Jesus Christ: The Real Story by United Church of God

Author:United Church of God
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: bible, christian, christmas, crucifixion, god, gospel, holy days, jesus christ, kingdom of god, kingdom of heaven, law, messiah, miracles, prophecy, resurrection, sabbath, salvation, ten commandments
Publisher: United Church of God

The God Who Became a Human Being

How could someone who is spirit, having lived for all eternity in the past, become human? Was Jesus a human being just like us? And when He was a human being, was He still God?

Jesus was prophesied to be "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Jesus was a human being and He was also God. There was never a time when He ceased to be who He always was. His identity did not change. When He was in the womb of Mary, He was God. When He was a baby boy lying in the manger, He was God. When He was a youngster growing up in Nazareth, He was God. And when He was dying, He was God.

As a spirit being, prior to His human birth, He was infinite in knowledge, power and presence. As God He would know everything and have unlimited power to act on any object, anywhere. But if He was human, He could not do everything. He would be limited to the normal abilities any normal human being would have. He could not have been both infinite and finite simultaneously.

A physical body with physical limitations

When Jesus became flesh He was still God in terms of His identity, but He was nevertheless a human being in every sense of the word.

Jesus had a physical body. His closest disciple attests that He was a physical person: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness" (1 John 1:1). John is establishing the humanity of Jesus Christ when he says they heard, saw and touched Jesus.

He had a fully human body. He was born. He grew and developed just like any other child.

Jesus was subject to the same physical limitations as other human beings, because He had the same kind of body. He experienced hunger when He fasted (Matthew 4:2) and thirst (John 19:28). He experienced fatigue from a long walk (John 4:6).

Jesus suffered physically and died. Hebrews 2:10 tells us that He was made "perfect through sufferings." Physiologically, He was a human being just as we are human, subject to death. "Since, therefore, the children share flesh and blood, he himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil" (verse 14, NRSV). He was made flesh "that He ...might taste death for everyone" (verse 9).

Jesus suffered terribly when He died, as is evident in the crucifixion accounts. When the spear was thrust in His side, water and blood poured out. His body was the same as ours. There can be no doubt that He felt physical suffering as genuinely as we do when He was beaten and scourged, when the crown of thorns was shoved onto His head and when the nails were driven into His wrists and feet.

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