The humanity of Jesus is evident in his physical body, mind, and emotions. Scripture describes him as being thoroughly human, and the perspective of those who encountered or spent time with him throughout his entire life further adds to the case.
The physical body of Jesus can be examined in his birth, development, and daily life. Jesus was born into this world as every other human is (Luke 2:6-7). The innkeeper saw a pregnant Mary come to his stable. The shepherds saw an un-pregnant Mary with an infant (Luke 2:16). In fact, the sign the angel gave to them was a swaddled baby in a manger, not a human-appearing baby god (Luke 2:12). Eight days after Jesus was born, Simeon held him and blessed him (Luke 2:28-32). When he was no more than two years old, the wise men also saw him and worshiped (Matt 3:11). In all of this, there are no accounts of a suspiciously divine aura around the baby, regardless of such depictions painted during the Renaissance. There is no reason to believe that those who saw and knew Jesus in his early years saw, in his physicality, anything but an ordinary baby –ten fingers, ten toes, messy diapers, snotty nose, and all.
The humanity of Jesus continued in the way he grew and developed like all humans. Luke acknowledges this in reference to the period of time from birth to age twelve, and again from age twelve to adulthood (Luke 2:40, 52). Sandwiched in between these two verses is the narrative of Christ teaching in the temple as a boy. Here is another account of the ordinary perspective people had of Jesus. His own parents are astonished at his teaching in the temple and they do not understand his reference to do his Father’s work (Luke 2:48-49). This dynamic seems inconsistent with the Doc.Etism view that Jesus was not really human. If he was only deity in the appearance of humanity, his parents would surely recognize a difference between him and their other children. With such a distinction in mind, especially in conjunction with the angelic prophecies made of him and his conception itself, surely doing his Father’s work by teaching in the temple would be no great shock. Instead, the very presence of Joseph and Mary’s surprise appears to argue the point that Christ was quite human.
Jesus’s entire earthly existence was marked by his humanity. After he fasted in the wilderness, he experienced the very fleshly insight of hunger (Matt 4:2). He was acquainted with the weariness of travel, evidenced by his rest by the well in Samaria (John 4:6). He also took naps and sought solitude to rest (Mark 4:38; Matt 14:22-23). In his last days, the limitation of his strength is displayed in his inability to carry his cross (Luke 23:26). And on the cross, Jesus was thirsty (John 19:28). Ultimately, Christ’s physical humanity was shown by his death (Luke 23:46). Blood and water are released when the soldier pierces his side (Luke 19:34).
Jesus had a human mind. Just as his body went through the normal stages of physical development, so also his mind went through the normal stages of cognitive development. Luke writes that he “increased in wisdom” (Luke 2:52). The author of Hebrews conveys Christ’s growth in obedience (Heb 5:8-9). The human limitation of his mind while on earth is further shown in his lack of knowledge about the day of his second coming (Mark 13:32). If he only appeared to be human, his divine omniscience would surely not be restricted.
The emotion of Jesus also displays his humanity. His heart is often described by his interactions with people. Jesus had many relationships –from acquaintance to intimate friend. He loved Lazarus and mourned his death (John 11:3, 35). He was also grieved by the heartache of those mourning for Lazarus (John 11:33). Christ’s beloved disciple and closest friend was John (John 13:23). And Jesus loved the rich young ruler in what is, presumably, the first time they meet (Mark 10:21). Similarly, he had compassion on the harassed, helpless, and hungry crowds he encountered as he traveled (Matt 9:36, 14:14, 15:32). Jesus was both grieved and angered by hard hearts in the synagogue (Mark 3:5). And he was indignant with the disciples when they rebuke the children (Mark 10:14). The faith of the centurion caused him to marvel, as well as the unbelief of his hometown (Luke 7:9; Mark 6:6). He declared his distress over his unaccomplished task of judgment (Luke 12:50). Jesus spoke truth for his joy and for the joy of others’ (John 15:11, 17:13). He was deeply troubled when prayed at Gethsemane before his death (Matt 27:37). But the author of Hebrews explains that the joy of the future fruits of his affliction help him endure the cross (Heb 12:2).
