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Is Jesus YOUR example in ALL things?
by Robert Schmid, February 2007

A popular question in Evangelical Christianity has been: What WOULD Jesus do? That question leaves the door open for much speculation, and that is exactly what we have – much speculation. A more appropriate question is: What DID Jesus do? After all, to answer that question we do not have to speculate, but we can rely, with confidence, on the historical and biblical record, specifically the four gospels, to know for certain what Jesus did do.

But before we consider what Jesus did do, we should consider why Jesus is a reliable example that we should follow? In fact, not only why He is a reliable example, but why He is the ONLY example that we can rely upon 100%. The short answer and reason is: Jesus was sinless! In other words, whatever Jesus did was right, and good, and lawful, and according to the will of His Father, God Almighty. Jesus is our reliable example because the Word of God, is God!

Obviously, those who do not accept the above premise, and do not accept and acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Savior, and can not say with Thomas; “My Lord and my God!” will question, to one degree or another, whether what Jesus did is right for them, and will continue to speculate what Jesus would do.

Let’s look then at the life of Jesus and extract a few representative examples from the four gospels,  and see whether our life parallels His life. To be sure, the primary reason why God sired a son, in the flesh, was to redeem mankind from the penalty of death, through  the suffering and sacrificial death of His firstborn Son, Jesus. Beyond that, of all the examples Jesus gave us, the most important one was to be the living example, of how to become a Son of God, how to be born into the Family of God, as He Himself was. We will come back to that example later on.

Here then are a few representative examples of;  What Jesus DID do? Ask yourself, if you are following in His footsteps, or, if you are following in the footsteps of someone else?

Matt. 1:18, 23 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 of the Holy Spirit (God). ...and his name shall be called Emmanuel (which means, God with us).

Mark 1:9 And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan.

Luke 2:42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast (Passover).

Luke 2:46 And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.

Luke 2:49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?

Luke 2:51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them.

Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.

Mark 1:14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,

Luke 4:16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

Mark 1:21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the Sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.

Luke 22:14,15 And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelve apostles with him. And he said unto them, With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

John 13:14-17 You call me Master and Lord: and you say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.

Mark 14:32 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the spirit.

Luke 24:6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee

Let us now consider in greater detail this most important example, of how to become a true Son of God, that Jesus gave us through his birth, life, death and resurrection, through His being born again, that we are to follow. Remember, when Jesus was baptized by John, a voice from heaven said; “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” It’s all about son-ship, and every true Christian looks forward to the day when God the Father says to you: You are my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased. The only way, anyone can become a child of God, is to follow the example of the first born Son of God – Jesus. We must follow in His footsteps, for there is no other way, than God’s way, to become a TRUE child of God. 

When Nicodemus came to Jesus to inquire about Jesus and His miraculous powers, Jesus did not answer his question, but immediately told Nicodemus what he really needed to know. Jesus gave Nicodemus the key to the Kingdom of God when He told him: “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Why? Because, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” “You MUST be born again.” This was not a casual and or optional recommendation by Jesus, no, this was and is a command from Jesus, which, if not followed will keep you out of the Kingdom of God.

How then did Jesus become the Son of God?
Before we can answer that question, we need to establish WHO was in the beginning? “Beginning” is defined as from all eternity and throughout Old Testament time, or what is known as “BC,” i.e., “Before Christ.”

“In the beginning God” Jehovah Elohim, the one and only true God, who created the heavens and the earth and ALL that is in them, also known as The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

This ONE and only true God, is a Spirit Being, who manifested and revealed Himself to His creation, through and by His personal attributes, such as:

At the risk of insulting anyone’s intelligence, I want to point out that there is a clear and distinct difference between the ONE God Being Jehovah Elohim, and His attributes of spirit, word, wisdom and love. In the beginning was ONE God, not two, not three, and not many. In the beginning was not one God in three persons, neither was there one God in two persons. There was (only) ONE God in ONE person, and any other model of “God in the beginning” is not Biblical.

Then, Jehovah Elohim raised up for Himself a people, and entered into a marriage covenant with the nation Israel. But, because of adultery, God divorced His faithless wife Israel. Nevertheless, God looked forward to the day when Israel would be restored to a place of honor and blessing.

In John 1:1 it tells us that in the beginning, (remember, that includes O.T. time) was the Word (one of God’s attributes), and God’s Word was, obviously, always with God, and God’s Word, obviously, was God.

Then, in the “fullness of time,” God chose the virgin Mary, who, on behave of all Israel, fulfilled the original marriage covenant that required obedience, when she answered the angel Gabriel, i.e., God her husband: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Mary’s relationship to Joseph was based on a physical marital covenant. Her relationship to God was based on a spiritual marital covenant.

“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 of the Holy Spirit” (Matt 1:18).

The human being Mary, became impregnated by the Spirit Being God, when God, through the power of His Holy Spirit, transferred incorruptible seed, His Word, into Mary, and for nine month she carried a human being in her womb, that was begotten by God Almighty. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.”

Notice: It does NOT say, in any translation and in any language that “God became flesh,“ or that “the Son became flesh,” or that “the second person in the Trinity/Godhead became flesh,” or that “the Spokesman became flesh,” or that a second, co-equal, God Being became flesh.” No, what became flesh was one of God’s attributes, His Word. It was the “WORD of God” that became the “SON of God”

What was born of Mary, was a BORN Human Being and (still) a BEGOTTEN God Being (read: The Double Nature of Jesus Christ).

The reason why Jesus referred to Himself primarily as the “son of man” and not as “God” was because He was (only) a BEGOTTEN God Being, totally depended, as any unborn child, on His parent, God the Father. He did not come to honor Himself, but to honor the Father. The umbilical cord that connected Him to His Father was perfect faith, enabling Him to overcome Satan, and perform the miracles that He did.

Jesus was begotten of His sinless Father God, and born of His sinful mother Mary, making Him a begotten Son of God and a born son of man. He lived, suffered and died and was resurrected by God His Father, after three days and three nights in the grave. By the resurrection from the dead, Jesus was born again, born as a Spirit God Being, to sit at the right hand of God the Father, as our high priest, and soon coming King.

What about you and I? How does the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus become our example that we MUST follow in order to become true Children of God, and true brothers and sisters of Jesus?

To be sure, there is a difference between the birth of Jesus, and our birth, in that all human beings, since Cain and Abel, are first born of two sinful human parents, which makes Satan our spiritual father. But then, after denouncing Satan and recognizing our true God, after repentance of sin and being baptized, we receive the earnest of the Holy Spirit, making us BORN Human Beings and BEGOTTEN God Beings, exactly the same as our example Jesus was. We live, we suffer and we die, and by the resurrection from the dead we will be born again, born as Spirit God Beings.

Jesus came as an example of His Father and of the truth. Every human being is an example of someone and of something. You are either an example of your spiritual Father God and His truths, or you are an example of your spiritual father god and his lies? To, ultimately, be born of God means eternal life. To, ultimately, be born of Satan means eternal death. It is either one or the other. There is no third option.

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