Divinity of Christ

This is more of a thoughtful post than anything. I am writing to get my thoughts out for clarity. It helps me to find my own truths sometimes...

Yesterday evening while returning home from work, I was given that during class the discussion would come around to the Divinity of Christ. The question that would be posed for all is "was Christ a human man totally while he walked upon this earth, or was he still God in human form?" This question has haunted and exhausted greater minds than mine for many centuries. For Christ is not called lightly 'Immanuel' or God With Us. Yet, does that mean he is Deity in human form? First lets establish what we mean by God. When I say God, I am immediately in the mindset of the supernatural. God is the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. God has the power and authority over all the elements of the earth, the spiritual, health and even death. So when we say Jesus walked as God With Us we are in fact saying that he maintained his power over all those. He was still God.

I was raised believing that Jesus was indeed God With Us. Meaning that even while he walked upon this earth he was still God. And all throughout the Gospels you will find many passages that will support you if that is your stance. John 1 being one of the strongest of them all. And I do not discount or suggest that Jesus  was not nor is not God.

However, my struggle is this...if Jesus was God With Us while walking this earth. If he was still divine and had all authority to do anything as part of the God Head, then how could he truly relate to my humanity? How could he truly understand the fullness of the temptation of pornography, or drunkenness, or gambling, or addiction to drugs, or any number of other sins that I am tempted with on a daily basis? Some will say that I am a heretic for this but I challenge you to consider this. If Christ was God, could he truly be tempted by Satan in the wilderness? Could he have really been allured by the siren call of having the Whole World kneel to him? Remember, He was there in the beginning, John 1 again states that through him all things were made and without him nothing would have been made...so how was this tempting? As God, everything was already his. God, including Jesus, in the old testament told Israel that, "he detested their sacrifices, and did not need them. He owned a thousand bulls on a thousand hills." How then is there a temptation in Satans offering to Christ in the Wilderness if he is God? This leads to the crux for me and that is this, if Christ was God while on earth, then how can I even hope to emulate him? As a disciple of Christ, it is my charge to live my life as closely to Christ's as possible. Yet, if he was still God, how is that possible?

So here is the other side of the coin, again John 1 does say that in the beginning was the Word and the word was with God and the Word was God. But it also, says that the Word came down and became FLESH. So what if, Jesus (the Word) upon his leaving the Father and Holy Spirit, set aside his power and authority over all things and decended to earth as a man. Just a man. Then Christ would be subject to the same temptations and same trials as I am on a daily basis. Hense, growing in wisdom and stature as a youth. Then upon his baptism the Holy Spirit desends upon Jesus and he begins his ministry and march toward the cross. In this way, the Jesus that I follow experienced everything I experience and overcame them all proving to me that even a man can do so with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit. In Hebrews the author states that Christ was made perfect by his obedience to the Father even to the point of dying on the cross and was therefore given the Highest Place at the Right Hand of God the Father. I believe that Christ regained his full authority and power once he had accomplished all that God the Father had set before him to do. While upon this earth, I believe that the miracles that he performed were in fact a product of God the Father through the Holy Spirit residing within the Son.

 To me this makes as much sense as my human mind can glean from my readings and contemplations on this subject. I would not suggest that I have the absolute answer to this question as many have in the past nor do I believe that any will be able to totally explain it until the day we stand in God's presence and he tells us how it all came to be. What I am saying is that this helps me to deal with a Savior who understands where I have been and has experienced what I have. In my mind Christ, now can empathize with my struggles and carnal nature. He no longer resembles a God sitting on a throne who is above all and out of touch, but is a caring and loving Lord. He knows my weaknesses and is there to help me when I fall. This is the God I see when I read the Psalms written by David.