# 1 Is Jesus God, or human, or both?

The Incarnation of Jesus means that the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became fully human while He remains fully God. While He was here on earth, Jesus was fully human; He could live like us, struggle with temptation like us and suffer like us. He was like us in all things except sin. Like us, Jesus has a human nature with a human body, soul and spirit.

From before time began, as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Son of God existed, One in being with the Father and the Holy Spirit. From the time of His conception two thousand years ago, and forevermore, Jesus has two natures; He is fully God and fully man.

Information from To Live by the Spirit Workbook, page 75-76

# 2 Was Jesus really human like us?

Jesus shared our human condition completely. As Son of God and as Son of Man, He did not escape feeling the lure of His human condition as He faced temptation in the desert. The Gospel tells us (Matthew 4:1-4) that Jesus had fasted for 40 days and He was hungry. He had a legitimate and human need. He had to eat! Like us, Jesus was tempted to protect Himself and to seek His own way to fill His need, apart from His Father. Unlike us, Jesus could use His divinity to supply His human need. But He did not. He embraced His human condition completely. He felt His hunger intensely. At the same time, He did not turn from being alive to His need. Instead, He turned to His Father to meet His legitimate need. Jesus experienced human life the same way that we are called to live:

• fully human
• fully alive
• fully yielded to God Our Father

Information from Heart Basics Workbook, page 161

# 3 Did Jesus know while He was on earth
whether or not He was the Son of God?

Yes, Jesus claimed to be God, the Son of the Father. The Bible says:

So why do you accuse me of a terrible sin for saying that I am the Son of God? After all, it is the Father who prepared me for this work. He is also the one who sent me into the world. (John 10:36 CEV)

Even His enemies understood that Jesus claimed to be God the Son. The Bible says:

Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

We are not stoning you for any of these,” replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (John 10:31-33 NIV)

Information from To Live by the Spirit Workbook, page 77

# 4 Did Jesus know while He was on earth
whether or not He was the Messiah?

Yes! Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. The Bible says:

The woman said, “I know the Messiah will come―the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus told her, “I am the Messiah.” (John 4:25-26 NLT)

Even His enemies understood that Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. The Bible says:

Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren't you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God that you tell us whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say. And in the future you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God's right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror, shouting, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?”

“Guilty!” they shouted. “He must die!”

Then they spit in Jesus' face and hit him with their fists. And some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?” (Matthew 26:63-68 NLT)

Information from To Live by the Spirit Workbook, page 77

# 5 Why did Jesus die for us?

God encapsulates the Law in a new Law of Love; then He abides by His own Law of Love. He loved us first, even when we were unlovable, even when we were sinners.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-8 NIV)

In the preceding Scripture quote, we see why Jesus died to save us; namely, Jesus died because He loves us. In the next Scripture quote, we will see the legal mechanism which God used to save us; namely, God judged all the sin of all the world by putting that sin on Jesus, the sinless, innocent one. How can God hold us accountable for our sin and still offer us forgiveness for our sins? The justice of God demands that He hold us accountable for sin. So God held us accountable for our sin, as He put our guilt on Jesus, accepting Him as our substitute, and offering us forgiveness as a means of restoring us to a right relationship with God.

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:20-21 NKJV)

Information from Proof Positive, Chapter 11

# 6 Why do Christians call Jesus Christ our mediator?

A mediator is one who steps in between parties at variance, as the equal friend of each, for the purpose of reconciling them. Jesus Christ is the meeting point between God and humans.

He is the meeting point between accountability for our sins and forgiveness for our sins. While still upholding the Law, through His sacrificial death, Jesus offers us forgiveness for our violations of the Law. Through Jesus, we are invited to move into a new way of relating to God through Grace.

