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* ALL Questions about Jesus Christ *

Could Jesus have sinned?​

ANSWER

There are two sides to this interesting question. It is important to remember that this is not a question of whether Jesus sinned. Both sides agree, as the Bible clearly says, that Jesus did not sin (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22). The question is whether Jesus could have sinned. Those who hold to “impeccability” believe that Jesus could not have sinned. Those who hold to “peccability” believe that Jesus could have sinned, but did not. Which view is correct? The clear teaching of Scripture is that Jesus was impeccable—Jesus could not have sinned. If He could have sinned, He would still be able to sin today because He retains the same essence He did while living on earth. He is the God-Man and will forever remain so, having full deity and full humanity so united in one person as to be indivisible. To believe that Jesus could sin is to believe that God could sin. “For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him” (Colossians 1:19). Colossians 2:9 adds, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”

Although Jesus is fully human, He was not born with the sinful nature that we are born with. He certainly was tempted in the same way we are, in that temptations were put before Him by Satan, yet He remained sinless because God is incapable of sinning. It is against His very nature (Matthew 4:1; Hebrews 2:18, 4:15; James 1:13). Sin is by definition a trespass of the Law. God created the Law, and the Law is by nature what God would or would not do; therefore, sin is anything that God would not do by His very nature.

To be tempted is not, in and of itself, sinful. A person could tempt you with something you have no desire to do, such as committing murder or participating in sexual perversions. You probably have no desire whatsoever to take part in these actions, but you were still tempted because someone placed the possibility before you. There are at least two definitions for the word “tempted”:

1) To have a sinful proposition suggested to you by someone or something outside yourself or by your own sin nature.

2) To consider actually participating in a sinful act and the possible pleasures and consequences of such an act to the degree that the act is already taking place in your mind.

The first definition does not describe a sinful act/thought; the second does. When you dwell upon a sinful act and consider how you might be able to bring it to pass, you have crossed the line of sin. Jesus was tempted in the fashion of definition one except that He was never tempted by a sin nature because it did not exist within Him. Satan proposed certain sinful acts to Jesus, but He had no inner desire to participate in the sin. Therefore, He was tempted like we are but remained sinless.

Those who hold to peccability believe that, if Jesus could not have sinned, He could not have truly experienced temptation, and therefore could not truly empathize with our struggles and temptations against sin. We have to remember that one does not have to experience something in order to understand it. God knows everything about everything. While God has never had the desire to sin, and has most definitely never sinned, God knows and understands what sin is. God knows and understands what it is like to be tempted. Jesus can empathize with our temptations because He knows, not because He has “experienced” all the same things we have.

Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted, but He does not know what it is like to sin. This does not prevent Him from assisting us. We are tempted with sins that are common to man (1 Corinthians 10:13). These sins generally can be boiled down to three different types: “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” (1 John 2:16 NKJV). Examine the temptation and sin of Eve, as well as the temptation of Jesus, and you will find that the temptations for each came from these three categories. Jesus was tempted in every way and in every area that we are, but remained perfectly holy. Although our corrupt natures will have the inner desire to participate in some sins, we have the ability, through Christ, to overcome sin because we are no longer slaves to sin but rather slaves of God (Romans 6, especially verses 2 and 16-22).

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

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Why was Jesus baptized?​


ANSWER

At first glance, it seems that Jesus’ baptism has no purpose at all. John’s baptism was the baptism of repentance (Matthew 3:11), but Jesus was sinless and had no need of repentance. Even John was taken aback at Jesus’ coming to him. John recognized his own sin and was aware that he, a sinful man in need of repentance himself, was unfit to baptize the spotless Lamb of God: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” (Matthew 3:14). Jesus replied that it should be done because “it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).

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There are several reasons why it was fitting for John to baptize Jesus at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Jesus was about to embark on His great work, and it was appropriate that He be recognized publicly by His forerunner. John was the “voice crying in the wilderness” prophesied by Isaiah, calling people to repentance in preparation for their Messiah (Isaiah 40:3). By baptizing Him, John was declaring to all that here was the One they had been waiting for, the Son of God, the One he had predicted would baptize “with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11).

Jesus’ baptism by John takes on an added dimension when we consider that John was of the tribe of Levi and a direct descendant of Aaron. Luke specifies that both of John’s parents were of the Aaronic priestly line (Luke 1:5). One of the duties of the priests in the Old Testament was to present the sacrifices before the Lord. John the Baptist’s baptism of Jesus could be seen as a priestly presentation of the Ultimate Sacrifice. John’s words the day after the baptism have a decidedly priestly air: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

Jesus’ baptism also showed that He identified with sinners. His baptism symbolized the sinners’ baptism into the righteousness of Christ, dying with Him and rising free from sin and able to walk in the newness of life. His perfect righteousness would fulfill all the requirements of the Law for sinners who could never hope to do so on their own. When John hesitated to baptize the sinless Son of God, Jesus replied that it was proper to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). By this He alluded to the righteousness that He provides to all who come to Him to exchange their sin for His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In addition, Jesus’ coming to John showed His approval of John’s baptism, bearing witness to it, that it was from heaven and approved by God. This would be important in the future when others would begin to doubt John’s authority, particularly after his arrest by Herod (Matthew 14:3-11).

