(47) Conclusion

.

So what? I’m sure you knew that question had to be coming! How do we make all this practical? How should we be changed by these truths? First, we should have a change in our thinking that leads to a change in our approach to life and leads to worship.

The more I study and come to understand these glorious truths about the person of Jesus, the more I am convinced that I don’t even begin to understand. What I am saying is that even though I believe I understand the uniqueness of the person of Jesus far better than I ever have before, I am left feeling utterly ignorant. That’s right, ignorant. I am left bewildered, overwhelmed. Words fail me to express how humbled I feel before the glory of my Jesus. It leaves me with an intense awe and wonder. It leaves me with a heart of profound reverance. It leaves me broken before His glory. Tears stream from my eyes as I am convicted of the way I have allowed my view of the glories of Jesus to slip from my view.

I am convinced that my view of life, my life, and the world around me has been so distorted by my small view of Jesus. I am inspired to greater trust in Him who is so gloriously complex and amazing. I realize my most complex and confusing circumstances don’t even make Him break a sweat! He can handle it. I am spurred on to greater reliance on Him who is so incredibly unique rather than on myself, my thinking, my ideas, my solutions, my abilities. I am challenged to believe Him for strength, victory, and great accomplishments according to His glory and for His glory. I am challenged to stop thinking simple and small.

I am captivated by a passion to bow before Him and worship Him. In my heart I prostrate myself before His glory that I cannot begin to comprehend. I am filled with a passion to give my life to Him in complete surrender. Oh Jesus, may I be completely Yours for the honor and glory of your name!

How about you? Do you approach life with your mind and heart filled with a view of our glorious Jesus? I mean, is there a vision of God doing glorious things in and through your life? Or are you defeated, discouraged, just getting by? Isn’t your Jesus bigger than that? He is.

How do you approach life? Do you make your plans and decisions based on your thinking and knowledge, or are you passionate to see the plans your glorious Jesus has for you? Do you approach life with confidence, hope, expectation? How great is your Jesus? He is beyond comprehension!

The real Jesus is gloriously amazing and beyond comprehension. He wants to lead you to a life that is gloriously amazing, even beyond comprehension to the world around you. A life that springs from the life of the One who lives within you who is so amazing!

But there’s another incredibly profound truth for us to apply in all this. To really understand the “so what?” of these doctrines, we need to go back to one of our key passages, Philippians two. Paul did not talk about Jesus giving up the glories of Heaven just to teach a doctrinal truth. He taught it to bring about a change of thinking, attitude and action in his readers.

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NAU)

“Have this attitude” that Jesus had. What is that attitude? It is an attitude of humility, self-sacrifice, servant-hood. We need to look closely at this attitude.

It is an attitude of humility. Jesus rightfully had a position of great exaltation. He resided in a place of incredible wonder, majesty, beauty, and perfection. He continually received the adoration and worship of the angelic hosts. He was ministered to day and night. This was His rightful position. He deserved it. He was worthy of it. He gave it up.

Again I remind you, Jesus went from glory to grime. He went from worship to wagging fingers. He went from words of adoration to words of accusation. He went from perfection to imperfection. He went from comfort to conflict. He went from mansion to manger. He went from supreme to servant. These are not just poetic thoughts, this is truth!

Who am I? When I stand before such majesty it becomes all to clear. And I am indeed humbled. You know, we are so mixed up and so devoid of worship and passion for God just because we don’t get this one truth right. We are nothing, He is everything. I must remind you who we are apart from the infinite grace of God in Christ. We are vapor, dust, worms, grasshoppers. Feeling small? You should – apart from grace. Apart from God’s grace in Christ, we are dead, dumb, darkness, defiled, depraved. Felling lost? You should – apart from grace.

But God – those are the two most beautiful words I know of. I was nothing BUT GOD made me His child and showers His love and blessing upon me. I was dead BUT GOD made me alive.

Now, if Jesus could step down from glory to take the position of a servant, what’s stopping me from being a servant? Simple. Pride and selfishness. See the amazing difference? He had it all and deserved it all. I had nothing and deserved nothing and was given everything. He stepped down to serve. And I am proud and selfish. Who do we think we are? Be humbled before the glorious Jesus, up close and personal.

What happens when we have the attitude of humility? It leads to self-sacrifice and service. Are you willing to give up your desires for others? Are you a servant? Want to know if you have a pride problem? Answer the questions, “Is there anyone I won’t serve?” “Is there any task I won’t do?” Get to know Jesus up close and personal. Be Jesus to someone, up close and personal.


Next:  (48) Jesus: Old Testament Hope - Introduction

(45) Deity in Humanity

How could Jesus be omnipresent God, yet not be in more than one place at a time? How could Jesus be eternal God and yet clearly be limited by time? How could He be omniscient yet learn? Omnipotent but tired? Tempted yet untemptable. How could Jesus be sovereign God, yet be beaten & crucified?

