The Baptist Faith And Message Article 2 B Part 3
Today we will continue our move, line by line through the Baptist Faith and Message. Last week we made it through the Incarnation, which is another one of those beautiful and mysterious doctrines of the faith. Today we will move through the rest of Article 2B and think through the work of Christ.
Christ is the eternal Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin. He honored the divine law by His personal obedience, and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
Genesis 18:1ff.; Psalms 2:7ff.; 110:1ff.; Isaiah 7:14; Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; 14:33; 16:16,27; 17:5; 27; 28:1-6,19; Mark 1:1; 3:11; Luke 1:35; 4:41; 22:70; 24:46; John 1:1-18,29; 10:30,38; 11:25-27; 12:44-50; 14:7-11; 16:15-16,28; 17:1-5, 21-22; 20:1-20,28; Acts 1:9; 2:22-24; 7:55-56; 9:4-5,20; Romans 1:3-4; 3:23-26; 5:6-21; 8:1-3,34; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2:2; 8:6; 15:1-8,24-28; 2 Corinthians 5:19-21; 8:9; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; 3:11; 4:7-10; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 1:13-22; 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; 3:16; Titus 2:13-14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 4:14-15; 7:14-28; 9:12-15,24-28; 12:2; 13:8; 1 Peter 2:21-25; 3:22; 1 John 1:7-9; 3:2; 4:14-15; 5:9; 2 John 7-9; Revelation 1:13-16; 5:9-14; 12:10-11; 13:8; 19:16.
Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself human nature with its demands and necessities and identifying Himself completely with mankind yet without sin.
Jesus added to Himself human flesh. And when He did this, He perfectly revealed to us the will of God. He lived in this world, in human flesh, but without sin. As Herschel Hobbs put it,
“He lived in a flesh and blood body in a corrupt world. He completely identified Himself with man apart from sin. In all points He was tempted as we men are, yet without sin. But not one error or sin of His is to be found in the trophy hall of Satan. Even His enemies could find no fault in Him.”[1] (Herschel Hobbs)
Jesus revealed and did the will of God with such perfection on Earth that we read this in the Book of Hebrews.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” (Hebrews 1:1-3 ESV)
Jesus Christ is the “exact imprint” of God’s nature here on Earth. He perfectly revealed God’s will to us through His perfect life lived on this Earth. Now, we understand that this was done because God the Son is Himself part of the Godhead.
He honored the divine law by His personal obedience,
Another way of saying this is that Jesus kept God’s Law. We see this repeatedly in the life and teaching of Jesus. For instance, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said,
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matthew 5:17 ESV)
Now, we understand from that text much more than simply that Jesus kept the Law. We understand that Jesus fulfilled everything that the Law looked forward to, but we certainly see from this that Jesus saw Himself as a person who was going to do what the Law required.
And this attitude carried over into discussions that Jesus had with Pharisees and others throughout His life. Notice what Jesus said here,
“Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?” (John 8:46 ESV)
Jesus could point to His own life and speech and say, “where have I gone wrong?” and no one could answer Him. The simple reason was that He had not broken God’s Law.
And then you have the summary statement from Peter,
“He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.” (1 Peter 2:22 ESV)
Jesus kept the Law perfectly. This statement is in the same sentence as the next one and so is tied to the discussion on redemption. His keeping of the Law was done on our behalf and is part of the way He accomplished our salvation.
Jesus’s perfect law keeping is credited to those who believe. As Paul so beautifully put it,
“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)
The righteousness of Christ is credited to the believer. He kept the Law in our place.
and in His substitutionary death on the cross He made provision for the redemption of men from sin.
In that same Scripture we see the truth that is proclaimed in this line of the BFM.
“For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV)
The sin and shame of all those who would believe was placed upon Him. Jesus, who was without took upon Himself my sin and shame. And He paid for it on the cross.
Jesus’s death was “substitutionary” in nature. This is seen plainly in Romans 3as Paul discusses what Jesus did on the cross. God put Jesus “forward as a propitiation” (Romans 3:25 ESV). A propitiation is a wrath-bearing sacrifice. The whole point of this is that Jesus Christ took upon Himself my sin and shame and bore God’s wrath in my place. That is why it is here called “substitutionary”. Jesus stood in my place as my substitute. He took that punishment upon Himself.
He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion.
We believe in the real and physical resurrection of Jesus, but His body was not quite the same as it was before His death. That is why the statement of faith says that Jesus “was raised from the dead with a glorified body”. Jesus’s body seemed to be just like a normal human body. He walked and talked with His disciples and that is seen on numerous occasions throughout the gospel accounts. One thing seems very peculiar. And we find it happening on two occasions in John 20.
