Jesus is human. That is the amazing truth that we who live a few thousand years later have trouble grasping. We're Christians. By definition we believe Jesus is God. To us, the hard thing to grasp is that God was, for a time, human...with a physical body...and physical urges and lusts. He was just like me.
He had to be.
For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:17-18)I believe God can do anything He chooses to do. I believe, if He chose to, He could provide salvation for me some other way...some way that didn't involve becoming human. But He didn't and I'm glad. Thrilled, actually. He isn't a far off inaccessible God who tells us how we're supposed to live and then provides a back-up plan for us when we don't live up to those expectations. He became one of us and showed us that it can be done. It is possible to live without sin. He did it...as a human...with the same resources that are available to us.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)
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