the 
study of Christology, this time a different quote. Christians 
have many treasures to lock up in the cabinet of memory. They 
ought to remember their election, chosen of God, ere time began. They ought to be mindful of their 
extraction, that they were taken out of the miry clay, hewn out 
of the horrible pit. They ought to recollect their 
effectual calling for they were called of God and rescued by 
the power of the Holy Ghost. They ought to remember their 
special deliverances, all that has been done for them and all 
the mercies bestowed on them. But there is one whom they should 
embalm in their souls with the most costly spices, one who above 
all other gifts of God deserves to be had in perpetual remembrance. One, I said, for I mean not an 
act, I mean not a deed, but it is a person whose portrait I 
would frame in gold and hang up in the stateroom of the soul. 
I would have you earnest students of all the deeds of the conquering 
Messiah. I would have you conversant with 
the life of our beloved. But oh, forget not his person. 
It is Christ's glorious person which ought to be the object 
of our remembrance. And so that's what we're studying, 
the person of Christ and the incarnation. We're going to look 
at the deity and the humanity of Christ in a few moments. But 
notice with regards to the confession, we have in paragraph 1 of chapter 
8, almost a Christological summary of the entire confession. Notice 
what we read here, because the Christocentrism of the confession 
is clear throughout the chapters of the confession itself, but 
notice specifically in paragraph 1 of chapter 8, it's almost as 
if we're given a Christological a Christocentric summary of the 
entire confession. It pleased God in His eternal 
purpose to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus. There we have 
chapters 2 and 3 brought out before us. It pleased God. Chapter 
2 concerns God essentially, God transcendentally and God in His 
triune glory. Notice as well, we have chapter 
3 with regards to the decree in His eternal purpose and to 
choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son. Again, 
the stuff of chapter 2, specifically paragraph 3 in the Trinity, according 
to the covenant made between them both, chapter 7. Remember, 
chapter 8 follows chapter 7. In chapter 7, we have the covenant 
And in chapter 8, we have the mediator of that covenant. The 
prophet, priest, and king. Well, to be the mediator between 
God and man, there we have no doubt other things, but chapter 
6 in the background with respect to the fall of man and sin. The prophet, priest, and king, 
head and savior of the church. There we have really chapters 
19 through 30. Christ as the head and savior 
of the church. He is the giver of the law. He 
is the head of the church, the one who sovereignly gives and 
ordains the ordinances of the church. He is the heir of all 
things and judge of the world, chapters 31 and 32, unto whom 
he did from all eternity give a people to be his seed and to 
be by him in time redeemed, called, justified, sanctified, and glorified. 
There we have chapters 9 through 18, the application of the saving 
work of the Lord Jesus Christ in time and in history. So here 
in chapter 8, paragraph 1, we have again something of a Christocentric 
summary of the entire confession. The outline of this chapter can 
be outlined this way. The ordaining of the mediator, 
that's paragraph 1, The Identity and Incarnation of the Mediator, 
that's paragraph 2. The Divine Preparation of the 
Mediator, that's paragraph 3. The Perfect Performance of the 
Mediator, paragraphs 4 to 8. And then lastly, the Exclusivity 
and Necessity of the Mediator, and in his respective offices. 
