The
Humanity of Christ By William Chalfant |
1
Timothy 2.5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus”. Jesus
Christ is both God and man. Moreover, He is both Lord and Christ,
Spirit and flesh (later divinised or glorified), and He is both Father
and Son. Through means of the incarnation, He did not make another
Person from Himself (either divine or human), but rather He manifested
Himself in the flesh, and became a partaker of flesh and blood,
becoming, through means of the incarnation, the firstborn among many
brethren (Romans 8.29). Jesus
is a unique individual. As a human being, He is the only-begotten Son
of God the Father (that is, the only virgin-born Son). God has many
“sons”: Adam is called “the son of God” (Luke 3.38). The
angels are called the “sons of God” (see Job
38.7 and Gen. 6.2, e.g.). But there is only one “only-begotten”
(Greek monogenes) Son of God. As
God, Jesus is God the Father. He is the only true God (“the blessed
and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only
hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach
unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power
everlasting. Amen”. -1 Timothy 6.15,16). As God, He is a Spirit
(John 4.24), and is Invisible (Colossians 1.15). As the Son of God, He
is the Image of the Invisible God (2 Cor. 4.4 and Heb. 1.3).
THE
DEITY OF CHRIST
There
are many scriptures identifying Jesus Christ as God. Just a few will
suffice to demonstrate His deity. In this study, we wish to emphasize
the genuine humanity of Christ. In
Matthew 1.23, the Son to be born of the virgin is to be called
“Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”. Jesus is
identified as “God” (El). This means He is the God of the Old
Testament (God the Father). There is only one “El”, who is God the
Father. Jesus identified Himself as God the Father in John 14.7-9. He
showed Philip and the other apostles that He was God the Father
manifest in the flesh. There can be no doubt about his claim to
divinity. While
the apostles did not at first receive the revelation of the mighty God
in Christ, it did begin to dawn upon them after His resurrection.
Thomas knelt before Him and said, “My Lord and my God” (John
20.28). There is no Jew who would ever acknowledge any other God than
God the Father (Jehovah God). Yet Philip acknowledged Jesus as “my
Lord and my God”. He recognized in Jesus that same Jehovah God that
he had always worshipped. The
apostle John wrote that the glorified Jesus said, “I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1.8).
Again, Jesus identifies Himself as God the Father (the Almighty God). And
the apostle Paul also identifies Jesus as God the Father. In Titus
2.13, Paul calls Jesus “the Great God and our Savior”. And in
Romans 9.5, He calls Christ, who “is over all, God blessed forever.
Amen”. Can you imagine Paul, a Pharisee of the Pharisees,
recognizing anyone other than Jehovah God as his God? There
can be little doubt that Paul considered Jesus to be both the Deity
that he (Paul) had always worshipped and the man who died on the Cross
(the Son of that Deity). Yet
there was a very carefully orchestrated effort by the apostles
(particularly Paul) to make a distinction between the Deity and the
humanity of Christ.
THE
USE OF PAUL’S SALUTATORY PASSAGES
Notice
how the apostle Paul continues to respect the humanity of Christ in
the following scriptures: Romans
1.3 “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the
seed of David according to the flesh; 1.4 And declared to be the Son
of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the
resurrection from the dead”. Paul
declares that Jesus was “made of the seed of David according to the
flesh”. Jesus is a “card-carrying member of the Adamic race”. He
is made of the “seed of David, according to the flesh”. The phrase
“according to the flesh” rules out any spiritualization of the
words “the seed of David”. Paul is talking about a biological
descent from David. Jesus
asked the Pharisees, “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They
say unto him, The son of David” (Matthew 22.41). Jesus did not deny
this biological descent, but stumped the Pharisees with the question,
“If David then call him, Lord, how is he his son?” (Matthew
22.45). Through the mystery of the incarnation, David’s Lord became
David’s Son. Paul
was careful, in Romans 1.4, to demonstrate that the resurrection did
not destroy the humanity of Christ. He said that Jesus was declared
“to be the Son of God with power...by the resurrection from the
dead”.
