Jesus: God and Man Ps 8; Job 14:1-22; 1 Tim 2:1-7; John 1:1-18
Introduction https://youtu.be/7puu6UcKA_A
Since God has defined himself fully and finally in the humanity of Jesus[1]. I get very annoyed by prayer meetings[2] where there’s much “God”[3] talk and little Jesus’ talk., I see this lack as a sign[4] that, in practice, many Christians do not in their hearts[5] reverence Christ as fully human[6]. Whilst groups the Church has labelled heretics deny Jesus is as much God as the Father is God[7], many sincere Christians unintentionally degrade his humanity. It has taken me a very long time to be healed of this problem[8]. I clearly remember that during my first year at theological college, it took some time to come to terms with what a tutor said, “Jesus went to the toilet like we all do”[9]. The Bible and the Church[10] are clear that Jesus is one unique Person[11] with two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. There are many ways to establish this[12], but I will limit myself to a few. “Doubting Thomas” should be renamed “worshipping Thomas”, for when he sees the resurrected Jesus and his scars he confesses “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). One of my favourite scriptural passages is John 1 which announces that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1), “the Word became flesh” in Jesus (John 1:14) i.e., a weak human being like us[13], the conclusion is reached in John 1:18. Most translations read of Jesus, “who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” (John 1:18). I prefer the translation[14], “who exists at the very heart of the Father” (The Message)[15]. Since “heart” in biblical thinking is the very centre of a person[16], the humanity which Jesus took on is now located in the very centre of all things in God and comprehensively expounds all who God is[17]. Such a claim about Jesus seems contradicted by personal experiences and ho-hum everyday reality. What is it that human beings have become, and that God had to become to save us?
The Fall
Wars, like the present one in Ukraine, cause us to question human nature. At one level human nature is worse than we think, because people are more broken than we dare imagine, but on another level, humanity has been destined for unimaginable glory. Some of us went to Neil Rowley’s funeral on Friday. Towards the end of his life Neil was basically a walking skeleton, but when you talked and prayed with him something of the eternal glory of God[18] clearly shone through. Speaking of funerals, the Prayer Book service contained this testimony to the human condition: from Job, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble. 2 He comes out like a flower and withers; he flees like a shadow and does not stay.” (Job 14:1-2). The funeral I perhaps remember most taking was when a young man shot and killed a teenager in cold blood, someone he didn’t even know. Afterwards the attenders were all in total silence.[19] Such is the wickedness of fallen human nature (cf. Gen 6:5).
You do not have to be filled with the Holy Spirit to know there is something missing in human life, but you do need the help of the Spirit to understand, “what God has prepared for those who love him”” (1 Cor 2:9). This insight into future glory is what Adam and Eve lost in the Garden of Eden. Their Creator had clearly spelled out the consequences of disobeying his Word, which was death (Gen 2:17), but you need faith to embrace the future glory of the divine plan for us. Last week, I tried to explain that the transfiguration story pointed us forward to what we will become in Christ, so that by faith we know that, to quote Paul, “the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” (Rom 8:18). Paul had huge sufferings in following Christ (2 Cor 11:23-33), but he counted them as small things. Most of us however are crippled by the pains of life. I remember a devout Christian man in his 40’s coming to speak to me and breaking down in tears saying over and over, “I had such potential. I had such potential.” He was a brilliant young person whose life fell apart when he developed schizophrenia. Depression and addiction are everywhere because nothing in this world can compensate for our lost destiny. We all need a much bigger vision of what it means to be human. Christ alone is this vision[20].
Always to be Human?
Paul teaches about Jesus, “all things have been created through him and for him.” (Col 1:16), he testifies that the eternal plan of God was that a divine-human person might inherit everything[21], and share it with us because he came to share our “flesh and blood” (Heb 2:14)[22]. For those who are thinking this through, I am really teaching that God the Son was always destined to become a human being[23]. Human nature was ever meant to be a self-enclosed reality. We were created to share in the life of God.[24] In God’s gracious eternal plan[25] the Son of God was always going to become one of us, so that through him we might have the fullest possible revelation of who God is[26]. Since sin has entered the world Jesus came as the complete Redeemer of every aspect of fallen humanity[27].
