The Godhead – Jesus Christ

Jesus’ body was not a material or real one

The Lord’s physical body was an illusion, His body was not a material or real one and hence He could not physically die. This teaching arose in the first century and is called docetism (from Greek dokeo which means ‘to seem’), and it is still held by some. Helen Shuchman in her A Course in Miracles (which was dictated to her by an ‘inner voice’ who claimed to be none other than Jesus Christ) holds this doctrine: ‘The Bible says, ‘The word (or thought) was made flesh.’ Strictly speaking, this is impossible, since it seems to involve the translation of one order of reality into another’ (A Course in Miracles, vol. 1, page 141), ‘The man [Jesus] was an illusion, for he seemed to be a separate being, walking by himself, within a body that appeared to hold his self from Self, as all illusions do’ (ibid., vol. 3, page 83).

Confutation

The Scripture says that the Word, who was God and with God from all eternity, “was made flesh” (John 1:14), and that “as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same” (Hebrews 2:14 – NKJV). Therefore, the Son of God had a true human body, a material body, made of flesh and bones. That’s why the period of time during which He lived on earth is called “the days of His flesh” (Hebrews 5:7 - NKJV).

Paul says to the Colossians: “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death ….” (Colossians 1:21-22 - NKJV). Therefore the body of the Lord, which was nailed to the cross, was made of flesh and bones. This is confirmed by the fact that when one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, immediately blood and water came out (John 19:34). But not only the body of the Lord in which He died on the cross was made of flesh and bones, but also the body in which He was resurrected was a real body, for when He appeared to His disciples He said to them: “Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39 – NKJV). Of course, His resurrected body was an immortal and glorious body.

In the light of the above mentioned passages of the Scriptures, therefore, we affirm that if the Son of God had not had a real body, made of flesh and bones, He could not have died for our sins nor could He have been raised from the dead for our justification.

I conclude by remembering you that the apostle John (who was one of those who saw the Word of life with their own eyes and touched the Word of life) wrote in his first epistle: “Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:2-3 – NKJV). This is the spirit of the Antichrist, which we have heard is coming, and is now already in the world. Therefore, beware of all those who teach that Jesus Christ did not come in the flesh, for they lie against the truth and want to deceive you into accepting a damnable heresy.

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