JESUS
DOES NOT DERIVE HIS DIVINITY FROM HIS SONSHIP
Jesus
is divine because He is God Almighty. The Sonship pertains to His
humanity. The title “Son of God” does not imply divinity. Neither
Adam nor the angels received “divinity” derived from God. The
unique divinity of God the Father cannot be passed on to anyone else.
Isaiah 42.8 states, “I am the LORD (YHWH): that is my name; and my
glory will I not give to another...”. The
incarnation did not transfer divinity to the Son of God, nor did Jesus
possess divinity, and exist as a
separate divine Person before the incarnation. Jesus has
always had divinity only as God the Father. That divinity was
incarnated in the flesh that we know as the Son of God. God Himself
was manifest in the flesh. In
1 Corinthians 1.3, Paul wrote, “Grace be unto you, and peace, from
God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ”. In this passage,
Paul is not putting forth two divine Persons, but rather he is
continuing to acknowledge the incarnation. In another place (2
Corinthians 5.19) Paul wrote that “God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto himself”. This concept of God (the Spirit) manifest
in the flesh (the Son) Paul keeps uppermost in the minds of believers.
Paul never attempts to make another divine Person out of Christ, but
rather he constantly reminds us of the incarnation, without which we
could not have salvation. There
is no way to God except through the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Jesus
said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me” (John 14.6). One cannot come to God except
through what God has done in the flesh for us as the Son of God. In
2 Corinthians 1.2 Paul wrote, “Grace be to you and peace from God
our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ”. By using this form of
salutation, he is not affirming that two divine Persons exist, but
rather he is upholding the incarnation, without which we could not be
saved. We cannot reach one divine Person through another divine
Person. There is only one divine Person. It is what He did for us in
the flesh that allows us to come to Him through Jesus Christ. Thus, we
dare not impeach the humanity of Christ, nor ever forget who He really
is. That
this explanation of the form of salutation used by Paul is correct, we
need only look at Galatians 1.1, “Paul, an apostle, (not of men,
neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised
him from the dead;)”. We
have here: (1) God the Father (the Spirit), and (2) the man Jesus, who
was raised from the dead. Notice that whenever Jesus Christ is listed
“alongside” of God the Father it is the humanity of Christ that is
intended. Of course, the man Jesus is the Word made flesh, and so we
see that God was not without His Word before the incarnation (just as
we human beings, created in His image, are not without our own word).
But the Word of God is not a separate divine Person from God the
Father.
THOSE
PASSAGES WHICH SPEAK OF THE WORLDS BEING CREATED BY JESUS CHRIST ARE
SPEAKING OF THE WORD BEFORE IT WAS MADE FLESH
Hebrews
1.2 is a good example: “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he
made the worlds”. When
we carefully examine this passage we see that the writer is speaking
first of the Word made flesh (that is, the man Jesus). He says,
“hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son”, obviously
speaking of the “days of his flesh”, when the man Jesus walked the
shores of Galilee and preached and taught. That is the Word made
flesh. Then
he says, “whom he hath appointed heir of all things”. Surely, this
is also speaking of the glorified Man Jesus, who is seated at the
right hand of the Majesty on high (vs. 3). Again, the writer of is
speaking of the humanity of the Son (remember, that God is in Christ,
but that God wishes to have fellowship with His creature man as “the
firstborn among many brethern”). But
the last clause of this scripture in Hebrews 1.2 is not speaking of
the Word made flesh , but is rather speaking of the Word spoken in
creation before the Word was made flesh. The
Son is the Word made flesh (John 1.14). The Word was made flesh at a
point in time (John 1.14). This last clause of Hebrews 1.2, however,
says of the Son, “by whom also he made the worlds”. We cannot
understand that in the sense of a second
divine Person being used as a “creative agent”, since
we are well aware of how God made the worlds by His Word. He spoke His
Word. In
Genesis 1.3 we see God actually speaking creation into existence:
“And God said, Let
there be light: and there was light”. We do not see any other divine
Person involved in this activity. It is God speaking the Word in
creative power. The
Word in creation is not related to a second divine Person, but is
rather compared in the scriptures to our own word (being, however,
much more majestic and creatively powerful): Psalms
33.6 states, “By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all
the host of them by the breath of his mouth”. Verse 9 adds, “For
he spake and it was done; he commanded and it stood fast”. Therefore,
in order to rightly divide the word of truth, we must understand that
Hebrews 1.2, when it speaks of the Son and says “by whom also he
made the worlds”, it is understood that it was not the Word made
flesh (Jesus Christ) by which God the Father made the
worlds, but rather by the spoken Word (not another divine Person) that
everything came into being. This
is also the proper scriptural understanding of Colossians 1.15,16,
which states: Who
is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
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 We
know that Paul is speaking of Jesus as the Son of God in Colossians
1.14, because he writes “we have redemption through his blood”.