Perhaps most importantly, the occasion of the public baptism recorded for all future generations the perfect embodiment of the triune God revealed in glory from heaven. The testimony directly from heaven of the Father’s pleasure with the Son and the descending of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus (Matthew 3:16-17) is a beautiful picture of the trinitarian nature of God. It also depicts the work of the Father, Son, and Spirit in the salvation of those Jesus came to save. The Father loves the elect from before the foundation of the world (Ephesians 1:4); He sends His Son to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10); and the Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8) and draws the believer to the Father through the Son. All the glorious truth of the mercy of God through Jesus Christ is on display at His baptism.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

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Where was Jesus baptized?​


ANSWER

The Gospel of Matthew gives us the most detailed account of Christ’s baptism, beginning with the fact that “Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John” (Matthew 3:13, NLT). Mark’s gospel also states that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist on the banks of the Jordan River: “One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River” (Mark 1:9, NLT). The Gospel of Luke gives the briefest account of Jesus’ baptism and does not indicate where it took place. It is in John’s gospel that we receive our best clue to the exact location on the Jordan River where Jesus was baptized.

In John 1:19–28, we are introduced to John the Baptist, the rough and rugged prophet who was spreading the news that Israel’s promised Messiah was coming. The religious leaders had begun to question John, “Who are you?” Since John was baptizing people, the Pharisees demanded to know by what authority he performed the baptisms. John answered that he was merely the one sent by God to prepare the way for the Lord. Soon Jesus would take the stage and begin His earthly ministry by being baptized. The gospel writer explains, “This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing” (John 1:28).

This town of Bethany has come to be known as “Bethany beyond the Jordan” as it appears in some Bible translations. It should not be confused with the hometown of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus (John 11:1), which is just to the east of Jerusalem. The Bethany where Jesus was baptized is on the other side of the Jordan, on the east bank of the river. John wanted his readers to know where the ministry of Jesus had all begun. According to John 1:29–34, Jesus came to John the Baptist on the east side of the Jordan and was baptized by him.

Later, in John 10:40–41, during a time of intense opposition and conflict in Jesus’ ministry, Jesus returned to this same Bethany, which may have been a place of safety. Scripture says many people came to Jesus there.

The precise location of Bethany beyond the Jordan has been widely debated. However, based on geographical details in Scripture, we can be reasonably confident it was on the eastern banks of the Jordan River. Many scholars pinpoint the site at five miles north of the Dead Sea at the mouth of Wadi el-Kharrar, which is just across from Jericho. This location agrees with references to the site being accessible from the wilderness of Judea, the Judean hill country, and Jerusalem (Matthew 3:1–6, 13, 4:1; Luke 3:3, 4:1; Mark 1:4–5, 9–12).

The setting would have been well-traveled in John the Baptist’s day, with the road from Jerusalem to Jericho routing a constant flow of religious leaders, soldiers, tax-collectors, and other travelers through the region (Matthew 3:7; Luke 3:7, 10–14). The area had an earlier historical significance, too. It was in this area that the Israelites in Joshua’s day took their first steps toward entering the Promised Land (Joshua 1:1–6; Joshua 3:14–17); it was here that Elijah and Elisha passed through the waters of the Jordan on dry ground and Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kings 2:1–12); and it was here that Israel anticipated God to return in glory following the exile (Ezekiel 43:2–4). It’s likely that John the Baptist chose this site not only for its ease of access but also for its rich historical heritage and eschatological significance. The place where Jesus was baptized would indelibly link the Lord’s mission and message with the Jewish people and their hopes for a coming Savior.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

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Why are Jesus’ genealogies in Matthew and Luke so different?​


ANSWER

Jesus’ genealogy is given in two places in Scripture: Matthew 1 and Luke 3:23-38. Matthew traces the genealogy from Jesus to Abraham. Luke traces the genealogy from Jesus to Adam. However, there is good reason to believe that Matthew and Luke are in fact tracing entirely different genealogies. For example, Matthew gives Joseph’s father as Jacob (Matthew 1:16), while Luke gives Joseph’s father as Heli (Luke 3:23). Matthew traces the line through David’s son Solomon (Matthew 1:6), while Luke traces the line through David’s son Nathan (Luke 3:31). In fact, between David and Jesus, the only names the genealogies have in common are Shealtiel and Zerubbabel (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27).

