Today, on Truth Time, what about something from Paul?
Okay, glad you asked.
Romans chapter 3 verse 18, There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Fear of God, same exact syntax as faith of God and faith of Christ.
If fear of God doesn't mean that God exercises fear, why would we ever assume that faith of God and faith of Christ means God the Father or God the Son exercised faith?
Because you heard someone say it.
And you've been blindly repeating it ever since.
That's how it works.
When Paul wrote the words, "faith of Christ," he wasn't saying Jesus needed faith and something that had never seen.
The faith of Christ simply means the body of doctrine, the faith, Paul wrote down for you and I.
This is Truth Time Radio.
Okay, we've made it to the final installment of the faith of Christ series.
Did Jesus need faith?
What is faith?
No need to guess, God defined it for us in Hebrews 11:1, and there should be no question that Jesus is not a candidate for needing it.
God said faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen yet Jesus foreseen it all.
He foretold events, he foretold signs of the end times, and even his own sufferings, death, and resurrection.
He foretold it all, hey, if you know all things, you don't need faith.
In John 2:25, chapter 13 verse 3, 16:30, 18:4, and 21:17, they all say he knows all things.
Case closed, argument over, right?
If it were only that simple, but so many rely on their own presuppositions
instead of taking God at his word.
The Bible definition for faith destroys the Jesus needing it theory.
And the definition doesn't change according to dispensational changes
because faith never changed.
One reason some say Jesus needed faith is because he was fully man and fully God.
So what they do, they lean on the man side here when they want to support their argument.
Because most understand that it's man who's required to have faith, not God.
Christ, the Hebrews 12:2 author and finisher of our faith, doesn't need faith, he created it.
Faith was created as a means for man to overcome his shortcomings, but Jesus don't have shortcomings.
The man Christ Jesus doesn't cancel out the full deity of God in any way.
It doesn't cancel out the full deity of God that dwelt in the man.
Habakkuk 2:4 says, The just shall live by his faith.
Paul and James both agree, they say the same thing.
A just man lives by his faith because faith is the vehicle for justification
and it always has been.
Take Job, for example, chapter 1 verse 1.
Here we read, There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Now, we gotta ask, how did Job acquire the perfect and upright status?
He lived by his faith.
Without faith, Job wouldn't have feared God or known how to turn from evil.
For man, faith is required to do these things because we're sinful, our flesh is sinful, it's rotten to the core and has an appointment with death.
Without faith, it's impossible to please God, but what if God becomes a man?
Does that mean he's required to exercise faith?
Let's take a look at some verses used to describe the man Jesus Christ from our Apostle Paul and let's see if they take us to the conclusion that because God became a man, he was required to have faith like a man.
Philippians 2, come with me here, come with me.
Philippians 2, Philippians chapter 2 verse 5.
Beginning at verse 5, let's start there,
(Verse 5) Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
(Verse 6) Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
(Verse 7) But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of man.
(Verse 8) And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Now, in verse 5, Paul wants us to adapt to the mind of Christ.
And when we read it in proper context, we see the entire passage is about exercising humility with the hope of future glory, future glory in sight.
These verses are the component of the greater context of the whole chapter.
In verse six, here we began to see the explanation of how the word became flesh and dwelt among us just as John also said in his account of Christ's earthly ministry.
In verse 8, verse 8 ends with death, which is the only thing that can happen
to this already condemned flesh.
Christ, being in the form of God, well, that's just talking about the nature here.
Then Paul said Jesus thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
The only way to be equal with God is if you are God.
And that's obvious.
This is his deity defined while in the flesh, not before he came from heaven and put on flesh, but after, afterwards.
Being in the form, the nature of God and equal with God, wasn't even anything to question before the word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Verses 5 and 6, they express Christ's deity after he became a human man, a truth that obliterates the idea of Christ emptying himself.
You've probably heard that taught.
Some teach he emptied himself of the deity to become a man.
