The Humanity of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ was one person with two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. He was both fully God and fully man.

Biblical Sermon Outline

By Pastor Ron Jones, www.titusinstitute.com

I. Jesus Christ is fully man. He has a human nature.

A. Jesus claimed that he was a man.

Jn.8:40
Mat.16:15-16
Mat.16:27-28

"Son of Man" = Jesus uses this title of himself as the human messiah who came to redeem all mankind

Isa.9:6
Dan.7:9-14
Mk.14:61-62

B. The apostles claimed that he was a man.

1 Tim.2:5
Mat.1:1-17
Lu.3:23-38

C. Jesus' earthly life showed that he was a man. His human characteristics were true of his human nature (and body).

Lu.2:40-52 Jesus grew
John.4:6 Jesus became tired
Mat.4:12 Jesus was hungry
Jn.19:30-34 He died

II. The Union of the Two Natures in Christ and Its Interpretation

Jesus Christ was one person with two natures, a divine nature and a human nature. He was both fully God and fully man. Christ's two natures are united and yet distinct an unmixed.

A. Key interpretive principles in regard to the deity and humanity of Christ

1. The Scriptures refer to Jesus as one person with a human nature and a divine nature.

Gal.4:4-5
1 Jn. 2:22-23
1 Jn. 4:15
Rom.9:5
Lu.6:5

2. Jesus, as one person, may be referred to by a divine title and yet his human nature is described.

1 Cor.2:8
Jn. 8:58

2. Jesus, as one person, may be referred to by his human title and yet his divine nature is described.

1 Jn.4:2
Jn. 3:13
Jn. 6:62

4. He can exercise a divine attribute at any given moment even though he is regularly exercising his human attributes as he lives as a man.

Jn.1:48
Jesus exercises His divine knowledge and knows that Nathanael was under a fig tree

Mat.24:36
Jesus does not exercise His divine knowledge and know the hour.

5. The Scriptures refer to Jesus in His redemptive/messianic role as the one person who submitted himself as both God and man to the Father's will.

a. Jesus' messianic titles, Redeemer, Prophet, Priest and King refer to Him as the God-man.

b. When he became a man, he became a servant and only exercised His divine attributes (he still possessed his divine nature) as the Father willed for the plan of redemption.

Jn.6:38
Matt. 26:42
Jn.4:34

Jn.12:49-50
For I did not speak on my own accord, but the father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. So whatever I say is just what the father has told me to say.

c. As the God-man messiah and redeemer he was granted authority to act as redeemer both to reveal Himself and to save and judge mankind.

Jn.17:2-3
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the Father granted him divine glory and honor as the God-man by restoring the Son's own glory.

Phil.2:9-11
God the Father exalted him as the God-man to His right hand

"When jesus ascened into heaven, not only was his divine nature restored to its previous position of infinite glory, but his human nature was also exalted.”

 

III. Interpreting Specific Verses Relating to Jesus Christ as the God-man

A. How can Jesus not know the hour if He is God who knows all things?

Mat 24:36
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Jn.21:17 Peter said, “Lord, you know all things…”

Answer:
Jesus only exercised His divine attributes in accordance with the Father's will and His redemptive purpose of revealing who He was. Therefore, at times He did not exercise His divine omniscience as He did not exercise His divine omnipotence. Here as a human being he certainly did not know and His divine ominsicience was not activated in His human mind to reveal that to Him.

It was part of the divine plan of redemption for Jesus as a human being not to exercise His divine attribute of omniscience to know the hour. So this refers to his human nature and its limitations.

Rev.1:17-18
Jesus appears in His glory - the full use of His divine attributes are restored and Jesus knows the future. He will be there.

B. How could Jesus be forsaken if he is one with the Father?

Matt. 27:46
“And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’”

Jn.10:30
“I and my Father are one.”

Answer:
1 Pet.2:24
Jesus bore the sins of the world on his body. It was his human nature that bore the sin and it was his human nature that was forsaken. At that moment of sinbearing when Jesus was paying the penalty for sin, in judgment of sin, the Father rejected the human nature of Jesus and Jesus felt it as a human and cried out to God.

C. How can Jesus be tempted if Jesus is God?

Matt.4:11
“Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.”

Jas.1:3
“Let no man say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God, for God cannot be tempted with evil, nor does he tempt anyone.’”

Answer:
He was tempted as a man, in his human nature. Not as God. God cannot be tempted.

D. How can the Father be greater than Jesus if Jesus is also God?

Jn.14:28
“You have heard how I said to you, ‘I go away, and will come again to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go to the Father, for my Father is greater than I.’”

Answer:
Jesus is speaking of himself in his submitted role as the redeemer, both in relationship to the Father's authority over him and in relationship to his humanity.

The context is that Jesus was "…going away…” Why does Jesus mention that the Father is greater than him? So they would rejoice for Him.

Although in his divine nature, he was fully equal to the Father as the Mediator between God and man, in his human nature and his role of submission the Father was greater than him.

This is a parallel statement to John 17:5 where Jesus says that he will return to heaven and receive the glory he had with the Father (as the second person of the Trinity), but this time as the God-man. He is saying that the Father is greater than him in his glory in heaven, but when Jesus returns to heaven, he will return to that greatness (glory) he had with the Father before the world was.

Jesus would share in the "greatness" of the Father as the God-man.

Jn.10:29-30
29My Father, who gave them [my sheep] to me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.”

When Jesus says this he is saying that no one is greater than the Father and no one is greater than him because he and the Father are one. This describes his deity and equality with the Father.

Jn.14:28 describes the submissive role as man he took on in redemption.

Both statements by Jesus are true and consistent because he is both God and man!