Jesus’ Two Natures: God and Man
In the history of mankind, Jesus is the most significant individual who ever lived because he is the Savior, God manifested in human flesh.He is not half-god, half-man, or any other combination.He is both entirely divine and fully human at the same time.In other words, Jesus has two unique personalities: one that is divine and one that is human.Jesus is the Word who was God and was with God before he became human and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14).The one person of Jesus therefore possesses both a human and divine essence, thereby combining the attributes of both God and man.
- The divine essence remained unchanged when the Word took on human form (John 1:1, 14).
- in place of this the Word became one with mankind (Col.
- 2:9).
- Jesus’ divine essence was not changed in any way.
- Jesus is not simply a human being who ″had God within Him,″ nor is he an individual who ″manifested the God principle.″ He is far more than that.
- He is the second member of the Trinity and the manifestation of God in the flesh.
- ″The Son is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact expression of his being, sustaining all things by the power of his word,″ the Bible says (Heb.
- 1:3).
- Eutychianism holds that Jesus’ two natures have not been ″mixed together,″ nor have they been united into a new God-man nature (Monophysitism).
- They are distinct from one another, yet they function as a cohesive unit in the one person of Jesus.
- The Hypostatic Union is the term used to describe this.
- Following is a diagram that should assist you in visualizing Jesus’ two natures ″in action″:
GOD | MAN |
He is worshiped (Matt. 2:2, 11; 14:33) | He worshiped the Father (John 17) |
He was called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8) | He was called man (Mark 15:39; John 19:5) |
He was called Son of God (Mark 1:1) | He was called Son of Man (John 9:35-37) |
He is prayed to (Acts 7:59) | He prayed to the Father (John 17) |
He is sinless (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15) | He was tempted (Matt. 4:1) |
He knows all things (John 21:17) | He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52) |
He gives eternal life (John 10:28) | He died (Rom. 5:8) |
All the fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9) | He has a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39) |
The Communicatio Idiomatum
The communicatio idiomatum (Latin for ″communication of qualities″) is a theory that is connected to the Hypostatic Union.It is defined as follows: As a result of this teaching, Jesus is said to have possessed all of the characteristics of both the divine and human natures in a single person.According to this interpretation, the man Jesus could assert His rightful place in God’s presence prior to the creation of the universe (John 17:5), claim that He descended from heaven (John 3:13), and assert His omnipresence (John 14:6).(Matt.28:20).All of these are divine traits that Jesus asserts as his own; as a result, the attributes of the divine properties were asserted by the being known as Jesus.
- When it comes to non-Christian cults, one of the most common errors they make is failing to grasp the two aspects of Christ’s character.
- For example, the Jehovah’s Witnesses place emphasis on Jesus’ humanity while ignoring His divinity and vice versa.
- They continually mention scriptures that deal with Jesus as a human being and attempt to contrast them with Scripture that demonstrates that Jesus is also divine.
- Christian Scientists, on the other hand, take the opposite approach.
- They place a strong emphasis on the Scriptures that demonstrate Jesus’ divinity, to the point of rejecting His genuine humanity.
- His two natures must be correctly understood and defined in order to have a good comprehension of Jesus and, consequently, of all other concepts that are related to Him.
- Jesus is one person with two distinct personalities.
- This is why He would increase in intellect and height (Luke 2:52), while remaining fully aware of everything (John 21:17).
- He is the divine Word who took on human form (John 1:1, 14).
- The Bible is primarily concerned with Jesus (John 5:39).
- He was foretold about by the prophets (Acts 10:43).
- The Father bore testimony to His existence (John 5:37; 8:18).
- The Holy Spirit bears evidence to His existence (John 15:26).
- The actions that Jesus performed provided evidence to His existence (John 5:36; 10:25).
- He was witnessed by a large number of people (John 12:17).
- Furthermore, Jesus bore witness to Himself (John 14:6; 18:6).
- Other passages to examine while debating His divinity include John 10:30-33, 20:28, Col.
2:9, Phil.2:5-8, Heb.1:6-8, and 2 Peter 1:1, among others.″For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,″ the Bible states in 1 Timothy 2:5.
Right now, there is a man sitting on the throne of God in the heavenly realms.He acts as our representative before the Father (1 John 2:1).He is the Saviour of the world (Titus 2:13).He is our Lord and Savior (Rom.10:9-10).He is known as Jesus.
How can Jesus be both God and man at the same time?
Answer to the question It is taught in the Bible that Jesus Christ is both God and a human being.Many Christians are naturally perplexed as to how Jesus can be both God and man at the same time, and this is understandable.How could our holy Creator take on the form of a human being?Is it possible that a first-century Jewish man may be God?In spite of the fact that this topic will always be tinged with a certain bit of mysticism on our part, both Scripture and, to a lesser extent, church tradition present us with key differences that aid us in making sense of it.Previous church councils had debated the nature of Christ and His relationship to the Father; however, it was the Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) that affirmed that Christ is ″the same perfect in divinity and the same perfect in humanity, the same truly God and truly man, the same truly God and truly man.″ This assertion is not correct just because it was taught by the council.
- Instead, the proclamation of the council was only authoritative to the extent as it was consistent with what the Bible taught on the matter.
- Scripture clearly identifies Jesus as both divine and genuinely human (John 20:28; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8).
- Scripture also clearly identifies Jesus as both divine and fully human (Romans 1:2–4; 1 John 4:2–3).
- Mark 2:1–12; Luke 7:48–50: Jesus claimed the divine name (John 8:58) and performed miracles that could only be performed by God.
- However, Jesus also demonstrated the flaws and vulnerabilities that are universal to all of mankind (Luke 19:41; John 19:28).
- In order to understand Jesus as both God and man, one must first believe that he is both.
- An acceptance of Jesus’ divinity is essential for salvation, according to the apostle Paul (Romans 10:9), and the apostle John issued a sobering warning that those who deny Christ’s real humanity are advancing the concept of antichrist (Revelation 13:1).