Some point to these differences as evidence of errors in the Bible. However, the Jews were meticulous record keepers, especially in regard to genealogies. It is inconceivable that Matthew and Luke could build two entirely contradictory genealogies of the same lineage. Again, from David through Jesus, the genealogies are completely different. Even the reference to Shealtiel and Zerubbabel likely refer to different individuals of the same names. Matthew gives Shealtiel’s father as Jeconiah while Luke gives Shealtiel’s father as Neri. It would be normal for a man named Shealtiel to name his son Zerubbabel in light of the famous individuals of those names (see the books of Ezra and Nehemiah).

One explanation, held by the church historian Eusebius, is that Matthew is tracing the primary, or biological, lineage while Luke is taking into account an occurrence of “levirate marriage.” If a man died without having any sons, it was tradition for the man’s brother to marry the widow and have a son who would carry on the deceased man’s name. According to Eusebius’s theory, Melchi (Luke 3:24) and Matthan (Matthew 1:15) were married at different times to the same woman (tradition names her Estha). This would make Heli (Luke 3:23) and Jacob (Matthew 1:15) half-brothers. Heli then died without a son, and so his (half-)brother Jacob married Heli’s widow, who gave birth to Joseph. This would make Joseph the “son of Heli” legally and the “son of Jacob” biologically. Thus, Matthew and Luke are both recording the same genealogy (Joseph’s), but Luke follows the legal lineage while Matthew follows the biological.

Most conservative Bible scholars today take a different view, namely, that Luke is recording Mary’s genealogy and Matthew is recording Joseph’s. Matthew is following the line of Joseph (Jesus’ legal father), through David’s son Solomon, while Luke is following the line of Mary (Jesus’ blood relative), through David’s son Nathan. Since there was no specific Koine Greek word for “son-in-law,” Joseph was called the “son of Heli” by marriage to Mary, Heli’s daughter. Through either Mary’s or Joseph’s line, Jesus is a descendant of David and therefore eligible to be the Messiah. Tracing a genealogy through the mother’s side is unusual, but so was the virgin birth. Luke’s explanation is that Jesus was the son of Joseph, “so it was thought” (Luke 3:23).

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

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What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of Man?​


ANSWER

Jesus is referred to as the “Son of Man” 82 times in the New Testament (NIV and ESV). In fact, Son of Man is the primary title Jesus used when referring to Himself (e.g., Matthew 12:32; 13:37; Luke 12:8; John 1:51). The only use of Son of Man in a clear reference to Jesus, spoken by someone other than Jesus, came from the lips of Stephen as he was being martyred (Acts 7:56).

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Son of Man is a title of humanity. Other titles for Christ, such as Son of God, are overt in their focus on His deity. Son of Man, in contrast, focuses on the humanity of Christ. God called the prophet Ezekiel “son of man” 93 times. In this way, God was simply calling Ezekiel a human being. Son of man is simply a periphrastic term for “human.” Jesus Christ was truly a human being. He came “in the flesh” (1 John 4:2).

Son of Man is a title of humility. The Second Person of the Trinity, eternal in nature, left heaven’s glory and took on human flesh, becoming the Son of Man, born in a manger and “despised and rejected by mankind” (Isaiah 53:3). The Son of Man had “no place to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). The Son of Man ate and drank with sinners (Matthew 11:19). The Son of Man suffered at the hands of men (Matthew 17:12). This intentional lowering of His status from King of Heaven to Son of Man is the epitome of humility (see Philippians 2:6–8).

Son of Man is a title of deity. Ezekiel may have been a son of man, but Jesus is the Son of Man. As such, Jesus is the supreme example of all that God intended mankind to be, the embodiment of truth and grace (John 1:14). In Him “all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). For this reason, the Son of Man was able to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6). The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28). The Son of Man came to save lives (Luke 9:56; 19:10), rise from the dead (Mark 9:9), and execute judgment (John 5:27). At His trial before the high priest, Jesus said, “I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64). This statement immediately ended the trial, as the court accused the Lord of blasphemy and condemned Him to death (verses 65–66).

Son of Man is a fulfillment of prophecy. Jesus’ claim before the high priest to be the Son of Man was a reference to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13–14, “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed” (NKJV). Daniel saw glory, worship, and an everlasting kingdom given to the Messiah—here called the “Son of Man”—and Jesus applied this prophecy to Himself. Jesus also spoke of His coming kingdom on other occasions (Matthew 13:41; 16:28). The author of Hebrews used a reference to the “son of man” in the Psalms to teach that Jesus, the true Son of Man, will be the ruler of all things (Hebrews 2:5–9; cf. Psalm 8:4–6). The Son of Man, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, will be the King.

