We’re going through the New Testament looking for further understanding on the Trinity and while in the gospels especially looking at the nature of Christ. How did he see himself and how did his contemporaries see him?
Tonight, we’re going to close up Luke and then get set to dive deep as we go into the gospel of John. It could take us awhile just to get past the prologue.
36While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 37They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?39Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”
40When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
45Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.46He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The way this would speak about his identity is that Jesus says that all of Scripture was written about him. However, that has been said several times in this blog series. I would like to concentrate on dealing with another heresy that seems to be more prevalent in the church today.
We teach the deity of Christ in a Trinitarian relationship and that’s very important to do. If he is not fully God and if he is not God the Son instead of God the Father, then he is not our savior. However, we must remember that if he is going to be who he said he was, he must be fully human as well.
Look at the nature of his body. He has flesh and bones. His resurrection is also the basis for our resurrection. Because he lives, we shall live also. Because he rose again, we shall rise again also. If Christ did not rise, we are indeed still in our sins and to be pitied above all men.
The early church ironically did not have much problem if any with the deity of Christ. Instead, they had a problem with the humanity. Gnostics could handle a Jesus who was divine. They could not handle a Jesus who had a material body. How could the divine interact with the material? (An aspect we will see in John’s writings.)
What’s the point today? We need to realize Jesus is fully God and fully human. As God he can give forgiveness and live a perfect life. As man, he is our example and he is our representative. To deny his deity is heresy. It is heresy as well to deny his humanity.
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