¤¤ >> Friend, welcome to
00:00:08.37\00:00:18.15
"It Is Written Canada."
Today we are going to continue
00:00:18.15\00:00:22.32
in this series on understanding
the oneness of God, yet His
00:00:22.32\00:00:27.59
three distinct persons. Again
joining me to help us understand
00:00:27.59\00:00:32.99
this subject more fully, I want
to welcome Dr. John Peckham. Dr.
Peckham, thank you so much
00:00:32.99\00:00:37.20
for being here again today. >> A
pleasure to be with you, Chris.
00:00:37.20\00:00:40.07
>> Dr. Peckham, for those that
may be watching for the first
time, is a professor at the
00:00:40.07\00:00:45.37
Theological Seminary at Andrews
University. He's the author of
00:00:45.37\00:00:50.28
many books. You can go to Amazon
and explore the various books he
00:00:50.28\00:00:55.15
has available. Dr. Peckham, we
have covered now looking at this
oneness of God, yet the three
00:00:55.15\00:01:03.43
persons of God. We've seen that
the Bible clearly articulates
that oneness and plurality, both
00:01:03.43\00:01:10.17
in the Old Testament and into
the New Testament. Now, where we
00:01:10.17\00:01:15.44
left off in the last show is, I
asked you the question -- And
I'm going to ask it to you
00:01:15.44\00:01:20.31
again. We'll review a little bit
of what we ended with last time
and then jump in to our topic
00:01:20.31\00:01:25.98
today. But here's the thing --
The Scripture is clear --
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
00:01:25.98\00:01:33.05
But here's the question -- how
do we know that the Father, the
Son, and the Holy Spirit
00:01:33.05\00:01:39.33
are all divine beings and
all distinct divine beings? >>
00:01:39.33\00:01:48.20
That's right. So, we need
to unpack that from a number of
00:01:48.20\00:01:51.44
texts that teach that the Father
is God, the Son is God, and the
00:01:51.44\00:01:54.78
Holy Spirit is God. And we're
going specifically to talk about
00:01:54.78\00:01:58.38
the divinity of Christ in our
program today... >> Okay. >>
...in a little bit more
00:01:58.38\00:02:01.42
detail and that these are three
distinct persons. Now, we saw in
00:02:01.42\00:02:08.06
Matthew 3:16 -- and we'll go
there now again -- Matthew 3:16,
this text about the baptism of
00:02:08.06\00:02:14.13
Jesus. In Matthew 3:16, it says,
"When he had been baptized,
Jesus came up immediately from
00:02:14.13\00:02:20.24
the water. And behold, the
heavens were opened to him, and
he saw the Spirit of God
00:02:20.24\00:02:26.04
descending on him like a dove
and alighting upon Him." So, you
have the Spirit and the
00:02:26.04\00:02:30.75
Son there, and then in verse 17,
"And suddenly a voice came from
Heaven saying, "This is my
00:02:30.75\00:02:36.99
beloved Son, in whom I am
well-pleased." So, the Father,
00:02:36.99\00:02:41.72
the Son, and the Spirit are
there. They're all acting
distinctly. >> Yes.
00:02:41.72\00:02:45.49
>> And this is one of the texts
that suggests that God is not
only one, but also three
00:02:45.49\00:02:52.30
distinct persons. This is
contrary to one of the
misunderstandings that has come
00:02:52.30\00:02:57.47
to be known by the name
of modalism. Modalism is a
00:02:57.47\00:03:03.48
misunderstanding of the
relationship between the Father,
Son, and the Spirit, and God,
00:03:03.48\00:03:10.09
that believes that God is just
one person who manifests Himself
in different modes, kind of like
00:03:10.09\00:03:16.83
if you were to put a mask on and
then put another mask on and
then put another mask on, that
00:03:16.83\00:03:22.10
God revealed Himself as the
Father and then at another time
he was the Son, at least in some
00:03:22.10\00:03:26.77
forms of modalism, and then He
turns Himself into another mode,
which is the Spirit.
00:03:26.77\00:03:31.44
Here, though, we see all three
persons of the one God at the
same time in the same place
00:03:31.44\00:03:38.38
doing three different things.
Now, the Spirit is descending on
00:03:38.38\00:03:43.25
him like a dove. >> Yes. >> The
Son is being baptized, and the
Father is speaking,
00:03:43.25\00:03:47.19
"This is my beloved Son." So,
that is contrary to modalism.
00:03:47.19\00:03:51.79
So, that's -- The simplest way
to understand it is saying that
God is one, but not really
00:03:51.79\00:03:57.30
three. >> And so what we
see here, though, from the text
00:03:57.30\00:04:01.97
clearly, is that, with the
activity, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit all at the same time, all
00:04:01.97\00:04:09.18
as three distinct entities, that
while God is one, there are
those three persons.