The London Baptist Confession of Faith here in chapter 8 has 
added two paragraphs, paragraphs 9 and 10. We won't read them, 
but if you have a look there, paragraphs 9 and 10 deal with 
the mediator, Christ Jesus, specifically at the point of his offices, 
prophet, priest, and king. And the exclusivity and necessity 
of those offices. It is only true that Christ can 
be this mediator, prophet, priest, and king. No one else can exercise 
or execute that office save for Christ. And then the necessity 
brought out in paragraph 10. The Westminster and the Savoy 
do not have these paragraphs. The Baptists improved upon the 
chapter in their framing of the Confession. in 1677. As well, they added in paragraph 
2 a bunch of language speaking specifically concerning the incarnation. They added more data, more biblical 
data with regards to the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ. And 
just a reminder before we get into a study first of the deity 
of Christ, the Confession's affinity with, its harmony with, the early 
church doctrinal formulations. The Baptists, following the Presbyterians 
and the Congregationalists before them, the Baptists were not novel 
in their formulations of the doctrine of Christ, just like 
the Reformers before them. you know, a couple generations 
before them, just like the Reformers, they were not trying to be novel 
in their doctrine. The Reformers weren't trying 
to be novel when they were reforming, but rather they were trying to 
reform. They weren't trying to launch 
a new religion, they were trying to reform Christianity. And at 
the time of the Reformation, Luther, Calvin, and many of the 
Reformers would speak with great strength and vigor that they 
are upholding the early church's formulations specifically at 
the point of the doctrine of Christ and the Trinity. So here 
in the Confession of Faith in chapter 8, the Baptists with 
their language are not being novel. In fact, they are in many 
ways recapitulating or restating almost verbatim the early church 
creeds with regards to the doctrine of Christ. And we'll look at 
that now as we get into a study of the deity of Christ. Remember, 
we're looking at the person of Christ, and when we look at the 
person of Christ, we must note the deity of Christ. So what 
do we mean? First off, under the deity of 
Christ, what do we mean when we say the deity of Christ? First, what we do not mean. It's 
always good to do this, to eliminate things, to divest ourselves, 
empty our minds of any false notions and that sort of thing. 
When we ask a positive question, it's good to engage in some negative 
theology to get rid of certain things from our minds and from 
our understanding. What we do not mean when we say 
the deity of Christ. First, we do not mean that he 
is one God among many in a pantheon of deities. When we speak of 
the divinity or the deity of Christ, that's not what we're 
saying. We're not saying that there are a number of deities, 
however many there may be, whether two or three or more, and Christ 
is one of those. When we say the deity of Christ, 
we are not saying that He is one God among many in a pantheon 
of deities. When we studied the doctrine 
of God, we noted the unity of singularity with regards to God. His essence cannot be multiplied 
His essence cannot be divided, but rather His unity of simplicity 
demands that there is only one God, the unity of singularity. 
There can only be one living and true God. When we say the 
deity of Christ, we are not saying that He is of a similar or derived 
substance as the Father. So He has deity, He has divinity, 
but it's just like the Father. That's not what we're saying. 
We're not saying that it is similar or derived substance, Christ, 
in His divinity, as with the Father. We are not saying, thirdly, 
when we say the deity of Christ, we are not saying that He is 
divine in the sense of being filled with the Holy Ghost. There 
are some who would say, well, you see, the divinity of Christ 
or the deity of Christ is seen only in this, that God bestowed 
upon the man Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit above measure, and 
therefore he can be spoken of as being divine, but he is not 
truly God. That is, of course, not what 
we are saying. When we say the deity of Christ, 
we are not saying that He is an exalted man, His divinity 
being a result of being in some way chosen or honored by the 
Father. That's a silly Blasphemy, of 
course, propagated by the enemies of Christ and his gospel and 
our God, that he is just an exalted man and that his divinity is 
just seen in this, that God the Father has bestowed on him some 
honor or some favorable choosing. When we say the deity of Christ, 
we're not saying that he merited divinity by virtue of his obedience, 
a la Mormonism, that he was a man who became deified and became 
a god by virtue of his submission and obedience to the Father. We're not saying, when we say 
the deity of Christ, we're not saying that as the personification 
of an impersonal logos, he was an enfleshed agent of God, and 
so can be called God in some ambassadorial way. There are 
some messianic Jews who would subscribe to that, as well as 
other cults and weird religions would subscribe to some notion 
of Christ that his divinity is simply seen in that he is an 
ambassador of God, an agent of Yahweh who is, you know, the 
Logos spoken of in John 1.1 was prior to the incarnation an impersonal 
word or logic in God that became in flesh by divine power at the 
conception in Mary's virginal womb. That's not what we're saying, 
of course, when we speak with regards to the deity of Christ. 
