Theo 116: Humanity of Christ Flashcards
Old testament predicted that Christ will be a man
He would be born.
“Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son,
and she will call His name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14
He would die.
“who considered that He was cut off out of the land
of the living for the transgression of My people,
to whom the stroke was due?” Isaiah 53:8
He would be buried.
“His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was
with a rich man in His death, because He had done
no violence, nor no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.”
Isaiah 53:9
Christ had a fully human body.
He grew and developed.
“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and men.” Luke 2:52
He got tired.
So Jesus, being wearied from His journey,
was sitting thus by the well.” John 4:6
He got thirsty.
“After this, Jesus . . . said, ‘I am thirsty.’” John 19:28
He got hungry
“And after He had fasted forty days and forty
night, He then became hungry.” Matthew 4:2
He had a fully human personality
He had a human mind. He learned.
“And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom” Luke 2:52
He had human emotions. He became troubled.
He became sorrowful.
“Jesus wept.” John 11:35
He had a human will. He was tempted.
“we have a great high priest who has passed
through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God . . . who
has been tempted in all things as we are, yet
without sin.” Hebrews 4:14-15
Before His public ministry, everybody but Mary
and Joseph saw Jesus only as a man
(Matthew 13:54-57).
“For not even His brothers were believing
in Him.”John 7:5
The New Testament Scriptures refer to Jesus
as a man.
“For there is one God, and one mediator also
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
1 Timothy 2:5
Jahovas witnesses view of Christ’s humanity
He was only a man, but is no longer a man.
“In his resurrection he was no more
human. He was raised as a spirit creature.”
The Kingdom Is at Hand, 258.
Secularists veiw of Jesus’ humanity
If they concede
that Jesus ever
existed, believe
that Jesus was
a man,
but only a man.
Liberal Christianity veiw of Jesus’ humanity
Almost always
affirms that Jesus
was a man, rarely affirms His deity
Mormons veiw of Jesus’ humanity
Mormons
Believe that Jesus was
just a human who
evolved to become
a God.
Islam’s view of Jesus’ Humanity
Teaches that Jesus
was merely a man.
Scriptural evidence that Jesus had two natures
The key characteristics of the essence of a person
are intellect, emotions, and will.
If Jesus had just one united nature or essence,
would He have had two levels in relation to
intellect, emotions, and will? This seems
improbable and illogical. Therefore, the concept
of two natures - divine and human in Christ
seems to fit the biblical data best.
Jesus demonstrated two levels in relation
to intellect.
A Divine intelect
- He had memories of eternity past -
“Now Father, glorify Me together with Yourself,
with the glory which I ever had with You before the world was” (John 17:5).
- He had supernatural knowledge of the future
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory,
and all the angels with Him,
then He will sit on His glorious
throne”(Matthew 25:31).
B. Human Intelect
- He did not know some things about the future.
“But of that day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven,
nor the Son, but the Father alone”
(Matthew 24:36).
Jesus demonstrated two levels in relation
to emotion.
A: Devine Emotions
- He demonstrated a supernatural, divine love
that had never been seen before on the planet.
“A new commandment I give to you,
that you love one another, even as I have loved
you, that you also love one another”
(John 13:34).
B:Human Emotions
- He demonstrated deep fear and agony.
“And He took with Him Peter and James and John,
and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, ‘My soul is deeply grieved
to the point of death” (Mark 14:33-34).
“And being in agony He was praying very fervently;
and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling
down upon the ground” (Luke 22:44).
Jesus demonstrated two levels in relation to will.
A His divine will
John 10:30 - “I and the Father are one.”
John 16:15 - “All things that the Father has are Mine”
B. Human will
John 5:30 - “I do not seek My own will,
but the will of Him who sent Me.”
Matthew 26:39 - “My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will,
but as You will.”
Was the fear that Christ displayed in Mark 14:33-34 and Luke 22:44 sinful?
No, “Do not fear those who kill the body
but are unable to kill the soul; but rather
fear Him who is able to destroy
both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).
Jesus did not fear his death and crucifixion, He feared the wrath of God that he would have to bear.
What would be the problem with Christ not having two natures.
There is a further problem with just one
united nature or essence. Logically,
this single new nature could possibly be not
completely man, nor completely God,
because it is united into something new.
Dillemmas for a Unitary view of Christ’s nature: The death of Christ?
Did God die on the cross?
A. God’s nature is not able to suffer and die.
B. Human nature is able to suffer and die.
C. Jesus was both fully God and fully man
and yet He died.
The solution to this is to consider “What does it mean to die?”
Ecclesiastes 12:7 - “Then the dust will return
to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return
to God who gave it.”
James 2:26 - “For just as the body without the spirit
is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
So then the question becomes “Did Jesus’ human nature die on the cross?”
The solution: Since Jesus is both God and man
in one person and He died on the cross, we would
have to say that God did die on the cross. Yet He did
not die in the sense of cease to exist.
Dyophysitism
the belief that Christ had two natures
after His incarnation.
Held by the Oriental Orthodox Church
Monophysitism
Monophysitism is the belief that Christ had
a single nature after His incarnation.
(Mono is the Greek word for single
and physite is the Greek word for nature.)
Miphysitism / Henophysitism
Miaphysitism (sometimes called henophysitism)
is the belief of the Oriental Orthodox Churches
that Christ’s divinity and humanity
are united without separation, without
confusion, and without alteration in one nature.