You may have some answers for some of these. Some are easier to deal with than others. But stop and really think about these questions. They really are quite amazing in what they show us without our even answering them! What I mean is this: When we really think about these questions. When we recognize the truth of each of the realities addressed, we should at bare minimum be filled with awe and wonder over what we contemplate – the glorious Christ! While we will try to make a little sense out of these things, in the end, we will still be shaking our heads in bewilderment over thoughts that are truly too glorious to fully understand. But that's OK, just let the remaining bewilderment spur you on to worship the glorious Christ who is beyond the scope of our human understanding!

So, how could Jesus continue to be omnipresent God and yet not be in more than one place at a time? A human body can only be in one place at a time right? But then, Jesus stated when He ascended to Heaven that He would be with us to the end of the age. How can He be with each of us in a physical body when we are not all in the same place? But you object, “It was His glorified body, it was different.” But, recognize that it was still a physical body that could be touched!

Perhaps we need to think of it this way. God chose to demonstrate His presence in unique, physical ways in the past. He met with Moses at the burning bush. Latter, God put Moses in the cleft of a rock and passed by Him, covering Moses with His “hand” as He passed by. This may not have been a literal physical hand, but in both cases, there appears to have been some physical demonstration of the presence of God. God uniquely demonstrated His presence. He did this other times. When He uniquely demonstrated His presence in these locations, did He cease to exist elsewhere? Of course not. And perhaps this is how we can correctly understand how Jesus could be physically located in a human body while remaining omnipresent. It makes it a bit more understandable but I know we still can’t really get our heads around it. But, that should not stop us from embracing the belief that Jesus retained His divine attribute of omnipresence during the incarnation and beyond. Maybe we just need to accept it as two truths that seem contradictory (omnipresence and a human body), a paradox.

How could omniscient (all-knowing) God learn? He can’t. But man can. How could Jesus not know something? He chose not to know it. In fact, there were times when Jesus demonstrated His ability to know all things. Really, Jesus demonstrated His omniscience many times. Remember that Jesus “saw” Nathaniel under the fig tree when He was not physically there with Nathaniel (John 1:48)? This is either a demonstration of divine omniscience or divine omnipresence. Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him and that Peter would deny Him. (Mat. 26:26-31)

A third issue that has received quite a bit of attention is how Jesus could be tempted as man and yet, “God cannot be tempted with evil (James 1:13).” Certainly scripture makes it clear that Jesus was absolutely sinless. But the question is whether it was even possible for Him to sin. If it was impossible for Him to sin, would any temptation even be real. If you can’t do it, where is the temptation? But Hebrews tells us, “For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.”

Were the temptations real? This verse seems to answer that quite clearly. Yes, they were real temptations Jesus faced. So, could Jesus have sinned? Millard Erickson answers that question this way. As God, Jesus could not sin; it was impossible. As man, Jesus could have sinned. The unique combination of deity and humanity assured that Jesus would not sin.

What does this mean? It means that Jesus really does know what it is like to face intense temptation. He really can understand what you’re going through when you are tempted, and He can enable you to resist as He did. You don’t have to sin any more than He did.


Next:  (46)  Summary

(44) Steering Clear of Error

[Jesus,] who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:6-7 NAU)

Let me go back for a moment and deal with some of the error that has come out of this passage. One error is stating that Jesus actually emptied Himself or gave up some of His divine attributes when He took on humanity. This must be rejected. If He gave up any attribute of deity, He would have ceased to be fully God. In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Colossians 2:9).

Again, the explanation of William MacDonald is right on the mark:The

Lord Jesus did not lay aside any of the attributes of God when He came into the world. He was still omniscient (all-knowing). He was still omnipresent (present in all places at one and the same time). He was still omnipotent (all powerful). What He did was to empty Himself of His positional equality with God and to veil the glory of Deity in a body of human flesh. The glory was all there, though hidden, but it did shine forth on occasions, such as on the Mount of Transfiguration. There was no moment in His life on earth when He did not possess all the attributes of God.

Jesus was not limited by His humanity, He limited Himself or chose to act within His humanity. For a period of time, Jesus chose to limit Himself to act within the confines of human existence.

Neither Christ's divinity, nor His Divine attributes, nor the use of those attributes, nor His glory, was in any way emptied. Rather, these were "concealed under a veil of flesh." There is a distinct difference between emptying and concealing. The answer is that Jesus cooperated with the limitations of humanity and voluntarily did not exercise His attribute of omniscience. He still was divine but was moving and living completely as a man. – Matthew J. Slick

Jesus chose to act within the limitations of humanity in cooperation with the Father and the Spirit. The incarnation and the Kenosis of Philippians two is not focused primarily on Jesus giving up anything of deity, but rather, on His taking on humanity and servant-hood.

