Latest / Reformed Thinking / Emmanuel: God With Us in the Person of Jesus Christ

Transcript

Emmanuel: God With Us in the Person of Jesus Christ · Reformed Thinking

0:00
You know, usually when we talk about a medical diagnosis, there
0:04
is a certain expectation of precision.
0:06
Oh yeah, absolutely. Right.
0:07
It is like looking at a blueprint.
0:09
You fall off a ladder, you know, you break your arm and the
0:12
doctor puts you through the X-ray machine.
0:14
And there it is. Yeah, the screen shows that
0:16
jagged white line right across the bone.
0:18
The doctor just points at it and gives you the facts.
0:21
Because it is binary. The bone is broken or it is not
0:25
broken and the solution is clear, right?
0:28
Put a cast on it, keep it still and let it heal.
0:31
We really like things to be visible like that.
0:34
We do. We like things to be categorized
0:36
neatly because, well, it gives us a sense of control over the
0:40
problem. But then you step into the world
0:42
of the human soul. Yeah.
0:44
That is where it gets messy. Right, you step into the human
0:47
condition and suddenly that X-ray machine is just broken
0:49
completely. You asked 10 different
0:51
sociologists or psychologists what is fundamentally wrong with
0:54
humanity and, well, you get a diagnostic landscape that is
0:59
incredibly murky. You really do.
1:01
But today we are looking at a diagnosis from our sources that
1:05
claims absolute terrifying precision.
1:08
So welcome to reform thinking. I am your host and we are
1:12
thrilled to have you with us today for a massive theological
1:15
investigation. It is going to be a heavy one,
1:17
but a good one. Definitely our mission for you
1:20
today is singular. We're examining the doctrine of
1:23
Emmanuel. God with us.
1:24
Right, God with us. We are going to analyze the
1:27
historical, the literary, and the theological realities of the
1:31
incarnation of Jesus Christ. Drawing directly from the
1:34
rigorous texts provided for today's discussion.
1:37
Yeah, we are looking at the sources to figure out how this
1:40
specific concept answers the absolute ultimate crisis of
1:44
human existence. And we really need to establish
1:45
the gravity of this topic right out of the gate.
1:48
Please do. We are not having a seasonal
1:51
cozy Christmas discussion. Here.
1:53
Nope, not at all. According to the material we are
1:55
analysing today, the incarnation is the absolute center of
1:58
redemptive history, right? It addresses the single most
2:01
critical crisis of the human condition.
2:03
Which is saying a lot. It is, the texts insist, that
2:07
without understanding a manual, we misunderstand the entire
2:11
problem of humanity, right? And consequently, you know, we
2:16
misunderstand the entirety of God's solution.
2:19
So before we look at that solution, the Emanuel.
2:22
The sources argue that we must diagnose the actual problem
2:25
humanity faces. We.
2:27
Have to. We have to move from the modern
2:29
symptoms we see all around us down to the theological roots.
2:33
Right, getting past the surface level.
2:35
And the modern symptom highlighted in our source
2:37
material is staggering. It really is.
2:39
The text points to a 2022 Cigna study detailing a massive
2:43
epidemic of isolation. Yeah, the numbers on that are
2:46
rough. They are so data shows that 58%
2:49
of adults in the United States are classified as lonely.
2:52
More than half. Yeah, and when you break that
2:54
down further, it gets worse. The rates hit 75% among Hispanic
2:58
adults and 68% among Black adults.
3:01
The isolation is absolutely crippling a vast majority of the
3:04
population. Which is wild when you think
3:06
about it. It is People are surrounded by
3:08
millions of others, connected digitally to the entire globe,
3:13
and yet they are suffocating from isolation.
3:16
That data paints A grim picture of modern society.
3:19
It really does. It shows a systemic failure of
3:22
modern connection. Yeah, I mean, we have more
3:24
communication tools than any generation in human history, and
3:28
yet the structural integrity of our social well-being is
3:32
collapsing. It really is, and I was I was
3:35
thinking about an analogy for this.
3:37
OK, let us hear it. We treat loneliness like a
3:40
nutritional deficiency right? Try to cure it with superficial
3:43
supplements. We prescribe things like self
3:46
love for new hobbies or maybe state sponsored community
3:49
programs. With the hunger remains.
3:51
Yes, we keep taking these over the counter sociological
3:54
vitamins and we are still starving to death.
3:56
That is a great way to put it. We think the problem is
3:58
horizontal, that we just need better friends or better
4:02
communities or better mental health strategies.
4:04
What's fascinating here is how the source material shifts the
4:07
focus entirely from sociology to theology.
4:10
The text argues that the true human problem is not a lack of
4:14
earthly companionship. Not at all.
