Chapter 6

Jesus Christ

Son of Man

The truth that Jesus is the Son of God is very important, but its companion truth is just as important for our salvation. If Jesus were only God, we would still be lost in our sins, as we shall see. We will look at the virgin birth, and see what the Bible says about Jesus being fully man. Before we finish the chapter, we will see why it was necessary for God to become a man.

Jesus – Born of a Virgin

The question is, "If Jesus Christ is God and existed prior to His birth in Bethlehem, then just how did He become a man?" The answer is found in the virgin birth, a teaching which has been ridiculed by many unbelievers. It is interesting that Luke, a physician, has a great deal to say about the virgin birth:

Luke 1:26-27

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth,

27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

The next three verses of Luke are not quoted because they are not relevant to this particular study. We continue with verse 31:

Luke 1:31-33

31 "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.

32 "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."

Mary was very surprised by what the angel said and replied:

Luke 1:34-35

34 …"How can this be, since I am a virgin?"

35 And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God."

Verse 35 explains how the living Word of God came to be man. The Holy Spirit came upon the virgin Mary and the power of the Most High overshadowed her; she conceived the holy offspring who is the Son of God. Mary was the mother of Jesus and God was His Father through the Holy Spirit by the miracle of the virgin birth.

A reference to the virgin birth is found as early as Genesis 3:15. God promised Eve, after she had sinned, that the "seed" of woman would bruise the head of the serpent, Satan. That was the first prophecy of the coming of Jesus and His victory over Satan. Interestingly, the Bible often speaks of the "seed" of man when telling of the birth of ordinary men. However, it speaks only of "seed" of woman in reference to Jesus.* This is because He is the only man who was born without a human father. *(Note: in one place, 1 Samuel 2:20 KJV, at first glance "seed" seems to be used in connection with seed of woman. However, it is actually used for a descendant of the man, Elkanah, not for an actual seed produced by his wife, Hannah.)

Jesus Is Fully Man

In answering the question "Who is Jesus?" we cannot stop with the idea that He is fully God, because He is also fully man. He was born into the human race, "born of a descendant of David according to the flesh" (Romans 1:3). He is not just a human body with God living inside; He is fully man because He has a human spirit, soul, and body.

Jesus Had a Human Body — It is clearly evident in the Bible that He had a physical body. John declared in his first epistle:

1 John 1:1-2

1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the Word of Life –

2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us –

John and the other apostles heard, saw, and felt with their hands the Word of Life, that is, Jesus Christ in the flesh. Hebrews 2:14 says, "Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same." Matthew 26:12 quotes Jesus as saying, "she poured this perfume upon My body." These verses are sufficient to demonstrate that Jesus had a real human body. His resurrection body is also a human body, but a glorified one.

Jesus Has a Human Soul and Spirit — Though Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit, He also had His own human soul and spirit. In Matthew 26:38, Jesus recognized His own human soul when He said, "My soul is deeply grieved." Finally, when He died on the Cross, He said with a loud voice, Father, into Thy hands I commit My spirit" (Luke 23:46).

Jesus Had Natural Human Limitations — Jesus was subject to those limitations which bear no relationship to sin. Take note of some of the human experiences Jesus encountered:

	He was hungry in the wilderness	Matthew 4:2
	He was asleep in the boat	Matthew 8:24
	He mourned over Jerusalem	Matthew 23:37-39
	He desired companionship	Matthew 26:38, 40
	He was weary from His journey	John 4:6
	He wept over the death of a friend	John 11:35
	He was thirsty on the Cross	John 19:28

Jesus experienced the total range of human emotion and temptation because He was "tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

The fact that He is fully human, but without sin, qualified Him to be the sacrifice for sinful humanity. Since He is God, His death has infinite value so that He died for one and for all at the same time. He is the God-Man – both fully God and fully man. Both of these are equally true: one cannot reject the deity of Jesus without doing away with the all-sufficiency of His sacrifice; and one cannot reject the humanity of Jesus without doing away with the only satisfactory sacrifice for sin. That is why tampering with the biblical teaching about Christ leads to stumbling badly spiritually! Either of the two errors render ineffective biblical salvation for those who stay in error. It is important to know that Jesus Christ is a complete human being because His humanity is made up of spirit, soul, and body like everyone else. As a human, Jesus is a faithful and merciful High Priest to represent us before God (Hebrews 2:17).

