For some, believing that Jesus was a true man is nearly unthinkable.
They reason, for Jesus to be fully human, He would have had to inherit our human nature. Our nature is sinful. Therefore Jesus did not inherit a fully human nature. Therefore Jesus is God and only looks like a man at the same time.
This is the heresy of docetism, a word simply meaning that Jesus seemed to be a man, but really was not. It was rejected soundly by the First Council of Nicaea in 325. It is considered heretical by Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant churches alike. It is another Jesus, and another Jesus cannot be tolerated.
Now, though the heresy is defined, the problem remains: How is it that Jesus was born of a human but does not have the human nature?
The Roman Catholic scholars came up with a simple solution: Make Mary perfect. A decree went out from the new "Caesar Augustus" in Rome that indeed Mary was delivered of all her sin at the moment of her conception. This "Immaculate Conception" doctrine was long in coming. It was not until 1854 that the Roman folks decided this was revealed truth.
So, problem solved. Docetism denied. Mary perfected. Jesus can be fully human.
Not so fast. Scripture in no way backs up the claims of Rome, as is often the case. Not a peep, not a word, about Mary's immaculate conception. Jesus' , yes, but not Mary's. If the Scripture is to be the norm, we must categorically reject this invention of the "Holy See." And see it is not holy.
The answer is simpler. He did indeed inherit our nature. 100% of it. And fought it by the Spirit of God all His life. As He calls us to do.
The temptation in the wilderness was real. Jesus' human nature was pulled in all three directions that Satan suggested. The crying out in Gethsemane was real. The flesh said no, the Spirit was willing to go through with it. He passed this wisdom on to His sleeping disciples. They were examples of men without the Spirit, He was man with the fullness of God, walking in power, but not without a struggle.
No, the Bible is still true. Jesus was tempted in all points as we are, yes (Hebrews 4:15)? But without sin? Oh yes again!
There have been many attempts throughout the church's history to understand the nature of our Savior. Who can fathom a God become man, after all? Nevertheless, definitions based on Scripture have surfaced and stayed with us, and we are duty bound...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
BIBLE Q & A: 5, Luke 8:29-35. Why did the demons ask to be spared the abyss, and why did Jesus “answer their prayers”? “And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
BIBLE Q & A: 4, Why the cursing of the fig tree? Matthew 11:12-14, 20-24 “On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Continued from 3/25... 12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? They obviously had been infiltrated by the Greek philosophers, as mentioned in Acts 17....[ abbreviated | read entire ]
...continued from yesterday 3. The Jehovah's Witness idea of Jesus About 50 years after the Mormons came yet another group that denied the Bible's teachings about Jesus. They eventually came up with a different translation of the Bible to...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Jesus is Saviour, Your Saviour! He is God, He is man. Now people want to know, why did He come here? What's Christmas and Easter all about? The fact is, we are a rebel planet. The One Who created the Earth laid down specific regulations for...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
Three chapters in your Bible prove conclusively that Jesus is God the Son. Read these three chapters, then see if you can answer the following questions. Remember, these were Jesus' last words to His followers before He died. Very important! 1....[ abbreviated | read entire ]
I addressed the following comments first to the community called Albany Park in Chicago, where I have done street work for several years. Albany Park is a place of many cultures, many Christian expressions, and many religions that are not...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
God-forsaken. We use the word a lot, but it only happened once in history. “Why have You forsaken Me?” Jesus cried out as in His humanity which He allowed to play to the fullest, He had lost consciousness of Who He really is and Who is...[ abbreviated | read entire ]
