Faith and the Trinity: Jesus, the

Second Person of the Blessed

Trinity
 Faith and the Trinity: Jesus, the Second Person of
the Blessed Trinity
 INCARNATION, CENTRAL CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE THAT GOD BECAME
FLESH, THAT GOD ASSUMED A HUMAN NATURE AND BECAME A MAN IN
THE FORM OF JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD AND THE SECOND PERSON
OF THE TRINITY. CHRIST WAS TRULY GOD AND TRULY MAN. THE
DOCTRINE MAINTAINS THAT THE DIVINE AND HUMAN NATURES OF
JESUS DO NOT EXIST BESIDE ONE ANOTHER IN AN UNCONNECTED WAY
BUT RATHER ARE JOINED IN HIM IN A PERSONAL UNITY THAT HAS
TRADITIONALLY BEEN REFERRED TO AS THE HYPOSTATIC UNION. THE
UNION OF THE TWO NATURES HAS NOT RESULTED IN THEIR DIMINUTION
OR MIXTURE; RATHER, THE IDENTITY OF EACH IS BELIEVED TO HAVE
BEEN PRESERVED.
 THE FIRST WORK TO CONSIDER IS HIS INCARNATION. INCARNATION
MEANS MORE THAN THE MERE ASSUMPTION OF A HUMAN BODY. IT WAS
A VOLUNTARY ACT ON HIS PART. HE WHO EXISTED FROM ALL ETERNITY
IN THE FORM OF GOD, WHO THOUGHT IT NOT ROBBERY TO BE EQUAL
WITH GOD, EMPTIED HIMSELF OF THE OUTWARD APPEARANCE OF
DEITY, AND TOOK UPON HIM “THE LIKENESS OF SINFUL FLESH” IN THE
FORM OF A SERVANT, AND FOR SIN, HE HUMBLED HIMSELF STILL
LOWER, BECOMING OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, THE DEATH OF THE CROSS.
“FORASMUCH THEN AS THE CHILDREN ARE PARTAKERS OF FLESH AND
BLOOD, HE ALSO HIMSELF LIKEWISE TOOK PART OF THE SAME; THAT
THROUGH DEATH HE MIGHT DESTROY HIM THAT HAD THE POWER OF
DEATH, THAT IS, THE DEVIL” (HEBREWS 2:14).
 THUS, HE BECAME THE “PROPITIATION” FOR OUR SINS (1 JOHN 2:2; 4:10).
PROPITIATION MEANS SATISFACTION; COVERING; THE FULFILLMENT OF
A DEMAND. GOD IS FULLY SATISFIED BY WHAT JESUS CHRIST DID ON
THE CROSS. “FOR THE WAGES OF SIN IS DEATH; BUT THE GIFT OF GOD IS
ETERNAL LIFE THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD” (ROMANS 6:23).
 THE NEXT GREAT WORK OF CHRIST LIES IN HIS RESURRECTION. IT IS THROUGH HIS
RESURRECTION THAT WE KNOW GOD IS SATISFIED WITH THE WORK THAT HIS SON
ACCOMPLISHED WHEN HE TOOK OUR PLACE IN JUDGMENT AND BORE OUR SINS IN HIS
OWN BODY UPON THE TREE. HE “WAS DELIVERED FOR OUR OFFENSES, AND WAS RAISED
AGAIN FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION.” IT IS NOT THAT WE ARE JUSTIFIED BY HIS
RESURRECTION, BUT IT IS THAT HIS RESURRECTION PROVES THAT THE WORK WHICH
JUSTIFIES HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, AND WE COME INTO THE BENEFIT OF IT ALL WHEN
WE PUT OUR TRUST IN THE RISEN ONE.
 FINALLY, WE HAVE THE WORK OF INTERCESSION. WERE IT NOT FOR THIS PRESENT
SERVICE OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST, THE FIRST SIN COMMITTED BY A BELIEVER AFTER
HIS CONVERSION WOULD DESTROY COMMUNION WITH GOD, AND THERE WOULD BE NO
WAY TO RESTORE THAT COMMUNION AGAIN. IT NEEDS TO BE REMEMBERED THAT THERE
ARE TWO LINKS THAT BIND EVERY SAINT TO THE SAVIOR, AND THESE ARE UNION AND
COMMUNION. THE LINK OF UNION IS INDISSOLUBLE. ONCE FORMED, IT CAN NEVER BE
BROKEN. THE LINK OF COMMUNION IS DELICATE INDEED. THE LEAST SIN WILL BREAK IT,
AND IT WOULD NEVER BE FORMED ANEW WERE IT NOT FOR THE INTERCESSION OF OUR
LORD JESUS.
 “WHEREFORE HE IS ABLE ALSO TO SAVE THEM TO THE UTTERMOST THAT COME UNTO
GOD BY HIM, SEEING HE EVER LIVETH TO MAKE INTERCESSION FOR THEM” (HEBREWS
7:25).
How can you show your acceptance of
god’s offer of salvation in Jesus Christ
 THE BIBLE SPECIFICALLY SAYS, WITHOUT ANY OTHER POSSIBLE
INTERPRETATION, THAT THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, ONE FAITH,
ONE BAPTISM, AND ONE WAY TO GOD THE FATHER – AND THAT
IS ONLY THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST AND HIS SACRIFICIAL
DEATH ON THE CROSS.
 JESUS SAYS THAT HE, AND ONLY HE, IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH,
AND THE LIFE LEADING TO GOD THE FATHER AND THAT NO ONE
COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM!