All Christians confess their faith in a savior who is fully human as well as fully divine. Saying this is one thing, and the Scriptures are emphatically clear on this fundamental of our faith. But of course explaining it is quite another matter. And then we must grapple with the implications: Just what was it like for Jesus to live as a true man while at the same time being truly God? On even a moment’s reflection it becomes obvious that we are on the edges of mystery. Yet as revealed truth about our Redeemer it is something to be explored and enjoyed, even if challenging questions may persist.
It is to these ends that Dr. Bruce Ware (Professor of Christian Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) has written his important The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ. And today he is here to discuss his work with us.
Books At a Glance (Fred Zaspel):
Dr. Ware, you state in the preface that one of your reasons for writing this book is that evangelicals often have a better understanding of Christ’s deity than they do his humanity (13). What evidence do you see for this? And what are the dangers of an impoverished understanding of Christ’s genuine humanity?
Ware:
Of the two opposite heresies, respectively, of denying the full deity of Christ (Arianism in one form or another), and denying the fully humanity of Christ (Apollonarianism in one form or another), the former has been the more persistent issue for faithful Christians to face. Because we have had regularly to support the deity of Christ afresh, I suspect that we have developed something of a collective evangelical mindset that when we think of Jesus, we think “God.” And of course, he was (and is) God! But the humanity of Christ has been minimized in this collective evangelical consciousness, such that we don’t typically appeal much to Christ’s humanity except when absolutely necessary (e.g., he bled and died). There is something about Jesus’ real humanity that just doesn’t seem right. Consider the line in “Away in the Manger,” that “no crying he made.” Really? What is it about a baby crying that would be offensive to our sensibilities when we think of the baby Jesus? And when we think of the miracles of Jesus, for many of us our minds immediately appeal to Christ’s deity as the source of supernatural power he used to accomplish these signs and wonders. But is this the best way to think? Why does Jesus declare in Matt 12:28 that he cast out demons “by the Spirit of God” if he did so out of the power of his own divine nature? More broadly, what is the point of Jesus having the Spirit upon him if he did what he did as God? So, our (correct) commitment to the deity of Christ has simply overshadowed the reality, significance, and breadth of Jesus living his life out of his humanity.
Books At a Glance:
One of the key biblical passages for understanding the humanity of Christ is Philippians 2:5-8. What is your understanding of the important phrase, he “emptied (ekenōsen) himself,” in v. 7? Did Christ actually divest himself of certain divine attributes in order to become incarnate?
Ware:
The term means, quite simply, to pour out or empty. Notice that Paul does not say that the eternal Son poured or emptied something out of himself, as if he gave up some of his divine attributes. Rather, he poured out or emptied himself. That is, all of who he was (and is), his fullness of deity, was poured out – and here comes the key idea – by taking human nature. So, his full divine nature was joined to full human nature, as was affirmed at Chalcedon. While Christ, the God-man, was fully God in nature, because he took on full human nature, he could not express or manifest many of his divine attributes in order that he might live life fully and authentically as a man. So, for example, while he is omniscient in his divine nature, he was limited in knowledge in his experience in the incarnation (Mark 13:32; Luke 2:40, 52). Although he possessed these divine attributes, he did not express them. Only through the limitation of the expression of many divine attributes could he remain fully God while joined to full humanity, yet live in a way in which his human experience was real and authentic.
Books At a Glance:
One of the more controversial claims in your book is that Christ did not typically perform his miracles by virtue of his own intrinsic divine authority but instead did so in dependence upon the Holy Spirit (36-37). How does this understanding fit with other passages that seem to speak of the Son’s ongoing divine life and work (e.g. Col. 1:17; Hebrews 1:3)? And if not in his miracles where do we see his own divine power on display in his earthly life?
Ware:
I would encourage readers to consider the important summary statements Peter makes about the life Jesus lived both in Acts 2:22 and 10:38. In both passages, among what Peter attributes to God’s work in him (as opposed to Jesus’ own work through his own divine nature) were the signs, wonders, and miracles of healing and exorcism that Jesus performed. Of course any of these could have been done out of the power of his divine nature. But it seems that here, as well as Jesus’ own declaration in Matt 12:28, we are to think first and foremost of the Spirit within Christ as the source of his power. He, the long-awaited Messiah, the Son of David, came in the power of the Spirit (Isa 11:1-5; 61:1-3) and accomplished the work the Father sent him to do as a man in the power of the Spirit. We have to remember that all the while the incarnate Son lived as a man in the power of the Spirit, he still was fully God and so did what he was called to do, as well, in his divine nature. So, as God he upholds the universe (Col 1:17; Heb 1:3), yet as Spirit-empowered man he casts out demons (Matt 12:28). Both are true simultaneously, as Calvin gave expression to in what has been called the “extra Calvinisticum.” Recall that while the fullness of divine nature is joined inseparably to human nature in Jesus, the fullness of divine nature is not confined to his human nature. He continues to function in all the ways necessary as God, while he also limits the use of his divine power in union with his human nature that he might rely on the Spirit to live the life of the second Adam he was sent to live.
Books At a Glance:
For many it has often been a struggle to understand the genuineness of Jesus’ temptation. Being fully divine as well as human he could not sin, and so we wonder how his temptation could have been real. How do you suggest we approach this question?
Ware:
It makes all the difference to realize that Jesus lived an authentic and integral human life, and this included how he resisted temptation. Although he was God, he did not rely on his divine nature to resist and navigate temptations. Rather, he used resources that were given him in his humanity – the word of God, prayer, the community of faith, and most centrally the power of the Spirit who lived within him. No wonder Jesus says that it is to our advantage that he goes back to the Father (John 16:7), since only then do we receive the same Spirit, with the same power, that Jesus had. We do indeed need to look at how Jesus resisted temptation and “follow in his steps” (1 Pet 2:21) in our quest to grow in Christ-like character and behavior.
Book At a Glance:
One final question, and we’ll leave it wide open for you. In your studies of the humanity of Jesus, what stands out in your mind as most striking about him? Warfield would sometimes speak of gazing “adoringly” on Christ as we meet him in the Gospels, and we all feel that increasingly as we learn more about our Lord. Difficult as it may be to narrow the answer to a single observation, what do you find most striking about the Lord Jesus as you have learned more about him?
Ware:
In a phrase, what amazes me the most is this: consistent, faithful, glad-hearted, zealous, perfect, uncompromising obedience. I’m utterly astonished at the One who said (and lived!), “that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me” (John 14:31). Oh to be more like Jesus!
