Truth Magazine

By Keith Sharp

1. I appreciate brother Mike Willis for being willing to publish this discussion and brother James P. Needham for being willing to engage in it. I hope the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace will be the result. I am willing to extend the right hand of fellowship to those who believe that Jesus was fully God and fully man and was tempted to sin as a man. For those who believe Jesus sometimes used his own divine attributes while on earth, I think you are mistaken, but since we both agree on his deity and his humanity, our disagreement should not affect our fellowship.

2. Proposition: The Scriptures teach that the Son of God, in the days of his flesh, emptied himself of the use of his own peculiarly divine attributes.

3. Definitions: “The Son of God”: Jesus Christ, the di-vine, incarnate Word. “In the days of his flesh”: for the 33 years he lived as a man on earth. “Emptied”: to be defined in course of argument. “His own peculiarly divine attributes”: His characteristics that set him apart as deity. I neither affirm nor believe he emptied himself of the possession of these at-tributes but that he emptied himself of their use.

4. Questions for brother Needham:

a. Must one believe that Jesus used all his own di vine attributes while on earth to be saved?

b. Did Jesus have a human spirit?

c. Could Jesus have sinned?

d. If so, why didn’t he?

The Scriptures affirm that Jesus is God (e.g., John 1:1). While on this earth he was “God with us” (Matt. 1:23).

5. God has certain characteristics which he shares with none of his creatures (Isa. 46:9). They are peculiarly his and are the distinguishing attributes of deity, expressing his divine nature. God exists in “the form of God” (Phil. 2:5-6). He is eternal (Ps. 90:2), unchangeable (Mal. 3:6), perfectly free to do as he wills (Job 23:13), omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-12), omniscient (Ps. 147:5), omnipotent (Isa. 40:28), infinitely holy, i.e., cannot be tempted to sin (Rev. 4:8; Jas. 1:13), and glorious (Ps. 113:4). He is distinct from humans in that he is an invisible, immortal spirit (Col. 1:15; 1 Tim. 6:13-16; John 4:24).

6. Because God has perfect freedom, he can limit the use of his divine attributes without ceasing to be God, deity, or divine. He no longer creates worlds (Gen. 2:1-3), but he is still the Creator (Acts 17:24). He will never again destroy the world by water (Gen. 9:8-15), but he still retains the power to destroy the world (2 Pet. 3:10-12). He no longer imparts miracle working power to his people (1 Cor. 13:8-13), but he is still all powerful (Rev. 4:8). To deny this truth is to deny one of the peculiar attributes of God, his perfect freedom to do as he wills.

7. The Scriptures also affirm that Jesus was a man. Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would be a “man of sorrows” (Isa. 53:3). Jesus called himself a “man” (John 8:40) in the same conversation in which he claimed to be “I AM” (John 8:58). The apostles called him “a man” (e.g., Acts 2:22). The divine Word became a man by the miracle of the virgin birth (Matt. 1:18-23).

8. For God to become man, he had to empty him-self. The apostle Paul exhorted the Philippians to have the mind of Christ, the mind of humility. To both explain and illustrate his lesson, the inspired apostle explained how Jesus became a man.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men. 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 (Phil. 2:5-8).

9. The term “form” means “the external appearance” (Thayer, 418) and further “signifies the form as it is the utterance of the inner life; not ‘being,’ but `mode of being,’ or better, ‘mode of existence”‘ (Trench, 262).

This form is something which can be changed (cf. Mark 16:12).

10. The phrase “made Himself of no reputation” is translated “emptied himself’ in both the American Standard and New American Standard versions. The verb means “to empty” (Vine 2:25), “to empty, make empty” (Thayer, 344; so Amdt & Gingrich, 429).

11. The term translated by the negative conjunction “but” (v. 7) is “an adversative participle indicating a difference with or contrast to what precedes” (Arndt & Gingrich 37). For example, in 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, when Paul indicated the Corinthians had formerly been immoral, “but” were then “washed,” “sanctified,” and “justified,” he was indicating they were no longer one (immoral) but were the other (washed, sanctified, justified). The same grammatical construction is used in the same way in the immediate context to state the point that Jesus’ humility illustrates (Phil. 2:3).

12. So the apostle Paul teaches that Christ emptied him-self of the two things in the clause before the conjunction “but” (the form of God and equality with God) and, in contrast “took the form of a servant,” and being in that form he did something, “He humbled himself,” and that humility extended to the point that he was obedient, obedient to the point of death, “even the death of the cross,” that is, the most shameful death of all (cf. Gal. 3:13).

13. This does not mean that Jesus “in the days of His flesh” ceased being deity. But he did empty himself of the form of God and that which went with it, equality with God. (cf. 2 Cor. 8:9).