What do we mean then? What do we mean then? Well, first 
off, you can turn back to chapter 2 in your confession to see what 
we mean when we say the deity of Christ. Remember, we arrive 
at chapter 8 in the confession, and that's not the first time 
we have bumped up against the doctrine of Christ in the confession, 
but rather here in chapter 2, in paragraph 3, we have our first 
introduction to Christology. Paragraph 3 of chapter 2, in 
this divine and infinite being there are three subsistences, 
the Father, the Word or Son, and Holy Spirit of one substance, 
power, and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet 
the essence undivided. So what do we mean by the deity 
of Christ? Well, we mean what's going on 
here and what's being stated in chapter 2 of the confession. In chapter 2 of the confession, 
Paragraph one, we have God in his essential glory. Everything, 
all of those attributes and things described of God with regards 
to his nature and being. We have paragraph two, the transcendent 
relations of God to men. and reciprocally men to God, 
owing him service, worship, obedience as creatures unto the creator. And then in paragraph three, 
we have the triune nature, the triune majesty of God. Notice 
again, in this divine and infinite being, So the God brought out 
in paragraphs 1 and 2, there are three subsistences, the Father, 
the Word or Son, and the Holy Spirit. But you see, this is 
not a triune God that is divided into three, the essence divided 
into three, but rather, these three are of one substance, power 
and eternity, each having the whole divine essence, yet the 
essence undivided. So finding your way back then 
to chapter 8 and paragraph 2, Chapter 8 and paragraph 2. Well, 
first off, paragraph 1, we notice here the deity of Christ with 
regards to the statement, His only begotten Son, in chapter 
8. It pleased God in His eternal 
purpose to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten 
Son. Remember, that's not a reference 
to being brought forth in the incarnation. That's not the language 
of being birthed. That's not the language of being 
created, but is the language of paragraph three of chapter 
two, where the father is not begotten nor proceeding from 
any, and the son is begotten eternally of the father. So it 
speaks to the internal, the ad intra relationship of the triune 
God and the persons specifically in that one God, the son to the 
father. the Father to the Son. The Father 
begets the Son eternally, the Son is eternally begotten of 
the Father. In paragraph 2 then, though we 
have more language here elaborating on the fact that Christ, the 
fact of Christ's deity. So when we say the deity of Christ, 
we mean what we read here in paragraph 2, the Son of God, 
the second person in the Holy Trinity, being very and eternal 
God, the brightness of the Father's glory of one substance and equal 
with him who made the world, who upholdeth and governeth all 
things he hath made." That is what we are saying when we speak 
with regards to the deity of Christ and we'll elaborate on 
that as we now look to the scriptures. But just to summarize and to 
remind ourselves everything predicated of God in chapter 2 paragraphs 
1 and 2 are and should be predicated of each of the persons of the 
triune God. So when we read paragraphs 1 
and 2, the glory of God is His immensity, His invisibility, 
the fact that He is simple without body parts and passions, the 
fact that He is eternal, the glorious, all those things that 
the Confession says with regards to God, and paragraph two, that 
He does not depend on anything that He has made, nor does He 
derive any glory from them, but He is wholly independent, and 
in Himself, God. Well, all of those things are 
and should be predicated of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Those things 
aren't divided and dispersed. Those things aren't taken, some 
of them applied to the Father, some taken applied only to the 
Son, some taken and applied only to the Spirit, but are true of 
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit without division and without 
any confusion. So looking then at the Bible 
with regards to the deity of Christ, we want to note a number 
of things. First off, the deity of Christ 
is proved by Christ's self-identification. You can turn to the Gospel of 
John. The deity of Christ proved by 
Christ's self-identification. We could go to many texts as 
we're noting these various things under the deity of Christ. We're 
not exhausting texts. We're only going to a handful 
under each observation in order to see the glory of Christ in 
his deity. In John 8, 58, we have Christ's 
self-identification as God. Notice beginning in verse 57 
of John 8, then the Jews said to him, you are not yet 50 years 
old and you have seen Abraham. And Jesus said to them, most 
assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am. Now you may see in your Bibles 
there the I am capitalized in all caps, and that's for good 
reason. Because you see, we don't have 
Christ here simply saying, most assuredly, I say to you, before 
Abraham was, I was. If some of these heretics are 
right, they're not. But if some of these heretics 
are right, it might have been that Jesus was just saying, before 
Abraham was, I was. I had a similar or like substance 
as the Father. I did not have the same the same 
divinity, the same substance as the Father, but a like substance. I was like God, but not really 
the living and true God. Well here, not only is Christ 
saying that before Abraham was, I existed and pre-existed, but 
before Abraham was, and then he uses that name that is only 
given to Yahweh, to the living and true God, to the God of the 
armies of Israel, I Am. He says, Ego Ami, he uses that 
language that God gives only to himself. Before Abraham was, 
I Am. Christ, God, or God the Son, 
Just like the father has life in himself, he exists. It can 
only be said of God, I exist in and of myself. And so before 
Abraham was, yes, Christ was, but more to the point, more gloriously 
