{"id":416,"date":"2025-03-08T14:33:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T14:33:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/?p=416"},"modified":"2025-03-08T14:34:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T14:34:28","slug":"416","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/2025\/03\/08\/416\/","title":{"rendered":"How is Jesus Unique?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Jesus is human just like us and was tempted just like us. However there are many ways Jesus is very different from us. He created everything invisible and visible. He lived before being born human. He had no earthly father instead his father is God. For us, Jesus is our head, but his head is God. He never sinned but we have all sinned. He can take away our sins, but we cannot do this for anyone no matter what we do. He intercedes and mediates between God and us and no other human or angel can do that.As a Bible expert expand on this and fill in verses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus: Like Us, Yet Radically Different<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Jesus Is Human Just Like Us and Was Tempted Just Like Us<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expansion: Jesus took on human flesh, experiencing hunger, fatigue, and temptation, fully identifying with our struggles. His humanity wasn\u2019t an illusion\u2014He lived as we do, yet with a purpose we can\u2019t match.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Hebrews 2:17-18 (NIV): \u201cFor this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest\u2026 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hebrews 4:15 (NIV): \u201cFor we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are\u2014yet he did not sin.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Practice: His temptation (e.g., in the wilderness, Matthew 4:1-11) mirrors ours\u2014power, provision, pride\u2014but He overcame, showing us a path through, not just a shared struggle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Jesus Created Everything Invisible and Visible<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expansion: Unlike us, Jesus is the eternal Word, the agent of creation, pre-existing humanity and shaping all reality. We\u2019re creatures; He\u2019s the Creator.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John 1:1-3 (NIV): \u201cIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God\u2026 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Colossians 1:16-17 (NIV): \u201cFor in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible\u2026 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Theological Note: This sets Him apart\u2014while we\u2019re bound by creation, He\u2019s its origin, holding even the unseen (angels, forces) in His hands.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>3. He Lived Before Being Born Human<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expansion: Jesus\u2019 pre-existence as God contrasts with our finite beginnings. His incarnation was a step into time, not His start.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John 8:58 (NIV): \u201cVery truly I tell you,\u201d Jesus answered, \u201cbefore Abraham was born, I am!\u201d (Echoing God\u2019s name, Exodus 3:14.)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>John 17:5 (NIV): \u201cAnd now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Significance: We\u2019re born into history; He entered it from eternity, choosing humanity while retaining divinity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>4. He Had No Earthly Father; His Father Is God<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expansion: Jesus\u2019 virgin birth marks His unique origin\u2014conceived by the Holy Spirit, not human will. We\u2019re products of earthly lineage; He\u2019s the Son of God in flesh.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Luke 1:35 (NIV): \u201cThe angel answered, \u2018The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.\u2019\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Matthew 1:20 (NIV): \u201cAn angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, \u2018Joseph\u2026 what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.\u2019\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Practice: This divine paternity underscores His sinless nature and authority\u2014no human flaw passed down, only God\u2019s perfection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>5. For Us, Jesus Is Our Head, but His Head Is God<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expansion: Jesus leads us as our Lord and mediator, but He submits to God the Father, showing a hierarchy we don\u2019t share. We\u2019re under His headship; He\u2019s under God\u2019s.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV): \u201cAnd God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1 Corinthians 11:3 (NIV): \u201cBut I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ\u2026 and the head of Christ is God.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Theological Note: This reflects Divinity\u2019s unity and distinction\u2014Jesus is equal in essence, submissive in role, while we\u2019re wholly dependent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>6. He Never Sinned, but We Have All Sinned<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expansion: Jesus\u2019 sinlessness sets Him apart as the perfect sacrifice. We\u2019re born in sin, falling short; He lived flawlessly, fulfilling the law.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1 Peter 2:22 (NIV): \u201cHe committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Romans 3:23 (NIV): \u201cFor all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV): \u201cGod made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Significance: His purity qualifies Him to redeem; our impurity demands it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>7. He Can Take Away Our Sins, but We Cannot Do This for Anyone<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expansion: Jesus\u2019 death and resurrection uniquely atone for sin\u2014something no human effort can replicate. We\u2019re recipients, not redeemers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1 John 1:7 (NIV): \u201cThe blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>John 1:29 (NIV): \u201cThe next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, \u2018Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!\u2019\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hebrews 10:4 (NIV): \u201cIt is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins\u201d (implying human acts can\u2019t either).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In Practice: We trust His sacrifice, not our works\u2014He fills the void our sin creates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>8. He Intercedes and Mediates Between God and Us, and No Other Can<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Expansion: Jesus alone bridges humanity and God, interceding as our advocate. No angel or saint shares this role\u2014He\u2019s the sole mediator.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Verses:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV): \u201cFor there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Hebrews 7:25 (NIV): \u201cTherefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Romans 8:34 (NIV): \u201cChrist Jesus who died\u2026 is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Significance: His mediation is exclusive\u2014our access to God hinges on Him, not human proxies.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Practical and Theological Synthesis<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Like Us: Jesus\u2019 humanity (tempted, flesh-and-blood) means He gets us\u2014He\u2019s not distant. He faced Satan\u2019s lures (Matthew 4) and human limits (John 4:6, exhaustion), yet triumphed, modeling victory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Unlike Us: His divinity (Creator, eternal, sinless, mediator) means He saves us\u2014where we fail, He succeeds. His unique birth, authority, and atonement power lift us from sin\u2019s void to God\u2019s presence.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Receiving This: We trust Him as head, lean on His intercession, and follow His sinless example, not our flawed nature. His likeness invites us; His difference redeems us.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Jesus embodies the blessed man who avoids the ungodly and delights in God\u2019s law (Psalm 1:2). He\u2019s the ultimate righteous \u201ctree\u201d (Psalm 1:3), and by following Him, we share that blessing:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>John 15:5 (NIV): \u201cI am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>(Based on a Grok conversation worth sharing)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jesus is human just like us and was tempted just like us. However there are many ways Jesus is very different from us. He created everything invisible and visible. He lived before being born human. He had no earthly father instead his father is God. For us, Jesus is our head, but his head is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[98,92],"tags":[79,55],"class_list":["post-416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-purpose-of-jesus","category-sin","tag-god","tag-jesus"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=416"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":420,"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/416\/revisions\/420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=416"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=416"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/markwilkinson.ca\/pillar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=416"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}