One of my favorite theologians is Millard Erickson. He does an excellent job of helping us understand this more clearly.

Picture the following analogy. The world’s fastest sprinter enters in a three-legged race, where he must run with one of his legs tied to a leg of a partner. Although his physical ability is not diminished, the conditions under which he exercises it are severely circumscribed. Even if his partner in the race is the world’s second fastest sprinter, their time will be much slower than if they competed separately; for that matter it will be slower than the time of almost any other human running normally. Ability is not in essence diminished, but the conditions imposed on its exercise limit actual performance.

This is the situation of the incarnate Christ. Just as the runner could unloose the tie, but chooses to restrict himself for the duration of the event, so Christ’s incarnation was a voluntary self-chosen limitation. He did not have to take on humanity, but he chose to do so for the period of the incarnation. During that time his deity always functioned in connection with his humanity.

Next: (45) Deity in Humanity

(43) Kenosis

There is one last theological term we need ot understand. It is the word, “Kenosis.” The doctine of Kenosis takes the doctrine of the hypostatic union one step forward in trying to explain what happened when Jesus left heaven to take on humanity, and what is the practical relationship between His deity and humanity.

The doctrine of Kenosis is largely built on just two verses. Many books have been written just on the interpretation of these two verses.

[Jesus,] who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:6-7 NAU)

Obviously, these verses are critical to understand. We’ll take it one step at a time, looking at the important words or phrases.

First, this verse teaches us that Jesus existed “in the form of God.” This word “form” literally refers to the visible, external shape. Since God Himself is Spirit and does not have a physical form, it is obvious that there is something more to this. Most theologians and Greek scholars see this as a reference to God’s nature. William Hendriksen believes it refers to the “inner, essential, and abiding nature of a person or thing.” Greek scholar Martin Vincent says it is the, “expression of being which carries in itself the distinctive nature and character of the being to whom it pertains, and is thus permanently identified with that nature and character.” He is saying that it is an outward expression that demonstrates the true nature of the being. Perhaps that is the best way of understanding this. Form is speaking of a visible, outward expression that demonstrates the true nature of the being


God is spirit (Jn. 4:24, He is invisible (1 Tim. 1:17) But, God’s glory does have a visible aspect clearly demonstrated in Heaven, perhaps this is what Paul is referring to. Fausset says the “form” is, “the external self-manifesting characteristics of God, the form shining forth from His glorious essence.” So, it is the visible manifestation of God’s glory which is the radience of His glorious nature. Remember, Hebrews teaches us that Jesus is the “radience of the glory of God.” So, what Paul is teaching here in Philippians is that Jesus existed with all the nature and glory of God in Heaven. The emphasis is on the visible expression and the position of glory. Jesus existed with the same glory as God. This was His condition, His state of being.

These verses also teach us that Jesus “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped.” Notice that Jesus had equality with God. In the context, this would refer to equality with God in terms of the condition of exalted glory in Heaven. Then, notice that Jesus did not see this as something to be “grasped”. This word has also been translated “robbery” or “held on to.” It is a word that first referred to robbery and then the thing robbed. Then, it was also used to refer to a “prize.” It was also a figure of speech which spoke of holding on to something for one’s own benefit.

So what Paul is saying here is that Jesus did not consider His exalted position of glory in Heaven as something He must hold on to at all costs. It implies that He would not be selfish in holding on to this position for His own good, but acted as one person of the triune God. No person of the triune God-head acts independently for His own welfare. This is impossible because they are three distinct persons, but one God.

Jesus acted as one person of the triune God-head and acted for the good of the tri-unity, not for His own personal welfare. So, He did not insist on holding on to His exalted and glorious position in Heaven. Instead, the next phrase tells us, “[He] emptied Himself.” That’s the Greek word, kenosis. But, we must ask, “Emptied Himself of what?” Clearly, in the context, it means that He emptied Himself of His glory. Strong and valid arguments have been made for translating this phrase, “He made Himself nothing or of no value.” Perhaps this clears it up a bit. Jesus did not selfishly hold tight to His position of glory in Heaven, but rather, let go of this glorious position and became nothing. He did not give up His person, He gave up His position.

When Jesus “emptied Himself” of the glories of Heaven, He became nothing, and more than that, He became of little value in humanity as He took on the “form of a bond-servant.” Jesus did not regard existing in a manner equal to God, in all the glories of Heaven, absent of the effects of the curse, something He must cling to and be unwilling to give up. Jesus joined with the Father and Spirit willed to lay aside His place in Heaven and the glories of Heaven to come to earth and even willingly placed Himself in unity with humanity. The moment He was conceived, He began to take on the burdens of the fall and sin.