4:16
It is a catastrophic alienation from a holy God due to the Fall.
4:21
Yeah, that vertical separation. Precisely.
4:23
The sources take us back to Genesis.
4:25
OK, in Genesis chapter 3 verse 8 we see God walking with man in
4:30
the garden. That is intimate, unbroken
4:33
fellowship. Right, the Creator and the
4:35
created existing in perfect harmony.
4:38
But then we see the immediate aftermath.
4:39
Yes, the Fall in Genesis chapter 3, verses 23 and 24.
4:44
Where Adam and Eve are hiding in shame.
4:46
They are driven out of the garden and the way back is
4:49
barred by a flaming sword. Which is such intense imagery.
4:52
It is that flaming sword represents a permanent lethal
4:55
barrier between unholy humanity and a holy Creator.
5:00
That imagery of the flaming sword is so visceral.
5:02
It really pounds a picture. It is not just a locked gate, it
5:05
is an active legal threat. It screams that the way back is
5:10
not just closed, it is dangerous.
5:13
It is an active demonstration of divine justice, right?
5:16
The sources also point to Ephesians chapter 2, which
5:19
describes humanity as dead in trespasses.
5:22
Children of Wrath. Yes, and total rebels against
5:26
the Creator. So the argument is that our
5:28
horizontal loneliness, that 58% loneliness rate from the Cigna
5:32
study, is just a symptom. A symptom of this massive
5:36
vertical alienation. We are severed from the source
5:39
of life itself. We are born into a state of
5:41
active rebellion, possessing a nature that is fundamentally
5:44
opposed to God. OK, let's unpack this, because
5:46
the material has some incredibly sharp critiques of how modern
5:51
systems try to fix this alienation.
5:53
Very sharp. The text scrutinize how modern
5:56
evangelicalism attempts to solve the problem and they find it
5:59
completely lacking. They do.
6:01
The sources mention pragmatic seeker sensitive movements.
6:04
The ones that offer laser light shows and therapeutic moralism.
6:08
Right, they also point to charismatic mysticism.
6:10
Which promises extra biblical encounters and ecstatic
6:14
babbling. The author makes a really sharp
6:16
critique here, arguing that modern mega churches look more
6:19
like entertainment venues than sanctuaries.
6:21
Which is a heavy charge. It is they are treating a lethal
6:25
spiritual condition with superficial emotional bandages.
6:29
The texts we are analyzing assert that these modern
6:31
solutions fail because they diagnose the problem
6:34
incorrectly. Right, the X-ray is wrong.
6:36
Yes, they treat sin as a lack of self esteem or a need for an
6:41
emotional high. Which it is not.
6:43
No, they assume the human condition can be remedied by
6:46
altering the environment. By making church more appealing
6:49
or more emotionally stimulating. But the sources bring in John
6:52
chapter 14 verse 6. I am the way and the truth and
6:56
the life. No one comes to the Father
6:58
except through me. So exclusive.
7:01
The material argues that Christ's exclusive claim
7:03
completely shatters these secular and superficial
7:06
remedies. You cannot bridge a cosmic
7:08
lethal divide with a laser light show.
7:10
Or therapeutic slogans. You need a perfect mediator.
7:13
You need someone who can actually walk through that
7:15
flaming sword and survive. Since those modern methods fail
7:18
to bridge the gap created in Eden, the sources dictate that
7:22
we must look back. Back to how God himself began to
7:25
address this cosmic alienation throughout ancient history.
7:29
Right. And that brings us to the Old
7:30
Testament echo. Yes, there is this constant,
7:34
undeniable covenantal refrain where God assures his people I
7:39
am with you. It pops up everywhere.
7:41
It does. The texts list specific, highly
7:44
tense moments where this happens.
7:46
Like with a basic. Right.
7:47
God gives this promise to Isaac when he is facing extreme
7:51
threats in Genesis chapter 26 verse 24.
7:54
Isaac is surrounded by hostile Philistines.
7:57
Who are literally stopping up his wells, threatening his
8:00
survival in a really harsh land. And God steps in and says, do
8:03
not fear, for I am with you. He says it to Jacob too.
8:06
When Jacob is a literal fugitive sleeping with a stone for a
8:10
pillow in Genesis chapter 28. Verse 15 Yeah, Jacob is running
8:14
for his life because his brother Esau wants to murder him.
8:17
And he says it to Moses. In Exodus chapter 33 verse 16,
8:22
Moses is dealing with the fallout of the Golden Calf
8:24
rebellion. And God tells him that Israel's
8:26
distinction among all the nations is based entirely on
8:29
God's presence going with them. Those specific instances are
8:33
fascinating. They demonstrate that God's
8:36
presence was the defining feature of his covenant people.
