S4: Week 3 Day 4 - Connecting Genesis 1:1, 26-31 and Colossians 1:15-17 to Christ

Summary

Episode Summary: S4: Week 3 Day 4 - Connecting Genesis 1:1, 26-31 and Colossians 1:15-17 to Christ

Podcast: A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace
Host/Author: The Daily Grace Co.
Episode: Season 4, Week 3, Day 4
Release Date: January 16, 2025

Introduction

In this episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace, hosts Alexa and Beth guide listeners through Day 4 of Week 3, focusing on connecting passages from Genesis and Colossians to reveal Christ's central role in Scripture. This session delves into understanding Jesus' dual nature and His significance in both the Old and New Testaments.

Recap of Previous Discussion

Beth begins by recapping the previous day's exploration of Colossians 1:15-17, where Jesus is portrayed as the agent of creation:

"In Jesus, we find the very image, nature, and imprint of God himself" (00:51).

Alexa highlights that Jesus was present at creation and that all things were made through Him, emphasizing His divine nature intertwined with humanity.

Main Discussion: The Christ Connection

The Hypostatic Union

The core of today's discussion centers on the hypostatic union, the theological term describing Jesus as fully God and fully human. Beth poses a critical question:

"What would you say to someone who might respond by saying, wait, I thought Jesus was human?" (01:19).

Alexa responds by explaining the hypostatic union:

"Jesus has two natures, one human and one divine, and that they are both perfectly united in his person" (01:19-01:31).

She emphasizes that recognizing Jesus' dual nature does not diminish His humanity but affirms His divinity, crucial for understanding His role in salvation and His deservingness of worship.

Importance of Jesus' Dual Nature

Alexa outlines two primary reasons why Jesus must be both fully human and divine:

1. Salvation Efficacy:

   • Human Nature: Necessary for Jesus to die for humanity's sins.
   • Divine Nature: Enables Him to save and resurrect victoriously.

   "He needs to be fully human and fully divine in order for salvation to work" (01:51).

2. Deserving of Worship:

   • Jesus’ divine nature affirms that worship is due to Him alone.

Beth echoes the foundational significance of these truths for the Christian faith:

"It's absolutely foundational to the Christian faith" (02:32).

Relating to Jesus Today

Alexa explores how understanding Jesus' nature affects believers' relationship with Him:

• Creator and Lord:
  Recognizing Jesus as the Creator underscores His authority and the basis for worship.

  "We relate to him as our Creator and our Lord" (02:53).

• Savior and Redeemer:
  His humanity allows Him to sympathize with human struggles and fully redeem humanity.

  "He is our sympathetic Redeemer... he was able to take on our sins the way that he did because he is fully human" (02:53-03:25).

She references Psalm 8 to highlight God's greatness and His profound care through Jesus Christ:

"God is our great Creator. He's infinite and all powerful, yet he cared so deeply for us that he actually became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ" (03:25-04:08).

Key Insights

• Christ-Centered Scripture:
  The study reinforces that every part of the Bible points to Christ, showcasing His eternal presence and pivotal role.

• Relational Depth:
  Understanding Jesus' dual nature deepens believers' relationship with Him, recognizing both His divinity and His empathy towards human experiences.

• Worship and Salvation:
  Jesus’ divine nature validates His worthiness of worship, while His humanity ensures the effectiveness of His salvific work.

Conclusion

Alexa and Beth conclude the episode by summarizing the significance of Jesus' dual nature and its impact on believers' faith and relationship with Him. They invite listeners to continue their journey through the study, promising practical applications in the next episode.

"Thank you for listening to today's episode... we're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow" (04:27-04:29).

Additional Resources

Listeners are encouraged to visit thedailygraceco.com for studies, journals, and other resources to aid in their Bible study and spiritual growth. The hosts also promote following Daily Grace Co. on social media for further encouragement and resources.

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This episode provides a profound exploration of Jesus Christ's integral role in both creation and redemption, bridging Old and New Testament teachings to illuminate the cohesive narrative of Scripture centered on Christ.