Paul clearly articulated that Christ did not lay his deity aside to become a man, never.
His full deity was still intact and we see Colossians 2:9 as absolute proof of this.
Christ was the fullness of the Godhead bodily, all the deity attributes of God in a body of flesh.
Now notice, now notice, the next part of the passage here that describes Christ as a man.
Watch.
He made himself of no reputation.
He took upon himself the form of a servant.
He was made in the likeness of men.
So as a man, now think, he didn't make himself famous to gain followers.
This is simply Paul pointing out the humility that Christ had in coming down from heaven to walk among us.
Paul wanted the Philippians to have that same humble mindset in their dealings with others.
If Jesus had made himself of reputation, he would not have said what he said
over there in Matthew chapter 13 verse 57.
I've got it right here for us.
It says, And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
Ah, see, he took upon himself the form, the nature of a servant.
Think about that, a man who was in the form of God possessing all deity attributes, took upon himself something unnatural for the fullness of the Godhead.
He took on the nature of a servant.
This is why we call the time of Christ's service on earth, ministry.
Ministry is a service, and a minister is a servant, or should be.
So, Christ's earthly ministry is such because he took upon the form of a servant and service to the Father as the mediator between heaven and earth.
Christ being made in the likeness of man as a phrase that should give pause
to anyone believing that all mankind is still considered to be made in the image of God.
People say that a lot.
You've heard that taught many times, but that's not true.
If that were the case, then Christ being God would not have had to be made
in the likeness of man in order to become a man.
We all know babies are adorable, but I don't care how cute that little baby is, no one ever born has been created in the image and likeness of God.
That status was lost way back there in the garden with Adam's sin.
And this passage, this passage stating that Jesus had to be made in the likeness of a man confirms that.
The form of God had to be made in the likeness of man.
If man were still in God's image and likeness, then no change in likeness would have to be made when the Word became flesh.
Just connect the dots.
Christ's nature of having all deity attributes didn't change just because he made himself of no reputation, or took upon himself the nature of a servant made in the likeness of man.
Now, now verse 8, here's one that some trip over.
But when read, when read with the understanding of the immediate context along with the knowledge of the extended context, Paul's admonition of humility, it should make sense.
Verse 8, And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
So, being found in fashion as a man, because he put on the servanthood nature in the likeness of man, well, he humbled himself.
The Word whom all glory and honor goes to made himself of no reputation.
God the Son, Hebrews 1:8, who sits on the right hand of the Father
and who'll be exalted when every knee bows and every tongue confesses, took on the nature of a servant.
Jesus Christ the blessed and only potentate King of kings and Lord of lords was made in the likeness of man.
Now that's incredible.
This is how he humbled himself in verse 8.
Why did he do so?
Because it was the only way he could be obedient.
Servants do what?
Obey.
Christ humbled himself as a servant so he could become obedient to the Father unto death, even the death of the cross.
Had he not lowered himself to the likeness of man, he could neither die or have been obedient.
Now, a question, a question we need to answer, does obedience require faith?
We've heard that taught, but before you answer that, remember, faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen.
So, in order to apply faith to obedience, there has to be something unknown and unseen concerning what that obedience is applied to.
The narrative that it's often taught is Christ needed faith in the Father to raise him from the dead, therefore his obedience unto death required him to have faith.
But is that true?
Well, how could it be?
When Jesus repeated exactly what was going to happen to him, now think, he repeated it what was going to happen to him concerning his death, burial, and resurrection at least nine times in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
So, how could it be?
During his earthly ministry we're told what he had already seen and already known.
John 6:46 says that no man had seen the Father except Christ.
Matthew 11:27 says all things were delivered to Christ of the Father and that no man knew the Father except the Son.
John 13:3 says that Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into his hands and he knew he came from God and that he would go to God.
Folks, Jesus Christ didn't lay aside the knowledge of his deity, no.
