Jesus the Son of Man part one

You are invited to read the article and watch the video Jesus the Son of Man, which consists of four parts:

Part 1: Why a human body?
Why the incarnate Word and nothing else?

Part 2: What is the place of the incarnate Word in God’s divine plan?

Part 3: Jesus as God Incarnate.
Subtitles: Why is it important that Jesus is God incarnate?
Was Christ fully God and fully man?

Part 4: Who is the Son of Man?
Subtitles: Is the Humanity of Jesus without sin?
What does it mean that Jesus came into a sin-like nature?
These questions are justified in the context of the Holy Bible’s clear statement:

Ephesians 6:12
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

In other words, a material body for a spiritual struggle!
The confirmation of this statement is also given by the fact that the weapons of battle in this fight do not lie, as expected in a man, in the physical strength of the body, nor endowments with weapons specific to the material world. The following verse is relevant and shows the armour of a man of God prepared for a spiritual conflict:

Ephesians 6:13-18
“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which, you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.”

So, what is the purpose, the meaning, and the value of this incarnation into a material human body?

1. With the human anatomy, Jesus enters the human condition which ultimately involves death. Through the mortal incarnation, some fundamental requirements were fulfilled, which only in this way could be solved. The most important condition is the presence of blood.

Why the need for blood?

From a few verses in the Old Testament, we can understand the value that God gives to blood, especially concerning the animal sacrifice in our case:

Leviticus 7:26-27
“Moreover, you shall not eat any blood in any of your dwellings, whether of bird or beast. Whoever eats any blood, that person shall be cut off from his people.”

Leviticus 17:11
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”

Deuteronomy 12:23-24
“Only be sure that you do not eat the blood, for the blood is the life; you may not eat the life with the meat. “You shall not eat it; you shall pour it on the earth like water.”

Because life is in the blood of a human body, it brought Jesus closer to the purpose of God’s redemptive plan. Blood is directly related to the work of salvation and the redemption of man, with all the effects that flow from it. Jesus was to offer his perfect body as a sacrifice so that through His blood on the (altar) of the cross at Golgotha, humanity could be forgiven of sin:

Ephesians 1:7
“In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”

1 John 1:7
“The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son. To Him, the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

Hebrews 10:19-20
“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.”

Revelation 12:11
“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

Jesus resides in the spiritual world. Possessing an immaterial body and spiritual nature one could not die, nor could the work of substitution be performed, dying in the place of the sinner. So, the condition had to be met that one could die in a way that would drain the blood from the body. But to perish, first of all, He had to materially exist. To exist He must be physically born. Birth presupposes a body in which there is life-giving blood. In other words, through embodiment, Jesus returns to the place where the first human Adam, spiritually died for the first time, after disobeying the warning “you will surely die, Genesis 2:16. Spiritual death was the severing of the close connection with God, not physical death as for a mortal form:

1 Corinthians 15:45
“And so, it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.’

One of the major conclusions of the embodiment is that the incarnation is directly related to death as a sacrifice, with all the consequences that flow from it, atonement, forgiveness, and the redemption of man through the guilt of sin.

2. The second great purpose of the incarnation is related to righteousness. This is exactly what humanity lacked and needed to coexist with the Father.

2 Corinthians 5:21

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

A New Testament verse is very relevant in this regard:

Romans 3:21-26
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at present His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Proverbs 12:28
“In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway, there is no death.”

The man was lifeless in God’s sight, the togetherness was severed in Eden. This is, therefore, called spiritual death that God referred to in the stark warning “You will surely die.”

We are all born into sin whether we like it or not. During life mankind sins without realising it, many go foreword to commit more serious violations of God’s law. Sin demands the death of the sinner. It may seem unfair that one man can ruin the order of harmony for others?
Consequences demand a suitable payment that meets the kingdom’s level of righteousness. The blood of humans and animals is a highly complex fluid that contains cells, various forms of nourishment for tissues, oxygen, disease antibodies, hormones and other substances which, when in perfect (balance), maintain health and well-being. The blood represents life, and so sacred is life before God that the blood of animals was used in all offerings for sin as man’s substitute (atonement) under the Old Testament law. God bestows man a second chance, through a substitutionary sacrifice, by which someone else forfeits his life instead of the sinner. In the Old Testament, the entire system of animal sacrifice brought by the Jewish people had the role of replacing the death of the sinner. But this practice was imperfect, for not even the angels could make perfect sacrifices without blemish. That’s because:

Hebrews 10:4,14
“For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins’ ‘For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

Hebrews 10:1
“For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect.”