But, in verse 15, he calls Jesus “the image of the invisible God”.
If this were just speaking of a second divine Person, Paul would not
use the phrase “the image of the invisible God”, since God is a
Spirit (John 4.24), and is indeed invisible. A “second divine
Person”, being in the Godhead, would be “invisible” also. The
image of God, however, is the man Christ Jesus-not some invisible
second divine Person. That
Paul is speaking of the humanity of Christ at this point is evident
when he says “the firstborn of every creature”. The resurrected
man Jesus is the firstborn of the New Creation, and thus the
“firstborn” of every (new) creature or the New Creation. Some try
to explain away the phrase “firstborn of every creature” by saying
that the man Jesus is the most “preeminent” of all creatures (in
His humanity). Certainly, He is that. But the word “firstborn” is
plain enough. We know that the Word was not made flesh before
creation, and we know that the man Jesus did not come into being until
Mary conceived in the womb. We also know that some second divine
Person was not somehow “born” in eternity. Thus, Paul in verse 14
and verse 15 is not speaking of some pre-existent second divine
Person, but rather of the man Christ Jesus. But
Jesus Christ is a unique individual. He is both God and man, Father
and Son, Spirit and glorified flesh, divine and human. In
Colossians 1.16, Paul declares, “For by him were all things
created”. Again, we remember that we must rightly divide the Word of
truth. God,
before the Word was ever made flesh, created all things by His Word,
speaking creation into existence. Moreover, the Word is not identified
as a separate divine Person from God the Father, but the Word is
identified as God the Father (“the Word was God”, John 1.1). At
the time of the creation, the Word was not yet made flesh. The Son of
God (the man Christ Jesus) did not yet exist. Jesus Christ existed as
God the Father, who created all things by His Word (“the breath of
His mouth”). Paul,
here in this passage in Colossians 1.15,16 (and context) is
identifying Jesus Christ both as Father and as Son. 2 John 1.9 states,
“He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father
and the Son”. In
Colossians 1.17, he speaks of Jesus as God, “And he is before all
things, and by him all things consist”. In Colossians 1.18, He
speaks of Jesus as God manifest in the flesh: “And he is the head of
the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the
dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence”. Verse 19
verifies that this is acknowledging the incarnation and the subsequent
glorification of the man Christ Jesus, “For it pleased the Father
that in him should all fullness dwell”. And we know that Paul added,
“For in him dwelleth (present tense) all the fullness of the Godhead
bodily” (Colossians 2.9). But,
can you see, that if we fail to acknowledge the humanity of Christ
(which is to the glory of God the Father) that we fail to properly
glorify God and we do not see the full purpose of the incarnation? We
also miss the beautiful fellowship that God desires for us to have
through Jesus Christ.
WHENEVER
THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST IS DE-EMPHASIZED THE RISK OF ACCEPTING TWO
DIVINE PERSONS LOOMS
God
is a unique solitary Individual. His personality cannot be duplicated.
He is the “high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity” (Isaiah
57.15). “To
whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One”
(Isaiah 40.25). This lets us know that there could not be another
divine Person who was equal to Him.
