“Is Jesus still a man, and does it really make any difference if He is or isn’t?” I’ve had this conversation with a several friends this past week, and I want to say YES he IS, and that makes ALL the difference in the world! If the whole incarnation was about nothing more than Jesus going to the cross to purchase forgiveness, then I suppose it really doesn’t matter. The humanity of Jesus might easily be something he could shed like a suit of work clothes once the job was completed. But if the incarnation goes beyond forgiveness to adoption, then the fact that there is still a man, (a divine God-man), sitting at the right hand of the Father means that you and I have a tangible human connection – a “brother” – within the eternal circle of the Trinity.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3:6) Jesus, being a Spirit from eternity past, had to be born of the flesh in order to become in every sense the God-man. In the same way, you and I, having been born of the flesh a few decades ago, must also be born of the Spirit in order to share that same amazing relationship He enjoys with his Father. (John 17:11 & 22) Jesus is not only our Savior; he is our divine/human connection between the Triune God and mankind. And that is crucially important if we are to delight in our place as God’s adopted sons and daughters. (See Ephesians 1:5 and Galatians 4:5)
How do we know Jesus is still a man? The resurrected Jesus invited Thomas to feel the wounds in his hands. (John 20:27). He was hungry, asked for food, and ate it. (Luke 24:42). He ascended into heaven as a man, (a glorified man, yet still a man), and the angel promised that He would return “in the same way you saw him go up into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons and Gnostics of every sort reject this idea. But more tragic still, the church has overlooked it to the point that many even wonder if it’s important at all. And so we stop at forgiveness when we could be enjoying fellowship around the table of the Father, Son, and Spirit. This Christmas I’m rejoicing not only because the Savior broke the curse of sin, but because his incarnation gives me a place at his table today. I am no longer alone.
“God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” (Galatians 5:5)
Dispatches from the Shadowlands 
Don…
I work with a Jehovah Witness, but she has no joy. She seems constantly afraid of “doing it wrong” or fearful of an angry god’s retribution. When I gently asked her why she always seems so cheerles, she replied that she has joy in her heart and a quiet personality. My response was that I have no problem with quiet personalities and quiet hearts (in fact, I love them) but if that quiet joy never gets to the outside where others can see or sense it within, then how can one be a Witness for the Jehovah one professes to serve so passionately? If we fellowship with Jesus, then our lives should radiate His presence in our lives, and others will see that and be drawn to the Savior we serve. If not, we’re only closet Christians and hiding our light under a bushel. God never intended our salvation to make us members of a secret society; we are to be “a city set on a hill”, proclaiming Christ to a world in darkness and “the salt of the earth”, making those around us thirsty for the Living Water we have to share with them. Something to think about…
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DON!
YEESSSS!!!! If not, then what’s the point?
You know I’m loving this post! I am once again reading Baxter – ‘The Great Dance’. I’m loving it, again!
Check this out…
“The beloved Son stepped out of eternity in to history to be the point of meeting, the point of union, the connection between the Trinity, on the one side, and humanity on the other. The Son became human to be the place where the life o the Trinity intersects with and flows into human existence, and human existence is taken up in to the life of the Trinity, now and forever… He brought a union between divine and human existence. …For the dream is for the whole earth to be alive with the glory of God, filled with the great dance of the Father, Son and Spirit.”
I’ve never understood how we can call Jesus “brother”. (It always seemed so irreverent.) But now I understand that I can actually come before the father BECAUSE Jesus is my “brother”.
Anyway, thanks for your post, man. I really look forward to seeing you.
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Don, i’ve got a question about this. Where does Jesus live now? The man asking thought Jesus would be somewhere in one of the spheres of the universe and that he would both be freezing and starving to death and therefore concluded that Jesus was only spirit after his resurrection. I tried to show him from the verses you referred to as well to show him that Jesus was and still is human. But it’s hard to explain where he lives. I mean, it is hard for me to grasp that he lives in heaven (not in the sky) and in my heart at the same time.
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