As previously discussed in Jesus’s birth and development, those who knew him did not recognize anything extraordinary about his human life. Later in his life his neighbors joined the club. Though his ministry in Galilee included great healing and popularity, the community of Nazareth did not accept him. Rather, the Evangelist writes of their rapid-fire inquiry, which speaks volumes of their perception of his ordinariness. They marveled at his wisdom and works. Their brains could not move past his modest woodworking background. They knew his earthly, human mother. They knew his earthly, human brothers and sisters. All they knew about his first thirty years plus all they saw in his adult ministry did not add up. John writes that his brothers did not even recognize his deity during his life and ministry (John 7:5).
In addition to the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s humanity, the later epistles also attest to this doctrine. Paul tells Timothy that Jesus was manifested in the flesh (1 Tim 3:16). John speaks of Christ as the Word become flesh, dwelling among them (John 1:14). And he begins his first epistle by stating that Jesus Christ was heard, seen, and touched –all very human attributes (1 John 1:1). Later in the epistle he re-affirms Christ’s humanity but telling his readers the mark of the Spirit is the confession of Christ come in the flesh (1 John 4:2-3). All biblical accounts of Jesus’s life display that he was fully God and fully man. Indubitably.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
The Deity of Christ
The deity of God is evident in Jesus’s words about himself. He tells a crowd of Jews that he existed before Abraham (John 8:58). Not only that, but he used the exact terminology God gave of himself to Moses (Exod 3:14). The original hearers and readers would recognize this as a clear claim to deity. Later in the Gospel, John records Jesus proclaiming that he is one with the Father (John 10:30). So either Jesus is crazy, he is lying, or he really is who he says he is: God. Only one of those options allows him to remain “the supreme creature of the universe.” But that option contradicts the assumption that he is not divine.
Other biblical authors speak of the eternality of Christ, his pre-existence. John 1:1 distinguishes Jesus as the Word, in relationship with God and also God himself. Later in the chapter, the Evangelist writes of incarnation of the Word (John 1:14). In Paul’s Christological treatise at the beginning of his letter to the church at Colossae, he affirms Christ’s existence when the world was created and, beyond that, his agency in the creative process (Col 1:15-17). To the Philippians, he writes how Christ humbled himself by refusing to take advantage of his divinity and coming to the earth as a man (Phil 2:5-7). Pre-existence necessitates deity. So these two key apostles of the Early Church would both be flat deceived or deceitful if Jesus was not, in fact, God.
Additionally, John and the other Evangelists record Jesus in connection with the phrase “Son of God.” In Matthew, Jesus is accused before Caiaphas of making the claim to be the Son of God. His response does not explicitly affirm it, but the message is implied enough that the high priest is angered at his alleged blasphemy (Matt 26:63-65). When questioned by Mary after she and Joseph leave Jesus behind in Jerusalem, he tells them that he is doing his Father’s business (Luke 2:41-49). In Mark’s account of Christ’s baptism, a voice from heaven, presumably God’s, declares his pleasure of his beloved Son (Mark 1:9-11). In John’s Gospel, in one of the most oft-quoted verses of the Bible, Jesus is declared to be God’s only Son (John 3:16).
The term God, in and of itself, is also used of Jesus. In Paul’s discussion on God’s sovereign choice, he identifies the Israelites as the family of Christ, who he identifies as “God over all” (Rom 9:1-5). Paul also refers to Jesus as God in his letter to Titus as he discusses the hope of our Savior’s second coming (Titus 2:13). In Hebrews, God speaks of his Son as God with the words of a royal psalm (Heb 1:8). Peter distinguishes the readers of his second epistle as those found in the righteousness of “God and Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:1). Once again, these writers must be nuts or habitual liars if Christ is not God.
There are also biblical references to Jesus as Lord. Frequently in the New Testament, the authors quote Old Testament texts which use LORD, Yahweh, and apply those passages to Jesus. One example of this is Acts 2:36. In Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, he quotes from Joel 2:32, connecting Jesus as Savior with the prophet’s declaration that salvation is found in the name of the Lord (Acts 1:21). Later in the same sermon, he cites David in Psalms 110:1 then uses the verse to accuse his crowd of crucifying the “Lord and Christ.” Mark introduces John the Baptist with Isaiah 40:3, identifying him as the one who will prepare the way for the Lord, Jesus Christ (Mark 1:2-3). When Jesus shows Thomas his hands and side, the disciple cries out with an affirmation of Christ as both Lord and God (John 20:28).
