Jesus, the tent?

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Responding to Mike Reed, Matthew Shaw wrote:

>I'm not trying to be contentious at all, and I think I understand your
>meaning, but I don't perceive Christ, the man, as only a shell that was
>animated by the spirit.  I believe that the Incarnation somehow
mysteriously
>fused the nature of man and the nature of God.  He is both God and man; and
>whilst I believe in the evidence and distinction of natures within Him, I
>don't believe that we can make the Christ only a body.

I agree, Bro. Shaw. Defining the Son as merely the body or flesh of Jesus
does not do justice to the wondrous portrait of the Sonship painted in
Scripture.

This brings to mind a past discussion on the implications of the plural
reference in John 14:24:

"Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words:
and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode
with him."

One person's explanation of this passage was that "Jesus was the flesh in
which God manifested Himself. This made Him a man, a man whose Spirit was
and is God. The flesh was not God. Spirit=one, flesh=one, one+one=we."

According to this view, the "we" is defined as simply Spirit + flesh, and it
appears the humanity of Jesus is regarded as nothing more than a body. I
cannot agree; I think this interpretation is insufficient.

Jesus states, "*We* [I and the Father] will come unto him." Jesus said this
coming
was of a personal, intimate nature: "We will come unto him, and make our
abode with him." How can this be limited to mean Spirit + flesh? The literal
flesh of Christ certainly does not come and abide with us.

To me, this beautiful passage seems to indicate that when the One Lord comes
to abide with
us, in some wondrous way the human spirit or nature of Jesus Christ is
imparted to us, which is possible only in union with the omnipresent Spirit
of God. Thus, with the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts, we can
personally, intimately know Jesus in His fullness as Father and Son.

Cary Robison