I’m stepping aside from my normal Sunday morning teaching style to answer some questions ask during the last year of this past century. Boy! That makes it sound like we’re reaching back into the dark ages of antiquity. It’s really not all that bad. Some of these four questions are presented as they were ask, and others are a compilation of a number of questions ask over time.

As a general rule, I try to not answer Biblical questions with the short abbreviated standard Sunday School response. There are times when a direct, clear, simple answer is needed. However, quite often that type of response does not really answer the "doubt" that spawned the question. Simply giving a short concise answer does not help the questioner know how to find other Biblical answers to questions they will be facing throughout time. Therefore, my normal teaching style is to "walk" through the process of "finding" the answer.

This process takes a great deal of time. However, there are a number of advantages:

(1) It allows the answer to be seen in relationship to the total of God’s revelation.
(2) It requires and promotes true "meditation" in the Word of God.
(3) We acquire information concerning many other revelations from God in His Word.
(4) We must give diligence to the study of God’s Word. This shows or demonstrates "unto God" that we are "approved workmen".
(5) It’s my "job security", because we will NEVER run out of teaching material in that way.
(6) There are a lot of other advantages, BUT if we look at many more, we won’t have time to look at the answer to today’s question.

Through this month we’ll be looking at..:

(1) Will the world end with the close of the millennium?
(2) What kind of nature did Christ have as a human, and could He have sinned while on earth?
(3) What is a proper relationship or friendship between two Believers, or a Believer and an unbeliever?
(4) What is "agapa" love and how can it be part of my life?
(5) How can I get my knotheaded husband to do what I want him to?

Any thinking person will see that we cannot "walk" through the process of finding the answer to any one of these questions in one or two teaching sessions. I will attempt to at least point you in the proper direction, so you can find the complete answers on your own. I will also refer to and draw upon what we have studied in earlier lessons. Over the coming years, if the Lord tarries and He so wills, we will see much of this material again and again.

Last lesson, we looked at the first of these four questions. Depending on if you think the millennium ended at the close of 1999, the "simple" answer to that question is quite simple. It’s a clear.... "NO!!" However, the question goes far beyond the "simple" answer, and embodies.., "Can we know with certainty when Christ will come back?"

The "real" answer to that question would require a full study of the entire Word of God. There are very few "pages" in the Bible that do not contain some indication of His coming, or implications because of His coming, OR how we are to live in the light of His coming.

THEREFORE, our answer to that question, and the understanding of that answer will make a vast difference in how we approach and interpret MOST of the information in the Bible. That is why it’s SO important that we "stick" with ONLY what the Bible has to say on this or any other subject.

I want to thank those who expressed their appreciation for the last lesson. Some wrote, some called, other told me personally. Again.., "Thanks!" Yes, I do feel very deeply about the misuse of Scripture and the commercialization of that misuse by some "crackpots", and sad to say by a good number of "mainline" fundamentalists.

The reason I feel so deeply about the perversion of this millennium situation is the same reason I feel deeply about the misuse of any Scripture. This latest practice in Biblical stupidity is a classic example of what happens when we try to interpret the Bible by such things as:

(1) This is the way I see it.
(2) Dr. So ‘n so has a book out that explains....
(3) After all the computer could be the "Beast" of Revelation (I do refer to my computer as a beast at times, BUT it is not THE BEAST)
(4) ETC., ETC., etc., etc., without end.....

2 Peter 3:14 Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation-- as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, since you know these things beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

No matter how or when the precious Word of God is "twisted", that "twisting" brings Spiritual destruction. In the case of this colossal world wide display of Biblical distortion and corruption, concerning Christ’s return and the "end times" in relationship to the close of the millennium, we can clearly see the outrageous and disastrous results caused by these perverters and destroyers of Scriptures.