to the point, before Abraham was, I am. He is saying that 
He is God. And we see this clearly by what 
happens next, don't we? Verse 59, Then they took up stones 
to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple, 
going through the midst of them, and so passed by. They knew what 
Christ was saying when He said, Before Abraham was, I am. You could also note John 13, 
19 and John 18, 5 to 8, using the same language and the same 
force of the language, especially in the John 18, 5 to 8 verse 
there, where we see the people are thrown back because of the 
glory and the majesty of Christ in his declaration of being, 
I am. And, of course, by virtue of 
his divine power. So the deity of Christ proved 
by Christ's self-identification. Secondly, the deity of Christ 
proved by Christ's equality with the Father. Many times in John's 
gospel, we have Christ stating his equality with God the Father. In John 5.17, for example, we 
read, But Jesus answered them, My father has been working until 
now, and I have been working. Also in John 5.21, for as the 
Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son 
gives life to whom He will. You see the equality that Christ 
has with God the Father there. Just as the Father gives life 
to the dead, even so the Son gives life to whom He will. There is equality there stated 
by Christ with regards to the relationship between he and the 
father. In John 8 we have more language 
with regards to equality in verse 38. I speak what I have seen 
with my father and you do what you have seen with your father. We see it as well in John 10 
verses 15 and 20. John 10, 15 and 20. Notice here, 
as the Father knows me, even so I know the Father, and I lay 
down my life for the sheep. Notice what it says, as the Father 
knows me, even so I know the Father. You see this reciprocal 
parallel. and equality there just as the 
father knows me so I know the father and also verse 30 I said 
verse 20 I think I believe I meant to say verse 30 very clear statement 
with regards to union I and my father are one as well John 17 
5 remember in the high priestly prayer of the Lord Jesus Christ 
we read these words And now, O Father, glorify me together 
with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the 
world was." Only one who is truly God, and not a separate God, 
not a lesser God, but only one who is truly God, having the 
essence undivided with Father and Spirit, can say, O now, Father, 
glorify me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with 
You before the world was. As well in Philippians 2 we have 
a statement that speaks with regards to Christ's equality 
with the Father and you should know this passage well because 
I think in many occasions whether preaching or in teaching we've 
had occasion to note the glory of the Christology presented 
here by the Apostle Paul. Notice in verse 6 of Philippians 
2 speaking of Christ who being in the form of God did not consider 
it robbery to be equal with God. Remember how we've properly explained 
this verse before. You see, Paul doesn't say Jesus 
Christ, who being God, though he could have, but he says who 
being in the form of God. And the reason that he does this 
is because it's compared or contrasted, if you will, in the condescension 
that follows Christ is in the form of a bondservant. So being 
truly in the form of God, he is by virtue of the incarnation 
in the form of a bondservant. But it's also to stress the point 
of humility to the Philippian Christians. They were on an equal 
footing, one with another. So they were not to be puffed 
up in their pride, one over another, but rather in their equality, 
they were to be of like mind in lowliness of spirit, putting 
each other's interests ahead of those of their own. And so 
Paul rightly comes and he writes, and he says Christ, who being 
on equal footing with God the Father, nevertheless did not 
grasp on to, hold on to that equality that he had with God, 
but condescended and came in accordance with the covenant 
made between them both, that he might be the mediator between 
God and men. And so all of that to say we 
have equality there stated equal with God. We have thirdly the 
deity of Christ proved by explicit statements of his deity. Back 
to the Gospel of John because there we have two. At least only 
two that we're going to observe. John 1.1 we started by reading 
that passage and We have there explicit statements of His deity. An explicit statement of His 
deity in John 1. In the beginning was the Word, 
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. An absolutely beautiful and packed 
verse. Because not only do we have distinction 
between Christ, the Word, and the Father, but we have unity. We have the statement that the 
Word is, by its very nature, deity. In the beginning was the 
Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. We have 
eternality, as far back as we can say God existed, or time, 
or not time was, but as far back as we can go, the Word existed. And we know that that is eternal 
pre-existence. And the Word was with God. It 
is not a Unitarian God that we worship. The Word was with God, 
and the Word was God. A clear statement that the Word 
We read later, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, verse 
14. Verse 17, for the law was given 
through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Word. The 
Word was at the beginning. The Word was with God, and yet 
the Word was God. An explicit and clear statement 
with regards to Trinity and unity, but as well as to the deity of 
the Lord Jesus Christ. Also in John 20, 28, and you 
probably know what we have there, that wonderful statement by, 
that wonderful declaration by Thomas. Wonderful declaration 
by Thomas, and we read there in John 20 and 28. And Thomas answered and said 
to him, my Lord and my God, Remember, previously we read in verse 27, 
Jesus saying to Thomas, reach your finger here and look at 
my hands, and reach your hand here and put it into my side. 