- (2 John 1:7).
- The Triune God of the Bible has lived and reigned from the beginning of time, and the second Person of the Trinity, the Son, came into the world in the form of a human being at a specific point in time (Luke 1:35; Hebrews 1:5).
- God the Son created a spotless human nature in addition to His eternally existing divine nature by becoming a human being.
- The Incarnation was the consequence of this process.
- God the Son took on the form of a man (John 1:1, 14).
- The reason why Jesus had to be both God and man is explained in Hebrews 2:17: ″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.″ ″He had to be made like them, fully human in every way,″ the Bible says.
- Paul writes in Galatians 4:4–5 that the Son of God took on human form in order to give salvation for those who are under the law.
- Jesus was always and forever God, no matter what happened to him.
- Despite the fact that He was created entirely human, there was never a period at which He lost sight of His heavenly character (see Luke 6:5, 8).
- It is also true that the Son has maintained his human nature ever since he became incarnate in the flesh.
After all, as the apostle Paul stated, ″For there is only one true God, and there is only one mediator between God and humanity, the man Jesus Christ″ (1 Timothy 2:5, emphasis added).Jesus is not a hybrid of human and supernatural characteristics.His name is Theanthropos, which means ″God’s man.″ Throughout eternity, the Lord Jesus Christ is one eternally divine Person who will forever be possessed by two separate yet inextricably linked natures: one divine and one human.Return to the previous page: Questions regarding Jesus Christ How is it possible for Jesus to be both God and man at the same time?
How Was Jesus Both God and Man?
Abigail Jeyaraj (@handsxpens) created the artwork for the cover.Richard Goetz is the author of this piece.The Reverend Dr Richard Goetz is a theology lecturer at TCA College in Singapore.He is driven by a desire to learn and then to pass on that knowledge, information, and insight to others in a positive way.Dr Goetz is a theologian who researches and teaches extensively in the areas of theology, ethics, philosophy, and church history.He received his PhD in theology from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, where he also got his undergraduate degree.
- Dr.
- Goetz and his wife, Tammy, have been married for more than 30 years and are the parents of two girls who are now adults.
- The holiday season is rapidly coming.
- Christmas, or the Feast of the Nativity, is the time of year when Christians honor the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, not only because it is a time when we exchange gifts with one another, but also because of the many wonderful Christmas carols that we get to hear and sing.
- ″Hark the Herald Angels Sing,″ written by Charles Wesley, is one of my favorites.
- Apart from being simple to sing and memorize, the words also convey the complete essence of Christmas to the listener.
- It says in the later half of the second verse: ″Veiled in flesh, the Godhead perceive; Hail, th’incarnate Deity: Pleased to live among mankind as man, Jesus, our Emmanuel!
- ″Glory to the new-born King!″ sing the herald angels as they proclaim the arrival of the Savior.
- With these lines, John Wesley expresses the Incarnation, or the biblical concept that God became human in the form of the infant Jesus, or, as John’s gospel proclaims, ″the Word became flesh and established his residence among us″ (John 1:14).
- However, this begs two key questions: first, how can someone be both God and man at the same time, and second, why did Jesus feel the need to be both.
- There is a reason why Jesus had to be both God and man: God created people to be in contact with Him, but since Adam’s fall, our sin has ruined us and severed our connection with Him.
- Even yet, God, in His boundless love, continues to desire a relationship with us; He desires that we be reconciled to Him.
- Because of our sinful state, however, this is not feasible.
- We require the removal of our sin, but we are unable to accomplish so on our own—it would be like to a medical doctor doing open heart surgery on himself or herself.
- As a result, we require the assistance of someone else to do the operation and remove the sin on our behalf, someone who is not contaminated by sin in and of himself.
- It can only be fulfilled by God, who is the only one who fits this need.
As a result, Jesus had to be God in order to die on our behalf as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross.In contrast, if Jesus were solely God, then the work He performed on the cross in paying the punishment for our sins could not be applied to us; He could have been the ideal spotless sacrifice, but He couldn’t really be our replacement; in order to substitute for us, He would have needed to be like us.It was therefore necessary for Jesus to be a man in order to apply the benefits of His death to us and on our behalf in order to atone for our sin.It is another thing, however, to admit or recognize that Jesus was both God and man at the same time, and to comprehend why He needed to be both at the same time.
However, attempting to comprehend how Jesus could be both God and man at the same time is a whole different matter.In contrast, God is infinite and man is finite; God is morally perfect and man is morally flawed; God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good; but the disciples witnessed Jesus interacting with people as if he were a man, including eating, sleeping, walking, talking, and laughing; becoming exhausted and hungry; being beaten; bleeding; and dying.Also observed were his ability to cure the sick, drive out demons, raise the dead, calm the seas, walk on water, forgive sins, teach new knowledge with authority, and rise from the dead, each of which testifies to His being God in addition to His human nature.What is the best way to describe this?The Chalcedonian Creed is the authoritative early church declaration or confession explaining who Jesus was and what he accomplished on the cross.According to this credo, or confessional statement, which was written by bishops of the church in 451 AD, Jesus was completely (really) God and fully (truly) man, ″like unto God in his divinity, similar unto us in his humanity,″ and ″like unto us in his divinity, like unto us in his humanity.″ When attempting to explain complex concepts, it might be beneficial to begin by explaining what the notion is not and how it differs from that.
- In the first place, Jesus is not half God and half man; he is not alternately God and then man; and he is not the result of God and man coming together to form something new.
- Moreover, he was not just a guy who possessed higher God-consciousness, or a man who possessed some superior new moral teaching, or a man who happened to possess some correct thoughts about God; he was also not a ghost or an angel.
- Jesus is both entirely God and fully man at the same time; in other words, He is both at once.
- In other words, Jesus had two natures, not just one; a divine nature and a human nature, both of which were merged into a single human being, Jesus.