Jesus was fully God (John 1:1), but He was also fully human (John 1:14). As the Son of God and the Son of Man, He is deserving of both titles.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

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RELATED ARTICLES​

What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of
 

What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?​


ANSWER

Jesus is not God’s Son in the sense of a human father and a son. God did not get married and have a son. God did not mate with Mary and, together with her, produce a son. Jesus is God’s Son in the sense that He is God made manifest in human form (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is God’s Son in that He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35 declares, “The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’”

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During His trial before the Jewish leaders, the High Priest demanded of Jesus, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). “‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:64). The Jewish leaders responded by accusing Jesus of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65-66). Later, before Pontius Pilate, “The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law He must die, because He claimed to be the Son of God’” (John 19:7). Why would His claiming to be the Son of God be considered blasphemy and be worthy of a death sentence? The Jewish leaders understood exactly what Jesus meant by the phrase “Son of God.” To be the Son of God is to be of the same nature as God. The Son of God is “of God.” The claim to be of the same nature as God—to in fact be God—was blasphemy to the Jewish leaders; therefore, they demanded Jesus’ death, in keeping with Leviticus 24:15. Hebrews 1:3 expresses this very clearly, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”

Another example can be found in John 17:12 where Judas is described as the “son of perdition.” John 6:71 tells us that Judas was the son of Simon. What does John 17:12 mean by describing Judas as the “son of perdition”? The word perdition means “destruction, ruin, waste.” Judas was not the literal son of “ruin, destruction, and waste,” but those things were the identity of Judas' life. Judas was a manifestation of perdition. In this same way, Jesus is the Son of God. The Son of God is God. Jesus is God made manifest (John 1:1, 14).

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum


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What does it mean that Jesus is the son of David?​


ANSWER

Seventeen verses in the New Testament describe Jesus as the “son of David.” But the question arises, how could Jesus be the son of David if David lived approximately 1,000 years before Jesus? The answer is that Christ (the Messiah) was the fulfillment of the prophecy of the seed of David (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Jesus is the promised Messiah, which means He had to be of the lineage of David. Matthew 1 gives the genealogical proof that Jesus, in His humanity, was a direct descendant of Abraham and David through Joseph, Jesus’ legal father. The genealogy in Luke 3 traces Jesus’ lineage through His mother, Mary. Jesus is a descendant of David by adoption through Joseph and by blood through Mary. “As to his earthly life [Christ Jesus] was a descendant of David” (Romans 1:3).

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Primarily, the title “Son of David” is more than a statement of physical genealogy. It is a Messianic title. When people referred to Jesus as the Son of David, they meant that He was the long-awaited Deliverer, the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

Jesus was addressed as “Lord, thou son of David” several times by people who, by faith, were seeking mercy or healing. The woman whose daughter was being tormented by a demon (Matthew 15:22) and the two blind men by the wayside (Matthew 20:30) all cried out to the Son of David for help. The titles of honor they gave Him declared their faith in Him. Calling Him “Lord” expressed their sense of His deity, dominion, and power, and calling Him “Son of David,” expressed their faith that He was the Messiah.

The Pharisees understood exactly what the people meant when they called Jesus “Son of David.” But, unlike those who cried out in faith, the Pharisees were so blinded by their own pride that they couldn’t see what the blind beggars could see—that here was the Messiah they had supposedly been waiting for all their lives. They hated Jesus because He wouldn’t give them the honor they thought they deserved, so when they heard the people hailing Jesus as the Savior, they became enraged (Matthew 21:15) and plotted to destroy Him (Luke 19:47).

Jesus further confounded the scribes and Pharisees by asking them to explain the meaning of this very title: how could it be that the Messiah is the son of David when David himself refers to Him as “my Lord” (Mark 12:35–37; cf. Psalm 110:1)? The teachers of the Law couldn’t answer the question. Jesus thereby exposed the Jewish leaders’ ineptitude as teachers and their ignorance of what the Old Testament taught as to the true nature of the Messiah, further alienating them from Him.

Jesus’ point in asking the question of Mark 12:35 was that the Messiah is more than the physical son of David. If He is David’s Lord, He must be greater than David. As Jesus says in Revelation 22:16, “I am the Root and the Offspring of David.” That is, He is both the Creator of David and the Descendant of David. Only the Son of God made flesh could say that.

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God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum


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Who was responsible for Christ’s death?​


ANSWER

The answer to this question has many facets. First, there is no doubt the religious leaders of Israel were responsible for Jesus’ death. Matthew 26:3–4 tells us that “the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.” The Jewish leaders demanded of the Romans that Jesus be put to death (Matthew 27:22–25). They couldn’t continue to allow Him to work signs and wonders because it threatened their position and place in the religious society they dominated (John 11:47–50), so “they plotted to take his life” (John 11:53).

