The Savior – The Person of Jesus Christ

The Humanity of Christ   

 

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. NASB

 

The Humanity of Christ – What Does the Bible Say?

Most people agree that Jesus was a man. This is one of the most widely embraced facts in all of history. Hardly anyone would question this because the historical evidence is overwhelming. However the theological implications regarding Jesus humanity have been questioned and scrutinized for centuries. It is important for us to understand how the Scripture reveals the Humanity of Christ so that we can have a biblical and therefore accurate view of who Jesus Christ is. In this consideration it is important to understand that even though Jesus was God incarnate as we have seen, He was also born of a woman and was fully man. The Scripture makes this very plain.

Luke 2:7 – And she gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. NASB

Galatians 4:4 – 4 But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, NASB

Jesus was seen and known as a man by those around Him and He is spoken of in the Scripture as a man. This is a very obvious fact. In Matthew the folks from His own hometown speak of Him as the man everyone knows.

Matthew 13:54-57 – 54 And coming to His home town He began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they became astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom, and these miraculous powers? 55 “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 “And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” NASB

Because Jesus was a man, He had a normal human body just like all men. He was born as a baby, grew up with a normal childhood and matured as a man. Jesus had the regular human weaknesses that accompany all human beings just like us. He is spoken of in Scripture as being thirsty, becoming tired and sleeping and also became hungry. In fact, after being beaten and crucified, He died just like all other people.

John 4:6 – and Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. NASB

Matthew 4:2 – 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. NASB

John 19:28 – 28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I am thirsty.” NASB

Luke 23:46 – 46 And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit.” And having said this, He breathed His last. NASB

Along with His normal body, He had a normal mind and emotions which are seen in many places in Scripture. He faced the whole range of human emotions just as we have. This is also clear in Scripture.

Hebrews 2:17 – 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. NASB

 

Tempted yet Sinless

In fact, even though Jesus possessed a fully divine nature, the Scripture affirms that he was tempted “in all things as we are” and yet was “without sin.”

Hebrews 4:15 – 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. NASB

Matthew 4:1-4 – Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'”  NASB

Hebrews 2:18 – 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. NASB

But how can this be? If Jesus had a divine nature and was fully God, does not the Scripture affirm that God cannot be tempted by evil. Indeed it does….

James 1:13 – 13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. NASB

There has been much debate over this question through the ages, but the dilemma is not unclear in Scripture. It is clear that in His divine nature, Jesus could not be tempted, therefore we must conclude that He was in fact tempted in His human nature. It must be very much like the temptation of Adam, as Adam had not sinned prior to the fall, yet when tempted he fell. Jesus unlike Adam, did not fail in His temptation, but triumphed over the works of the devil, remaining steadfast in His obedience to God, and was “yet without sin.” Scripture plainly declares that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life.

1 Peter 2:21-22 – 21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, 22 who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; NASB

1 John 3:5 – 5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. NASB

In fact this is a very important part of our salvation in the fact that Jesus possessed for us what we call “representative obedience” before God as our substitute. Thus Jesus is able then to impart to us through “imputation” His perfect righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NASB

Romans 5:18-19 – 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. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. NASB

Because Jesus was sinless, He was therefore able to offer Himself as a “substitute sacrifice” on our behalf, because He did not need to die for His own sins. Therefore when He offered Himself for us, He was able to atone for all sin, including all the sins of all the people.

Hebrews 7:26-27 – 26 For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens; 27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins, and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. NASB

So then Jesus has become for us a High Priest who is able to “sympathize with our weakness,” having experienced our humanity and the sufferings and weaknesses that accompany our daily lives. He is the perfect “mediator between God and man,” being fully human and fully God.

Hebrews 4:15 – 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. NASB

1 Timothy 2:5 – 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ

Jesus, NASB

 

Jesus our Example

More than this, He has also become for us an “example of obedience to God” in all of life. He came and faithfully revealed God to us in a way that makes it crystal clear to us what God is like, and how God would desire for us to respond to the daily circumstances that we face in life. In Jesus example we learn to live and to love in the way God intended for us from the beginning.

John 13:15 – 15 “For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you. NASB

Ephesians 5:1-2 – Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. NASB

 

 

 

The Savior – The Person of Jesus Christ

The Deity of Christ   

 

Hebrews 1:3

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins,

He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; NASB

 

The Deity of Christ – What Does the Bible Say?

It is no surprise to one who has read the New Testament that Jesus is affirmed in Scripture as God Himself. Indeed anyone who embraces the “Trinity” (that God is One being expressed in three persons), would affirm this teaching. Jesus is God the Son, the second member of the Godhead, with all of the divine attributes of God. This is explicitly taught in Colossians 2:9.

Colossians 2:9 – 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, NASB

In seeking then a biblical understanding of Jesus, let us consider that Jesus is not just a man, but is indeed the God-man. As we have stated already, He is “fully man and fully God.” The Bible teaches that He is God in the flesh and makes emphatic and explicit statements about Christ’s Deity, using the term “theos” (God) to speak of Him.

John 1:1-2 – 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. NASB

Titus 2:13 – 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus; NASB

Romans 9:5 – 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen. NASB

John 20:28 – 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” NASB

Hebrews 1:8 – But of the Son He says, “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever,

And the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. NASB

2 Peter 1:1 – Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: NASB

At times when referring to Jesus, the Bible uses names of God to refer to Christ. An example of this in the Old Testament is in Isaiah 9 where the coming Christ child is spoken of as the “Mighty God” and “Eternal Father.” See also Isaiah 40:3, Micah 5:2.

Isaiah 9:6 – For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. NASB

We might also note here that in John 12:41, John speaks of Isaiah’s vision of God in chapter 6 as a vision of the exalted Christ upon His throne in Heavenly glory.