PHILIPPIANS
2 UNDERSTOOD WITHIN THE SPHERE OF THE INCARNATION
This
explains Philippians 2.6 and excludes the theory that the “equality
with God” could in any way refer to a second divine Person. The only
equality meant in this passage must be an “equality” brought about
by the unique situation of the incarnation. We
find that the only explanation of Philippians 2.6 in the scriptures is
seen in a statement made by the apostle John in John 5.18. John says
that the Jews sought to kill Jesus “because he not only had broken
the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself
equal with God” (italics mine). Thus,
we can see that Jesus, “being in the form of God, thought it not
robbery to be equal with God” (Philippians 2.6). The “equality
with God”, then, mentioned in Philippians 2.6, cannot be predicated
of a “second divine Person”, but must rather be restricted to the
unique incarnation. There is no other Individual who could ever be
“equal” with God other than God Himself manifest in the flesh. But
John tells us that this claim to “equality” with God was not
because that Jesus claimed to be God and a separate divine Person from
God, but rather because He said that God was His Father. We
can only properly understand Philippians 2.6 by looking at the
humanity of Christ. Philippians
2.5-11 is a passage emphasizing the incarnation: (1) Paul is
encouraging the Philippians to think as Jesus the man thought (“let
this mind be in you, which was also in Christ”, vs. 5); (2) vss.
6-11 refers to the days of His flesh and not to some pre-incarnate
state; (3) “the form of God”, morphe theou, refers to the
incarnation, since God as a pre-incarnate Spirit has no form or shape;
(4) “made himself of no reputation”, “took upon him the form of
a servant”, “was made in the likeness of men”, are all occasions
within the incarnational sphere; (5) “found in fashion as a man”
stands in apposition to “he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death”, and are again within the sphere of the incarnation
(that is, within the “days of His flesh”). Philippians
2.9 assures us that Paul is speaking of the man Jesus when he says
“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him”. This entire passage
is speaking of the humanity of Jesus Christ. While Jesus Christ is God
manifest in the flesh, this passage cannot be properly understood
unless the humanity of Christ is recognized here. God could never make
Himself of “no reputation”. His very power and glory signify His
eternal reputation. He could never lay aside His divine prerogatives
(since He always and forever remains God, seated on the throne). But
when He became incarnate as the Son of God (born of the virgin), then
(that is, after He assumed flesh and blood) He could “make
himself of no reputation”, then He could “take upon him the form
of a servant”, “having become in the likeness of men”, and
“having been found in fashion as a man”, he (the man Jesus)
“humbled himself, and became obedient unto death”. The
great pathos of this passage to us is that we know that it was God
that was manifest in the flesh. But we fall into a trinitarian trap
when we buy into the kenosis theory that one divine Person left
His divine prerogatives in Heaven and left the direction of Heaven to
two other divine Persons, and came down here to live as a lowly human
being. God
did, in the sense of the incarnation, enter into the lowly world of
the human family on earth. However, the passage in Philippians 2 is
not talking about what He left behind in Heaven, but rather this
passage is addressing what He gave up here on earth as the Son of God. As
the Son of God, He had a right (it was not robbery) to claim equality
with God the Father (He was indeed God manifest in the flesh). He
could have ruled as a king, and lived in a fine palace with many
servants. Instead, He made himself of no reputation (that took place
in this life), and took upon himself the form of a servant (the lowly
carpenter of Galilee and then the Rabbi, ministering to others). He
could have exalted His humanity here in this world. He had powers to
do just that. But, since He desired to have nothing better than the
human family and to become the perfect substitutionary sacrifice, He
humbled Himself here on this earth and “became obedient to death”
(the scourge of the human family), “even the death of the cross”
(a most humiliating and degrading death as a public criminal). That
all of this hinges upon the genuine humanity of Christ becomes clear
when we read the conclusion of Paul: “Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him” (Philippians 2.9). This lets us know that Paul is
speaking of Christ as a human being (all the while knowing, of course,
that He is God manifest in the flesh). But it is Christ’s humanity
that is “exalted”. It is the man Jesus that is “exalted”. A
second divine Person (who is supposedly God Himself also) could not be
exalted. Are we going to say that the first divine Person
“exalted” the second divine Person? Do you notice this leaves out
the so-called “third divine Person”? In
Philippians 2.11 Paul reminds us that this is all “to the glory of
God the Father”. What do we have, then, in this passage? Two divine
Persons? No, we rather have: (1) God the Father, and (2) the man
Christ Jesus, who is God the Father manifest in the flesh.
