Jesus Was Fully Human and Fully God
God first made man (Adam) a living soul, and then He created Eve, and placed them in the Garden of Eden. There, they listened to the temptations of the devil, to disobey God. From there, sin was hereditary to the human race and passed from one generation to the next, as sin was found in their hearts and passed on, to their offspring. Thus, they were driven from the Garden of Eden, so they would not eat from the Tree of Life and continue to live forever in their sins, without any redemption available. Sin had entered the world and seperated mankind from God.
The fact that Jesus was born as a human being, is important for several reasons. Galatians 4:4-5 says, “But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.” Only a man could be born under a law. No animal or angelic being is “under the law.” Born under the law of God, all humans are guilty of transgressing that law. Only a perfect human – Jesus Christ – could perfectly keep the law and perfectly fulfill the law, thereby redeeming us from that guilt of sin.
Jesus accomplished our redemption on the cross, by exchanging our sin, for His perfect, Holy righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). The humanity of Jesus enables Him to relate to us in a way the angels and animals never can. Animal sacrifice for sins was done away with after Jesus died on the cross and became the ultimate sacrifice for our sins, once and for all. “For we do not have a High Priest, who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have One who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). This is why only He, who is sinless, was appointed and approved by His Father in heaven, to pay for our sins. God does not condemn us...sin does, and keeps us separated from Him, until we repent and have our sins forgiven, forgotten, and washed away. Then we're fit for eternal life in heaven.
Nothing we could do on our own, would be sufficient to mediate between ourselves and God. No amount of good works or law-keeping makes us righteous enough to stand before a Holy God (Isaiah 64:6;Romans 3:20;Galatians 2:16). Without a mediator, we are destined to stay separated from God, for by ourselves, salvation from our sins is impossible. Yet there is hope! “For there is One God and One Mediator between God and men...the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Jesus represents those who have placed their trust in Him before God’s throne of grace. He mediates for us, much as a defense attorney mediates for his client, telling the judge, “Your honor, my client is innocent of all charges against him.” That is true for us also. Some day we will face God, but we will do so as totally forgiven sinners because of Jesus’ death on our behalf. The “Defense Attorney” took the penalty for us!
We see more proof of this comforting truth in Hebrews 9:15: “For this reason, Christ is the Mediator of a New Covenant, that those who call upon His name, may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that He has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the Old Laws.” It is because of our great Mediator, that we are able to stand before God, clothed in the righteousness of Christ Himself. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). God set the standard for salvation, not man. His mediation is the only means of salvation.
Having been one of us, Jesus knows our every emotion and need. This makes our relationship to Jesus more personal and close. He wants you to know that he hears your prayers, knows and understands your every care, all your fears, and felt every teardrop, when in darkness you cried. He came to rescue you from the sinful world, and prepared a special place for you in heaven, when you die, where there will be no more tears, diseases or pain, and no more death, ever again. He will wash your sins away and restore your fellowship with your Heavenly Father. You have but to ask, and salvation shall be given. He turns no one away.
No Heaven or Hell, you say? I would rather wake up in eternity to find out you were right, than to wake up in eternity and find myself in hell.
He Paid a Debt He did not owe,
I owed a debt, I could not pay.
I needed someone to wash my sins away.
But now I sing a brand new song,
Amazing Grace the whole day long.
Christ Jesus Paid the debt,
That I could never pay.
