The Uniquely Unrepeatable
Jesus Christ
Jesus is God.
Therefore, he is uniquely unrepeatable.
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).
When Jesus spoke, God spoke (Heb. 1:1-3).
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,” but only
Jesus 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).
The death and resurrection of Jesus was unique and unrepeatable (John
10:11, 14-18; Matt. 28:18; Rom. 1:4; 1 Cor. 15:20-28; 51-58). As the Son of God He has
authority to rule and judge the nations (Rev. 2:18, 27).
Jesus is not only God’s Son, but He is God’s only
Son (John 1:18; 3:16; Rom. 1:3). He and the Father are one (Jn. 10:30; 5:19, 20; 8:28;
10:38; 12:50; 14:9-11, 31; 5:23; 8:49, 54; 15:23, 24; 17:1).
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.
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
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