Jesus - God and Man

Jesus – God and Man

            Throughout the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) Jesus’ humanity is assumed. He was born of a woman (Matthew 1:18), circumcised according to Jewish law (Luke 2:21), and He died (John 19:30). Philippians 2:7 states that Jesus “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men.” His own neighbors recognized Him during his ministry saying, “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary and his brethren James and Joseph, and Simon and Judas? (Matt 13:55) Jesus was a man, but we must not err regarding the nature and purpose of His humanity.

            Galatians 4:4 says, “But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” Christ’s incarnation was of a specific and eternal purpose brought about within time, within humanity, and without conflict to His own Divine nature. Jesus claims this nature Himself on eight separate occasions in the Gospel of John. For example, “Jesus said unto them, ‘Verily, verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) This was a clear parallel between God as revealed in the Old Testament, and The Christ, “for by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” (Col 1:16)

            Jesus is, as you assume, one person. Scripture says:  “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:3-4) Likewise, we understand that the eternal Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14) So then eternally God, Jesus became a man as we see the clear Biblical message of His two distinct natures. This reality is most plainly described in the Apostle Paul’s epistle to the Colossian Church; “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” (Col 2:9) This understanding cannot be determined through metaphysical reason yet just because a truth is hard to grasp, the validity cannot be rejected. Nature refers to “the inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing” or as defined by John Wolvoord “the real essence, the inward properties which underlie all outward manifestation.” (Towns 2008, 199)

            Why is this duality of nature so significant, because, there is enmity between the nature of God and the sinful nature of fallen humanity. Furthermore, God’s law was never intended to provide a path to God, but rather reveal our sinfulness. (Rom 3:20) “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.” (Romans 8:3) The person Jesus Christ exists with two natures, Divine and human, in one person without necessitating the amalgamation of the two natures in any way so that the enmity could be taken away, and peace could be procured between God and man.

            Jesus’ humanity is necessary for our salvation from sin’s proper consequence through God’s righteous punishment of sin. Jesus is a substitute “who His own self bore our sins in His body.” (1 Pet 2:24) He is the once for all blood sacrifice for the sins of those who receive Him, for “without shedding of blood there is no remission.” (Heb 9:22) Because of our personal violation of God’s law we are under the just wrath of a just God, yet by God’s grace through faith in His atoning work on the cross Jesus “is the propitiation for our sin.” (1 John 2:2) Likewise, Jesus has come to save us from the curse of the law of God. The Law is  a perfect representation of Gods expectations for the ideal man without sin, expressed from His nature. Yet to maintain righteousness a faultless fulfillment of such law over man must be fulfilled by a man, a necessity stated by Jesus Himself in Matthew 5:17. Without a means of salvation provided by God, mankind cannot be saved as was spoken by the prophet Jonah, “Salvation is of the Lord.” (Jon 2:9) Salvation is then through the God-man Jesus Christ, “having abolished in His flesh the enmity, [that is], the law of commandments [contained] in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man [from] the two, [thus] making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.” (Eph 2:15) Jesus reconciled the enmity through offering Himself, perfect harmony of human nature and the nature of God, the acceptable sacrifice for the sin of sinful man. (Towns 2008, 220)

            We must be careful not to overemphasize Christ’s human or divine nature as He is fully God and fully man, no less God than the Father and no less man than you or me, yet He is a perfect man. This is a profound mystery revealed. Use this simple guideline to judge some of the problematic beliefs in Christology. If Christ isn’t fully man he cannot represent us as a fulfillment of righteousness as our propitiation. (Matt 5:17, Col 1:15, Rom 3:25) If Christ isn’t fully God, he cannot forgive sins or bring salvation as only God can forgive sins and salvation is of the Lord. (Jon 2:9, Mark 2:7) Early church fathers spoke in a way as to combat erroneous thinking such as Ebionatism. (Elwell 2001, 241) Jesus was not simply a man who was anointed by God; He is God in flesh who came into the world as the anointed King and who will one day in person reign eternally. God, being immutable, cannot become non-divine, as He reveals, “I the Lord your God do not change.” (Mal 3:6) The Gnostic claim that God cannot dwell in corrupt flesh disregards the “very good” creation of God in the beginning prior to the curse, and further that “the Word became flesh” to deliver the creation. (Gen 1:31, John 1:14) Similarly Arianism made Christ to be of an immutable nature like the Father, but not of one nature or substance with the father. (Elwell 2001, 95) This was quickly rejected by the Church Council of Nicea because it makes Christ to be a sort of demigod. As Moses declared in the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD;” and furthermore Jesus Himself claimed unity with the Father. (Deut 6:4, John 10:30)

            In His humanity Christ became the all encompassing necessity for our salvation. He likewise became our example through His humility, dependence upon the Father and the Word of God, freedom to forgive his own debtors, and his determined love for those who showed him no love on the cross. The Creator certainly is a personal God, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin.” (Heb 4:15)

Bibliography

Towns, Elmer L. Theology For Today. 2nd ed. Pendleton, Or. (406 S. Main, Pendleton, Or.          97801): Cengage Learning, 2008.

Elwell, Walter A., ed. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker   Academic, 2001.