In the light of this "End of the Age" lie, we see both (1) the results of improper use of Scripture, AND (2) the need to interpret the Scriptures by a careful comparison with all other Scriptures, AND making sure that any conclusions drawn from that comparison are in harmony with ALL Scripture. Except for those who are completely Spiritually blind, the results of this improper use of Scripture is clearly evident. Too often, we simply click our tongues, shake our heads and say, "What a shame!" and go on our merry way.

Please, hear what I’m going to say with understanding ears. How we teach the Word of God in our Sunday Classes and from the this pulpit is equally important!! It is important, whether that teaching comes from your lips or mine. Unless we are vigilant, we too will be guilty of "twisting" the Scriptures to our destruction and the Spiritual harm of our hearers.

Yes, I know!!! Or a least I’ve been told that what we do at MBF is not nearly as important as what’s being done on television or mass rallies, etc. However, to that eternal soul who finds that they are in Spiritual destruction, because of our misuse of Scripture, to that person, what we teach at MBF, and how or if we "twist" the Scriptures is as important or more so than what the "big boys" are doing.

A year or two ago, before this millennium and Y2K thing was as blown out of proportion as it became, Bev and I were somewhere in a motel that had cable, and we turned to a "religious" channel (which can be a mistake, at times). We tuned into a program by a well know speaker from the Michigan area. Before he went "big time", I had been in some missions, Sunday School and/or Bible conferences with him. Even then, he "played" with the "fringes" of Biblical interpretation, especially when it came to prophecy.

As I listened to that program and heard what he was presenting and "selling".., I became physically sick, and it certainly had an adverse effect on my heart, also. I couldn’t sit and listen to him. I had to walk around. I vowed that night that I would not seek out, read or listen to that garbage. I didn’t want what they were presenting to effect either, my physical well being, OR even more important, my teaching of the Word of God.

Folks, we have the precious eternal Word of God given to us by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We have an obligation, to God and to those who hear what we teach and watch our lives, to protect and teach the Bible AS the Word of God!!

NOT as some plaything to stoke our ego by giving our opinion as to what we think it says.

NOT as a book of philosophy whose teaching will clean up the environment.

NOT as an answer book to psychological quirks.

BUT as the precious, eternal, God breathed Word of God.

My friend, if the Bible is less than that to you, you are in the wrong place.

There is NOTHING of greater importance that I can do, or that this church can do than to present to Believers and unbelievers alike the "PURE WORD OF GOD" ..., plus nothing else!!!! There is no community activity, no social cause, no environmental project, no support group for compulsive sins, etc. THAT CAN even compare to the need and importance of protecting and teaching the pure unadulterated Word of God!!!!!

Will you covenant with God along with me 

that we will tenaciously protect 

this precious treasure 

and make sure that we go "overboard" 

in teaching  

ONLY  

what is found on these glorious pages???

Let’s move on to the second question of the month: (2) What kind of nature did Christ have as a human, and could He have sinned while on earth?

Once again, there is NO way this subject can be properly and clearly covered in a few short minutes or even a few short weeks! I will be condensing, into a few minutes, one of the greatest Spiritual truths and the greatest Spiritual mystery ever revealed to mankind by God.

Even by giving the most careful attention, along with the most astute perception, the fact of the incarnation of Christ as the only hypostatic union of humanity and divinity will NEVER be completely comprehended by a mere human mind. That being the case, you will need to clear the cobwebs from your mind, set aside the cares and joys of the day, eliminate the distraction around you, make sure you are confessed up to date, take a "NoDose".., AND with deliberate PURPOSE, set your thinking and your very person to the task of hearing and understanding these facts.

God in the body of a human or in some cases an animal, or a human becoming a god is one of the foundational tenets of most heathen religions, cults, or New Age movements. In reality, all three of those just mentioned fall into the same religious category. The major difference is location, social status and philosophy.

Even the natural mind of humanity knows, deep within its recesses, that the only Spiritual hope for mankind is for the God of gods to become one with us, AND we to become one with God through the redemptive process. The mind and actions of mankind may twist those truths, BUT none the less these truths are stamped indelibly within the soul of mankind.

