Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Did Jesus Have His Godly Powers as a Man?
I have often heard pastors claim that Jesus was perfect. He never sinned. Not even a little white lie. To be completely honest, I have always shrugged my shoulders at that. It never truly impressed me because Jesus was God! Me? I was not God! How can I ever expect to live as righteous as Jesus? I have always believed using God as an example of how we should act is a bit over the top.
Recently as I was studying the Bible, I noticed something I had never been told before. So I began focusing on that one thing and suddenly it all made a lot of sense. Jesus was truly just a man!
Now before you get all puffed up, screaming heresy, let me explain.
Jesus is God! Let’s make this very clear from the start. Jesus was, is and always will be God! Before he was Jesus, He was called the Word. The Word chose to take on flesh and become a man. Where most Christians get confused is that they cannot separate God’s powers from God Himself. In their minds, it is God’s almighty powers that makes Him God. That’s simply not true. If a human loses their sight, do they stop being human? God can set His powers aside for a short while in order to walk in the flesh and be fully man, and that would not stop Him from being God in the flesh!
When the Word took on flesh, He became man. Fully man! He set His godly powers aside for a short while and became man. When He ascended to heaven, He took His powers back. He never stopped being God in all of that. Now you may say this is not true, but let’s take a look at what the Word of God actually says about it. Not only will I show you that this is exactly what scripture says happened, but I will in the end, explain how this knowledge actually makes His story even greater!
To start, Jesus kind of claimed that He wasn’t the one doing the miracles.…
John 5:30 (NASB)
30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Jesus did not say He “will” do nothing on His own initiative. He said I “can” do nothing. I do not know of one miracle where Jesus ever claims that He did the miracle Himself. If you can, please make a note of it on that paper, but Jesus always seems to put the credit to faith.
Matthew 9:22 (NASB)
22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.
Mark 10:52 (NASB)
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.
Luke 17:19 (NASB)
19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 18:42 (NASB)
42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”
When the disciples went out and performed miracles, it was not by their own power they did them. It was the Holy Spirit that did the healing and they did it in the name of Jesus. For healing, like prophecy and tongues are all gifts of the Holy Spirit. But those miracles happen through faith.
Let’s look at the story of Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. The first thing I want to point out is the fasting. Why did God need to fast? Would God, who is all-powerful, be overcome by the flesh? The only way fasting could possibly have an effect on God, is if He was not all powerful. The only possible way God would ever not be all powerful, is if He set aside that power while in the flesh. Can you give another explanation? If you can, please make a note of it.
As He was fasting and praying, the devil came to tempt Him. Let’s look at what the devil says at one point…
Luke 4:9-11 (NASB)
9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’ 11 and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Now, imagine God with all his power sitting on top of a high peak and the devil saying to throw Himself off and let the Father save you. Save Jesus from what? Stepping off and gently floating to the ground? Teleporting to the ground safely? Jesus could even throw his body off the peak and let it fall at full speed and smash into the ground and not even get a bruise. He is all powerful right? So what is the sense to this temptation?
The only possible way this temptation means anything is if Jesus would die if he fell and hit the ground. Only then could this be a real temptation because then Jesus would need to trust the Father to save Him. In fact, Jesus even admits it is a real temptation by His answer.
Luke 4:12 (NASB)
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
The only possible explanation for how this would be putting God to the test, is if the fall would kill Him. Then He would be testing God to save Him rather than let Him die. Yet the simple fact is, if that fall would kill Jesus, it is proof that He, at this time, is not all powerful Himself and He would need to trust in the Father to command His angels to save Him. If you can think of another logical explanation, I would ask you to please write it down on that paper.
John 8:58-59 (NASB)
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
John 10:39 (NASB)
39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
This is two separate examples of when the Jews were about to stone Jesus on the spot for claiming to be God. Both times Jesus fled from them. Why? If He was all powerful, measly stones would have no hope of hurting him. He would have no reason to flee from them. Yet both times He had to elude them and escape. The only possible answer for this is that the stones could kill Him and it wasn’t yet His time to die nor was that the way He was supposed to die. But if those stones could kill Him, how can He be said to still be all-powerful?
Yes, you guessed it. If you can explain this another way, I want you to please make a note of it.
Matthew 24:35-36 (NASB)
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
This is a great example of Jesus clearly saying that there were things that He did not know because the father had not told Him. God is all-knowing! That means there is absolutely nothing that God does not know! So if Jesus was still God with all of His abilities, this would be saying He is not all-knowing. This would be a contradiction in the scriptures. The only possible way Jesus could not know something, is if He was not all-knowing at that time. That would mean that He obviously does not have all of His abilities as God at the time. Can you explain it any other way? Make a note of it.
Yet Paul also makes reference to this belief in Hebrews.