William McDonald expresses this so beautifully:

Thus He was willing to come into this world to endure the contradiction of sinners against Himself. God the Father was never spit on or beaten or crucified. In this sense, the Father was greater than the Son – not greater as to His Person, but rather as to His position and the manner in which He lived. Jesus expressed this thought in Jn 14:28: “If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.” In other words, the disciples should have rejoiced to learn that He was going home to heaven. While on earth, He had been cruelly treated and rejected. He had been in lower circumstances than His Father. In that sense, His Father was greater. But when He went back to heaven, He would be equal with the Father in His circumstances as well as in His Person.

Please don’t miss the significance of this. Jesus lived in all the glories of Heaven as God. He was part of the glorious radiance of the triune God brilliantly illuminating Heaven. He was continually receiving the magnificent, jubilant, unbridled worship of the angels. And He gave it all up. To take on humanity. From the glories of Heaven to simple humanity. Servant-like humanity. About as low as you can go. Poor, outcast, homeless. From receiving the worship of the Heavenly hosts, to being mistreated, rejected, condemned. That my friend is the glory of the Kenosis! That’s the glory of my Jesus!

Next:  (44) Steering Clear of Error

(42) Hypostatic Union

The next theological idea we should get familiar with is what is called the “hypostatic union.” That’s not another way of describing a marriage in a science fiction movie. It is a very important theological title for the doctrine that explains how Jesus is both God and man. It literally means “union of persons.”

The doctrine of the hypostatic union states that the two natures of Christ (deity and humanity) are united and cannot be separated. They are united without being mixed and without a loss of separate identity. He remains forever the God-man, fully God and fully man, two distinct natures in one Person forever.

The hypostatic union emphasizes three main facts:

● Jesus has two distinct natures: humanity and deity.

● There is no mixture or combining of the two natures.

● Although Jesus has two natures, Jesus is one Person.

Why does this matter? First, it matters because we must hold firmly to the biblical teaching that Jesus always was and is God. We need to be careful that in our thinking about Jesus, we don’t think that He became less God when He became human. In fact, the last part of that statement isn’t even a very good way of expressing this. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, did not go from being God to becoming human. I prefer to say that He took on or added humanity to His deity. Do you see the subtle difference? Deity was not replaced by humanity or even put into humanity. Humanity was added to deity.

It is important that we hold firmly to the truth that Jesus was, is, and always will be 100% God. We must also hold firmly to the truth that Jesus did take on true, pre-fall humanity. He was 100% man. In fact, remember with me what Hebrews says about the importance of Jesus’ humanity.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil . . . Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:14, 17 ESV)

It is critical that we realize that Jesus is 100% God and that Jesus is 100% human. But then, we must also realize that these can’t be mixed. It may not seem clear to us why this is so critical for deity not to mix with or affect humanity, but, if humanity mixes with deity, it is no longer deity. Ok, a bit confusing? Think of it this way. If the humanity of Jesus mixed in anyway with the deity of Jesus, than deity would be diminished by humanity. Infinite would be polluted by finite. Omnipotence would be mixed with weakness. We could go on. If you don’t get anything else, get this: If Jesus humanity was mixed in anyway with His deity, it would have polutted His deity. Deity is deity. Humanity is humanity. God is God. Man is man.

There is one last important point that Paul Enns states.

Jesus must be viewed has having these two distinct natures, but, He must be viewed as one person. Jesus is 100% God and He is 100% man, and He is 100% one person. How do I make this clear? Well, I can’t. At least not completely. But I must hold on to these truths. Jesus was fully, 100% God. He was fully, 100% man. Jesus was one person. He acted as one person. He did not act sometimes as God and sometimes as man. Every word and action came from the one person, Jesus in the unique combination of deity and humanity.

Next: (43) Kenosis

(41) Understanding Paradox

Let’s get started. Step one in gaining an understanding of Jesus’ deity and humanity is to get acquainted with a few unique theological terms. First, is the term paradox. This is not strictly a theological term, but it is very important to theology. A paradox is a statement or idea that seems illogical or seems to present two opposite ideas that are in fact both true. It is when we consider two ideas that seem to be opposite or it seems like they can’t both be true but they really are. For those who like mental games, consider this paradoxical statement: “Everything I say is a lie.” (Is that true?) Or, try this one: “There is an exception to every rule.” (Isn’t that a rule?) Don’t get it? Don’t worry, some people love this kind of stuff. The rest of us can get on with our study.

Understanding paradoxes is very important when we, who are finite, try to understand the infinite God. Consider just a few Biblical paradoxes:

● There is one God in three persons.

● The Bible is a book, a thing, and yet it is “living”.

● We see truth by believing in what we can’t see.

● God has decreed the future yet man makes choices that determine his future.

● Mary was a virgin who had a baby.