00:04:09.18\00:04:15.62
And we also looked at, at the
end of the life of Jesus, Jesus
is praying in the garden of
00:04:15.62\00:04:21.06
Gethsemane. >> Yes. >>
And he's praying to the
00:04:21.06\00:04:25.39
Father. >> Yes. >>
And so once again we are
00:04:25.39\00:04:28.70
seeing clearly that there are
these distinct persons in the
00:04:28.70\00:04:35.00
context... >> Yes. >> ...of
that oneness. >> That's right.
00:04:35.00\00:04:38.17
>> What other texts can we look
at to talk about that? >> Well,
on the other hand, we
00:04:38.17\00:04:42.04
have another misunderstanding,
which is the opposite error. So,
if modalism is the error of
00:04:42.04\00:04:46.68
saying God is one, but not
really three, the opposite error
is sometimes called tritheism...
00:04:46.68\00:04:51.69
>> Okay. >> ...that God is
three, but He's not really one.
00:04:51.69\00:04:54.36
So, there's three persons that
are not united into one being
00:04:54.36\00:04:59.13
who is God. That's tritheism.
This can be responded to by some
texts that we've already seen in
00:04:59.13\00:05:04.23
previous programs. One we'll
go to now is Matthew 28, Matthew
00:05:04.23\00:05:08.90
28:19, again, the Great
Commission. >> Okay. >> And
another that we could
00:05:08.90\00:05:12.71
mention is all those texts on
the oneness of God, Deuteronomy
00:05:12.71\00:05:16.78
6:4, "The Lord our God, the Lord
is one." So, if God is one, He
can't be three and not one.
00:05:16.78\00:05:22.38
If the baptism is true, that
there's the Father, Spirit, and
Son, and those are all divine
00:05:22.38\00:05:27.42
persons, then He can't be
one and not three. So, Matthew
00:05:27.42\00:05:32.19
28:19, we have, again, the Great
Commission, where Jesus teaches
us to, "Go therefore and make
00:05:32.19\00:05:38.67
disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name --"
and, again, the name is
00:05:38.67\00:05:43.54
singular, the word for "name"
there is singular -- >> Yes. >>
"The name of the Father and
00:05:43.54\00:05:47.74
of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit." So, we can't say God is
00:05:47.74\00:05:51.88
one and not three because the
three distinct persons are
revealed. We can't say God is
00:05:51.88\00:05:56.79
three and not one because the
Bible clearly teaches that there
is one and only one God.
00:05:56.79\00:06:01.19
>> Mm-hmm. >> A third
misunderstanding, which has
00:06:01.19\00:06:04.93
caused a lot of problems in the
history of Christianity and
still sometimes today is a
00:06:04.93\00:06:09.93
misunderstanding or a heresy
called Arianism. Arianism is
named after a person by the name
00:06:09.93\00:06:16.57
of Arius of Alexandria, a
4th-century individual who
taught that Jesus, who we
00:06:16.57\00:06:23.65
believe is the second person of
the Trinity, wasn't fully God.
00:06:23.65\00:06:29.65
He was like God. In fact, he was
a creation of God. So, at
sometime in the past,
00:06:29.65\00:06:34.86
Arius taught, Jesus, or the
second person, was created by
00:06:34.86\00:06:40.56
the Father. Now, he believed
this for a number of reasons.
One was that he didn't think
00:06:40.56\00:06:43.37
anyone but the Father could
really be God. So, he challenged
00:06:43.37\00:06:49.00
the idea that Jesus was fully
God and that Jesus was
pre-existent and that Jesus was
00:06:49.00\00:06:55.48
an uncreated being or uncreated
God. That's the heresy of
Arianism. >> So, we're gonna
00:06:55.48\00:07:02.25
talk about that in just a
moment. We're gonna get right
into understanding Jesus as
00:07:02.25\00:07:07.06
fully divine. But let me just
ask this fundamental question.
00:07:07.06\00:07:12.89
So, we're seeing that the Bible
teaches that God is one in three
00:07:12.89\00:07:18.00
persons. But fundamentally, that
sounds like a contradiction.
And, frankly, you know, when I
00:07:18.00\00:07:23.00
was studying earlier in life,
before the Lord called me to be
a pastor, I was gonna be a math
00:07:23.00\00:07:29.51
teacher. >> Mm-hmm.
>> And so, Dr. Peckham,
00:07:29.51\00:07:32.11
fundamentally, what I'm gonna
say here is, not only does it
seem like a contradiction, but
00:07:32.11\00:07:36.22
it seems like bad math. >> Yeah.
