Pleased as Man with Men to Dwell;

Jesus Our Emmanuel!

The title of this short study is from the song “Hark the Herald Angels Sing.” The following about the song is from Wikipedia:

"Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" is a Christmashymn or carol written by Charles Wesley, brother of the Methodist movement founder John Wesley. It first appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems in 1739, under the topic of "Hymn for Christmas-Day". The original opening couplet was "Hark! how all the welkin rings / Glory to the King of Kings". The version known today is the result of alterations by various hands, most notably George Whitefield, Wesley's co-worker, who changed the opening couplet to the familiar one we know today.

The title “Emmanuel” (or Immanuel) means “God with Us.” The title is applied to Jesus before His birth by an angel, quoting a prophecy from Isaiah 7:14, when he spoke to Joseph in a dream:

Matthew 1:18-25

Jesus, the union of God and man in one person.

In this passage the angel states first that His name is to be “Jesus,” a name meaning “Jehovah is Savior.” The angel states why He is to be so called: “for He will save His people from their sins.”The name “Jesus” emphasizes His humanity. This name indicates He was (and is) the promised Messiah of Israel (“His people”). But it also describes His purpose for coming into humanity, that is, to deal with the sin issue.

The doctrine that is called the Hypostatic Union states simply that The Lord Jesus Christ was undiminished deity (He was fully and completely the eternal, ever-living God; full deity) and perfect, complete humanity (fully man – body, soul, spirit)with both united forever in one human body.

“Perfect humanity” means there was no presence of the Adamic sin nature – Jesus was without sin both in its presence in His human nature and in His practice of daily living (John 8;46; Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5). He is the only one who ever kept the Mosaic Law perfectly!

Jesus is totally unique among all living beings; He is the God-Man (called a theanthropic person) “who feels and thinks and acts as one person. He is not a split personality with His divine and human natures in conflict. In Scripture Jesus never spoke of either His deity or His humanity as separate from himself; He always spoke and acted as one person” (John Witmer, Immanuel, p.83).

He came to dwell with us, the people of His creation – God is with us. Jesus is not a created being of any kind, including an angel; he is neither a man who “realized his godhood” nor a “man who achieved godhood.” He is the eternal Creator-God without beginning or end who took on human flesh for a specific purpose.

John 1:1-5 – the Word is eternally God

John 1:14 – God “became flesh” – Jesus Christ

This doctrine of the Hypostatic Union perfectly separates biblical Christianity from all other religions in the world: the eternal God became man in order to bring salvation (eternal life) to us. He did not come to show us how to achieve anything! He came to pay the full penalty for sin that He might offer the gift of eternal life as a free gift to all who will believe in Him for that gift!

John 1:10-13

“Receive” is explained by the word “believe”: to be convinced that it is true. Jesus freely gives eternal life (“to become sons of God”) to all who are convinced that it is true that He alone gives that eternal life and there is nothing we can do to contribute to our reception of that life. Jesus is the only One we look to – He is our focus – for the reception of eternal life and that life is simply a free gift.

Why did God become Man? Five Reasons

Hebrews 2:9

  1. So that He could die as our spiritual substitute.

God cannot die since He is both eternal and a spirit not subject to anything in Creation.But in His taking on of humanity, both physically and spiritually, He could die – “the suffering of death,” “that He might taste death for everyone.”

“The word ‘taste here does not mean ‘to nibble,’ but ‘to appropriate,’ He appropriated death, He experienced it for every man” (Fructenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles, p.32).

With His death He suffered the spiritual separation from God the Father from the hours of noon until three (His spiritual substitutionary death), and then He died a physical death. His spiritual substitutionary death is what paid the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2); it was on behalf of “everyone,” “for every individual person” (Amplified)

Because He died in our place we do not have to experience this eternal death or separation from the Father. The gift of eternal life is ours if we simply believe Jesus for that life!

  1. So that He could regain the right to rule and authority to rule for mankind.

Hebrews 2:5-9

This passage carries us right back to the Garden of Eden and the first – and successful - direct attack of Satan on humanity. Mankind (not angels) had been created to have dominion over all of God’s creation: he had the right and authority to rule the planet. Man lost this when he rebelled against God’s Word and sinned. Satan took the authority to rule from man with the result that today he and his demons are exercising this right to rule.