As one might expect, the reality of God coming into this world as truly God and fully human, is far different than the most primitive or sophisticated human minds can even imagine. For God to satisfy His Own law, there were many factors involved in God becoming fully human without being any less divine. In this short series, we can’t even mention all that is involved. I will try to point out some areas that seem to us, as humans, to be the most vital and the most difficult.

The Second Person of the Trinity was chosen, or became the Elect of God to be that divine-human Redeemer. The Person of God entering the human race could not be a temporary event. God must be incarnate in humanity for eternity. This incarnation was not like a vacation to the mountains. This transaction was for keeps!

God could not come into the human family in the manner proposed by many heathen tribes. Generally, the heathen see God taking over a body of some being either human, angel, animal, etc. God could not enter the human race as proposed by many cults and New Agers. Many of these envision humans becoming gods through many and various stages. If humans can become gods, then there was no need for God to come into the human race as a man, in the first place.

If God came into the human race by taking over the body of some creature, He could never be the Redeemer, for this act would be no more than an indwelling or a possessing of a creature. However in that case, the creature in whom God dwelt would be unchanged. If God were to come into the world by indwelling a human body, the creature whose body God possessed would still be in need of redemption. Therefore, that creature would need to be redeemed, and could not be a part of the process of providing redemption for others.

The Redeemer had to be true humanity without a single spot of personal sin. The Redeemer had to be true humanity so as to have a relationship with the human race. Therefore, the Redeemer needed a human body that was not tarnished with either personal or inherited sin. Hence, the need for the virgin birth. Physical things of themselves are not sin. Therefore, the body of a new born would not be sinful EXCEPT for the sinful nature passed down by the father through conception.

Titus 1:15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled.

Psalm 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.

Psalms 51:15 is not a condemnation of the birthing or conception processes. It is a simple statement of fact, that all babies born to human parents are "in" iniquity when they are born, even before their first human act. It is also a statement of fact, that at the moment of conception, even before the cells begin to multiply.., every germinated human cell through conception is "in" sin.

All humans are from the moment of conception "in" sin, and from the time of birth till death they are "in" iniquity. The ramifications of those truths will answer MANY questions, AND bring purpose and stability to many areas of life.

In similar manner, when a person is redeemed, they are Born Again and are "in" Christ. Through the natural birth we are "in" sin and iniquity, and ALL that sin and iniquity is, we are! (Romans 3) Through the New Birth we are "in" Christ, and All that Christ is, we are.

The Redeemer had to come into the world as all other humans had.  YET,  He had to come into the as no other human had.

IF Christ would have come into the world through the natural process of human conception of father and mother, there would have been no way to identify His humanity as exclusive property of His divinity. Since the Fall of Adam, humanity has been the exclusive property of Satan.

Therefore, the ultimate destination of the property of Satan IS the same ultimate destination as Satan, Himself. Likewise, when we are the exclusive property of God, we will share His ultimate destiny. You can see from this HOW important it is to build theology on the proper and only foundation of the Word of God.

John 8:38 "I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."

John 8:41 "You do the deeds of your father." Then they said to Him, "We were not born of fornication; we have one Father-- God." 42 Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me. 43 "Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. 44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

IF Christ would have come into the world without a relationship or connection with human parentage, there would be no basis for the fact of His humanity.

Therefore, God’s solution was that the life of Christ would be generated by the Holy Spirit, Who is deity, and the virgin Mary would carry that life and give birth to baby boy who was not conceived "in" sin, nor born "in" iniquity.., YET was truly divine and fully human.

Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. 3:1 Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus,

The question is often ask, "Is there anything God cannot do?" Here is one thing that could not have been done, IF Christ had not come as a human. Notice vs 18. Because Christ suffered and was tempted as a human, He is ABLE to aid us in our temptation. Just a sideline. It has a lot to do with our subject, but very little to do with direct answer to the question of the day.

Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

For most who fail to believe or understand this truth, of undiminished deity and sinless humanity eternally united into one Being called in Scripture the Second Adam, it’s quite natural for their human logic to suppose that sin is an integral and inseparable part of humanity.

The human mind looks around, and all it sees are sinful humans. The human mind looks back in history, and all it finds are sinful humans. The human mind concludes that sin and humanity are one and the same. Therefore, by that conclusion, they are inseparable. Please follow this!! It is vital IF you are to ever have even the remotest understanding of the incarnation of God in sinless flesh.

Once again, the problem with our understanding is that we have been taught, and we teach LESS THAN the entirety of the Word of God. Therefore, we think in "proof texts" or manmade dogmas, instead of the "whole council of God" given to us from Genesis to Revelation. Any subject in the Word of God cannot be fully understood apart from the totality of the Word of God, itself. Sin IS NOT a native, inseparable part of humanity!

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

Genesis 1:31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Well, look at that! Adam, as created in humanity, DID NOT have any sin, or possess an Old Sin Nature. Sin is not a native part of humanity, as created by God.

Sin entered the human race as an intrusion into the lives of those whom God had created as truly human, yet without sin. Sin enter the human race at the invitation of Adam, NOT through the creation or council of God.

I cannot say it often enough, or in enough different ways.... you CANNOT build proper theology on "proof texts". Proper theology MUST be developed on the totality of the Word of God!!! All conclusions as a result of this process must be in perfect harmony with all the facts of the Word of God.

Because of that willful disobedient act by Adam, sin entered the human race, and the sin nature has been passed down from Adam to all human descendants through procreation. As a result of sin, there was a "curse" placed on humanity and all of mankind’s natural habitat. The "curse" was not sin! The "curse" was given by God for many reasons, too many to mention, but one was "so that all of creation would have hope and look forward to the redemption of the Believer’s bodies" Rom 8.

Adam as created fresh from the hand of God had no sin. Likewise, Christ in His divinity and flesh had no sin, BECAUSE His conception was not generated by a descendant of Adam, BUT by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, Christ, in his physical life, came into this world in a similar condition as Adam came into this world - without out sin. Adam BECAME a sinner because of disobedience. Those descending from Adam through natural birth share in his sin nature, and the result of that sin nature was eternal separation from God. Those descending from Christ through the "New Birth" have His "new nature", and will share in the result of that "new nature", eternal bliss with God.

1 Corinthians 15:22 For as "in" Adam all die, even so "in" Christ all shall be made alive.

Therefore, in Adam all die, both physically and Spiritually. Christ came in similar manner as Adam, in that He did not have a nature of sin, nor did He have any personal sin. Adam is the "head" of a race by natural birth. That natural race are all sinners and condemned to eternal death. Christ is the "head" of a race by Spiritual birth. That Spiritual race are all Sons of God and have the gift of eternal life. Therefore, Christ is referred to in the Scriptures as the "Second Adam" or the "Last Adam".

If you "caught" even a small portion of those "facts", AND will use them in your study, they will keep you from many theological pitfalls, AND will open to you a great deal of the Deep Things of God. We will dig even deeper into this glorious subject in the next lesson.

As we close this lesson, let’s look at just some of the implications of Christ, the Second Person of the Trinity becoming flesh, dwelling among mankind and accepting the penalty of Adam’s sin and the sins of all mankind. There is not time to make comments on these passages. However, if you will use the information given in this lesson, you will see great and wondrous things concerning our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who was in flesh on this earth. As we read, you will see that I have highlighted a few things, by no means have I highlighted all the things that pertain to His incarnation.

Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our report? and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? 2 For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. 3 He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not his mouth. 8 He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. 9 And they made His grave with the wicked-- but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10 Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. 11 He shall see the travail of His soul, and be satisfied. by His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Philippians 2:1 Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, 2 fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.