December 10, 2017
Pastor Roger Redmond
Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law —
"made under the law — "made to be under the law." Not merely as Grotius and Alford explain, "Born subject to the law as a Jew." But "made" by His Father's appointment, and His own free will, "subject to the law," to keep it all, ceremonial and moral, perfect for us, as the Representative Man, and to suffer and exhaust the full penalty of our whole race's violation of it. This constitutes the significance of His circumcision, His being presented in the temple (Luk_2:21, Luk_2:22, Luk_2:27; compare Mat_5:17), and His baptism by John, when He said (Mat_3:15), "Thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." Copied from Barnes on e sword
"Fulness of the time" = At the appointed time = At God's appointed time and only God could make this happen. There is no question the Bible is a Supernatural Book and as far as I can tell, this is the only reference made to the Bethlehem Story by the Apostle Paul.
Only God could have made this happen at the appointed time. It was first mentioned in Gen 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
You notice He said "her seed" and in Gal. 4:4 He said "made of a woman" Referenced the Virginal conception - God bypassed man. Also keep in mind that the nation of Israel is referred to as woman, Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: Rev 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. The woman represents Israel through whom God gave Christ to the World.
Paul is not minimizing the Birth of Christ but focusing on why He came into our world. The birth of Christ is the incarnation of God = God took the form of man.
Why Did He Do This? To die on the cross for us. The gospel is the death burial and resurrection of Christ. That is why He became man: to be the Lamb of God taken from among men.
You see the world is willing to recognize Christ and to esteem, regard, Him, in fact, hold in high regard, to His Birth and death as a good thing. And at the same time never understand that it is a personal thing: It is my sin that He suffered and bled and died for, which is the reason He came into the world. Just look around at this Christmas Season: It is His birth and not the reason for His birth that is so pressed on us. The message of the cross is the reason for His birth!
We have these events: Christmas, Easter and so forth that are celebrated but so often they are divorced from the person of Christ and His purpose for coming as a man, The God-man.
Isa 53:4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. Isa 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
You see in 53:5 it is a person: He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities : the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. He was stricken, smitten of God and afflicted for the sins that He carried (but not His own sin)- Now see 53:5 says: "But He was wounded.......He was bruised...... The punishment for our peace was upon Him......" by wounds inflicted on His body we are healed. The sin for which He suffered the judgment of the Father is our sin that He carried, 2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
It is God who gave His Son, John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. "Only begotten" is the English translation of the Greek word monogenes and to get the meaning of the word you must get the Geek meaning. It means one and only, For an example of how the word is used go to Heb. 11:7 By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Abraham had many sons but only one Isaac. The one by promise. It means the One and Only,
John 1:14 And the Word was made 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. Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. Joh 20:31 But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.
It is God who put our sin on Him, Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. That is why He came to be our Saviour to be taken from among men. He had to be like us to be our Saviour. Exo 12:5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:
It is God who raised Him from the dead, Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;) He is uniquely God's Son. When sin's payment had been made Christ said, "It is finished" Isa 53:11 "He (God) shall see of the travail of his soul,(Christ) and shall be satisfied......." God was satisfied with the work of Christ.
The Invisible God Head
The Birth of Christ is the incarnation of God. Theophanies are no longer needed because in the Incarnation Christ stepped out from the invisible God Head and became the visible image of the invisible God.
He is the exact image of God
Heb. 1:3, Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Col. 1:15 " Who (Christ) is the image of the invisible God,"
" Who (Christ) bare our sins in His own body.." 1 Peter 1:24
Who God Resurrected from the dead, Romans 1:4
And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:
Christ is Deity. He is the image of the invisible God Head as seen in the diagram above.
Col.1:15 "Who is the image of the invisible God," Therefore your Saviour is very God Himself. You should understand, that if God Himself saved you at the Cross, then you indeed have Eternal life.
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