God the Son, Student Workbook, SW10

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G O D T H E S O N

B. Errors associated with misreading Jesus’ humanity:

1 John 4.2-3 - By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. 1 Tim. 3.16 - Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: he was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

1. Docetism : Jesus was not human (heresy in the early Church).

a. Dokeo (Greek, meaning “to seem or appear”)

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b. Jesus only appeared to be a human being.

c. God could not unite with human flesh; Jesus’ physical nature was not real, an illusion (like a spirit or ghost).

d. Directly refuted by Jesus’ own words, Luke 24.38-43

2. Apollinarianism : Jesus was not fully human.

a. Bishop of Syria in 4th century

b. Jesus could not have both human reason and divine reason.

c. Jesus was a compound being, a combination of human and divine elements.