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The Romans were the ones who actually crucified Him (Matthew 27:27–37). Crucifixion was a Roman method of execution, authorized and carried out by the Romans under the authority of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who sentenced Jesus. Roman soldiers drove the nails into His hands and feet, Roman troops erected the cross, and a Roman solider pierced His side (Matthew 27:27–35).

The people of Israel were also complicit in the death of Jesus. They were the ones who shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” as He stood on trial before Pilate (Luke 23:21). They also cried for the thief Barabbas to be released instead of Jesus (Matthew 27:21). Peter confirmed this in Acts 2:22–23 when he told the men of Israel, “You, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross.” In fact, the murder of Jesus was a conspiracy involving Rome, Herod, the Jewish leaders, and the people of Israel, a diverse group of people who never worked together on anything before or since, but who came together this one time to plot and carry out the unthinkable: the murder of the Son of God.

While God did not literally kill Jesus, God allowed Him to be put to death by the hands of the Jews and Romans. Acts 2:23 emphasizes God’s sovereign knowledge as He allowed people to brutally and unlawfully murder His Son: “This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (emphasis added). While God did not stop people from physically killing Jesus, He also did not allow death to have the final say: “But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:24). Christ’s death and resurrection was part of God’s perfect plan to eternally redeem all who would believe in Him. "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross provides salvation for all who trust in Him.

All who have come to Christ in faith are guilty of His blood, shed on the cross for us. He died to pay the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8; 6:23). In the movie The Passion of the Christ, the director, Mel Gibson, was the one whose hands you see actually driving the nails through Christ’s hands. He did it that way to remind himself, and everyone else, that it was our sins that nailed Jesus to the cross.

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God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum


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​

 

Why did Jesus have to experience so much suffering?​


ANSWER

Jesus suffered severely throughout His trials, torture, and crucifixion (Matthew 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 19). His suffering was physical: Isaiah 52:14 declares, “There were many who were appalled at Him—His appearance was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness.” His suffering was emotional: “All the disciples deserted him and fled” (Matthew 26:56). His suffering was spiritual: “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had the weight of the sins of the entire world on Him (1 John 2:2). It was sin that caused Jesus to cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus’ brutal physical suffering was augmented by His having to bear the guilt of our sins and die to pay our penalty (Romans 5:8).

Isaiah predicted Jesus’ suffering: “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:3, 5). This passage specifies the reason for Jesus’ suffering: “for our transgressions,” for our healing, and to bring us peace.

Jesus told His disciples that His suffering was certain: “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life” (Luke 9:22; cf. 17:25). Note the word must—He must suffer, and He must be killed. The suffering of Christ was God’s plan for the salvation of the world.

Psalm 22:14–18 details some of the suffering of the Messiah: “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint. My heart has turned to wax; it has melted away within me. My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth; you lay me in the dust of death. Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” In order for this and other prophecies to be fulfilled, Jesus had to suffer.

Why did Jesus have to suffer so badly? The principle of the innocent dying for the guilty was established in the garden of Eden: Adam and Eve received garments of animal skin to cover their shame (Genesis 3:21)—thus, blood was shed in Eden. Later, this principle was set in the Mosaic Law: “It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life” (Leviticus 17:11; cf. Hebrews 9:22). Jesus had to suffer because suffering is part of sacrifice, and Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Jesus’ physical torture was part of the payment required for our sins. We are redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:19).

Jesus’ suffering on the cross showed the devastating nature of sin, the wrath of God, the cruelty of humanity, and the hatred of Satan. At Calvary, mankind was allowed to do his worst to the Son of Man as He became the Redeemer of mankind. Satan may have thought he had won a great victory, but it was through the cross that the Son of God triumphed over Satan, sin, and death. “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31; cf. Colossians 2:15).

Jesus suffered and died in order to secure salvation for all who would believe. The night of His arrest, as Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, He committed His all to the task: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). The cup of suffering was not taken from Christ; He drank it all for us. There was no other way for us to be saved.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

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​

 

How is Jesus Christ unique?​


ANSWER

1. Jesus Christ is unique as the only begotten Son of God (Psalm 2:7, 11–12; John 1:14; 3:16; Luke 1:35). Jesus is the “one-of-a-kind” Son of God in that He shares the same divine nature as God.

2. Jesus Christ is unique in that He is eternal. He existed from eternity past, He exists in the present, and He will exist for all eternity in the future (John 1:1–3, 14; John 8:58).

3. Jesus Christ is unique in that He is sinless. He never committed a sin and, although fully human, has no sin nature. He is the Holy One of God (Acts 3:14; John 6:69; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5).