John 17:45, Jesus said that the world has not known the Father but Jesus who was in the world did know the Father.
John 16:30 Christ knoweth all things.
John 21:17 again, Christ knoweth all things.
Now, what's the definition of faith?
If faith is the evidence of things not seen but Christ knows all things, then guess what, ladies and gentlemen, it's impossible for the Christ of the Bible to have faith.
Impossible.
John 2:24 & 25, Jesus knew all men and knew what was in man.
Matthew chapter 9 verse 4, Jesus knew the thoughts of men.
John 16:7, Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him.
In John chapter 4 verses 25 and 26, the woman at the well tells Christ, not knowing who he is at first, that when the Messiah comes, he will tell them all things.
What was Jesus' response to her?
I am he.
Mic drop, end of argument, full stop.
How can he tell them all things if he doesn't already know all things?
And if he already knows all things, then that goes directly against the definition of faith in Hebrews chapter 11.
Obedience doesn't require faith, never has.
Obedience doesn't require faith, but faith does require obedience.
Christ was obedient, but he wasn't blindly obedient.
He was obedient unto death even the death of the cross, but he already knew about the cross.
So no faith needed.
He knew the wages of sin was death.
He knew who he was.
He knew the very reason he came was to put on flesh that could die.
He knew his atonement, his atonement for the sins of the world would be accepted by the Father.
He already knew that.
He knew he would arise on the third day declaring his righteousness for sins
that were past, through the forbearance of God.
He knew this mystery of God, ceasing to impute the subsequent sins to the lost world, that would later be revealed by Paul when he took the news to the Gentile world.
He knew that if Satan's host, the princes of the world, were to have known
what was happening, he would not have been crucified.
He didn't hope for these things, he knew them, because he was, he is, and always will be the all-knowing God.
Jesus is God.
Jesus, both the author and finisher of our faith.
He authored a vehicle by which man could be saved from his disobedient, sinful nature.
That vehicle being faith.
Without it, there's no salvation.
And for the believer, he will finish our faith when our hope is no longer hope, when it's no longer unseen.
Our faith will be finished when at last we're face to face with Christ.
Our faith will then have become sight.
Our hope will no longer be hope because hope that is seen is not hope.
Now, let's look at some verses outside of Paul's epistles that describe attributes of Christ's humanity.
Whether or not Christ was fully man and fully God is not in question, at least not for us.
The question is, does his humanity require him to have faith?
Let's answer this.
Philippians says he was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Hebrews 5:8 says Christ learned obedience.
Well, if he already knew everything, why would he need to learn anything?
Because this speaks of an experiential learning.
Before the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, he didn't have to obey anyone.
Remember, he's God just like the Father and the Holy Ghost.
All equal, no obedience required from one to the other.
They're one in unity, 1 John 5:7, before the Word became flesh,
he knew what was going to happen to him.
But while he was flesh, he took on the form of a servant.
He wasn't a servant by nature, but put on the nature of one.
Servants serve through obedience.
This was a new experience.
God the Son was experiencing something he had never experienced before.
He had never walked the earth while wearing the flesh of sinful man before being born of a woman.
So, there were things he had to learn through experience.
But that doesn't mean he didn't already know those things, he hadn't already seen those things from eternity.
He had, of course he had, even the very next part of Hebrews 5:8 says so.
It explains how he learned obedience.
It says here, by the things which he suffered, he experienced suffering.
God the Son who had the power to end the suffering at any moment, kept suffering in order to learn obedience.
His obedience was unto the death of the cross.
Hebrews 5:9 tells why he did that, And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all men that obey him.
So, Christ is the author of faith, and here we have verse 9 saying, he's the author of eternal salvation.
Sinful humans need eternal salvation, and faith is the only vehicle for that.
Did Christ, did he need to be eternally saved?
No.
Then why would he need faith?
We heard a pastor say that exercising faith is what, quote unquote, "Made Jesus perfect."
