Like Unto His Brethren

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Nov 9, 1905

Like Unto His Brethren

THE first promise of the coming Deliverer who should vanquish Satan declared that he would be born of a woman, just as any other member of the human family. "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

Through Moses the announcement was made of another prophet of whom he was the type. "Jehovah thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken."

Unto David the prophet Nathan foretold an everlasting kingdom, and assured him that his seed would sit upon the throne of that kingdom forever. These were the Lord's words: "When thy days are fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, that shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever."

To the same effect the psalmist declared the purpose of the Lord: "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant: Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations."

Through Isaiah it was distinctly prophesied that God would manifest himself in the flesh for the salvation of the human family. Here is one statement: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." This was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus, concerning which it is said, "Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet," and the word "Immanuel" is interpreted as meaning "God with us."

Again, it was said through the same prophet: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." That this prophecy had reference to the birth of Jesus is plain from the announcement which the angels made to the shepherds on that memorable night: "There is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord."

So also in the epistle to the Hebrews, that divine commentary upon the plan of salvation as revealed in the sanctuary and its services, we have a clear statement concerning the humanity of Jesus and the purpose of his taking the flesh. We therefore quote at some length: "Both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the congregation will I sing thy praise. And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold, I and the children whom God hath given me. Since then the children are sharers in flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he might bring to naught him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham. Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation

for the sins of the people. . . . For we have not a high priest that can not be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

And it is further declared that the flesh which Jesus took and in which he was tempted, was the same as the flesh of the other members of the family, sinful flesh. Here is the direct statement: "What the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh."

In the face of these plain statements of the Scriptures the question often arises whether Jesus did not have some advantage over us in the conflict with sin, and some are at a loss to understand how it could be otherwise since Jesus committed no sin even as a child, while other children are "brought forth in iniquity." It may therefore help some minds if we should give this matter consideration. In the first place, let us settle it that the statements already read are absolutely true, and that we shall not find any satisfactory explanation of a supposed difficulty by trying to modify the glorious truth taught in them. Jesus is a perfect Saviour because, having lived in our sinful flesh without sin, the Son of man, he has formed such a union between divinity and humanity that he is able to live the same life in us. "It is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me." "In that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted."

Let us note, then, what the Scriptures say about Jesus and his being born into the human family. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." Here we have the divine genealogy of Jesus. His appearance upon earth was not the beginning of his existence. In foretelling the place where his earthly career would begin, the prophet declared that out of Bethlehem should one come to be ruler in Israel, "whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting." Jesus was both Son of God and Son of man, and as the only begotten Son of God he was with the Father "before the world was." He came to this world as the result of his own deliberate choice. It is true that the Father gave him to us, but it is also true that he gave himself for us. All this is set forth very clearly: "Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men." He who existed in the form of God entered upon a new stage of existence in the form of a man.

Before entering upon this new stage of existence Jesus committed himself to his Father's care, and trusted him to keep him even during his infancy and childhood. This is plainly declared in the twenty-second psalm, which is "prophetical of Messiah's passion." These are the words of the divine sufferer: "Thou art he that took me out of the womb; thou didst make me trust when I was upon my mother's breasts. I was cast upon thee from the womb; thou art my God since my mother bare me." Both the Son and the Father knew that the child Jesus would be exposed to the temptations of Satan, and that as a child subject to all the conditions of childhood he could be kept from sin only by the same provision which has been made for every child of God, but they accepted the conditions which sin had imposed upon the human family. "Into the world where Satan claimed dominion God permitted his Son to come, a helpless babe, subject to the weakness of humanity. He permitted him to meet life's peril in common with every human soul, to fight the battle as every child of humanity must fight it, at the risk of failure and eternal loss."

It was through being born of the Holy Spirit that Jesus entered upon his new stage of existence as the Son of man. Said the angel to his mother Mary, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also that which is to be born shall be called holy, the Son of God." Thus Jesus was born again by the Holy Spirit. So it must be with every child of God. Said Jesus to Nicodemus, "Except one be born anew, he can not see the kingdom of God." When one commits himself to God and submits to be born of the Spirit, he enters upon a new stage of existence, just as Jesus did. The failure to see the perfect parallel between the two experiences may arise from the fact that Jesus was a perfect being of an infinitely higher order before he was born of the Spirit as the Son of man, while we are already in the flesh as sinful beings before we are born of the Spirit. In the process of conversion we become as little children by being born again, and then our experience is parallel with the experience of Jesus, who was born of the Spirit. There is the same condition of weakness in both cases, and the same dependence upon the keeping power of the Father.

It was the experience of Jesus in being preserved from sin although dwelling in sinful flesh, by casting himself upon his Father, which has made it possible for any member of the human family to have the same experience in the same way. "The Saviour was deeply anxious for his disciples to understand for what purpose his divinity was united to humanity. He came to the world to display the glory of God, that man might be uplifted by its restoring power. God was manifested in him that he might be manifested in them. Jesus revealed no qualities, and exercised no powers, which men may not have through faith in him. His perfect humanity is that which all his followers may possess, if they will be in subjection to God as he was."

Instead of finding any occasion of stumbling because Jesus was kept from sin in his childhood, we ought to be able to see in this a wonderful testimony to the efficiency of the grace of God when we cast ourselves like helpless children upon his keeping power. Praise be "unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy."