| During the time of the Gospels, only one man could truly claim to be God's child. A precise understanding of Jesus Christ's life will make all the difference in understanding his identity and ministry. In John 5:26 we see the following, "For as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the son to have life in himself." We start with a basic spiritual truth. Jesus Christ's life came from God, who is the source of all life. A closer look at the life of mankind in general will help to better understand the life God gave to Jesus Christ. In the above scripture, the word "life" is the English translation of the Biblical Greek word "zoe." It referred to the state of one who is animate or possessed of vitality. The word "zoe" was also used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew word "chai" in Genesis 2:7. In short, just as God gave life to the first man Adam, so also did He give life to Jesus Christ. Go to Genesis 2:7, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Here we learn that mankind was first formed out of the ground. Upon completion of this step God's formation was simply a body with no life in it. Next God put life into that body. It became a living soul. The word "soul" comes from the earliest known Hebrew word "nephesh" which simply meant a living being. This word is used throughout the Old Testament for people and animals that breath air. Genesis 3:1-19 gives the record of man's disobedience toward God as well as the results of his action. See verse 19, "...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Adam's disobedience brought about a tragic result for all of mankind after him. What happened? See Romans 5:12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." Adam's sin caused sin nature to enter into his blood. And that same corrupted blood passed down from generation to generation even unto this day. See how the simplicity of God's rightly divided word puts everything together so nicely? It just fits together like a hand in a glove. The living being that God first made continued his soul life by giving life to his sons. To this day all of mankind has the same soul life that was passed down from Adam. All...with the exception of one man. Jesus Christ got his life from God, and not from his mother's husband Joseph. Having been conceived by God, the sin nature from Adam was not in Jesus' blood. He did not partake in the same blood as the rest of mankind. This tremendous truth can be found in Hebrews 2:14, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." All the offspring from Adam are partakers of both his fleshly body and his corruptible blood. But Jesus Christ had only the same fleshly body that was passed down through his Mom, and did not get Adam's corruptible blood. Why? Because God was the Father who gave him life. |
| The Life of Jesus Christ By Timothy W. Burnett |