So, God comes up with His divine solution that justifies kingdom authority. He brought His own (Lamb), His Son to the altar of sacrifice in place of sinful man. This solution met the requirement for a perfect forfeit, a requirement as difficult as the yield itself. No earthly man could make such a sacrifice nor even angels. It was not just a matter of dying, it had to be preceded by a flawless existence. An unblemished sacrifice had to be preceded by a peerless life, without physical, moral, ethical, and relational flaws. We do, however, have a guidebook called the Bible. It is full of God’s recommendations for life. He has told us what will be blessed and what will be cursed.

Only God could offer a sacrifice without the slightest flaw. It is noteworthy that the sacrifice of the (Lamb of God) was a perfect offering, which was able to satisfy the high requirements of the holiness of God’s justice because it was preceded by a life lived in perfect obedience without any deviation from wrongdoings. This was confirmed by God that the (slain Lamb) was raised to life on the third day. The resurrection of the dead is confirmation that the sacrifice was received by God, thus proving that the (Lamb) had a holy life of purity required by the divine standard. In this way, justice was satisfied to the highest moral standard. Jesus died so we could be set free from eternal death. God saw fit to make the sacrifice of His only Son, as a seed sown for the harvest of our souls for eternity and so we could be redeemed into the royal family line:

John 3:16
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

3. Through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus, God went to the cause of the problem: the devil! In this regard, we recall a verse that links things together.

Hebrews 2:14
“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.”

The Son of God was also incarnated to thwart the work of the devil and to subdue the world under Satan’s control.

1 John 3:8
“He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose, the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”

4. The incarnation is related to the priestly service. In the book of Leviticus chapter 9 is written:

Leviticus 9:7
And Moses said to Aaron, “Go to the altar, offer your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people. Offer the offering of the people, and make atonement for them, as the LORD commanded.”

We also remember a few moments of the ritual in the Book of Numbers: The Levites put their hands on the calves’ heads, which they offered as an atoning sacrifice, dipped their finger in the blood, anointed the horns of the altar, and poured the other blood at the base of the altar. Parts of the body of the sacrificed animal were burned at the altar, other parts were burned in the fire outside the camp. This is another important reason why a body was prepared for Jesus. We find it mostly presented in the Epistle to the Hebrews:

Hebrews 2:17-18
“Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things about God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.”

Hebrews 10:19-22
“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Hebrews 4:15
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

5. The incarnation is also related to a task that no material person could have accomplished. Jesus as the incarnate Son visibly presents to us God in the flesh without coming physically Himself.

John 1:18
“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”

John 4:24
“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The Gospel of John mentions a dialogue between Jesus and the apostles, who asked Him to show them God the Father. Jesus answers them directly:

John 14:9-11
“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.”

Jesus presents to the people God the Father in a way that can be better understood out of love. He shows us how He thinks, what He wants, and what He expects from a man created in the image and likeness of God. As a King, it is only fitting that our Creator has a Kingdom. When we are (born again) through repentance, belief, water baptism and receiving the Holy Spirit, we gain entrance into God’s Kingdom. In addition to becoming full-fledged citizens of that Kingdom, we also become joint-heirs with Christ to rule as kings and priests under the headship and authority of Jesus the Son of God. To this knowledge is coupled the love of God and His gift of free will, two essential coordinates of man. Because we always choose what we love, knowledge conditions the basis and stability of what we yearn, related to this aspect the principle “whoever sows gathers”, remains valid in all cases. God has always been linked to our very daily activities, but especially to tomorrow and eternal life. From God’s written Word:

John 17:3
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

In a way, God comprehends like us, and we like Him. We often say: “I have a life to share with a stranger!”. But in the same way, God could say, “What a life it is to share eternity with a stranger.”

6. And last but not least, through the incarnation, Jesus accomplished something that no one else could do, namely:

1 Timothy 2:5-6
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

Therefore, He said:

John 14:6-7
“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Jesus is not just a matter of presenting God to us, but He is also showing us the Way to Him. Moreover, He presents Himself as the “Way” Himself that leads to God, thus returning man to the point from which he fell, reconciling humanity with God. Jesus teaches that the truth sets us free from the bondage of sin leading to life. Jesus is the Logos the Word, the way the truth the life. Truth is a defining condition, but remaining in the truth of God has the same value for believers as the truth itself. For this reason, we find warnings in the Bible, such as being careful not to be deceived.

Matthew 24:4
“And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.”

1 Peter 5:8
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

7. The incarnation is symbolically reflected in the act of communion with the bread and the wine representing the body and blood of Christ.

John 6:51
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

And when he had eaten, he took the cup, and gave it to them, saying:

Luke 22:20
“Likewise, He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”

John 6:54-55
“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.”

