Was flipping through this book the other day, dipping my toes in here and there after reading Bavinck on Christ’s humanity (not that there was a problem with Bavinck, I just needed someone else’s voice in my head for a minute). So it seemed fitting to repost this today, rather than something half-baked on another book. I just wish that I’d finished the sentence I abandoned in paragraph #4….
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The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ
by Bruce A. Ware
Kindle Edition, 160 pg.
Crossway, 2012
Read: March 9, 2014
One of Ware’s presuppositions — repeated throughout this book — is that evangelical Christians today have a good understanding of and embrace the doctrine of the Divinity of Christ, but their understanding of his humanity is wanting — enter this book. Without dipping a toe into Nestorianism, Ware wants his readers to understand the humanity of Jesus. He explains this so with a constant eye to His divinity — and how that divinity is expressed in the life of the God-man.
One of his main interests is for his readers to understand the dependency of Jesus on the Spirit — His indwelling, guidance and empowering. Without that indwelling, it would be impossible for Jesus to carry out His father’s will. If we grasp that, we see the limitations of the divine nature of Christ to his earthly work, which may seem paradoxical, but isn’t as Ware will explain.
The application portions to every chapter keep this book from being merely theoretical (however great that theory is) to helping readers put shoe leather to this teaching — as every teaching ought. It’s just easier when the author goes out of his way to help us start that on our own.
I really appreciated the chapter “Resisting Temptation,” Ware’s reflections on Hebrews 4:15 and the idea of Jesus being tempted to sin in general. He surveys some of the leading theories before suggesting his own idea how the idea of the impeccable theanthropos being tempted without sinning. He put into words an idea or two that had been floating around in my own head for a few years, and
I was surprised that Ware had to devote an entire chapter defending the masculinity of the God-man, although I shouldn’t have been. Sadly, this was a pretty boring chapter. Ware really beat this horse far beyond the point of its flatline. Sadly, he probably needed to be as through given today’s thinking.
Deep enough to discourage a casual read, but friendly enough that this should be able to be read by thoughtful laity.
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