4. Jesus Christ is unique because He alone is the One who bore our sins. As our Sin-bearer, He grants us forgiveness and salvation and a right standing with God. No one else could take away our sin (Isaiah 53; Matthew 1:21; John 1:29; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1–3).

5. Jesus Christ is unique because He is the only Way to the Father (John 14:6; Acts 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:5). There is no other way to salvation. He is the only righteous One, and He exchanged His perfect righteousness for our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).

6. Jesus Christ is unique in that He alone had power over His own death and the ability take back His life again (John 2:19; 10:17–18). Note: His resurrection was not a “spiritual” one, but physical (Luke 24:39). His resurrection from the dead, never to die again, distinguished Him as the unique Son of God (Romans 1:4).

7. Jesus Christ is unique, as seen in the fact that He alone accepted worship as an equal with the Father (John 20:28–29; Philippians 2:6). Indeed, God the Father states that the Son is to be honored as He is honored (John 5:23). All others in Scripture, whether Jesus’ disciples or angelic beings, rightly reject that worship (Acts 10:25–26; 14:14–15; Matthew 4:10; Revelation 19:10; 22:9).

8. Jesus Christ is unique in that He has the power to give life to whom He will (John 5:21).

9. Jesus Christ is unique because the Father has committed all judgment to Him (John 5:22). Having lived in this world perfectly, He is the only One qualified to judge the world.

10. Jesus Christ is unique because He was with the Father and directly involved in the creation. It is by the hand of Christ that all things are held together (John 1:1–3; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:8–10; Colossians 1:17).

11. Jesus Christ is unique in that He will rule the world at the end of this present age (Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 9:6–7; Daniel 2:35, 44; Revelation 19:11–16).

12. Jesus Christ is unique in that He alone was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:20–23; Luke 1:30–35).

13. Jesus Christ is unique in that He demonstrated the attributes of God. In His ministry, Jesus showed that He had the power to forgive sins and heal the sick (Matthew 9:1–7); to calm the wind and waves (Mark 4:37–41; Psalm 89:8–9); to know people inside and out (Psalm 139; John 1:46–50; 2:23–25); and to raise the dead (John 11; Luke 7:12–15; 8:41–55).

14. Jesus Christ is unique because He fulfilled prophecy. There are a great number of prophecies concerning the Messiah’s birth, life, resurrection, person, and purpose. All were fulfilled by Him and no other (e.g., Isaiah 7:14; 9:6–7; 53; Micah 5:2; Psalm 16:10; 22; Zechariah 11:12–13; 13:7).

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

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What were the seven last words of Jesus Christ on the cross and what do they mean?​


ANSWER

The seven statements that Jesus Christ made on the cross were (not in any particular order):

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(1) Matthew 27:46 tells us that about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Here, Jesus was expressing His feelings of abandonment as God placed the sins of the world on Him. As Jesus endured that weight of sin, He, who alone is holy, was “made . . . to be sin for us” (2 Corinthians 5:21), and He cried out in agony. This cry from the cross echoed the statement in Psalm 22:1.

(2) “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Those who crucified Jesus were not aware of the full scope of what they were doing because they did not recognize Him as the Messiah. While their ignorance of divine truth did not mean they deserved forgiveness, Christ’s prayer in the midst of their mocking Him is an expression of the limitless compassion of divine grace.

(3) “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). In this passage, Jesus is assuring one of the criminals on the cross that when he died, he would be with Jesus in heaven. This was granted because even at the hour of his death, the criminal had expressed his faith in Jesus, recognizing Him for who He was (Luke 23:42).

(4) “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Here, Jesus is willingly giving up His soul into the Father’s hands, indicating that He was about to die – and that God had accepted His sacrifice. He “offered up Himself unblemished to God” (Hebrews 9:14).

(5) “Dear Woman, here is your son!” and “Here is your mother!” When Jesus saw His mother standing near the cross with the Apostle John, whom He loved, He committed His mother’s care into John’s hands. And from that hour John took her unto his own home (John 19:26-27). In this verse Jesus, ever the compassionate Son, is making sure His earthly mother is cared for after His death.

(6) “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). Jesus was here fulfilling the Messianic prophecy from Psalm 69:21: “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” By saying He was thirsty, He prompted the Roman guards to give Him vinegar, which was customary at a crucifixion, thereby fulfilling the prophecy.

(7) “It is finished!” (John 19:30). Jesus’ last words meant that His suffering was over and the whole work His Father had given Him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for His people, was done, accomplished, fulfilled. The debt of sin was paid.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

The Seven Last Words of Christ | What were the seven last words of Jesus Christ on the cross...​


Got Questions Ministries





The seven last words of Christ from the cross were powerful! Some know these as, the seven stations of the cross, or the seven statements from the cross. However you refer to them, the sayings of Jesus on the cross are an excellent study. In this video Pastor Nelson with Bible Munch answers the question, “what were the seven last words of Jesus Christ on the cross and what do they mean.”


