15 March 2007

The Son of man

... the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. Luke 9:56 Jesus is both God and fully human. Because Jesus is fully human, and lived His life on earth subject to the same pressures and temptations we face, He can sympathize with us in our trials, strengthen us, and make it possible for us to live as He did. We, therefore, have no excuse for our sins. Men tend to deny either the deity or the full humanity of Jesus, because affirming both at the same time leaves them no excuse for the sin in their lives. But both are necessary. It is only because Jesus was a man like us that His death could atone for our sins. And it is only because he was a man that His resurrection gives us the hope of the resurrection. Jesus is able to bring us salvation, redemption, reconciliation with His Father and adoption as sons only because He was a man who lived without sin and died for us. He now appears before His Father for us, as our advocate, because He is like us. If Jesus was not a man, we who believe in Him have nothing, and our faith is futile. Chapter 10 in Systematic Theology by Ian Bruce Johnson

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