Interesting Questions-38
"Not conceived in a natural human
way"
Letter to the Editor:
GOD'S MESSAGE, January 2008, p.4
HONESTLY, I'M SURPRISED to find out
that Iglesia ni Cristo dismisses the Christ-is-God doctrine as being
(allegedly) unbiblical. So instead, it teaches that
Christ is a man, and even "purely human" tor that matter.
But does it not blatantly run contrary to the biblical fact that
Jesus was not conceived in a natural, human way (referring to sexual
union between a husband and wife)? If Christ
was spiritually conceived (Matthew 1:20), why teach that He is purely human
or without spirit?
David Williams
Auckland, New Zealand
Editor's reply:
If we accept the belief that Christ is not man
because He was conceived differently from how an ordinary is being
conceived, then we would have to accept that Adam and Eve are also
not human beings, for they came to be not through procreation or
sexual reproduction.
The first man, Adam, was created out of dust (Gen.
2:7); the first woman, Eve, from the rib of the
first man (Gen. 2:21-23).
And the LORD God formed man of the
dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Gen. 2:7, NKJV)
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept;
and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Then the rib which the LORD God had taken
from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
And
Adam said: “This is now
bone of my bones, And
flesh of my flesh; She
shall be called Woman, Because
she was taken out of Man.” (Gen. 2:21-23, NKJV)
When we say that Christ is "purely
human", we do not in any way mean that He is "without
spirit". Man according to Apostle Paul, is
composed of "spirit, soul and body" (I
Thess. 5:23).
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may
your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (i Thess. 5:23,
NKJV)
By the phrase "purely man", we mean
that Jesus Christ does not have dual nature—that of a man and that
of God. The Bible clearly teaches that man is not God
(Ezek. 28:2) and God is man (Hos. 11:9). Christ declared that
He is a man (John 8:40), therefore, He is not God.
“Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD:
“ Because your heart is lifted
up, And you say, ‘I am a
god, I sit in the
seat of gods, In the
midst of the seas,’ Yet
you are a
man, and not a god, Though
you set your heart as the heart of a god. (Esek. 28:2, NKJV)
I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I
will not again destroy Ephraim. For
I am God,
and not man, The
Holy One in your midst; And
I will not come with terror. (Hosea 11:9, NKJV)
But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the
truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
(John 8:40, NKJV)
Thus, although our Lord Jesus Christ was born of
extraordinary circumstances, the truth
remains that He was conceived and created, thus,
He is not God but man.
___________________
Addendum:
The following verses proves that Jesus died as a man and therefore He is
not God.
Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father! In your hands I
place my spirit!" He said this and died. (Luke
23:46, TEV)
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is
finished!'' And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. (John
19:30, NKJV)
Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And
the spirit will return to God who gave it. (Eccle.
12:7, NKJV)
The fact that when Jesus died He placed and gave
up His spirit to God the Father is proof enough that He died as a
man, because when a man dies his spirit will return to God who gave
it. Thus, the very fact that Jesus died as a man is undeniable proof
that He is not God, because God is immortal (I TRim. 1:17).
_________________
Note: Verses and addendum and emphasis ours.
Bible Study
Suggestion: If you have further questions, please feel free
to visit the
Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or
an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question
you have in mind.