Hebrews 2:9 (NASB)
9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
If Jesus was still all-powerful, then how was he made a little lower than angels? Being God, and the Son of God, and having all of His power, even in the flesh, He would be far higher than any angel. Yet if he did not have all of His godly abilities, and He became man like anyone else, then He would be the Son of God, He would be God, in the flesh without His abilities. He would be below the angels for He had no power of His own, but He would be above all people because He was still God. He was still the Son of God. Have another explanation? You got it! Make a note of it please.
Now, there is one verse that on the surface seems to contradict this teaching. When Jesus is walking in a crowd, a woman who has been sick for 12 years pressed through and touched His garment so that she might be healed. When Jesus asked who touched Him, His disciples were confused for there were so many people. How could they know who touched Him? Jesus then said this…
Luke 8:46 (NASB)
46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”
Some would read this and believe that because Jesus felt the power leave Him, it is evidence that Jesus is the one doing the miracles with His own power. This is not quite accurate though. Jesus does not say it is His power. He does not say “I felt my power go out from me.” He says “ “that power”. If it is the power of the Holy Spirit within Him going out from Him, He would have felt that and said exactly what He said. “I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”
If this verse had entered your mind at any point as an explanation for anything and you made a note of it, please scratch it off your notes, for this I believe has been shown not to prove it is Jesus power but more likely it is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now I would ask you to look at the notes you have made. If you have any still written on that paper, I would ask you to send me an email at [email protected] and give me every explanation you made that you have left. Show me where I am wrong. However, if you have made no notes, and have no explanation for any of this, can you honestly say it is wrong?
When I began teaching this belief, I have had countless Christian’s claim I was teaching heresy. Yet not one of them has backed up their belief with anything substantial. Not even good logic.
I know this is hard for some to grasp, but in truth, it makes it even better. For one, knowing He did not have His own powers to rely on, it means that Jesus did face the same life as any other man. He felt the stirring in his loins as any man would. He could see the attractiveness of a beautiful woman. He could feel all the same emotions. Yet Jesus still did not sin! He didn’t rely on Godly powers to deny temptation and sin, but He relied on faith. Just as He now expects us to do!
This also shows us that Jesus could separate Himself from the shame and pain He felt when they beat Him, scourged Him and nailed Him to a cross. He felt every bit of that pain and suffering. And He knew it was coming and He still chose to go through it so that we might be saved! He suffered all the pain and humiliation as a real man, and when He was up on the cross, He still asked the Father to forgive them for doing that to Him. Realizing Jesus was a real man, it makes everything He did that much more amazing! It makes Him that much more worthy to be praised.
Recently as I was studying the Bible, I noticed something I had never been told before. So I began focusing on that one thing and suddenly it all made a lot of sense. Jesus was truly just a man!
Now before you get all puffed up, screaming heresy, let me explain.
Jesus is God! Let’s make this very clear from the start. Jesus was, is and always will be God! Before he was Jesus, He was called the Word. The Word chose to take on flesh and become a man. Where most Christians get confused is that they cannot separate God’s powers from God Himself. In their minds, it is God’s almighty powers that makes Him God. That’s simply not true. If a human loses their sight, do they stop being human? God can set His powers aside for a short while in order to walk in the flesh and be fully man, and that would not stop Him from being God in the flesh!
When the Word took on flesh, He became man. Fully man! He set His godly powers aside for a short while and became man. When He ascended to heaven, He took His powers back. He never stopped being God in all of that. Now you may say this is not true, but let’s take a look at what the Word of God actually says about it. Not only will I show you that this is exactly what scripture says happened, but I will in the end, explain how this knowledge actually makes His story even greater!
To start, Jesus kind of claimed that He wasn’t the one doing the miracles.…
John 5:30 (NASB)
30 “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
Jesus did not say He “will” do nothing on His own initiative. He said I “can” do nothing. I do not know of one miracle where Jesus ever claims that He did the miracle Himself. If you can, please make a note of it on that paper, but Jesus always seems to put the credit to faith.
Matthew 9:22 (NASB)
22 But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.
Mark 10:52 (NASB)
52 And Jesus said to him, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.
Luke 17:19 (NASB)
19 And He said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has made you well.”
Luke 18:42 (NASB)
42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”
When the disciples went out and performed miracles, it was not by their own power they did them. It was the Holy Spirit that did the healing and they did it in the name of Jesus. For healing, like prophecy and tongues are all gifts of the Holy Spirit. But those miracles happen through faith.
Let’s look at the story of Jesus fasting in the wilderness for 40 days. The first thing I want to point out is the fasting. Why did God need to fast? Would God, who is all-powerful, be overcome by the flesh? The only way fasting could possibly have an effect on God, is if He was not all powerful. The only possible way God would ever not be all powerful, is if He set aside that power while in the flesh. Can you give another explanation? If you can, please make a note of it.