- The divine essence incorporated human nature into itself, and human nature was in complete surrender to the divine nature.
As part of His decision to be in unity with His human nature while on earth, Jesus’ divine essence deliberately gave up the use or practice of certain of His divine qualities, such as knowing everything and existing everywhere, in order to be united with His human nature.Is it possible to prove that He was both God and a human being?As a result, it is a detailed portrayal of Jesus as recorded in Scripture, derived from scriptural material, which is itself based on eyewitness evidence and the testimonies of the apostles Soren Kierkegaard, a Danish philosopher from the nineteenth century, proclaimed Christ’s twofold nature to be a paradox, which is defined as anything that appears to be contradictory yet is still true.
- Given that he viewed it as a paradox, he came to the conclusion that it required a leap of faith to confess or believe.
- The philosopher Kierkegaard would appear to be correct; at the very least, we would have to conclude that Jesus’ dual nature as God and man is a fascinating enigma.
- The Apostle Paul affirms as much in his letter to the Colossians, when he stated, ″in order that they may know the secret of God, which is Christ″ (in order that they may know the mystery of God, which is Christ) (Colossians 2:2).
- Accepting the mystery of Jesus’ divinity and humanity by taking a ″leap of faith″ is possibly the single most significant decision a person can make in his or her life.
- I know it has been in my experience.
- This ″leap of faith″ has taken me into a personal connection with God, as well as forgiveness, freedom, and hope for the rest of my life and for the rest of the universe.
Actually, during this Christmas season, we will not be able to fully appreciate or comprehend how Jesus was both God and man at the same time, which is understandable.However, merely because we do not comprehend, or are unable to grasp, something does not entail that it is false; rather, we must simply believe and confess it as truth within the confines of our knowledge and comprehension.Because it is the fundamental nature of religion: placing our confidence in a just and loving God is what faith is all about.Note from the editor: This is the third piece in a four-part series on the nature of Jesus.Here’s where you can find the first article, ″Why Do We Even Need a Savior?″ as well as the second piece, ″Why Did Jesus Have To Come As A Human?″ and the last post, ″What Difference Does Jesus Make?″
How Could Jesus Be Both God And Man?
One of the most fundamental theological conundrums that has emerged in the Christian movement is the question of how Jesus could be both God and man at the same time.This subject has been posed as both a riddle for theologians to contemplate and as a significant challenge to the Christian faith that must be addressed.As a result, an Islamic theologian will point out that God could not possibly become a human being.God could not possibly be a newborn infant in a manger.God could not bear the pain of death on a cross.What kind of God would allow himself to be reduced to such a position?
- How was it possible for Jesus to be both God and man?
- As Christians, we are putting out effort to find answers to these concerns and to comprehend the intertwining of these two natures.
- Jesus is entirely God and totally man at the same time.
- He is both heavenly and human at the same time.
- This means that every time he behaved, he would be acting in the capacities of both a human and a divine being.
- Unlike other gods, he did not alternate between being God and being man.
- He was always both God and man at the same time.
- He didn’t flip between characters, modes, or personalities.
- He was a singular being who embodied both the entirety of God and the entirety of man.
- Throughout the last two thousand years, people have attempted to make sense of this truth, but their efforts have frequently resulted in a Christology that is flawed.
- The claim that Jesus is not God or that he was not a man might be made.
- However, I do not believe that such concessions are compatible with biblical facts or that they are required from a philosophical standpoint.
- Despite the fact that many people find the concept of incarnation difficult to comprehend, I believe it can be grasped.
- God would never disclose something to us that we couldn’t comprehend or comprehend ourselves.
- So the issue becomes, how could Jesus be both God and man at the same time?
- God wrote himself into the narrative of his life.
- Consider the following scenario: I am creating a diversified tale with a cast of fascinating characters.
In the course of reading my narrative, you will come across something unusual..I’ve inserted myself into the plot as a character.The narrative has a character named after myself, and I am speaking to my characters in my capacity as the story’s creator.They don’t believe me when I tell them I’m the author, and my own characters don’t believe me either.
In a sense, I am both a character and the author in this story.I am both outside of the tale and within of it at the same time.We still have the aspect in which I am both transcendent of the tale and a component of the story, even if it is on a different level, if that term can be used in this context to describe it.It is possible to think about the incarnation in this way.Can God write himself into his own tale if I have the ability to write myself into my own story?Is it really so impossible for God to write himself into his own story?
- God can be conceived of as being transcendent in nature.
- He is beyond the confines of space and time, and he is beyond the confines of space and time.
- God, on the other hand, is both universal and specific.
- God is alive and well right now.
- God wrote himself into the narrative of his life.
However, when he included himself in his account, he was restricted by the limitations of human experience.As a result, we may witness Christ succumb to temptation.We can only perceive Christ because we have a limited amount of strength and understanding.
- We can observe these things because he was a fully formed human being.
- How was it possible for Jesus to be both God and man?
- God inserted himself into his own tale as a human being.
- The human representation of the incomprehensible God.
- My character in my own tale would be an image or mirror of myself, and I would be a character in my own story.
- Furthermore, Jesus is the ″seen image of the invisible God,″ as the Bible says (Colossians 1:15).
I like to translate it as ″the human image of the unseen God,″ which does not detract from the sense of the passage, but is just a bit more precise.A similar statement may be found in Hebrews 1:3, which states that Christ is ″the brightness of his glory and the precise image of his essence.″ These are not titles or honors that may be bestowed upon someone who was not descended from God.This could only make sense if Jesus was God, as he claimed to be in his own biography.How was it possible for Jesus to be both God and man?I do not believe that the notion of being the human representation of an invisible God is incomprehensible to the average person.
It appears to me to be reasonable.It seems reasonable that Jesus would be subjected to temptation despite the fact that he was the Son of God.If Jesus could not constantly produce miracles and had to rely on the Holy Spirit, it would make logical that he would have to do so.It would make logical that he would be more filled with the Holy Spirit on some times in this manner (Luke 1:4).When he was going through these ordeals, he was completely God.God gave up his divine privileges in order to protect his people.
