The Founder And Perfecter
Boom Supersonic is an American company building the world’s fastest passenger aircraft. This is a picture of the prototype aircraft (first of its kind) they are currently testing. They are flying “test-flight” missions. The test pilot for these missions conducts flights to measure the aircraft’s limits, test its systems, analyze its design strengths and weaknesses and ensure it meets intended performance standards. Once it is determined to be totally safe, it will go into mass production, and current air travel will be cut almost in half.
Jesus Christ was our test pilot and He flew the prototype spiritual life. Hebrews 12:2 says that Jesus Christ is “the founder and perfecter of our faith.” He tested our faith, the Christian life, to the max. He faced temptations directly from Satan Himself, He lived a lowly life with few of the amenities we have, He had to deal with His disciples who often did not understand, He faced opposition from religious leaders who hated him and wanted nothing more than to kill him, He endured unfair treatment and persecution; He was subjected to trials and severe beatings even though He was innocent; and finally He went to the cross to bear the sins of the entire human race, a judgement He did not deserve.
In all that, Jesus Christ never used His deity to solve personal problems. In fact, He only used His deity when it was the plan of the Father to do so e.g. select miracles to demonstrate that He was God and that He was the Messiah. Philippians 2:6-8 tells us that Jesus Christ "emptied Himself", meaning He voluntarily limited the independent use of His deity, and He "humbled Himself" to the will of God the Father.
And in everything He faced, the problems, trouble, adversities, and troubles, He used the Word of God that was implanted in His soul as He learned it in His early life. In Luke 2:46-47, we find that Jesus Christ in the temple discussing the Scriptures with the Rabbis and it says “they were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” These men who had been studying the Scriptures their entire lives were astounded at what all Jesus Christ knew.
That was not Jesus’s deity speaking, that was His humanity. His humanity learned just like we learn. As God, He is omniscient; He knows everything. But as man He had to learn and He did. He learned from His parents and He learned from His own study of the Word under the ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 4:1-11 covers the three temptations by Satan directed at our Lord right at the start of His earthly ministry. And on every one of those, Jesus Christ answered Satan with Scripture. He said in every case, “It is written” and then quoted Old Testament Scripture. During His entire earthly ministry, He quoted Old Testament 78 times. He could not solve personal problems with His deity. He simply had to use the Scripture that He had already learned. He had to use the Scripture because there was another mission, another purpose the Father had for him.
By applying the Word of God in His soul, Jesus Christ was able to not to sin. He was able to not react to His enemies and all the unjust treatment He received. He was able to remain patient and loving with His disciples through all their ignorance and misunderstandings. And He was able to forgive His enemies. That was not His deity acting; that was His humanity.
How did He do that? The unique spiritual life, the spiritual life He pioneered and has now given to us. In far greater temptations, testing, and adversity, and in every situation, He used the spiritual life. If the spiritual life sustained Him in much worse adversity than we will ever face, then can it not sustain us as well?
You bet it can! Hebrews 4:12 says, “The Word of God is alive and powerful...” It is alive meaning it has application to every area of life. And it is powerful meaning there is no problem or difficulty that is too great for God’s Word. God’s Word has a solution for every problem in life. All we have to do is to learn it. And for that to work, we must learn it daily.