>> So, what do we do with this?
00:07:36.22\00:07:38.85
>> Yeah. It seems like a
contradiction if you think that
00:07:38.85\00:07:44.23
when we say God is one God and
three persons that we mean that
God is one and that God is three
00:07:44.23\00:07:49.90
in the same sense. Now, first of
all, we can just show -- It's
not a math problem,
00:07:49.90\00:07:54.34
right? We're not saying, "One
plus one plus one equals one."
00:07:54.34\00:07:58.07
Right? You could just as easily
say, "Infinity plus infinity
00:07:58.07\00:08:02.78
plus infinity
equals...infinity," right? So,
it's not really a math
00:08:02.78\00:08:07.98
problem, and it would be a
contradiction if we were saying,
"God is one in the same way that
00:08:07.98\00:08:13.42
God is three." But it's not a
contradiction to say that one
being is also three
00:08:13.42\00:08:19.36
in some other respect. And
that's what we're saying about
the Trinity -- that God is
00:08:19.36\00:08:25.07
one and He is also three in a
way that doesn't contradict.
Now, there's a number of
00:08:25.07\00:08:30.64
analogies that people use to
describe things we already
realize are three in one way and
00:08:30.64\00:08:36.95
one in another way at the same
time. I'm gonna mention just one
00:08:36.95\00:08:41.48
of them here, but I need to
preface it by saying that there
is no analogy of the Trinity
00:08:41.48\00:08:46.86
that is actually effective
to really understand what the
00:08:46.86\00:08:50.79
Trinity is like. All analogies
break down, and when it comes to
the Trinity, they break down
00:08:50.79\00:08:54.30
very quickly. >> Yes. >> So,
when I bring up this analogy,
I'm not saying, "The
00:08:54.30\00:08:56.83
Trinity is like this," in
any full way, not even close to
00:08:56.83\00:09:02.67
fully. All I'm using this
analogy to show is that you
already know of something that
00:09:02.67\00:09:08.14
is one in one sense and three
in another sense, without any
00:09:08.14\00:09:11.98
contradiction. I'm not saying
that God is one and three in the
same way that what I'm gonna
00:09:11.98\00:09:16.38
refer to as the three-leaf
clover is one and three. But
there's one clover and
00:09:16.38\00:09:23.32
three leaves in a three-leaf
clover, right? >> Yes.
00:09:23.32\00:09:26.36
>> Is that a
contradiction? >> No. >> No.
00:09:26.36\00:09:29.23
So, we already know of things
that can be three in one
respect, having three leaves,
00:09:29.23\00:09:33.13
and one in another respect,
having one clover. Again, I'm
not suggesting that
00:09:33.13\00:09:36.74
God is three and one in that
way. I'm just showing you it's
00:09:36.74\00:09:39.84
not a contradiction on the face
of it. >> Yes. >> How can God be
00:09:39.84\00:09:43.45
one and three persons? We don't
understand fully, but we can see
00:09:43.45\00:09:47.45
that is not a contradiction.
Now, one of the reasons why
people think it is a
00:09:47.45\00:09:50.72
contradiction is because they
often think of persons -- when
they hear the word "persons,"
00:09:50.72\00:09:54.72
they think of human persons. And
it's true that Jesus became a
00:09:54.72\00:09:58.83
human. >> Yes. >> But
he was not always a human.
00:09:58.83\00:10:01.13
>> Yes. >> When we say "persons"
with regard to God, we don't
00:10:01.13\00:10:04.23
mean human persons. We don't
even mean persons that are
divided by physicality, even
00:10:04.23\00:10:07.90
though Jesus became a physical
person. We mean one who has
00:10:07.90\00:10:11.17
self-consciousness -- "I am a
person" -- and we saw that
already in Gethsemane, the
00:10:11.17\00:10:15.74
Father speaking to the Son as
themself and the Son speaks to
themself -- one that has a
00:10:15.74\00:10:20.12
faculty of reason... >>
Yes. >> ...and has a will.
00:10:20.12\00:10:22.95
>> Yes. >> And the
persons of the Trinity all have
00:10:22.95\00:10:26.09
self-consciousness. The Son
knows himself as the Son, the
Father knows Himself as
00:10:26.09\00:10:30.73
the Father, and the Spirit knows
himself as the Spirit. They all
have reason, and they
00:10:30.73\00:10:35.46
all have will, as we will see in
texts that come later. But we
don't mean by this three
00:10:35.46\00:10:40.67
humanoid entities. >> Yes.
