The Touchable Christ
Preface: Everything we know we learn from scripture and not by our own thoughts, dreams or premonitions. The quesion of Jesus' humanity is a legitimate one that deserves to be weighed. The dilemma however is our desire to be like Him. A Son is like His Father. Our only likeness to Jesus is that we can depend on Him. He is our Mediator to the Father.
Thesis: The Word, that came out of the Godhead (Father-Word-Holy Spirit); left heaven to become one of us and to dwell with us for a while before paying our sin debt. Mankind’s death penalty was declared in Genesis 2:17 “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” The fulfillment of that penalty is reminisced in Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” The fact that Jesus is in the “Godhead,” is found in the New Testament. Colossians 2:9 says: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.” Also see: Acts 17:29 and Romans 1:20. This essay investigates the: "Fully God Fully Human" question.
God in His Glory can’t die, neither can an angel. The only reason humans die is because of sin. So then, Jesus became a human being in order to die for you and for me; He took our punishment (physical death) on Himself.
Because, we are born of a man, sin is in us; but! Because Jesus was not born of a man’s sperm His birth was a miracle because, Jesus is God, the Word that became flesh, and because He was and is without sin, the power of death had no control over Him. Jesus overcame the sting of death for all and that is why Satan and those who follow him hates Jesus (and His followers); you see! Even the unsaved will one day rise from their graves to be judged and sentenced according to their actions (their works). Oh, how sweet it is to be saved because of Jesus' faith (that His Father would raise Him from the dead) and not by our own selfish works. Being saved means that we are exempt from the final judgment, although! We will receive (and some will lose) rewards in heaven according to our works or lack of works, done here on earth. Either way, we’ve got the best deal; we can relax and do our best to please God rather than try to impress man…God sees through us...man can’t. Praise God!
Probe: What it means to be FULLY-Completely-Entiriely-Copiously-Wholly-Abundantly-Effusively-Totally-Flatteringly-GOD and, what it means to be a human being!
Misperception comes by forgetting and ignoring this truth: “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:” Colossians 1:27 The keyword is: hope.
Confusion comes when we don’t understand this verse: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14. This verse pertains to Solomon’s temple the place where God pledged to dwell (in His Glory).
”IF” (today in this our dispensation) we would humble ourselves and pray and turn from our wicked ways; would God dwell in our churches and homes? Yes, He would, “IF.”
Milieu: I’m not trying to compare Jesus (the Word, that became Flesh and dwelt among us) with fictional characters such as: Superman or Batman, but, we understand that these two fellows walked the earth [as all other human beings] until their super powers were needed and then they changed clothes (so to speak). Kryptonite was the super-guys Achilles heel; the Joker, and other nemesis’ taunted Batman until the end of the series. Jesus (on the other hand) had no powers that could be jeopardized without His consensus; example: dying on the cross. Jesus, gave His life; it wasn't taken from Him.
God is untouchable
Just as a human being will have to be changed from corruptible to incorruptible; from mortal to immortal; from flesh and blood to glorified bodies, in order to enter into heaven; Jesus, became a human being; the only sinless-mortal to ever live, in order to be one of (and with) us, He became touchable.
We shall one day be like Him (in the sense that we shall also be glorified).
So then, the Key-Word is Glory: Glorified-Glorious.
Jesus’ Brilliance/Splendor GLORY was shown on Him while He walked among us on this earth on two occasions. First: before His death and resurrection, on the Mount of Transfiguration; and again: after His resurrection, on the road to Damascus.
“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.” Matthew 17:1-3
“And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Acts 9:1-5
Grant it, Jesus’ power strength and might was witnessed many times while He was living on this earth. He raised the dead, He healed the sick, He made the blind see, He rebuked demons, He fed the hungry, He forgave sins; He promised a thief salvation. Jesus performed many wonders in His own Name; none of us can do these things. Only in the name of Jesus can we come close to His strength and fame.
Jesus is our LORD and Savior
Jesus is God the Son
Jesus is God the second in the Godhead
Jesus is the Word that became flesh
Jesus was the incarnate Christ
Jesus was and is sinless
Jesus is the Glorified (carnate) Christ
Yes! Jesus is all of the above and yet the one thing that clarifies His being Fully God and Fully Human is the difference between “Glory” and “flesh and blood.”
God is: Father-Son-Holy Spirit
Can a human enter into heaven? No
Can God enter this world? Yes
Can God (Glorified) die? No
Can a human die? Yes
Can God raise the dead? Yes
Can God take our sins upon Himself? Yes! And, that is what Jesus (the incarnate Christ) did.
When Glory Returns
Near the end of the: Great Time of Trouble (in the latter day) Christ Jesus will return to this earth in all His Glory (in His Glorified Body). He will be accompanied by those of us who accepted Him to be our LORD and Savior (we will be in our Glorified bodies). Read: 1Thessalonians 4; and remember to: "comfort one another with these words."
In these two verses Paul tells us how Jesus came to us the first time. Jesus could have come in His Glory but, He chose to make Himself a little lower than the angels so that He could die like any other man; He died in obedience to His Fathers command. “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2:7-8
What is the “Glory” of the LORD like in the scheme of things?
“And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.” Exodus 24:16
"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” Daniel 7:13
"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.” Matthew 17:1-3
When God (the second in the Godhead) became a human being, mankind couldn’t understand how that could be because some people insist that God is singular instead of United (Father-Son-Holy Spirit).
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” John 1:1-5
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:” Isaiah 11:10
“If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.” John 14:7
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Matthew 28:18-19
“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.” John 17:6
Would God pray to Himself? No
Would God speak of Himself as though He were someone else? No
Would the incarnate Son pray to His Father? Yes! And, He did.
Only human beings can die. The incarnate (human) Christ Jesus gave His life trusting (knowing) that His Father would raise Him up again; Jesus became our proxy. We are liken to scapegoats wandering in a wicked wilderness; some calling on our Redeemer when trouble lurks and others fighting their own battles without the proper skills.
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” Hebrews 2: 9
How can we understand who Jesus is if we don’t understand what it means to be God? We look at family trees and all of the begats and begots in the Bible, and yet we have a hard time understanding that God is not a singular spirit who stands in judgment of the unrighteous. God is plural. God is: Father-Son-Holy Spirit. God’s standards are high and yet He (the Godhead) knows that we cannot live up to them (on our own strength and merit).
Hebrews 2:5-18 King James Version (KJV)
5 For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him?
7 Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
14 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;
15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
Conclusion: Scripture makes it clear that the second in the Godhead (Jesus) became one of us (flesh, bone & blood) in every way except for one; He (unlike us) was not born with a sin nature. Before Jesus rose from the dead, He was Fully Human, but! After His Resurrection, He was Fully God again. Praise God!
God the Son-the Word, who: for a short time became flesh and blood took a thirty-three year leave of absence (from heaven) in order to feel our pain and to teach us how to treat our fellowman (the children the poor the ungodly the godly and, how to not yield to temptation).
Then He did what He had to do; He paid our sin-debt on the tree.
In Closing
God: the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit works in unison; They are One God.
Isaiah 55:8-9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
God: the Son, became a human being in order to validate His own command. Imagine knowing that an innocent Man loved you so much that He paid for your crime!
So then, what should our motto be? "Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory." Psalm 93:24
What do you do when you are free?
Do you rejoice and worship Him
or, do you live, to sin again?
Written for Rhyming Bible Truths Ministries (RTBM) by Betty Banks
Feedback: negative-positive-neutral are welcome.