Other passages in which Lord is used of Jesus, though not from an Old Testament quote, including Luke 2:11. Here the angel uses the term in his angelic birth announcement to the shepherds. Earlier in the birth narrative, Elizabeth is humbled to have Mary visit, declaring she is the mother of her Lord (Luke 1:43). The Pauline Epistles are saturated with references of Jesus as Lord. The Corinthians read it in his affirmation of Christ as the sustainer of all (1 Cor 8:6). In fact, the English Standard Version (ESV) translates Lord as Jesus fifteen times in the book of Romans and fifteen times in 1 Corinthians. The grand total for Paul’s letters, as translated by the ESV, is a whopping 90 uses. So Paul is clearly bonkers, and a woman and an angel must be added to the crazy liars list with him if Jesus is not truly the divine Lord.
Not only is Jesus spoken of as God, but his actions and attributes also commend him as such. He speaks of his omnipresence in his discourse on discipline and also the Great Commission (Matt 18:20, 28:20). Jesus’s ability to give the Great Commission in the first place comes from his universal authority (Matt 28:18). And, as previously mentioned, Paul describes his eternality in Colossians 1. Christ’s omniscience is seen in his knowledge of men’s thoughts, his betrayer’s identity, and his death (Matt 26:25, 34; Luke 6:8; 9:47; John 2:25; 4:18; 11:14; 16:30; 18:4; 21:17). Again, John and Paul write of Jesus as Creator and Sustainer of the world (John 1:3; Col 1:16, 17). Christ also takes the role as the Judge of man (Matt 25:31-32; John 5:22, 27; Acts 10:42; 17:31). He extends forgiveness of sins, an act the first-century Jews attributed to God alone, and offers eternal life (Mark 2:10; Luke 5:17-26; John 5:21, 10:28). The acceptance of worship and command to baptize in the name of Jesus are other acts reserved for deity (Matt 28:19; Acts 2:38; John 9:38). Either Jesus was God, or there are a great many biblical authors, writing at different places and times, who fabricated the same story about a mere man, who happens to be the supreme creature of the universe.
There are some who would offer certain Scriptural texts as contradictions to the deity of Christ (Mark 10:17-18, 13:32; John 14:28). However, a closer look at the individual contexts of these passages, and at the Bible as a whole, would reveal that these passages cannot legitimately be taken as incongruity. In the first, Christ is not contrasting himself with God at all, but challenging the ruler to consider if he realizes the full implications of his statement. The second text does not show Christ’s ignorance but his humanity. The final verse refers to either the Son’s eternal subjection to the Father or his humiliated, incarnate state before returning to the right hand of God; but neither option actually separates Father and Son by divine nature. Ultimately, Scripture leaves no room for doubt on the matter of Christ’s deity. To question it is to disregard the Bible altogether –Old Testament prophecies and New Testament fulfillment.
Other biblical authors speak of the eternality of Christ, his pre-existence. John 1:1 distinguishes Jesus as the Word, in relationship with God and also God himself. Later in the chapter, the Evangelist writes of incarnation of the Word (John 1:14). In Paul’s Christological treatise at the beginning of his letter to the church at Colossae, he affirms Christ’s existence when the world was created and, beyond that, his agency in the creative process (Col 1:15-17). To the Philippians, he writes how Christ humbled himself by refusing to take advantage of his divinity and coming to the earth as a man (Phil 2:5-7). Pre-existence necessitates deity. So these two key apostles of the Early Church would both be flat deceived or deceitful if Jesus was not, in fact, God.
Additionally, John and the other Evangelists record Jesus in connection with the phrase “Son of God.” In Matthew, Jesus is accused before Caiaphas of making the claim to be the Son of God. His response does not explicitly affirm it, but the message is implied enough that the high priest is angered at his alleged blasphemy (Matt 26:63-65). When questioned by Mary after she and Joseph leave Jesus behind in Jerusalem, he tells them that he is doing his Father’s business (Luke 2:41-49). In Mark’s account of Christ’s baptism, a voice from heaven, presumably God’s, declares his pleasure of his beloved Son (Mark 1:9-11). In John’s Gospel, in one of the most oft-quoted verses of the Bible, Jesus is declared to be God’s only Son (John 3:16).