14. The longest passage in the Bible on the nature of Christ is Hebrews chapters one and two. Immediately after he had affirmed the deity of Jesus (Heb. 1), the inspired writer affirmed he became a “man … the son of man” (Heb. 2:6, 9). He who was “so much better than the angels” (Heb.1:4), “was made a little lower than the an-gels” (Heb. 2:9). He became one with us, becoming our brother (Heb. 2:11). As our brother, he worshiped and trusted God (Heb. 2:12-13). “Therefore, in all things he had to be made like his brethren” (Heb. 2:17).

15. Jesus did not just enter a fleshly body; he “became flesh” (John 1:14). “Flesh and blood” (Heb. 2:14) is a figurative expression for man with his human nature (Matt. 16:17; Gal. 1:16). Jesus fully shared our human nature (Heb. 2:14). To deny that Jesus became truly and fully human and was tempted to sin in the same ways we are is to deny him as Savior and High Priest (Heb. 2:10-11, 17-18). It is to be antichrist (1 John 4:2-3; 2 John 7).

16. Just as God has peculiar divine attributes, humans have characteristics that are in contrast with the divine at-tributes. It is a logical contradiction for both sets of at-tributes to be in use simultaneously. Just as it is a denial of the deity of Christ to deny he possesses the divine attributes, it is a denial of his humanity to deny he possessed human attributes.

17. Which characteristics did Jesus use in the days of his flesh, human or divine? He who existed “in the form of God” took “the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). He who is “from everlasting to everlasting” was “born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4). The unchangeable God became subject to change in both body and spirit (Luke 2:52). The perfectly free Word became the servant of God and men (Phil. 2:5-8). The one who is present everywhere was limited to a local presence (John 10:40; 11:1, 7, 17-21). The being whose “understanding is infinite” “increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52). The one who “neither faints nor is weary” was “wearied” (John 4:6). He who “cannot be tempted by evil” “was in all points tempted as we are” (Heb. 4:15). He emptied himself of the divine glory (John 17:5). The invisible God was seen of men (1 John 1:1-3). The immortal God died (Heb. 2:14-15). He who was Spirit took on a fleshly existence (Luke 24:39). The attributes Jesus used while in the flesh were all human characteristics, not divine. They included attributes of the spirit as well as of the fleshly body. He did not cease to possess the divine attributes, but the attributes he used were human.

18. This formulated argument will demonstrate the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth. (1) It was the will of God that the Son of God, in the days of his flesh, act in the role of a servant (Isa. 52:13). (2) The Son of God, in his role as a servant, was a man (Isa. 53:3). (3) The Son of God, in the days of his flesh, always did his Father’s will (John 8:29). (4) Therefore, the Son of God, in the days of his flesh, acted in the capacity of a man (cf. Phil. 2:5-8).

19. This is not a denial of the deity of Christ; it is an affirmation of his humanity. Though we may never fully comprehend how Jesus could both be fully human and fully divine, we must not deny either.

20. Jesus Christ, in the days of his flesh, was God as he is and man as he ought to be. The Scriptures teach that to attain this dual nature he emptied himself of the use of his own peculiarly divine attributes to employ human attributes. Therefore, the Scriptures teach that the Son of God, in the days of his flesh, emptied himself of the use of his own peculiarly divine attributes.

List of Works Cited

Arndt, W.F. and F.W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.

Thayer, J.H., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. Trench, Richard C., Synonyms of the New Testament.

Vine, W.E., Repository Dictionary of New Testament Words.

By Connie W. Adams

The church at Sardis had a reputation which did not match reality. “Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God” (Rev. 3:1-2). They still had a few names there which had “not defiled their garments” and were “worthy” (v. 4) but these were the exception and did not reflect the general state of that congregation.

Like Sardis, many a congregation has been praised and held in honor for its great work for the Lord, only to have many who have defiled their garments and who are the harbingers of death for well respected churches. In these same churches there are often found a few godly people who are trying their best to do the will of God. Indeed, they are worthy.

Preaching to Ourselves

Some brethren have decided that gospel preaching has minimal effect. They have either shifted their emphasis to personal evangelism, or have reduced the number of occasions annually, and sometimes weekly, when the gospel may be preached. One reason given for abandoning gospel meetings, or for shortening them to two or three days is that we are simply preaching to ourselves. I have been in nearly full-time meeting work for the last twenty-two years and still preach to some who have not obeyed the gospel. These are not as plentiful as I would like to see but still there are some. And they are worth the effort.

But if it were true that we are only preaching to ourselves, and sometimes to the strongest members of the church, is that not important? Do we not need to “strengthen the things which remain”? If a congregation only has a little strength left, should that not be preserved? If it is not, then what will become of those congregations?