He based that on the phrase, "being made perfect," here in Hebrews.
But that's incorrect.
Christ, who was the word, was already perfect.
He was made perfect when he became flesh.
The Word was already perfect in heaven.
When the Word became flesh, he was made perfect in the flesh.
The made perfect here is in reference to his birth.
Paul agrees, in Galatians chapter 4, being made of a woman doesn't mean a created being like some religions teach.
Galatians 4:4, listen, But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
And in John 1:14, John says, The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
When the Word was made flesh, he was made perfect, made of a woman, made under the law, made of no reputation, made in the likeness of men, made of the seed of David according to the flesh, made to be sin for us, made a curse for us, made a little lower than the angels, made like unto his brethren.
This made was at his birth.
It isn't speaking of a making in progress over a period of time.
These are all human attributes that Christ was made to be and he was made to be these things perfectly and completely.
The word made doesn't mean created.
It means to be conformed to.
God the Word was made, God the Son, when the Word was made flesh.
The Word had to be made flesh because the Word was not flesh by nature.
The Word was God by nature in the form of God.
So, no he didn't need faith to learn obedience through sufferings, which in turn would make him perfect, because he was made perfect in the womb of Mary
before he breathed his first breath as a man.
The faith of Christ is what we practice.
It's a discipline.
The faith of Christ is what we believe, not what Jesus had.
Hebrews 5:7, Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Now, here we have a reference to the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, and this word, feared, is another one, another one of those words that has caused some to stumble, thinking that since Jesus, since he feared, he needed faith.
But this isn't the case at all.
This is not what it's talking about.
It's not talking about him being scared of anything, fearing something that he didn't know would happen.
No, this speaks to his dread.
Concerning what he already knew was going to happen.
Like the excruciating pain to be inflicted upon his flesh and even more so on his spirit.
He didn't want to do it, but he knew he had to in order to finish what he was made to accomplish.
His prayer to the Father in the Garden is heartbreaking, but feelings don't equal faith.
They're a response to something else.
He didn't need faith to have feelings because he already knew he'd have feelings.
Remember, John 16:30, Christ knoweth all things.
Okay, another one, another one that is used is from Hebrews chapter 4 and verse 15.
Here it talks about Christ being tempted at all points.
He was tempted to sin, but could he?
No.
If he could, then he's disqualified himself from being God.
And if Christ could sin, then he would need faith.
But he doesn't because he can't sin and still be God.
Saying that he needed faith makes it sound like you're still on the fence about him being God.
Now to Luke chapter 2, in Luke chapter 2, we see how Jesus grew, was filled with wisdom, and increased in wisdom and stature.
God was a baby, then a boy, then a man.
That's a lot of experiential wisdom to gain, right?
And since he came into the world as a baby and not as a full-grown man, he had to grow.
But none of these things require faith.
Remember, you only need faith for things you don't know and things you've not seen.
But Jesus knows all and has seen all, so he's not a candidate for needing faith.
On the contrary, in this very passage, we see Jesus responding to his mother's fear over not being able to find him.
He said, I'm about my father's business.
And verse 50, Mary and Joseph, you can see there, they didn't have a clue what he meant by that.
So, while Jesus grew physically, he always knew exactly who he was.
Not because his earthly parents told him, but because he was God in the flesh.
All right, we've come to our final verse, Mark chapter 13 verse 32, But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
In this six-part series, we've put forth a surplus of verses that slam the door shut, leaving no question whether or not Jesus knew all things.
But with that said, it is understandable how this verse here on the surface
may appear contradictive.
But if it is, our Bible's messed up and we know that's not true.
So, we won't ignore the multiple verses that say the opposite in favor of just one.
When we use a little wisdom, we understand that a single verse, which implies that there is one aspect that has not been earmarked for the Son of God to reveal, would not mean that we throw out all of the other verses
that say he knows all things.
So, let's examine this further.
