IV. ILLUSTRATION FOUR
A. Christ as the Son of Man Having Been Designated by God to Judge All the People of the World
Christ as the Son of Man has been designated by God to judge all the people of the world, the living and the dead—John 5:27-29; Acts 17:31; 10:42; 2 Tim. 4:1; Matt. 25:31. The judgment of Christ has been preached to the sinners as a cherishing to them that they might repent unto God and receive Christ as the Son of God to have His eternal life. The judgment in Revelation 14:6-7, as a part of the judgment of Christ, will be declared to all the people on the earth as the eternal gospel.
B. Christ as the Son of God Having the Authority to Give Eternal Life
Christ as the Son of God was given the authority by God to give the eternal life to His believers (John 5:19-26; 17:2-3)—nourishing. He was designated by God to be the Judge of all people for cherishing, and He was sent by God with authority to give eternal life to His believers for nourishing.
V. ILLUSTRATION FIVE
A. Christ as the Son of Man Not Condemning the Sinful Woman
Christ as the Son of Man would not condemn the sinful woman (John 8:11b)—cherishing. This sinful woman was accused by the scribes and Pharisees, but eventually they were condemned by Christ. None of them could condemn her and they all left. The Lord said to the woman, "Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." Then He said, "Neither do I condemn you" (vv. 10-11). This is cherishing. None of the scribes and Pharisees could say that he was without sin. The Son of Man is the unique One without sin, so He was the only one qualified to condemn the sinful woman, but He would not do it. He came not to condemn the lost but to save them.
B. Christ as the Son of God Freeing Her from Sin
Christ as the Son of God (the very "I Am") would free her from sin so that she could sin no more (John 8:11b, 24, 36)—nourishing. According to Exodus 3:14-15, the great "I Am" is the name of Jehovah. Jehovah means "I Am That I Am." The Lord told the Pharisees that if they would not believe in Him as the I Am, they would die in their sins (John 8:24). In other words, they would never be freed from their sins but would remain in their sins until they would die in them. The sinful woman, no doubt, believed in the Lord Jesus, taking Him as the very I Am, to be freed from her sins. In verse 36 the Lord said, "If therefore the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed." Only the Son of God in His divinity can enable us to sin no more. As the Son of Man, He will not condemn us but forgive us, and as the Son of God, He will free us from sinning.
VI. ILLUSTRATION SIX
A. God Sending His Son as a Propitiation for Our Sins
God sent His Son as a propitiation for our sins in His humanity (1 John 4:10)—cherishing. As the Son of Man, Christ came to be the sin offering to appease the situation between the sinners and God.
(The Vital Groups, Chapter 9, by Witness Lee)