Why does all this matter? Because when we consider Jesus, we are presented with a number of paradoxes that raise questions for us. We can and will explore the answers to some of these questions, but we must keep in mind that they are paradoxes – two truths that seem to be opposed to each other but are in fact both true. The problem is not in them making sense, the problem is in our ability to make sense of them. The problem is with our minds. It all makes perfect sense to the God of all knowledge and wisdom. So don’t forget – if scripture clearly teaches two things that seem to be opposite, we must find fault with our ability to understand. We should try to understand as best we can. But, whatever we cannot understand, must be accepted as a paradox to us.


Next:  (42)  Hypostatic Union

(40) Jesus: Deity in Humanity - Introduction

Sometimes its just hard to see things clearly. I experienced this for nearly two months after losing my glasses. I need glasses so I can clearly see things that are more distant than about twenty feet. I also have an astigmatism. When I was without my glasses, I had to squint and struggle to see people in the back of the church clearly when I was preaching. But I didn’t even realize how bad my sight really was until I got off a plane at the Orlando airport and couldn’t read the signs to tell me where to go pick up my luggage. Then, when I put on my new glasses for the fist time, it was like everything around me came into sharper focus. I actually was stunned and said, “Wow!”

I have another sight problem. I have trouble seeing things clearly really close up. The best way for me to really concentrate when I am studying is to lay on my stomach and put my notes and books right under my nose! But if I don’t prop myself up on enough pillows, the writing is too close and I can’t read it.

We can experience similar problems when we approach some aspects of theology. If we don’t look at things closely enough we can have an unclear or, shall we say inaccurate view of what we are considering. But, if we try to get too close, and try to make sense of things too much, we can also get an inaccurate view. We need to get as close as we can without forgetting that God is beyond our full understanding. If we forget this vital truth, we can fall into imbalance or even error.

This is certainly true when it comes to understanding the uniqueness of Jesus’ nature. We declare our belief in the deity of Jesus. Jesus is God. 100% God. And, we also declare our belief in the humanity of Jesus. Jesus is a man. 100% man. And in embracing these two truths we already have a vision problem. We’re seeing doubles! 100% + 100% usually equals 200%. But not when it comes to Jesus. To comprehend Jesus, we need a new math where 100% + 100% = 100%

Ok, so maybe those last words still got your head spinning. Understanding the nature of Jesus in the combination of deity and humanity is mind boggling but important for us to understand – as much as we can anyway.

Next: (41) Understanding Paradox

(39) Jesus: Perfectly Human - Conclusion

What if Jesus were to walk in your shoes for one day? What if He were to face your temptations, your disappointments, the hurts you've experienced. What if He were to face the discouraging ministry you're involved in? What if He were faced with the heart-wrenching challenges before you?

Maybe you've felt at times like no one understands your troubles, sorrows, your life struggles? Maybe right now you wish Jesus would walk in your shoes for a day so He could really understand your struggles.

The truth is, Jesus did walk in your shoes. Jesus does understand your temptations, your disappointment in ministry, the way people have hurt you, the difficult situations you have to face. In fact, Jesus faced more trouble, more sorrows and struggles, and greater ministry challenges than you ever will. And He has showed you how to be perfectly human.

Next:  (40) Jesus: Deity in Humanity - Introduction

(38) Jesus: Pain & Perfection

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in facing problems and mistreatment. Jesus endured unkindness, insults, false accusations, rejection, betrayal and desertion. And what makes all this so incredible is who treated Jesus this way. Just before Jesus went to the cross, He faced a barrage of mistreatment. The disciples fell asleep when they were supposed to be praying for Him. Judas betrayed Him with a kiss of all things. His other friends ran from Him. His close friend Peter denied knowing Him, even when Jesus was looking right at him. The religious leaders who were supposed to be leading the people to worship God were calling for His death. The government which should protect its citizens from injustice brutally beat Him. And then, He went to the cross to die for them. He died to pay the price for these sins! And He cried our, “Father, forgive them!”

How did He do it? “When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23 ESV). Jesus surrendered His will to the will of the Father. Jesus had unwavering trust in the Father’s plan. This doesn’t mean it was easy. Jesus was in emotional agony in the garden and physical agony on the cross. But, He chose to surrender His will, His comfort. He chose to put His life in the hands of the One who always does right. He chose to trust.

There it is, the key to honoring the glory of God in the face of the most horrible circumstances, even betrayal. This is what it takes to be the human God created you to be – entrust yourself to the one who does right. It takes an unwavering surrender to God’s plan for your life even when it hurts and a firm grip on the sovereignty of God.

You don’t try to retaliate and get even. You don’t fight back. You don’t get angry, resentful, or bitter. You don’t even threaten them with the judgement of God even though they may deserve it. You follow Jesus’ example of perfect humanity, let God take care of it, and trust God to do it right in His way and perfect timing. This is what it looks like to be perfectly human. This is Jesus, up close and personal. Do you want to be truly human?

