SHAPE
YOUR FUTURE IN GOD
Ministering
God’s free grace through Christ
Vol.
II, No. 4
Feb. 15, 2015
We have in the last two editions presented Old Testament
prophecies and three sets of New Testament evidences on the sinlessness of
Christ. We here continue on our series in presenting two last sets of evidences
from Scripture that the Lord was sinless.
iv) The Testimony of His Enemies:
a)
Judas Iscariot: “I have betrayed innocent blood” Matt. 27: 4
b)
Pilate’s wife
(to her husband): “Have nothing to do with
that just man” Matt. 27: 19
c)
The Sanhedrin: “The chief priests and all the council
sought for evidence against Jesus to put him to death; and found none” Mark 14: 55
d)
Pilate: “I find no fault in this man.” Luke 23: 4
“I,
having examined him, have found no fault in this man. For the third time he
spoke to them, “What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no
grounds for the death penalty.” Luke 23: 14, 22 (See also John 18: 38;19: 4 –
6)
e) Herod: “Neither has Herod
(found any fault in him)” Luke
23: 14 – 15
f) The condemned thief: “This
man has done nothing amiss” Luke
23: 41
If
all former evidences of Christ’s sinlessness were a conspiracy of his lovers,
certainly not
those
of his foes. And if an enemy should testify as a friend, surely a just court
would close the case there. The problem is not that people do not know that
Christ was sinless, they simply do not want to believe it, as that would leave
them with no excuse for their rejecting him. If anyone accepts Christ, such
must also accept this fact that he was, and is, and will continue to be
perfectly sinless.
v)
The
Testimony of the Virgin Birth
“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His
mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together,
she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband
was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had
in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of
the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is of
the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name
Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to
fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with
child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” – which
means, “God with us.” When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord
had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her
until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.” Matt. 1: 18 – 25
The first couple – Adam and Eve were
created innocent by God but fell through sin. By that they acquired the sinful
nature. Their children came by natural biological process of sexual relations
between a man and a woman and inherited their sinful nature. So too their
grandchildren, great grandchildren, and down through the ages to every one of
us. All of us can confess like David, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful
from the time my mother conceived me” (Psalm 51: 5). And the Bible concludes
it, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3: 23). So by
nature all are sinners.
But that is not the case with Christ. Though He came
as a man His conception and birth were different from ours because
a) His mother, Mary,
until she delivered Him, was a virgin (Luke 1: 27). We do not intend
to go into the exegesis of
the Virgin Birth in this piece, but suffice it to say that original language
of both the Old and New Testaments prove that the word
translated ‘virgin’, whenever so used refers to a young unmarried
girl who has never had sexual relations. And of Mary, that is
specifically stated when she asked the angel “How shall this be,
seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1: 34). Joseph had no sexual relations
with Mary before she conceived Jesus. The phrases “before they came
together” (Matt. 1: 18) and “had no union with her until she gave birth to
a son” (Matt. 1: 25) prove that Joseph did not have sexual relations
with Mary before she conceived Jesus and throughout the period
of that pregnancy, until she had delivered the child.
b) The conception was by the Holy Spirit. He
brought it about miraculously by His power.
The angel told Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” (Luke 1:
35).
No
other person has ever been so conceived nor ever would be. Christ’s conception
was unique as was also His birth. This makes Him completely devoid of original
sin, the root of all outworking of that sinful nature. Hence Christ did not
commit sin throughout His lifetime. He is God’s perfect choice of a Saviour for
sinful humanity. To be concluded in the next edition. SYF
Published by The Rev.
Dr Esesien Ita @ CRUTECH, Okuku Campus, Yala LGA, CRS., Nigeria.
08063138664; 07086950995; 07057479040;
08095590696; esesien2000@yahoo.com ; esesienita@gmail.com ; www.italiteratures.blogspot.com ; www.facebook.com/italiterature ; www.twitter.com/esesien_ita
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