Draft of a paper in progress
The Nature of Christ
I first became interested in this doctrine around 1978, while living in Phoenix, Arizona. A friend of mine was an associate pastor there. He recommended a book called the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, by A. T Jones. Jones was a convincing and forceful writer. His position was largely developed from Hebrews 2:14:
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;”
This passage clearly states that Jesus took upon himself flesh and blood that was subject to death in order to destroy the devil.
Another passage that is frequently brought up in discussions on this subject is Roman 8:3:
“For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”
There are also several EGW quotes that are used to support the position that Jesus had a human nature like ours, a fallen sinful nature. An extensive list of these EGW references is found in Woodrow Whidden’s book, Ellen White on the Humanity of Christ.
Unfortunately, Ellen White has contributed to the confusion in many peoples mind about the humanity of Jesus because some of her statements appear contradictory to modern readers.
The most comprehensive text on Christ’s nature is found in Philippians 2: 5-8:
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Notice the three things it says about Jesus. He took the form of a bond servant or slave, as the KJV says. He was made in the likeness of men. He was found in appearance as a man. Three terms that we need to understand are form, likeness and appearance.
The term form is Strong’s number 3444 [morfh]. The word is used only three times in the NT:
Mr 16:12 After that, He appeared in a different form <3444> to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country.
Php 2:6 who, although He existed in the form <3444> of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
Php 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form <3444> of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
The word is used in the Greek version of the Old Testament in the following two verses. It also appears several times in the book of Daniel. These occurrences appear in note 1 at the end of the paper.
Jud 8:18 ¶ And he said to Zebee and Salmana, Where are the men whom ye slew in Thabor? and they said, As thou, so were they, according to the likeness of the son of a king.
Job 4:16 I arose and perceived it not: I looked, and there, was no form before my eyes: but I only heard a breath and a voice, saying,
The passage in Judges is translated as “likeness” in the KJV. The NRSV translates it as “resembled.” The NASB translates it as “resembling.” The text is saying that the men who were killed resembled Gideon. The expression “As you were, so were they” uses a word that is closely related to the word translated as likeness in Romans 8:3 and Philippians 2:8. It is the word omoiov Strongs # 3664. See note 2 This passage in Judges is basically saying that the men who were killed were like you, each one resembling aking.The Hebrew word replaced by Strong’s number 3444 [morfh] is Strong’s number 08389 [rat]. The word, used twelve times in the OT always refers to the physical appearance of various individuals. See endnote 2 for a list of these texts in the OT, as the following passages illustrate:
The passage in Job uses Strong’s number 3444 [morfh] to describe the presence of a spirit. The spirit had no “form.”
The term “likeness,” Strong’s number 3667 [omoiwmati] is used six times in the NT:
Ro 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form <3667> of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
Ro 5:14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness <3667> of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.
Ro 6:5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness <3667> of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
Ro 8:3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness <3667> of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
Php 2:7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness <3667> of men.
Re 9:7 The appearance <3667> of the locusts was like horses prepared for battle; and on their heads appeared to be crowns like gold, and their faces were like the faces of men.
The range of meaning can be plainly seen from these texts. Likeness refers to the resemblance between an image and that which it represents. It refers to the similarity or difference between the sin of Adam’s descendants and that of Adam. It refers to the symbolic relationship between baptism and Christ’s death and resurrection. It describes the imagery of the apocalypse. In the Greek OT, the word is often used to describe the resemblance of an image to that which it represents. It is used to describe the appearance of that which is seen in visions. See endnote 4 for a list of the appearance of the word in the LXX
There is nothing to indicate that the expression “likeness of sinful flesh” is intended to describe the nature of Christ in great detail. By comparing likeness of sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3) with likeness of men (Php. 2:7), one might conclude that they are saying essentially the same thing, i.e. that Jesus came to earth resembling a man. Hebrews 2 indicates that the body that he bore was subject to death. The actual make up of that nature is not detailed in those passages. Neither likeness nor form mean “exactly like.”
There is a Greek word that does mean “exactly like.” The word is used in the following two NT passages. It is not found in the LXX.
Ac 14:15 and saying, "Men, why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same <3663> nature <3663> as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, WHO MADE THE HEAVEN AND THE EARTH AND THE SEA AND ALL THAT IS IN THEM.
Jas 5:17 Elijah was a man with a nature <3663> like <3663> ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
This word, Strongs #3663 [omoiopayov], is used by Bible writers when making exact comparisons between the nature of human beings. This word is never used in the Bible to compare Jesus with us. I therefore must conclude that while the nature of Jesus was subject to death according to Hebrews 2, it was not because he had the same exact nature as ours. Some have said that his humanity was affected by sin but not with sin infected.
The term “fashion” in Philippians 2:8 contributes little to the discussion. The word, Strong’s # 4976 [schmati] is used only one other time in the NT: 1Co 7:31 “And those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form [or fashion, KJV] <4976> of this world is passing away.”
The Greek word is used in the LXX in Isa 3:17: “Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, And the LORD will make their foreheads bare." Here it is translated “foreheads” The KJV translates it as “secret parts” as in “I will expose their secret parts.”
For practical purposes, the only two words that bear on the subject are “form” and “likeness.” The word likeness is used in Judges in the same way that it is used in Romans and Philippians, to describe the manner in which one individual is like another. Rahlf’s edition of the LXX, which offers two different editions of the LXX shows that the terms translated as likeness and form in Philippians 2 are used interchangeably in Judges. Most significant is the fact that the term translated as like passions twice in the NT to show the similar nature of Elijah and Paul and Barnabbas to the rest of humanity is not used in reference to Jesus and his similarity to humanity.
Endnotes excluded
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