Next: (39) Jesus: Perfectly Human - Conclusion

(37) Perfect Priorities

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in his priorities & values. Jesus had some seriously focused priorities and values. So much so that He forgot about eating because He was involved in ministry! When Jesus fed the multitude of five thousand men plus women and children it was because the disciples came to Him in the middle of ministry and told Him they needed food. When He fed the four thousand, they had gone three days without food. This was not because Jesus was some super human who didn’t need food. He explained this to the disciples, “Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." 32But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." (John 4:31-32 NAU). William MacDonald comments, “The Lord Jesus had found food and support in winning worshipers to His Father. Compared to this joy, physical nourishment was of little importance to Him.”

That’s what it looks like to be perfectly human! You are so passionate about serving the purposes of God that you forget to eat. Your values and priorities are focused with laser-like precision on the values and priorities of advancing God’s kingdom.

Want to be perfectly human? Stop living like the average human! Stop getting distracted and diverted to living for anything other than the kingdom of God. Get focused on Christ. Remember how Paul expressed it? “One thing I do!” “For me to live is Christ.” “Christ who is your life.”

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-3 NIV)

If we are going to be like Christ; if we are going to become perfectly human, we need to be freed from our bondage to our earthly, temporal, and inconsequential values until all that remains is what God values. While we may have temporal affections such as the love of family and friends, in these affections, we must value what God values, pursue what God values, promote what God values. May all our priorities be purified by the one ultimate and governing priority of perfect humanity, the demonstration and declaration of the glory of God. Everything in life must contribute to this one grand purpose of all creation. This is what it looks like to get your priorities in order. This is Jesus, up close and personal.


Next:  (38) Jesus: Pain & Perfection

(36) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 4

Satan now pulls out the big guns. The third temptation Satan threw at Jesus is a temptation to take detours toward the will of God. It is a temptation to go for the crown without the cross.

Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; and he said to Him, "All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me." Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (Matthew 4:8-10)

Jesus’ response is from Deuteronomy six. Moses is preparing the people to go into the promised land.

"Then it shall come about when the LORD your God brings you into the land which He swore to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you, great and splendid cities which you did not build, and houses full of all good things which you did not fill, and hewn cisterns which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant, and you eat and are satisfied, then watch yourself, that you do not forget the LORD who brought you from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name. "You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you, for the LORD your God in the midst of you is a jealous God; otherwise the anger of the LORD your God will be kindled against you, and He will wipe you off the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 6:10-15)

Satan tempts Jesus to take the easy way out and get what was promised by the Father without taking the path of self-denial and suffering. Satan offers an easy way to get what is really a counterfeit of what God promises. Satan tempts Jesus to worship him in order to achieve greatness. The context of Jesus’ answer shows that finding our delight outside of God is a very real danger.

Jesus is determined to be obedient to the Father, no matter how much it hurts. Jesus, the perfect human is not going to do things to get worship and praise for himself. He is living His life to direct all praise to the Father. He’ll let the Father take care of the rest.

The temptation here is to take the easy way out and get what was promised by the Father without taking the path of self-denial and suffering. It is a temptation to become distracted from worshiping God by finding our delight in things that feed our desires. It is an appeal to do things to get recognition and praise for ourselves.

This is not the portrait of the perfect human. The perfect human is obedient to God and doesn’t take the easy way out that leads to sin, just to avoid difficulty. The perfect human directs all worship to God.

Temptation is most intense when it is prolonged – the longer you resist temptation, the more intense it becomes – Jesus never gave in! The perfect man gained victory over temptation through reliance on the Holy Spirit and firm belief and commitment to the principles of Scripture. Jesus is our example, demonstrating for us how we too can have victory over even the most intense temptation.

Next:  (37) Jesus: Perfect Priorities

(35) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 3

Jesus’ second temptation is a test of demands.

Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, 'He will command His angels concerning you'; 'on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'you shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Matthew 4:5-7)

In His response to Satan, Jesus quotes from Deut. 6:16, “You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested Him at Massah.” Here, Moses is reminding the people of a time when they complained about not having water. They were questioning whether God was really leading them and taking care of them. Moses says that “they tested the LORD, saying, "Is the LORD among us, or not?" (Exodus 17:7)”

The context of Jesus’ response refers to the time when the Israelites had tested God at Massah by refusing to accept that God was among them until He performed a sign for them. They were demanding that God prove His presence and provision in the way they wanted in order to trust Him and follow Him.

Satan is trying to raise doubt, “Is God really with you? Are you sure? What proof do you have? Hey, if God is really with you, let Him prove Himself? Jump, if He’s with you, He’ll keep His promise and won’t let you get hurt.”

The temptation here is to demand that God provide for us as we desire to prove His care in the present. It is the temptation to put conditions on our trusting God for the future by demanding that He do something we desire to prove Himself. It is a demonstration of a lack of faith. It leads to the sin of unbelief.

