On Who Is God? by Mark Driscoll

Author:Mark Driscoll
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Religion, God, Christianity, Christian Life - General, Spirituality, God (Christianity), Christian Theology, Biblical Studies, General, Spiritual Growth, Christianity and other religions
ISBN: 9781433501364
Publisher: Crossway
Published: 2008-01-15T14:03:50.291000+00:00

Incarnation of God

Central to the Christian understanding of the revelation of God is the person

and work of Jesus Christ. Simply, Christianity is about loving Jesus Christ as God. Although he is God, Jesus became a human being out of great love, mercy, compassion, and kindness for us. In our sin we have all been separated from God and deserve eternal separation in hell. But God, out of his sheer goodness, came into history as the God-man Jesus Christ. Because he is both God and man, Jesus alone is able to reconcile created, sinful human beings with their holy Creator God. This does not mean that Jesus was a man who became God. Rather, God humbly came down to be a man on the earth, to live, die, and rise so that we could be in a reconciled relationship with God. The Bible describes it this way: “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who 1. For a more in-depth study of the person and work of Jesus Christ, see Vintage Jesus by Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2008).

Incarnation of God

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gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” Jesus’ life on the earth is commonly referred to by the theological term incarnation (from the Latin meaning “becoming flesh”).3 John 1:14 says the Word, the second person of the Trinity, became flesh. John’s point is that the eternal, invisible God took on a totally physical body so that we could see him. Our need for this clear revelation of who God is becomes readily apparent when we consider all of the varying, conflicting, and contradictory speculations we examined in the first two chapters of this book.

We will begin by examining the Old Testament promises of Jesus’ coming that God spoke through his servants the prophets to announce the incarnation of Jesus. These prophecies are so altogether specific and were so perfectly fulfilled in Jesus that in them we see both that Scripture is from God and that Jesus is God. Old Testament Prophecies about Jesus’ Incarnation

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Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Isaiah promised that Jesus’ mother would be a virgin who would conceive by a miracle. •

Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Micah promised that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem. •

Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Hosea promised that Jesus’ family would flee as refugees to Egypt to save his young life. 2. 1 Tim. 2:5–6.

3. John 1:14; Phil. 2:5–8; Col. 2:9; 1 John 4:2. 4. Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18–23.

5. Mic. 5:2; Luke 2:1–7.

6. Hos. 11:1; Matt. 2:13–15.

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Who Is God?

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Four hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Malachi promised that Jesus would enter the temple. Since the temple was destroyed in AD 70, this prophecy could not be fulfilled anytime after AD 70. •

Five hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Zechariah promised that Jesus would be betrayed for thirty pieces of silver.

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