I need help with these paragraphs. I agree with the "eternal Son of God/Man", and am assuming the fully God and fully human aspect, but I can't quite sort out the idea of "self-imposed restrictions", and that He was "unable to heal the sick..." without "the Holy Spirit to empower Him for the impossible..."
[...Yet Jesus was unable to heal the sick. This fact is taken from His own words, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself . . ." He was unable to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, or cleanse the lepers, unless God worked through Him. When He commanded His disciples to do these things, He was requiring them to do what was impossible without God's help.
Jesus Christ is both the eternal Son of God, and the Son of Man. As God, nothing is impossible for Him. But, He chose to live with self-imposed restrictions that He might be the model for all who would believe in His name. This is a very important part of our theology. If He did miracles as God, I am obviously impressed by His love and power, but I'm not able to duplicate it. However, if He did them as a man through a right relationship with the Father, then I am compelled to pursue to become like Him.
Although He lived as a man, He had two unique characteristics; He had no sin to separate Him from the Father, and He was completely dependant on the Holy Spirit to empower Him for the impossible. The blood of Jesus makes us sinless. And we have access to the limitless power of heaven through Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Because of this Jesus commanded us to follow Him in all things: even in His confrontation with the impossible, saying, ". . . greater works than these he will do . . ." In the same way Jesus expected fruit out of season from the fig tree, an impossibility, so God requires us to bear fruit from the supernatural realm. He has given us access to that reality through His blood, and the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit.]
What is this saying about the nature/incarnation of Jesus? Is it saying he set aside his deity? (And what exactly does that mean?) Feel free to explain it to me as though I were a 12yo. I sometimes get a bit fuzzy on basic doctrines.
[...Yet Jesus was unable to heal the sick. This fact is taken from His own words, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself . . ." He was unable to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, or cleanse the lepers, unless God worked through Him. When He commanded His disciples to do these things, He was requiring them to do what was impossible without God's help.
Jesus Christ is both the eternal Son of God, and the Son of Man. As God, nothing is impossible for Him. But, He chose to live with self-imposed restrictions that He might be the model for all who would believe in His name. This is a very important part of our theology. If He did miracles as God, I am obviously impressed by His love and power, but I'm not able to duplicate it. However, if He did them as a man through a right relationship with the Father, then I am compelled to pursue to become like Him.
Although He lived as a man, He had two unique characteristics; He had no sin to separate Him from the Father, and He was completely dependant on the Holy Spirit to empower Him for the impossible. The blood of Jesus makes us sinless. And we have access to the limitless power of heaven through Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Because of this Jesus commanded us to follow Him in all things: even in His confrontation with the impossible, saying, ". . . greater works than these he will do . . ." In the same way Jesus expected fruit out of season from the fig tree, an impossibility, so God requires us to bear fruit from the supernatural realm. He has given us access to that reality through His blood, and the indwelling person of the Holy Spirit.]
What is this saying about the nature/incarnation of Jesus? Is it saying he set aside his deity? (And what exactly does that mean?) Feel free to explain it to me as though I were a 12yo. I sometimes get a bit fuzzy on basic doctrines.