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Is Jesus Less Human Than Us? - Looking at the Incarnation, pt. 5

This one isn't based on any particular verse or passage, but rather a misguided assumption. Since Jesus is God and didn't sin, then he must be not quite fully human. To put it another way, Jesus was special in his humanity in a way we are not. While I obviously absolutely defend the uniqueness of Jesus as being fully God and fully man I do not think Jesus was some sort of superhuman.

We look at Jesus and see all the wonderful things he did and the fact that he lived a perfect life and just assume that he wasn't quite as human as the rest of us. After all, to err is human. Part of what it means to be human from our experience is to fail, but Jesus never failed. So, he must be something unique.

The truth of the matter is it isn't Jesus who is less than human but us. God created human beings in his image, to live with him and for him. We routinely fail to live up to our own design. God sets the standard for what it means to be human, and it looks like we have all failed. Failure and sin do not make us human. They make us less than human.

Jesus, then, is not some special, weird thing but rather a human being truly alive and fulfilling his purpose. He is what we should be and can be with God's help. When we look at the amazing life of Jesus we are seeing what we are supposed to be like. 

The hard truth is that many dismiss Jesus' full humanity because it places the burden squarely on our shoulders. If Jesus was completely human, then what is our excuse? After all we have the Holy Spirit of God living within us, empowering us and sanctifying us. If Jesus isn't fully human, then it gives us an excuse not to live up to God's standard and design for our lives. 

Recognizing and celebrating the full humanity of Jesus is important for all Christians. As I've said before, it is because of his complete, perfect humanity that we can see his complete, perfect divinity. Jesus' humanity is the lens through which God is revealed perfectly.

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