Is Jesus Really God? How Can He Be Both God & Man?

The question of who Jesus is has been a point of contention for many. Some say that Jesus is just a man with good teaching, others say that He is a revolutionary, others say that He is just a prophet, some go as far as saying that He doesn't exist. This not a new question and is one that was posed at different moments even as far back as the time of Jesus life and ministry 2000+ years ago.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” ¹⁴ And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” ¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
-Matthew 16:13-16 (ESV)

While there is many different angles to tackle this questions from. The angle that we will focus on today is, the angle that scripture takes in Philippians 2:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
-Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV)

This passage firstly tells us that Jesus was in the form of God. The word form means essence, meaning here that everything that God (The Father) is, Jesus is (John 1:1). However, it also tells us that Jesus empties Himself by becoming a human. We see in this passage that He is God but He is also man. This is why Christian sometimes refer to Him as the God-man.

A show that illustrates this truth is Undercover Boss. The description of the show on the CBS website says this:

Undercover Boss is a two-time Emmy Award-winning reality series that follows high-level executives as they slip anonymously into the rank-and-file of their own organizations. Each week, a different leader will sacrifice the comfort of their corner office for an undercover mission to examine the inner workings of their operation.

This show description serves as a dim reflection and example of what we are being told in Philippians 2. The CEO or other high-level executives is in charge over the company and is responsible to maintain the company. Jesus is sovereign ruler (in charge) of the universe (Colossians 1:16-17) and maintains the entire universe by the power of His word (Hebrews 1:3). Because they have rule over the company, they have the power and permission to lay aside their role as a high-level executive without giving it up, to anonymously become a rank-and file employee of their own organization. Similarly, Jesus though He is by nature God (Philippians 2:6, John 1:1), has the power and authority to enter his own creation as a man unrecognized by His people and not lose His status as God.

He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him
-John 1:10-11 (ESV)

At the end of each episode, the truth would fully come to light. The rank-and file employee would be revealed to be the high-level executive and things would be put 'in order'. This meant that some employees were getting promoted and others getting fired, in accordance to what the executive experienced. Similarly, after what happened on the cross, Jesus is exalted by God the Father (Philippians 2:9), not to a new place, to the place where Jesus was already before the world began (John 17:5). He is also putting things in order by granting eternal life to those who believe in him and notifying those that don't that they will have to pay for their own sins at the time of judgement. While the analogy fails at some points, Jesus is who He says He is! He is our Undercover Boss and the God-man, worthy of our belief and worship!