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l. Praying for Those Who Were Crucifying Him

In His crucifixion He prayed for those who were crucifying Him, that the Father would forgive them their sin of ignorance (Luke 23:34a).

m. Extending His Salvation to One of the Criminals

Even in His suffering and dying, He extended His salvation to one of the criminals who were crucified with Him (23:42-43).

n. Being Tempted but without Sin

Although Christ was tempted, He was without sin (Heb. 2:18; 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:22).

o. Doing Nothing from Himself

The Lord said that He did nothing from Himself (John 5:19, 30a; 8:28). This is because He considered Himself a buried person.

p. Not Speaking Any Word from Himself

The Lord did not speak His own words. He spoke the Father’s words (John 14:10a).

q. Not Seeking His Own Will but the Will of God

He did not seek His own will but the will of God (John 5:30b; 6:38). In Matthew 26:39 He said, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” Then in verse 42 He said, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.”

r. Being Obedient to God Even unto Death

Philippians 2:8 says that the Lord was obedient unto death, and that the death of a cross.

2. Having No Freedom to Live according to Himself

The Lord had no freedom to live according to Himself. He said to His brothers, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready” (John 7:6). In verse 8 the Lord said, “You go up to the feast; I am not going up to this feast, because My time has not yet been fulfilled.” The Lord lived on earth as a man, being limited even in the matter of time. This shows that before doing anything, we need to contact the Lord. We may pray, “Lord, I have a burden to go and see a certain brother. Is this the right time?” Often when I prayed in this way, the Lord told me that I should wait. I had a burden to help a brother, but the Lord would not allow me to do it then. We must learn the lesson of timing. We must learn not to act according to our preference.

Stanza 1 of Hymns, #501 says concerning Christ: “God infinite, in eternity, / Yet man in time, finite to be.” He was God in eternity without limitation, but He became a man on this earth limited by time and space. He was limited to the village of Nazareth in His living for about thirty years. Can we be limited in such a way? We may have the burden to visit many places, but the Lord may not want us to. We must learn the lesson to be limited.

3. Coordinating with the Father

Everything that the Lord Jesus did was in coordination with the Father who abode and worked in Him for the accomplishment of His economy. In John 14:10b the Lord said, “The words that I say to you I do not speak from Myself, but the Father who abides in Me does His works.” This was a coordination with the Father who lived and worked in Him.

4. Manifesting God to Express God’s Attributes
in His Human Virtues

He was on this earth living a life totally for the manifestation of God to express God’s attributes in His human virtues (1 Tim. 3:16a). When people saw His virtues, they saw God’s attributes, and that was a manifestation of God. We need to apply all of these points to our daily living in our contact with everyone.


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The God-man Living   pg 30