To be perfectly human is to trust God even when we can’t see Him. When it looks like He’s abandoned you, you keep trusting and obeying Him. The perfect human will not say, “God if you’re real, prove yourself by doing . . .” This in itself is a statement of unbelief.
 
Next: (36)  Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 4

(33) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 1

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in facing temptation. I heard Charles Stanley once say that the most intense temptation comes at the moment just before you give in. What he was saying is that the more you resist, the more intense the temptation until you give in. He didn’t take into account God providing victory or the temptation being removed but he makes a valid point. When temptation is right in your face, it just get’s harder and harder to resist.

Satan got right up in the face of Jesus! This would be an intense attack, a fierce battle. From Jesus’ temptation, we can learn a lot about what it looks like to be perfectly human. We start with the critical step to victory that Jesus took before the battle even got started.

Luke tells us that “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness. (4:1 NAU)” This is important. First, Jesus was “full of the Holy Spirit.” This means that Jesus was under the control of the Holy Spirit. Jesus did whatever the Holy Spirit directed Him to do. Second, note that Jesus was continually “led around by the Spirit.” This is the literal Greek here. Step by step, Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit.

We must not miss the significance of this. When Luke tells us about Jesus victoriously facing temptation, he begins by making a big deal about the role of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life. How did Jesus, the perfect human walk in victory over temptation? By living under the control of the Holy Spirit. By being led by the Holy Spirit in everything He did, step by step. That is where we will find victory too. The more we are controlled by and led by the Holy Spirit in every decision no matter how insignificant it may seem, the more we will have victory over sin. Whenever we are walking in step with the Spirit, we will not sin.

Next:  (34) Jesus: Perfectly Sinless Pt. 2

(31) Jesus the Perfect Child

Jesus set the example of perfect humanity in childhood. Perhaps one of the most amazing aspects of Jesus, the eternal God stepping down into humanity is that He came as a baby. At Christmas time, we may refer to the miraculous birth of Jesus. But there is nothing in scripture to indicate that the actual birth of Jesus itself was miraculous in any way. The conception was an incredible miracle, but not the birth itself. Jesus was born to an ordinary woman through an ordinary birth. Pain, blood, and all that goes with a natural birth. He was completely helpless. He could not feed himself or take care of himself. He could not change his own diaper. He was just like every other baby. We don’t know a lot about Jesus’ childhood. But what we do know is pretty amazing.

The Child continued to grow and become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. (41)Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. (42)And when He became twelve, they went up there according to the custom of the Feast; (43)and as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. But His parents were unaware of it, (44)but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and went a day's journey; and they began looking for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. (45)When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him. (46)Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. (47)And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. (48)When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You." (49)And He said to them, "Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father's house?" (50)But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. (51)And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart. (52)And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. (Luke 2:40-52 NAU)

Now that might not seem all that incredible to you, but look at it closer. First of all, notice that Jesus grew, became strong, and increased in wisdom. This is essentially repeated in verse fifty-two. I know I said we would focus on the humanity of Jesus, but I can’t help but pause in wonder over this reality. The eternal Son of God in humanity, growing, learning, getting stronger, gaining wisdom! I can’t get my mind around that one very well.

Look again at verses forty-six and forty-seven. Jesus was sitting with the teachers. Listening intently, learning, asking questions . . . and teaching! So great was His understanding and His answers that they were amazed! What an incredible mind.

But now, for the real bombshell. Verse fifty-one says that Jesus, the eternal Son of God “continued in subjection” to His parents! This word “subjection” literally means to “put in rank under.” He was the most unique, miraculous person to ever live. He was a miracle child. He knew better than them – He was teaching the teachers! Yet He put Himself in rank under His common, ordinary, don’t-have-it-all-together parents. He submitted to them. He obeyed them. That’s what it looks like to be truly human.

Wow! Pretty amazing stuff, isn’t it? But let’s not just be amazed, let’s see if we can be changed by what we see in Jesus, the perfect human. My first observation is that perfect humanity includes weakness, dependance, growth, learning. Hey, perfect humanity even includes dirty diapers, and spit-ups.

Now why did I have to make that last statement? Because I believe we can over glamorize Jesus and perfect humanity. If we don’t recognize the real Jesus, we will miss the glory of the incarnation – the extent to which He stepped down when He became human. Also, this helps us realize that perfect humanity is not some utopian, sit under a tree eating grapes life. Let me take it a step further and remind you that the perfect man worked as a carpenter before He started His ministry. Adam and Eve worked before the fall.

We should also observe the brilliance of perfect humanity in contrast with fallen humanity. I may be wrong, but I doubt that Jesus was given a brain that was far beyond the brains of ordinary humans in ability. Based on the ordinary nature of the rest of His humanity, I suspect Jesus had fairly average mental ability at birth. But, His mind was totally pure and unpolluted by sin. I believe He was able to think more clearly and more accurately than anyone else because of the absence of sin, not because of a miraculous brain capacity. That’s why he could teach the great teachers at the age of twelve.

