Jesus as God in Flesh

Christian Alexander
Christian Alexander Member Posts: 3,008 ✭✭
edited November 21 in English Forum

I am looking to gather references to where Jesus give evidence that he believed he was God in the flesh. How can I do a search in Logos to find the verses? I want to analyze all New Testament texts. 

The New Bible Dictionary says

But the NT has also some distinctive meanings. Akin to the ‘my bone and my flesh’ passages of the OT (though not quite the same) are those which refer to physical descent and the like. Thus Christ ‘was descended from David according to the flesh’ (Rom. 1:3). Paul can speak of ‘Israel according to the flesh’ (1 Cor. 10:18; see rsvmg.), and the Israelites as his ‘kinsmen by race’ (Gk. ‘according to the flesh’) (Rom. 9:3). ‘The flesh’ may stand for the whole of this physical existence, and there are references to being ‘in the flesh’ (Col. 2:1; rsv omits). There is no blame attached to this, and, indeed, Christ is said more than once to have been ‘in the flesh’ (Eph. 2:15; 1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Jn. 4:2, etc.). To be ‘in the flesh’ is not incompatible with being ‘in the Lord’ (Phm. 16). The flesh may be defiled (Jude 8) or purified (Heb. 9:13). The life that Paul the Christian now lived was ‘in the flesh’ (Gal. 2:20).

L. L. Morris, “Flesh,” New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 371.

Easton's Bible Dictionary has

INCARNATION —  that act of grace whereby Christ took our human nature into union with his Divine Person, became man. Christ is both God and man. Human attributes and actions are predicated of him, and he of whom they are predicated is God. A Divine Person was united to a human nature (Acts 20:28Rom. 8:321 Cor. 2:8Heb. 2:11–141 Tim. 3:16Gal. 4:4, etc.). The union is hypostatical, i.e., is personal; the two natures are not mixed or confounded, and it is perpetual. 

M.G. Easton, Easton's Bible Dictionary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1996).

I read this Factbook Entry. https://app.logos.com/tools/factbook?reportId=ref%3Abk.%25flesh&tile=right&title=Flesh  The Key Passages were of importance but did not fit internally. 

I tried this search. https://app.logos.com/search?kind=all&q=%22Jesus+as+God%22+WITHIN+4+WORDS+Flesh&resources=allResources&source=searchPanel&syntax=v2 

I did a Bible Search.

Jesus NEAR Flesh https://app.logos.com/search?case=ignore&form=all&kind=bible&q=Jesus+NEAR+Flesh&ref=broad&resources=topBible&source=searchPanel&syntax=v2&view=passages 

God NEAR Flesh https://app.logos.com/search?case=ignore&form=all&kind=bible&q=God+NEAR+Flesh&ref=broad&resources=topBible&source=searchPanel&syntax=v2&view=passages 

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Comments

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith Member, MVP Posts: 53,051 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Jesus NEAR Flesh https://app.logos.com/search?case=ignore&form=all&kind=bible&q=Jesus+NEAR+Flesh&ref=broad&resources=topBible&source=searchPanel&syntax=v2&view=passages 

    God NEAR Flesh https://app.logos.com/search?case=ignore&form=all&kind=bible&q=God+NEAR+Flesh&ref=broad&resources=topBible&source=searchPanel&syntax=v2&view=passages 

    Again, do you really care about the specific word "flesh" which is dependent upon the translation or do you care about the concept? You were correct to start with Factbook but you looked at the wrong thing - a specific word when your interest is in the concept. Note that I used the Dig Deeper section to guide me to the 2nd and 3rd entries.

    As you seem to have difficulty moving from words to concepts, perhaps you should try to create Venn diagrams for some key words showing their relationship to some basic theological concepts. Gemini provides a mediocre result but should give you the idea.

    Incarnation Concept Map

    Central Idea: Incarnation - God becoming human in Jesus Christ

    Connects to:

    • Trinity: God existing as three persons: Father, Son (who becomes incarnate), and Holy Spirit

    Key Aspects:

    • Jesus Christ:
      • Pre-existent divine Son of God (Logos)
      • Took on human nature (Sarx) (with limitations, but without sin) - Humanity of Christ
      • Fully God and fully human (Hypostatic Union)
      • Kenosis: Self-emptying of divine attributes to take on human limitations

    Implications:

    • God's love for humanity: Willingness to enter the human experience
    • Bridge between God and humanity: Jesus as mediator
    • Atoneement: Christ's sacrifice for human sin
    • Salvation: Path to reconciliation with God
    • Incarnational ministry: Following Christ's example of love and service

    Relationships Between Concepts:

    • Logos: Refers to the divine Word of God, the pre-incarnate Christ (John 1:1)
    • Sarx: A Greek word meaning "flesh" or "humanity," emphasizing Jesus' true human nature.
    • Humanity of Christ: Jesus experienced human emotions, limitations, and suffering (except sin).
    • Kenosis: The divine Son didn't cease being God but laid aside some divine powers to experience human life fully. This kenosis allows Jesus to empathize with humanity.
    • Hypostatic Union: The mystery of how the divine and human natures co-exist perfectly in one person, Jesus Christ.

    Additional Notes:

    • The relationship between Logos and Sarx captures the essence of the incarnation: the divine Word uniting with humanity.
    • Debates exist around the exact nature of kenosis and the hypostatic union.

    Further Exploration:

    • Christology: The study of the nature of Christ
    • Nicene Creed: An early creed that defines the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • NichtnurBibelleser
    NichtnurBibelleser Member Posts: 269 ✭✭

    Type “logos sarx” in the query field. You will get a lot of hits.

  • MJ. Smith
    MJ. Smith Member, MVP Posts: 53,051 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Type “logos sarx” in the query field.

    Good call. I'm a bit embarrassed I didn't think to include it.

    Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."

  • Dave Hooton
    Dave Hooton Member, MVP Posts: 35,672 ✭✭✭

    I am looking to gather references to where Jesus give evidence that he believed he was God in the flesh. How can I do a search in Logos to find the verses? I want to analyze all New Testament texts. 

    Your queries should be in the General forum as they are not related to software issues.

    Dave
    ===

    Windows 11 & Android 13