Provoking unto Love and Good Works

The Hebrew writer challenged Christians to “consider one another to provoke unto love and good works” (Heb. 10:24). The following verse shows that to be related to their own assembling together. Verse 26 indicates that this would help to avoid willful sin. Verse 30 reminded all that “the Lord shall judge his people.”

1. Elders need to be encouraged and strengthened in doing what is right. All members need to be taught “to esteem them highly in love for their work’s sake” (1 Thess. 5:13). If gospel preaching will work to that end, is it not worth “strengthening the things which remain”?

2. Faithful teachers of the word need to be strengthened in their efforts. No congregation can ever be any stronger than the quality and soundness of the teaching it receives. The word has been taught to faithful men in order that they might teach others also (2 Tim. 2:2). If we have a few good teachers of the word of God in a congregation, are they not worth strengthening? Will not gospel preaching work to that end?

3. In spite of the fact that many have defiled their garments and think and act just like the world around us, there are some who are trying hard not to love the world (1 John. 2:15-17) but to savor the things of God. Their ears and eyes are daily assaulted at school or in the work place with the sights and sounds of the ungodly. They need (help to keep their balance and maintain their purity. Will gospel preaching help to encourage and strengthen them? If so, is it not worth preaching to ourselves?

4. In every congregation there are parents with children from infancy through the late teens who are concerned with training their children in the “nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:3-4). Yes, I know some parents have capitulated to the world and its standards and are neglecting to provide the spiritual guidance which is so vital. But all have not done that. I meet a growing number of parents who are deeply concerned with guiding their children through the rapids of godless education and entertainment. That is no small accomplishment. The word of God is still the best source of help they can receive. Is it not worth strengthening what remains in this regard? Why are sermons or classes on the family so eagerly received? For a number of years in meetings I preached at least one sermon on the family and would advertise it for a few nights before doing so. Without exception, that would be the best attended night of the meeting. People need help in this area and they know they do. Should we stop offering this help from the word of God because we are just preaching to ourselves?

5. In nearly every meeting there are gospel preachers who come. There are some within local churches who aspire to preach the gospel. Is it worth the effort to preach to them? I am benefited spiritually when I get to hear some faithful brother preach from the word of God. Old truths are reinforced and new insights are gained in passages of the word. I once took some brethren to hear Roy E. Cogdill. He preached that night on “Baptism.” I admit to being disappointed when he announced his topic. But by the time he was finished I had fresh insights and information on Acts 2:38, Galatians 3:27, 1 Peter 3:21, and other familiar texts and came away with my batteries recharged. If the gospel is God’s power to save, then it must be made known in order for salvation to occur. God’s plan for making it known is that it must be preached. Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-24, Romans 10:8-17. What is wrong with preaching to preachers? This preacher needs to hear it.

Frankly, we don’t have the strength among preachers we ought to have. So much of what is called gospel preaching is weak, indecisive, and rooted more in the philosophies of this world than in the text of what God said in his word. So, do preachers need preaching to? Yes we do. All of us. There are still some Bible preachers around and we need to strengthen that which remains.

Conclusion

So then, my brethren, if we can reach the lost with the gospel, let us do so. If we are in a cycle of history where spiritual concerns are waning, then we must do what we can to maintain our own standing before God, and not only maintain it, but “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). If the faithful do not remain faithful, then how will the gospel reach the rest of the world? “Strengthen the things which remain.”

Guardian of Truth XLI: 23 p. 3-4
December 4, 1997

By Mike Willis

The Scriptures speak of our obligations one toward another in giving mutual support in order that we might survive in our resistance against sin. Hebrews 12:12-13 commands us as follows: “Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed” (Heb. 12:12-13, NRSV). Other passages teach the same obligation:

1 Thessalonians 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

1 Corinthians 12:26  And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.

J. Barmby explained the meaning of Hebrews 12:12-13 saying, “The strong in faith ought to desire and aim at the healing of such lame ones, i.e. their being strengthened in the faith, rather than expose them to the risk of apostasy by any wavering of their own” (Pulpit Commentary: Hebrews 358). We need to do what this verse says, but in order to do so, we need to know how.

Who Are Those With Drooping Hands And Feeble Knees?

The figure of “drooping hands” and “feeble knees” is used on several occasions to describe those who are failing in their spiritual strength.

Job 4:3-4  Behold, thou hast instructed many, and thou hast strengthened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees.

Isaiah 35:3  Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.

