Here is a question or two I might use to start a Sabbath School class discussion:

1. What proof do you have that Christ was fully human and fully divine?

2. What difference does this make to you as a Christian?

Why is it necessary to make such a statement in the first place? He used "son of man "mostly in referring to himself. He was a union of humanity and Divinity and always will be.

mel

Because it has to do with understanding what the Bible teaches and a major doctrine in the Christian faith. It also has to do with our experience and faith as Christians. It makes a big difference if I believe Jesus is God and Man as opposed to believing that He was only a human. It gives me greater confidence in Him.

Only by being fully and truly God could He show us what God is like. And only by becoming a real man, and experiencing what it is like to live as a human on this earth, could He persuade us that God loves us and that God understands our problems and temptations.

I do not remember anyone ever asserting that Jesus was "only" human.

mel

I have often heard that claim, Mel - but not among believers.

I intended to include only those on this thread. Sorry.

mel

I think that what you said was fine and I certainly didn't write what I did as a criticism of you. I just thought it needed to be clarified that it makes a real difference that Christ is fully God and fully human. There is a movement within the Adventist church today to return to what some see as the original belief of the nature of Christ as held by most of the church during its formative years. On the other hand, there are also those who believe that Christ never really experienced the struggles with temptations that you and I go through, because He was in some essentials ways not fully human, but that He merely appeared to be. Both of those viewpoints have been believed by members of CA. But I am sorry if I gave the impression that I thought you believed these things yourself.

Actually i believe just what scripture says. Scripure says that, in his time on earth at least, Mary was his mother and God was his father. Not complicated at all!

mel