Isaiah 6:1-3 – In the year of King, Uzziah’s death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” NASB

In many places, the term “Lord” is used to refer to Jesus. This term Lord is known in the Old Testament as the very title of God Himself, a translation of the word “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.”  In Greek the term is “kyrios” and can be used of a polite greeting or as the title denoting authority. But in these passages speaking of Jesus, the term implies the very title of God.  

            Luke 2:11 – 11 for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the

Lord. NASB   

Matthew 22:41-46 – 41 Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, 42 saying, “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” 43 He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, 44 ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Thine enemies beneath Thy feet”‘? 45 “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”  46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question. NASB

1 Corinthians 12:3 – 3 Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. NASB

Revelation 19:16 – 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” NASB

There are also clear passages in the New Testament speaking of Jesus Christ as the very image of God, that is, the physical, visible image of God in human flesh.  

            Colossians 1:15 – 15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. NASB

2 Corinthians 4:4 – 4 in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. NASB

Or consider statements in Hebrews chapter one where He is referred to as the “exact representation of God’s nature,” and also the very radiance of the glory of God. In these passages Jesus Christ is also seen as the One who created the heavens and the earth and is sustaining the universe by His own power.

Hebrews 1:3 – 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; NASB

Hebrews 1:10-11 – 10 And, “Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Thy hands; 11 They will perish, but Thou remainest; And they all will become old as a garment, NASB

The New Testament in many places makes explicit statements about the fact that Jesus is the “One through whom the world was made,” describing Him as the very Creator of all things.

Hebrews 1:2 – 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. NASB

Hebrews 2:10 – 10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. NASB

1 Corinthians 8:6 – 6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him. NASB

These texts which speak of Jesus as Creator, also describe the extent of His creation being universal. His work of creation includes “everything that has come into being.”

John 1:1-3 – 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. NASB

Colossians 1:16 – 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities —  all things have been created by Him and for Him. NASB

Jesus Himself made many claims to deity. When He claims to be the “son of Man”, He describes Himself as the fulfillment of the Messianic Prophecy of Daniel chapter 7:13-14. In the vision this Messiah, is given the highest place of dominion and authority, and comes “on the clouds of Heaven.” Jesus claims this unique distinction Himself when testifying before the High Priest…

Matthew 26:64 – 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” NASB

This coupled with the many verses of Scripture which ascribe the highest authority to Christ, demonstrate His Deity.

Matthew 28:18 – 18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. NASB

Revelation 19:13-16 – 13 And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” NASB

There are many Scriptures not mentioned here which clearly describe Jesus as Divine. One more example would be in Philippians chapter 2 where He is described as “existing in the form of God,” and then spoken of as holding the place of Highest authority.

Philippians 2:5-11 – in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, …… 9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. NASB

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Savior – The Person of Jesus Christ

The Pre-Existence of Christ  

 

John 6:38

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will,

but the will of Him who sent Me. NASB

 

The Pre-Existence of Christ – What Does the Bible Say?

The fact that Jesus the Son of God existed before His incarnation upon the earth is a fact clearly taught in the Bible. Because Jesus is God, He has always existed and there never was a time when He had a beginning of days. He was God and with God in the beginning.

John 1:1-3 – 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. NASB

He therefore existed as God the Son eternally in Heavenly glory before He came to earth. He was always rejoicing in the perfection of His own nature, with the Father and the Spirit for all eternity. He speaks of this “glory” He had before the world began.

John 17:5 – 5 “And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. NASB

2 Corinthians 8:9-10 – 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. NASB

Jesus Christ existed before all created things and this fact is repeated in Scripture several times.

Colossians 1:17 – 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. NASB

Even the Old Testament speaks of Him existing from eternity.

Micah 5:2 – 2 “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” NASB

Jesus claimed to have existed before Abraham, who lived in 2100 B.C.

John 8:58 – 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” NASB

Jesus also claims to have come down from Heaven. That is before He walked the earth, He was in Heaven with God.

John 3:13, 31 – 13 “And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man…31 “He who comes from above is above all, he who is of the earth is from the earth and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all NASB

John 6:38 – 38 “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. NASB

John 6:62 – 62 “What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before? NASB

This is also affirmed by the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 15:47 – 47 The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second man is from heaven. NASB

When the Bible speaks about Jesus, it says He “came forth from God” and “was sent” by God the Father to us. That is, He was with God in the beginning, and left Heaven to come down to earth and live and walk among us.

Matthew 10:40 – 40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent

Me. NASB

John 8:42 – 42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. NASB

John 13:3 – 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God, and was going back to God, NASB

John 16:28 – 28 “I came forth from the Father, and have come into the world; I am leaving the world again, and going to the Father.” NASB

All of this happened by God’s plan, at the perfect moment in history, in the “fullness of time,” so that God’s plan could be fulfilled and we could be redeemed.

Galatians 4:4 – 4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, NASB

In this doctrine of the Pre-Existence of Christ we clearly see that Jesus is not like us. He is indeed the Lord of Eternity from outside of time and space. There is no one like Him indeed!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This teaching is a part of a 9 month series called “The Savior, The Cross, and The Gospel” ….

 

See the Outline here….. http://www.abqhcf.com/lessons/2007/handouts/dz/The_Savior_The_Cross_and_The_Gospel_Brochure.pdf

 

This teaching can be heard on audio here:

 

http://www.abqhcf.com/sermons/2007/discovery/10-21-2007_SundaySchool.mp3

 

 

 

If you would like to know how to know Jesus Christ and be ransomed from your sins and receive eternal life…..click here

 

http://www.gty.org/Resources/Articles/2425

 

 

If you have comments or questions, please do respond to shaan@heavenslight.org