Was Jesus Really Human?
Many believers who would never deny that Jesus is God have trouble believing He was truly human. Without realizing it, they picture a Jesus who never tired, never hungered, never felt the pull of temptation, and floated through life a few inches above the ground. That Jesus could not save us, and He could not understand us.
Scripture insists on both truths. The eternal Son became the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). He had a real body and a real human soul. He was born, grew, hungered, thirsted, slept, wept, was tempted, suffered, and died, and He did all of it without sin. He did not lay His humanity aside when He rose. He is a man today, at the right hand of God.
This matters for your salvation and for your walk with God. Because He is truly man, He could die in our place. Because He is still man, He sympathizes with us when we come to Him in prayer (Hebrews 4:15–16). The incarnation tells how the Son became man. This study looks at the manhood He took.
When you pray, do you picture a distant God who has never felt what you feel, or a High Priest who has been where you are?
Loading the rest of this article
For Deeper Study
- The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of ChristAmazon Bruce A. WareSouthern Baptist and Reformed. Short, readable chapters on Jesus' growth, temptation, and life in the Spirit.
- The Emotional Life of Our LordAmazon B. B. WarfieldPresbyterian. A classic 1912 essay on Jesus' compassion, anger, and joy, reissued as a short book by Crossway.
- Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and SufferersAmazon Dane C. OrtlundReformed. A devotional study of Christ's sympathy for His people, drawing much from Hebrews.
- Jesus Christ Our LordAmazon John F. WalvoordDispensational. A study of the person and work of Christ by a defender of His impeccability.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
As an Amazon Associate, Theologica earns from qualifying purchases.
The Incarnation
The eternal Son of God took to Himself a true human nature, becoming man without ceasing to be God.
Open Doctrine