Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the Book of Genesis. Tonight, is study #27 of Genesis, chapter 14 and we are continuing to look at the mysterious character of Melchizedek that appeared in Genesis, chapter 14. We have begun to search the Bible to see what else we can learn about him. We saw that three times (twice in Hebrews, chapter 5 and once in Hebrews, chapter 7) he was tied to the name “Son of God.” Because of this connection with Melchizedek and his priesthood and the name “Son of God,” we began to look at what the Bible has to say about Jesus Christ being the Son of God.

We saw that Romans, chapter 1 tells us that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God through the resurrection from the dead. We also went to Colossians, chapter 1 and that is what I want to read now. It says in Colossians 1:13-18:

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

These are very important things we are reading about Jesus. He is the Creator, for by him all things were created. God had already said in verse 15 that He was “the firstborn of every creature” or the firstborn of all creation. So, there is no doubt that Jesus was the firstborn Son when He created the world. That is why Hebrews, chapter 1 verse 2 tells us that the Son created the world. In Colossians 1, verse 18, the statement is made that He “is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,” and this explains the earlier reference to the “firstborn of every creature” in verse 15.

When we see the word “firstborn” applied to Jesus, we cannot just read it and “gloss over it” and not spend time considering it – we must consider it. What does it mean? Referring to the word “firstborn,” we saw in Matthew, chapter 25, it was the word used when Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. It said in Matthew 1:25:

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

This is the identical word translated as “firstborn” in Colossians. Of course, it means to be the first child born. There is no indicator that God is using this word differently as far as applying it to Christ and, yet, it does not have to do with His birth from a Virgin, but it has to do with His death and resurrection: He is the firstborn from the dead. God is detailing this and filling in more information to let us know in what way Jesus Christ is considered the “firstborn.” When someone is firstborn, like Jesus was Mary’s firstborn son, who is the father of Christ when we read that He is the firstborn from the dead? Obviously, God is the Father. God is the one who raised Him from the dead and lifted Him up from the grave, bringing Him back to life through the resurrection. We know that God is said to be Jesus’ Father, as we read in Revelation 1:5:

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead…

This is the same Greek word, but it is translated here as “begotten” instead of “born.” Then it says in Revelation 1:6:

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father…

It says it is God’s Father because the Son is God: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And these three – Father, Word and Spirit – are one. Christ, who is Eternal God, was made flesh and dwelt among us. God the Father is how we understand that Person of the Godhead. There is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Upon the point of the Lord Jesus Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist, the Father even said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

So, there is a definite declaration that the Father has a Son, who is Jesus. When we read that Jesus is “the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,” it means He is God’s firstborn Son. There is no one else who would be considered the Father, except Eternal God. Christ is the Father’s firstborn Son and we are told why it is. This explains why it came to be that Jesus Christ received the name of “Son.” He was declared to be the Son and let us turn there, again, because this goes hand in hand with Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5. It says in Romans 1:3-4:

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

Here it is and it is stated plainly. However, God does this often in the Bible and some verses are just packed with information; and it is so much information that it is hard keep track of everything. So, let me read the first part of the verse, along with the concluding part of the verse and you clearly hear what God is saying here. It says regarding Jesus, “And declared to be the Son…by the resurrection from the dead.” In other words, Jesus was declared to be the Son of God through the process of dying and rising again from the dead. As He came up from death and rose from the grave, there is a declaration, as it were, by God who is likening Himself to a father and the declaration is that this is His Son in whom He is well pleased. This is precisely the reason you will find in all four Gospels after Jesus was baptized in water by John the Baptist, the Father made that declaration from heaven. Let me show you one example in Matthew 3:16-17:

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

You can read this declaration in Mark and Luke and a variation of it in John. The declaration of the Father was made as Christ came up out of the water (baptism): “This is my beloved Son.” Why does God say this? Look at Romans 6:3-4:

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death…

Baptism identifies with death. John the Baptist is baptizing Christ, which is a historical parable that points to the fact that Jesus died, so when He came up out of the water, what would that picture? It would picture coming up out of death or the resurrection and it is at that point there was the declaration: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Do you see how perfectly this fits with Romans, chapter 1, verses 3 and 4? Jesus was declared to be the Son through or by the resurrection from the dead. And it also fits perfectly with Colossians, chapter 1 that speaks of Him as the “firstborn from the dead” and with Revelation 1, verse 5, that calls Him the “first begotten of the dead.”

This is the point when Jesus became the Son of God. This is the reason Psalm 89 says in Psalm 89:26-27:

He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.

There is dialogue between Father and Son. The Son was crying to the Father and the Father replied, “I will make him my firstborn,” and it is in the future tense because He had to die and rise again to become the “Son of God.”

Hopefully, people are checking these things out (in the Bible). If you are checking these things out, it suddenly just “fit in to place.” There is no discrepancy with this language – it is very clear. Jesus Christ became the Son of God; He took upon Himself that specific name. And all the names of God have meaning and they teach us about the attributes of the Persons of the Godhead. The name “Son” teaches us that He first had to die and rise from the dead to become the firstborn Son of God.

