The Baptism of Jesus (2)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rom 8:3 …God, sending His own Son in the likeness of the
flesh of sin and concerning sin, condemned sin in the flesh.
John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Part 2 of 2]
The Lord Jesus was a perfect Man, a Man with all the human
virtues, yet He was nevertheless in the likeness of the flesh
of sin. Of course, the Lord Jesus did not have the nature of
fallen mankind; however, He did possess the likeness, the
outward form or appearance, of fallen mankind. In Romans 8:3
Paul says that Christ came in the likeness of the flesh of sin.
He did not have the nature of sin, but He had the likeness,
the appearance, the form, of the flesh of sin. It was
necessary for this likeness of the flesh of sin to be judged,
terminated, and buried. This was another reason for the
baptism of the Man-Savior.
We have seen that fallen man certainly needs to be judged,
terminated, and buried. We have also seen that even the God-
created man must be set aside in order to live a life in which
the human virtues express the divine attributes. For this,
even a good, complete, and perfect God-created man must be set
aside. This is the reason that the Lord Jesus as the God-Man
said in the Gospel of John that He did not do anything by
Himself. In John 5:19 He said, “The Son can do nothing from
Himself except what He sees the Father doing.” In John 5:30 He
said again, “I can do nothing from Myself.” In John 8:28 the
Lord declared, “I do nothing from Myself.”
In order that He might express God in His human living, at the
beginning of His ministry the Lord put Himself aside through
baptism. He was a perfect and complete Man, but He would not
live by Himself. Instead, He lived by God the Father who was
in Him.