Do not be unbelieving, but believing. And Thomas answered and said 
to him, my Lord and my God. This is what Raymond says with 
regards to this at one point here. quoting, I believe it's 
Warfield, Thomas' confession of Jesus as his Lord and God 
is the supreme Christological pronouncement of the fourth gospel. Actually, I apologize, that's 
not Warfield, that's someone else. If you want to know, I 
can let you know. someone said it Thomas's confession of Jesus 
as his Lord and God is the supreme Christological pronouncement 
of the fourth gospel here within a week of Jesus resurrection 
in the presence of the other disciples who would surely have 
learned from Thomas's words in Jesus and Jesus's favorable response 
the appropriateness of doing so that is saying to Christ my 
Lord and my God a Disciple for the first time employs theos 
as a Christological title this demonstrates that there is no 
basis in fact for the view of some form critical scholars that 
the church only gradually came to the view of of an incarnational 
Christology. Christians virtually from the 
beginning believed that in Jesus they had to do with God incarnate. The deity of Christ proved by 
explicit statements of his deity as well. You can note Romans 
9.5, Titus 2.13, and 2 Peter 1.1. It's very important to understand 
in the Romans 9.5 and in these other 
verses as well. that the translation that we 
have in the New King James is legitimate. The punctuation, 
the statements given, in opposition to those translations that differentiate 
between God and either the Savior Christ or whatever the language 
is, we have clear statements of His deity. Notice in Romans 
9.5, speaking of Christ, of whom are the fathers and from whom, 
according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally 
blessed God. Amen. A very high Christology 
that Paul brings out here. Christ came, who is over all, 
the eternally blessed God. Amen. And then in Titus 2.13, 
we have another verse that speaks very strongly to the deity of 
Christ. Now again, depending on your 
translation, yours may not give proper disclosure to the proper 
translation. And the deity of Christ, not 
that your translations are anti-deity of Christ, they're not. It just 
means that you have to go out and buy a new King James Version 
of the Bible. I'm not binding anyone's conscience 
at all. But here we have Titus 2.13. Notice, looking for the 
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus 
Christ. The defense of the translation 
of this verse is seen elsewhere in the Pauline Epistles, where 
the same putting together of articles and titles of God and 
Savior Jesus Christ, etc., is quite clear. It's quite strong. 
Here, the proper translation, no doubt, and proper rendering 
is our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, as well in 2 Peter 
1.1. 2nd Peter 1.1 we have the same statement. Remember we're 
dealing with explicit statements of Christ's deity. Simon Peter 
a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ to those who have 
obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness 
of our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Clear statements with regards 
to the deity of the Lord Jesus. Next, we have the deity of Christ 
proved by Old Testament Yahweh verses applied to Christ. And I'll just read some of these 
for you. Not the actual verses, but the 
scripture citations. Again, this is the deity of Christ 
proved by Old Testament Yahweh verses applied to Christ. We have Hebrews 1.10-12, which 
quotes Psalm 102.25, to 27 with regards to Yahweh 
being applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. In Romans 10.13 we have 
Joel 2.32 cited that by the name of the Lord everyone who confesses 
that Jesus Christ is Lord by Christ or by that profession 
you are saved. Acts 2 as well, the same connection 
is drawn. He who calls on the name of the 
Lord shall be saved. And there we have specifically 
the Old Testament Yahweh applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. Revelation 
1, 8 and 11 where we have the first and the last, the Alpha 
and Omega, Revelation 2.8 as well, and 22.12-13, the connection 
there is to the Old Testament passage Isaiah 44.6, where the 
first and the last, I am the first and the last, is spoken 
by Yahweh. In the New Testament it is applied 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. And then we have that wonderful 
passage, don't we, in John 12.40-41, where in the background is Isaiah's 
vision in Isaiah 6, 1 to 3. Remember what's going on. And 
this is not to pick one as being more important than the others. 
