Jesus

• What was said in John's gospel?

  In the beginning was the word, and the word was with god, and the word was god

  He was with god in the beginning

  Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made

  in him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind

  The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not outcome it
• What does John's gospel suggest about Jesus?

  If you replace 'the word' with Jesus, it says in the beginning was Jesus and Jesus was with god, Jesus was god. John believes that Jesus existed at the beginning of time; not necessarily as a human but just in existence. He is only known to us when he is incarnated. 'The word became flesh'. John stresses the importance of Jesus, particularly in his role with mankind
• The word became flesh

  The son (Jesus) became incarnate, not the divine nature. The son chose to assume a human nature in obedience to his father and for our salvation
• Did Jesus change in the incarnation?

  He has not changed. He has added a second nature to himself; a human nature/body. The individual Jesus is one person - the son - who is now in two natures, and is fully god and fully man
• Is Jesus affected by the fall?

  He is fully human and completely sinless. He was untainted by effects of our sin. He experienced the effects from living in a fallen world but did not share the guilt or disposition of sin passed on to the human race by Adam. He never committed a sin and could not. Despite being tempted like us he obeyed his father and accomplished our salvation
• Incarnation - supernatural

  It was supernatural and a demonstration of our triune God's sobering and initiative to redeem his people. In Jesus we meet god face to face
• Jesus and humanity

  He is unique and alone lord and saviour. Without the incarnation there is no salvation. He can identify with us as our representative and substitute. Salvation hopes for the payment of our sin. As divine son he satisfies God's own judgement against us and the demand for perfect obedience
• Jesus as the Son of God

  - special title for a human being: claims the person concerned has a divine nature, but perhaps as God's representative, that person may be seen as having God's authority. Example of Samuel 7:14, title of son of God given to King David.

  - 'thou art my beloved son, with thee i am well pleased' Mark 1:11. Voice at his baptism declares him to be such

  - Jesus appears to have the same relationship with God that a son has with his father. Same qualities and powers as his father, inherits everything his father possesses

  - theological overtone. Jews at the time expected god to send someone
• Jesus as the Son of Man

  - uses it to describe himself. Used to try and not claim his divinity to avoid the authorities to stop them from arresting him for being blasphemous. Son of man was ambiguous. To outside observers he was claiming to be a normal human, but to those who knew his teachings it would hint at his divine mission as a representative of god. Marks Gospel: recurring theme 'messianic secret'

  - 'foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head': Jesus appears to be saying that he is open to the same kind of human hardships as everyone else

  - 'a confession of the deity of Jesus in the full Christian sense'. Vincent Taylor, saw something godlike in Jesus which marked him out as more than a mere man

  - Christian theologians reached the conclusion that Jesus was fully divine and fully human and the use of both son of God and son of man titles gave some support to the understanding of Jesus and his authority