8:39
It was not their military might, yeah, it was not their cultural
8:43
sophistication or their geographical advantages.
8:46
It was the reality of Yahweh associating himself with them.
8:50
When Moses says is it not in your going with us so that we
8:53
are distinct, he is acknowledging something huge.
8:57
That without God's presence, Israel is just another wandering
9:01
tribe in the desert waiting to be wiped out.
9:03
Absolutely. But I have to ask a question
9:05
here, or maybe offer some pushback based on how this looks
9:08
practically. If God promised to be with
9:11
Israel so intimately, why did he surround himself with so many
9:15
rules, veils and curtains? It is a paradox.
9:18
When you read about the Tabernacle, it feels like an
9:20
exclusive high security embassy rather than a home.
9:24
There are layers upon layers of restrictions just to get near
9:27
the presence of God. It is almost like a lethal
9:29
radioactive zone, right? If you touch the wrong thing or
9:32
step across the wrong line, you drop dead.
9:35
How did the Israelites live with that tension?
9:37
Did the system actually work? That is an incredibly accurate
9:41
analogy, and the source material validates that exact tension
9:45
regarding the Tabernacle in the temple.
9:47
OK, so I am not crazy for seeing it that way.
9:50
Not at all. The text reference Exodus
9:52
chapter 25 verse 8 where God says to make a sanctuary so he
9:56
may dwell in their midst. Then in Exodus chapter 40,
10:01
verses 34 and 35, the glory cloud fills the tent.
10:07
And it is so overwhelming that even Moses, the man who spoke
10:10
with God face to face, is unable to enter.
10:13
We see the exact same thing later in First Kings chapter 8.
10:16
Verses 1011, right? Yeah, where Solomon's priests
10:19
are completely unable to stand and minister because the glory
10:22
of the Lord fills the temple. So the text clarified that the
10:25
dwelling was real, but it was heavily restricted.
10:28
The Holy of Holies was only accessible once a year.
10:30
By the High Priest on the Day of Atonement.
10:32
And as Hebrews Chapter 9 verse 7 points out, never without blood.
10:37
The sanctuary communicated 2 contrasting messages
10:40
simultaneously to the people. God is with you and keep.
10:43
Back. That tension must have been
10:45
terrifying to live with. Oh.
10:46
Absolutely. Knowing the creator of the
10:48
universe is in the tent next door, but if you take one step
10:51
past the curtain, you die. You have this massive visible
10:55
pillar of cloud and fire assuring you of protection from
11:00
your enemies. But at the same time, that very
11:02
presence is a constant threat to your own unholiness.
11:06
And the sources point out that even this restricted presence
11:09
did not last. Yes, the text bring up Ezekiel
11:11
chapter 10. Right.
11:12
The prophet Ezekiel witnesses the glory of the Lord physically
11:15
departing the temple. The presence leaves in judgement
11:18
due to the rampant idolatry and sin of the people.
11:21
It leaves the fundamental problem of alienation completely
11:25
unsolved. The barriers remained, the sin
11:27
persisted, and the glory departed.
11:29
The high security embassy was abandoned.
11:31
However, the sources note that Ezekiel is given a future hope.
11:35
In Ezekiel, chapters 34 and 37. There's a prophecy of a future
11:38
shepherd king and a renewed covenant.
11:40
And in that renewed covenant, God makes a definitive promise.
11:44
My dwelling place shall be with them.
11:46
The restricted, terrifying presence of the Tabernacle is
11:49
pointing toward a future reality where.
11:52
God will dwell with his people in a way that permanently solves
11:55
the sin problem. That promise sets the stage for
11:58
everything that follows. It really does.
12:00
The tension of the restricted Tabernacle presence, the
12:03
departure of the glory, it all finds its breaking point.
12:06
In a specific terrifying geopolitical crisis in the 8th
12:10
century BC. This historical Crucible forces
12:13
a new miraculous promise from God.
12:16
Let us look at the historical stage as the texts outline it.
12:19
OK, the southern Kingdom of Judah is being ruled by an
12:22
incredibly wicked king named Ahaz.
12:25
And they are facing the Cyroephramite war.
12:28
Right, you have Resin, the king of Syria, and Pika, the king of
12:31
Ephraim, forming a massive military alliance.
12:34
They are trying to resist the rising of Syrian superpower.
12:37
Because Ahaz will not join their coalition, Resin and Pika intend
12:41
to besiege Jerusalem. They want to completely wipe out
12:43
the Davidic line. And install a puppet king
12:46
identified as the son of Tabiol. The panic is absolute.
12:49
The survival of the messianic bloodline is actively under
12:52
threat of annihilation. The sources quote Isaiah Chapter
12:55
7, verse 2. Noting that the hearts of the
12:57
people shook as the trees of the forest shake before the wind.