A
FRESH LOOK AT THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST
Jesus
Christ is both God and man. As God, Jesus is everything that God is.
He has the right to every title
that belongs to God, even the title “God the Father”. Isaiah 9.6
gives Jesus the title of “the everlasting Father”. This is very
disconcerting to those who wish to rob Jesus of the title “God the
Father”. They have attempted to tear the translation of
“everlasting Father” to pieces. Anything to keep from admitting
that Jesus is indeed God the Father. It
is wrong to deny Jesus’ full deity. It is wrong to deny that He is
the Almighty God (the Father). Peter said that there would be those
who would even “deny the Lord that bought them” by “damnable
heresies” (2 Peter 2.1). On
the other hand, it is incorrect to deny His genuine humanity. If Jesus
is not genuinely human, then He cannot be the proper sacrifice for our
sins. Conversely, if He is not God, then He cannot truly save us,
since He would not be the pre-eminent power over the universe and all
things.
HIS
HUMAN CREDENTIALS
God
promised that a prophesied seed of the woman would “bruise”
the head of the serpent (the enemy of mankind) (Gen. 3.15). It is the
“seed of the woman”-in other words a member of the human family. The
writer of Hebrews tells us that God “took on him the seed of
Abraham” (Hebrews 2.16). Thus we see the humanity of Christ: (1) the
seed of the woman; (2) the seed of Abraham, and (3) made of the seed
of David. Furthermore,
the writer of Hebrews states, “Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of
the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power
of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2.14). He therefore became a
“partaker” of “flesh and blood”. In
order to stand in for Adam as a sacrifice for all of the race of Adam,
He had to be a genuine descendant of Adam. He became the “last
Adam” (the Lord from heaven) (1 Corinthians 15.47). He identifies
Himself as a “man” (anthropos) in John 8.40. He also
reveals Himself as God in John 2.19 when He told the Jews, “Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”, speaking of His
ability to raise Himself from the dead. Two
genealogical “bloodlines” are given in the Gospels. In Matthew
1.1-16 we see His legal descent from David and Abraham. His right to
the throne of Israel is maintained through Solomon, the son of David,
by virtue of His being a legal son of Joseph. In
Luke 3.23-38, we see His mother’s “bloodline”, giving Jesus
descent from David through David’s son, Nathan. Thus, while Jesus
has a legal claim to the throne of Israel through His step-father
Joseph, He is descended also by blood descent from David through His
mother, Mary. Also, in this genealogy the descent of Jesus from Adam
(“the son of God”) is recorded. His
human credentials can scarcely be doubted.
THE
ATTACK ON JESUS’ HUMANITY OFTEN COMES BY THOSE TRYING TO SUPPORT HIS
DEITY
Jesus
is not “half-man and half-god”. He is not a “demi-god”. This
is one of the downsides of the using the term “the God-man”. It is
a “hybrid”. Jesus is not a “hybrid”. Jesus is not a mixture of
God and man. Jesus is fully God and genuinely human. He is unique. If
Jesus is genuinely human, then He has to possess: (1) a human spirit (pneuma),
(2) a human soul (psyche), and (3) a human body (soma).
We see in the scriptures that He indeed possessed all three of these. But
in Jesus, nevertheless, there is unique, mysterious marriage or union
(henosis) of divinity and humanity, without a mixing in or
denigration of His glorious divinity. His humanity is not compromised
by His divinity, and His divinity is not lessened by His humanity. In
Luke 23.46, as He died, the man Jesus said, “Father, into thy hands
I commend my spirit(pneuma): and having said thus, he gave up
the ghost”. This also is the typical description of a human death.