Despite the fact that he was equal to the Father, he did not view equality with him as something to be attained.As a result, he surrendered it.In this regard, Jesus was little more than a storyteller who inserted himself into his own narrative.Hopefully, this will help us get started.The experience, on the other hand, is as if you composed the most awful novel and then put your mind into it.
It is possible that God descended into his novel for the benefit of his characters.Possibly, we’re asking the incorrect question.It’s possible that the question ″how could Jesus be both God and man?″ is the incorrect one.It’s almost as though it’s asking something of the mechanism.It’s almost as though they’re asking what the process was that allowed God to become man.However, if God is all-knowing and all-powerful, he should be able to accomplish everything that is not logically impossible.
Due to the fact that I believe I have resolved the logical conflict in the preceding subsections, the only remaining question is whether God is powerful enough to write himself into his own tale.However, the issue of whether an all-powerful creature possesses sufficient capacity to carry out a certain action appears to have an instant response.It is necessary to ask the inquiry in order to receive a response.God, without a doubt, possesses sufficient power.
In this case, we are not asking the right question.The right question is ″why would God choose to take on human form?″ I made a clue about it earlier.God took on human form in order to rescue his people.
- Consider the following scenario: a kidnapper is on trial before a court.
- In the weeks leading up to the trial, a member of the kidnapper’s family approached the judge and offered to pay a bribe in exchange for the release of their relatives.
- If the judge were to accept the bribe, we would consider him to be an immoral and corrupt official who should be removed from office.
- God is not a judge who is unethical or corrupt in any way.
- He has a responsibility to uphold the law.
Because we have all sinned (Romans 3:20), we are all guilty of the same crime before the court of law.Consider the following scenario: You believe lying is wrong, and you have lied as a result.Even by your own moral standards, you have fallen short.How much more do you fall short of God’s expectations?
- It has been revealed that God’s anger will be directed against all wickedness.
- As a result, God assumed the form of a man.
- God wrote himself into the narrative of his life.
- Despite the fact that he led a sinless life, he was slain nonetheless.
- When we were slain, the entire wrath of the Father, which we deserve, was poured out on the perpetrator.
- He gave his life in our place.
- The death that he died was the death that we deserved.
- When he died, he arose from the grave.
- Those who place their faith in him will now have all of their sins against God forgiven and erased from their records.
- How was it possible for Jesus to be both God and man?
- That is not the appropriate question.
The issue is, why would God choose to take in human form?If you’d want to participate in the conversation about this, please consider joining my Theology Discussion Group!
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How Could Jesus Be God and Man at the Same Time?
While discussing the qualities of God, we mentioned that one way of describing Him is to state that He is eternal, which we believe to be true.He is without beginning or end.To put it another way, He does not have a beginning or an end to him.We also stated that He is intangible, and we further stated that He is characterized in terms of omniscience (″all″).He is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent, and he can do everything he sets his mind to.Consequently, the true question is: how can God, who is infinitely vast, infinitely powerful, and infinitely immortal, take on Himself the human nature that is finitely mortal and limited?
- One possible hint is to consider that when God formed man in His image, there may have been a greater degree of resemblance between him and the second Person of the Trinity than we previously understood.
- Could it be that the distance between God and blameless man was not as large as we have always believed?
- However, according to I John 3:2, ″We will be like Him, because we will see Him as He is.″ According to the Bible, Jesus Christ embodies the very essence of the divine.
- Jesus is the exact representation of God, and the Bible declares that ″in Him all things consist″ (Hebrews 1:1).
- (Colossians 1:17).
- He is also said to have emptied Himself in order to become a man, but this is not explicitly stated (see Philippians 2:5-8).
- It is important to note that He did not deplete Himself of His love, goodness, compassion, or gentleness, because His divine essence remained undiminished during His incarnation.
- However, in order to become a human newborn, He had to relinquish the everlasting grandeur that He had previously enjoyed in the sight of His heavenly Father.
- In the course of his existence, he passed through the stages of adolescence and adulthood, died, and then came back to life again.
- Jesus was a flesh-and-blood human being, with all of the implications it involves, with the exception of sin.
- When Jesus died on the cross, it wasn’t a figment of his imagination.
- He actually passed away.
- He suffered in the same way that men do.
- He felt fatigued and hungry as the day progressed.
- He wasn’t some sort of superhuman who was impervious to pain and misery.
- In the Bible, it states that He was tempted in the same way that we are, but that He did not sin (see Hebrews 4:15).
- Even though He went through all of the difficulties that a human being may experience, He never lost sight of His divine character or his knowledge of the presence of the Father and the Holy Spirit.
″Well, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, He became God,″ some people argue.That, however, is not what the Bible instructs us.The Bible teaches that He was actually God from the moment of His conception by the Holy Spirit to the moment of His death.However, He was entirely human at the same time (see Philippians 2:5-8, Hebrews 2:14-18, Hebrews 4:14-16, and Hebrews 4:14-16).
Excerpt from Pat Robertson’s Answers to 200 of Life’s Most Probing Questions, published in 1984 under his own copyright.
How can Jesus be God and Son of God at the same time?
There are some passages in the Bible that are straightforward to comprehend.However, there are some passages in the Bible that are difficult to comprehend.No matter how much you research, it will always be a mystery.One of those puzzles is how Jesus can be both God and the Son of God at the same time, which remains a mystery to this day.Despite the fact that something is a mystery, we can still deduce some information about it.We can also get rid of certain erroneous notions about Jesus that we may have.
God is one, and has no wife
When it comes to regular human relationships, a son has a father, but a son cannot be the father himself.They are two distinct individuals.A person’s father is a requirement, as is the need of having a mother.
