“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
(Hebrews 13:8)
Christ is the fixed and unchanging center of the Christian faith—the same yesterday, today, and forever. And because He is constant, the truth concerning Him is also constant. We can rest in the fact that the gospel of grace does not rest on changing opinions or times, but on the unchanging Son of God.
The whole of Scripture tends toward His exaltation, and every true doctrine ultimately draws the believer to Him. Faith, repentance, holiness, obedience, and every other Christian truth must not be treated as isolated subjects detached from Christ. For they all lead to Him, depend on Him, and receive their proper place only when connected to His person and work.[1]
To preach Christ rightly begins with declaring that Jesus of Nazareth is the promised Messiah. The One who was crucified at Jerusalem is the Christ foretold in the Scriptures. The promises and prophecies concerning the Messiah meet in Him. This truth is foundational, because every other doctrine concerning His mediation and salvation depends upon His being the promised Son sent by God.
Christ must also be recognized and adored as both God and man. His two natures are essential to His role as Mediator. He had to be man because man had sinned and because death must be overcome through death. Yet He had to be God because no created being could satisfy divine justice or remove the curse of the law. It is in the union of these two natures in one person that we find the wonder of His mediatorial work.
The incarnation therefore displays a singular glory. God was manifest in the flesh. The eternal Son did not cease to be God when He became man, nor did His humanity diminish the perfection of His divine nature. He assumed human nature while remaining what He eternally was—a reality that belongs uniquely to the person of Christ.
Paul refers to the incarnation of Christ as “the mystery of godliness” (1 Timothy 3:16), and as such should produce worship, holiness, love, gratitude, and reformation of life in the believer. For the more we come to recognize this mystery, the more deeply we will love and obey Him.
The immutability of Christ gives stability to every aspect of our Christian faith. The Messiah who fulfilled the promises has not changed. The God-man who accomplished redemption has not changed. The Savior who was preached by the apostles remains the same forever. His person, truth, offices, righteousness, and saving sufficiency remain constant. The believer may therefore rest in One who is never altered by time, circumstance, opposition, or human instability.
Contemplations:
- Adoring You as the Unchanging Christ. Everything around me changes, but You do not. Generations pass, kingdoms rise and fall, doctrines are challenged, and men alter their opinions. Yet You remain what You eternally are. You are the same Christ whom the prophets foretold, whom the apostles preached, and whom Your people worship now. Your constancy gives rest to my soul because there is no uncertainty in You.
- Adoring You as the Promised Messiah. You are the Christ whom God promised. You came in the fullness of time and fulfilled what had been spoken concerning the Messiah. I adore You because the promises of God find their accomplishment in Your person. You are not one possible Savior among many, but the One appointed and revealed by God. My faith rests in the certainty that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that there is no need to look for another.
- Adoring You as God and Man. You are true God and true man in one person. I cannot comprehend the full mystery of this union, but I adore You for it. You became man because man had sinned, and You remained God because no creature could accomplish the work of redemption. You could obey in human nature, suffer in human nature, and yet give infinite worth to all that You did because You are the eternal Son. I worship You as Emmanuel, God with us, the Word made flesh, uniquely fitted to save.
- Adoring You as the Center of All Truth. Every true doctrine leads me back to You. Faith rests upon You, repentance turns me toward You, holiness is formed through union with You, and obedience finds its strength in You. I adore You because You are the Alpha and Omega, the great center toward which all Christian truth moves.
Prayer (Adoration):
Lord Jesus Christ, I adore You as the same yesterday, today, and forever. You do not change with time or circumstances but remain eternally constant in Your person, Your truth, Your offices, and Your saving power.
You are the promised Messiah, the One in whom the prophecies are fulfilled and the promises of God are established. You are the Christ, the Son of God, and there is no other Savior to be sought.
I adore You as true God and true man. You took on human nature without ceasing to be divine. You became what You were not while remaining what You eternally were. In this glorious union, You are perfectly fitted to be the Mediator between God and man.
I praise You because You stand at the center of all truth. Every doctrine of faith, repentance, holiness, obedience, and salvation finds its proper place in relation to You. You are the substance toward which the whole Scripture directs me.
Let every truth I learn lead me more fully to You, and let all my understanding end in greater admiration of Your glory.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Further Scripture References:
Heb. 1:12; 2 Cor. 1:19; Ps. 102:27; John 8:58
[1] Anthony Burgess, An Expository Comment, Doctrinal, Controversal, and Practical upon the Whole First Chapter to the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, (London: A.M. for Abel Roper .., 1661), 556-558.
