This is part of a series of kids talks I’m doing in the morning service at Banstead Community Church based on the New City Catechism.
Big Question #18 – Why must the Redeemer be truly human? [NCC Q23]
Powerpoint Pictures: Football Sticker Album; Ordinary Football Sticker; Shiny Football Sticker
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When I was younger I’d loved collecting football stickers. In fact, I’ve still got one of the albums filled with the stickers I collected. A World Cup ’90 sticker album which is now 30 years old.
Now when it comes to collecting stickers, there is something important you need to know, especially when it comes to swapping them with your friends, which is, that different stickers have different values.
An ordinary sticker is worth another ordinary sticker.
But a shiny sticker, though still a sticker, because of its shinyness is worth lots of ordinary stickers.
A shiny sticker can be swapped for lots of ordinary stickers.
As we come to look at another Big Question that helps is to understand what the Bible teaches, I want you to remember that a shiny sticker can be swapped for lots of regular stickers.
We’ve been thinking about how Jesus is the only Redeemer because He is two things.
He is One who is truly human. Jesus needed to be human in order to live the life we can never live and to die the death we deserve to die. That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin.
But He is also truly God.
He is God and man. He is like the shiny sticker.
Why? Why did Jesus also need to be truly God as well as truly human?
Let’s find out now as look at our next Big Question…
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Q: Why must the Redeemer be truly God?
Why was it so important that Jesus was God?
There are two big reasons why:
Firstly, in the Old Testament we are told that it is God alone who saves.
Those famous words that Jonah said when he was inside the big fish: “Salvation comes from the Lord” (Jonah 2:9)
Only God can save sinners. So if Jesus is the Saviour, He needs to be God.
But there’s another reason and that’s where our shiny sticker helps.
If Jesus was only a perfect human, He could die in the place of one other human. His value would be enough to save only one person, like an ordinary sticker is worth another ordinary sticker.
But because Jesus is truly God as well, He is like the shiny sticker, He is of such a value that because of His perfect life and death He can save not just one other human, but everyone who trusts in Him.
He can save you.
So, why must the Redeemer be truly God?
The answer.
A: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective.
And that’s what it was.
Let’s say the question and answer out loud together.
Why must the Redeemer be truly God? That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would one perfect and effective.
Children when you go out to Sunday School you’re going to learn a song that will help you to remember this.