But it is a very important verse. Remember what's going on in Isaiah 
6, 1 to 3. Isaiah says, in the year that 
King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord high and lifted up, and the train 
of his robe filled the temple. Remember, he sees the seraphim 
flying with six wings. With two, they covered their 
eyes. With two, they covered their feet. And with two, they 
flew. And they did not cease crying out day and night, holy, 
holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is filled with 
his glory. Well, we get to the gospel of John and we see John 
saying that Isaiah saw these things, or wrote these things 
when he saw the Lord Jesus Christ. And so we have insurmountable 
evidence. If one is seeking to tear away 
from Christianity and to tear away from reality and the profession 
of truth, the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, they come up against 
Isaiah 6 and John 12. And they find themselves wanting 
and weak against the weight of evidence for the deity of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. So John 12, 40-41 and Isaiah 
6, 1-3. As well we have the deity of 
Christ proved by verses ascribing to Christ those things which 
can only be predicated of God. For example, the forgiving of 
sins, Mark 2-7. Secondly, the hearing and answering 
of prayers, Acts 7-59. Thirdly, the accepting of praise 
and worship. Matthew 21-16 and John 20-28. Remember we just read from there, 
Thomas, my Lord and my God, Jesus doesn't rebuke him as angels, 
created angels do elsewhere. Jesus, uncreated, the God manifested 
in the flesh, come to dwell among men and save sinners. Jesus doesn't 
reject worship when Thomas says, my Lord and my God. He doesn't 
reject worship later in the book of Revelation when John falls 
at his feet because he is worthy of worship, being very and truly 
God. As well, the possession of sovereign divine prerogative, 
Matthew 11, 25 to 27, John 5, 21. Jesus just as the Father. Remember 
we already spoke with regards to equality. Jesus just as the 
Father has sovereign divine prerogatives. So important qualifications then 
with regards to the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some important 
qualifications. First off, Jesus is not a mode 
or manifestation of a Unitarian God. We speak that there is only 
one true God and Jesus is God come in the flesh. We're not 
saying that Jesus is a mode or manifestation of the Unitarian 
God. That there really is only one 
personal God. And He manifests Himself as Father 
at one time perhaps, as Son at another time, and as Spirit at 
another time. But there is only truly one God 
and one person unitarily in that monotheistic deity. That's not 
what we're saying again when we say the deity of Christ But 
rather we're saying that the Son of God the second of the 
Holy Trinity as the confession says When the fullness of the 
time had come took upon himself man's nature Okay, so we're also 
Sarah some other important qualifications Jesus is not the father incarnated 
Remember we must probably connects to the first qualification, but 
we must say that Jesus is not the father incarnated, but rather 
that Jesus, of course, is the Son incarnated. So we need to 
as well say that Jesus is not the Spirit incarnated. We must 
as well observe and make the qualification that Jesus is not 
the Trinity incarnated. It's God, it's the Son of God, 
the second person in the Trinity being very an eternal God who 
is incarnated. we are not saying in the incarnation 
that Jesus is the Trinity. Many have noted and noted well 
that in the incarnation, in defending against this notion that the 
Trinity was incarnate, that it is not necessarily the simple 
divine essence that is incarnated, but The divine essence insofar 
as Jesus Christ as the hypostasis of the Logos has the divine essence 
in its fullness is incarnated. So it is not the Trinity that 
comes incarnate, but God the Son. Remember, in this divine 
and infinite being there are three subsistences. And it is 
the subsistence or the hypostasis, to use the old early church language, 
that comes in the fullness of the times, born of a woman, born 
under the law. We observed earlier that everything 
predicated of God in the chapter 2, paragraphs 1 and 2, can and 
should be predicated of all the persons of the Trinity. However, 
not everything true of one person of the Trinity is to be predicated 
of the other two. In other words, remember in paragraph 
3 we have the Father is unbegotten and eternally begets the Son. 