Fully Human?
To save every dimension of our lost humanity Jesus needed to have a real human body, soul, mind, will, emotions and so on.[28]. All of our bodies are subject to ageing weakness and degeneration, our minds experience disorder, our wills are rebellious and so on. Jesus became totally human to heal every part of our humanity weak and broken through sin. Hebrews puts this beautifully, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (4:15-16).[29] Unhappy/disappointed/disillusioned with yourself? Come to Jesus.
Different Human
The one great difference between Jesus’ humanity and ours comes out most clearly in Paul’s famous hymn[30] to Christ in Philippians 2:5-11[31]. The apostle tells us that “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord[32], to the glory of God the Father.” Whereas Adam tried to exalt himself and become like God (Gen 3:5) by disobeying God (Gen 2:17), Jesus laid aside the glories of his eternal deity so that through suffering and death in obedience to the Father, his human nature might be exalted to the place of God. Only by suffering for our humanity in our humanity could Jesus heal and perfect our fallen nature. The devil’s grand design is to destroy the true image of God in us by luring us away from following Jesus’ way of humble suffering on the way to glory. Have you ever noticed that one of the interesting features of Jesus resurrection appearances[33] is that Christ appears with scars (John 20:20, 27). These “glorious scars”[34] of his suffering forever testify of the height, breadth, length and depth (Eph 3:18) of our salvation[35]. Jesus is the total concrete embodiment of God as love[36].
Eternally Human
If Jesus is God as well as human, does he still need in heaven to be human? The scriptures are clear that today he is, “the one mediator[37] between God and humans, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5), Every vision of Jesus, from the dying Stephen’s to the images in Revelation are of a real embodied human being. The body-life of Jesus is the medium of divine revelation. We must be careful not to diminish the scope of the Lord’s saving work. In one of his hymns[38], Isaac Watts proclaims, “Where He displays His healing power Death and the curse are known no more; In Him the tribes of Adam boast More blessings than their father lost.” In Christ we gain infinitely more than we lost in Adam[39]. Salvation is becoming by grace all that Jesus has became by nature in returning to the glory he had with the Father from before the foundation of the world (John 17:5). Salvation is vastly more wonderful than having your sins forgiven and getting to heaven. Salvation is becoming entirely like Jesus (1 John 3:2)[40].
Conclusion
The subject of Jesus as God and human is so vast and wonderful that any conclusion feels inadequate. The answer to the “Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything”, is not “42”[41]. The answer to the greatest philosophical question of all, “Why is there something and not nothing?”[42], isn’t simply because God created the world. Lots of people believe this and not all of them have eternal life[43]! On my study wall are various icons, poems, posters and paintings, most given me by previous students[44]. Without exception, they all focus on…JESUS, and especially the cross. Why is this? It is because from the time we turn to Christ the Holy Spirit enters our hearts (Rom 5:5; Gal 4:6) and his total passion and mission is to testify to us that Jesus, as God and human, is Lord of all things (1 Cor 12:3) and so to inspire us to share this great news with all those who have no idea who they are why they are here and where they are going (John 15:26-27). Whatever the proper question, Jesus is the answer. Everything in human existence sleeping waking time talents treasure mind will emotions relationships exists to bring glory to God in Christ. May this be our vision of life.
[1] The obvious corollary if this is, “there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12).
[2] Across the wider Church in this case, not in Anglican circles.
[3] Any “God” could be the point of reference, like Allah, or the deity the Jehovah’s Witnesses worship etc. our God has defined himself as “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 15:6; 2 Cor 1:3; Eph 1:3; 1 Pet 1:3).
[4] Since prayer is impossible for animals and irrelevant to angels, it is an essentially human enterprise. Prayer other than Christ-formed and Christ-centred is radically deficient.
[5] “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” (Matt 12:34).
[6] Or in the notable language of theologian Karl Barth, ‘Very God Very Man’.
