THE HUMANITY OF JESUS

SHEKINAH GLORY "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1) John 1:14 - John used the word "flesh" (sarx) to express the human nature of Jesus(this word is also used in Rom.1:3, 8:3; 1 Tim 3:16; 1 John 4:2) Many authors see a reference to the Sinai theophany rather than to setting of the tabernacle. The points of contact between John 1 and Exodus 33 are:EXODUS 33JOHN 1

7 Now Moses used to take the tabernacle

9 the pillar of cloud (the SHEKINAH) descended14 the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us

10 all the people saw the pillar of cloudWe beheld his glory

11 YHWH spoke to Moses face to face17 the law was given through Moses

20 you cannot see MY face18 no one has ever seen GOD

23 you will see MY back; but MY face shall not be seenThe only begotten SON... Has made him known[footnoteRef:1] [1: Morris, John, in The New International Commentary on the New Testament, 92]

BRIDGING THE GULF Sin separated the human race from GOD, but Christ became human, and came to die, in order to bridge this yawning chasm. Paul describes the Incarnation of Christ (Phil. 2:5-8). His Incarnation required a CREATIVE ACT. The Creator-Christ to become a part of His creation, and to live as a created being like any other human (the mystery of the Incarnation). Christ chose to live as a human, but for that He must to replace His essential nature, from divine to human. He was GOD and MAN united together in one Person. In His pre-existence, Christ related to creation as its Creator and ruled over the universe as a part of the Trinity. But in the Incarnation Jesus entered a new relationship: He came to serve...to be a slave, even TO DIE!VIRGIN BIRTH Matt.1:18 - 21 "Mary...pregnant through the Holy Spirit"; Luke 1:30-35; Gal.4:4-5; Isa 7:14; Emanuel- fully GOD & Human- We attempt to grasp the infinite wisdom of God with finite minds John 16:12-14-Col.2:2-3 - Only the Holy Spirit can give as "complete understanding" about Christ John 3:16 + All three members of the Trinity participated in the coming of Christ into the World. UNIQUE NATURE 1)He lived before He was born a human; 2) no human father; 3) Born of the Holy Spirit through a virgin; 4) the Son of the Most High; 5)His birth was supernatural and His life impeccable. Monogenes - comes from "ginnomai" not from "gennao" - doesn't mean "only begotten" but "one of kind", "unique", "incomparable" (Jn.1:14; 3:16; 1 Jn. 4:9). Not only unique in Himself, but He came with a unique mission = TO SAVE HUMANS AND REVEAL GOD = Savior & Mediator.SON OF MAN = Heb.1:3 & Isa.53:2 Her Immaculate Conception- "By the grace of God, Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long." [footnoteRef:2] = NOT BIBLICAL because Luke 1:46-47 [2: Catechism of the Catholic Church (Liguori, MO: Liguori Publications, 1994), 124(493)]

His Immaculate Conception- Mary is not the mother of God, for Christ is the Son of God. [footnoteRef:3] [3: Ibid., 126(499)]

SECOND ADAM 1 Cor. 15:45; Rom. 5:17-19 - Both Adams gift the race: 1 (eternal) death, 1 (eternal) LIFE!!!