Well, it cannot be said of the Son that He is unbegotten and 
it cannot be said of the Son that He begets either Father 
or Spirit. We cannot say of the Father that 
He is begotten or that He proceeds from the Son or the Spirit. and 
we cannot say with regards to the Spirit that He begets the 
Son or that He is unbegotten. We must, and so that all comes 
down to the point that, that there is a, and bear with me 
for a moment, but there is a subsistential necessity that only the Son was 
incarnate, and therefore only the Son or we say that with regards 
to the deity of Christ that it is, he is, the Son of God with 
regards to the Holy Trinity that became incarnate. Because it 
is the Christ's relation to the Father that he is begotten of 
the Father eternally, it is only the Son of God with respect to 
the three persons of the Trinity that could become incarnate and 
take upon himself the task as mediator. But more on that next 
time. As well, we want to qualify that 
Jesus is not a mode or manifestation of, oh, we already made that 
qualification, sorry. I duplicated it in my notes, but it's always 
good to make it twice. There are Unitarians out there, 
Oneness Pentecostals and others, who would say that Jesus is a 
mode or manifestation. The humanity of Christ then. 
And we're going to spend more on these two things, their relation 
to one another in the one person Christ next time as we continue 
a study on the person of Christ. But the humanity of Christ. What 
do we mean when we say the humanity of Christ? First off, what we do not mean. 
We do not mean when we say the humanity of Christ that he is 
man and not God. We've just spent time on the 
deity of Christ. So when we say the humanity of 
Christ, we do not mean that He is man and not God. We do not 
mean, secondly, that He is partially man. Maybe going back to the 
deity of Christ, of course we're not saying that Christ is partially 
God. When we say the humanity of Christ, 
we are not saying that he came in the semblance of man, a formal 
similitude of man, as perhaps the docetists of the early church 
may say, or in other cultists and heretics, that he only came 
and he looked like a man. He had the semblance of humanity, 
but he was not truly man. When we say the humanity of Christ, 
we're not saying that he is fully man with no exceptions. In other 
words, the Confession and the Bible qualify yet without sin 
when they speak with regards to Christ's human nature. So 
we're not saying that he is fully man with no exceptions. We're 
not saying that he came in the body of a man. This is very important 
to divest ourselves of what one man has called flesh suit Christology. Christ didn't come as the Son 
of God, the second of the Holy Trinity. He did not come and 
wear a flesh suit. It was something of an early 
church heresy propagated by Apollinaris or Apollinarius, however you 
want to pronounce his name. The heresy attached to him was 
Apollinarianism. And it was the idea that, and 
it's probably a lot more complex than this, but it's the idea 
that the Logos, the second person of the Triune God, basically 
was enfleshed in a human body. And it was not, so he was not 
completely and fully man, but rather the mind of the Logos 
was the mind the the man so it was it basically there was a 
view that cry or that a man was body soul and spirit trichotomy 
body soul and spirit the spirit was absent in the humanity of 
Christ and was replaced by the mind or the spirit of the Logos 
it's so it's basically that Christ was in his humanity that he only 
came in the body of a man and that is not the case when we 
see when we consider the person of Christ as the God-man. It 
is not the Son of God coming from on high and taking upon 
Himself the body of a man, but rather man's nature, humanity 
in its fullness, yet without sin. more on that next time though. What we do mean again or now 
with regards to the humanity of Christ is seen in what paragraph 
2 defines that as. Notice the Son of God did when 
the fullness of time, this is skipping the deity now because 
we've dealt with that. Paragraph 2, the Son of God did, 
when the fullness of the time was come, take upon him man's 
nature with all the essential properties and common infirmities 
thereof, yet without sin. So, when we say the humanity 
of Christ, that is what we mean. We'll elaborate on that in greater 
detail next time when we speak with regards to the incarnation, 
but some things to consider with regards to the humanity of Christ and the 
scriptures. First off, the humanity of Christ 
is proved by the simple accounts of his birth. Matthew 1, for 
example, what do we have right at the beginning of Matthew 1? 
