Have you ever had a close friend or relative who believes in God, is a “good person” and/or is “very spiritual,” but either wants nothing to do with Jesus, or doesn’t believe He is the Son of God? When I was moving, some Latter-Day Saints (LDS) young men came to my door. They were doing their required one year of mission work, so they offered to help and carried a very heavy piece of furniture downstairs for me. Afterwards we talked. They told me they believed in Jesus and had chosen to follow Him. However, their Jesus is not God’s Son.
I have neighbors who are Jehovah Witnesses. They couldn’t be nicer, and they are very devoted to God. However, again, they don’t believe Jesus is God.
Sometimes I’ve wondered what God will say to those people when they meet Him face-to-face after death. Will He accept them into heaven because they are so devoted to their faith and have it “almost right?” I pray for them.
In this series about why, there were several truths about Jesus that can generate questions.
Jesus is fully God and always has been.
He was present and active at creation – long before He was born of Mary.
The Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – were all present and working at creation.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said…
(Genesis 1:1-3a)
Father God – God created the heavens and the earth
Holy Spirit – the Spirit of God was hovering
Jesus (God the Son) – And God said… Jesus is the Word of God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:1-5)
The Jehovah Witnesses’ bible changed John 1:1 to say “the Word was a god.” Big difference!
Believing Jesus existed and was just human – albeit a very good human – is not enough. Paul addressed this in 2 Corinthians.
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. (2 Corinthians 11:3-4)
I knew someone who believed in Yahweh, but not Jesus. Is that good enough?
No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:23)
Jesus was and is fully human
Jesus was born of a virgin. Sounds impossible?! Is there another explanation? Could He have been a clone? No. If He were somehow a clone, He’d be like His human mother. He couldn’t be a man. Scientifically, this is absolutely impossible. Of course, a virgin birth is also scientifically impossible (except maybe with in vitro fertilization!)
Since God created everything out of nothing, would it be too hard for God to fertilize one of Mary’s eggs so she could conceive a man child? Hardly!
How could a 100% human do all the miraculous works that Jesus did? And Jesus was 100% human, because He laid down His divinity when he became one of us. He was the Son of man who came to show us how to live. In addition, He did nothing in His own power but only said and did what His Father was doing. There is no doubt that you and I are fully human, but we aren’t going around healing people! Jesus said that we would do even “greater works.” Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. (John 14:12) And Mark 16: 17-18 tells us And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”
A perfect human had to bear the punishment for sin. This was foreshadowed in the sacrificial requirements of temple worship. Each animal offered to the Lord had to be perfect, unblemished.
Why is this so important?
Mankind had rebelled against God. Because of this, a man had to take the punishment for that rebellion. However, if all the human beings that ever lived were put to death for that sin, it wouldn’t be enough. And who would be left for God to love? Who would be left to fulfill God’s purpose for man to have dominion over the earth?
When I say that it wouldn’t be enough, think of the difference between a man and an ant. If an ant had bitten your child and caused his death, would killing that ant make up for the loss of your child? How about killing a million ants? Would that be enough? Hardly. (This is kind of a silly analogy, but it’s the best I could think of. 😊 )
Why didn’t God just forgive? Because He is also a God of justice. He couldn’t just sweep sin and rebellion under a cosmic rug and forget about it. He also knew we couldn’t pay the penalty, so He paid it Himself – with His Son.
So, here’s the answer in a nutshell to the question, why is it important that Jesus is both God and a man?
A human had sinned, so a human had to pay the penalty for the sin.
A Holy, Just God had been sinned against, so the sacrifice had to be holy, and sinless.
Only by being totally human and totally God could Jesus fulfill both requirements.
Thank You Father God,
for choosing to save us
and for sending Your Son.
Thank You Jesus,
for saying “Yes”, leaving heaven,
laying down your divinity,
and making the ultimate sacrifice.
Thank You Holy Spirit,
that You are with us every day,
teaching us, empowering us,
and making us more like Jesus