There's another instance of this same event we're reading here in Mark 13:32
and it's found in Matthew chapter 24.
There, Christ tells his followers to be ready like Noah was ready for the flood.
Those ready, they were safely sealed up in the ark.
Those not were unable to get on board and be saved.
Noah didn't know the exact day and hour the rain would start.
Just like these here in Matthew 24, wouldn't know the exact day and hour of Christ's return.
God had a reason for not revealing the day and hour to man.
He wanted them to watch and be ready, but if he had given them an exact day
and an exact hour, they'd have no need to stay ready.
Both Matthew chapters 24 and 25 provide information with great detail
concerning the return of Christ for Israel.
The only part missing is the exact day and hour and the parables and examples given by Jesus to his followers reveal exactly why that information was withheld.
So, after looking at the other accounts and understanding the context and why one specific aspect is not included for the audience, would it be wise to assume that God the Son didn't have access to a specific detail of information, or is it just that the Father desired the day and hour of Christ's return to be kept from his disciples?
Don't forget, when we read this account here in Mark 13:32, when we see this same account given in Matthew and in Luke, there's nothing said about the Son not knowing the day or hour.
That statement is only in Mark.
To have said so much about the signs to be watching for, we know that Jesus knew all the details of his return.
So, why wouldn't the Son know the day and hour?
Verse 32 says, But of that day and that hour, knoweth no man.
Now look in verse 34 and see exactly how the Son is referred to in the immediate context, For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Now, here it's important to notice that Jesus says the Son of man, not Son of God.
And a few verses earlier, same context, Mark 13:26 watch, And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
Who is the Son of man, the fully man part of Jesus Christ.
So, the reference to the Son not knowing of the day or the hour is obviously inclusive of the Son of man because no man know it.
But it doesn't say that the Son of God, God the Son didn't know.
It doesn't say that.
Jesus had abilities that our human mind and spirits can't comprehend.
He was in a unique position, one that required him to take on flesh that was cursed to die while maintaining the full deity of God.
It took all of God's glory for him to make that first flesh acceptable, acceptable enough to become a sacrifice without spot or blemish.
Something that the Son of man could never accomplish unless he was also the Son of God.
Why does no man know the day and the hour?
Simple, because the day and the hour is not prophesied.
And the Son of man came to fulfill prophecy that had everything to do with the Son of man, Son of David.
The second coming of Christ is according to prophecy.
The day and hour of his return is not included in that prophecy.
We cannot leave out the Son of man aspect of Jesus Christ.
This was how he was able to fulfill all prophecies concerning him being the Seed of David, the Son of David.
While at the same time, David called his Son the Son of man, Lord, Son of God.
This is why Jesus cried out on the cross, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Christ as the son of man marked the fulfillment of the prophecy of his father, David, in Psalm 22, while he was dying on the cross.
And this had nothing to do with Jesus needing to have faith.
As a matter of fact, to ask the Father why he had forsaken him signifies a lack of, or a loss of faith, rather than perfect faith, like some claim.
But we know it has nothing to do with Jesus having faith or a lack thereof.
He was making it known that he was fulfilling prophecy, and as both the Son of man, David, and the Son of God, he was the only one who qualified as Israel's Messiah and the nations who honored them.
This is why Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles, never once, never once used the title, Son of Man, when describing Christ.
But he did use Son of God multiple times.
Son of Man is Jesus Christ after the flesh, but we don't follow him.
We don't know him after the flesh as the son of man, son of David.
We know him as the savior of all men, especially them that believe.
God the Son who was justified, declared as the righteous Son of God by his resurrection, Romans chapter 1 verse 4.
It's different.
It's different.
The Son of man was the Son of God.
The Son of God is God and God doesn't need faith.
Faith is not faith unless it has an object and a hope.
Hope that is seen is not hope.
Faith and sight are opposite, contradictory attributes.