Why Jesus Had to Be a Man

Hebrews 1 has seven reasons why Jesus Christ was God in the flesh. We pointed out some of these in a previous chapter. This time we want to see in Hebrews 2 the seven reasons why Jesus left heaven's glory and became a man:

Hebrews 2:5-8

5 For He [God] did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.

6 But one has testified somewhere, saying, "What is man, that Thou rememberest him? Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him?

7 "Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, And hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands;

8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet."

The World to Come Is Subjected to Man — Jesus became a man because the world to come is to be subjected to man and not to angels. Man fell for Satan's temptation and sinned, thus subjecting himself to Satan's dominion. Therefore, it was necessary for God to become a man in the person of Jesus Christ. He defeated Satan and became the head of a new group of men whom He delivered from Satan's dominion (Colossians 1:13). Jesus then, as a true man, is the one to whom the world to come will be subjected.

To Bring Many Sons to Glory — Jesus became a man in order to bring many sons to glory. Hebrews 2 tells us why this is true:

Hebrews 2:9-10

9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.

10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.

Here we see that God's intention is to bring many sons to glory. To accomplish this there had to be a Savior fitted for the task. The Savior had to be one of the kind who was to be saved. So, God became man that through the suffering of death on the Cross He might bring many sons to glory.

Prophecy Had to Be Fulfilled — Another reason Jesus had to become a man was to fulfill the Old Testament Scriptures. Hebrews refers to Psalm 22:22 and Isaiah 8:17-18 in this passage:

Hebrews 2:11-13

11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father;
for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 saying, "I will proclaim Thy name to My brethren,
In the midst of the congregation I will sing Thy praise."

13 And again,
"I will put My trust in Him."
And again,
"Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me."

The Messiah was to proclaim in the midst of the congregation the praise of God and say, "Behold, I and the children whom God has given Me." God became the man Jesus in order to fulfill prophetic Scripture.

To Render the Devil Powerless — Hebrews 2:14-15 gives us a reason I like very much! God had to become man to defeat Satan and rob him of the sting of death. The Scripture says,

Hebrews 2:14-15

14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.

Notice the past tense there, "who had the power of death." Jesus took away the power of death from the devil. Elsewhere, the Apostle Paul wrote:

1 Corinthians 15:56-57

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law;

57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We may not want to die, but we have no reason to really fear death because we know what is on the other side.

To Deliver Us from Slavery to Satan — Jesus left heaven's glory so that He "might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives" (Hebrews 2:15). Jesus delivers those who come to Him — those who had been in slavery to Satan because they feared death. Verse 16 goes on to say, "For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham." Paul tells us that those who belong to Jesus are the offspring of Abraham ( Galatians 3:29). Believers need have no fear of death because the sting of death has been taken away by Christ (1Corinthians 15:55-57). We can serve Jesus in peace and in joy because we are no longer in slavery to Satan.

To Provide Us a Perfect High Priest — The sixth reason why Jesus became man is that we need a perfect high priest — "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people" (Hebrews 2:17). Jesus is a merciful High Priest because He understands us since He is one of us. He is a faithful High Priest because He is God in the flesh and He remains faithful to God.

To Aid Those Who Are Tempted — Our final reason is found in Hebrews 2:18. God became a man to deliver those who are tempted. The verse says this, "For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted." If you need help in your temptation, Jesus Christ is the one who knows how to deliver you. He is the one who has suffered in all ways as we have, yet without sin. And He is able to deliver you from temptation. Paul wrote: "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Make It Personal

Jesus Christ died for your sins on Calvary's Cross and rose again from the dead on the third day. Because He is the Son of God, His death has infinite value. No number of people, however vast, can exhaust the value of His sacrifice. Certainly your sins can be covered by His blood shed on Calvary if you will trust Him.

Because He is the Son of Man, He is one of us. He has come in the flesh. His death could and did pay for the sins of mankind — your sins and mine. Will you trust Him today as your Savior and Lord?

1 John 4:2-3

2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;

3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.

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