As He was fasting and praying, the devil came to tempt Him. Let’s look at what the devil says at one point…
Luke 4:9-11 (NASB)
9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You to guard You,’ 11 and, ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Now, imagine God with all his power sitting on top of a high peak and the devil saying to throw Himself off and let the Father save you. Save Jesus from what? Stepping off and gently floating to the ground? Teleporting to the ground safely? Jesus could even throw his body off the peak and let it fall at full speed and smash into the ground and not even get a bruise. He is all powerful right? So what is the sense to this temptation?
The only possible way this temptation means anything is if Jesus would die if he fell and hit the ground. Only then could this be a real temptation because then Jesus would need to trust the Father to save Him. In fact, Jesus even admits it is a real temptation by His answer.
Luke 4:12 (NASB)
12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
The only possible explanation for how this would be putting God to the test, is if the fall would kill Him. Then He would be testing God to save Him rather than let Him die. Yet the simple fact is, if that fall would kill Jesus, it is proof that He, at this time, is not all powerful Himself and He would need to trust in the Father to command His angels to save Him. If you can think of another logical explanation, I would ask you to please write it down on that paper.
John 8:58-59 (NASB)
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” 59 Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.
John 10:39 (NASB)
39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.
This is two separate examples of when the Jews were about to stone Jesus on the spot for claiming to be God. Both times Jesus fled from them. Why? If He was all powerful, measly stones would have no hope of hurting him. He would have no reason to flee from them. Yet both times He had to elude them and escape. The only possible answer for this is that the stones could kill Him and it wasn’t yet His time to die nor was that the way He was supposed to die. But if those stones could kill Him, how can He be said to still be all-powerful?
Yes, you guessed it. If you can explain this another way, I want you to please make a note of it.
Matthew 24:35-36 (NASB)
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
This is a great example of Jesus clearly saying that there were things that He did not know because the father had not told Him. God is all-knowing! That means there is absolutely nothing that God does not know! So if Jesus was still God with all of His abilities, this would be saying He is not all-knowing. This would be a contradiction in the scriptures. The only possible way Jesus could not know something, is if He was not all-knowing at that time. That would mean that He obviously does not have all of His abilities as God at the time. Can you explain it any other way? Make a note of it.
Yet Paul also makes reference to this belief in Hebrews.
Hebrews 2:9 (NASB)
9 But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
If Jesus was still all-powerful, then how was he made a little lower than angels? Being God, and the Son of God, and having all of His power, even in the flesh, He would be far higher than any angel. Yet if he did not have all of His godly abilities, and He became man like anyone else, then He would be the Son of God, He would be God, in the flesh without His abilities. He would be below the angels for He had no power of His own, but He would be above all people because He was still God. He was still the Son of God. Have another explanation? You got it! Make a note of it please.
Now, there is one verse that on the surface seems to contradict this teaching. When Jesus is walking in a crowd, a woman who has been sick for 12 years pressed through and touched His garment so that she might be healed. When Jesus asked who touched Him, His disciples were confused for there were so many people. How could they know who touched Him? Jesus then said this…
Luke 8:46 (NASB)
46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”
Some would read this and believe that because Jesus felt the power leave Him, it is evidence that Jesus is the one doing the miracles with His own power. This is not quite accurate though. Jesus does not say it is His power. He does not say “I felt my power go out from me.” He says “ “that power”. If it is the power of the Holy Spirit within Him going out from Him, He would have felt that and said exactly what He said. “I was aware that power had gone out of Me.”
If this verse had entered your mind at any point as an explanation for anything and you made a note of it, please scratch it off your notes, for this I believe has been shown not to prove it is Jesus power but more likely it is the power of the Holy Spirit.
Now I would ask you to look at the notes you have made. If you have any still written on that paper, I would ask you to send me an email at [email protected] and give me every explanation you made that you have left. Show me where I am wrong. However, if you have made no notes, and have no explanation for any of this, can you honestly say it is wrong?
When I began teaching this belief, I have had countless Christian’s claim I was teaching heresy. Yet not one of them has backed up their belief with anything substantial. Not even good logic.
I know this is hard for some to grasp, but in truth, it makes it even better. For one, knowing He did not have His own powers to rely on, it means that Jesus did face the same life as any other man. He felt the stirring in his loins as any man would. He could see the attractiveness of a beautiful woman. He could feel all the same emotions. Yet Jesus still did not sin! He didn’t rely on Godly powers to deny temptation and sin, but He relied on faith. Just as He now expects us to do!
This also shows us that Jesus could separate Himself from the shame and pain He felt when they beat Him, scourged Him and nailed Him to a cross. He felt every bit of that pain and suffering. And He knew it was coming and He still chose to go through it so that we might be saved! He suffered all the pain and humiliation as a real man, and when He was up on the cross, He still asked the Father to forgive them for doing that to Him. Realizing Jesus was a real man, it makes everything He did that much more amazing! It makes Him that much more worthy to be praised.