In Eccleisiastes 12.7 we read, “Then shall the dust return to the
earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it”. In
Mark 14.34 his soul is mentioned. He tells His disciples, “My soul (psyche)
is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch”. And
we know that He had a human body. Peter said, “Who his own self bare
our sins in his own body (soma) on the tree” (1 Peter 2.24). Furthermore,
Jesus had a human will (thelema). Jesus, in the Garden,
praying, says, “not my will (thelema), but thine, be done”.
He surrendered His human will to the divine will. It is fair to say,
however, that His human will belonged intimately to the divine will
since He was indeed God manifest in the flesh. It is fair to say that
the divine will overshadowed the human will, but it is not fair to say
that the human will was not free and independent in the fullest human
sense. This
is also related to His “sinlessness”. Some have questioned his
genuine humanity because of His “sinlessness”. Some have denied
His capability of sinning (in other words, questioning His human will,
His human spirit and human emotions, His flesh and blood body). The
fact is, Jesus lived a sinless life, never once yielding to any
temptation (Hebrews 4.15). To take away from God’s glory by implying
that God was not able to do this solely through His humanity (that is,
as a human being) is to infringe upon the idea of His genuine
humanity. The
writer of Hebrews lets us know, in no uncertain terms, that Jesus’
humanity was real and was not compromised by His divinity. He writes: “Who,
in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and
supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to
save him from death, and was heard in that he feared; Though he were a
Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; And
being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all
them that obey him” (Hebrews 5.7-9). Surely,
there is no one who can read this passage and say that Jesus was not a
genuine human being. The idea of our Lord offering up “prayers and
supplications with strong crying and tears” should be enough to let
us know that He was one of us. Moreover, while this passage is not
quoted much by those who wish to have an Apollinarian view of Christ
(in other words, they are uncomfortable with His genuine humanity
because they feel like that is an affront to His deity), it is a
blessing to those who acknowledge the terrible price that He paid on
Calvary when He died for our sins. The writer of Hebrews says that
“(He) was heard in that he feared”. He cried out in His humanity
and He heard in the depths of His deity. Deep calleth unto deep! There
are those who would say that Jesus did not have a “human” spirit,
but rather that His human spirit was actually the “Holy Spirit”.
But the Holy Spirit is God Himself. In
the incarnation, we are told that the man Jesus had been given the
Holy Spirit without “measure” (John 3.34). So we should not
confuse the Holy Spirit with the human spirit of Christ. As
God, Christ is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the Truth (John 14.6). The
Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 14.17). Therefore, the Holy
Spirit is the Spirit of Christ (Romans 8.9), but the Holy Spirit (God)
should not be mixed up with the human spirit of Christ. He did not
commend His Holy Spirit into the hands of the Father at His death!
That is confusing! We
know that the human body of Jesus was mortal and real. He increased in
stature and wisdom (Luke 2.52). We know that the scriptures teach that
He grew weary and suffered hunger and thirst as any other human being. He
also, in His humanity, was limited as to His own (as yet unglorified
humanity) self, since He did not know the day and the hour of His
future return to earth (Mark 13.32). He also declared Himself not able
to assign certain positions to His followers (Matthew 20.23). The
sphere of the incarnation held certain limitations which had been
imposed. We
know also that He suffered the aging process as a human being, since
the Jews in John 8.57 told Him, “Thou art not yet fifty years old,
and hast thou seen Abraham?”. We know that He was only in His early
thirties and yet He appeared much older to these observers, showing
the strain and stress of His work and ministry in this life. Yet he
had “meat to eat” that his disciples did not seem to understand
(John 4.32). And the angels “strengthened him” by ministering to
Him (Matthew 4.11).
SUMMARY
The
apostle Paul teaches us that we no longer are to know Christ “after
the flesh” (2 Corinthians 5.16). But we cannot forget His humanity
since by this He is linked to the human family as our Savior. Flesh
and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15.50).
