Review by Jeremy Kimble
Bruce A. Ware. The Man Christ Jesus: Theological Reflections on the Humanity of Christ. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012. 156 pp. $15.99.
The deity of Jesus Christ, a profound doctrine, deserves our utmost attention as we seek to rightly speak of his identity and refute false teaching that has arisen in various religious sects. To speak solely of Christ’s divinity, however, would be to get only half the story correct, for he is both fully divine and human—one person with two natures. Though orthodox churches would happily affirm Christ’s dual natures, the emphasis tends to go in the direction of his deity—especially when referencing Jesus’ miracles and resistance to temptation. If we aren’t careful, we can become guilty of a functional Docetism in which the importance of Jesus’ humanity is diminished and truncated in favor of his deity.
In The Man Christ Jesus, Bruce Ware seeks to correct this kind of thinking, surveying the biblical witness for the veracity of a full-orbed doctrine of Christ’s humanity as well as demonstrating the applicability of this doctrine to our own lives. Referencing 1 Peter 2:21-23 numerous times in this work, Ware contends that if we want to follow in the footsteps of Christ in obedience to God, we must possess a proper understanding of Jesus’ humanity.
Read more at The Gospel Coalition.