*** Curious about Bible Munch? Go check them out! / biblemunch
 

What was Jesus like as a person?​


ANSWER

Although He had “no beauty of majesty to attract us to him...” (Isaiah 53:2), it was Jesus’ personality that drew men to Him. He was a man of great character. The more we understand what Jesus was like, the more we can seek to emulate His character.

What was Jesus like? Jesus had a compassionate nature. He had compassion on the crowds “because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36). Because of His compassion for them, He healed their diseases (Matthew 14:14; 20:34), and because of their hunger, He compassionately created enough food to feed large crowds on at least two occasions (Matthew 14:13–21; 15:29–39).

Jesus was serious and focused. He had a mission in life and never got sidetracked from it, knowing the weightiness of it and the shortness of time. His attitude was that of a servant. He “did not come to be served, but to serve” (Mark 10:45). Kindness and selflessness characterized His personality.

Jesus was submissive to His Father’s will when He came to earth and subsequently went to the cross. He knew that dying on the cross was the only payment His Father could accept for our salvation. He prayed the night of His betrayal by Judas, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). He was a submissive Son to Mary and Joseph, as well. He grew up in a normal (sinful) household, yet, Jesus “was obedient” to His parents (Luke 2:51). He was obedient to the Father’s will. “He learned obedience from what he suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

What was Jesus like? Jesus had a heart of mercy and forgiveness. On the cross, He prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Jesus was loving in His relationships. For example, John 11:5 says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus” (John 11:5). John referred to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23).

Jesus had a reputation for being good and caring. He healed often so that the people might know who He was. Truly He proved to be the Son of the living God by all the miracles He did, all the while showing concern for the afflictions of those around Him.

Jesus was honest and truthful. He never violated His own word. He spoke truth wherever He went. He lived a life we could follow explicitly. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” (John 14:6). At the same time, He was peaceable. He did not argue His case, nor try to bully His way into people’s hearts.

What was Jesus like? Jesus was intimate with His followers. He spent quality and quantity time with them. He desired their fellowship, taught them, and helped them focus on what was eternal. He was also intimate with His heavenly Father. He prayed to Him regularly, listened, obeyed, and cared about God’s reputation. When Jesus saw the moneychangers who were taking advantage of worshipers, He drove them out. He said, “It is written, ‘My house will be a house of prayer’; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers’” (Luke 19:46). Jesus was a strong but meek leader. Everywhere He went (until the inevitable decline), the people followed Him, eager to listen to His teaching. The people were amazed at the authority with which Jesus spoke (Mark 1:27–28; Matthew 7:28–29).

Jesus was patient, knowing and understanding our frailties. Several times in the Gospels, Jesus verbalized His patience in the face of our faithless provocations (Matthew 8:26; Mark 9:19; John 14:9; cf. 2 Peter 3:9).

All believers should desire to emulate Jesus’ character traits through the power of the Holy Spirit. The things that drew people to Jesus should be the very things that draw people to us. We need to read God’s Word (the Bible) to know and understand who God is and His will for us. We should do everything for the glory of the Lord (1 Corinthians 10:31), living as salt and light in the world and pointing others to the amazing truth of Jesus and salvation in Him (Matthew 5:13–16; 28:18–20).

Philippians 2:1–11 is a helpful summary of what Jesus was like and how we should imitate Him:

“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.”

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ by Stephen Wellum

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

Was Jesus Christ married?​


ANSWER

The recent discovery and translation of the fourth-century "Jesus’ wife papyrus" has reopened the discussion as to whether Jesus had a wife / was married. The "Jesus’ wife papyrus" says, "Jesus said to them, 'My wife ...'" This discovery is interesting in that it is the first Gnostic writing to explicitly state that Jesus had a wife. While a couple of the Gnostic gospels mention Jesus having a close relationship with Mary Magdalene, none of them specifically state that Jesus was married to her or to anyone else. Ultimately, it does not matter what the "Jesus’ wife papyrus" or Gnostic gospels say. They have no authority. They have all been proven to be forgeries invented to create a Gnostic view of Jesus.

If Jesus had been married, the Bible would have told us so, or there would be some unambiguous statement to that fact. Scripture would not be completely silent on such an important issue. The Bible mentions Jesus’ mother, adoptive father, half-brothers, and half-sisters. Why would it neglect to mention the fact that Jesus had a wife? Those who believe/teach that Jesus was married are doing so in an attempt to “humanize” Him, to make Him more ordinary, more like everyone else. People simply do not want to believe that Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14; 10:30). So, they invent and believe myths about Jesus being married, having children, and being an ordinary human being.