>> And there must be a way that
00:10:40.67\00:10:44.11
we don't fully understand in
which God can transcend the
physical limitations that make
00:10:44.11\00:10:48.31
you and I two different beings,
not just two different persons
-- we're two different
00:10:48.31\00:10:52.38
beings... >> Correct. >>
...that God transcends in a
00:10:52.38\00:10:55.05
way we don't fully understand.
But the fact that we don't
understand it doesn't make it a
00:10:55.05\00:10:59.12
contradiction. There is nothing
about the oneness of God that
00:10:59.12\00:11:02.56
contradicts the threeness of
God, unless you try to say God
is one and three in the same
00:11:02.56\00:11:06.29
way. >> Yes. And, you know, this
lack of understanding -- and I
00:11:06.29\00:11:12.57
say what I'm about to say
cautiously -- that is, where
faith comes in -- And to a
00:11:12.57\00:11:17.47
certain degree, there are things
in everyday life. I am not an
auto mechanic. >> Mm-hmm.
00:11:17.47\00:11:22.21
>> What do I know about my car?
This is what I know -- when I
turn the key or when I push the
00:11:22.21\00:11:26.61
button... >> Right. >>
...the car should start.
00:11:26.61\00:11:29.58
>> Yes. >> I don't understand
all the ins and outs of an
00:11:29.58\00:11:32.99
internal-combustion engine.
>> Yes. >> You know, in fact, in
00:11:32.99\00:11:37.13
the history of my life, when
I've tried to tune up my car,
usually I tune out my car and I
00:11:37.13\00:11:41.93
have to take it to a mechanic
anyways. But just the fact that
I don't understand it doesn't
00:11:41.93\00:11:49.37
make it not a reality... >>
That's right. >> In the same
00:11:49.37\00:11:52.37
way, electricity -- I'm not an
electrician, but I know when I
flip the switch, the lights
00:11:52.37\00:11:57.51
come on. >> Right. >>
And in the same way, the
00:11:57.51\00:12:01.32
Bible is clear -- God is one,
yet three distinct persons. How
those persons are manifest
00:12:01.32\00:12:09.39
we don't really understand. We
know that Jesus was manifest in
the flesh, but we also
00:12:09.39\00:12:15.73
know -- and we're gonna have a
whole show on the Holy Spirit --
we also know that the
00:12:15.73\00:12:19.20
Holy Spirit is everywhere
at the same time. >> Right.
00:12:19.20\00:12:24.44
>> It's going to be, at its very
foundation, impossible for me to
00:12:24.44\00:12:30.08
understand that... >> That's
right. >> ...because that is not
an attribute that I have or
00:12:30.08\00:12:33.11
anyone I know has... >> That's
right. >> ...other than the
00:12:33.11\00:12:36.15
Holy Spirit. >> That's right.
>> Excuse me. The Holy Spirit.
00:12:36.15\00:12:38.15
>> And the key is, we're not
asserting anything that's
actually contradictory.
00:12:38.15\00:12:41.62
We're asserting something
that just transcends our
00:12:41.62\00:12:44.63
understanding. >> That's
correct. >> And God's
omnipresence, being everywhere
00:12:44.63\00:12:47.83
at the same time, is a perfect
example because that, again,
shows that he transcends the
00:12:47.83\00:12:51.40
physical limitations that
divide you and I. If God can be
00:12:51.40\00:12:54.77
everywhere at once, there should
be no problem in conceiving of
the fact that He can be one
00:12:54.77\00:13:00.88
being who is three persons,
without saying we understand
fully. >> There's no
00:13:00.88\00:13:05.35
contradiction in saying that. >>
So, now let's come back to --
You talked about Arius and the
00:13:05.35\00:13:11.55
heresy of Arianism... >> Mm-hmm.
>> ...and this idea that Jesus
00:13:11.55\00:13:17.96
is a created being. >>
Yes. >> So, what do we know?
00:13:17.96\00:13:23.33
And, most importantly, what does
the Bible teach us about the
divinity of Christ?
00:13:23.33\00:13:29.14
Is Jesus Christ truly a divine
being and one of the persons of
00:13:29.14\00:13:38.98
the Godhead? >> Yes. Let's go to
John 1, John chapter 1 to start.
00:13:38.98\00:13:43.32
And as we're going there, it's
not that Arius didn't have a
Bible, either, but Arius thought
00:13:43.32\00:13:49.86
that there couldn't be any
plurality in God because he had
accepted a view of God that came
00:13:49.86\00:13:55.16
from particular streams of Greek
philosophy, where it was a
contradiction if God was plural.
00:13:55.16\00:14:00.87
But in the Bible, there is no
such contradiction. And the
Bible explicitly refutes
00:14:00.87\00:14:05.51
Arianism, the view that
Christ was created. John 1:1-3.