13:01
That imagery of shaking trees captures the sheer terror of the
13:04
moment perfectly. It does.
13:06
The text explains how God sends the prophet Isaiah to offer King
13:10
Ahaz A miraculous sign. To authenticate that God will
13:13
deliver Judah from this coalition.
13:16
Isaiah tells Ahaz to ask for a sign as deep as Sheol or as high
13:20
as heaven. God is offering a blank check of
13:23
miraculous authentication. But Ahaz bonds with calculated
13:26
unbelief. He uses false piety, actually
13:29
quoting the book of Deuteronomy. Claiming he will not put the
13:32
Lord to the test by asking for a sign.
13:34
Meanwhile, the texts point out, Ahaz is secretly planning to
13:37
empty the temple treasury. To buy a mercenary alliance with
13:41
Tiglev Pilliser the Third. The brutal king of the Assyrian
13:44
Empire. Ahaz is cloaking his rebellion
13:46
in religious language. He pretends to Revere the law of
13:49
God while actively plotting to sell out God's nation to a Pagan
13:53
superpower. This raises an important
13:55
question question regarding how God responds to human rebellion.
13:58
What does God do when the sitting king of the Davidic line
14:02
actively rejects divine help and chooses political compromise?
14:07
The material shows that God completely bypasses the wicked
14:10
king a has. God says in effect, if you will
14:14
not ask for a sign, I will give one anyway.
14:16
But instead of giving it just to a has, God speaks directly to
14:20
the whole House of David. God guarantees the survival of
14:23
the messianic line through a miraculous sign.
14:26
The virgin birth of Emmanuel. This brings us to a massive
14:29
linguistic and theological debate highlighted in our
14:32
sources. Oh yes, the Alma controversy.
14:35
There has been a century long attack by higher critics on the
14:38
specific Hebrew word used in Isaiah Chapter 7, verse 14.
14:41
The word is alma. The critics claim that Alma just
14:45
means young woman. Stripping the prophecy of its
14:47
supernatural weight and making it about a natural birth in
14:50
Ahaz's day. They argue that Isaiah was
14:52
simply pointing to a pregnant woman in the Royal Court and
14:55
saying before this kid grows up, the kings you fear will be
14:59
destroyed. I want to look closely at the
15:01
defense the texts mount here because it is vital very the
15:05
sources launch a rigorous defense of the supernatural
15:09
nature of the text. Stating that in biblical
15:11
contexts the word Alma always implies virginity.
15:16
When you look at how the word is used throughout the old pessima,
15:19
it describes an unmarried woman of marriageable age.
15:22
Which, in that cultural context, inherently carried the
15:25
presumption of virginity. But the sources do not stop
15:28
there. They bring in the Septuagint.
15:30
For you listening, the Septuagint is the ancient Greek
15:33
translation of the Hebrew Old Testament.
15:35
Translated hundreds of years before Christ.
15:37
The material argues that the Holy Spirit inspired those
15:40
Septuagint translators to use the Greek word parthenos to
15:44
translate alma. Now parthenos exclusively and
15:47
strictly means a. Virgin.
15:49
There's no linguistic ambiguity there at all.
15:51
None. If a young woman is not a
15:53
virgin, you do not use the word parthenos.
15:55
And this translation choice is perfectly confirmed by the
15:58
Apostle Matthews centuries later.
16:00
When he records the actual historical event.
16:02
If we look at the critics argument, it falls apart on a
16:05
logical level as well. God promised a sign as deep as
16:09
Sheol or as high as heaven. Right, a natural birth to a
16:13
young woman in the Royal Court is not a sign.
16:15
Babies are born every day. A sign of this magnitude
16:18
requires a suspension of the natural order it.
16:21
Requires a virgin conceiving. Here's where it gets really
16:24
interesting for the listener who loves connecting the dots across
16:28
centuries. The genealogy, yes.
16:30
The promise made to the House of David in Isaiah Chapter 7
16:34
literally leaps across 400 years of prophetic silence.
16:38
It lands directly in the opening legal document of the New
16:41
Testament. I'm talking about Matthew
16:43
chapter verses one through 17. The text contrasts Matthew with
16:46
the Gospel of John. Instead of starting with cosmic
16:49
poetry about the word being in the beginning, Matthew starts
16:52
with an exhaustive, meticulous legal document.
16:55
He structures the genealogy into 3 distinct sets of 14
16:59
generations. We see the Davidic apex, the
17:02
tragic Babylonian exile nadir. And finally, the messianic
17:06
climax. The sources asked the listener
17:08
to notice a specific dispensational reality here.
17:12
Jesus is not just a spiritual savior who floats in from the
17:15
clouds to offer a feeling of peace.
17:17
He is the literal legal king of Israel.
