Was Jesus Christ’s Nature Divine While He Was Human?
by Bill Watson
In the beginning of the Church, back some 2,000 years ago, there was an awful lot of controversy surrounding this "Alien visitor" from another dimension of time and space. He was quite the disrupter of the status quo and caused a lot of questions with regard as to who this "Jesus" really was. Some even thought He was a prophet reincarnated from the dead to redress the times in which they lived.
Out of this visitation, many controversies and debates emerged, causing an enormous amount of "flurry" about His claims to be the Son of God. This spawned numerous heresies about His nature and just how could He be God's Son and human at the same time. It was hard to wrap your mind around this—it was a real conundrum and went on for about 600 years! Nothing like this ever happened before at this level. So, many of the religious leaders began attempting to rationalize just how this could be, or couldn't be.
Some of these historical heresies were quite different from each other and had many names, like Adoptionism, which denied Christ's pre-existence, and Docetism, which was advanced by the Gnostics, claiming Christ only "seemed" to have a body, but it wasn't real. At best, it was an illusion! Then there was Apollinarianism, the teaching that denied the true and complete humanity of Jesus. He was completely divine, thereby putting Him above us humans. Arianism was another, and Nestorianism in the fifth century, and Monothelitism in the seventh century. It just seemed to go on and on and on—the religious leaders just couldn't leave it alone!
But what does the Bible say? Is Christ's nature provable—was it Divine or not, while He was human? What do the Scriptures say concerning His nature? Interestingly, the Bible is very clear about Jesus' nature. The truth is embedded in the stories surrounding His ministry and the details in the circumstances He contended with, plainly illustrating His nature. Unfortunately, many of those details were ignored in those early years.
However, right from the start, Mary was made aware something special was going on in her womb. Gabriel explained God's Holy Spirit was to impregnate her, and she would bring forth a baby that would be considered the Son of God (Luke 1:26-35). Later, Joseph was told His name would be Immanuel (God with us) (Matthew 1:23). And by the time Jesus was 12 years old, He already knew He needed to be "about my Fathers business" (Luke 2:49). He knew He had a responsibility to the Father, proving His nature was all about doing a Divine work! He was here on a "Divine Mission" and had no doubt about His purpose, objectives, and where He was from!
We must keep in mind that Jesus pre-existed and had visited Earth on many occasions, as recorded in the Old Testament. He walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden, had lunch with Abraham, and enjoyed a very close relationship with Moses. He wrestled with Jacob and provided protection to Daniel's three friends when they were thrown into the furnace by king Nebuchadnezzar. Jesus, in His original Spirit embodiment, had visited Earth many times, conducting a variety of missions as He worked His and the Father's plan of salvation.
Finally, He was born in human flesh—incarnate! But, unlike the other times, in the Old Testament, He could not appear and reappear at will. This time, He was "stuck"—attached, or fastened—to a fleshy embodiment that did not allow Him the freedom to "shape-shift" back into His Spirit form. This time, like a human, He was limited and prevented by the physical body He was in from doing the things He could when in His pre-existent, Spirit embodiment. However, this did not take away from His knowledge of who He was and what His mission was defined as. He knew very well why and what He was doing. There was no hesitation or lack of confidence about His ministry. He was aware of the tasks He had to accomplish and went about doing them throughout His ministry.
The blind had their sight restored. The deaf had their hearing returned. The lame walked and those that were crippled were healed. He turned water into wine and fed thousands with a handful of fish and a few loaves of bread. He walked on water and cast out demons. And yes, even the demons recognized Him when He came upon them in His human form (Matthew 8:23-34).
During His temptations with Satan, He told Satan it was not right to "tempt the Lord your God" (Matthew 4:7). This plainly told Satan it wasn't good to tempt Him, clearly stating He was the Lord God He was talking about. Notice in Matthew 4:10 that He tells Satan to get behind Him, and only He shall be worshipped, and only He shall you serve—again, talking about Himself! Jesus was aware of who He was. He never lost that "connection," nor did He "forfeit" the consciousness of His divinity, regardless of being human. He even claimed the same name He told Moses thousands of years before when saying He was the "I AM" (John 8:58)!
Jesus' nature always included the knowledge and self-actualization—memory— of who He was. He knew He came from the Father (John 17:5) and was looking forward to returning to the glory He had before His incarnation. Christ's connection to His heavenly origin was undoubtedly embedded in His consciousness, assuring Him of His Father's love and favor.
However, this is not unlike the similar relationship we "potentially" can have with both Christ and the Father if we maintain the vision and faith in their plan of salvation. Like in Christ's condition, we too can live assured that we are involved in a divine destiny as long as we endure to the end (Matthew 24:13; 10:22; Mark 13:13; Revelation 2:10).
But, keep in mind, Christ was still human. He also had to endure to the end, sinless, to fulfill the process of "trail-blazing," the path that would be used for redeeming mankind from the grips of sin and death. This is made clear in Hebrews 2. This chapter explains how man was intended to have all things subjected unto him (mankind)—"But now we see not yet all things put under him" (Hebrews 2:5-8).
Instead, we see Jesus who was made lower than the angels, made from the seed of Abraham, so He could suffer death and destroy the works of the devil, securing us, who are tempted throughout this fleshy life, as He was when He too was confined in a human tabernacle (Hebrews 2:9-18)! This resulted in having a Savior who can be touched with our infirmities—the fears, anxieties, doubts, and insecurities—and be confident He understands us while in this frail condition of flesh and blood (Hebrews 4:14-16). He was "in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin"—as a human being!
Yes, we have a Savior that was both human and divine. He can be touched by our human existence as we know it, yet He maintained a clear understanding He was on a divine mission to fulfill the prophetic writings He composed about His own destiny. However, it didn't dismiss the risk He was surrounded by. He knew what was at stake but proceeded with a sense of determination and commitment that could not be shaken. This is the example we, as His "called out ones," need to follow so we too may be able to obtain the prize that is offered to us as co-heirs to the promises He has made in His Word (Romans 8:14-23)!
For more on this topic, watch Bill Watson's sermon, "Christ is God Incarnate"