A secondary question would be, “Could Jesus Christ have been married?” There is nothing sinful about being married. There is nothing sinful about having sexual relations in marriage. So, yes, Jesus could have been married and still be the sinless Lamb of God and Savior of the world. At the same time, there is no biblical reason for Jesus to marry. That is not the point in this debate. Those who believe Jesus was married do not believe that He was sinless, or that He was the Messiah. Getting married and having children is not why God sent Jesus. Mark 10:45 tells us why Jesus came, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Do you want to learn about the true "wife" of Jesus? If so, please read our article on "What does it mean that the church is the bride of Christ?"

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture


More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!
 

Why didn’t Jesus marry?​


Since Jesus was the ideal and model man, it is easy to wonder why He did not marry and father children during His earthly life. As a hard-working and skilled carpenter, a man with a magnetically good character and winsome personality, and with His years of fame and miracle-working, it is likely that more than one woman gave Him opportunity to marry.

No Scripture directly answers the question of why Jesus never married. Several possibilities have been suggested to explain Jesus’ singleness:

1. Jesus did not marry because He had limited time on earth. His strenuous travel and demanding work load would have prevented Him from rightly fulfilling the roles of husband and father. And a wife would have been a distraction to Jesus’ primary mission. A married Jesus would have had to place His wife’s needs above those of the world He came to rescue (see 1 Corinthians 7:32–35).

2. For three years, Jesus lived as a homeless healer-teacher (Luke 9:58). He would not have asked any woman to share such a life. While He now waits for His marriage to His betrothed Bride, the Church, He is preparing for her a heavenly home (John 14:2–3), readying for her a perfect and eternal place of protection.

3. Jesus knew that He had come to die (Isaiah 52:13–53:12; 1 Peter 1:19–20; Luke 18:31–33). If He married, He certainly would leave a widow, probably with small children to rear alone. He was incapable of deliberately causing such unnecessary pain.

4. If Jesus had married, His widow most likely would have been glamorized, idolized, deified, and likely physically endangered because of her relationship with Jesus.

5. Another reason that Jesus didn’t marry is likely that He did not wish to produce a blood successor or generate debate over who that successor would be or whether or not His successor should also be considered the “Son of God.” Jesus’ purpose was not to establish an earthly kingdom or a dynasty (see John 18:36).

6. Jesus did not marry because of His uniqueness. In his History of the Christian Church, Philip Schaff writes, “Jesus’ poverty and celibacy have nothing to do with asceticism, but represent, on the one hand the condescension of His redeeming love, and on the other His ideal uniqueness and His absolutely peculiar relation to the whole church, which alone is fit or worthy to be His bride. No single daughter of Eve could have been an equal partner of the Savior of mankind, or the representative head of the new creation” (Vol. III, p. 68). Schaff goes on to explain, “While Jesus was fully human, and therefore fully capable of perfectly fulfilling all aspects of marriage, He also was fully divine. Therefore, no one with only a human nature could be a suitable mate for Him.”

7. Jesus did not marry because He was not on earth to choose one woman above all others. He came to rescue and restore all who would receive Him. For Jesus to form a marital relationship with one woman would inevitably have confused generations to come about the meaning of His relationship with His spiritual Bride, the Church, to whom He was already betrothed (Ephesians 5:25–27; Revelation 19:7–10; 21:9; 22:17; 2 Corinthians 11:2). Jesus reserved Himself for His true, eternal Bride. If He had picked one woman to elevate above all others, He would have contradicted and undermined His ministry to all.

8. In human marriage, husband and wife become “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). If the divine Jesus, who knew no sin, married a sinful woman (“for all have sinned,” Romans 3:23), His relationship to His wife would have raised some confusing uncertainties. If Jesus had become “one flesh” with a sinner, would that connection have tainted Him with sin? If they had had children, what kind of nature would these children have had? As physical children of the Son of God, what kind of relationships would they have had to God the Father?

These ideas reinforce the New Testament’s descriptions of Jesus as the ideal Man, the only purely righteous and good One who clearly and consistently pointed to eternity. Jesus did not marry because human marriage was not necessary to His mission of saving the world. Although marriage is a picture of Christ’s relationship with the church (Ephesians 5:31–32), it is only a temporary state in light of eternity. Those who by God’s grace through faith are included in that Bride of Christ have every reason to anticipate with eagerness Jesus’ coming to receive them into greater glory and joy than they ever have known on earth.

FOR FURTHER STUDY​

Reinventing Jesus: How Contemporary Skeptics Miss the Real Jesus and Mislead Popular Culture

More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free!

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