The understanding of these words which at first seems rather strange is this: just as the blood is produced in the body from the physical food we eat, so Christ is created within us from the spiritual food we eat. It’s the Word of God, represented by the body and blood of the Savior. Jesus teaches:

Matthew 4:4
“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

Jesus is identified as the Word of God:

John 1:14
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”

John 1:10-13
“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

8. Why the Word and nothing else?

God did not send to the earth a brilliant scientist, although there was a need for science to drive the development of mankind foreword. He did not send a doctor to use the powers of the age to come and heal the sick in the blink of an eye, although there was a great desire for healing. He did not send any lawyer or judge, although there was much injustice and wickedness taking place. He chose to deliver something unexpected to humanity His Word. God is interested in the information we receive and the knowledge we believe in. The history of mankind revolves around: (the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). The devil requires man to suck up lie after lie. His deceptive tactics are masterful, and he has lied and deceived the masses easier with the technological age.

If we were to believe what we are told, then we would accept the idea that man is about 70% water and about 90% information, which is corrupted. Knowledge presupposes the existence in itself of good and evil, being able to oscillate between the truth and falsehood. Where we get our information from and how we use it depends on what we are and do. Knowledge is related to the verb “to know.” The verb “to know” is existentially linked to another verb as important and defining for mankind respectively, the verb “to be.”

“To be” is in God’s attention because He, the Creator of man, required man to be in His image and likeness. God, He who “knew good and evil” Genesis 3:5 wanted mankind to embrace goodness, holiness, and s oneness with Himself. This would have impacted thoughts, speech, actions and spiritual drive, as we worship Him in His image and likeness. The instruction book the Bible presents the enlightenment of good, which is God’s “Word” the true medicine for mankind. The bread for the body is the Word for the soul, respectively the (bread of life).

John 6:35
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

John 6:51
“I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

John 6:54-55
“Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. “For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed.”

We also find written:

John 4:14
“But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Hebrews 4:12
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”

9. Why does God want to give us truthful information?

If you hold to My teaching, you are really My disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

John 17:17
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.”

These verses reveal God’s motivation to grant us good and true information. Lying lowers mankind from the moral compass, and the divine standard is breached:

Colossians 2:2-3
“To the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”

John 8:32
“You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Only the truth “sets people free” from the spiritual bondage of the soul. This truth raises man to the standard worthy of a God-like “being.” The presence of the “knowledge of evil”, twists the “knowledge of good”, therefore compromising what God requires for man. In our times, when knowledge grows rapidly, one can best see another thing, the one that reminds us of the saying: “whoever has the information, has the power!”

This is the Gordian knot, the one that constantly holds the interest in “knowing” and motivates to the greatest extent of thinking, actions and attitudes of mankind who has fallen from the knowledge of good. God knows that knowledge boasts.

The Bible reveals to us another reason why God has in mind knowledge, which has led to the fall of all creation from the Creator’s expectations. This is the fact that knowledge boasts, while love builds.

1 Corinthians 8:1-3
“We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him.”

Ultimately, desiring God and being known by Him remain the mainstay of mankind. Moreover, to be known by God is the meaning to which in the end all things connected with the man will be reduced.

Another reason is that no matter how far away, and no matter how much we are fascinated and motivated by knowledge, we still cannot know everything. In the Bible we find written:

1 Corinthians 13:8-10, 12 “whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. For, now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.”

Humanity needs real love. The whole Bible directs to another motivation of God regarding knowledge.
This is related to our supreme need, far more important than all the knowledge of the whole world, the need for true biblical love:

1 Corinthians 13:2-3,8
“Even if I knew all the secrets and all the science; even if I had all the faith to move the mountains, and I had no love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profits me nothing. Love never fails.”

One thing to keep in mind:

1 John 4:7-10
“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

1 Corinthians 13:13
“And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”

Maybe humans can handle material love but not Agape love, hence we are worse off in terms of faith. And yet the difference is given above all by faith, or rather, by faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, who is presented to the world as the incarnate Word of God:

1 John 5:20
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.”

Without insisting on the value of knowledge, we conclude with this idea respectively, that the whole of human history revolves ultimately around the verb “to know.” Information, knowledge and, last but not least, the Word are linked to Him.

Why the Word?

Because every word is important. With it, you can build, lift, hurt and even kill.

One truth can be stated and this is known to all humans, namely the fact that every word carries in it the power to do good or evil. How we use the tongue is important to God. The mouth is an organ to eat and praise the Father in heaven, and should not be perverted. God sees everything including the use of words. This is captured in the book of Matthew

Matthew 12:36-37
“But I say to you that for every idle word man may speak, they will give an account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words, you will be justified, and by your words, you will be condemned.” No one will be able to say he didn’t know!

Last but not least, the word is the “seed” of thought and its intimate basis.

The word is woven into thoughts, words can be shaped, moulded and expressed. In all it’s shrouded in mystery, information is what wheat is to the mill, or, by extension, the bread of thought.

If it would be only from this point of view, we could understand why God chose the way of the incarnate Word. This is and nothing else the most important thing that responds to man’s fundamental need, his wish today, and especially his demand for tomorrow.

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