Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 3 October 1996 — Page 35

The Muncie Times, October 3,1996, Page 35

Christ is the key to understanding God

Christ is the key to understanding God If we want to know anything about God, we must go to Christ. 1 John 2:22, 23, 5:20. “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth because thou hast hid these things form the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto the babes. Even so. Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father: neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.” Matt. 11:25-27. “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us understanding, that we may know Him that is true. And we are in Him that is true, even in His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. Little children keep yourselves from idols. Amen.” 1 John 5:20, 14:1-10 “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.” Eph. 1:4. We see in Christ a treasure chest. Pot of Manna The manna is a type of Christ. Jesus said, “I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from Heaven that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:48-51.

tSishop W.J. Duncan, D.D.

So the manna is a type of the life-giving substance of Christ, which we may eat by faith and live. The Covenant The covenant is a representation of God and man’s agreement saying what God will do if man will. The covenant is the type of Christ’s willingness to do the will of God. “Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destrov but to fulfill.” Matt. 5:17. In another place, the Bible says: “Wherefore when he cometh into the world he saith sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body has thou prepared me: in burn offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. The said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God.” Heb. 10:5-7. Man was not able to keep the law, but Jesus came as a man, and was “made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.” Gal. 4:4-6. Christ became a man to keep man’s part of the covenant that He may give Himself as a perfected sacrifice for the redemption of man, from the penalty of the law that man transgressed. “And you, being dead in

your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way nailing it to his cross... Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.” Col. 2:13-14,17. Aaron’s Rod Aaron’s Rod is a type of Christ, being the high priest chosen by God over all others. As Aaron was chosen over all the company of Kohath as high priest in Israel. Num. 17. “And no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron. So also Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee. As he saith also in another place. Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” Heb. 5:4-6. Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the comer. Acts 4:11. The mercy seat was the lid that was placed on the top of the Ark. This represents Christ as being the mercy of God toward us, as the cherubims look down on us through Jesus. Jesus covers the broken

law. He becomes our Jehovah Tsidkenu, the Lord of our righteousness. 1 Cor. 1:30; Jer. 23:6; Gal. 2:15-21. Jesus Christ is the mercy of God extended to us. 1 John 1:1-2. The Cherubim of Glory The chembim represent the presence of the shekannah glory of God. Wherever the cherubim was found, God’s glory was there. They kept the way of the tree of life in Genesis 3:24. The glory of God was on Jesus Christ, his mercy seat. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dive, and lighting upon him: and lo, a voice from heaven, saying This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:16-17. “And he said unto him, Verily, Verily, I say unto you, hereafter ye shall see heaven open^ and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” John 1:51. “That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father, which hath sent Him.” John 5:23. Jesus Christ is mentioned as a Son in different perspectives in the Bible. Each position of sonship typifies Christ is a certain way. It is good for us to be able to see Christ in all of these positions to understand His manifold work in redeeming man from sins. We have heard of Christ being the Son of God quite elaborately. But in the other sonships we have not heard much. We will do our best to give you a glimpse of these various sonships. They are:

• Son of God (Luke 1:35) • Son of Man (Mark 6:3; Luke 3:23) • Son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1; Galatians 3:16) • Son of David (Matthew 1:11; Isaiah 7:14; Luke 1:31-35) • Son of God by Resurrection (Romans 1:3-4; Acts 13:33) All of these various sonships are dealing with His Humanity. Let us examine the first one. The Son of God “And the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be bom of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35. This area of the sonship is where many do not understand. Many think that Christ has always been the Son of God from all eternity. They fail to see Christ as being the Son of God in flesh, but God in Spirit. Christ’s flesh had a beginning, but Jesus in Spirit of God the Father, who has no beginning. Micah 5:2. Christ is not God’s only Son, but rather. His only Begotten Son. The Bible lets us know that Adam was the Son of God. Luke 3:38. He is God’s Created Son. Christ is the only Son God has begotten or brought forth from a woman. “But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Gal. 4:4. The Son of God is actually God in a body. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God is With Us.” Matt. 1:23.