That is a normal part of human existence.Jesus is referred to as the ″Son of God″ in several passages in the Bible, including Matthew 4:5, 14:33, Mark 1:1, and John 1:34.As a result, if we examine Jesus from a human standpoint, we may infer that God had a woman who gave birth to Jesus.
Mary is a human, not part of the trinity
However, there is no reference of ″God the Mother″ or anything else concerning God having a wife in the Bible at any point.Mary, a human woman, was the mother of Jesus, who was born after she miraculously became pregnant without having sexual relations with anybody.The ancient world is full of myths of gods having sexual relations with human women; nevertheless, the Bible never mentions such a thing.
Mary was simply Jesus’ mother in the sense that she gave birth to him.She was not his biological mother.God the Father did not descend from heaven and engage in sexual relations with Mary.God the Father, God the Son, and Mary are not the three persons who make up the Trinity.
There are no numerous gods in existence.There is only one God in the universe.
God is three in one…. but not three gods
But, if there is only one God, how can He have a son who is also God, given that there is only one God?As long as there has been a relationship between ″God the Father″ and ″Jesus the Son of God,″ the Bible has been speaking of a relationship that has always been…inside God himself.
God is one person, yet He is also three individuals at the same time.Because this is difficult to comprehend, scholars and religious leaders have battled to make sense of what they have discovered in the Bible.We know that there is a God the Father, a God the Son (Jesus), and a God the Holy Spirit, but we do not know who they are.However, the Bible is unequivocal in its assertion that there is only one God.
″There is only one LORD our God, there is only one LORD.″ (See Deuteronomy 6:4 for further information).God and Jesus have ALWAYS been considered Father and Son by the Jewish people.The key to seeing Jesus as God and the Son of God is to recognize that 1) God has always existed and 2) Jesus is the Son of God.
2) The Father has always been and will always be the Father.3) The Son has always been and will continue to be the Son.
Who came first, Father or Son? Neither!
The majority of the time in human relationships, a guy is unmarried prior to becoming a father.Nobody is born into the role of a parent.God the Father, on the other hand, has always been a father to the Son.
Because they are one, they have always been in close proximity to one another.″In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,″ according to the Bible.He was there with God from the beginning″ (John 1:1-2).The phrase ″the Word″ refers to Jesus in these texts.
They have always been in a relationship.
Jesus is the Son of God since always
Consider the following scenario: two books are placed on a table.The books are stacked one on top of the other.If you were to assume that one book was placed on the table first, and then another book was placed on top of it, you would be correct.
Think at it this way: suppose those two volumes had always been there on the table since the beginning of time.There has never been a period when those two novels were not in that position.However, contrary to popular belief, one book came first and the other came second in the order of publication.God the Father and God the Son are similar in this regard, as well.
Human reasoning dictates that a parent comes first and the son comes second in the evolutionary hierarchy.Because they are one, God the Father and God the Son have always existed in the same place at the same time.Given that we employ the terms ″Father″ and ″Son,″ it appears as though one of them must have come before.
However, this is not the case.And that is a puzzle to me.
What we do know… and don’t know
The key to comprehending the Bible is to take a look at all of the material included inside it and find out how it all works together as a whole.Because God is so much more than we are and our comprehension, not everything we discover in the Bible makes sense in our context.Therefore, it is a conundrum as to how Jesus can be both God and the Son of God at the same time, as described above.
Our knowledge is based on the fact that there is only one God, and that Jesus is God, as is the Father, as is the Holy Spirit, and as is the Holy Spirit.We’re baffled as to how this is possible.But, do we have to answer all of the riddles before we may have confidence in the one real God, who reveals Himself to us through Jesus?
Hypostatic union – Wikipedia
It is a technical term in Christian theology, used in orthodox Christology to define the unification of Christ’s humanity and divinity in a single hypostasis, or individual life.It is derived from the Greek word hypóstasis, which means ″sediment, basis, essence, subsistence.″ According to the most fundamental explanation for the hypostatic union, Jesus Christ is both completely God and fully man at the same time.He is both absolutely divine and perfectly human at the same time, possessing two different and complete natures at the same time.
In the Athanasian Creed, this doctrine is acknowledged and its significance is stressed, with the statement that ″God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father in terms of divinity, less than the Father in terms of humanity; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh Despite the fact that he is both God and man, Christ is not two, but one.He is one, however, not as a result of his divinity being shown in flesh, but as a result of God’s adoption of mankind as his own.Certainly not through the merging of his essence, but rather by the oneness of his person, he has become one.Because, just as a single human is both logical soul and physical flesh, so too is a single Christ both God and man.″
Hypostasis
It is a technical term in Christian theology, used in mainstream Christology to define the unification of Christ’s humanity and divinity in a single hypostasis, or individual life.It is derived from the Greek word hypóstasis, which means ″sediment, basis, essence, subsistence″.According to the most fundamental explanation for the hypostatic union, Jesus Christ was both completely God and fully man at the same time in the same body.
With two unique and full natures, he is simultaneously both perfectly divine and perfectly human.In the Athanasian Creed, this doctrine was acknowledged and its significance was stressed, with the statement that ″God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father in terms of divinity, but less than the Father in terms of humanity; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh While Christ is both God and man at the same time, he exists as one person rather than as two.Not by his divinity being shown in flesh, but rather by God’s decision to take mankind into his own hands.Certainly not by the mixing of his essence, but rather by the singularity of his being, he is a singular being.
Because, just as a single human is both logical soul and physical body, so too is a single Christ both God and human in nature.″
Through history
In his attempt to comprehend the Incarnation, Apollinaris of Laodicea was the first to utilize the term hypostasis, which he coined. It is the combination of the divine and human in Christ, according to Apollinaris, that is of a single nature and has just one essence, which is called a single hypostasis.
