8.1         The Nature of Jesus: Introduction

It is one of the greatest tragedies in Christian thinking that the Lord Jesus Christ has not received the respect and exaltation due to him for his victory over sin through the development of a perfect character. The widely held doctrine of the ‘trinity’ makes Jesus God Himself. Seeing that God cannot be tempted (James 1:13) and has no possibility of sinning, this means that Christ did not really have to battle against sin. His life on earth would therefore have been a sham, living out the human experience, but with no real feeling for the spiritual and physical dilemma of the human race, as he was not personally affected by it.

At the other extreme, groups like the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses fail to appreciate properly the wonder of Christ as the only begotten Son of God. As such, he could not have been an angel or the natural son of Joseph. It has been suggested by some that in his lifetime, Christ’s nature was like that of Adam before the fall. There is no Biblical evidence for this view and it fails to appreciate that Adam was formed by God from dust, whilst Jesus was ‘created’ by being begotten of God in the womb of Mary. Thus, although Jesus did not have a human father, he was conceived and born like us. Many people cannot accept that a man with our sinful nature could have a perfect character. It is this fact which is an obstacle to a real faith in Christ.

To believe that Jesus was of our nature, but was sinless in his character, always overcoming his temptations, is not easy. It takes much reflection upon the Gospel records of his perfect life, coupled with the many Biblical passages which deny that he was God, to come to a firm understanding and faith in the real Christ. It is far easier to suppose that he was God Himself, and therefore automatically perfect. Yet this view demeans the greatness of the victory which Jesus won against sin and human nature.

He had human nature, by this is meant that he shared every one of our sinful tendencies (Heb. 4:15), yet he overcame them by his commitment to God’s ways and seeking His help to overcome sin. This God willingly gave, to the extent that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself” through His very own Son (2 Cor. 5:19). When Jesus bids us share his yoke, so that we might find rest (Mt. 11:29) the idea is that he was ‘an ox’ like us, of the same nature, and yet far stronger.