Discipleship Devotional, April 6th, 2025
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist
— 1 John 4:2-3 (KJV)
Yesterday, we discussed the divinity of Christ, and today we are focusing on the humanity of Christ. The humanity of Christ is an equally important doctrine as His divinity. In fact, denying the humanity of Christ is as much a heresy as denying His divinity. Some individuals have crossed this line, mistakenly thinking they were exalting Christ by claiming He was never human. However, they failed to recognize the danger of such a claim. It is crucial for us to accurately present biblical subjects just as they occurred.
Jesus was indeed born into this world. He grew up as a child under the care of Mary and Joseph. He experienced hunger, thirst, and pain. He slept like any other human being. To deny His true humanity is to undermine the significance of the sacrifice He made. The Bible affirms, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15).
It was crucial for our high priest to experience the sufferings we endure. If He were not human, He would not be qualified to be called our high priest. This is why when Paul referred to His role as a mediator, he emphasized His humanity. He stated, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Lastly, consider the following passage:
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
— Hebrews 2:14-18 (NIV)
Prayer
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for taking up humanity to pay the price for our sins.
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