Council of Ephesus
Cyril of Alexandria and Nestorius got into a fight in the 5th century, during which Nestorius asserted that the name theotokos could not be used to describe Mary, the mother of Christ.Nestorius won, and Cyril of Alexandria was excommunicated.Nestorius contended for the existence of two different people in Christ, claiming that God could not be born since the divine essence is uncreated.
He also maintained that the divine nature is uncreated.Consequently, Nestorius thought that the man Jesus of Nazareth was born in conjunction with the Logos of God, but that he was distinct from and not absolutely identical with the Logos of God at his conception.Nestorius was deposed as a heretic at the Council of Ephesus in 431, which was presided over by Cyril himself and the Ephesian bishop Memnon.Nestorius was labeled a neo-adoptionist, implying that the man Jesus is divine and the Son of God only by grace and not by nature, and he was deposed as a heretic.
When writing to Nestorius, Cyril used the phrase ″hypostatic″ (Greek, vkath’ hypóstasin), which signifies that Christ’s divine and human natures are one, and said that ″we must follow these words and teachings, keeping in mind what ‘having been become flesh’ means….As a result of uniting to himself hypostatically flesh powered by a rational mind, we declare…that the Word mysteriously and incomprehensibly became man.″
Council of Chalcedon
According to tradition, in his fight against the monophysite heresy of Apollinarism, the preeminent Antiochene theologian Theodore of Mopsuestia taught that in Christ there are two natures (dyophysite), human and divine, and two corresponding hypostases (meaning ″subject,″ ″essence,″ but not ″person″) that co-existed.Although the term hypostasis had been employed by Tatian and Origen in a sense synonymous with ousia (which plainly indicates ″essence″ rather than ″person″), it was not until Theodore’s time that it could be used in the same way.Since the discovery of Theodore’s Catechetical Orations in the Syriac language, the interpretations of Theodore’s Christology in both Greek and Latin have come under further examination.
The Chalcedonian Definition was published at the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in the year 451.There were two natures in the Incarnation, according to Theodore, and the council agreed with him.The Council of Chalcedon, on the other hand, urged that hypostasis be used in the same way as it was in the Trinitarian definition: to signify the person (prosopon) rather than the nature (as in Apollinaris) of the person.
Oriental Orthodox rejection of Chalcedonian definition
Miaphysites were the Oriental Orthodox Churches who, after rejecting the Chalcedonian Creed, maintained the Cyrilian concept of the incarnate Son, according to which he had one nature, and were called as such.The Chalcedonian ″in two natures″ phrase (which was based, at least in part, on Colossians 2:9) was thought to be drawn from and similar to a Nestorian Christology, according to some scholars.The Chalcedonians, on the other hand, believed that the Oriental Orthodox were moving towards Eutychian Monophysitism.
The Oriental Orthodox, on the other hand, have consistently stated that they have never held to the doctrines of Eutyches, and that they have always maintained that Christ’s humanity is consubstantial with our own.They prefer the term Miaphysite to be referred to as a reference to Cyrillian Christology, which used the phrase ″ma phsis toû theoû lógou sesarkmén,″ which means ″Christ’s humanity is consubstantial with One unified nature, as opposed to a single solitary nature, is denoted by the term miaphysic (monophysites).As a result, the Miaphysite perspective asserts that, despite the fact that Christ’s essence is derived from two sources, it may only be referred to as one in its incarnate condition since the natures always function in unison.Several times in recent years, officials from the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches have issued joint declarations in an effort to strive for reunion of the churches.
In a similar vein, the leaders of the Assyrian Church of the East, which venerates Nestorius and Theodore, recently signed a mutual accord with the leaders of the Roman Catholic Church, noting that their historical conflicts were over language rather than the true meaning intended.
See also
- God-man (Christianity)
- Person of Christ
References
- ″God the Son: The Hypostatic Union,″ Chapter XXVI of Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology (first published in 1947 and reissued in 1993), pp. 382–384 (with footnotes). (Source: Google Books)
- Page 154 of God’s human face: the Christ-icon, by Christoph Schoenborn, published in 1994 under the ISBN number 0-89870-514-2. p. 92 of Sinai and the Monastery of St. Catherine by John Galey, published in 1986 under the ISBN 977-424-118-5
- The term ″hypostasis″ is defined by R. Norris in E. Ferguson’s The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity (ed. ). It is published by Garland Publishing in New York in 1997. Aristotle’s ″Mundus,″ Book IV, Chapter 21. This word appears in the New Testament just five times, and it is often used in the sense of confidence, substance, and actuality. The following are examples of definitions (literally, an underlying): a. confidence, assurance
- b. providing substance (or actuality) to
- or c. substance, reality. 2 Corinthians 9:4 – ooo (by this confidence)
- 2 Corinthians 11:17 – in this confidence of boasting
- Hebrews 1:3 – a perfect portrayal of His nature, and upholds)
- Hebrews 3:14 – a beginning of our assurance firm
- and Hebrews 11:1 – a starting point of our assurance firm (faith is the assurance ofhoped). See, for example, Placher, William (1983). A Brief Introduction to the History of Christian Theology The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, PA, pp. 78–79. It is published under the ISBN 0-664-24496-3. Unscientific Postscript at the end of the book, page 217 (read p.202-217) Also also Philosophical Fragments, pp. 31-35, and The Sickness Unto Death, pp. 132-133 for further information. Hannay Antirrheticus Adversus Apollinarem by Gregory of Nyssa
- Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Antirrheticus Adversus Apollinarem by Gregory of Nyssa Letters written by St. Cyril of Alexandria. John McEnerney is the translator. Theodore″ in The Westminster Dictionary of Christian History, edited by J. Brauer, Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America, 1987. Print.
