The Humanity of Christ (Part 1 of 2)

The Humanity of Christ (Part 1 of 2)

     Christ is the God Man. He is fully God and fully man in one person. That is, he has two whole and perfect natures united in one person. Yet, they are inseparable and without conversion (change), composition (compromise), or confusion.

Virgin Birth/Incarnation

     The Son, the second Person of the Trinity, was incarnated and born of a virgin. This means that he took on flesh; his divine nature was united with a human nature. This happened by the power of the Holy Spirit overshadowing Mary, Christ's mother. Since Christ had no earthly father, he remained free from original sin. Therefore, he did not inherit a fallen sinful nature; he was without sin. He was not depraved. Christ was impeccable.

      This is important because there is no salvation if Christ was not fully human (or had sinned). Man offended God. Man deserves the wrath of God. It is man that must be reconciled to God, but man cannot do this work. We are imperfect. Everything we touch is contaminated with and by sin. Nothing we offer God is good enough.

     But Christ is the God Man. He offered the perfect sacrifice for sin. What we could never do, Christ did. So, the Son was incarnated and lived and died for sinners. He paid the price for sin, turned away the wrath of the Father, and reconciled us because he perfectly represents both parties- God and man.

     Scripture is replete with passages that prove Christ's humanity. The genealogies of Christ found in Matthew and Luke show the humanity of Christ by tracing his human lineage. “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1; reference also Luke 3:23-38). Then the language used in Matthew 1:18-25 uses very human terminology when discussing the details of Christ's conception and birth. Luke uses even more vivid language. One only has to read Luke 1:26-35 and 2:7 to get an understanding that Christ has a human nature.

     A few other verses will solidify this point. “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). Christ “made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men” (Phil. 2:7). “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God” (1Jn. 4:2-3).

Fully Human

     Christ is fully and completely human. He is just like us, excluding sin. He is not partly human or half-human; no, he is one hundred percent human. We know this because the gospels describe him in very human terms.

     Christ grew; “And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom” (Lk. 2:40). He got tired; “Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well” (Jn. 4:6). Jesus slept; “And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he [Jesus] was asleep” (Matt. 8:24). He experienced thirst and hunger; “A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give me a drink'” (Jn. 4:7; see also Jn. 19:28) and “In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry” (Matt. 21:18; see also Matt. 4:2).

     In addition, Jesus had a physical body. “And he said to them, 'Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 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' (Lk. 24:38-39). “When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord... Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side'” (Jn. 20:20, 27). Consider also John 21:9-13, Acts 1:9, 1 Timothy 3:16, and Romans 1:3.

     Jesus, like all other humans, had emotions. “Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? 'Father, save me from this hour'? But for this purpose I have come to this hour” (Jn. 12:27). “After saying these things, Jesus was troubled in his spirit, and testified, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me'” (Jn. 13:21). “Jesus wept” (Jn. 11:35). “And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, 'My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me'” (Matt. 26:37-38).

     One final piece of scriptural proof for the full humanity of Christ- he died. Jesus, his human nature, died on the cross. God cannot die. But, Jesus' human nature could. “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit” (Matt. 27:50). “And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last” (Mk. 15:37). “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, 'Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!' And having said this he breathed his last” (Lk. 23:46). “When Jesus has received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (Jn. 19:30).

Permanently Human

     An amazing truth that often goes unnoticed or unknown is that Christ, once he took on flesh and joined his divine nature with a human nature, will always be God and man. When he stepped out of heaven and was born of a woman, it was forever. He is right now in heaven, in flesh. His natures will never be separated. He is and always will be the God Man. Praise God!

     What do the scriptures say? “He asked life of you; you gave it to him, length of days forever and ever” (Ps. 21:4). “I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom” (Matt. 26:29). If Jesus did not have a human nature and physical body, then he could not drink wine. “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades'” (Rev. 1:17-18). Ponder also Acts 1:9-11, 9:5, Romans 1:4, 1 Corinthians 9:1, and 15:8.

Necessarily Human

      It behooved us that Christ became man. Without this, we could not be saved; we could not be delivered from the wrath of God due our sin. The unification of Christ's divine nature with that of humanity was necessary to procure our eternal redemption. It was man who sinned and rebelled against God, and it is man who must pay the price. Sinful man, however, could never offer anything remotely good enough or pure to a holy and perfect God. Besides, we cannot even approach God in the first place- how could we ever offer the perfect sacrifice to finally atone for our sin. WE CAN'T!

But, Christ can. He took on flesh in order to die as the perfect, atoning sacrifice. What we could never do, Christ did. The offended party, God, was reconciled to the offender, man, by One who came and stood in the breach. Christ is the Second Adam who propitiated the Father and is our Representative, Substitute, and Mediator.

      Christ is the Second Adam. He came to undo what the first Adam did. The Lord took on flesh in order to obey perfectly the law of God and reverse the Fall. Where Adam failed, Jesus triumphed. Adam succumbed to temptation; Jesus utterly overthrew the tempter. Adam disobeyed. Jesus obeyed the Father and submitted to his will impeccably.

     “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned... Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:12, 18-19). This passage is comparing Adam and Christ. Notice that Paul refers to Christ as man, and not just man, but an obedient man.

     “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1Cor. 15:21-22). Later, Paul quotes from Genesis to further his point (he is teaching on the resurrection and comparing life and death, hence the similitude of Christ to Adam), “Thus it is written, 'The first man Adam became a living being'; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1Cor. 15:45). So, it was necessary for Christ to come in the flesh to accomplish and reverse the work of Adam.

     Christ is the propitiation. This is a big word. Oh, but it is an important word. It means to turn away wrath- to pacify. Christ, as our propitiation, turned aside the wrath of the Father for sinners. He did this, of course, by bearing our sin and punishment. The Father poured out all of his fury and righteous indignation for our sin on his Son. Therefore, Christ turned the Father's wrath away from us. The Father is propitiated; satisfied; appeased.

     Christ is our Representative. As our representative, Christ stands for us and acts in our place. He is our advocate- our proponent. Praise God that he does, because as we have seen, we need him. We could never represent ourselves before a just and holy God.

     “For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could never do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:3-4). “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him” (Col. 1:21-22).

     Christ is our Substitute. Many of these truths about Christ overlap, so we have alluded to this point already. But, it does deserve fuller treatment because of who we are talking about and his amazing work. Christ took our place. Let that sink in for a moment. Christ, the infinite, all-powerful, majestic, sovereign, holy, transcendent, Lord of all came to earth to die in our place. He substituted himself for sinful, selfish, God-hating, evil wretches.

     “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God” (2Cor. 5:21). “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1Pet. 2:24).

     “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, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 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” (Heb. 2:14-17).

     Christ is our Mediator. He mediates, or intervenes, between God and man. He, being God and man, represents both sides and can bring reconciliation. “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1Tim. 2:5-6). “Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant” (Heb. 9:15).