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Chapter 1
153
possession, and that God Himself could not take man out of His
adversary’s hands (
The Signs of the Times, July 30, 1896
).
Veiled Glory of Christ
—Had Christ come in His divine form,
humanity could not have endured the sight. The contrast would have
been too painful, the glory too overwhelming. Humanity could not
have endured the presence of one of the pure, bright angels from
glory; therefore Christ took not on Him the nature of angels; He
came in the likeness of men.
But thirty years was all that the world could endure of its Re-
deemer. For thirty years He dwelt in a world all seared and marred
with sin, doing the work that no other one ever had done or ever
could do (
The Signs of the Times, February 15, 1899
).
(
Genesis 3:15
;
Matthew 8:17
;
2 Corinthians 5:21
;
Hebrews
4:15
;
1 Peter 1:19
.) Perfect Sinlessness of Christ’s Human Na-
ture
—In taking upon Himself man’s nature in its fallen condition,
Christ did not in the least participate in its sin. He was subject
to the infirmities and weaknesses by which man is encompassed,
“that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet,
saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” He
was touched with the feeling of our infirmities, and was in all points
tempted like as we are. And yet He “knew no sin.” He was the
lamb “without blemish and without spot.” Could Satan in the least
particular have tempted Christ to sin, he would have bruised the
Saviour’s head. As it was, he could only touch His heel. Had the
head of Christ been touched, the hope of the human race would have
perished. Divine wrath would have come upon Christ as it came
upon Adam. Christ and the church would have been without hope.
We should have no misgivings in regard to the perfect sinlessness
of the human nature of Christ. Our faith must be an intelligent faith,
looking unto Jesus in perfect confidence, in full and entire faith in
the atoning sacrifice (
The Signs of the Times, June 9, 1898
).
16
. See
EGW comment on Colossians 2:9, 10
.
18. Manifestation of the Father
—What speech is to thought,
so is Christ to the invisible Father. He is the manifestation of the
Father, and is called the Word of God. God sent His Son into the
world, His divinity clothed with humanity, that man might bear the
image of the invisible God. He made known in His words, His
character, His power and majesty, the nature and attributes of God.