Hi Mordechai. I know that you want to know why Yeshua had to be fully God and fully Man. Right?
Yes, Art. I am most interested in this. In fact, I think it is more accurate to say that I have a deep hunger to know the answer to this question.
OK. Let me try my best to explain this. Remember the Fall that we talked about last time? And remember how Adam, the first human, was given dominion by Adonai over everything on earth? And how sin entered into Adam and Eve when they disobeyed Adonai and ate of the forbidden fruit?
Of course, Art. I understand these things.
And Rabbi, I asked you to trust me last time and to consider what the New Testament or Brit Hadasha had to say about these things.
I remember. And I still trust you.
Thanks, Rabbi. I think it’s important to understand that the Tanach and the Brit Hadasha are one book. They are both the Word of God and each of them, the Old and the New, is in a way a commentary on the other. Some people say that the New Testament is in the Old Testament concealed and that the Old Testament is in the New Testament revealed. There is much truth in that statement.
Art, does the New Testament show us that Adam’s dominion over the earth was transferred to someone else when Adam sinned?
Yes, Rabbi. Indeed it does. Let’s read what the Brit Hadasha says about this.
2 Corinthians 4:4 NLT:
4 Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
John 12:31 NLT:
31 The time for judging this world has come, when Satan, the ruler of this world, will be cast out.
Luke 4:5–6 NKJV
5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish.
Rabbi, Satan is the god of this world. That’s god with a small g. He is the ruler. That happened when Adam sinned. He lost the dominion of the world.
But Art, isn’t Adonai the supreme Ruler of the entire universe? And that includes all of the earth. Right?
Yes, Rabbi. Adonai is still the supreme Ruler. But He is allowing Satan to be the ruler of the earth, for the time being, and up to a certain point only. Satan can only go as far as God allows him too. The book of Job, verses 1:1 and 2:6, make that clear. But God has allowed Satan great power and the ability to do great harm. We’ll have to talk about that another time.
OK, but let’s get back to Yeshua. He is fully God and fully Man. Why did Adonai bring that to pass?
Adonai brought that to pass because the catastrophic results of the Fall had to be reversed. And God in His infinite wisdom and power determined that because a Man broke the law and sinned and gave over the dominion of the earth to Satan, a Man had to take the dominion back, at a time determined by God. A Man who fulfilled God’s Law perfectly including the payment of a sin offering, a perfect blood sacrifice. Let’s read from the Brit Hadasha again.
Galatians 4:4–5 NKJV:
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
And Yeshua, Himself, said this:
Matthew 5:17 NKJV
17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
And here is the sin offering, Rabbi:
2 Corinthians 5:21 TLV
21 He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Mordechai, Yeshua was sinless. He fulfilled God’s Law perfectly because He could obey the Law, all 613 mitzvot. He could do this because He was and is fully God. In fact, Yeshua is now our High Priest. He is the only priest.
OK, Art, that is profound. He is our High Priest? How did that happen?
More about that later, Rabbi. We’ll talk about that.
OK, but why did Yeshua have to be fully Man?
Rabbi let’s look at a few more verses. First from the Tanach:
Leviticus 17:11 NKJV
11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.’
And also from the Brit Hadasha:
Hebrews 10:1–2 NLT
1 The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 2 If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared.
Hebrews 10:12–14 NLT
12 But our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand. 13 There he waits until his enemies are humbled and made a footstool under his feet. 14 For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.
Rabbi, Yeshua had to be fully Man so that He could die. He had to be able to die in order to be a perfect blood sacrifice. The only perfect blood sacrifice. And the final blood sacrifice. This perfect and once for all blood sacrifice provided the atonement for all sins, past, present, and future. This sacrifice was and is never to be repeated. The Son of God, fully God and fully Man, died for you and for me, Rabbi. All that is needed is to accept what He did. On the cross. For you and for me. All that is needed is to believe.
Art, again, this is too fantastic. I don’t know what to say. This is too good to be true.
Rabbi, this is the Gospel, the Good News. If it was not too good to be true it would not be the Gospel. But it is true. God tells us that in His word.
Rabbi our conversation started a few weeks ago with your question, “How can I have eternal life”? Rabbi, this is how. Believe that Jesus Christ, Yeshua Ha Mashiach died to to pay the price for your sins and mine. Just believe, Mordechai. Do you believe?
Yes, I believe. Thank you Lord. Thank you for dying for me. Thank you for giving me eternal life.
Praise God, Mordechai. The angels in heaven are rejoicing!
Let’s meet again soon. We’ll talk about how Yeshua is now our great and ultimate High Priest. OK?
Yes!! Thanks Art.
