One of the greatest mysteries of Scripture is that Jesus has within him two natures; he is true God and true man. Yet that truth is the foundation stone on which the Christian faith is founded. Without believing in the divine and human natures of Christ, saving faith is not possible. As Scripture plainly teaches, Jesus is true God and true man from eternity and as such is a part of the eternal Godhead of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
As true God, Jesus was present at the creation of the world and today sits on the throne of heaven. To believe in Jesus, one must acknowledge that he is true God, begotten of the Father from all eternity. “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
This meditation book is titled Real People. Its objective is to show that people in the Bible were human people with human failings and in every way just like us today. That can certainly be claimed of Jesus Christ also, who is in every way true man. He is a real person too. This fact is vital for us to acknowledge because without Christ’s human nature, there could be no salvation from sin. The Bible is clear that Jesus is true man.
A human body! It is clear that Jesus had a body that grew and functioned like every human being.
John 1:14, “The Word became flesh.”
Luke 2:7, “She gave birth to her firstborn, a son.”
Luke 2:40, “The child grew and became strong.”
John 4:6, “Jesus, tired as he was from the journey . . .”
John 19:28, “Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’”
Matthew 4:2, “He was hungry.”
Luke 23:46, “When he had said this, he breathed his last.”
Emotional! Jesus displayed human emotions like us.
Matthew 8:10, “He was astonished.”
Matthew 26:38, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow.”
John 11:33, “He was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.”
Hebrews 5:7, “He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears.”
A human mind! Although omniscient as the Son of God, Jesus’ human nature needed to grow in wisdom.
Luke 2:52, “Jesus grew in wisdom and stature.”
Mark 13:32, “No one knows about that day and hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son.”
A human will! Jesus contained two wills. As true man he needed to rely upon his Father.
John 6:38, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”
Matthew 26:39, “Not as I will, but as you will.”
Jesus took upon him each of these human characteristics to save us. In every way Jesus was true man, yet he never surrendered his attribute of being true God as well. As a man he would die for our sins, and as God he could live a sinless life and rise again from the dead. As a man he would be rejected, bruised and beaten, hungry and sorrowful, and as God he performed miracles, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. Understanding such a mystery is truly beyond our comprehension. Yet it is filled with the beauty of God’s love and shows his remarkable plan for our salvation. Jesus became a real person completely so that he might save us completely.
These mysteries will never be comprehended by our mortal minds. If ever there was a real person who lived like us, experienced our difficulties, felt the rejection of everyone around him, and cried our tears, it was Jesus. “Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).
Prayer thought: Consider the greatness of the two natures of Jesus; then say a prayer of thanksgiving that God would love us so much to plan for our salvation.
(From the book “Real People: Meditations on 101 People of the Bible” by Reynold R. Kremer)
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