The Nature of Christ

Jesus Christ is possibly the most maligned, misunderstood, and misrepresented human that ever walked the earth. To say that Christ is the Head of the Church is scripturally correct. But what do we have in our mind when we say that? What do we actually think of in terms of His Headship of the Church is concerned?  I think it is important to review some aspects of the nature of Christ beginning with some of the larger issues:

• Jesus Christ was God

Within the Christian Churches today there are people who say that Christ was a created being. There’s been divisions in the Church over that particular point. Some thought that Jesus was a Samaritan and had a demon (John 8:48). But then Christ has an interesting discussion with the religious Jews of His day (John 8:49-57).  

Christ made a clear statement of eternity: “Jesus said to them, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM’ ” (John 8:58). Christ was asserting his eternal existence by that particular statement. This discussion with the Jews was taking place with the One who was the God of the Old Testament. He was the One who interfaced with Abraham. Note in Exodus 3, Moses had been given some marching orders but he was a little dubious about carrying them out: 

“So [God] said, ‘I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.’ ¹³ Then Moses said to God, ‘Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?’ ¹⁴ And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” (Exodus 3:12–14).

“I Am Who I AM” is a title of an eternal existence as far as the Being that is being represented, who is the One who became Jesus Christ. And there are many scriptures that point to Jesus Christ is God: “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” He was with God. He was an eternal Being that existed eternally. (John 17:5).

John 10:30 is an important connection in our relationship with God the Father because it means the Father has reveal Himself to mankind through Christ, the “I AM”. If we know Christ, we know the Father. Christ is the way to the Father (1 John 1.1-3). John and the disciples are talking about Christ and John refers to Him as “that eternal life”.  John was writing to the Church and the idea of “oneness” between the Church and God is made clear.

• Christ was also Human

You might think this is obvious. But why has it been an issue that has come up within the Church over two thousand years about the nature of Christ? Was He human? Was He God? It’s been one of those things that have been debated for centuries. The issue developed within the Church back at the time of John’s writing, the idea that Christ was not really human. He was classified as human but He was not really human.

The Encyclopedia Britannica, eleventh edition had some spiritual discussion including: “The more thorough going Docetae assumed the position that Christ was born without any participation of matter, and that all the acts and sufferings of His human life, including the crucifixion, were only apparent.”

Docetism implied that Jesus Christ was, in fact, not a human. It was an apparition of some kind and if Jesus Christ was involved, He left this human form just prior to His death. Marcion, a familiar name in terms of Catholic theology, believed a version of this:

“Docetic tendencies have been developed in later periods of ecclesiastical history…since the reformation…Docetism springs from the same roots as Gnosticism.” It’s alive and well today. It’s probably not called Docetism but particularly within the Catholic religion it’s a fact of life. We are dealing with something much larger than a small sect in John’s day. However, scripture is clear about Christ’s humanity:

“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world” (1 John 4:2–3). John was dealing head on in his epistles that Jesus Christ was, in fact, God and He was, in fact, human. That Jesus was physical is very important because:

“Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). And “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil,” (Hebrews 2:14). The law claims human life as a penalty for their sin. To pay the penalty for sin Jesus Christ had to be human and He had to die:

“Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷  but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:6-8).

Has there ever been a time when Satan, mankind’s adversary, has not gone after the Church in the last two thousand years? We can’t read about Docetism and say that’s past, that it’s all over; John dealt with that. It’s been in the Church in one form or another for two thousand years and it’s still here today. There are congregations split over this issue. These things are very real and we need to know these basic issues. They’re true, they’re right and we can stand very firm on them.

• Jesus Christ is our Savior

Jesus came to this earth with a very clear purpose: “And we (the disciples) have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.” “. . . once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. ²⁷ And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (1 John 4:14,42, Hebrews 9:26-28).

There is a day of salvation and Jesus Christ is the Savior. And Paul continued to emphasize our day of salvation: “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.  ⁷ For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. ⁸  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. ⁹  Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him^{. 10}  For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life” (Romans 5:6-10).

He didn’t die because of the potential He saw of us turning to Him. He died because we were sinners and we needed that penalty lifted off our shoulders if we were going to have a relationship with the Father: “and by [Christ] to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. ²¹  And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled ²²  in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight” (Colossians 1:20-22).  See also Colossians 2:11-13. This is what the Savior-role has done for each one of us. Think about what this means in terms of a relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ.

• Jesus Christ was Resurrected

Jesus Christ’s resurrection provides the HOPE of eternal life through a resurrection: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you” (1 Peter 1:3-4).   

Christ’s resurrection is something that anchors us. Christ knows what it is like to be human. He understands the problems humans encounter and is ready to intercede for us. This hope is an anchor for the soul. Hebrews 7 builds on this:

“for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God.  ²² by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant. ²⁴  But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. ²⁵ Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:19, 22, 24-25).

It would appear that Christians today have a tendency to focus on Christ’s death rather than His life. Real life, after Jesus Christ’s resurrection is what it’s about.

• Christ Lives His real Life in Us

“And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit [which] dwells in you” (Romans 8:10-11).

This is reality. As human beings we focus very much on the human aspect of life. You might appear to be human, but Christ is living His life within you. And that’s a part of who you are. This is a part of your identity, that Jesus Christ is involved in each one of our personal lives.

Christ’s death and resurrection became an aspect of life for us through baptism (1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:3-5). At no time are we ever separated from Christ. And if we are with Christ, we are with the Father. That’s the relationship that has been forged. But we can break that relationship. We must work to get the “old man” out of the way. If we chip away at the old man, Jesus Christ replaces that with the likeness of Himself. That relationship is absolutely solid in Christ’s mind and in the Father’s mind:  “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

• Christ is the Head of the Church

Christ modeled the functioning of the Church on the basis of human marriage. He is the One who created marriage at the beginning. He created the woman (Eve) from the man (Adam) and He brought the woman to the man creating a marriage which is a type of the God family relationship. Paul discusses this relationship – the human marriage based on the model of the God family model:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything  ²⁶ that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:22–24,26-27).

“So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself.(And the Church is the body of Christ.) ²⁹  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.³⁰  For we are members of His body . . .³¹  “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” (That’s the physical model.) ³²  This is a great mystery, but I (Paul) speak concerning Christ and the church” (Ephesians 22:28-32).

Christ is the Head of the Church, but it is much more than just a title: (Ephesians 1: 22-23, Colossians 1:17-18). The Church is not a byproduct of Christ’s life and purpose. The Church is the centerpiece. He’s reproducing in the Church what He did in the beginning with ancient Israel. It’s absolutely identical. Israel was called and chosen to represent God on the face of this earth. That failed. Now it’s Spiritual Israel, the Church, that is being raised up to represent God’s way of life on the face of this earth.

Christ is not just some figure that we picture in our minds trudging down a dusty road in Galilee in sandals. He’s a very dynamic, very alive and a very powerful figure. He is the Being in Revelation 5:1-9 who alone is worthy to open the seven seals on the scroll: “You are worthy, O Lord,  To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created” (Revelation 4:11).   

That’s the importance of Jesus Christ. That’s why the nature of Jesus Christ is very important for followers of Christ to consider. The implications are profound. A living, dynamic body is available to us to which Christ supplies all of its needs, all we need to grow, to prosper spiritually, to become like Him.

Christ Himself said: “I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life.”  Such is the nature of Jesus Christ.

Brian Orchard