In a culture where Jesus’ name is often used as a mere symbol, plastered on bumper stickers, social media bios, and hashtags, we usually find a spiritual void amidst the noise. It’s not a lack of love for Jesus, but a result of the distortion of God’s true nature along the way.
We’ve settled for a version of Jesus who comforts but never confronts, who inspires but never interferes. Some embrace Jesus’ compassion but ignore his authority. Others admire his teachings but dismiss his divinity.
This is what we call a “half gospel”—a distorted version of the true gospel that leaves us feeling half alive because it’s not the whole truth of who Jesus is.
So who is the real Jesus? He is the one who is fully God and fully human, who didn’t come to escape the world but to transform it, not to hand out slogans but to give us a new life.
The God Who Descended
In Philippians 2, Paul writes that though Jesus was God, “He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges… He humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”
For the citizens of Philippi, a Roman colony obsessed with status, this was shocking. In their world, greatness meant climbing higher. Honor flowed upward to Caesar; slaves sat at the bottom. But Paul tells them that true greatness flows downward. The real Lord doesn’t take life to prove his power; he gives his life to show what power really is.
While their culture admired conquerors like Alexander the Great or Caesar Augustus, Paul proclaimed a Messiah who conquered through humility. In a world that worshipped strength, Paul revealed a Savior who knelt, served, and suffered.
Jesus redefines greatness. Greatness is infinite love wrapped in human flesh, heaven clothed in humility. This changes how we see everything: strength is not in power but in service, success is not in wealth but in love, and even suffering is not a sign of weakness but an opportunity for God’s grace to shine.
The God Who Understands
The writer of Hebrews echoes this truth: “Since God’s children are human beings, made of flesh and blood, the Son also became flesh and blood.”
Jesus didn’t remain distant or divine-only; he entered the whole human experience, suffering, weakness, and death itself, so that he could break death’s power from within.
This wasn’t symbolic. It was real. The Son of God didn’t just appear to be human; he became human. Every ache, every limitation, every exhaustion you’ve felt, he knows it firsthand, because he values you personally.
For weary believers wondering if faith is worth it, the author of Hebrews answers: yes, because Jesus is not just Lord above us but God with us. He dignifies weakness. He meets us in the places we think disqualify us.
It’s like walking into a room you thought you’d face alone, only to find that Jesus was already there waiting for you.
The God Who Is Exalted
Paul continues in Philippians: “Therefore, God elevated him to the highest place and gave him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Jesus’ exaltation didn’t come despite his humility; it came because of it. In a world declaring “Caesar is Lord,” Paul’s confession that “Jesus Christ is Lord” was an act of holy rebellion. Those first Christians sang that hymn in small, hidden gatherings under Roman banners. Their suffering wasn’t failure; it was faithfulness.
The same is true for us. God’s power is revealed in humility, not in the grandeur of Caesar’s throne but in the humility of a manger. And his presence is found in humanity, not in the lofty heights of Mount Olympus but in the everyday lives of ordinary people. Our ordinary lives, working, parenting, resting, and enduring, are sacred spaces where Christ meets us.
The God Who Makes Us Whole
The incarnation doesn’t end at the cross. Jesus rose, ascended, and even now bears the scars that prove his love. The hands that hold the universe are the same hands that were pierced for you.
Every half-truth blurs his image, but every step toward him brings clarity. The real Jesus isn’t an idea to agree with; he’s a Lord to follow, a Savior who makes us fully alive.
Faith isn’t about secret knowledge or escaping this world; it’s about embodying God’s love in it. So this week, resist the temptation to live a half gospel. Let Jesus meet you in weakness. Serve quietly. Rest without guilt. Be fully present.
Because the Jesus who stepped into our world understands your weakness and reigns with authority. He is fully God, fully human, forever.
