The Celestial Christ

"For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world...For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (John 6: 33, 38)

"This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." (Verse 50, 51)

"This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever." (Verse 58)

Jesus is unique. Of no other human being can it be said - "he came down from heaven." Christ Jesus preexisted. His birth to Mary was not the beginning of his existence, in every respect. Yes, he did begin, at his birth, to exist as a man. He did not preexist as a man. But, before he became man, he was "with God" as the Word of God, as the eternal Son of God. (John 1: 1,2)

No other human being has ever preexisted his birth. Reincarnation is not a truth, but an error. Also, no other man is both God and man, both Creator and creature, both Son of God and Son of Man.

The Jews who heard Jesus utter these fantastic words responded with bewilderment, saying -

"And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?" (John 6: 42)

Men today are still asking this same question. How can Jesus, who is a human being, be said to "come down from heaven"? Did Jesus believe in reincarnation? Is that the reason why he uses such language about his entrance into the world? Is he using language about himselft that could be said of many other men? What was he telling us about himself by the use of such language? Were the above words of Jesus uttered secretly to but a few, or were they words he spoke often and taught openly? Why is it important to know that Christ, unlike any other man, "came down from heaven"?

"What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" (John 6: 62)

"And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." (John 3: 13)

"And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world." (John 8: 23)

This was startling revelation to the first century Jews. Even though they were looking for the coming of the promised Messiah, the Son of David, it seems that they had no idea that he would be more than a mere man. They also did not understand why Messiah must die.

"Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:

“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, But a body You have prepared for Me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—In the volume of the book it is written of Me—To do Your will, O God...we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10: 5-7, 10 New KJV)

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same." (Hebrews 2: 14)

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men...And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. " (John 1: 1-4, 14)

Thus, it is clear that he who was with God, yea, was very God himself, one with his Father, existing from eternity as the Word and Son of God, did incarnate himself, did take upon himself human flesh and blood, in order that he might represent fallen sinners in his work of redemption. God cannot be killed. In order for an adequate sacrificial victim to be provided, God dwelled in a human body.

"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." (John 17: 4, 5)

We dare not deny the celestial or divine nature of Christ, the Son of God, he who's name is "The Word of God." Yes, he became incarnate; that is, he partook of flesh and blood, and a human soul, but he never relinquished his divinity in so doing.

While Christ was here in body, he was both Son of God and Son of Man. He has always been Son of his Father, but he has not always been Son of man, incorporated into a human body. Those who see Christ as merely human greatly err, as much as those who see Christ as only divine and in no way as human.

God the Father calls upon all men to behold his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He commands them to pay him his due homage and respect, to believe in his words and submit to his rule and government. The message of the gospel is - "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved." (Acts 16: 31) Even in the Psalms it was said - "Kiss the Son (of God), lest he be angry with you, and you perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little." (Psalm 2: 12) It is the Father's will that "all men honor the Son even as they honor" him. (John 5: 23).