Jesus: Fully God

The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us.

–John 1:14

C. S. Lewis once wrote about what he called the “Grand Miracle.” He said, “It was the central event in the history of the Earth–the very thing that the whole story has been about.” Lewis wasn’t referring to the resurrection of Jesus but to the incarnation–God coming to earth in human flesh. Think about it: The God who created this universe poured all of Himself into a tiny embryo. That is miraculous. As Lewis said elsewhere, “If you want to get the hang of [the incarnation], think how you would like to become a slug or a crab.” Yet Jesus did that willingly.

Philippians 2:7 says Jesus “emptied Himself” when He came to earth. Did He empty Himself of being God? No. Colossians 2:9 says, “In [Jesus] all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” So what did Jesus empty Himself of?

First of all, He emptied Himself of His rights. If you’ve ever traveled by airplane, then you know airport security is an ordeal. Sometimes you have to stand in a long line, and the process is a hassle–you have to take off your shoes and coat, pull your laptop out of your bag, and so on. But there’s a nifty program that allows you to go through a separate line with a lot less hassle. I’m part of this program, but my wife isn’t. When we travel together, I have every right to go through the quicker line. But I give up that right so I can stand with my wife and help her with her luggage. In the same way, Jesus Christ willingly gave up His rights as God to meet our needs.

Second, Jesus gave up the exercise of some of His attributes. Even though Jesus was fully God, which means He was all-knowing and all-powerful, He chose not to exercise aspects of His omniscience and omnipotence while He was on earth.

Let me illustrate it this way: A light bulb generates a certain amount of light, and we measure that light in lumens. If you put a lampshade over the bulb, it still generates the same number of lumens, but the shade veils some of the brightness. In the same way, Jesus was fully God, but His humanity veiled some of His deity so that we could not see Him in all His glory. He gave up the exercise of some of His godly attributes, and He did so for our benefit.

Today’s devotion is adapted from “What Every Christian Should Know About Jesus Christ” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2022.

C. S. Lewis, Miracles (HarperOne, 2015), 174; Lewis, Mere Christianity (HarperOne, 2001), 179.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.