00:14:05.51\00:14:12.55
>> And just before you were
going to read that text, you
said something that I think we
00:14:12.55\00:14:16.32
need to let the viewer really
let it sink in. Throughout the
00:14:16.32\00:14:19.69
history of Christianity, there
have actually been times where,
instead of founding our belief
00:14:19.69\00:14:25.43
on the Word of God, we have
actually inherited... >> Mm-hmm.
00:14:25.43\00:14:28.60
>> ...from Greek
philosophy influences... >> Yes.
00:14:28.60\00:14:31.57
>> ...that have corrupted
our thinking and corrupted our
00:14:31.57\00:14:35.20
beliefs. And it's interesting
that you say that about Arius.
What we're going to do and as we
00:14:35.20\00:14:40.31
understand the divinity of
Christ is we are going to get
00:14:40.31\00:14:44.75
into the Word. The answer to all
questions is found in the Word.
We must base our belief not on
00:14:44.75\00:14:49.38
what our dad taught us or what
we read in a book... >> That's
00:14:49.38\00:14:52.92
right. >> ...but what we
read in the book... >> Mm-hmm.
00:14:52.92\00:14:55.42
>> ...the Bible. So, here in
John 1, let's talk about this
divinity of Christ.
00:14:55.42\00:14:59.56
What are we going to read? >>
John 1:1-3 -- "In the beginning
was the Word, and the
00:14:59.56\00:15:06.77
Word was with God, and the Word
was God." And if we keep reading
00:15:06.77\00:15:12.41
in John 1, the Word is
Jesus. >> That's right. >> Okay?
00:15:12.41\00:15:14.84
So, "In the beginning was the
Word." He's already there in the
00:15:14.84\00:15:18.58
beginning. "The Word was
with God" -- so, there's an "in
00:15:18.58\00:15:24.99
addition" to God. And yet he was
God. >> Yes. >> Then verse 2 --
00:15:24.99\00:15:29.32
"He was in the beginning with
God." In case we missed in the
first time, in the beginning,
00:15:29.32\00:15:34.13
right? There's no before Him.
Verse 3 -- "All things were made
00:15:34.13\00:15:38.17
through Him." How many things?
>> All things. >> All things,
00:15:38.17\00:15:41.07
which means He Himself couldn't
be made. >> That's correct. >>
If all things were made
00:15:41.07\00:15:43.94
through Him, He couldn't be
a being who was made. >> That's
00:15:43.94\00:15:46.68
right. >> "All beings were made
through Him," that is, through
Jesus, "and without him, nothing
00:15:46.68\00:15:51.21
was made that was made." Again,
He can't be a being that was
made because nothing was
00:15:51.21\00:15:55.88
made that was made without Him.
So, John 1:1-3 explicitly denies
00:15:55.88\00:16:00.89
Arianism. In fact, it explicitly
denies that there was a time
before there was the Son.
00:16:00.89\00:16:06.66
The Son has always existed.
That's not the only text that
teaches that, but that's one of
00:16:06.66\00:16:11.20
the major texts that just
teaches it explicitly. >> And
00:16:11.20\00:16:14.60
it's interesting. The next
phrase -- and we don't need to
go through all of verse 4 -- in
00:16:14.60\00:16:18.74
that phrase, you have, "In Him
was life." >> Yes. >> And what
00:16:18.74\00:16:22.64
we need to understand when we
talk about this is that Jesus as
a created being is, frankly,
00:16:22.64\00:16:29.55
impossible because in Him was
life. >> Yes. >> Jesus is not
00:16:29.55\00:16:36.02
created. Jesus, rather, is a --
and is the -- creator. >> That's
00:16:36.02\00:16:40.86
right. >> What else -- What
other verses can we go to, to
help us understand the divinity
00:16:40.86\00:16:46.23
of Jesus Christ? >> So, staying
in John, we can turn over to
00:16:46.23\00:16:49.74
John chapter 8. John chapter 8
tells us minimally that Jesus
wasn't just a regular human like
00:16:49.74\00:16:57.18
us. John 8:23 -- "He said to
them, 'You are from beneath. I
00:16:57.18\00:17:02.92
am from above. You are of this
world. I am not of this world.'"
And then in the very same
00:17:02.92\00:17:09.76
chapter, in verse 58, Jesus is
teaching them things, and the
leaders that are trying to
00:17:09.76\00:17:17.70
challenge him ask him in verse
57, "'You are not yet 50 years
old, and have you seen
00:17:17.70\00:17:23.37
Abraham?'" And then Jesus says
in verse 58, "'Most assuredly I
00:17:23.37\00:17:28.88
say to you, before Abraham was,
I am'"... >> Yes. >> ...which is
00:17:28.88\00:17:33.75
saying at least two things.