- ″Theodore″ in The Westminster Dictionary of Christian History, edited by J. Brauer, Washington, D.C.: Catholic University of America, 1987. Print. Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1971
- Britishorthodox.org, British Orthodox Church. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
Sources
- Aloys Grillmeier and Grillmeier (1975). ‘Christ in Christian Tradition: From the Apostolic Age to Chalcedon (451)’ is the second updated edition of the classic work. ISBN 9780664223014
- Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664223014
- Michael Gorman (2017). Aquinas’s Metaphysics of the Hypostatic Union is a classic work. Cambridge University Press
- Kuhn, Michael F. Cambridge University Press
- Kuhn, Michael F. (2019). God is One: God is one and the same as you and me. A Christian Defense of Divine Unity During the Golden Age of the Muslims Carlisle: Langham Publishing
- Loon, Hans van
- Carlisle: Langham Publishing (2009). Cyril of Alexandria’s Dyophysite Christology can be summarized as follows: ISBN 978-9004173224
- McLeod, Frederick G., ed., Leiden-Boston: Basil BRILL, ISBN 978-9004173224
- (2010). This paper presents Theodore of Mopsuestia’s understanding of two hypostaseis and two prosopa coinciding in one common prosopon, as well as other related work. 18 (3): 393–424
- Meyendorff, John, Journal of Early Christian Studies, 18 (3): 393–424
- (1989). St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, Crestwood, New York, ISBN 9780881410563
- Norris, Richard A. (ed.) Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions: The Church 450–680 A.D. Crestwood, New York, ISBN 9780881410563
- Norris, Richard A. (ed.) Imperial Unity and Christian Divisions: The Church 450–680 A.D. (1980). The Christological Controversy is a topic that has been debated for centuries. Fortess Press
- Ramelli, Ilaria
- Minneapolis, Minnesota (2011). ″In Illud: Tunc et ipse filius, Gregory of Nyssa’s Trinitarian Theology is presented. His polemic against Arian subordinationism and the op-ed in the New York Times ″… The Minor Treatises on Trinitarian Theology and Apollinarism by Gregory of Nyssa are a collection of writings by Gregory of Nyssa. Brill Publishing Company, Leiden-Boston, pp. 445–478
- Ramelli, Ilaria (2012), ″Origen, Greek Philosophy, and the Birth of the Trinitarian Meaning of Hypostasis,″ in Brill Publishing Company, Leiden-Boston, pages. 445–478. The Harvard Theological Review, volume 105, number 3, pages 302–350. Turcescu, Lucian
- JSTOR 23327679
- doi:10.1017/S0017816012000120
- Turcescu, Lucian (1997). ″Prosopon and Hypostasis in Basil of Caesarea’s ″Against Eunomius″ and the Epistles″ (Against Eunomius and the Epistles)″ Vigiliae Christianae, vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 374–395, JSTOR 1583868
- Weedman, Mark (2007). Hilary of Poitiers’ Trinitarian Theology may be found here. Brill Publishing Company, Leiden-Boston, ISBN 978-9004162242
External links
Look up hypostasis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. |
A portion of the following material has been adapted from a work now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed (1913). The Catholic Encyclopedia is a resource for learning about the Catholic faith. The Robert Appleton Company is based in New York.
What is the hypostatic union?
Answer to the question In theology, the term ″hypostatic union″ refers to the process by which God the Son, Jesus Christ, took on a human nature while remaining fully divine at the same time.Jesus had always been God (see John 8:58 and 10:30), but during the incarnation, he took on the form of a human person (John 1:14).Jesus, the God-man, is the result of the union of the human essence with the divine nature.
This is the hypostatic union, represented by Jesus Christ, who is one Person who is both entirely God and fully man.The two natures of Jesus, human and divine, are inextricably intertwined.Jesus will always be known as the God-man, who is both completely God and fully human at the same time, combining two separate natures into a single Person.Jesus’ humanity and divinity are not blended, but rather are brought together without losing their distinct identities.
Jesus functioned with the limits of humanity at times (John 4:6; 19:28), and at other times with the might of His divinity (John 4:6, 19:28).(John 11:43; Matthew 14:18-21).Jesus’ acts came from His one and only Person in both instances.
Jesus had two natures, but only one personality, according to the Bible.The theory of the hypostatic union is an effort to explain how Jesus could be both God and man at the same time, and how this might be accomplished.In the end, though, it is a theory that we are unable to comprehend completely.We will never be able to comprehend God’s workings in their entirety.A God who is infinite should not be expected to be completely comprehended by us, as finite beings with finite brains.In the sense that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is God’s Son (Luke 1:35).
- However, this does not rule out the possibility that Jesus existed prior to His conception.
- Jesus has existed since the beginning of time (John 8:58, 10:30).
- When Jesus was conceived, He took on the characteristics of a human being in addition to those of God (John 1:1, 14).
- Jesus is both God and man at the same time.
- Despite the fact that Jesus has always existed as God, He did not become a human being until He was conceived in Mary.
- Hebrews 2:17 explains that Jesus became a human being so that He could identify with us in our trials (and, more importantly, so that He could die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins) (Philippians 2:5-11).
- In summary, the hypostatic union teaches that Jesus is fully human and fully divine at the same time, that there is no mixture or dilution of either nature, and that He is one united Person who will exist for all eternity.
- Return to the previous page: Questions regarding Jesus Christ What is the hypostatic union, and how does it work?
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How can Jesus be God, when Numbers 23:19 says that God is not a man or a son of man?
Answer to the question The passage Numbers 23:19a, which states, ″God is not a man, that he should lie; nor the son of man, that he should repent,″ is used as a biblical example of how the Old Testament indicates that Jesus cannot be God (KJV).This is based on the logic that if God is not a human being, then the Christian claim that Jesus, a human being, is God is untrue.The fact that Jesus refers to himself as the ″Son of Man″ on a number of occasions in the gospels is also troubling (e.g., Mark 14:21).
The Old Testament does, in fact, teach that God is not a human creature, as evidenced by Numbers 23:19, as well as 1 Samuel 15:29 and Hosea 11:9, among other passages.The New Testament, on the other hand, informs us that Jesus made claims to be God while also referring to Himself as the ″Son of Man,″ a term that asserts His humanity at the same time.Even if all of this is true, how can we be certain that Jesus is the Son of God?Jesus claimed to be both the Son of God and the Son of Man, which was a controversial assertion at the time.