However, the man Jesus was resurrected in power. He told the disciples
after His resurrection that He was not just a spirit, but rather He
had “flesh and bones” (Luke 24.39). With
His resurrected glorious body He was able to walk through doors that
were shut (John 20.19), and to change His visible form, as well as the
ability to vanish from their midst (Luke 24.16, 31). There
are some who teach that the body of Jesus was just a spirit after His
resurrection. But this does not seem to be the case. Paul
tells us that there are “terrestial bodies” and “celestial
bodies”. He says the human body is “sown a natural body; (and) it
is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a
spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15.40-44). Peter
tells us this about the resurrection of Christ: “Therefore
(David) being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn Notice
that Jesus is called “the fruit of his (David’s) loins, according
to the flesh”. His human credentials are not doubted by Peter. One
of the purposes of the resurrection, according to Peter, was to
“raise up Christ to sit on his (David’s) throne”. If
we think about this statement, we can see that Peter is continuing to
recognize the humanity (albeit glorified and changed) of Christ even
after the recognition. The throne of David is the throne of a man. We
know, of course, that this man is God Himself manifest in the flesh.
Nevertheless the humanity continues to play a role in His fellowship
with us. Furthermore,
Peter confirms to us the human soul (psyche) of Christ, when he
quotes from Psalms 16.10, “his (Christ’s) soul was not left in
hell, neither his flesh did see corruption” (Acts 2.31).
CHRIST
TO BE EXALTED
But
it is the humanity of Christ which is exalted by God the Father, as
Peter tells us: “Therefore
being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received John
the Baptist had revealed to the disciples that Jesus would be the One
who “baptizeth with the Holy Ghost” (John 1.33). But the question
in Acts 2.33 is: whom did God the Father “exalt” by His right
hand? (1) A second divine Person named Jesus?, or (2) A human being,
who happens to be God Himself manifest in the flesh? The obvious
answer is that we must continue to consider the incarnation. The
incarnation did not end with the resurrection of Christ. Peter
said, “For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith
himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until
I make thy foes thy footstool” (Acts 2.34,35). This
passage, from Psalms 110.1, is the same scripture that Jesus used to
stump the Pharisees (as we have seen). Since two divine Persons are
not meant, then we must assume that the glorified humanity of Christ
is indicated. After
His resurrection from the dead, the man Jesus told His disciples,
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matthew
28.18). The incarnation requires such a clarifying statement by the
Lord. We remember that the first Adam was given dominion, but that he
lost his authority through sin.
AUTHORITY
IS “DELEGATED” TO THE LAST ADAM (GOD MANIFEST IN THE FLESH)
Paul
is speaking about this rule of God manifest in the flesh (the rule of
the Son) in the famous passage of 1 Corinthians 15.24-28. He
makes the following points: (1) The glorified man (the Son of God, who
is actually God manifest in the flesh) will “deliver up” the
kingdom to God the Father (the Spirit); (2) The glorified man (the Son
of God, who is God manifest in the flesh) will reign, “till he hath
put all enemies under his feet” (vs. 25); (3) The last enemy that
shall be destroyed is death (this cannot be completed until the end of
the Millennium since we still find death in the Millennium period);
(4) Paul makes it clear that the Spirit (God the Father) is
“excepted” which “did put all things under him (the glorified
man Christ Jesus). This makes sense only if we reject the trinitarian
theory of three co-equal and co-eternal divine Persons. If we attempt
to hold that particular theory then there are many problems: for
example, if Paul means the “Father” is “excepted” (that is,
the Father is not put under the Son), then what about the so-called
“third divine Person” (the Holy Ghost)? He must not be
“excepted” (according to this theory), and we have the unpleasant
conclusion that the “third divine Person” is placed under the
authority of “the second divine Person”. The first divine Person
