Theological Term of the Week

humanity of Christ
The teaching that Jesus was truly human, with a human body, mind, soul, emotions, and with human limitations and weaknesses, so that all the essential elements of unfallen humanity were found in him

• From scripture:

  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18 ESV)

  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15 ESV)
  

• From The Westminster Larger Catechism:

  Question 39: Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be man?

  Answer: It was requisite that the Mediator should be man, that he might advance our nature, perform obedience to the law, suffer and make intercession for us in our nature, have a fellow feeling of our infirmities; that we might receive the adoption of sons, and have comfort and access with boldness unto the throne of grace.

• From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, a list of reasons that Jesus’ full humanity was necessary:

  1. For representative obedience.
  2. To be a substitute sacrifice.
  3. To be the one mediator between God and men.
  4. To fulfill God’s original purpose for man to rule over creation.
  5. To be our example and pattern in life.
  6. To be a pattern for our redeemed bodies.
  7. To sympathize as High Priest.

• From Herman Bavinck in The Divine and Human Nature of Christ:

  [T]he Christ became very man and perfect man, like us in all things, sin excepted. He was infant, child, youth, and man, and He grew in wisdom and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:40 and 52). All this is not appearance and illusion merely, as those must say who hold that the Divine properties belong to the human nature, but it is the full truth. There was in Christ a gradual development, a progressive growth in body, in the powers of the soul, in favor with God and man. The gifts of the Spirit were not given to Him all at once, but successively in ever greater measure. There were things which He had to learn, and which at first He did not know (Mark 13:32 and Acts 1:7). Even though He was in possession of the not-able-to-sin state of being, there was in Him, because of His weak human nature, the possibility of being tempted and of suffering and dying. So long as He was on the earth He was not according to His human nature in heaven, and hence He too did not live by sight but by faith. He fought and He suffered, and in all this He clung fixedly to the word and the promise of God. Thus He learned obedience from the things which He suffered, continually established Himself in obedience, and so sanctified Himself. And in this at the same time He left us an example, and became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him (Heb. 5:9).

Learn more:

1. Arthur Pink: The Humanity of Christ
2. David Legge: The Humanity of Christ
3. Greg Johnstone: Human, Body and Soul
4. Phil Johnson: Christ as Man (mp3)
5. At my old blog: Quiz on Jesus As a Human Being with answers.

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

I’m also interested in any suggestions you have for tweaking my definitions or for additional (or better) articles or sermons/lectures for linking. Credit will be given for any of these suggestions I use, too.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms organized in alphabetical order or by topic.

Sunday's Hymn

This is another hymn from Frances Havergal, whose better-known hymns include Take My Life and Let It Be, Like a River Glorious and Who Is on the Lord’s Side?

I Bring My Sins to Thee

I bring my sins to Thee,
The sins I cannot count,
That all may cleansèd be
In Thy once opened Fount;
I bring them, Savior, all to Thee;
The burden is too great for me,
The burden is too great for me.

I bring my grief to Thee,
The grief I cannot tell;
No words shall needed be,
Thou knowest all so well;
I bring the sorrow laid on me,
O suffering Savior, all to Thee,
O suffering Savior, all to Thee.

My joys to Thee I bring,
The joys Thy love has given,
That each may be a wing
To lift me nearer Heaven;
I bring them, Savior, all to Thee,
Who hast procured them all for me,
Who hast procured them all for me.

My life I bring to Thee,
I would not be my own;
O Savior, let me be
Thine ever, Thine alone;
My heart, my life, my all I bring
To Thee, my Savior and my King,
To Thee, my Savior and my King.

Other hymns, worship songs, sermons etc. posted today:

• Lord’s Day 19, 2009 at The Thirsty Theologian
• Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above at The Happy Wonderer
• The Fourth Sunday After Easter at Nova Scotia Scott
• O, Church Arise at Hiraeth
• O That My Load of Sin Were Gone at joythruChrist
• Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above at Conjubilant With Song
• Jesus! The Name High Over All at Whatever Things….
• Hallelujah! Thine the Glory at Tapestry of Graces

Have you posted a hymn today and I missed it? Let me know by leaving a link in the comments or by emailing me at the address in the sidebar and I’ll add your post to the list.

Saturday's Old Photo

This is the home in Hailey, Idaho where my mother lived with her family. She moved out in 1942 to go to business school, then to Biola, and then to live with her sister in Salt Lake City. A year or two after she left, this family home burned. What was left after the fire is what you see here.

My mother was the fifth of eight children, so when she lived in this house, there would have been at least three of her siblings and her parents living there, too. From the photo, it looks like it’s a single room with an added lean-to. It would have been just a little cramped, wouldn’t it?

My mother’s note on the back of the photo says, “Bldg at right is where cow kicked Thelma [my mother’s name] out of doorway.” By the looks of it, the cow may have had a roomier home than the family.

As you can see, my mother’s family was dirt poor. People were poor during the depression, but her family was poorer than most. She felt, growing up, that her family was the poorest of all the families around and I think she may have been right. Even as an adult, she was a little embarrassed by the poverty of her family.

When she was in first grade, my mother was invited to an after school birthday party for a girl in her class. She only had one dress and my grandma washed it out by hand every evening, hung it to dry overnight, and then ironed it every morning. My grandma didn’t want my mother going to the party wearing the dirty dress she’s worn all day at school, so she wrote a note to the teacher asking that she be excused a couple of hours early.

The plan was to wash, dry, and iron the dress so it would be fresh and ready to wear by the time the party started, but the teacher refused to let my mother go home early without knowing why she needed to leave, and my mother was too ashamed to tell her. She didn’t want her teacher to know that she had only one dress, something the teacher must have already known, since she wore the same dress to school every day. So my mother sat in school all afternoon, worrying about how she was going to make it to the party, and feeling different—somehow worse—than all the other little girls.

As it turns out, her mother and older sister managed to get the dress washed and ready just in time for the party, but I don’t think my mother ever forgave that teacher for her insensitivity.

When she told this story, my mother always contrasted this callousness with the thoughtfulness of her second grade teacher. My mother had borrowed a sweater from her much younger sister to wear to school one day, and looking back, she said, it must have been way too small for her. But at least it wasn’t just the same old dress she always wore. Her second grade teacher noticed the sweater and told her that it was lovely. My mother never forgot how thrilled she’d been to be singled out with a compliment on something she was wearing.

My mother always made sure that my sister and I were well-dressed. Much of our clothing came from the missionary barrel or other second-hand sources, but she saw to it that our outfits fit and matched and were in style. It was, I think, her way of protecting us from feeling poor—and somehow different—as she had when she was a child.