Page 3, Continued on Pages 1, 2, 4, 5

However, in Time God, in addition to the Divine nature He already possessed, took on also a complete Human nature in the person of Jesus Christ, so that today He is fully God and fully Man and will be forever. Why? First, He became a Man in order to sacrifice His human body for our sins. Where as in all other religions their god requires a sacrifice, in Christianity God sacrificed Himself. In the old testament God required the sacrificing of a lamb without spot or wrinkle to atone for their sins. The lamb being without spot or wrinkle symbolized being without sin. No living man is without sin. First, because we are born with original sin, that is original sin’s effect on man: being soulishly and physically alive, but spiritually dead. This was another reason why Jesus had to be conceived of by the Holy Spirit rather than by man’s seed: so he would be spiritually alive also, having a living human spirit and thus a relationship with God so he could do and act only out of the initiative of the Holy Spirit through His human spirit. Without that ability, everything He would have done would have been by the Bible’s definition sin and thus He would not be able to die for our sins then. Therefore, Jesus had to be born with a living human spirit meaning that His human spirit was one with His divine spirit. So first Jesus became a man to live a sinless human life so he could become the lamb of God without spot or wrinkle for our sins. the Apostle John states and the Apostle Peter wrote about Jesus:

"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb-of-God taking the sin of the world.’" (John 1:29)

"Knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ." (1 Peter 1:18-19)

"For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." (1 Peter 2:21-24)

"And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin." (1 John 3:5)

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Another reason why God took on a human nature was so we could relate to Him and so He could have compassion on us. The writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us:

"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. 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." (Hebrews 2:17-18)

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:15-16)

Jesus became a man and lived a man’s life with all of man’s limitations as a man so that we could not say that He does not know what a we have to suffer through as men. He does know because He did live a man’s life with all of man’s limitations. He went through what a man goes through in Jesus Christ to the suffering and humility of being nailed on a cross. As a result when we go to God through Christ Jesus, we have an advocate in Christ Jesus.

To give you an example of this in my own life many years ago: For many years when my relatives could not sway me away from Jesus, they decided to take on more diabolical schemes to try and destroy me as a person in relationship to the church. They went to my then church and falsely accused me. As a result I was cut off from that church and all Christian friends I had at that time. When I went to Jesus in prayer about it, I prayed, "Jesus, even my best friends have abandoned me!" I was looking for, "Thus says the Lord, I will give you justice and everything will be okay!" or something of that kind. What was His response to my prayer? He said the following to me, "Dale, I know what you are going through. All my Apostles abandoned me when I went to the cross." I thought "Wow! He does know what I am going through because He has been there!" So you see He became a man, the writer of the Book of Hebrews tells us, that He might live a man’s life so that He could become a merciful High Priest on our behalf. This means He understands what we are going through and therefore can respond to us with understanding and compassion and grace, especially when in our humanity we fail Him and man. The passages above tell us that Jesus was tempted in all ways as we are. So he knows what we go through and we cannot say he does not because He lived a man’s life in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus said to Peter, when Peter tried to stop him from being arrested just before His crucifixion:

"Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:52-53)

How could Jesus know what a man goes through, if He was not obedient to the limitations of His humanity to death, even death on a cross. The writer of Hebrews tells us about Jesus in Hebrews 5:7-9,

"In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation."

This was the whole purpose of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness where he was tempted by the devil (Matthew 4, Luke 4). If Jesus was to be truly human, he had to be tempted in all ways as a man is. As a result, right after he was baptized, the Bible tells us that Jesus the man was thrust into the wilderness for forty days and nights to be tested. What was the test all about? The test was whether He would stay true to His humanity as a man, or whether He would use His divine power to feed His starving human body. That is in fact what Satan tempted Jesus to do. He told Jesus that if He was the Son-of-God He could turn stones into bread. Normal human beings cannot turn stones into breat, lol. Man lost his rule over the earth when Adam and Eve listened to the voice of Satan instead of God and then disobeyed God. As a result they relinquished it to Satan’s rule. The Bible states plainly that Satan is the ruler of this world.

"And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)

The Man Jesus Christ came to regain man’s rule over the earth through sinless obedience to God in His humanity. Satan told Jesus if He would just bow down and worship him, he would give Jesus the world now.

"Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and he said to Him, ‘All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Begone, Satan! For it is written, "You shall worship the Lord-Your-God, and serve Him only."’" (Matthew 4:8-10)

Satan knew if Jesus did this he would not then be able to save man. God’s plan for Jesus to regain the world was the way of the cross. Luke tells us that as Jesus got ready to face the cross that He was in such great stress that he sweat blood:

"And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground." (Luke 22:41-44)

But as to the nature of who this man Jesus was? It was prophesied in the Old Testament in passages like the following:

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty-El, Father-of-Eternity, Prince-of-Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)  Next Page

Continued on Pages 1, 2, 4, 5