Christ’s Real Human Nature
A most precious truth concerning our Lord is that He is like us in all things except sin (Heb. 2:14, 17; 4:15). By this we refer to His human nature in distinction from His divine nature, for He is both God and man in one person.
When we teach about Christ’s human nature there are several important truths which we emphasize:
- That He has a real human nature.
- That He has a complete human nature.
- That He has a sinless human nature.
- That while on earth He had a weakened human nature.
- That He has a human nature out of the line of the covenant.
Each of these truths is of the greatest possible importance for our salvation.
That He has a real human nature must be emphasized over against certain early heresies which taught that Christ only appeared in the form of a man and did not truly have flesh and blood as we do. According to that view, His humanity was merely an appearance. If so, our salvation would not be real either, for if His human nature were only apparent then so would be His death and so would be our salvation! The reality of our salvation depends upon the reality of His human nature.
The Bible teaches the reality of His human nature not only by saying that He was like us in everything except sin, but also in many other ways. Hebrews 2:14 says, “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same,” and explains that this was necessary “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” He came to deliver those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage (15).
The same truth is taught wherever Scripture speaks of Jesus being born, growing, learning obedience, eating, drinking, being tired, weeping, suffering and dying. All these things show that He truly was a man like us in all things.
He is therefore bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh (cf. Eph. 5:30), able to represent us before God and to lay down His life as a sacrifice for our sins. Man must pay for man’s sin and all by God’s grace. Rev. Ron Hanko
Knowing in Part (1)
“For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away … For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known” (I Cor. 13:9-12).
A very interesting question accompanies this passage: Do we have more knowledge than Paul, or do we still see through a glass darkly?
There are really two questions here:
- Do we have more knowledge than Paul?
- Do we still see through a glass darkly?
We will answer the first question in this article and the second in the next.
The answer to the first question is an emphatic yes. That may seem strange since all our knowledge comes from the Holy Scriptures and Paul wrote a significant portion of them. But such is not the case.
Scripture is the infallibly inspired Word of God. The Holy Spirit is its author, though He used men to write it. Because of that inspiration the writers themselves did not always fully understand the depth of what they wrote.
This is plainly taught in I Peter 1:10-12. The prophets “enquired and searched diligently” concerning the salvation that was to come, “searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things.”
We need not enter into every detail of that passage, but one thing is clear: the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets of the Old Testament and testified through them of the sufferings and glory of Christ. They wrote for us who live in the New Testament age and enquired diligently concerning these matters.
That does not mean they misunderstood what they wrote. It means that, in searching more deeply into the meaning of the truth revealed through them, they were seeking to understand their own writings more fully.
What was true of them was also true of the writers of Scripture generally. The Spirit who inspired them revealed through their writings truths which they themselves did not exhaustively comprehend.
This is a marvellous proof of the infallible inspiration of Scripture by the Spirit of Christ.
This truth is in keeping with Jesus’ promise that He would send the Spirit to guide His church into all truth (John 14:16-18, 26; 15:26; 16:13). All truth into which the Spirit leads the church is contained in the Holy Scriptures. The church does not come to new truth apart from Scripture. Rather, through study of Scripture and under the guidance of the Spirit of truth poured out at Pentecost, the church grows in understanding what is already revealed.
Thus the church increases in the knowledge of the truth. The church of Augustine knew more than the church of Athanasius. The church of the Reformation discovered riches in the word of God which the church in Augustine’s day had not yet fully seen. The church today knows the truth more fully than the church of the Reformation.
This implies two important truths.
First, there is one truth—the truth of Scripture—which becomes the confession of the church organically. It grows like a rose bud which gradually unfolds until its full beauty is displayed.
Second, it is the calling of the church to know thoroughly the truth of Scripture in the past and to build on that foundation so that she may grow in the knowledge of the great truth as it is in Christ Jesus.
That gives us work to do—important work—blessed work! Prof. Herman Hanko
Why Was the Civil/Ceremonial Law Given?
In the last issue we said that the civil and ceremonial law was an application to Israel’s life in the land of Canaan of the abiding and unchangeable principles summarized in the moral law.
For further explanation we refer to the word of God in Galatians 4:1-3. The Old Testament church is described as an heir who, during childhood, is no different from a servant though he is lord of all. During that time he is under tutors and governors.
The church in the Old Testament stood in that position. It was ruled by the law, especially by the civil and ceremonial law, functioning as a pedagogue—a schoolmaster (Gal. 3:24). That was bondage.
Paul calls that law “the elements of the world” (Gal. 4:3) and speaks of it as “weak and beggarly elements” (9). These expressions refer to the civil and ceremonial law because it consisted of outward regulations and was not permanent like the moral law.
Nevertheless, the Old Testament church needed those laws because it was still in its spiritual childhood. It had not yet entered maturity and did not yet have the law written in the heart (cf. Heb. 8:8-10). Therefore it was placed under many outward rules and regulations.
The civil and ceremonial law served the good purpose of showing Israel the deeper principles of the moral law.
We can illustrate this from our own children. When they are small they have to be under many rules because they have not yet learned what is good and bad for them. They do not understand, for example, that gluttony is wrong. So we may say they may have only one sweet at tea. There is nothing inherently sinful in two sweets, but we use that rule to teach moderation and self-control.
In the same way the civil and ceremonial law taught Israel the deeper principles of the moral law through specific outward regulations.
When children grow to maturity we hope that they have learned moderation and self-control and no longer need the outward rule about one sweet. The principle is written on the heart.
So also, through the coming of Christ and the work of the Spirit, the church has come to maturity. The outward regulations of the civil and ceremonial law have been taken away. From that bondage Christ and His Spirit have delivered the church. Rev. Ron Hanko