Transcript

[Alexa]

Welcome to A Year in the Bible with daily grace. This year, we want to spend a few minutes with you every day walking through our study, Christ in All of Scripture. Each week, we will dive deeply into two passages of Scripture, one from the Old Testament and one from the new, seeing how they connect and point to Jesus.

[Beth]

Whether you are doing the study yourself or just following along with us here, we are hopeful that through studying these passages each week, you will see how Christ is not only present throughout the entire biblical story, but the center of it.

[Alexa]

Hey.

[Beth]

Hi, friends. Welcome back to the Year in the Bible podcast. My name is Alexa and I'm here with my friend and co host, Beth.

[Alexa]

Hi. Today we are going to be talking through day four of week three, which is the day where we make the Christ connection.

[Beth]

Yes. I'm super excited about this. Could you give us a quick recap of what we talked about yesterday? Sure.

[Alexa]

Yesterday, as we sat with Colossians 1, 15, 17, we discussed how Jesus was there at creation. In fact, it was through him that all of creation was made. For in Jesus, we find the very image, nature, and imprint of God himself. Yeah.

[Beth]

Which is just so, so fascinating. And so what we're saying is that Jesus is God. What would you say to someone who might respond by saying, wait, I thought Jesus was human?

[Alexa]

That is such a good question. And it hits at one of the most important tenets of the Christian faith. Jesus is fully and completely God, as we said, but he is also fully and completely human. Ancient church teachers called this the hypostatic union, which is just a fancy way of saying that Jesus has two natures, one human and one divine, and that they are both perfectly united in his person. So when we talk about Jesus being God and having all of God's attributes, this is not intended to diminish his human nature at all.

[Beth]

Yeah, that's super helpful. So why is all of this about Jesus's nature important?

[Alexa]

Yeah, it's important for many reasons, but two particular ones stand out. First, he needs to be fully human and fully divine in order for salvation to work. So in order for him to die for the sins of humanity, he has to have a human nature. But in order for him to be able to save us and to resurrect in the way that he did, he has to have a divine nature. And then he also needs to be fully God in order for him to be deserving of our worship. And Scripture tells us that both of these things are true. And so this mystery is just that. It's a mystery, but it's really, really important to the Christian faith.

[Beth]

Yeah, it's absolutely foundational to the Christian faith. You know, the truths of Christ's nature are something that we have to affirm as followers of Christ. And so I felt like you were getting into this a bit just now, but what does the hypostatic union or Jesus being fully man and fully God have to do with us?

[Alexa]

Yeah, that's such a great question. It actually helps us understand specifically how it is that we relate to Jesus. First, it shows us that we relate to him as our Creator and our Lord. So not only is Jesus the one who died for our sins and saved us, he's also the one who created us. He is deserving of our worship because he is our Creator, he's our Lord, but also it helps us understand how we relate to him as our Savior. Like we were saying, he is our Savior, he did die for our sins, and he's our sympathetic Redeemer, which is just a way of saying that, like, he was able to take on our sins the way that he did because he is fully human. Hebrews tells us that he was tempted in every way, just as we are. He just didn't sin. And so knowing that he had the same experiences, the same humanity, the same physical bodies that we have helps us to know that he is sympathetic to us in his act of dying for our sins. And so all of this ties back to what we saw on Wednesday when we read Psalm 8, that God is our great Creator. He's infinite and all powerful, yet he cared so deeply for us that he actually became one of us in the person of Jesus Christ. And so because of that, he could die for us and he could have a relationship with us.

[Beth]

Yeah, I love that we're able to see Jesus as our Savior, Redeemer, and Creator, which shows just how powerful and also loving he is. Well, that's all that we have for you today. Be sure to join us tomorrow as we talk about how to apply what we learned this week.

[Alexa]

Goodbye, everyone.

[Beth]

Thank you for listening to today's episode of A Year in the Bible with Daily Grace. Be sure to check out our show notes for some helpful links and resources related to today's episode. And make sure you're following aalygrace Podcast and hedaily Grace Co on Instagram for more Bible study resources and encouragement. We're looking forward to studying God's Word with you again tomorrow. Bye, friends.