The seventeenth in a series of 17 sermons
Series Theme
This series of sermon follow the articles of the Belgic Confession to present an bird’s eye view of the main doctrines of the Bible.
Readings reproduced on this page:
The Holy Bible: New International Version. 1996, 1984. Grand Rapids: Zondervan
Readings
Belgic Confession
Article 19: The Two Natures of Christ
We believe that by being thus conceived, the person of the Son has been inseparably united and joined together with human nature, in such a way that there are not two Sons of God, nor two persons, but two natures united in a single person, with each nature retaining its own distinct properties.
Thus His divine nature has always remained uncreated, without beginning of days or end of life,44 filling heaven and earth.
His human nature has not lost its properties but continues to have those of a creature__ it has a beginning of days;
it is of a finite nature and retains all that belongs to a real body. by His resurrection, gave it immortality, that nonetheless did not change the reality of His human nature; for our salvation and resurrection depend also on the reality of His body.
But these two natures are so united together in one person that they are not even separated by His death.
So then, what He committed to His Father when He died was a real human spirit which left His body.
But meanwhile His divine nature remained united with His human nature even when He was lying in the grave; and His deity never ceased to be in Him, just as it was in Him when He was a little child, though for a while it did not show itself as such.
These are the reasons why we confess Him to be true God and true man__true God in order to conquer death by His power, and true man that He might die for us in the weakness of His flesh.
44. Hebrews 7:3.
Text
Matthew 1:20–25 (NIV84)
20But 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 from the Holy Spirit.
21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.”
24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Hebrews 2:14–18 (NIV84)
14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—
15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
16For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants.
17For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
18Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
