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Is Jesus God? YES!!
Was Jesus God before he came to earth? YES!!
Was Jesus God while he was a man? Let’s explore that idea. I don’t want to make you nervous, so the short answer is YES, but there are some things to understand about his form while in a human body.
1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
It’s safe to say that if you don’t believe that Jesus came in the flesh, you are deceived by the spirit of antichrist. So what does “in the flesh mean?” It doesn’t just mean that he existed, it’s referring to the kind of being he was. Let’s look at several passages that address this topic.
In The Flesh
John 1: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The word “word” is the Greek word logos. Logos is where we get the word logic. To the Greeks, the logos is the creative intelligence behind the universe. The Chinese call it the Tao. They might not know the one true God, but cultures throughout time have recognized that there is a creative intelligence behind everything.
The logos (word) of God is his wisdom, character, integrity, and more. It’s the way he does things. It’s the way he thinks. And all of that somehow was transmuted into human form and manifested as Jesus of Nazareth.
The eternal, unlimited, formless God of light and love moved on Mary and conceived a human child, into which his DNA miraculously merged with humankind and produced a single son, a unique child of the Most High God. That son is Jesus Christ.
What form was he in once he became flesh?
Romans 8:3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
God not only became human in a body of flesh, but it was also sinful flesh, like all mankind. Jesus was the son of God, but he was also the son of man.
Was Jesus sinful? NO! But his body was flesh, like ours. It was capable of sin, yet he never allowed sin to conceive in him. For this reason, he was qualified to be the sacrificial, spotless lamb of God, offered for the sin of all humanity. That’s one primary reason God sent his son so that a human could atone for all humankind.
God’s Law says that sin must be paid for in the body of the sinner, but no human could bear the full penalty of sin, so God gave us a worthy sacrifice. Jesus was made like us to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law on behalf of humankind, as a human.
Hebrews 2:14 Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. 16 For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. 17 Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.
Jesus entered the human condition to destroy the power of sin and death as a human. In doing so, he gave his victory to all humans who would receive his atoning work. He is the substitute. He became like us so we could become like him. In becoming like us, he understood what it was like to be us and now serves as a merciful high priest for us in Heaven.
The beauty in this act is that God knows what you’re going through because he went through it too. He knows what you’re facing because he faced it. He understands your pain, loss, and suffering because he experienced all of those things as well. And he knows how to help you. God became like you to set you free.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Again the writer of Hebrews tells us that Jesus was tempted. He was tempted in every way we are, yet he never allowed it to conceive unto sin. So Jesus was a being that could be tempted.
This next passage may cause some discomfort for you, but if you grasp the concept, you will gain a deeper appreciation for what Jesus experienced on your behalf.
James 1:13 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. 14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
First of all, temptation is not from God, it’s from our own lust. This means that lust must not be a sin. Lust, in this context, means desire. The English language has a different connotation for the word lust, but in this passage, it just means desire. Jesus had desires.
When we are tempted to fulfill those desires in an evil way, it becomes sin, which becomes death. Jesus never allowed his desires to be fulfilled in an evil way. He was able to either subdue his desires or fulfill them in a loving and Godly way.
Jesus has every lust and desire you do. He knows what you’re struggling with. And because he overcame every lust and desire in a godly way, he can help you do the same.
Now, look at the phrase in James 1:13 that says God cannot be tempted. And then go back to the idea of Jesus coming “in the flesh.”
Was Jesus tempted? YES
Did Jesus sin? NO
Could Jesus have sinned? YES
Can God sin? NO
Can God be tempted? NO
Was Jesus tempted? YES
Is Jesus God? YES
This is a mystery. No true believer would deny that Jesus is God, but there is something special that happened when he became flesh. We see from the above passages that he had to become like us to set us free. Even the miracles Jesus performed, he did as a man, full of the grace and favor of God.
Remember John’s test, to say that Jesus didn’t come in the flesh is from the spirit of anti-Christ. This is a deeply sacred issue. This is not one to relegate to doctrine and dogma.
The miracle of God becoming human is the very crux of the Gospel and the very power of God’s offer to humankind of righteousness and eternal life. We must let the Word of God speak for itself, and not water our understanding down to cute phrases like Jesus was 100% God and 100% man. That’s not a scripture in the Bible, yet people defend that statement as if it is.
Let’s look at more passages that discuss the form of Jesus.
Philippians 2:5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
Jesus was in the form of God, but he emptied himself. What does it mean that he emptied himself? Did he cease to be God? No. But he did become fully human, in the likeness of sinful flesh.
It’s clear that God can’t be tempted, but Jesus was tempted so he could deliver us from that which destroys our soul. If you can get past the theological argument you might be having with me in your mind and see the beauty of the work of God in Christ, we might grow up together in the unity of our faith and show the world the deep and profound love of God displayed in Jesus.
What did Jesus empty himself of?
John 17:1 Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, 2 even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. 3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 4 “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.
From this prayer of Jesus, we see that he has authority over all flesh. He can help those of flesh because, in his sinlessness, he overcame and was given this authority. We also see that he is ready to take back the glory he had before he became flesh.
So what did he empty himself of? The glory he had with the Father before he became flesh. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t God, it just means he laid something down to enter the human experience in the flesh fully. To deny this is to be deceived by the spirit of antichrist.
Greater Is He In You
1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
This passage takes on new meaning when you understand what it means that Jesus came in the flesh. While this passage can refer to the enemy in the world, it also refers to you. You are in the world, but Jesus in you is greater than the part of you that is still in the world.
He Did It For You
God did all of this for you. God did not leave us to our own strength. He became just like us, so he could overcome everything that kept us from receiving eternal life. He dealt with the sin issue. He dealt with the sanctification issue. He placed his spirit in us to seal us for the day of promise. Because he faced everything a human will face and overcame it, he is able to help us overcome.
No matter what you are facing, Jesus faced it and overcame it. Turn to Him in your weakness. Turn to him in your lack. Turn to him in your fear. He has good plans for you, and he knows how to help you have faith and hope. His love for you will make you whole and help you believe. You can trust him. He sees you, and he understands you. Turn to him today and allow Him to strengthen you.
