THE MAN CHRIST JESUS: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ, by Bruce Ware

A Brief Book Summary from Books At a Glance

About the Author

Bruce A. Ware (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is professor of Christian theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a past president of the Evangelical Theological Society.

Introduction

In The Man Christ Jesus, Bruce Ware seeks to demonstrate from Scripture that the humanity of Christ is both real and relevant for the saving work he came to accomplish.  Believing that evangelicals typically have a better understanding of Christ’s deity than they do of his humanity, Ware focuses attention on the latter in this series of biblical and theological essays on “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim. 2:5).  Each chapter addresses a different aspect of Christ’s work as the God-Man and concludes with several points of application and a set of discussion questions.

Table of Contents

Preface: Why the Humanity of the God-Man Matters

1.  Taking on Human Nature

2.  Living By the Spirit

3.  Increasing in Wisdom

4.  Growing in Faith

5.  Resisting Temptation

6.  Submitting to the Father

7.  Dying in our Place

8.  Rising in Victory

9.  Reigning Over All

10. Coming Again to Stay

General Index

Scripture Index

 

Summary

Preface: 
Why the Humanity of the God-Man Matters

In 1 Peter 2:21-23, Christ is put forward as an example of obedience for believers. But how can he be our example if he is God and we are not? Is that fair? Part of the answer to these kinds of questions lies in the fact that Christ’s humanity is as important for his life of obedience as his deity. This book is not a comprehensive treatment of Christology, but a series of biblical and theological reflections on the significance of the humanity of Christ. Ware plainly states his purpose: “I want to present here some of the evidence from Old and New Testaments that the human life of Jesus is real and to show how important it is that he lived our life in order to die our death and be forever ‘the man Christ Jesus’ (1 Tim. 2:5) who intercedes for us and reigns over us” (12).

 

Chapter 1: 
Taking on Human Nature

This chapter focuses primarily on the Son’s self-emptying (kenosis) as taught in Philippians 2:5-8. There is a conceptual distinction between

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