God the Son [Who is He?] - Pastor Ted Wilson
In this episode, Pastor Ted Wilson shares about the fourth fundamental belief—God the Son.
John begins his Gospel with these words: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it" (John 1:1-5).
With this, we learn that Jesus is eternal. He is God and was with God the Father from the beginning. He is also the Creator, the Light, and God’s Word incarnate. He is Life itself. As the book The Desire of Ages says, "In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived" (p. 530).
Jesus Christ is fully God and man. Although it is a mystery we cannot understand, He is the Son of God and the Son of Man.
The fourth fundamental belief of the Seventh-day Adventists explains: "God the eternal Son became incarnate in Jesus Christ. Through Him, all things were created, the character of God is revealed, the salvation of humanity is accomplished, and the world is judged."
It continues, "Forever truly God, He became also truly human, Jesus the Christ. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived and experienced temptation as a human being, but perfectly exemplified the righteousness and love of God."
It goes on saying, "By His miracles, He manifested God’s power and was attested as God’s promised Messiah. He suffered and died voluntarily on the cross for our sins and in our place, was raised from the dead, and ascended to heaven to minister in the heavenly sanctuary on our behalf."
Finally, "He will come again in glory for the final deliverance of His people and the restoration of all things."
Now, these are three major points regarding God the Son:
He is from eternity. Jesus is the One "Whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). "Before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:57). "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" (Revelation 22:12, 13).
Jesus’ mission of salvation was established before the world was created. The Apostle Peter says in 1 Peter 1:19 that we were redeemed "with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." He continues in verse 20, stating that Jesus was indeed "foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you." John the Revelator echoes this point in Revelation 13:8, referring to Jesus as "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."
The birth and mission of Jesus were foretold in prophecy. When Adam and Eve sinned, God revealed to them the first prophecy of the coming Redeemer, as He told the serpent, "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel."
God promised that the Redeemer would come through the line of Abraham as recorded in Genesis 22:18—"In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed." Isaiah prophesied that He would come as a child and would be both human and divine, as in Isaiah 9:6—"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
This Child would be born in Bethlehem, as Micah 5:2 prophesied. His birth would be miraculous and of divine origin, as Isaiah 7:14 states—"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel." The New Testament confirms this prophecy in Matthew 1:20, 21—"do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
When Jesus was at the synagogue of Nazareth, He read the passage in Isaiah found in chapter 61, verses 1 and 2: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord…" As He closed the scroll, He proclaimed, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21).
There is so much to learn about Jesus Christ. We have just scratched the surface. But, next time, we will look more closely at the prophecies surrounding His death and resurrection.
To learn more, Pastor Wilson encourages you to study for yourself by reading resources at adventist.org/beliefs. He also invites you to read The Desire of Ages at egwwritings.org or on the EGW Writings 2 app.
May God bless you as you learn about God the Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior.