In our generation, a battle often rages regarding Christ’s Deity. In the first century, the fact that Jesus was God was a concept often assumed. Due to the widespread influence of the Gnostics, the battle ground in terms of theological ideas was not regarding Christ’s Deity but His humanity. The first Epistle of John is clear evidence of this. “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh.”
In the video below, Dane Ortlund interviews Dr. Bruce Ware concerning his new book, “The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ.” Jesus faced all the challenges that we face as humans, and yet he remained faithful to his Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Ware helps us to explore Christ’s nature and to learn, through the same Spirit, to follow in His steps.
The questions posed are as follows (with time references):
00:30: What drove you (Bruce Ware) to write this book?
01:50: You start the book with a discussion of Philippians 2. Why did you choose to reference Philippians? Help us especially understand what it means when Paul says that Jesus “emptied himself” and became a servant.
03:57: When I (Dane Ortlund) think about the supernatural things Jesus did, my default mode is to think that Jesus is “falling back on his deity.” Help us understand the way you deconstruct and provide a corrective to that logic.
06:23: You have a chapter in the book that discusses Christ’s impeccability. What does it mean that Jesus was impeccable and how does that connect to his humanity? What does that mean for believers today?
09:25: Why did Jesus have to come as a man and not a woman?
11:43: What would you say to a woman who says to you, “Ok Dr. Ware, Jesus came as a male. Is it not true then that Jesus doesn’t really understand me as a woman?”
14:00: Why did Jesus have to come and be a man to save us? I can understand why only God could save me, but why did the second person of the trinity also need to become fully human and, it seems, do what Psalm 49 says can’t be done?
18:13: Is Jesus still a man today?
20:08: Why is knowing that Jesus’s incarnation is not a “parenthesis” cause for worship?
Dr. Bruce Ware introduces his forthcoming book, “The Man Christ Jesus” from Crossway on Vimeo.
HT: JT