BASIC BIBLE STUDIES

# 013

 

The Life Of Christ

 

The birth of Christ--the subject of our previous Study--was the only birth of its kind.  Through the miracle of the virgin birth, "the Word (which had been with God the Father, and which possessed the same divine nature as God--John 1:1) became flesh and dwelt among us"  (John 1:14).  Likewise, the life of Christ was the only life of its kind.  No other person ever lived "who committed no sin" (I Peter 2:21-22, quoted from Isaiah 53:9).  In this Study we will briefly examine the wonderful life of Christ, giving particular attention to the reasons for His "taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Philippians 2:7).

 

Following Christ's birth in Bethlehem, and at the urging of an angel, Joseph took the baby Jesus and His mother into Egypt to escape the murderous wrath of Herod (Matthew 2:13-15).  At a point in time, He was brought to the temple in Jerusalem, where as the firstborn son of Mary, He was presented to the Lord in compliance with the stipulations of the Law of Moses under which He was born (Luke 2:22-24; see Exodus 13:2).  Following these events, the family settled in the city of Nazareth in the northern Palestine province of Galilee (Luke 2:39).

 

At the age of 12, Jesus attended the Feast of Passover in Jerusalem with Mary and Joseph.  Following the Passover, and without Joseph and Mary's awareness, Jesus remained in the city--much to the consternation of Mary and Joseph.  Later, after being found by them in the temple and reprimanded for His actions, Jesus  said to them: "Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" (Luke 2:49).  Mary and Joseph were completely puzzled by these words, "but His mother kept all these things in her heart" (Luke 2:50-51).

 

At "about thirty years of age" (Luke 3:23) Jesus submitted to baptism by John the Baptist in order "to fulfill all righteousness" (Matthew 3:15).  From His baptism "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matthew 4:1).  Following His successful repulsion of Satan's attacks, Jesus began a ministry that would extend over the next three-plus years.  In the synagogue in Nazareth He announced the purpose of His life on earth when He read the following from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah (61:1-2): "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor.  He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).  To the synagogue gathering He then

announced: "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears" (Luke 2:21).

 

Early in His ministry Jesus selected from among His larger group of disciples/ followers, 12 men "whom He also named apostles" (Luke 6:13).  They became His co-laborers in preaching that the long-awaited "kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17; Matthew 10:5-7).  Christ delivered the matchless Sermon on the Mount in which He set forth the principles that would guide the citizens of His kingdom (Matthew 5, 6, 7).  In the course of His ministry, Christ taught many parables pertaining to the nature of His kingdom and its various characteristics(Matthew 13).  Over and over, He affirmed that "My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me" (John 7:16), that "I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak" (John 12:49).

 

Jesus performed many miracles.  He healed the sick, enabled the blind to see, unstopped the ears of the deaf, miraculously fed the hungry, and even raised the dead.  People flocked to Him to receive some cure or physical blessing, but His miracles had a far greater purpose than simply the immediate benefits to the recipients.  John tells us that Christ's miracles were "signs" that signified something of tremendous import.  John says: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book (the Gospel of John); but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:30-31).   

 

The following points will serve as a brief summary of why Jesus came to earth and lived as a man:

 

1. He came to fulfill the Old Testament Law and the Prophets--all that the Law and the Prophets for centuries had been pointing to (Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:44).

 

2. He came to communicate God's final word to mankind and to establish God's final  covenant with humanity (Hebrews 1:1-2; Hebrews 7:22; Hebrews 8:7-13; Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 10:9-10).

 

5. He came "to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28; Paul explains that "many" means "all"--I Timothy 2:6).

 

6. He came that He might suffer "once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring (reconcile) us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit" (I Peter 3:18).

 

This all too brief summary of the life of Christ leads us to the point of His crucifixion.  In our next Study we will examine the death of Christ and why in the  unfathomable wisdom of God the death of Christ was necessary.

 

If this essay has blessed your life, feel free to forward it to others who may benefit from it.

 

Hugh Fulford