In recent days there has been some discussion on this fundamental doctrinal issue, “While on earth, was Jesus man or God?” This is not a new subject. For indeed it has been discussed since the first century. The Unitarian belief (as opposed to the Trinitarian) is that Jesus was a created being. Jesus was 100% flesh. They do not believe in the Trinity whereby God, Jesus and the Spirit are One.
Although there is a myriad of scripture that allude to this teaching, good hermeneutics requires that scriptural interpretation be holistic. We look at all teaching on the subject and determine our views based on it being congruent with all other scripture on the subject.
To conclude that this belief is either/or will create some doctrinal problems with both sides. Therefore, we believe that the Bible teaches that Jesus was both 100% man and 100% God. It is very difficult to get our finite minds around this infinite idea. But like all of God’s ways they are not mans.
Here are a few scriptures that require observance: The point being that scripture lands on each side of the issue and neither can be ignored or explained away.
Col. 1:15-18 He is the image of the invisible God, he is the firstborn over all creation. All things were created by him and for him in heaven and on earth…. He was in the beginning.
Col. 2:9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.
Heb. 1:3…He is the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
John 1:1-14 Jesus was in the beginning. Jesus was God. Jesus was with God in the beginning. Jesus became flesh and dwelt among us. His glory was the One and Only who came from the Father.
John 8:58 before Abraham was, I AM.
Heb. 4: 15 ….We have a high priest who sympathizes with us…Jesus was tempted in all ways as we are yet without sin.
Heb. 2: 18 Because he himself suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
Heb.5:8 Although he was man he learned obedience through what he suffered.
We cannot understand it, but Jesus was both God and man. Truly while on earth he was 100% man- Heb. 2:14-. He had a free will and could sin. He understood temptation and was indeed tempted. This set him apart from God, “God cannot be tempted, nor does he tempt.”
However, there was a part of Jesus that had no origin. He was with God and he was God. The very essence of God was found in the embodiment of Jesus. Jesus was indeed perfect. He knew God’s will completely, he followed God’s will to the letter, he always did the right thing.
For Jesus to be sinless meant that he always did the right thing. He not only refrained from the sins of commission but he knew all and avoided the sin of omission by doing the right thing at the right time, and having full knowledge of it.
Unlike him, we are incapable of being sinless. In this life we will never have the capacity or the awareness to not only avoid all temptation but also to always do the right thing. He that knows the right to do but doesn’t do it sins. What about committing sin that we don’t even know about. Like driving 50 mph in a 30 mph zone when you didn’t see the limit sign. We broke the law of the land and therefore sinned.
The only chance we have at living a “sinless life” is by walking in the light of Jesus and therefore having our sins continually washed away (I John 1:7). On our own, or by our own ambition we have no hope of living a sinless life. To think that we could walk through this life sinless is not only ludicrous but is also non-biblical (I John 1:10).
So, why did the writer of Hebrews mention that Jesus was a man like us, tempted in all ways, yet without sin? Clearly he was not attempting to compare Jesus with us. He intended to communicate that Jesus had the capacity to sympathize with our weakness and could extend grace knowing what temptation was really all about. He could have easily said, “Jesus created us, and as creator knows our weaknesses and therefore can understand how difficult temptation really is and is pulling for us.” Really it is saying just that.
The real crux of the debate comes down to whether Jesus is Lord or not. Actually all the arguments really lead to this one question; Is Jesus Lord of all? Will every knee bow to Christ some day? Will all lips confess someday that Jesus is Lord? Are we living our lives to honor our King Jesus?
Charlie