Throughout this series, not one time, not one time have we found any evidence whatsoever of God hoping for something to happen as if he didn't already know it would.
And not one instance do we find Jesus having a lack of understanding.
But to the contrary, those who listened to him didn't understand what he said at times, and they, they were the ones in need of faith.
They exercised faith and followed him even though their understanding was not open until after the resurrection.
The traits that Jesus possessed as a man do not cancel out any of his deity attributes as God.
Growth of the human body, the experiences of God in an earthly vessel
obedience to his own instruction and the consequences of sin that he set forth himself, having emotions and feelings, including the anxiety regarding the pain that he knew he must experience.
None of these things, not a one, required him to exercise faith.
These were things he already knew, and the choice and ability to keep the exact day and hour from his own humanity.
That proves even more that the Son of God is able to do all things and know all things.
For some, the problem seems to be with preposition.
It's the word, "of," that's given many problems.
Faith of Christ is automatically assumed to be faith in Christ for those who hold to newer Bible versions.
But for those who believe the words in the King James, some assume that faith of Christ is talking about Jesus needing to have an exercised faith towards someone or something.
As we've said multiple times, the King James is right.
It's most definitely faith of Christ, not faith in Christ.
But you can't have faith in Christ if you don't possess the faith of Christ.
But we do.
We hold it in our hands.
The faith of Christ is the body of doctrine Paul wrote down in his 13 epistles.
We study it and we apply it.
The faith of Christ is a discipline.
It's the faith we practice.
The faith of Christ is what we believe, not what Christ had.
So if the word, "of," always denotes an attribute belonging to the object of the phrase, then we wouldn't sit differently when presented with phrases that are identical in syntax to faith of Christ.
Let's do a quick example.
Genesis chapter 20 verse 11, And Abraham said, Because I thought, Surely the fear of God is not in this place;
Now look at that.
Look at this verse and ask yourself, does the phrase, "fear of God," mean God had fear?
Take a moment if you need to.
No.
And neither does the phrase, "faith of Christ," mean Christ had faith.
A Bible student knows there's a multiplicity of verses in scripture that have the phrase, "fear of God," and, "fear of the Lord."
Yet, no one has such a misunderstanding of these verses that they, that it would cause them to walk away claiming God has fear.
No one.
Let's try again.
Genesis chapter 35 verse 5, And they journeyed: and the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them,
Terror of God.
Is God terrified in this verse?
Or is the terror because of God?
I think you get the picture.
Ezra 6:18, And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God,
Service of God.
Is God doing the service, or are the Levite priests?
Psalm 50 verse 23, Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God.
Salvation of God.
Does God need saving?
Are you seeing the absurdity yet?
Luke chapter 3 verse 6, And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Same phrase, "salvation of God."
God doesn't need to be saved which goes without sayin'.
What about something from Paul?
Okay, glad you asked.
Romans chapter 3 verse 18, There is no fear of God before their eyes.
Fear of God.
Same exact syntax as faith of God and faith of Christ.
If fear of God doesn't mean that God exercises fear, why would we ever assume that faith of God and faith of Christ means God the Father or God the Son exercised faith?
Because you heard someone say it.
And you've been blindly repeating it ever since.
That's how it works.
When Paul wrote the words, faith of Christ, he wasn't saying Jesus needed faith and something that had never seen.
The faith of Christ simply means the body of doctrine, the faith, Paul wrote down for you and I.
It's what we believe, not what he had.
Guys, the writing is on the wall, the verdict is in, Christ hasn't needed faith a day of his life.
Okay, that concludes our faith of Christ series.
Here and not certain of where you're gonna spend eternity, you need to believe the gospel of your salvation.
How that God stopped imputing sins to your account because Christ died for them all.
He was buried, but after three days, he arose.
All righteousness is in him.
Eternal life is in him.
So believe on him and you too will have his righteousness and life for all eternity.
We love you.
We love you all.
Grace and peace.
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