We have genealogy. Genealogies are given for humans, 
for men. We have the genealogy. We have 
the birth narrative that follows the pregnancy. We have genealogy, 
pregnancy, birth there in Matthew 1. Jesus Christ is of the seed 
of Abraham and David according to the scriptures. So we have 
his humanity proved by the simple counts of his birth. We have 
his humanity proved by explicit statements of his humanity. There are explicit statements 
of his humanity where he is called man. For example, in Romans 5. In Romans 5 and verse 15, notice 
It comes in the context of the Adam-Christ comparison, covenant 
of works, covenant of redemption, federal headship, imputation, 
all of those glorious things. Romans 5.15, But the free gift 
is not like the offense, for if by the one man's offense many 
died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace 
of the one man. Jesus Christ we have as well 
in 1st Timothy 2 5 1st Timothy 2 5 and you probably Know what 
that verse speaks of and it touches upon the chapter title of Christ 
the mediator We have here the language that begins for there 
is one God and one mediator between God and men the man Christ Jesus 
as well Hebrews 2, 14 to 17, Hebrews 4, 14 to 17, that is, 
I wasn't correcting myself, that is Hebrews 2, 14 to 17, as well 
as Hebrews 4, 14 to 17, and Hebrews 7, 26. Those verses we're going 
to look in more detail though next time because they touch 
upon the incarnation, its necessity, and many things that touch upon 
that glorious doctrine. The humanity of Christ is as 
well proved by Christ's evidential self-disclosure. What we mean 
by that is, remember what he does in Luke 24, and it's almost 
as if, probably not, but it's almost as if, you know, docetism 
is being anticipated by the gospel writer. That's not really what's 
first and foremost in his mind because he's dealing with the 
fact that this is truly the resurrected Christ standing before the disciples. But nevertheless, Christ goes 
through this exercise of showing that he truly is flesh and blood. Because as he says himself, phantoms, 
specters, don't have flesh and blood like I do. They can't eat 
broiled fish and honeycomb like I just did before your eyes. 
They can't be handled and felt. They can't have fingers put in 
the prints of the nails. Jesus, by his evidential self-disclosure, 
shows his true humanity. His humanity, the humanity of 
Christ, is proved by apostolic declaration and witness, Philippians 
2, 5-11. Remember what, in addition to 
the deity of Christ that we've already clearly seen there, we 
see Paul saying that he took on the form of a bondservant. 
He came in the likeness of man and being in appearance as a 
man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, 
even the cross death. And then as well in 1 John 1, 
some very wonderful language there that the John, that John 
rehearses with regards to the apostolic handling, if you will, 
of their friend, their God, their Savior. Notice what we have in 
John 1.1. Excuse me. First John, That which was from the beginning, 
which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which 
we have looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the word 
of life. John speaks with regards to his 
own apostolic witness of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He most 
certainly was not a phantom or a specter, come in appearance 
as a man or semblance or formal similitude, but rather that He 
truly was man. And next time as we look at the 
Incarnation, we'll revisit deity in humanity, but under 
a study of the incarnation of Christ, it's certainty, it's 
truth, it's necessity. Some of the things that we touched 
on will come up in a little more detail and we'll make those important 
qualifications that we made with regards to the deity of Christ, 
we'll note at the point of the incarnation. and there are many 
to be made. Well, let's close in prayer, 
and then if you do have any questions, please feel free to ask. There may be some. If you do 
have them, please ask away. Let's close in prayer. Heavenly 
Father, we rejoice that we can study our Christ. We rejoice 
that you have revealed him to us in your holy scriptures. We 
thank you for what the Bible discloses concerning his full 
deity, his full humanity. and the fact that he came into 
this world, sinners to save. We rejoice in all of those things 
that you have given to us in your word and we pray that we 
would rejoice daily in our Savior. We would sing the praises of 
our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that we 
would now be brought into worship and that we would in spirit and 
in truth worship you. We pray that you would give us 
hearts to approach you with solemnity, yet with great joy as we come 
to worship the triune God of heaven and earth. And we pray 
in Christ's name, amen.