All our thinking is polluted by sin. Sin makes it so we can’t think strait. We have all kinds of sinful thoughts and attitudes that effect how we hear things and interpret them. Even when it comes to truth. Unless we are thinking God’s thoughts after Him. Unless God, by His Spirit is guiding, even dictating our thoughts, they are polluted. The more we can bring every thought captive in obedience to Christ (1 Cor. 10:5) , and the more we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2), the more we will be able to think, learn, and understand truth and reality. The more truly human we become.

Next:  (32) Jesus: Perfectly Holy

(30) Jesus & The Limits of Humanity

Like Adam and Eve, scripture tells us that Jesus lived under human limitations. We’ll look at a few of these more closely, but for now let’s just list them.

Jesus was born and grew, “And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7 NET) “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.” (Luke 2:52 NLT)

Jesus got hungry and thirsty. “And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry (Matthew 4:2 NAU)” “Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."(John 19:28 NIV)

Jesus got tired and had to sleep, “Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. (John 4:6 NLT) “But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" (Mark 4:38)

Jesus could not be in more than one place at a time. He traveled and moved about just like every other human being. And, Jesus lived within time and was constrained by time. “So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. . . . Martha then said to Jesus, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. (John 11:17,21 NAU)

Jesus felt pain. Jesus died.

Next: (31) Jesus the Perfect Child

(29) Created in the Image of God

To understand what true humanity looks like, we need to think about what Adam and Eve were like when God created them, before the fall. For that, we turn to Genesis.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 8 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28)

When God created man, He created him in His own image. Scripture does not say, “This is what it means to be created in the image of God . . .” But, based on the creation account, and some other scriptures, we can get a good idea. We can see that God created man to be able to understand Him and the rest of creation. God created man to relate to Him and each other. God created man to make decisions and choose Him over other things. So, the image of God would at least include the ability to think and understand. It would include emotion or feeling, and will or choice.

Adam and Eve were unique in every way compared to us, but still human. Their thinking was pure but incomplete. They still had to learn and discover new things. They did not have unlimited knowledge. Their emotions were not polluted by selfishness and self protection. Remember, Genesis tells us they were naked and unashamed?

Certainly a major aspect of the image of God in Adam and Eve was absolute moral purity. They had the ability to choose God and they did. They lived in perfect fellowship with God and in perfect obedience Before the fall, Adam and Eve had what we call unconfirmed or untested, positive holiness. They enjoyed intimate fellowship with God in this pre-fall state. It is hard to understand perfect humanity because all we know is fallen, sinful humanity.

We need to try to appreciate humanity in the absence of sin and then we can begin to understand the nature of Jesus’ humanity. His humanity would be totally untainted and unaffected by the effects of the fall. In His humanity, He would have possessed thinking that was pure but incomplete. He still had to learn and discover new things (Luke 2:52). Jesus clearly had emotions, but those emotions were not polluted by selfishness and self protection. He would have possessed absolute moral purity; unconfirmed or untested, positive holiness.

Next:   (30)  Jesus & The Limits of Humanity

(28) Jesus: The Perfect Man - Introduction

(NOTE:  This post is the first in a series on Jesus: The Perfect Man)

In 1976, at the Montreal Olympic Games, Nadia Comaneci received seven perfect tens. But was she perfect? Some would likely argue that no gymnast could ever perform perfectly. There had to be some minor error. But in this case, the judges didn’t see any errors. Of course, even perfection in most of the events would not make her a perfect gymnast in every respect. And of course even perfection in gymnastics does not come close to making her a perfect woman. We say it all the time, “No one’s perfect.” Ah, but we’re wrong.

We recognize Jesus as being perfect. Probably much of the time we are thinking of the truth that Jesus was sinless. This is true, and it certainly is a very important aspect of His perfection. But, there is so much more to Jesus, the perfect man that we will discover in this study.

In the last three studies, we have been focusing primarily on the deity of Jesus. In some ways, the title “Son of Man” forms a link between the deity of Jesus and the humanity of Jesus. As the Son of Man, Jesus is God who comes from Heaven, but He comes to earth to defeat evil and set up His kingdom. We will think more about the unique combination of deity and humanity in our next study, but in this study, we will focus exclusively on the nature of Jesus’ humanity and how He lived as a human. In order to fully appreciate Jesus’ humanity, when we focus on Jesus humanity, for a moment, for the most part, we lay aside the reality of His deity.

If we are going to talk about the humanity of Jesus, we need to talk about what it means to be human. Now that might seem like a really strange statement. After all, we all know what it means to be human; we are human for goodness sake! Well we may be human, but we are not human as God created us to be. We are fallen humans. So, the real question is, “What does it mean to be human as God created us to be?” What were humans like before sin.


Next (29) Created in the Image of God