is “excepted”, but the third divine Person is not! This is utterly
ridiculous and illogical. God is not the author of confusion. But
if we understand that Paul is talking about the incarnation, and the
fact that the Spirit has put all things under the feet of the Son (God
manifest in the flesh), then it is perfectly clear why the Spirit is
“excepted”. Moreover, it is not one divine Person putting all
things under the feet of “another divine Person” at all. It is
simply the outworking of the good pleasure and the will of God through
the incarnation in His creation. We understand why He trusts the Son,
since He Himself is the Son (God manfiest in the flesh). Finally,
(5) “And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the
Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him,
that God may be all in all” (vs. 28). What the Spirit (God the
Father) began to do when He spoke the worlds into existence by His
Word (and later His Word was made flesh) will someday be completed so
that God “may be all in all”. The task of gathering together “in
one all things in Christ” during “the dispensation of the fullness
of times” (Ephesians 1.10) will someday be finished. Paul
touches upon this theme of the glorified Christ again in Ephesians
when he speaks of “the working of his mighty power”: “Which
he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at
his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality,
and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not
only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And
hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over
all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that
filleth all in all” (Eph. 1.20-23). Paul
is not speaking of a second divine Person, but rather of the glorified
Christ, who has been raised from the dead (as to His humanity), and
set at the right hand of God “in the heavenly places”. God
manifest in the flesh came out of the grave and ascended into the
heavens (Acts 1.9-11). Psalms 47.5 says, “God is gone up with a
shout, the LORD with the sound of a trumpet”. God manifest in the
flesh, that is. Therefore,
God continues to work through His glorious incarnation, even after the
resurrection. He is working today. 1
Timothy 2.5 states, “For there is one God, and the one mediator
between God and man, the man Christ Jesus”. And
Paul makes it clear that he continues to speak of the humanity of
Christ, because in the next verse he writes, “Who gave himself a
ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Timothy 2.6). The
apostle John wrote, “Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit
that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And
every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the
flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye
have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the
world” (1 John 4.2,3).
THERE
ARE A NUMBER OF STRONG REASONS WHY WE SHOULD UPHOLD THE GENUINE
HUMANITY OF CHRIST:
(1)
IF CHRIST WAS NOT GENUINELY HUMAN THEN THE SACRIFICE AT CALVARY WAS
NOT A TRUE SUBSTITUTE AND WE ARE STILL IN OUR SINS. HIS HUMANITY MUST
BE GENUINE. (2)
THE TRUE HUMANITY OF CHRIST ASSURES MANKIND THAT HE DESIRES FELLOWSHIP
WITH US.
HE IS THE FIRSTBORN AMONG MANY
BRETHREN. (3)
THE NEW TESTAMENT CLEARLY TEACHES THE GENUINE HUMANITY OF CHRIST AND
MAKES HIM A BIOLOGICAL DESCENDANT OF ADAM, ABRAHAM, AND DAVID. (4)
WHEN WE UPHOLD THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST WE CLEAR UP THE FALSE TEACHING
OF ANOTHER DIVINE PERSON BESIDES GOD THE FATHER AND WE CAN IDENTIFY
JESUS AS GOD HIMSELF MANIFEST IN THE FLESH. (5)
REALIZING THE GENUINE HUMANITY OF CHRIST MAKES US TO UNDERSTAND THE
PRAYERS OF JESUS AS A MAN, MAKES US BETTER TO APPRECIATE HIS SUFFERING
AND HIS TRAVAIL. (6)
GOD (THE SPIRIT) WAS IN CHRIST (THE MAN) RECONCILING THE WORLD UNTO HIMSELF
(2 CORINTHIANS 5.19). BY
UNDERSTANDING THE INCARNATION WE REALIZE THAT GOD IS NOT SPEAKING OF
TWO DIVINE PERSONS, BUT RATHER HE IS SPEAKING OF GOD MANIFEST IN THE
FLESH. CHRIST IS NOW GLORIFIED. PETER SAID, “GOD HATH MADE THAT SAME
JESUS, WHOM YE HAVE CRUCIFIED, BOTH LORD AND CHRIST” (ACTS 2.36). WHAT
A GLORIOUS TRUTH THIS IS! BOTH LORD AND CHRIST, BOTH GOD AND MAN, BOTH
SPIRIT AND FLESH (GLORIFIED), BOTH FATHER AND SON! JESUS IS ALL WE
NEED! WE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM (Colossians 2.9,10). -Bro. William Chalfant
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