He existed before Abraham. >>
00:17:33.75\00:17:36.62
That's right. >> He didn't come
into existence at the
incarnation -- that is, when he
00:17:36.62\00:17:40.59
was born of Mary. >> That's
right. >> He existed before
that. And he used this phrase "I
00:17:40.59\00:17:44.36
am," which a student of
Scripture will recognize is an
allusion or a reference to what
00:17:44.36\00:17:49.50
Yahweh calls Himself, what God
calls Himself in Exodus 3, when
he appears to Moses in the
00:17:49.50\00:17:54.60
burning bush -- >> Yes. >>
"I am who I am." That's right.
00:17:54.60\00:17:56.50
>> And they understood that's
what he was saying because what
00:17:56.50\00:18:00.04
happens next? Verse 59 -- "Then
they took up stones to throw at
him." Why do they want to stone
00:18:00.04\00:18:05.75
him? Because they know what
he is claiming. >> That's right.
00:18:05.75\00:18:08.15
>> He is claiming to be the
"I am," to be before Abraham. >>
00:18:08.15\00:18:11.15
That's right. And it's
interesting, that phrase there,
the Greek phrase "Ego eimi."
00:18:11.15\00:18:14.29
Jesus is saying, "I am the
self-existent one"... >> That's
00:18:14.29\00:18:19.76
right. >> ...which means there
is no dependence upon an outside
entity for his life.
00:18:19.76\00:18:26.07
For you, for me, we are
completely dependant upon God.
We're completely dependent on
00:18:26.07\00:18:32.54
God for life. Jesus is the
self-existent one. What else can
00:18:32.54\00:18:39.91
we say about the divinity of
Jesus Christ? >> Turn over to
the very next chapter.
00:18:39.91\00:18:44.29
In John 9, John 9:38 -- And let
me ask you a question before we
00:18:44.29\00:18:52.06
read the verse. If I were to
worship you, would that be okay?
>> That would not be okay.
00:18:52.06\00:18:55.90
>> Why? >> Because I'm
undeserving of worship because I
00:18:55.90\00:19:00.40
am not a creator, I have not
made anything, I am not a divine
00:19:00.40\00:19:04.57
being. >> 'Cause only God is
worthy of worship. In fact, in
Revelation, which is
00:19:04.57\00:19:07.04
also believed to be written
by the same person who wrote the
00:19:07.04\00:19:09.68
Gospel of John... >> That's
right. >> ...John is so
overtaken by one of the mere
00:19:09.68\00:19:13.45
angels that he falls to his
knees, and the angel says, "Get
up." >> "Don't worship me."
00:19:13.45\00:19:17.49
>> "Don't worship me. I'm
not God." >> That's right.
00:19:17.49\00:19:19.22
>> But look what happens in John
9:38. And this isn't the only
00:19:19.22\00:19:23.29
place where Jesus is worshiped.
"Then he said, 'Lord, I
believe,' and he...
00:19:23.29\00:19:28.23
>> "Worshiped him." >>
"...worshiped him." And Jesus
didn't say, "No, no,
00:19:28.23\00:19:31.30
get up," which he should have
said if he wasn't really God. >>
00:19:31.30\00:19:34.84
That's right. >> But he was
really God 'cause God alone is
worthy of worship. We turn over
00:19:34.84\00:19:41.38
to John chapter
20. John chapter 20.
00:19:41.38\00:19:43.48
>> And as we're turning to John
20, it's also interesting -- in
00:19:48.22\00:19:52.55
Revelation 4 and 5, there is the
lamb. Jesus comes on the scene
and he's worshiped and he's
00:19:52.55\00:19:59.19
worshiped basically for two
distinct reasons. He's worshiped
00:19:59.19\00:20:03.60
because he made -- he's the
creator -- and he's worshiped
because he redeemed.
00:20:03.60\00:20:08.34
>> That's right. >> And so
we need to understand that Jesus
00:20:08.34\00:20:12.54
would not have received worship,
would not have accepted worship
if he was just merely a man.
00:20:12.54\00:20:17.61
>> It would have been
blasphemous for him to do so. >>
00:20:17.61\00:20:20.15
Absolutely. >> John 20:28 --
now, this is this wonderful
story -- Poor Thomas -- this
00:20:20.15\00:20:25.22
wonderful story that is often
referred to as the narrative of
00:20:25.22\00:20:28.59
doubting Thomas. >> Yes. >> I
don't know if he's ever going to
live that down, even in
00:20:28.59\00:20:31.03
Heaven. >> [ Laughs ] >>
But you remember the story
00:20:31.03\00:20:33.50
where Thomas doubted that
Jesus has resurrected. >> That's
00:20:33.50\00:20:36.36
right. >> And Jesus appears to
him, and he shows him his wounds
and lets him even touch him.
