Jesus Christ: Man or God?

Can someone be two different persons at the same time? Can a man become God also? Based from logic and human thinking, this can never be true and nothing can become 100:100 in terms of ratio of someone being another. This is the reason why many other beliefs tend to believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is just man and not God. If we think about it with our finite mind, it really can’t be possible, but when it comes to God, all things are possible. (Matthew 19:26) When it comes to things that pertains to God, we should not just use our finite mind as the basis of truth but we should always ask for the wisdom of God in order for us to understand things more clearly.

Here we would try to understand, by the grace and wisdom of God, the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ and how He was described in the bible. Is He just a man or God?

The Confusion

In the bible, there is a verse in 2 John 7 which says, “For many decievers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.” If we analyze this verse together with the knowledge that no single being can become two things at the same time, let’s say 100% man and 100% God, then we would think that the Lord Jesus Christ is only man and not God. But there is also a some verses in the bible that says otherwise. John 1:1-3 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” From what we read, it was emphasized that the Word is God. The Word spoken of here is the Lord Jesus Christ. If we base the things that we read starting from 2 John 7 to John 1:1-3,14, we would have a confusion of whether or not the Lord Jesus Christ is man or God. This is where most beliefs fail or mistakenly interprets who He really is. Is there a mistake in the bible? We, as christians, do not believe that the bible is mistaken in anything. It is perfect because it is the word of God. If we say that the bible is wrong, then it’s like we’re implying that God is not perfect. That is why there is no contradiction on what the bible is saying. We will understand what the bible says about the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Answer

One of the verses that would enlighten us of the answer to the confusion is in the same chapter that we read in John 1:14 which says, “and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt amongs us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. It says there that the Lord Jesus Christ is God but came in the form of flesh. This is also backed up by Matthew 1: 23 saying, “Behold, a virgin shall be born with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” Immanuel is the name given to the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the name prophesied in the Old Testament in Isaiah 7:14. It’s really clear on that verse that the Lord Jesus Christ is God with us. There are a lot of verses in the bible which tell that the Lord Jesus Christ is God. All we need to do is to follow what the bible says in 2 Peter 3:18, “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” This is proof enough to understand that the Lord Jesus Christ is God because God is our Saviour. (Jude 25)

The asnwer to the confusion would become clearer if we ask personally the Lord Jesus Christ on who He really is. His answer is found in Revelation 1:8. The Lord Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Some people would say, it doesn’t state there that it was the Lord Jesus who was talking there. It may be true but if we read Revelation 1:4-7, it says there that it’s really the Lord Jesus Christ who was talked about and who was talking there. The very fact that the titles, Alpha and Omega and Almighty, were given to the Lord Jesus Christ confirms that He is God. The titles can only be pertained to God and not to a mere man. It would be a BIG LIE to say that the Lord Jesus Christ is ONLY man and not God.

The Conclusion

So, is the Lord Jesus Christ man or God. The answer is He is both man and God. When he came into this world, he took off his being God, and he became like as we are, a man (Philippians 2:5-8). He lived just as we did but he knew no sin (1 Cor 5:21). But at the same time He is God who can forgive us of our sins (Mark 2:5-7). It is not really a surprise when there are people who would say that the Lord Jesus is just a man and not God. Even the people of His time doubted him. In Mark 2:7 the scribes who witnessed that the Lord Jesus forgave the sins of the sick in palsy and healed him, they said in their hearts, “Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only?” They doubted the Lord Jesus and knew Him not as God. Many people may believe what they want to but as far as truth is concerned, biblical fac states that the Lord Jesus Christ is 100% man and 100% God. Nothing could ever change that. To God be the glory!