“On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19 ESV)
“Eight days later, His disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:26 ESV)
Lazarus’s resurrection was different. He rose from the grave and was going to die again. Jesus rose from the grave in His glorified body, the same glorified body that we will all have one day. That is why Jesus was apparently walking through walls after He rose from the grave. And then He appeared before His disciples.
Today we tend to downplay the resurrection of Jesus, but it was a necessary part of the presentation of the good news for the disciples. The disciples loudly and repeatedly spoke of Jesus’s death and resurrection. As Hobbs pointed out,
“The resurrection proves the deity of Christ. It makes effective His death. It assures believers of Jesus’s daily companionship. And it is the guarantee of the Christian’s own bodily resurrection.”[2]
The resurrection was likely always on the forefront of their minds because they saw Jesus die and then saw Him rise from the grave. And this was a big event. Jesus rose from the grave and revealed Himself to His disciples. And it wasn’t just the twelve that Jesus revealed Himself to.
“Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you–unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.” (1 Corinthians 15:1-11 ESV)
This message that Paul stated was of “first importance” included Jesus’s death for sins according to what Scripture said that the Messiah would do, he was buried and rose from the dead as the Scriptures said He would. Jesus then appeared to the disciples and 500 believers.
He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator, fully God, fully man, in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man.
Jesus’s ascension is another event in Jesus’s life that seems to get overshadowed by the rest. Some churches do celebrate ascension Sunday. It falls 39 days after Easter Sunday and is usually celebrated on a Thursday. Jesus ascended in Acts 1:6-11.
In Heaven, Jesus is still there, exalted and seated “at the right hand of God”. Peter emphasized this in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost. In it, Peter reveals to his hearers what the Old Testament said concerning the Messiah. Notice that Jesus is at the right hand of God, was risen from the grave, and is currently ruling and reigning over all things.
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know– this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it. For David says concerning him,
“‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption.
You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
“Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”‘
Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” (Acts 2:22-36 ESV)
Peter is here arguing from Scripture that Jesus was the promised Messiah and that He accomplished what these texts looked forward to. And the result was that the Holy Spirit moved and 3,000 people became believers.
Jesus is the “one mediator between God and men” (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV). He is the one name under Heaven by which people can be saved (Acts 4:12 ESV). Hobbs put it this way,
“In the meantime, He is the one Mediator whereby lost men may be reconciled to God (2 Corinthians 5:19-21). A mediator is one appointed to bring together two estranged parties. He must perfectly represent both parties and do all that is necessary to bring them together. As the God-man, Jesus does this. He partakes of the nature of both God and man, and in Him they meet in reconciliation.” [3]
And He is currently in Heaven interceding for His people. Jesus lived, died, and rose to accomplish our salvation and He is still taking care of us.
“Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 ESV)
He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.
How many of you have recited the Apostles’ Creed. Well, if you have then much of this is bringing up memories right now.
Our family has memorized one with updated language and here is what the portion about Jesus says,
“I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.”
Hopefully you noticed that our statement, thus far has basically followed the outline of the Apostles Creed which dates back all the way to around the 300’s. It was a summary of the beliefs of the Apostles that the Early Church put into this summary statement.
The last statement about Jesus in the Creed is almost the last statement in our own. It is that Jesus will “return in power and glory to judge the world and to consummate His redemptive mission.”
We are here talking about the return of Christ. He came the first time to save sinners, but He is coming again to finish His work. Part of that will be to conquer and judge the world. And part of that will be to bring us finally and fully into His presence, or “consummate His redemptive mission.”
When Jesus comes again, He will bring final and full judgment upon the world.
“And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.” (Acts 10:42 ESV)
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:11-16 ESV)
Jesus will bring judgment and remake all things. He will give us a Kingdom that cannot and never will be shaken.
“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!” (1 Peter 3:10-12 ESV)
“At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken–that is, things that have been made–in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” (Hebrews 12:26-29 ESV)
And we long for and hope for the day of His return, our blessed hope.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11-14 ESV)
“But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21 ESV)
Jesus now dwells in all believers as the living and ever present Lord.
One of the last things that Jesus said to his disciples before ascending was that they had a mission to accomplish and that He would be with them as they went forth making disciples.
“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV)
Conclusion
There is a lot of information here about who Jesus is. But, isn’t that how we would want our statement of faith to be. God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. He accomplished our salvation for us through His perfect life, death, and resurrection. And He is currently interceding for us and is with us. And one day He will come again to set up His Kingdom and we will be with Him.
That is a lot of information. But it is a lot of information about who our Savior is, what He has done, is doing, and will do in the future.
R. Dwain Minor
[1] Herschel Hobbs, The Baptist Faith And Message, Convention Press, Nashville, Tennessee, p. 42
[2] Ibid p. 42
[3] Ibid p. 44