00:20:36.36\00:20:41.20
And after this appearance,
"Thomas answered --" this is
John 20:28 -- "And Thomas
00:20:41.20\00:20:45.71
answered and said to him, 'My
Lord and my God.'" >> Mm-hmm.
00:20:45.71\00:20:51.78
>> Said directly to Jesus. And
Jesus accepts this. This is a
direct statement that
00:20:51.78\00:20:57.12
Jesus is God. >> What else can
we say then? Because there are
00:20:57.12\00:21:04.96
certainly some people
that believe that Jesus had a
00:21:04.96\00:21:07.50
beginning. >> Yes. >> How do we
know that he wasn't created a
very long time ago? >> Yes.
00:21:07.50\00:21:11.13
Well, let's go to some text --
Colossians 1. Colossians 1, and
00:21:11.13\00:21:17.21
then we're gonna go to
Colossians 2. And when we put
these texts together, we see
00:21:17.21\00:21:20.94
that he couldn't have been
created. In fact, we've already
seen that he couldn't have come
00:21:20.94\00:21:25.41
into being a very long time ago
'cause we already just saw in
John 1 that he was already in
00:21:25.41\00:21:29.45
the beginning -- right? -- in
the beginning was God. Now,
Colossians 1 has some
00:21:29.45\00:21:35.36
language of Christ as firstborn.
And we're not gonna be able to
get into that language this
00:21:35.36\00:21:42.20
time, but in a future program,
we're going to explain that the
language of firstborn is not
00:21:42.20\00:21:46.27
referring to a literal birth or
being the firstborn in a family.
It's a title of status which was
00:21:46.27\00:21:53.34
applied to the Messiah. >> Yes.
>> And that's what's happening
00:21:53.34\00:21:55.98
in this verse, and I'll show you
why that's the case in a future
00:21:55.98\00:21:58.65
program. >> Sounds good. >> But
Colossians 1, beginning in verse
15, it says, "He is the
00:21:58.65\00:22:03.25
image of the invisible God..."
>> Yes. >> "...the firstborn,"
00:22:03.25\00:22:07.52
or the one who has the
birthright as the Messiah, "over
all creation, for by him all
00:22:07.52\00:22:13.16
things were created that are in
Heaven and that are on earth,
visible and invisible, whether
00:22:13.16\00:22:18.83
thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers. All
things were created through
00:22:18.83\00:22:23.94
him and for him, and he is
before all things"... >> Yes.
00:22:23.94\00:22:28.34
>> ...which means nothing can
be before him. >> That's right.
00:22:28.34\00:22:30.15
>> "And in him, all this
consist." So, this is clear that
00:22:30.15\00:22:35.15
everything that comes into being
comes into being through him and
there is nothing before him.
00:22:35.15\00:22:40.52
In fact, in him, all things
consist, or by him. He is the
one who sustains all
00:22:40.52\00:22:45.56
existence as the creator." The
very next chapter says just as
explicitly in Colossians
00:22:45.56\00:22:52.73
2:9... >> Yes. >>
..."for in him dwells all the
00:22:52.73\00:22:57.37
fullness of the Godhead bodily."
>> Mm-hmm. >> "In him dwells all
00:22:57.37\00:23:03.75
the fullness of the Godhead
bodily." That is a statement of
full divinity, without any
00:23:03.75\00:23:12.09
question, any equivocation. He
is fully divine. >> So, there's
00:23:12.09\00:23:18.66
really no question. Jesus is
fully divine. But let me ask you
00:23:18.66\00:23:23.23
this question. And it's hard
to believe we're running out of
00:23:23.23\00:23:25.97
time. And so we're gonna hint at
this subject, and then we're
gonna come back to it in our
00:23:25.97\00:23:30.61
next program. >> Yes. >>
So, was Jesus really human
00:23:30.61\00:23:34.24
then? >> Yeah. Some
people have thought that
00:23:34.24\00:23:37.01
Jesus wasn't really human -- he
was just divine. This is heresy
00:23:37.01\00:23:40.75
sometimes called Docetism, and
we can talk about that more next
time. But the Bible explicitly
00:23:40.75\00:23:45.19
teaches that he became human and
became fully human. In that same
00:23:45.19\00:23:49.89
verse that we saw before, same
chapter, John 1, in John 1:14 --
it tells us in John 1:14 that he
00:23:49.89\00:24:01.97
became flesh, not just that he
appeared to become flesh. John
1:14 -- "And the Word
00:24:01.97\00:24:06.47
became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten
00:24:06.47\00:24:12.41
of the Father, full of grace and
truth." Other texts teach that
00:24:12.41\00:24:16.95
Christ had merely human
characteristics, like getting
weary, needing to eat, things
00:24:16.95\00:24:20.72
like that. We'll see some
of those texts the next time.
