“He was 100% God and 100% human.”
How many times have you heard that statement about Jesus? Have you ever noticed that anytime anyone says that, they say it in the past tense. He was 100% God and 100% human. The implication is that He became so for a brief period in time, but He has returned to being just God once again.
But is it possible that the present tense is true as well: Jesus is 100% God and 100% human?
A few years back, I came across a video where the guy speaking (can’t remember his name) claimed that Jesus was still 100% human. I had never considered that idea before, but it seems to make sense biblically to me, although it is crazy to consider. After all, the Bible says that Jesus is the first of humanity to receive a glorified body, and that the rest of us who follow Him will follow suit–we’ll also have glorified bodies like Jesus does. But even though our sinful nature will be changed and we will receive new bodies, I’m assuming that we’ll still be humans in our soul (at the core of what it means to be human)–just perfected/glorified humans. If this is true, doesn’t it make sense that Jesus too remains human?
If so, I think the implications are pretty wild. After all, when we consider that Jesus was willing to become human and die on the cross for us, there is a nagging thought: “Yeah, but He didn’t stay dead, and He knew that He wouldn’t stay dead, and His Father knew it too. They knew all along that this was only a temporary separation and a temporary humbling of Jesus.”
But what if Jesus’ nature is forever changed because He chose to come into this world? What if from now on and for all eternity, Jesus will continue as the Divine Human? Can you imagine how incredible it would be that the God and Creator of the universe would stoop so low as to carry on for the rest of all eternity as a human being?
Where in the Bible do we get the idea that Jesus stopped being a human? We strongly affirm that Jesus really rose from the dead in the physical sense–not in just some ethereal, spiritual sense. He rose again bodily. We know that after He rose from the dead, even though His body was a glorified body, He ate food with the disciples and His scars were still visible. What in the Bible makes us think that after He ascended into heaven, He dropped His glorified body and shook off His humanity? Might we think this just because we’re uncomfortable with the notion that God would love us so much as to take on our identity for all eternity? I admit, that’s an incredibly audacious thing for the living God to do. Does He remain a perfect mediator between God and man, because He remains both God and man?
What if it’s the truth? Does anyone out there know of any Scripture passages that would indicate that Jesus is no longer 100% human?
Am I the only one here who has always assumed that Jesus returned back to His former state–how He used to exist before coming human?
8 responses to “How Far Did Jesus Really Go To Save Us?”
Will we always have our glorified body and humanity for eternity? Why can’t we shed our human form when we enter heaven? I’m not saying we will be God when we enter Heaven, but what if we become something entirely different, but always carry human with us. And Jesus will carry that with him as well. Are we
splitting hairs what “Human” is?
Alice, I had that same thought about splitting hairs about the definition of “human.” I do think that however we will be changed, it might very well be hard to imagine us as still “human” in the way we currently understand it.
Even if that’s the case, I’m questioning whether Jesus, the Creator, has now reverted back to His earlier state of existence before He ever became a creature vs. Jesus, the Creator, still existing as a creature.
I have never thought about this before. I guess I had always just assumed (whether I knew it or not) that when Jesus returned He “lost” or “shed” his humanity. I don’t know why this is assumed because I don’t know of anything that says so. In a way, it gives me peace to think of Him as retaining His humanity. He is the perfect intercessor for us. Why would He become less human? We know that, when He was on earth as a human, He felt what we feel and experienced what we experience. Is there any reason that we would think that He isn’t doing that right now? I wonder if the thought makes us somehow feel that it makes Him less holy or perfect. I think God is bigger than that.
Hey Bruce, it does make me uncomfortable thinking of God remaining a human/creature forever. But at the same time, if it is true, what a way for God to show how humble He is! Like you said, perhaps that makes God bigger than we realize.
Tim,
This is a really intriguing idea to me. The thought of Jesus’ nature being forever changed is a powerful expression of his love for us and the great lengths he went for us.
With that said I’ve seen several scholars compare Philippians 2:6-11 to John 13:4-12. They point out the following progression:
– He knew where he was from and where he was going
– He removed his garment
– He put on a towel to serve
– He washed
– He returned
The idea, of course, is that the Philippians 2 is recounting the time when Jesus washed his disciples feet. In my mind, it’s certainly plausible as this was an early hymn and believers would be aware of the act of service he did for his disciples.
Anyway, John 13:12 says that he “put on his clothes”. I realize it’s not a cut-and-dry argument, but IF Philippians 2 is a parallel of this, then one MIGHT understand the phrase about putting on his clothes as an indication that he was returning to his “original” state and left his humanity behind.
Then again, how “human” will our glorified bodies be anyway?
Hey Erik,
Never heard of that parallel before, but that sure is interesting. Definitely both the story in John and Philippians 2 clearly speak to how Jesus humbled himself and became a servant.
Even if they parallel in the way you described, perhaps Jesus “putting on his clothes” could mean Him returning back to His rightful position of glory (whatever all it was He left behind) while somehow still retaining His humanity? i.e. underneath the clothes, there’s a human inside. But you’re right, it could also mean a return to how he was before He took off the clothes. I wonder if there are any other verses that could be used to hint at the idea of Jesus shedding his humanity.
I think you’re right that just because we have some sort of body (which we know isn’t flesh and blood) doesn’t infer it will be “human” as we understand it to be. I guess what Alice brought out has helped me clarify my thoughts about human/creature. We would all agree that since we were created by God, as long as we live, we will always be creatures–even in our glorified state. “Once a creature, always a creature.” Is the same true for Jesus? Is Jesus still a creature, and will He always continue to exist as one? That seems like a pretty tall order for the God of the universe to be willing to endure eternally!
I just thought of one other thing to consider:
If Jesus is indeed still “human,” and has not shed it off, that would mean that not only can you say that God is on the throne, but that a human is on the throne. The audacity of that!
Might that have some implications on verses that say that all that Christ has is ours? That we are more than conquerors?
Could it be that one of our own is Lord of the Universe?
Erik and I were just talking about something related–the idea that in a certain sense a part of Jesus always lives in that moment when He was on the cross and God turned His back.
OK, I have not reviewed the Theology on that, but the thought is intriguing, and just like the permanent humanity, would indicate the great depths of love He has for us.