17:20
He has the paperwork to prove his right to rule.
17:23
That legal standing is paramount it.
17:25
Is the Messiah must have a verifiable claim to the throne
17:29
of David? But the texts point out a
17:31
massive theological dilemma hidden right in the middle of
17:35
that legal lineage. Specifically in verse 11.
17:38
The dilemma centers around King Jeconiah.
17:40
The sources direct us to cross reference Jeremiah chapter 22,
17:44
verse 30. In that verse, God pronounces A
17:47
devastating absolute curse on Jeconiah.
17:50
Because of Jeconiah's incredible wicked God declares Write this
17:54
man down as childless. A man who shall not succeed in
17:57
his days. For none of his offspring shall
18:00
succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in
18:03
Judah. This creates an absolute paradox
18:05
that seems impossible to solve. The Messiah must be David's
18:09
physical seed to fulfill the ancient promises.
18:12
But the royal bloodline running through the kings, culminating
18:15
in Jeconiah, is completely poisoned by divine judgement.
18:18
Wait, hold on, let me make sure I'm following this because this
18:21
sounds like God painted himself into a theological corner.
18:24
That is exactly how it looks on paper.
18:26
God promises David that a physical descendant will sit on
18:28
the throne forever, right? But then generations later God
18:32
curses Jack and Nias bloodline saying no physical descendant of
18:37
his will ever sit on the throne. Yeah, but the Messiah has to
18:40
come from the royal line to inherit the throne.
18:43
Humanly speaking, this is an unsolvable puzzle.
18:47
How does God fulfill his promise to David without breaking his
18:50
own curse on Jeconiah? Human logic cannot solve it.
18:53
If Jesus is the biological son of Joseph who descends from
18:57
Jeconiah, then Jesus inherits the curse.
19:00
And is permanently disqualified from sitting on the throne.
19:03
If Jesus is not connected to the line of David at all, he is not
19:06
the promised Messiah. The text breakdown.
19:09
The astonishing solution. The virgin birth is the ultimate
19:12
divine loophole. Yes, Jesus is conceived
19:16
miraculously by the Holy Spirit. He is not Joseph's biological
19:20
sin. By Joseph adopting Jesus and
19:22
giving him his name, Christ gains the absolute legal title
19:26
to the throne of David. Joseph passes the legal right to
19:29
rule down to his adopted son. But here is the brilliant part.
19:33
Because Mary is his biological mother, and as the sources point
19:36
out, through Luke's genealogy, Mary descends from David through
19:40
the line of Nathan, not Solomon. This means Mary's bloodline
19:45
bypasses the cursed line of Jeconiah entirely.
19:48
Because of this, Jesus possesses the physical seed of David
19:51
without possessing the cursed bloodline.
19:54
That is mind blowing. It really is.
19:56
The mathematical and legal precision required to pull that
19:59
off across thousands of years of human history is staggering.
20:03
It proves that the genealogy in Matthew is not just a boring
20:06
list of difficult names to skip over.
20:08
It is a meticulously crafted legal defense of Christ's right
20:11
to rule. It is a breathtaking
20:13
demonstration of legal and prophetic precision.
20:16
The text also adds another critical layer to this
20:18
miraculous conception. Because Jesus is conceived by
20:21
the Holy Spirit, this bypasses the trans mission of original
20:24
sin from Adam. The federal headship of Adam,
20:27
which transmits total depravity through natural human
20:30
generation, is circumvented. Every human being born of a
20:35
human father inherits A sinful nature.
20:37
By bypassing the human father, Jesus is conceived without that
20:42
inherited corruption. This makes Jesus the spotless,
20:45
sinless lamb. Completely qualified to be the
20:48
perfect substitute. If he possessed a sin nature, he
20:51
would have to die for his own sins.
20:53
He could never die for the sins of his people.
20:55
Having established that flawless legal right to the throne, the
20:58
sources insist we look at the specific Greek syntax Matthew
21:02
uses to describe the actual arrival of Emmanuel.
21:04
We are moving from the historical and legal facts into
21:07
exegetical precision. By unpacking Matthew chapter 1,
21:11
verses 18 through 23. We start with the righteous
21:14
dilemma. The texts note Joseph's severe
21:17
internal crisis. The Gospel describes Joseph with
21:20
a Greek adjective to chaos, meaning just or righteous.
21:23
Because he is committed, committed to the law of Moses,
21:25
he cannot marry a woman who appears to have committed
21:27
adultery. He must divorce her.
21:29
But because of his character, his mercy, he decides to do it
21:33
quietly. The Greek word is lothra.
