Jesus is fully God and fully human, one person with two natures. Because he is human, he could take our place, he understands our struggles, and he shows us what humanity was meant to be. Because he is God, his death is sufficient to save us. Jesus serves as our prophet, priest, and king. He rose bodily from the dead, ascended to heaven, and now intercedes for us.
Why Jesus Is Central
In Lesson 3, we touched on Jesus as part of the Trinity. Now we explore his rich and meaningful identity more fully, to see why he is absolutely central to the Christian faith.
The Humanity of Jesus
The Bible teaches that Jesus was fully human in body, soul, mind, and will (Hebrews 2:17). In the incarnation, the eternal Son of God became one of us. He experienced the ordinary limits of being human. He got tired (John 4:6), hungry (Matthew 4:2), and thirsty (John 4:7). He felt every human emotion (Matthew 26:37). He was born (Luke 2:7), grew up (Luke 2:52), suffered (John 19:1-3), and died (Mark 15:37). He was tempted just as we are, yet he never sinned.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Jesus also rose in a human body (Luke 24:39-43), and he remains human forever. His humanity matters for several reasons:
- He can represent us. As one of us, his death can truly apply to us (Hebrews 2:14).
- He understands us. He can sympathize with every weakness and temptation we face (Hebrews 4:15-16).
- He shows what humanity was meant to be. Jesus reveals what God had in mind when he created us.
- He is our example. He prayed and lived in dependence on the Spirit, modeling the life we are called to live.
- He affirms the physical world. By taking on a body, Jesus showed that the material world isn’t evil.
- He shows that God is near. God actually lived among us, and he still acts in the human realm today.
The Divinity of Jesus
When Jesus became human, he didn’t give up his deity in any way. He remains God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, eternally equal with the Father (Romans 9:5).
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Jesus identified himself with the God who appeared to Moses as “I AM” (Exodus 3:14) when he said, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). He claimed unity with the Father (John 10:30). God calls himself the “Alpha and Omega” (Revelation 1:8), a title Jesus applies to himself (Revelation 22:13). The New Testament writers saw him as equal with God in every way (Philippians 2:6), and Hebrews applies the title “God” directly to him (Hebrews 1:8).
The Bible also credits Jesus with works only God can do. He created all things (John 1:3) and has power over creation (Matthew 14:22-33). He forgives sins (Mark 2:5-7) and will judge the world (John 5:22). He receives prayer (Acts 7:59-60) and worship (Philippians 2:9-11). His divinity matters too:
- We can know God. Prophets brought messages about God. Jesus is God, so in him we see what God is like.
- Salvation is possible. Because Jesus is fully God, his death for our sins is sufficient.
- God crossed the gap himself. No created being bridged the chasm sin created. God did.
- Jesus deserves our worship. He is owed the same adoration and obedience we owe the Father.
One Person, Two Natures
The New Testament describes Jesus with both divine and human qualities, but it never divides him into two persons. He is one person with two natures: the divine nature he shares eternally with the Father and Spirit, and the human nature he took on at his incarnation. Theologians call this the hypostatic union. The two natures are united without confusion, change, or loss. Jesus isn’t part God and part human. He is fully both.
Prophet, Priest, and King
Theologians have long described Jesus’ work in terms of three Old Testament offices.
- Prophet. Prophets revealed God to people. Jesus is the perfect prophet, because he reveals the Father not only with his words but with his very person (Hebrews 1:1-3; John 14:9).
- Priest. Priests represented people before God so they could be forgiven. Jesus is the perfect high priest (Hebrews 7:26-28). Through his sacrificial death, we are reconciled to God (Hebrews 9:11-12).
- King. Israel’s kings carried out God’s rule, and Israel longed for a ruler who would sit on David’s throne forever. That king is Jesus (Luke 1:32-33). He is head of the church now (Colossians 1:18), and one day he will rule over everything (Philippians 2:9-10).
The Resurrection of Jesus
All four Gospels describe how Jesus rose from the dead, just as he predicted (John 2:18-22). His resurrection was bodily. He rose in real flesh, not as a ghost (Luke 24:39). People recognized him (John 20:20), and he talked and ate with them (Luke 24:41-43). Yet his body was also different. He entered locked rooms (John 20:19) and appeared and disappeared (Luke 24:31). His glorified body, no longer subject to death or weakness, is the model for our future resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).
The resurrection is the core of the Christian message (Acts 2:32). It declares Jesus to be the Son of God (Romans 1:4) and sets him apart from every other religious leader in history. Without it, there is no salvation.
1 Corinthians 15:17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
The Ascension of Jesus
After his resurrection, Jesus spent 40 days with his disciples before he was taken up into heaven (Acts 1:3, 9). The ascension shows that his work as Savior is finished. Now he sits at God’s right hand, the place of highest honor and authority. From there, he continues his priestly ministry by praying for us.
Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.
The ascension also started the countdown to Jesus’ return. He will come back the same way he left: bodily and visibly (Acts 1:11). We’ll explore that in Lesson 13.
The Takeaway
Jesus is fully God and fully human. As a human, he took our place, understands our weakness, and shows us what we were made to be. As God, he has the power to save us completely. He is our prophet, priest, and king, and he rose from the dead and reigns today. Getting Jesus right is the most important thing in theology. In Lesson 6, we’ll meet the Holy Spirit.