There are no gimmicks in this game.He claimed to be God while also asserting that He is (at the same time) a human being.This was the first time someone had ever stated something like this.
It was weird then, and it is strange now—strange enough to warrant the coining of a new name, the hypostatic union (hypostatic union).No matter how often we talk about, explain, and typify the unity of Christ’s divine and human natures, no one will ever truly comprehend the union of Christ’s divine and human natures.As a result, there is no way to gather ″evidence.″ We either believe in Jesus or we do not believe in Jesus.It is crucial to recognize at this point that the Bible is accurate in every aspect and in its entirety—both the Old and New Testaments.As a result, when Jesus began teaching new doctrines, the old doctrines did not cease to be valid; rather, they were revealed.Remember what He said concerning the Law: ″Do not believe that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.″ ″Do not assume that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets,″ He added (Matthew 5:17).
- All of Jesus’ new insights function in exactly the same way as the previous ones.
- Jesus, as the Light of the world, dispelled the shadows cast by the old knowledge (see Colossians 2:16–17), and the old knowledge was dispelled by the new knowledge.
- In fact, as Philip’s interaction with the Ethiopian demonstrates (Acts 8:30–35), this process is not destructive of the previous knowledge; rather, it is enlightening.
- It’s also important to analyze what the Old Testament is truly saying about God when it states He is not a physical human being.
- The argument being emphasized in Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, and Hosea 11:9 is that God is trustworthy and does not tell lies.
- He is not a man who changes his mind.
- No matter how he feels, His everlasting objectives remain unchanged.
- This is in contrast to fallen humanity, which is unable of seeing the larger picture, who frequently breaches commitments, and whose emotions frequently cloud judgment.
- As a result, when God is said to as not being like a man, he is comparing one characteristic of God’s nature with an analogous aspect of man’s nature.
- The statement, ″God is not a man,″ has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not God can ever appear in the physical form of a man.
- When God is referred to in the Old Testament as being unlike man, these allusions do not apply to Jesus’ special sort of humanity.
All they are saying is that God is not a man in the traditional sense of the word.Rather of being a limitation, it is a contrast.There is nothing that logically stops God from taking on a human form in a completely different way—in fact, redemption necessitates this, because redemption was God’s goal from the beginning of the universe to the present (Revelation 13:8).
- As a result, it may be asserted that God knew He would become a man before the book of Numbers was even written!
- If we look at the Old Testament in isolation (as the Jewish perspective does), we will not be able to ″prove″ that Jesus Christ was man, God, Messiah, and Savior—despite the fact that all of the evidence point to this being the case (see Isaiah 53, for example).
- Christians believe that the Old Testament foreshadows the coming of the God-man because the New Testament revelation aids in the interpretation of the Old Testament allusions (e.g., Matthew 2:15; cf.
- Hosea 11:1).
- In light of this, it is crucial to note a key aspect about biblical interpretation: God reveals His truth gradually and over time.
Over the millennia, He has revealed His objectives in a sequential and as-needed fashion.For example, Adam and Eve had no need to know about salvation when they were innocent; nevertheless, once they sinned, it became necessary, and God spelled out the process for them in Genesis 3:15.Even while that piece of revelation was delivered at a specific point in time, its full significance did not become obvious until after Christ appeared in the flesh—and during the time period in which the New Testament authors were writing under inspiration.We now realize that Genesis 3:15 refers directly to Jesus’ death on the cross, and this understanding is essential for us to grasp today.Adam and Eve, on the other hand, did not require this information.
Their ignorance before to the collapse, couched as it was in innocence, was suitable for their situation.God revealed His will to His people in the Old Testament Scriptures in a similar fashion, and those people were accountable for acting in accordance with the stage of revelation they were at at the time of revelation.Christians are now held accountable for the entirety of God’s Word, since we live in an era in which it has been completed.Furthermore, because Christians receive the indwelling Holy Spirit, there are no longer any justifications for refusing to acknowledge Jesus Christ as God.
Because God’s revelation is a gradual process, a person’s reaction to God is dependent on where he is in the process.An Old Testament Jew would have had no notion of the God-man, despite the presence of indications (such as Psalm 110:1) in the text of the Bible.However, the predictions of John the Baptist, followed by the miracles of Jesus, were a further revelation.According to the New Testament, Jesus’ miracles were proofs that He was who He claimed to be: ″Jesus did many additional wonders in the sight of his followers, which are not recounted in this book.The purpose of these writings, however, is for you to accept that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God″ (John 20:30–31).People today are still required to respond with faith to the miracles performed by Jesus.
- Whoever does not understand this is spiritually blind.
- Finally, God’s declarations that He is not a man and Jesus’ statements that He is the Son of God both hold true and do not contradict one another; they do not contradict one another.
- The book of Revelation unfolds in stages, with Old Testament principles becoming more fully articulated in the New Testament.
- Finally, God had always intended for the Son to take on flesh and dwell among mankind, and as a result, God never ″changed His mind″ about becoming a human being in any way.
- Return to the main page: Crucial Questions How can Jesus be God when the Bible states in Numbers 23:19 that God is neither a man nor a son of man?
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What does ″incarnate″ mean? How was Jesus God incarnate?
Answer to the question The Latin verb incarnare literally translated as ″to give flesh.″ When we state that Jesus Christ is God ″Incarnate,″ we are referring to the fact that the Son of God took on a fleshly, physical body (John 1:14).However, even though this occurred while Jesus was in the womb of Mary, His earthly mother, He did not cease to be divine.Despite the fact that Jesus became entirely human (Hebrews 2:17), He preserved His divine character (John 1:1, 14).
The question of how Jesus is able to be both man and God at the same time is one of the great mysteries of Christianity, but it is also a