Qualified human for mediator

(new article this evening)

I John 2:1 says, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

An advocate is someone who argues a person's case and intercedes for them, and it’s Jesus Christ the righteous. Similarly, Paul talks about Jesus Christ being a mediator in II Timothy 2:5: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

On occasion the title “Jesus Christ” is turned backward and it’s “Christ Jesus,” and Paul changes the terminology. “Jesus” is His human name and “Christ” is His office as the Chosen One. That’s a deity name, explains Richard Jordan.

When you say Jesus Christ, you emphasize His humanity; the man who’s God. In this verse, Paul says “the man, Christ Jesus.” That subtlety puts the emphasis on His deity. He’s emphasizing that the man is “the god-man.” So it’s important to see the reality of His humanity.

The Lord Jesus Christ identified Himself as a man. He wasn’t denying His deity when He did that; He was making the point that He was a real human.

In John 8:40, when Jesus is talking to His enemies the Pharisees, He says, “But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.”

Notice He says, “I am a man who’s told you the truth that God the Father has taught me. I heard it from God the Father. Abraham didn’t do that.”

What He’s doing there is demonstrating that He’s “the man, Christ Jesus,” and He’s also demonstrating that He was TAUGHT by His Father the things that He’s saying.

That’s an interesting concept. In theology, they have all kind of words for those kind of things and all kind of ideas for it, but the point you need to see is that He is thoroughly and fully functioning humanity. He qualifies to be your full, total mediator.

John 2: [22] When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.
[23] Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.
[24] But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,
[25] And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Notice He’s the man who God the Father has empowered to do miracles, wonders, signs that God did by Him. He’s the agent of the Father accomplishing these.

From Acts 17:31, we know the risen Lord Jesus Christ will be the one who judges all men and Paul calls him “that man.”

[31] Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

 Paul wasn’t denying His deity; he was telling the unbelievers there that, ‘The one who’s going to judge you is going to be sitting right where you are, walking in your sandals. God raised Him up and He’s the one who will be your judge.’

People who want to defend the deity of Christ don’t like people to assert the humanity of Christ. But if you don’t have both in equal fashion, you don’t have a mediator.

I’ve always defined the “kenosis doctrine” as just the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ laid aside or surrendered the independent exercise of His deity attributes. He doesn’t give up His attributes; He can’t do that. You can’t not be who you are, but you can choose not to exercise some of your abilities.

His personhood is important. He has two natures. That’s the reality of it. But when people make explanations of some of these verses they say, “Well, that was deity standing there being quiet,” and then, “That’s His humanity talking and His deity being quiet,” like it’s two different people and you have to stay away from that kind of thing.

I don’t know of a better explanation for that then verses like Luke 2:40: “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”

He’s 12 years old, His parents take Him up to the temple, and it says the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom and the grace of God was with him.

How’d He get filled with wisdom? By depending on God’s word. He’s being filled with some sound doctrine out of the Scripture. You notice in verse 49 he says to His parents Mary and Joseph, “How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?”

“Notice the ‘F’ is capital in Father. He knows His identity. He’s 12 years old. His bar mitzvah was being taken place. He was moving into that Galatians 4 adult status. He understands who He is; He knows some things about Himself; he knows some things about the Father’s business and He’s being educated by His father--not just His earthly father, but His heavenly Father. And the man is LEARNING.

In order to become a man He laid aside the independent personal use of His attributes and chose to depend and be obedient to the Father. He literally chose to trust the Father to take care of these things for Him.

Verse 52 says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.” Notice He increased in wisdom. Now how do you do that?

John 8:28 says, “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.”

You ought to write that in your mind. “I’m not acting independently on my own, but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” He grew in wisdom. Why? Because the Father was teaching Him.

John 12:49 says, “For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.”

I’m not going to run these verses into the ground, but you could literally go on and on about the fact the Lord Jesus Christ was literally instructed, taught by His Father as God would have a man to depend on. As Paul would talk about ‘the faith of Christ,’ that’s really what he’s talking about.

He didn’t have to do that; He willingly chose to do that. He didn’t do it because He quit being God or because He was some ignoramus; He did it because that’s what was required for Him to be truly human and to be tempted in all points as you are.

Isaiah 50:4 says, “The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.”

This passage is a prophetic one talking about the Holy One, the Messiah. Look at verses 6-8. The one talking here prophetically is the Lord Jesus Christ. In other words, He learned obedience through the things He suffered (Hebrews 5). He grew. God the Father gave Him the tongue of the learned. He had some learning to do.

He did that “that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary.” Because He has been wearied . . . God can’t be wearied. Isaiah 40 says God doesn’t get weary. Well, how can Jesus Christ be weary if God can’t be weary?

Because He’s living dependent on the Father; He’s living in His humanity. He’s living as the man. He’s given up the exercise of His ability never to be weary. He willingly did it; nobody took it from Him--all so that He could live as you live so He could know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary.

That’s like that thing in Hebrews 2:18: “For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.’

“Succour them.” That means help you; come along and speak a word to you when you’re weary. He’s been where you are! There’s nothing you ever go through that He hasn’t been through. He understands the extremities of your humanity and that’s why God gave Him “the tongue of the learned.”

He literally lived in total dependence on the Father’s will so that He could demonstrate to you and me how God intended humanity to live, which is in total dependence on the Father’s will.

Jesus Christ demonstrated that real lasting life, that being fully human, can only come in obedience to the Father’s will. That’s why He’s “the man Christ Jesus.”