Stephen Jones — Christology
b1 — Creation’s Jubilee
Incarnation as Legal Necessity (Heb. 2)
Jones argues that the incarnation of Christ was not primarily a theological-speculative matter but a legal necessity: Christ had to partake of flesh and blood in order to obtain the lawful right of the kinsman-redeemer.
“Jesus came to earth to redeem His people (Luke 1:68). He did not come in the form of an angel, but was born a man, specifically of the seed of Abraham. He did this in order to have the lawful right of redemption. If He had come as an angel, the divine law would have ruled that He was only a FRIEND of sinners… In order to have the RIGHT of redemption for all mankind, He had to be born of flesh and blood.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 7
Jones cites Heb. 2:11-17 as the direct biblical basis:
“{Hebrews 2:14} Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; … {Hebrews 2:17} Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.” — Heb. 2:14-17, cited in Ch. 7
Jones’s conclusion:
“We conclude, then, that Jesus Christ was born of flesh and blood in order to have the lawful right of redemption of the whole world. He was likewise born specifically of the seed of Abraham in order to have the lawful right of redemption for the House of Israel.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 7
Interpretation: Jones locates the incarnation within the Jubilee law (Lev. 25): a near kinsman (go’el) has the legal right of redemption; a friend does not. Christ therefore had to be born as kinsman/brother — this is the legal rationale for the incarnation.
Christ as Kinsman-Redeemer (go’el / Jubilee Redeemer)
Jones develops at length how the Jubilee law of Lev. 25 defines Christ’s redemptive work:
“We know that the law is not only a moral document, but is also prophetic, because this is the law that Jesus performed perfectly. It was therefore prophesying that Jesus Christ, our Kinsman-Redeemer, would come to buy back everything that was sold when Adam sinned. The Scriptures cannot be broken. If the redeemer has the power to redeem, the law says he is commanded by the will of the Father in heaven to redeem what his brother has lost. We are His brethren. Therefore, the law demands that Jesus Christ redeem all that was lost in Adam.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 7
On the relationship to Jubilee law:
“No man could permanently lose his land inheritance through debt. At the Jubilee, the land would revert back to him, and any remaining debts were to be cancelled. Likewise, no man has the authority to sell himself permanently as a slave to sin… For this reason, at the Creation Jubilee, all men whom God has created will return to the original Owner of all things. This is the law, and no man can set it aside or violate the rights of God Almighty.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 7
On the redeemer’s right over a ‘foreign master’:
“A friend does not have the right of redemption; only a near kinsman does… But if a near kinsman decides to redeem the debtor, the master has no choice in the matter, for the kinsman has the right of redemption.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 7
Interpretation: For Jones, Christ’s redemption is not a voluntary gift but a legal obligation: as the nearest kinsman He is required to redeem. This gives the universal redemption its legal force — death has no choice.
Atonement through the Jubilee Principle (Christus Victor dimension)
Jones frames Christ’s victory over death in Jubilee terminology:
“The law of redemption was closely tied to the law of Jubilee… death does not hold the right of redemption and has no choice but to turn every captive loose at Jesus Christ’s demand.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 7
On Christ’s complete fulfilment of the redemption law:
“The only relevant question is whether or not Jesus Christ really did this or not. I believe He did, for the blood has never lost its power, nor did Jesus fail in any point of law to do all that the Father asked of Him. The law was fully satisfied.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 7
Second Adam — Imputation Doctrine (Rom. 5)
Jones develops the Second Adam motif through careful exegesis of Rom. 5:12:
“Paul says here that sin first entered the world through Adam’s sin. But what did ‘all men’ inherit from Adam? Was it Adam’s SIN that was passed down into all men? NO. It was death, the liability for Adam’s sin… In other words, man did not inherit a sin nature from Adam. He merely inherited the liability for Adam’s sin.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 9
On the parallel imputation of Christ:
“God in His sovereignty imputed his sin to our accounts, calling what is not as though it were (Rom. 4:17). This would be a gross injustice; in fact, it would be a false accusation on God’s part, except for the fact that Jesus came to impute His righteousness to our accounts as well. In so doing, He reversed entirely the effects of this ‘temporary injustice’.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 9
Jones cites Rom. 5:18:
“{Romans 5:18} So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.” — cited in Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 9
Jones’s conclusion:
“And this is why it is so important that ‘all men’ who died in Adam be saved in Christ.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 9
Interpretation: Jones’s Second Adam doctrine rests on imputation, not ontological nature-transmission. Christ imputes righteousness to ‘all men’ in parallel to Adam’s imputation of death — this carries the universal salvation vision.
Mortality, Not Sin-Nature, as Adam’s Legacy
Jones formulates a sharp thesis that diverges from the Augustinian doctrine of original sin:
“It is extremely important for us also to recognize that no man is born with a ‘sinful soul’ or a ‘sin nature.’ … He merely inherited the liability for Adam’s sin. The reason we are mortal is because we are liable for a sin that Adam committed.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 9
“We are not mortal because we sin. We sin because we are mortal.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 9
Interpretation: This distinction has direct Christological implications: Christ’s redemption need not eradicate an inherited sin-nature, but remove the imputation of Adam’s transgression and overcome mortality — which occurs in the resurrection.
Phased Parousia: Three Harvest Feasts
Jones describes the return of Christ as a phased process in three stages, corresponding to the three Israelite harvest feasts:
“From Moses to Christ was a Passover Age, reflecting the first level of anointing and empowerment… The day of Pentecost in Acts 2 began a Pentecostal Age with an enhanced level of the Holy Spirit’s power… But even Paul acknowledged three times that this was only an EARNEST of the Spirit, a downpayment of something better that was yet to come. He looked for a Tabernacles Age, in which the FULLNESS of the Spirit would be poured out, and the Kingdom of God would be established in the earth in its highest form and with its greatest power.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 1
“The key to understanding the Kingdom of God is to view it in its three stages of development, rather than pitting one view against another.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 1
On Christ as the true Passover Lamb, unrecognized at his first coming:
“They did not recognize the true Lamb of God when John pointed Him out to the people (John 1:29), nor did they see that He would have to die at Passover for the sin of the world.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 1
Interpretation: Jones’s parousia theology is phased: Christ has fulfilled the Passover stage (cross/resurrection), the Pentecost stage is ongoing, and the Tabernacles stage (definitive Kingdom manifestation) is still future. This is Jones’s characteristic ‘phased parousia’.
God as Ultimate Liable Party; Christ as Payer
In chapter 13 Jones argues that God made Himself liable for human sin, and Christ paid the penalty:
“Is God liable in any way for man’s sin? We immediately answer, YES. This is one reason why He made Himself liable for our sin through Jesus Christ, and then paid the penalty for sin.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 13
“God created His own goal: to create the universe, to allow man to fall into death and sin, and then to reconcile creation with justice and grace.” — Jones, Creation’s Jubilee, Ch. 13