Why Did God Create Mankind?
Lesson 3, Part 3
Was Jesus Christ Truly a Man?
Because of the crucial role Jesus plays in the destiny of mankind, it is essential that we understand His humanity.
On several occasions Jesus of Nazareth is plainly called a man. Unlike the English language, the Greek tongue has two terms for man. One is anthropos , which merely means a man as representative of the human species.
The second Greek word, aner , means a man solely as a male human. Both words are used to describe Jesus Christ.
Many years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, how did the apostle Paul refer to Him?
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man [Greek anthropos ] Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
Any understanding of Jesus Christ’s role and purpose must be based on this historic fact. Jesus’ manhood was full and complete (Philippians 2:5-8) in the sense that He lived a life as a physical human being—He became hungry and ate, got tired and rested and walked and talked just like any other man. (The book of Hebrews fully attests to Christ’s existence as a human being. It would be well worth your time to read and meditate on the book of Hebrews from this perspective.)
As a man, Jesus had nothing in His appearance to distinguish Him from other men of His time (Isaiah 53:2). The essential difference was in the realm of the spiritual. Unlike any other member of the human species (Ecclesiastes 7:20); (Romans 3:23). Jesus Christ never sinned (compare (Hebrews 4:15); (1 Peter 2:22). He carried out His Father’s will perfectly!
What did Jesus accomplish during His short lifetime on earth?
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth [was] a Man [Greek aner] attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know” (Acts 2:22).
Though Jesus was truly a man, a physical human being, yet He came forth from God. God was His Father and the Holy Spirit the agent of procreation. He was miraculously conceived and born of a virgin (Mary) of the line of King David. Luke 3 contains His maternal genealogy. His legal genealogy (through Joseph) is found in the first chapter of Matthew. Truly Jesus Christ is both the Son of Man and the Son of God.
What was one of the biggest heresies that threatened the first-century Church?
“…Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1 John 4:3); compare (2 John 7).
Denying Jesus Christ’s humanity leads people away from the truth of God. If He had not been truly human, then His sacrifice for our sins would be null and void. Yet this same heresy that afflicted the early Church persists even to this day, creating doubt and confusion as to Jesus Christ’s true nature and role.
Glossary
A brief summary of definitions for words used in this lesson.
Character: Spiritually defined as the ability to discern God’s right way from the wrong, and to voluntarily surrender one’s own will to do what is right in God’s sight and, with the promised supernatural help, to resist the wrong even under pressure and temptation. God has perfect, righteous character implicit in His very Being.
Heaven: The Bible speaks of three heavens: (1) the atmosphere surrounding earth, that is, the sky (Acts 1:9-11); (2) space, including our solar system and the observable stars and galaxies (Genesis 1:14-18); (Psalms 8:3); and (3) the location of God’s throne, from where He governs the entire universe, called “the third heaven” (2 Corinthians 12:2). Solomon said: “God is in heaven and you are on earth” (Ecclesiastes 5:2). In the Bible, the context usually tells us which of the three “heavens” is being discussed.
Humankind: Humanity, mankind (men, women and children with mind capacity), homo sapiens as a species distinct from species of the animal kind.
Image: The word image is generally used throughout the Bible in a literal sense to denote a physical or material representation, whether in human or animal form. In a theological sense, it denotes a relationship between man and his Creator, God.
Image of God: This biblical expression encompasses the purpose of God’s creation of humankind. As explained in this lesson, mankind was created for a special relationship with God and with the potential of manifesting the character and nature of God.
Likeness: Denotes similarity, resemblance, representation, etc.
Man: Biblically defined as especially created by God as both male and female in His own image—a distinction not accorded to the animal world. At creation man was given free will, a capacity for rational thought patterns, and dominion over the animals.
Science: Primarily the pursuit and study of physical and material knowledge, particularly in a systematic and organized manner, of spiritual matters.
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