[7] Something denied by heretics ancient (Arians of the 4th century) and modern (Jehovah’s Witnesses today).
[8] Once upon a time, for example, I would suspicious of a man weeping in prayer, but this can be very Christlike (Luke 19:41; John 11:35).
[9] This was no doubt due to maladaptive behaviours in my childhood and strange family attitudes. I will however spare the reader embarrassment.
[10] See especially the Nicene Creed.
[11] The Person of Jesus is that of the second Person of the Trinity. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-incarnation-and-two-natures-of-christ/
[12] Some years ago I had a public debate with Christadelphians about Jesus being God as well as the Father, http://cross-connect.net.au/father-the-only-god/, I primarily tries to demonstrate this by looking at how the New testament writers worshipped Jesus.
[13] Especially in John, “flesh” is weak and helpless in the things of God (1:13; 3:6; 6:63).
[14] Not primarily as the most accurate linguistically, but the most helpful spiritually. I also like the NIV version, “in closest relationship with the Father”.
[15] See also “is near/close to the Father’s heart” (NLT, NRSV)
[16] Divine or human, e.g. “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” (Prov 4:23)
[17] The word translated “made him known” is in fact the one from which we get our English “exegesis”.
[18] In which he now resides in Christ (John 14:1-4).
[19] Cf. “Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.” (Rom 3:19)
[20] Jesus isn’t just a teacher, or example or guru of religious experience, who he has become is what we will become if we trust in him (1 John 3:2).
[21] The entire created sphere of visible and invisible realities. This is clear, for example from Hebrews 1 about the angels being made for Jesus, and Revelation 5, where the Lamb is worthy of all things.
[22] Similarly, the resurrected Lord witnessed, “See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”” (Luke 24:39).
[23] Though the suffering nature of his/our humanity isn’t something that God ever designed.
[24] For example, “Adam, who was a type/pattern/prototype of the one who was to come.” (Rom 5:14). Sin did not establish the need of the Incarnation, but only its particular atoning form.
[25] This is clear in scripture, e.g., “his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,” (2 Tim 1:9)
[26] The power of God manifest in Christ cannot be limited to a response to evil.
[27] Which means he himself, without sin, took on a sinful human nature. As indicated by texts such as John 1:14; Rom 8:3; Heb 2:14-15; 4:15 etc.
[28] This is the 4th century Church Father Gregory of Nazianzus dictum: “the unassumed is the unhealed.”
[29] His picture of Jesus
[30] That it was a sung hymn is debatable https://claytonfaulkner.com/2018/05/14/hymns-in-the-new-testament-philippians-25-11/
[31] I have used the NIV, rather than the ESV, for its translation, “though he was in the form of God”, suggests that humiliation is an ungodlike thing! Which is the exact opposite of the truth.
[32] Which is a quote from Isa 4:23 about Yahweh.
[33] See also Rev 1:7, “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”.
[34] As in Charles Wesley’s, Lo he comes with clouds descending, “gaze we on those glorious scars”
[35] Gal 6:17. And my comments about Geoffrey Bingham last week.
[36] Theologically it would be correct to say he is the hypostatisation of the love of God.
[37] Jesus not only died in our place but has prayed in our place, worshipped in our place, believed in our place and so on.
[38] Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
[39] The End which God has always had in mind for humanity is limitlessly greater than the Beginning which was entered into, then lost, in Adam.
[40] The famous statement of the Church Father Athanasius (ca 298–373), “God became man that man might become God,” means that the purpose of the second person of the trinity becoming human was that we might become sharers of the divine nature (John 17:22; Eph 1:22-23; 4:13; Col 2:9-10; 2 Pet 1:4).
[41] As the comedy science fiction, The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, would have us believe.
[42] The most foundational philosophical question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” (Liebniz), cannot be adequately answered without reference to Jesus at the centre of it all (Col 1:16).
[43] Jews, Moslems etc.
[44] There’s even a set of rosary beads handed to me by a Catholic lady in the street. Of course they have a crucifix on one end.