AdventistWheat.com: Emmanuel God with us, Righteousness By Faith

Emmanuel, God with us, Righteousness By Faith
by Sister Sabbay (September 19, 2008)

SDA Writer's Corner

Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matt 1:23).

Behold a virgin shall be with Child and they shall call Him "Emmanuel, God with us" (Matt 1:23). In a sinful, fallen world, we need a Savior: the beauty of the Gospel is that God is not ashamed to be identified with us (Rom 1:16,17). Until the end of time, Emmanuel means God with us. God with us implies that Christ had the human nature of mankind. Thus the interpretation of Emmanuel is good news for us, as it shows that Christ is not ashamed to be identified with us. Christ is God, as a part of the Heavenly Deity who became man "I and my Father are one"; thus it is a comfort to us, as Adam was perfect while in unfallen nature (John 1:1,14. John 10:30, 1Tim 3:16, 1John 5:7). Christ with us, enables mankind to have the similar mind of Him. Christ, victorious over sin, has enabled us to be sinless. Humanity before the flood was far superior to ours, as Adam lived 930 years; thus humankind's lifespan has significantly shortened. Our understanding of the humanity of Christ is crucial for the plan of salvation. If Christ did not become humanity, then God would have been accused of not aligning with mankind, as satan wanted to label the Most High as unfair.

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As the body of Christ, although physically separate, we are all spiritually connected through Christ (Acts 17:26, Eph 4:13). The Messiah took on sinful fallen nature, enabling us to overcome the world and it's contents: "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (John 1:29, Rev 13:8). Every sinner needs a Savior and the plan of salvation was put into operation as soon as adam sinned. Before we were converted God was not with us, and when God is not with us, there is no hope for salvation. Christ became a man, "in the likeness of sinful flesh", to redeem us from the sin of the earth (Rom 8:3, Phil 2:5-11).

Romans 1:3 exhibits Christ's eternal purpose, stemming from the seed of David. Christ, our Redeemer, the seed of David, according to the flesh, being precisely 42 generations from Abraham: as a generation is counted in this case as direct offspring (Matt 1:1-17). Christ was born by the lineage of David, manifested in the flesh to redeem mankind from sinning (Gal 4:4,5). Christ, living a sinless life edifies that all generations need not sin. Romans 7:14-24 exhibits how one's life in the flesh can take control, disabling one from being victorious over sin without the Savior. Yet, Romans 8 exhibits one's defeat of sin by obedience and faith in the Messiah (Exo 20, Phil 3:9). When the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives, we are overcomers, fed with heavenly, spiritual food "manna", honey wafers (Exo 16:31, John 6:58, Rev 2:17). Once we are converted, we are compelled to righteousness, aligning with Christ's propensity to be sinless.

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God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemning sin. The Most High sent His Son, the Messiah, in the flesh to meet the problem of sin, head on, eradicating the excuse for such. We must let the Word take full control of our lives. Phil 2:7 describes the nature of Christ "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men". Within Romans 8:3, Paul is identifying that mankind was in the likeness and nature of Christ. The law was weak through the flesh, as the flesh was sinful and unable to produce righteousness (Isa 64:6). God had to send His Son in the sameness of sinful flesh in order to condemn the latter. Paul is clear when emphasizing that the likeness of Christ was nature and substance.

Hebrews 2:14-18 edifies that the Messiah took on our fallen nature in order to become a propitiation for our sins, delivering us from the bondage of sin. Christ was born from the seed of Abraham, redeeming us exactly at the point of our problem of being in fallen flesh. Christ identified with us, so we could identify with Him, which helps us to recognize the victory that exists in the Messiah. Heb 2:18 proves that the Messiah was tempted as we are yet, without sin, clarifying that the Messiah identified with all of mankind. Heb 2:9 describes that the Messiah had to be made after death which entered after sin, which means that the Son of God had to die, allowing our victory in Him. Christ's name is "Emmanuel" which is "God with us" and in order to be with us, He identified with us. The Messiah was made a little lower than the angels, enabling us to have eternal life in Him (Heb 2:9).

The Gospel shows that we can be victorious over sin. 1 John 4:2,3 edifies that the spirit of the antichrist was in the world, identifying as anyone against the doctrine of Christ. Anyone who denies that Christ came in the fallen flesh, is the antichrist. John emphasizes that we must be grounded in Christ, being reborn and sinless in nature. We must be in Christ, as He proved His righteous, spotless work at the cross of calvary. We are all legally and spiritually in the Messiah, righteously by faith.

Cited From Elder Ward's Message: (Sept 19 2008) Truth For The Final Generation www.TruthinJesus.org