Who are some whose hands may be drooping and knees may be feeble? In the context, the passage is speaking of those who are weak because of the fear of persecution (see Heb. 12:1-11). But in another respect, it may include (a) Those who have experienced death in their family; (b) Those who have a serious physical illness (Job 16:2 laments his “miserable comforters”); (c) Those who have had a major tragedy in their lives; (d) Those who have fallen into temptation (Luke 22:31-32; Rom. 7:15-19); (e) Those who have fallen into sin (Matt. 26:75). When I look at this list, I realize that is me at different stages of my life. That is you at the different stages of your life.

Sometimes one’s feebleness is caused by his neglect of those things he should be doing to grow (Heb. 5:11-14; Ps. 119:11). Some are weak because they have neglected Bible study, prayer, association with other Christians, and such like things.

How We Can Strengthen Those With Weak

Knees and Droopy Hands

1. Comfort and empathy (2 Cor. 1:3-6). Paul explained that those who have received comfort are most qualified to give comfort to others. Surely those who are facing circumstances such as those listed above need comfort and empathy.

2. With words of encouragement. Job 4:3-4 indicates that one’s words can hold up them that are falling. What kind of words do those who have drooping hands and feeble knees need? Here are some words they do not need: (a) Judgmental words (Matt. 7:1-2); (b) Words that show arrogant superiority ( “Holier-than-thou” words, Luke 18:9-14); (c) Whispering and tale bearing words (Prov. 18:8; 26:22).

Here are some words they do need: (a) Words of encouragement. Barnabas was a “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). (b) Good words (Prov. 12:25); (c) Words spoken in due season (Prov. 15:23); (d) Pleasant words (Prov. 15:26; 16:24); (e) Wise words (Prov. 22:17); (f) Words fitly spoken (Prov. 25:11).

3. With deeds to help them. Some need things done for them, such as cleaning their houses, sitting with them during surgery on their loved one, and holding their hands during a funeral. Some need money (Acts 4:32-37; Jas. 1:27).

4. With prayer (1 Thess. 5:25; 2 Thess. 3:1). The song “When You Pray” emphasizes our need for prayer for and from each other. The song says:

When you pray, would you pray for me

For I need his love and his care.

When you pray, would you pray for me

Would you mention my name in your prayer.

When I pray, I will pray for you

For you need his love and his care.

When I pray, I will pray for you

I will mention your name in my prayer.

5. With association. Each of us recognizes that evil companions corrupt good morals (1 Cor. 15:33). The opposite of this is that good associations encourage us. We can invite those who are weak into our homes, go out to eat together, and otherwise make opportunities to encourage them because we see their desperate need (whether or not they recognize it for themselves). See Proverbs 9:6; 13:20.

6. With a good example. W. Jones wrote, “If the whole congregation, by their united and consistent walk, trod a plain and beaten path for men’s feet, those lame ones, though halting, would be easily able to keep in it, and, by keeping in the `straight tracks,’ would even acquire the habit of walking straight onward, and so be healed; but if the tracks were errant and confused, their erratic steps would deviate more and more, till at length they fell away out of the right way altogether” (Pulpit Commentary: Hebrews 378).

Conclusion

Let us look about us for those who may have drooping hands and weak knees to provide the support they need be-fore they wander away from the Lord or just plain give up. We labor so hard to find a new contact whom we can baptize. Shouldn’t we labor just as hard to keep those precious souls who have already been converted?

Guardian of Truth XLI: 23 p. 2
December 4, 1997

By Larry Ray Hafley

For children of God, every day is a day of thanksgiving. Even our pleas and petitions are to be accompanied by expressions of thanks  “With thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God” (Phil. 4:6). Jesus commended the giving of thanks for kindnesses shown and blessings bestowed (Luke 17). One of the first signs of depravity is the lack of thankfulness (Rom. 1:21). Truly, brethren, “be ye thankful” (Col. 3:15). “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thess. 5:18).

While our nation’s “Thanksgiving Day” is not a special day of worship for the people of God, it is encouraging to note the gracious words of reverence and respect that instituted our national holiday. President George Washington said:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor … now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November . . . to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks for his kind care and protection of the people of this country.. .

President Abraham Lincoln said:

The year that is drawing to its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. . . . No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gifts of the . . . Most High God. . . . I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November . . . as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens.

Can anyone imagine our current president being able to express similar sentiments without being hooted off the stage and ridiculed in the liberal press? Is it any wonder, therefore, that our nation’s moral and spiritual fiber is coming apart at the seams, whether in the darkness of deprived ghettos or in brightness of depraved corporate board rooms?

Until presidents can once again echo the wonderful words of Washington and Lincoln without fear of mocking derision, our great country will continue its inevitable decline. But, while we fervently pray and fondly hope for a new birth of respect for holiness and godliness, let us not fail to give thanks and praise “to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in” heaven.

Guardian of Truth XLI: 23 p. 1
December 4, 1997