21:36
He wants to spare her the horror of a public execution for
21:39
presumed infidelity. The material points out that
21:42
right here, human righteousness and human reasoning had reached
21:46
a complete impasse. Joseph is acting as righteously
21:49
as a human being possibly can. Utilizing the best human logic
21:52
available and is leading him directly away from the will of
21:55
God. There was number earthly way out
21:57
of this dilemma. Human logic was entirely
22:00
exhausted. Joseph had calculated the best
22:02
possible outcome based on the facts he had, and that outcome
22:05
was a quiet divorce. That is, when the texts
22:08
highlight the Greek particle, I do, which translates to behold.
22:12
This word signals a sudden, jarring supernatural
22:15
intervention. The Angel appears to Joseph in a
22:18
dream and issues a command regarding the child's name.
22:21
The Angel says to name the child Jesus.
22:23
The Greek is Isus, which correlates to the Hebrew
22:26
Yehoshua. Both mean Yahweh saves.
22:29
His name is not just a convenient label, it defines his
22:32
ontological identity and his entire mission.
22:35
He is Yahweh arriving to save. And then the sources draw our
22:38
attention to a structural shift in the text.
22:42
Matthew. Actually steps out of the
22:44
historical narrative in verse 22.
22:47
Why does he do that? He interrupts the flow of the
22:48
story. He steps out to provide inspired
22:51
theological commentary. The texts explain this
22:54
monumental Greek block of text. Tuto the Holland Gigonen Hina
22:59
Pleroth. Which translates to.
23:02
Now all this took place in order that it might be fulfilled.
23:05
The sources tie this specific grammatical structure to the
23:08
doctrine of absolute predestination.
23:10
The argument is that God is not reacting to the crisis of human
23:14
sin with a desperate Plan B. God did not look down at the
23:17
fall in Genesis 3, or the wicked rebellion of King Ahaz in Isaiah
23:21
7, or Joseph's quiet divorce plan in Matthew 1, and scrambled
23:25
to come up with a solution. Nation was decreed from eternity
23:29
past. You was designed to fulfill the
23:31
specific Hebrew verbless clause imanu L.
23:35
Which literally means with us is.
23:37
God. This was then translated into
23:39
the Greek phrase meth hemenho theos.
23:41
The divine decree was always pointing toward this exact
23:45
physical manifestation of God's presence.
23:47
Every single historical event was sovereignly orchestrated to
23:52
arrive at this specific Manger. The historical and exegetical
23:55
facts of Matthew chapter 1 did, and a very specific theological
23:59
confession about who this child is and how he actually saves.
24:03
We are moving from the narrative into the doctrinal pillars of
24:06
the Christian faith. The material brings in the
24:09
Gospel of John, specifically John chapter one verse verses 1
24:12
and 14 to run parallel with Matthew's account.
24:15
Yes, and the text points out John's highly specific word
24:18
choices. John uses the Greek word
24:20
eskinosan, which literally translates to tabernacled, and
24:24
the word sarx which means actual physical flesh.
24:28
When John says the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us,
24:31
he is tying directly back to the Old Testament tension we
24:33
discussed earlier. The glory of God, which was
24:36
hidden behind the lethal curtains of the high security
24:38
embassy, has now taken on physical human tissue.
24:42
Argues that John deliberately chose the word sarks over
24:45
another Greek word dokyo, which means to seem or to appear.
24:49
John did this intentionally to crush the ancient heresy of
24:53
Dusatism. Dusatism claimed that physical
24:55
matter was inherently evil and therefore God could never take
24:59
on actual flesh. They argued that Christ only
25:02
appeared or seemed to have a human body, like a phantom or a
25:05
hologram. And if he is just a hologram, he
25:08
cannot bleed. And if he cannot bleed, he
25:11
cannot die as a substitute. The texts define this reality
25:14
using the concept of the hypostatic union.
25:17
Drawing on historic Protestant confessions, they describe the
25:20
hypostatic union as two distinct natures, very God and very man,
25:26
inseparably joined in one single person.
25:28
This happens without any conversion of one nature into
25:31
the other, without composition and without confusion.
25:34
Let me try an analogy here to make sure this is completely
25:37
clear. I would love an analogy.
25:38
Think about mixing colored water.
25:40
If you mix yellow water and blue water, you get green water.
25:44
It becomes a completely new substance.
25:45
Right. The sources argue that Jesus is
25:48
not green water. The two natures do not mix to
25:50
create a third hybrid nature. He is somehow completely yellow
25:54
and completely blue at the exact same time.
25:56
If he's green, he is a hybrid, a demigod and a hybrid cannot
26:01
represent pure humanity or pure God.
26:04
That analogy captures the essence of the Chalcedonian
26:06
definition perfectly. He is 100% God and 100% man.
26:10
The. Sources note John Calvin's
26:12
specific observation on this necessity.
