We’ve all read the prophecy of the coming Christ. We’ve read how He, Jesus, will be called Immanuel (which means God with us). We know the verses by memory, but do we fully understand them? Do we truly understand what the prophecy of Jesus being called Immanuel means? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scriptures for answers in her video, Immanuel: God With Us.
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7:14
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Matthew 1:20-23
The Fulfillment of Immanuel
Immanuel means God with us. God has finally come to dwell with man forever and He will one day physically dwell on earth with His people.
16 And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:16-17
3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.”
The birth of Jesus Christ is an undeniable historical event. Though Christ’s birth, in itself, is undeniable, His sinlessness is often brought into question. So, was Jesus born sinless? And if He was born sinless, how is that possible? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture for the answer in our video, Was Jesus Born Without Sin?
Hebrews 4:15 1 John 3:5 Genesis 3:6-7 Romans 5:12 Genesis 5:3 1 Corinthians 15:45 Luke 1:34-35 Genesis 3:15 Romans 3:21-25 1 Timothy 2:14 Luke 4:1 Hebrews 4:14-16 1 Timothy 2:5-6
How Was Jesus Born Without Sin?
The Birth of Jesus Christ
How was Jesus born sinless? Jesus was able to be born without sin because Jesus was born to a virgin and He was conceived from the Holy Spirit.
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.”
Luke 1:34-35
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
In John 14:28, Jesus declares that He must return to His Father for His Father is greater than Him. This single verse records Jesus declaring the Father to be greater than He seems to completely destroy the Trinity argument since Jesus would be beneath the Father, which would mean He isn’t equal to God. Is that what Jesus was saying? Is the Father greater than Jesus? If so, is Jesus God, or is He just a man? Does that then mean that there is no Trinity? Join ArieRashelle as she searches through Scripture to explain Jesus’ words, “The Father is Greater Than I” in John 14:28.
John 14:28 John 8:28-29 John 8:54 Matthew 24:35-36 1 Corinthians 14:33 Mark 4:10-12 2 Corinthians 3:14 John 1 Genesis 1:1 Genesis 1:26-27 Deuteronomy 6:4 Matthew 12:29-30 James 2:19 Hebrews 5:11-14 Philippians 2:5-11 Revelation 2:8 Revelation 3:7 Revelation 22:12-13 Revelation 5:5-6 Revelation 5:1-5 Acts 4:11-12 Revelation 19:11-13 John 1:14
More On ‘The Father is Greater Than I’
They Have Different Roles:
While only the Father knows the day or hour of the return of the Son of Man, Jesus also has things that only He knows.
11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. 12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
Acts 4:11-12
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems, and He has a name written that no one knows but Himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which He is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
Revelation 19:11-16
Jesus’ Authority:
Jesus speaks differently about Himself after the resurrection. He no longer claims that ‘The Father is Greater Than I,’ instead He claims He is the Alpha and the Omega with all authority in heaven and on earth.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18
5 And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And He said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.”
How can Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the Father all be God, if there is only one God? So is Jesus really God? Wasn’t Jesus born from a human woman? Didn’t He have an Earthly Father? How can we be sure that there is even a Trinity? Does the Bible ever actually say there is such a thing as the Trinity? Join ArieRashelle as she explains how Jesus fits into the Trinity through Scripture in this second video, The Son, of our three-part series, The Trinity.
John 10:30 John 1:1-5 John 1:14 Matthew 3:16-17 2 Peter 1:17 Isaiah 42:8 Isaiah 48:11 John 8:54 John 17:1 Isaiah 43:11 Hosea 13:4 Titus 3:4-7 Acts 5:30-31 Isaiah 44:6 Isaiah 48:12 Revelation 1:17-18 Revelation 2:8 Revelation 22:12-13 Exodus 7:14 John 8:58 John 1:1-2 1 Timothy 2:5-6 Hebrews 4:14 Hebrews 5:9-10 Hebrews 7:26-27 John 14:6 John 16:23 John 8:34 1 John 2:1 Romans 5:18-19 1 Corinthians 15:21 Hebrews 10:4-11 Galatians 5:1 Romans 6:6-7 1 Corinthians 10:13 James 4:7 John 15:15 Luke 7:34 Philippians 2:5-7 John 14:14 Hebrews 2:11 Matthew 12:49 Proverbs 17:17
The Trinity: The Son
Jesus’ Role in the Trinity as the Son
We truly didn’t get into Jesus’s role in the video, in fear of it being too long. One of Jesus’s primary roles, as being the Word of God, is fulfilling what The Father says. We see this throughout Scripture from Old Testament to New Testament. In our last video we explained that Yahweh, The Father, makes the plans and leads the Head of the Trinity. So then can we say Yahweh is more powerful or important than Jesus? No, it doesn’t. Because they balance each other.
Each member of the Trinity has a specific role to play. The Father plans, directs, and leads the Trinity. The Son fulfills the plans of the Father. Think of The Trinity as a body. The Father is the head, and the Son is the body. The body does as the head commands. The head is not more important than the body, and the body not more important than the head, for neither can be without the other; instead they complement each other.
For example,
19 So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.’
John 5:19
28 So Jesus said to them, ‘When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And He who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.’
John 8:28-29
Jesus follows the lead of The Father not because He is weaker, not because He is less of God, but because He humbles Himself.
Paul explains it like this:
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8
So why would Jesus do this? If we keep reading, Paul tells us.
9 Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:9-11
So Jesus did this to glorify His Father. He took the sin, punishment, debt, and death that we could not bear so that we could have life and life more abundantly. And in doing this the Father glorified the Son, bestowing upon Him the name above all names.
Jesus is also the Righteous Judge. As any good society, there are laws. So if there are laws, there would need to be someone who decides whether the laws have been kept. Once the judge has spoken, someone must either reward or punish those whom the judge has judged.
We see this plainly when Jesus said,
21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
John 5:21-23
So the Father has given Jesus the task of being a righteous judge, so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. The Father did this to make sure that all saw that the Son was honored as God, to ensure we saw that they are equal. Jesus explains when and whom He will judge.
31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And He will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.
Matthew 25:31-33
So at the final judgment, we will all stand before Jesus as He sits on His throne. He will separate us according to how we lived our lives. Jesus tells us that the Father carries out His righteous judgments.
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:1-2
So Jesus judges and then the Father brings forth the judgment itself, whether it be a reward or a punishment.
