We often say that a person is unique; there is no
one in the world like so and so. There will never be
another person like that person because of their
talents, personality, creativity, etc. We say when
God made so and so he threw away the mold.
But Jesus Christ is uniquely different from any
other person who has ever lived.
No one else can know God as God. "In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.He
was in the beginning with God" (John 1:1-2).
A primary teaching in the first century Christian
confessions included Jesus the Son of God, the only
begotten of the Father, the second person of the
Trinity. Jesus is from all eternity the Son of God
(John 1:1-4, 14, 18; 3:17; 11:27; 1 Jn. 3:8;
4:9-14).
A week after Jesus rose from the dead the disciple
Thomas declared before an assembled group: "My Lord
and my God!" (John 20:28).
There is only one place where we can see perfectly
God incarnate, and that is in the person of the Lord
Jesus Christ. We can know “the mind of God for man”
only in the mind of Jesus Christ. It is when we see
the attitudes of Jesus toward sinful man that we
know “the attitude of God towards man.” That is what
the apostle Paul is saying when we wrote, “God was
in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself” (2
Corinthians 5:19).
Without doubt, the relationship of Jesus with God
the Father is unique and unrepeatable. Jesus is
uniquely “the Son,” and God is uniquely to Him “My
Father” (John 20:17; 2:16; 5:43; 6:40; 5:22-23; Rom.
15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; 2:20; Eph. 1:3; Col. 1:3; 1 Pet.
1:3; Rev. 1:6). Jesus lived in the unique
consciousness of His unique Sonship (Luke 2:49). God
the Father said at Jesus’ baptism, “You are My
beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased” (Mk. 1:11;
Matt. 3:17; Ps. 2:7). It is the declaration by the
Father giving divine approval upon His unique Son.
The relationship of Jesus Christ with God is so
unique that He can be described only in terms of God
and God can only be described in terms of the
character, person and work of Jesus Christ. In the
New Testament God is always spoken in terms of “the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus
declared, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the
Father” (John 14:9). “My Father and I are one”
(10:30).
A believer in Jesus Christ is “a son of God,” butonlyJesus
Christ is “The Son of God.” His birth was unique and
unrepeatable (Luke 1:31-35; Matt. 1:20, 21, 23; John
1:14, 18; Gal. 4:4-5; Heb. 1:1-4). His conception
was unique of a kind (Luke 1:24-35). He and His
Father share the same name (John 17:11). Jesus means
“Yahweh is salvation.” If the father of Jesus were
the man Joseph, He would be called “Jesus, the son
of Joseph.” Clearly in the case of Jesus, the Spirit
of God was the father of Jesus; therefore, this son
of the virgin Mary is properly called “Jesus, the
Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
It is obvious to people who saw Jesus in His human
life on the earth that they knew themselves to be in
the presence of one who was nearer to God than
anyone they had ever met. Martha confessed this
uniqueness when she said, “You are the Messiah, the
Son of God, even He who comes into the world” (Jn.
11:27). Peter in his great confession of faith
declared, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the
living God” (Matt. 16:16). Nathan said, “Rabbi, you
are the Son of God; you are King of Israel” (Jn.
1:45, 49). The disciples at Jesus’ feet in the boat
declared, “Truly You are the Son of God” (Matt.
14:22-33). Thomas declared, "My Lord and my God!"
(John 20:28).
Jesus is unique in that as the Son, He is the final
and eternal high priest who ascended to heaven and
His mediatorial work remains perfect forever (Heb.
4:14; 6:6; 7:3, 28). There will never be another
great high priest. His great priesthood is
unrepeatable.
Only Jesus Christ can reveal the Father to men
because He has a unique knowledge of the Father
(John 10:15; 8:38; Matt. 11:27; 17:1-5; Lk. 10:21,
22). “No one comes to the Father except by Me” (Jn.
14:6). Jesus Christ is the only object of saving
faith. “And there is salvation in no one else; for
there is no other name under heaven that has been
given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts
4:12). The person who puts their faith in Jesus
Christ alone receives the gift of eternal life (Jn.
3:16; 1:12-13). The person who disobeys Christ and
refuses to believe on Him shall not see life (3:36).
To acknowledge the Son of God is to have the Father
(1 Jn. 2:22, 23). In deed, “whoever confesses that
Jesus is the Son of God; God abides in Him, and He
in God” (1 Jn. 4:15). Salvation, and eternal life,
is received only by putting your faith in Jesus
Christ. Salvation is by grace alone, through faith
alone in Jesus Christ alone (Eph. 2:5, 8-9).
The Son of God is the giver of eternal life (Jn.
5:26; 1 Jn. 4:9; 5:12-13). No one else has this kind
of life to give. It is God's kind of life.
Only the blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse us of all
our sins (1 Jn. 1:7; 4:10, 14).
How do you explain such power to cleanse and forgive
our sins? Jesus Christ has a “unique intimacy,
unique obedience, and unique knowledge that issued
in a unique power . . . He could do what He did
because He was what He was,” the unique and
unrepeatable Son of God. No wonder Thomas confessed,
“My Lord, and my God” (Jn. 20:28). And, so do I. I
hope you will, too.
Wil is a graduate of William
Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist
Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific
University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador
and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as
missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily
expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100
countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek
opportunities to be personally involved in world
missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown
daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor
and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
Bible
word studies for sermon preparation, messages,
devotions and personal Bible studies with abiding
principles and practical applications.
Reports on what God is doing through Bible
believing evangelical Christians in
Honduras, Nicaragua, Peru,
India
and Ecuador. Jesus said, "If you abide in
Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever
you wish, and it shall be done for you"
(John 15:7).