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| For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. (New Life Version) |
Jesus
said:
But now ye
seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God:
this did not Abraham. (Jn 8:40, King
James Version)
Is Christ Jesus not God
because He said He is a man in John 8:40? Nope, Christ Jesus is not only a man or
God-like but He is God in human flesh! Let
us expound this truth of God.
The
Christ aka the Word who was God was the preexistent Spirit of Jesus
Jesus in His human form was
composed of Spirit, Soul and Body (cf 1Thes 5:23). The preexistent Spirit of Jesus was called
the Christ also known as the Word who was God and who accompanied God the
Father in the beginning before all time and through whom all things were
created. The pertinent passages are presented
below in several English translations:
In the
beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God Himself. He was
present originally with God. All things
were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one
thing made that has come into being.
He came into
the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not
recognize Him [did not know Him]. (Jn 1:1-3, 10, Amplified Bible)
Before
anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and
is himself God. He created everything
there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make.
But although
he made the world, the world didn’t recognize him when he came. (Jn 1:1-3, 10, The
Living Bible)
In the
beginning [Gen. 1:1] there was the Word [the Word already existed; the Word
refers to Christ, God’s revelation of himself]. The Word was with [in the
presence of; in intimate relationship with] God [the Father], and the Word was
[fully] God. He was with [in the
presence of; in intimate relationship with] God in the beginning. All things were made [were created; came to
be] by [through] him, and nothing was made [came to be] without him [Prov.
8:22–31].
The Word [He]
was in the world, and the world was made [was created; came into being] by
[through] him, but the world did not know [recognize] him. (Jn 1:1-3, 10, Expanded
Bible)
The Word
(Christ) was in the beginning. The Word was with God. The Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. He made all things. Nothing was made without
Him making it.
He came into
the world. The world was made by Him, but it did not know Him. (Jn 1:1-3, 10, New
Life Version)
The
Christ aka the Word who was God became a Human Being:
After billions of years
elapsed from the beginning before all time, God sent forth His Son, the Christ
aka the Word who was God and Spirit, into the womb of Mary to be made of her
into a human being:
But when the
fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made
under the law, (Gal 4:4, KJV)
And the Christ aka the Word
who was God and Spirit became a Human Being:
And the Word
(Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and tabernacled (fixed His tent of
flesh, lived awhile) among us; and we [actually] saw His glory (His honor, His
majesty), such glory as an only begotten son receives from his father, full of
grace (favor, loving-kindness) and truth.
(Jn 1:14, AMP)
And Christ
became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving
forgiveness and truth. And some of us have seen his glory—the glory of the only
Son of the heavenly Father! (Jn 1:14, TLB)
The Word
became a human [flesh] and lived [made his home; pitched his tabernacle; God’s
glorious presence dwelt in Israel’s tabernacle in the wilderness] among us. We
saw his glory [majesty]—the glory that belongs to the only Son [one and only;
only begotten] of [who came from] the Father—and he was full of grace and truth
[God’s gracious love and faithfulness; Ex. 34:5–7]. (Jn 1:14, EXB)
Christ became
human flesh and lived among us. We saw His shining-greatness. This greatness is
given only to a much-loved Son from His Father. He was full of loving-favor and
truth. (Jn 1:14, NLV)
Christ
who was God and Spirit was manifest in the flesh:
This truth of God was attested
to by St. Paul in his 1 Timothy 3:16 presented
below in its different English translations:
And beyond
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory. (KJ21)
And great and
important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of
godliness. He [God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated
in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed
on in the world, [and] taken up in glory. (AMP)
And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory. (BRG)
Here is the
great mystery of our religion: Christ came as a human. The Spirit proved that he pleased God, and he
was seen by angels. Christ was preached
to the nations. People in this world put
their faith in him, and he was taken up to glory. (CEV)
And
confessedly the mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh,
has been justified in [the] Spirit, has appeared to angels, has been preached
among [the] nations, has been believed on in [the] world, has been received up
in glory. (DARBY)
God Was
Revealed In The Flesh, But Some Will Depart From The Faith And Good Teaching:
And the mystery of godliness is confessedly great: Who was revealed in the
flesh, was declared-righteous in the spirit; was seen by messengers, was
proclaimed among the nations; was believed in the world, was taken-up in glory.
(DLNT)
Without a
doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great: Christ was shown to us in
human form; the Spirit proved that he was right; he was seen by angels. The message about him was told to the
nations; people in the world believed in him; he was taken up to heaven in
glory. (ERV)
And without
controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, which is, God is manifested in
the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, and received up in glory. (GNV)
The mystery
that gives us our reverence for God is acknowledged to be great: He appeared in
his human nature, was approved by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was announced
throughout the nations, was believed in the world, and was taken to heaven in
glory. (GW)
And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory. (JUB)
And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory. (KJV)
And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory. (AKJV)
It is quite
true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter. But the answer
lies in Christ, who came to earth as a man, was proved spotless and pure in his
Spirit, was served by angels, was preached among the nations, was accepted by
men everywhere, and was received up again to his glory in heaven. (TLB)
Without
question, great is the mystery of godliness: God was revealed in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on
in the world, taken up into glory. (MEV)
The mystery
that gives us our reverence for God is acknowledged to be great: He appeared in
his human nature, was approved by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was announced
throughout the nations, was believed in the world, and was taken to heaven in
glory. (NOG)
There is no doubt
that true godliness comes from this great mystery. Jesus came as a human being. The Holy Spirit proved that he was the Son of
God. He was seen by angels. He was preached among the nations. People in the world believed in him. He was taken up to heaven in glory. (NIRV)
And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh,
Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed
on in the world, Received up in glory. (NKJV)
It is
important to know the secret of God-like living, which is: Christ came to earth
as a Man. He was pure in His Spirit. He was seen by angels. The nations heard
about Him. Men everywhere put their trust in Him. He was taken up into heaven.
(NLV)
Without
question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a
human body and vindicated by the Spirit.
He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and
taken to heaven in glory. (NLT)
Without
controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed
on in the world, and received up in glory. (WEB)
God's plan is
very great as we all know. Here it is: we saw God as a man; God's Spirit proved
he was right; angels saw him; the nations were told about him; people of the
world believed in him; God took him up into heaven. (WE)
and,
confessedly, great is the secret of piety -- God was manifested in flesh,
declared righteous in spirit, seen by messengers, preached among nations,
believed on in the world, taken up in glory! (YLT)
Source:
Bible Gateway 1 Timothy 3:16 (Click here)
Therefore,
Christ Jesus is not only a man or God-like but He is God in human flesh!
This truth of God was attested
to by St. Paul in his Colossians 2:9 presented
below in its different English translations:
For Christ is
not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. (NLV)
For in Him the
whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving
complete expression of the divine nature].
(AMP)
For in him,
bodily, lives the fullness of all that God is.
(CJB)
God lives
fully in Christ. (CEV)
I say this
because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. (ERV)
All of God
lives fully in Christ [For in him all the fullness of deity dwells] in a human
body [bodily; embodied], (EXB)
All of God
lives in Christ’s body, (GW)
For the full
content of divine nature lives in Christ, in his humanity, (GNT)
For the entire
fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, (HCSB)
All of God
lives fully in Christ (even when Christ was on earth). (ICB)
For in Christ
there is all of God in a human body; (TLB)
All of God
lives in Christ’s body, (NOG)
All of God
lives fully in Christ (even when Christ was on earth), (NCV)
God’s whole
nature is living in Christ in human form.
(NIRV)
You see, all
that is God, all His fullness, resides in His body. (VOICE)
Christ has
everything that God has. (WE)
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