00:24:20.72\00:24:23.39
But in light of that, some
people think, "Well, maybe
Christ was just a human who was
00:24:23.39\00:24:28.33
adopted," but the Bible teaches
explicitly that he wasn't
00:24:28.33\00:24:32.67
adopted as God. He was always
God. Even in the Old Testament,
it was prophesied that he would
00:24:32.67\00:24:38.01
be from old, even from
everlasting. That's in Micah
5:2. And Galatians 4 teaches
00:24:38.01\00:24:43.81
that when he came forth from
Mary, he was coming already from
above. He didn't come into
00:24:43.81\00:24:48.92
existence at that time. So,
there's no before him, but he
also became really and fully
00:24:48.92\00:24:53.59
human. >> And that is very
and so important because we have
00:24:53.59\00:25:00.56
Jesus fully divine, fully God,
yet condescends himself to
become a human being.
00:25:00.56\00:25:09.34
>> Yes. >> And that is the
Gospel and the story of the
00:25:09.34\00:25:15.98
Gospel, that God became like man
to save us. >> Yes. >> In the
last minute that we
00:25:15.98\00:25:21.85
have, Dr. Peckham -- and we're
going to delve into this much
more deeply -- what are some
00:25:21.85\00:25:27.76
words of hope as we are
understanding this subject and
wrap up this program today?
00:25:27.76\00:25:33.26
>> I think it just the awe that
we should be struck by when you
realize that God himself, the
00:25:33.26\00:25:39.77
second person of the Trinity,
was willing to lower himself and
even die, even unto death,
00:25:39.77\00:25:48.44
lower himself from the throne of
glory, become a mere human like
us, be subject to ridicule,
00:25:48.44\00:25:54.78
abuse, even torture, and die on
a cross for us. And I encourage
00:25:54.78\00:25:59.52
the viewers -- I think we'll
start there the next time. In
Philippians 2, this is
00:25:59.52\00:26:02.92
described, this amazing
condescension of God's love,
that even though he was God, he
00:26:02.92\00:26:08.43
did not cling to that, that
majesty, that splendor. He
became like us to save us.
00:26:08.43\00:26:14.24
This just causes me to worship.
>> And the amazing story of
00:26:14.24\00:26:20.18
God's love. Let's pray together.
Heavenly Father, it is so
amazing that Jesus, fully God,
00:26:20.18\00:26:30.22
fully divine, became human in
order to save us. Lord, may we
appreciate this and
00:26:30.22\00:26:39.29
may it transform our lives. We
pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
00:26:39.29\00:26:43.97
>> Amen.
00:26:43.97\00:26:45.17
>> It's almost impossible to
comprehend the depth of God's
00:26:47.14\00:26:52.21
love. Jesus, fully divine, has
existed for all time. By him,
all things were made.
00:26:52.21\00:27:00.85
Yet there was one planet, planet
Earth, that descended into
00:27:00.85\00:27:08.89
rebellion. And instead of merely
destroying that world, God chose
to save that world.
00:27:08.89\00:27:15.63
He chose to save us. Jesus,
fully divine, became fully human
so he could save us.
00:27:15.63\00:27:26.37
He is truly the master of love.
Today I want to offer you the
little book "Master of Love,"
00:27:26.37\00:27:35.12
which will teach you about this
love that Jesus has for
humanity, the love he has for
00:27:35.12\00:27:43.93
you to save you. Here's the
information you need to receive
00:27:43.93\00:27:49.40
today's offer. >> To request
today's offer, just log on to
00:27:49.40\00:27:52.70
www.ItIsWrittenCanada.ca.
If you prefer, you may call
00:27:52.70\00:27:58.27
toll-free at 1-888-CALL-IIW.
And thank you for your prayer
00:27:58.27\00:28:03.98
requests and your generous
financial support. >> Dr. John
00:28:03.98\00:28:09.32
Peckham, thank you so much for
helping us understand this depth
of God love and His unity and
00:28:09.32\00:28:14.26
plurality. >> Thank you, Chris.
>> Dear friend, I want to invite
00:28:14.26\00:28:19.96
you to join us again next week
as we delve more deeply in
understanding the divine Son
00:28:19.96\00:28:25.33
and his love for you. Until
then, remember -- "It is
written: 'Man shall not
00:28:25.33\00:28:31.97
live by bread alone, but by
every word that proceeds from
the mouth of God.'"
00:28:31.97\00:28:38.91
¤¤ ¤¤
00:28:38.91\00:28:58.27