What is the relationship between Jesus and God? This is a wonderful question. Although the existence of One sovereign God in the universe can be inferred from the things in the universe and the order in the universe, no man has ever seen God. Nevertheless, we should not think that something does not exist if we cannot see it. Science has become so advanced that everyone knows that our physical eyes cannot see many things that actually exist. For example, we cannot see radio waves in the air, but we know that these waves exist because they can be heard with a radio. Likewise, we cannot see the electricity that powers a fan. Consequently, everyone realizes that many things exist beyond our ability to see with our eyes.
Nevertheless, it is hard for many to accept the fact that God exists, because He cannot be seen. However, the Bible tells us that one day the sovereign Lord in the universe, the one God, the unique God, became flesh; God became a man (John 1:1, 14). He was manifested in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16). He emptied Himself, becoming in the likeness of men (Phil. 2:7). The One who was abstract became embodied in a human being, Jesus Christ.
In our consideration of radio waves, it is clear that the radio waves, which are being broadcast by radio stations, are abstract and intangible. However, when we turn on a radio, the waves in the air are received and even “embodied” for our ears. Although we cannot see them with our eyes, our ears can hear them. When abstract radio waves are received by a radio, they are embodied, or we can say that they are manifested. When they become embodied and manifested, people can hear and understand them.
According to our limited human feeling, God is too abstract, and we have no way to feel Him, see Him, or touch Him. In order for man to touch Him, to contact Him, to be able to know Him, and to understand Him, God emptied Himself and was embodied in a man. The infinite God of the universe became a wonderful man named Jesus.
As far as outward appearance is concerned, a radio is only a wooden box, but a radio is different from other wooden boxes because it can receive radio waves. It can receive radio waves that convey many different languages, such as English, Japanese, Taiwanese, and Mandarin. We can also hear many different kinds of sounds, such as the sound of a piano, the sound of singing, the voice of a man, or the voice of a woman. All of these different sounds manifest the radio waves that are received by the wooden box.
In all of human history, there has been only one man who was more than a mere man. Jesus is something very wonderful. He is a man, yet He is also the incarnated God who became flesh. The Lord Jesus is God incarnate as a man. Jesus Christ is the God who created the universe. He is God, and God is in Him. When the universe was created, He was God. However, when He became flesh, God entered into man and put on humanity.
The putting on of humanity is like the putting on of clothes. When a baby comes out of his mother’s womb, he is not wearing a suit; only his human body can be seen. Very quickly, however, some clothes are put on the baby, and then a different expression is manifested. Instead of seeing the color of his skin, we see the color of his clothes. Before the Lord Jesus was clothed with humanity through incarnation, He was God. But through incarnation, He entered into man and put on humanity. God put on humanity just as man puts on clothing. When people saw Jesus, they saw a man, but inwardly He was also God. The Lord Jesus was in the likeness of men and was found in fashion as a man because He put on humanity through incarnation (Phil. 2:7-8). When He became a man, He did not cease to be God; instead, He became God in humanity. When a person puts on clothes, he does not cease to be a man; rather, he becomes a man in clothes.
Jesus Christ is God putting on humanity. Jesus Christ is the sovereign Lord, the Creator of the universe, who entered into humanity to be a man. Hence, as a man, He is truly man; as God, He is truly God. He is man, and He is God. When He was born in the city of Bethlehem, He was born of a human virgin called Mary. Although many people celebrate Christmas to remember the birth of Jesus, many do not know the significance of His birth. The real significance is that God became a man to be among men.
Although He is a man, He is also God. This fact is seen in the wonderful words of the Bible: “She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Verse 23 then says, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel.” Jesus means “Jehovah the Savior,” and Emmanuel means “God with us.” The child who was born of a virgin was God coming to be man’s Savior and also God entering into man to be with man. Although outwardly He appeared to be only a man, He was God with man. The Old Testament speaks of this in Isaiah 9:6: “For a child is born to us, / A Son is given to us; /...And His name will be called / Wonderful Counselor, / Mighty God, / Eternal Father, / Prince of Peace.” The child who was born in a manger in Bethlehem was the Mighty God, the Eternal Father; He was the sovereign Lord in the universe. In this child was the source, the Father, of the universe. In other words, He was the Eternal Father, the Mighty God.