These verses fit wonderfully. With all these Scriptures, you may have wondered (as I did) why God is making such a “big deal” about this at the point of Jesus’ baptism. I had thought it was just because Jesus was going to begin His ministry and be about the business of His Father, but even when He was 12 He said, “…wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” He had always been about His Father’s business, but God made that glorious declaration as the Father notes that the Son was well pleasing to Him at that specific point because it typifies or portrays that death and resurrection that took place…well, when did it take place? You see, this is what these things lead us to and we must ask the question. This has been something that there has not been much consideration toward because the assumption has always been that Christ made payment (for sin) at the cross and He was the Lamb that died on the cross and He rose again, so He was declared to be the Son and the firstborn from the dead because of His dying on the cross in 33AD and rising from the dead afterwards and, yet, that does not answer many of the Scriptures. Remember what it said in Hebrews 1:6:

And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

It is the same Greek word and the same name. He is the “firstborn from the dead” or “first begotten of the dead” that we read about in Colossians 1, verse 18 and in Revelation 1, verse 5. God brought His firstborn Son into the world when He took up residence in Mary’s womb and was born of the Virgin. He was already the firstborn Son of God and not because He was born of the Virgin. And He was the first begotten Son of God when He was a young child and all through His earthly life. We read of Him as the Son of God in the Gospel accounts before He went to the cross, died and resurrected in 33AD. We must ask the question: “How is that possible?” God has already defined in Romans, chapter 1 that He was declared to be the Son based upon resurrection. He already defined in Colossians, chapter 1 and in Revelation, chapter 1 that He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. God has already drawn the spiritual picture in His parabolic rising up from the water of John’s baptism. All these Scriptures harmonize and come together to prove that there must be death and resurrection before Jesus could take upon Himself the title of “Son of God.”

Anyone that insists that Jesus made payment (for sin) at the cross and this was the only time He died must answer these things. Why does God say He was declared to be the Son based on the resurrection? Why does God say He was the firstborn from the dead and first begotten was brought into the world before He died on the cross and rose? How do you answer these things?

Well, I would not be surprised if we start hearing responses like “in principal” and other theological “double speak” or jargon found in commentaries written by men, even though some of them were faithful men of God and, yet, they were operating under the constraints of a sealed Book. The Bible was sealed until the time of the end.

But now we will find professed true believers running to these commentaries as they try to find solutions and answers to these questions. After blowing the dust off these theological books, they are presenting these ancient, erroneous theological points. However, it was due to these kinds of writings and erroneous doctrinal position of the churches that the wrath of God came down upon the churches and congregations. It was because of their unfaithfulness. Now there are individuals that have turned from the truth and turned from things that God has graciously opened up at the time of the end. If they have not turned back to the world or to the churches, they have turned back to older doctrines and they dig through commentaries that theologians have written in their partial understanding and these people try to present them as answers or solutions. However, these writings have not answered these things in centuries past when they were written. Just to say the magic word “in principal,” does not answer these questions.

The Book of Hebrews declares that there must be the shedding of blood before there can be remission of sins, so you have the problem of the salvation of Old Testament saints. And the list of doctrinal dilemmas is growing because of this stubborn, rebellious and willful insistence that Christ paid for sins at the cross in 33AD. “After all, it is what all the churches believe and it was what I was taught. It is what I grew up with and, therefore, it must be so. I just have a feeling that if you say Christ did not die and pay for sins at the cross in 33AD, it is heresy.” Yes, these people may have that feeling and it is the traditional stance, but what about all these Scriptures? I cannot remember a doctrine (of late) that builds and grows like this one and there are so many direct statements like Revelation 13, verse 8 that says the Lamb was slain at the foundation of the world; or, the verse in Hebrews 4, verse 3 that says, “although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.”

So, we apply those direct statements to reality and let us say that Christ was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, as God says, and let us say that the works were finished at the foundation of the world and that is when He shed His blood, died and resurrected as the Son of God, then we find there is a solution and things begin to harmonize left and right. Then, of course, Noah could find grace in the eyes of the Lord and Abraham could have had his sins washed away, as well as all the Old Testament saints, because the blood had already been shed and it was “in the basin” to be applied through the hearing of the Word of God. And, of course, since Jesus was already the Son and God could bring His first begotten into the world because He was already begotten as the first born from the dead. And, of course, the Son could create the world because He was already declared to be the Son based on His resurrection, and on and on it goes! Do you see how easily it fits? You know when you are doing a puzzle and you find the right piece, it just fits right in. You do not have to force it and you do not have to get out a carving knife and adjust the edges to fit; and that is what people are doing when they say that Christ died “in principal” or they come up with other theological explanations. There is no need because all these things harmonize and fit together perfectly.