26:15
Calvin argued that Christ had to be truly man in order to
26:18
adequately represent humanity, to obey the law in our place,
26:22
and to suffer the physical agony of death on the cross.
26:25
Only a man could stand as the federal head of a redeemed
26:28
humanity. Simultaneously, Christ had to be
26:30
truly God so that his sacrifice would possess infinite worth,
26:34
capable of satisfying the infinite wrath of divine
26:37
justice. Only God can bear the weight of
26:39
God's wrath and survive. If he lacks either nature, the
26:42
entire mechanism of salvation collapses.
26:44
That dual nature is the necessary engine for salvation.
26:48
And the sources then move to explain precisely how that
26:51
salvation is applied to the individual, focusing on the
26:54
doctrine of definite atonement. Yes, the texts highlight the
26:57
specific grammar of Matthew chapter one, verse 21.
27:00
He will save his people from their sins.
27:02
When you look at the original Greek Matthew used, it is
27:05
actually mind blowing in its precision.
27:08
The material unpacks the syntax in detail.
27:11
It points out the inclusion of the intent of pronoun ottos,
27:14
meaning he himself. The argument in the text is that
27:17
this demands absolute exclusivity.
27:20
Salvation is entirely monarchistic, meaning it is the
27:22
work of God alone. There is no human contribution.
27:25
The sources forcefully state that this intent of pronoun
27:29
destroys synergistic claims that elevate the human will to a Co
27:33
savior status. As if God does 99% of the work
27:37
and waits for us to do the final 1%.
27:39
The text also note that this exclusivity rejects Roman
27:42
Catholic claims that elevate Mary to a mediatorial role as a
27:46
Co Redemptrix. Christ himself alone
27:49
accomplishes the salvation. The text continues its
27:52
syntactical analysis by looking at the future active indicative
27:55
verbs, so say. In Greek grammar, the indicative
27:57
mood signifies absolute certainty and reality.
28:00
Think about the relief of that grammar.
28:02
The Angel does not say he might save his people, or he will try
28:06
to save his people, or he will make salvation possible if his
28:09
people cooperate. The Greek here is the equivalent
28:12
of a legally binding guarantee. It is a done deal.
28:14
The material argues that Christ did not come to make salvation
28:18
only a hypothetical possibility dependent on human choices.
28:22
He came to actually, effectually and invincibly save his elect,
28:27
identified in the text specifically as his people.
28:30
He does not just provide a potential cure, he administers
28:33
the cure and guarantees the patient's.
28:35
So what does this all mean for the listener?
28:37
We have covered dense history, Greek syntax, and heavy
28:41
theological categories. If Emanuel is the sovereign,
28:44
sinless substitute who secures A definite salvation, this massive
28:48
theological reality dictates how the believer must live and how
28:52
the gathered church must function.
28:53
The. Source is pivot to the practical
28:55
implications. How does this doctrine help you
28:57
when you are dealing with real world anxiety with the crushing
29:00
weight of daily life, financial stress or medical diagnosis?
29:04
The material that fighting despair requires far more than
29:07
optimistic slogans or psychological self help books.
29:10
It requires the objective reality that the crucified and
29:13
risen God man actually sympathizes with our weaknesses.
29:17
The texts reference Hebrews chapter 4, verse 15 to prove
29:21
this sympathy. Because Christ took on true
29:23
human flesh, He experienced exhaustion, hunger, betrayal,
29:27
and physical agony. He is not a distant deity
29:30
unaware of human suffering. And the sources point to Hebrews
29:33
chapter 13 verse 5, where the promise is made, I will never
29:37
leave you, nor forsake you. The comfort is anchored
29:40
objectively in the person of Emmanuel.
29:43
The practical application extends from the individual
29:46
believer in their daily struggles to the corporate
29:48
gathering of the church on Sunday morning.
29:50
The texts contrast the biblical reality of Emmanuel's presence
29:54
with modern errors seen in many congregations today.
29:58
Because the church is the dwelling place of God by the
30:00
Spirit, as stated in Ephesians chapter 2, verse 22, corporate
30:04
worship must be viewed as a covenant meeting with the risen
30:07
Christ. The sources argue forcefully
30:10
that worship is not a pragmatic, entertainment driven spectacle
30:13
designed to attract consumers. It is a holy assembly entering
30:16
the presence of Emmanuel. The text is very clear on what
30:19
it rejects based on this doctrine.
30:21
It notes that the doctrine of Emmanuel forces the rejection of
30:24
the prospect. The prosperity gospel treats
30:27
Jesus as a cosmic bellhop, a genie dispensing earthly wealth,
30:33
health and comfortable living. Instead, the doctrine demands
30:37
total submission to biblical truth, recognizing Christ as
30:40
Lord over all areas of life. The sources list specific
30:44
examples of this submission. They point out believers baptism
30:47
by immersion as the biblical standard for identifying with
30:50
Christ's death and resurrection. They also argue for embracing
30:54
biblical complement momentarianism, viewing it as
30:56
the God ordained structure for the home and church.
