The Deity and Humanity of Christ
A Sermon on the Deity and Humanity of Christ
Scripture
Sermon Description
Who is Jesus Christ? In this sermon on the deity and humanity of Christ, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones examines this question, looking at what all of Scripture has to say about the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is given many names: Son of God, Messiah, Lord, and others. This points to the great fact that Jesus is truly divine. He is said to be the creator of the world, omnipotent, and omniscient. He is no mere creature, but He is God in the flesh who came to save His people. But He was also truly a man. He was like humans who are tempted, but He never sinned. He was hungry, cold, and He slept. Yet, He was always still truly God and man as He did all these things. Why does this matter? It matters because who Jesus is cannot be separated from the question of what He has done. On the cross, Jesus died so that all who believe in Him might be saved and made children of God. It is only because He is God and man that He is able to save perfectly.
Sermon Breakdown
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The sermon begins by reminding the audience of the biblical doctrines covered so far and that the current focus is on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
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The doctrine of the incarnation states that the eternal Son of God became flesh. This led to a discussion of the virgin birth of Jesus.
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The Bible makes claims that Jesus is divine. Evidence for this includes:
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Divine names ascribed to Jesus (e.g. Son of God, Lord, Emmanuel)
- Divine attributes ascribed to Jesus (e.g. omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, eternity, immutability)
- Divine offices held by Jesus (e.g. creation, preservation, forgiveness of sins, raising the dead, judgment, bestowing eternal life)
- Statements made of Yahweh in the Old Testament are made of Jesus in the New Testament
- The names of God the Father and Jesus Christ are coupled together
- Divine worship is ascribed to Jesus
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Jesus' own self-consciousness and claims to deity (e.g. being about His Father's business, accepting worship, forgiving sins)
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The Bible also teaches the humanity of Jesus. Evidence for this includes:
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The virgin birth
- Jesus is called the "Son of Man" and "the man Christ Jesus"
- Jesus had a typical human physical nature (e.g. grew tired, hungry, thirsty; suffered physical agony; died)
- Jesus was subject to growth and development
- Jesus had limitations in knowledge
- Jesus was subject to physical limitations
- Jesus was tempted
- Jesus had a need for prayer
- Jesus was given power by the Holy Spirit
- Jesus refers to God as "My God"
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Jesus was human in all things except sin
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Although Jesus was tempted, He was sinless. It was not possible for Him to sin. His temptation proves His humanity, but His sinlessness proves His divinity.
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Next, the sermon will discuss how Jesus' divinity and humanity come together, beginning with how Jesus subordinated Himself to the Father.
Great Biblical Doctrines
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.