Information from Proof Positive, Chapter 11

# 7 Is Jesus a High Priest?

Jesus is the sacrifice. And He is the High Priest who sacrifices the sacrifice. He said that He “lay down” His life. He volunteered to die for us so that He might sacrifice His own body and blood to save us from spiritual death:

He came as High Priest of this better system which we now have. He went into that greater, perfect tabernacle in heaven, not made by men nor part of this world, and once for all took blood into that inner room, the Holy of Holies, and sprinkled it on the mercy seat; but it was not the blood of goats and calves. No, he took his own blood, and with it he, by himself, made sure of our eternal salvation. (Hebrews 9:11-12 NAB)

Information from To Live by the Spirit Workbook, pages 73-74

# 8 Why do Christians call Jesus "Our Redeemer"?

Imagine for a moment that you are living in Israel in Old Testament times. Your father is prosperous and you have servants tending to your every need. Then, to your horror, an invading army comes across the land and conquers the whole territory. You are captured and chained. Then your captor places you on the auction block and the townspeople bid on you. Somebody buys you. Somebody owns you. You are a slave.

Now, once again, imagine that you are standing on the slave block waiting for someone to buy you. Somebody you have never met pays your purchase price, and then sets you free! You are astounded! You don't even know this man. Yet he has paid a high price for you and redeemed you. That is the meaning of redemption: someone bought you, a slave, and then set you free.

Jesus is our Redeemer. We were slaves to Sin. No matter how much we yearned for freedom, we were held captive by sin. That is, until Jesus bought us and set us free. He paid a high price for us; the currency He used to purchase us is His Precious Blood.

Information from To Live by the Spirit Workbook, page 71

# 9 How does Jesus enable me to be fulfilled,
loved and alive in my daily life?

Movies and TV can stir us deeply with their ability to portray sound. I'm struck by first, the loud clang, and then, the tomblike silence of a prison door slamming shut, especially when the inmate is shown on death row. The camera focuses on the empty cell, then the prisoner alone, a dead–man–walking. It strikes terror within; we dread being empty, alone or dead.

• We are made to be: fulfilled, loved, alive
• We are not made to be: empty, alone, dead

Ironically this is what Jesus became for us.

• He emptied himself (Philippians 2:6-11).
• On the cross, He felt alone before His Father (Mark 15:34).
• And then He was dead (Mark 15:37).

Jesus became empty, alone and dead that you and I might experience being full, loved and alive. Jesus wants to reach into our hearts and say to us with love:

You are poor and I am rich. You are alone and I am with you. You are numb and I am Alive. You are dead in your ways and sins and I am Life for you. One day you will die physically. As you trust in Me now, one day you will rise and live physically. I am Life, Love and True Riches for your spirit, soul and body.

Information from Heart Basics Workbook, page 160

# 10 Did Jesus rise from the dead?

Through the supernatural power of God, Jesus rose from the dead on the first Easter Sunday. It was the same Jesus who died on Good Friday, but He was different. He had His same body, which was still marked with the nail holes from His crucifixion. However, His same body was different from His former mortal and natural body; now Jesus was alive forever in His immortal and glorified body.

Jesus' Glorified Body Was the Same

Jesus was present to His disciples, present in a body which they could see and touch. He invited His disciples to touch Him, encouraging doubting Thomas to see, touch, and believe:

Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” (John 20:27 NASB)

Jesus wanted them to know that He was really alive and really there with them. When He appeared to them, He demonstrated that His glorified body was the same by eating food as He had done in His natural body:

The disciples were so glad and amazed that they could not believe it. Jesus then asked them, “Do you have something to eat?” They gave him a piece of baked fish. He took it and ate it as they watched. (Luke 24:41-43 CEV)

Jesus' Glorified Body Was Different

Jesus' immortal body was different; it was supernatural. Jesus was no longer limited by the natural laws of matter and space. Jesus' body could pass through locked doors and walls:

Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:26 NLT)

After His resurrection, Jesus appeared and disappeared whenever He wanted; however, He was not a ghost. Jesus' glorified body was flesh and bone:

While Jesus' disciples were talking about what had happened, Jesus appeared and greeted them. They were frightened and terrified because they thought they were seeing a ghost.