30:59
The text sets this in direct opposition to the cultural grain
31:03
of egalitarianism and secular social justice theories that
31:06
attempt to erase God's created order.
31:09
If we connect this to the bigger picture, the text also reshapes
31:12
our understanding of the mission of the Church.
31:14
The sources point out that the Great Commission, the mandate to
31:17
make disciples of all nations, is not powered by clever human
31:20
strategies, marketing campaigns or demographic studies.
31:24
It's powered entirely by the present authority and presence
31:26
of Emanuel. In Matthew 28, Jesus says all
31:29
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, and
31:32
behold, I'm with you always. Evangelism is not the church
31:36
trying to convince the world on its own strength.
31:38
It is participation in the mission of the reigning Emanuel
31:42
who guarantees the success of his own mission.
31:45
But the texts insist that this present experience of Emmanuel
31:48
by the Spirit is not the end of the story.
31:51
The comfort we have now is magnificent, but it is only a
31:54
foretaste of a physical, literal climax.
31:58
This brings us to the eschatological horizon, the
32:00
study of last things. The sources point out that the
32:03
legal right to David's throne, which we spend so much time
32:06
examining in the genealogy of Matthew Chapter 1, implies A
32:10
literal throne that still awaits its king.
32:12
God does not make physical promises just to fulfill them
32:15
spiritually. The material outlines a specific
32:17
dispensational framework found within the text.
32:20
It argues that a clear, undeniable distinction remains
32:23
between national Israel and the Church.
32:25
While the Church currently enjoys the spiritual blessings
32:27
of the A New Covenant, Emmanuel guarantees a glorious future
32:31
fulfillment for national Israel. The sources discussed the
32:34
eschatological timeline starting with a pre tribulational rapture
32:38
where Christ delivers the Church from the coming period of global
32:41
wrath. This is followed by Christ's
32:43
physical premillennial return to earth.
32:46
He will return to establish his Kingdom, rule with a rod of iron
32:50
and sit upon the literal throne in Jerusalem, fulfilling every
32:53
geographic and political promise made to the Jewish people.
32:56
And the absolute culmination of the Emanuel promise is found at
33:00
the very end of the Bible. The texts point to Revelation
33:03
chapter 21, verse 3. Behold, the dwelling place of
33:07
God is with man. The distance, the cosmic
33:11
alienation that began in the Garden of Eden, is permanently,
33:14
eternally eradicated. Think about the progression
33:17
here. In Eden, God walked with man.
33:19
In the Tabernacle, God dwelt among men behind lethal
33:22
curtains. In the incarnation, God walked
33:24
alongside men in human flesh. In the Church age, God laws
33:29
within men by the Holy Spirit. But in the eternal state, the
33:32
Presence is absolute and physical once again.
33:35
There are no more veils suffering humanity from the Holy
33:37
of Holies. There are no more temples, it is
33:40
just unbroken, sinless communion between the Creator and his
33:45
redeemed people. It is the complete and total
33:47
reversal of the fall. The.
33:49
Flaming Sword is permanently removed.
33:51
As we wrap up the steep dive, I want to leave you with a final
33:54
provocative thought to consider, something that builds on the
33:57
reality of everything we have discussed.
33:59
The fact that God came down as a savior in his first advent,
34:03
humbling himself, taking on flesh, suffering the wrath of
34:07
the cross, absolutely guarantees that He will return as a judge
34:11
in his second advent. The grace extended now is not
34:14
permanent. The day of grace will eventually
34:16
end, and just like in the days of Noah, the door of the ark
34:19
will be shut. You have to consider your own
34:21
soul in light of this. Are you resting in your own
34:24
flawed righteousness, your own attempts to bridge the gap with
34:27
sociological vitamins and self help routines?
34:30
Or are you clinging to the absolute certainty of Emmanuel,
34:33
the Word made flesh? That is the ultimate question.
34:36
The text demands every person answer.
34:38
Think back to that X-ray machine we talked about at the
34:40
beginning. When you look at the human
34:41
condition through the lens of these texts, the diagnosis is
34:46
not murky at all. The X-ray is perfectly clear.
34:49
The bone is broken. The alienation from God is total
34:52
and lethal. But the beauty of the doctrine
34:54
of Emmanuel is that the cure is just as absolute, just as
34:58
certain, and just as visible in the person of Jesus Christ.
35:02
Thank you for joining us on this theological investigation.
35:05
We invite you to return for our next conversation here on
35:07
Reformed Thinking.