Some of the questions the early Church had to answer were: How was Jesus a human being and how can we make sense of His humanity in light of His divinity? Can genuine divinity and humanity be joined together? What kind of union was this? Was such a union even possible? Perhaps Jesus possessed a human body controlled by a divine mind. Or maybe his body was not real after all. Then again, perhaps Jesus possessed a real body and a genuinely human mind but a divine will. To what extent was Jesus human after all? Perhaps he was more like an angel, a third type of personal, created being – part human, part divine.

And what did Jesus come to accomplish? Apostles such as Paul, Peter and John were absolutely insistent that Jesus’ life, death and resurrection had overcome sin and its destructive effects on humanity and God’s creation at large. In what way had God conquered sin in the lives of those people who believed in Jesus? Apostolic teaching indicated that Christ’s crucifixion and subsequent resurrection had broken the spine of sin. How? How did human faith and belief tap into the benefits of Christ’s death and resurrection? In what way was the exercise of faith related to God’s power? To human freedom? How were the glorious realities of Christ’s work and person communicated to those who believed in him?

Perhaps the greatest surprise of all was the ascension of Christ back to heaven, just when all seemed to have been accomplished and fulfilled. Jesus left his small band of brothers and sisters behind at the very moment when they appeared to need his guidance the most. Why would he do such a thing? Clearly Christ’s departure surprised his early followers. If He truly wanted to influence humanity, why didn’t He just stay and build the group of His followers?

Luke records that, after the disciples had received extended postresurrection instruction from Jesus, they asked, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom of Israel? Jesus’ response no doubt caught them off guard: “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth”. Think about this. God reveals and then leaves it up to humankind to either embrace or reject His revelation. FREE WILL!