But Jesus said, “Why are you so frightened: Why do you doubt? Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don't have flesh and bones as you see I have.” (Luke 24:36-39 CEV)

In His glorified body, Jesus could interact with one person or with many persons simultaneously. St. Paul affirms that many people saw Jesus alive after His resurrection, including Paul himself:

I passed on to you what I received, of which this was most important: that Christ died for our sins, as the Scriptures say; that he was buried and was raised to life on the third day as the Scriptures say; and that he was seen by Peter and then by the twelve apostles. After that, Jesus was seen by more than five hundred of the believers at the same time. Most of them are still living today, but some have died. Then he was seen by James and later by all the apostles. Last of all he was seen by me―as by a person not born at the normal time. (1 Corinthians 15:3-8 NCV)

Information from Foreseeable Future, Chapter 6

# 11 How did the story begin that Jesus'
disciples stole His dead body?

In Matthew 28:11-15, we find the explanation of how the rumor began that Jesus' disciples stole His dead body. The Jewish leaders knew that Jesus had spoken prophecies saying that He would die and rise from the dead on the third day. In order to prevent His disciples from pretending that Jesus rose, the Jewish leaders asked Pilate to order that guards be stationed at Jesus' tomb to prevent anyone from stealing His body and claiming that Jesus had risen from the dead. When Jesus did rise from the dead, the guards at the tomb fled in fear. They went to the Jewish leaders and reported what had happened. The leaders gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them to say that His disciples came and stole the body while they were asleep. Meanwhile, the guards knew that they were in big trouble! A guard who abandoned his post would be executed! These guards had run away from the tomb. A guard who fell asleep on duty would be executed! These soldiers would risk execution if they claimed that they had fallen asleep. Then the Jewish leaders reassured the soldiers that they would speak to the governor to keep them out of trouble.

Is the story above a credible explanation for the empty tomb? Consider this scenario: Even though they knew it was punishable by death, all of the soldiers fell asleep. They slept so soundly that they did not awaken when Jesus' disciples tiptoed past them to the huge stone that covered the opening to the tomb. With great effort, the disciples managed to roll back the disk-shaped stone, weighing about 1½ to 2 tons, moving the stone so quietly that they did not awaken the guards. Then, when the disciples crept into the tomb, they took the time to strip the body. They left the linen burial wrappings, and rolled up the cloth that had covered Jesus' head, leaving it in a separate place. Then the disciples hoisted up Jesus' cold, stiff body and scampered away with a naked cadaver.

Is that a believable story? I think it takes more faith to believe that than to believe that the all-powerful God who created the universe used His power to raise from the dead His beloved Son, Jesus, transforming His mortal body into a glorified, immortal body that is alive and will live forever. Obviously, I believe the Resurrection is true. But more than that, I know Jesus is alive, for I have experienced Him innumerable times interacting in my life. Unlike St. Paul and others, I have never seen Jesus with my physical eyes, but I have seen Him with the eyes of my heart. Jesus is alive! And He lives in me.

Information from Foreseeable Future, Chapter 4

# 12 How does Jesus reveal Himself to us today?

We can “see” Jesus with the eyes of faith while we are still here on earth. There are several ways here and now in which Jesus reveals Himself:

• in the Bible, especially the gospels
• through the Church
• through other members of the Church, the Body of Christ, of which He is the Head
• through the Eucharist, the Body of Christ
• to us personally in our spirit through the action of the Holy Spirit
• by allowing us to experience Him interacting in our daily lives
• through Creation
• through the best of human nature, since humans were created in the image of God

When we see Jesus as He is (1 John 3:1-3), we will be so drawn to His goodness that we will want to be just like Him. When we see Jesus in heaven, we will become like Him. Of course, we never become God Himself. However, in some mysterious way, we will become one with God, loving what He loves and willing what He wills. In this way, we will become a clear image of God.

Information from To Live by the Spirit Workbook, pages 54-55