Because of the work of Jesus in His death, Jesus regained the right to rule which Adam lost and thus man will once again rule (as Adam did briefly). Jesus Christ as the glorified man will head up this Kingdom and believers will have the opportunity to rule and reign with Him. Thus the original purpose for man will be fulfilled.

v.8 all things are not yet put under the subjection of the Man Jesus Christ nor under those believers who will rule with him, but this will occur in the coming Messianic Millennial Kingdom. This will go into effect at the time of the Second Coming.

It is only because of Jesus that man will be able to regain this rule. Man can never achieve it independent of the finished work of Jesus Christ.

  1. So that He could bring many sons to glory

Hebrews 2:10 – “author” is better translated “pioneer,” “captain,” “leader,” or “originator” or, as the NLT translates it, “champion.” Hodges says in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, “The Lord Jesus, the writer will try to show, is the Captain of that loyal band of people whom God is preparing for glory” (p.784).

The “sons” He is bringing to glory are those who will inherit the Kingdom, that is, those who will rule and reign with him in the MillennialKingdom. Hodges says, “They will be the King’s ‘companions’ who share His joy in the world to come (cf. 1:9)” (p.784).

Just as going through the sufferings of this life were the means by which Jesus obtained His inheritance (the right to rule in His humanity as the King) so believers gain the privilege to rule with Him by the process of maturing spiritually through suffering. The “salvation” in this verse refers to the future aspect of our salvation which is full experience of our glorification.

Romans 8:17 (NASB) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NASB) 1 Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author[pioneer; captain; leader; champion] and perfecter of faith[bringing our faith to completion having achieved the goal], who for the joy set [ of obtaining the victory and the prize of before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

  1. So that He could be victoriousover the devil in the Angelic Conflict

Hebrews 2:14-15 (read first in NASB)

Hebrews 2:14-15 (AMP) 14 Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 And also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives.

In His humanity (sharing “flesh and blood”) He was victorious in the Angelic Conflict specifically, in this verse, over the devil’s power over death to influence people’s fear of death and to use it to his advantage. He leads them into various forms of bondage through the power of this fear.

The bondage of the fear of death is the main motivation behind (and I paint these with a broad brush):

  • Atheism: Simply declare that there is no afterlife and no God to Whom one is accountable so, they can conclude, when its over its over: no need to fear when there is not anything there!
  • Every false religion: create anything to answer the question, “What’s next?” These always avoid negative eternal judgment either by denying there is any such judgment or that by performing certain rituals it can be avoided.
  • Every “New Age” idea: “All is well, children, all is well.” Of course there is no accountability and no negative judgment when we are all “god”!

We could add more, but you get the picture.

But, as 2:15 points out, for the believer there is no fear in death because of the finished work of Jesus Christ! For the one who has placed there faith alone in Christ alone and thus has received eternal life, there is no fear in death. Only a believer improperly trained in the Word or out of fellowship with Him can come under the bondage of the fear of death.

  1. So that He can be our High Priest

Hebrews 2:17-18

Only a human man can be a High Priest for us (see also 5:1); He is like us in both our humanity and our sufferings in this life. “Jesus participated in our nature and in our sufferings on earth so that he could be a sympathetic Mediator between God and humanity. He understands our weaknesses and intercedes for us in the presence of God the Father” (Nelson Study Bible). He is the One Who is able to help us in everything, including all forms of the temptation to operate independent of God and thus to sin.

Hebrews 4:14-16

Joseph Dillow writes (with a little imagination):

We are told he is to give us help in time of need. We are to imagine Christ right next to us in our suffering. He has his left arm around our shoulder and his right arm is lifted up to the Father. He says, “Father, I now bring my brother before you. He is in great suffering and needs your help. For the sake of your glory and because I have died for him, I ask that you would strengthen him in the inner man. Give him the courage to face his suffering and the power to endure it. Most of all, let him know your comfort” (The Reign of the Servant Kings, p.567).

What a marvelous reality to know He prays for us, He intercedes for us, as our High Priest. Because

Romans 8:34 (NASB) who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.

Jesus our Emmanuel! What a wonderful truth.

  • Have you ever realized the value of point one: “He died as our spiritual substitute.” Have you ever received the free gift of eternal life, the gift He paid for in full?
  • Since He regained the right to rule and reign for mankind, are you living so that He can bring you to the glory of ruling and reigning with Him? Are you going to be a “joint-heir” with Christ?
  • Are you confident in you eternal life so that you know there is no fear in death? A person unsure of their reception of eternal life is living in the bondage of the fear of death (whether you think about it or not!).
  • Finally, are you experiencing the reality of Jesus Christ as your high Priest? Do you come to the throne of grace in the time of need or are you trying to handle life on your own?

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