The term God, in and of itself, is also used of Jesus. In Paul’s discussion on God’s sovereign choice, he identifies the Israelites as the family of Christ, who he identifies as “God over all” (Rom 9:1-5). Paul also refers to Jesus as God in his letter to Titus as he discusses the hope of our Savior’s second coming (Titus 2:13). In Hebrews, God speaks of his Son as God with the words of a royal psalm (Heb 1:8). Peter distinguishes the readers of his second epistle as those found in the righteousness of “God and Jesus Christ” (2 Pet 1:1). Once again, these writers must be nuts or habitual liars if Christ is not God.
There are also biblical references to Jesus as Lord. Frequently in the New Testament, the authors quote Old Testament texts which use LORD, Yahweh, and apply those passages to Jesus. One example of this is Acts 2:36. In Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, he quotes from Joel 2:32, connecting Jesus as Savior with the prophet’s declaration that salvation is found in the name of the Lord (Acts 1:21). Later in the same sermon, he cites David in Psalms 110:1 then uses the verse to accuse his crowd of crucifying the “Lord and Christ.” Mark introduces John the Baptist with Isaiah 40:3, identifying him as the one who will prepare the way for the Lord, Jesus Christ (Mark 1:2-3). When Jesus shows Thomas his hands and side, the disciple cries out with an affirmation of Christ as both Lord and God (John 20:28).
Other passages in which Lord is used of Jesus, though not from an Old Testament quote, including Luke 2:11. Here the angel uses the term in his angelic birth announcement to the shepherds. Earlier in the birth narrative, Elizabeth is humbled to have Mary visit, declaring she is the mother of her Lord (Luke 1:43). The Pauline Epistles are saturated with references of Jesus as Lord. The Corinthians read it in his affirmation of Christ as the sustainer of all (1 Cor 8:6). In fact, the English Standard Version (ESV) translates Lord as Jesus fifteen times in the book of Romans and fifteen times in 1 Corinthians. The grand total for Paul’s letters, as translated by the ESV, is a whopping 90 uses. So Paul is clearly bonkers, and a woman and an angel must be added to the crazy liars list with him if Jesus is not truly the divine Lord.
Not only is Jesus spoken of as God, but his actions and attributes also commend him as such. He speaks of his omnipresence in his discourse on discipline and also the Great Commission (Matt 18:20, 28:20). Jesus’s ability to give the Great Commission in the first place comes from his universal authority (Matt 28:18). And, as previously mentioned, Paul describes his eternality in Colossians 1. Christ’s omniscience is seen in his knowledge of men’s thoughts, his betrayer’s identity, and his death (Matt 26:25, 34; Luke 6:8; 9:47; John 2:25; 4:18; 11:14; 16:30; 18:4; 21:17). Again, John and Paul write of Jesus as Creator and Sustainer of the world (John 1:3; Col 1:16, 17). Christ also takes the role as the Judge of man (Matt 25:31-32; John 5:22, 27; Acts 10:42; 17:31). He extends forgiveness of sins, an act the first-century Jews attributed to God alone, and offers eternal life (Mark 2:10; Luke 5:17-26; John 5:21, 10:28). The acceptance of worship and command to baptize in the name of Jesus are other acts reserved for deity (Matt 28:19; Acts 2:38; John 9:38). Either Jesus was God, or there are a great many biblical authors, writing at different places and times, who fabricated the same story about a mere man, who happens to be the supreme creature of the universe.
There are some who would offer certain Scriptural texts as contradictions to the deity of Christ (Mark 10:17-18, 13:32; John 14:28). However, a closer look at the individual contexts of these passages, and at the Bible as a whole, would reveal that these passages cannot legitimately be taken as incongruity. In the first, Christ is not contrasting himself with God at all, but challenging the ruler to consider if he realizes the full implications of his statement. The second text does not show Christ’s ignorance but his humanity. The final verse refers to either the Son’s eternal subjection to the Father or his humiliated, incarnate state before returning to the right hand of God; but neither option actually separates Father and Son by divine nature. Ultimately, Scripture leaves no room for doubt on the matter of Christ’s deity. To question it is to disregard the Bible altogether –Old Testament prophecies and New Testament fulfillment.
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