God the Son

God the Son

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Speaking about Jesus Christ, the Apostle John writes: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning… No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known. (John 1v1, 18)

• · By becoming a man, He humbled Himself (Philippians 2v8)
• · To confirm God's promises (Genesis 3v15).
• · To reveal the Father (John 1v18, 14v9)
• · To become our high priest (Hebrews 8v1).
• · To become our representative before God (1 John 2v1).
• · To destroy all the works of satan (1 John 3v8, Hebrews 2v14)
• · To give an example of a holy life (1 Peter 2v21, 1 John 1v6)
• · To prepare for the redemption of all creation (1 John 2v2)

In this way, God himself has taken on the responsibility for our sins. Jesus, the Son of God, bore our sins on the cross, becoming sin for us, even though he was himself, sinless. By doing this, we are drawn to him in a personal way. God has shown that he loves us and wants us in a relationship with himself. Through Jesus, God has bridged the gap between the supernatural and the natural, the infinite and the finite, to show us what He is like. Jesus as God in person gives humanity a focal point to respond to. God does not compel us to love Him, but invites all to a dynamic relationship with Him. If Jesus were not God, then he would be part of the problem and therefore need to be redeemed himself! This is an untenable proposition. Jesus whilst being fully God, didn’t lose any of that divinity when he became human. Instead of losing anything, Jesus gained humanity. This divine and human nature unity is called ‘hypostatic union‘.

1. The Incarnate Of God

His full glory was hidden (John 17v6). He lived on the resources of his Father (John 5v19-20 & 30, 14v10). He emptied Himself (Philippians 2v5-7) and this process is called ‘kenosis’.

• Surrendered the relative divine attributes (e.g. omnipotence) -->> tends to deny Jesus' deity.
• He gave up all of the divine attributes. --->> Rejects outright Jesus' deity.
• He was made like us (Philippians 2v7). God the Son, The Word, Jesus Christ became flesh (John 1v4).

2. The Humanity of Christ

He was fully human and explicitly called a man (John 8v40; 1 Timothy 2v5). He was born of a woman (Galatians 4v4), so at least in a prenatal state he was nurtured and formed as any other male baby was and is. With his humanity, he exhibited normal human emotions such as love, weeping, sadness, anger and anguish. Jesus ate and drank. He had a body and a soul (Matthew 26v26-38). Jesus grew tired. He slept and perspired. He had human experiences - temptations (Hebrews 2v18); hunger (Matthew 4v12). Jesus died just as all mortal people do. Religiously, he worshipped as a Jew. He was human in every way that we are - physically, mentally and emotionally.

The only exception to this is that He was sinless (2 Corinthians 5v21; Hebrews 2v26). He was the Son of Man and Son of God and did not inherit the carnal nature that all humans have.

But why did Jesus need to fully human? Firstly, so Jesus death could appease God’s anger with us. Secondly so that Jesus can empathize and pray for us. Thirdly, Jesus exhibited true and perfect humanity. Fourthly, due to his perfect humanity, Jesus is to be our example to follow. Fifthly, while God is both above and beyond, the incarnation He is not so far removed from us, that He cannot interact with his creation.

One of the church father’s, Anselm, wrote that God’s salvation plan for humanity involved triumphant victory over sin, death and the grave. However no person could be found that was eligible or capable to do this. Because of this, God stepped into the human history, so that this victory could be achieved. This God-man would be fully human, so as to live every feature of humanity, including suffering and death. This God-man would also need to remain fully God, so as to defeat sin, death and the grave. Jesus, being sinless, was this God-man, consisting as he did of two complete natures, the God nature and the human nature.

3. The Deity Of Christ

·Jesus is expressly called God - (John 1v1) The Word was God; (John 1v14) The Word became flesh; (John 1v18) The only begotten God; (John 20v28) My Lord and my God as declared by Thomas; (Titus 2v13) Our great God and Saviour, Jesus; (Romans 9v 5) Christ who is God overall; (Hebrews 1v8) About the Son, He says 'Your throne O God is forever and ever...’; (1 John 5v20) Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

• Old Testament description of God was applied to Jesus. (Matthew 3v3) 'Prepare ye the way of Jehovah'
• He possessed the attributes of God - (John 14v6) Life; (John 8v58) Eternal; (John 14v6) Truth
• The works of God were ascribed to Him - (Col 1v16) Creation; (John 20v28; 5v23) Receives honour worship and glory belonging to God.
• Jesus had equality with God - (John 10v30, 33) I and the Father are One; John 5v18) Making Himself equal with God; (Philippians 2v6) In His very nature God; (1 Timothy 6v15) King of Kings and Lord of Lords - God; (Revelations 19v16) King of Kings and Lord of Lords - Christ; (Isaiah 44v6; Revelations 1v8) - Alpha and Omega - God; (Revelations 22v13-16) - Alpha and Omega - Christ; (John 8v58) Before Abraham was I AM

4. Major Historical Heresies Concerning The Person of Christ

• Ebionite - Jewish heresy. Jesus was a man who received divine power at His baptism
• Docetist - believed that the material world was evil (Common Greek & Eastern idea). So Jesus could not have had a real body, He only appeared to be human, denying His deity.
• Arian - 4th Century. Arius taught that Christ was a created being, trying to explain the idea of Christ being the 'firstborn' or 'begotten'. Denied the deity of Christ
• Apollinarian - taught that Christ had a human body and soul, but that His spirit was divine. Denies the humanity of Christ.
• Nestorian - 5th Century. Denied the union of the divine and human natures in Christ. Christ became 2 people (man and God) in one body.
• Eutychian - 5th Century. Mixed divine and human natures to create a third type of person. The human nature was absorbed into the divine.

For more to think about please do read John 14v5-14. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

Q1. How does Jesus’ relationship with the Father, reflect my relationship with God?

Q2. How as a Christian disciple, do I explain to others about how to get to know God the Father?

Q3. How did Jesus’ earthly life and ministry, reflect the Trinitarian relationship between Father and Son?

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