Many people believe that even though Jesus was born of an earthly woman, He was still
fully God. But many question the idea that He was also fully man. To answer
that question, I will quote the following taken from Paul E. Little's book "Know
What You Believe."
"Jesus was not only fully God - He was also fully man, fully human.
This is a vital aspect of the person of Christ. If He were not fully human, He
could not have represented us on the cross. Also, He could not be the High
Priest who comforts and strengthens us. As a man, He has gone through our human
experience (Heb 2:16-18), and He is fully able to understand and sympathize
with us. That is an astonishing truth.
Though His conception was supernatural, Jesus' birth was that of a normal
child born of a human mother (Matt 1:18). He is spoken of as being born of the
seed of the woman (Gen 3:15) and of the seed of Abraham (Heb 2:16, KJV). In
this way, through the virgin birth, "the Word became flesh" (John 1:14). Jesus, as a normal child, grew physically and mentally: "And the child grew and
became strong; He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him"
Jesus referred to Himself as a man: "As it is , you are determined to kill
Me, a Man who has told you the truth that I heard from God" (John 8:40).
Others recognized Him as a man. (See Acts 2:22). He had a body, soul, and
spirit, and shared our physical and emotional experiences.
• Jesus got hungry and thirsty. (Matt 4:2; John 19:28).
• He got weary from traveling. (John 4:6).
• He needed sleep and refreshment. (Matt 8:24).
• He experienced and expressed love and compassion. (Matt 9:36).
• He was angry at those who defiled His Fathers house. (Matt 21:13).
• He denounced those who refused the truth of God. (Mark 3:5).
• He wept at the tomb of a dear friend. (John 11:35).
• He was troubled within as He faced the cross. (John 12:27).
In the Gospels Jesus called Himself the "Son of Man" eighty times. Though
He claimed attributes of deity, at the same time He asserted His identification
with us as sons of men by using this title. Although first used of an
apocalyptic figure in Daniel 7:13, Jesus used the phrase "the Son of Man"
frequently of Himself, specifically He was the one coming to give His life as a ransom
for many (Mark 10:45). Our Lord, as a man, according to A. H. Strong, was "free
from both hereditary depravity and from actual sin, as is shown by His never
offering sacrifice, never praying for {His own} forgiveness, teaching that all
but He needed the new birth, challenging the dissenters to convict Him of a
single sin."
Christ's humanity was as real and genuine as His deity. We must maintain
belief in both, emphasizing neither at the expense of the other. "
By George Konig
Christian Internet Forum
www.georgekonig.org
Sept. 21, 2003
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