Jesus Christ, Truly God and Truly Man

An individual’s response to the person of Jesus Christ will determine his satisfaction with life and his eternal destiny. In his classic The Knowledge of the Holy, A. W. Tozer (2009) wrote convincingly that how a person views God is the most important aspect of his life. In other words, if someone sees God as infinitely holy, impeccably righteous, and immeasurably loving, he will live a better Christian life than a person who views God as weak, indifferent, and capricious. A similar line of reasoning applies to someone’s belief about Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God who assumed human flesh, died an atoning death, and rose a justifying resurrection. Thus, it is immensely vital for Christians to understand the correct teaching of Scripture about the person of Christ and be prepared to defend the truth against the various heresies spawned throughout the history of the church.

A Couple Wrong Views of the Person of Christ

Before understanding the orthodox view of the person of Christ, Christians need to be aware of the false notions concerning him. One such erroneous belief of Jesus is known as Nestorianism. Nestorians, or those who subscribe to this position, deny the union of the two natures in Christ (Thiessen, 2006). Instead of teaching that Jesus Christ had both a human and a divine nature, they assert that there were “two persons in Christ, a human person and a divine person” (Grudem, 1994, p. 554). Such a declaration of theology seems distinctly removed from even a basic comprehension of the Scriptures, which unanimously uphold the unity of the person of Christ. Another pernicious idea related to the person of Christ is called monophysitism, an approach that denied the two natures of God by proclaiming that Jesus had only one nature (Grudem, 1994). However, this school of thought is tremendously flawed, for it denies Christ’s deity and humanity. Rightfully so, the church expressed considerable concern over these heresies, along with the other fallacious perspectives in relation to the person of Christ.

The Chalcedonian Definition

An effective manner the early church took to confront and subsequently eradicate these errors in doctrine was to convene large church councils and create clear statements of biblical positions. For example, to address the controversies over the person of Christ, eminent leaders in the early church assembled in the city of Chalcedon from October 1 to November 1, A.D. 451 (Grudem, 1994). In this short, powerful declaration of truth, the statement proclaimed that the Lord Jesus Christ was “truly God and truly man…. Consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with [mankind] according to the Manhood…. Two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably…. Concurring in one Person….Not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son….” (Grudem, 1994, p. 556). Down through church history, influential defenders of the faith have advocated this dual nature of Jesus Christ, as even modern theologians reach for their pens to explain this enigmatic concept. Former president of Dallas Theological Seminary John Walvoord averred, “Thus, Christ at the same moment has seemingly contradictory qualities. He can be weak and omnipotent, increasing in knowledge and omniscient, finite and infinite” (Walvoord, 1969, p. 116). However, even though no human can fully grasp this infinite concept, Christians can truly comprehend it by faith.

The Deity of Jesus Christ

There is an abundance of evidence to confirm the divine nature of Christ. For instance, Jesus himself was conscious of his divinity and announced confidently, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus, here, was not stating that he and the Father were one person. Rather, Jesus wanted his audience to know that he and the Father were one in essence, not one in person (Geisler, 2007). The Greek word for one suggests union and concord, implying that although Jesus and the Father are one in nature, they are distinct persons (Vine, 1966). Clearly, Jesus Christ claimed to be God, further evidenced by the fact that the Jews sought to kill him for avowing to be deity. An equally valid proof of the deity of Christ is the testimony of the writers of the New Testament. For example, the beloved disciple John opened his biography of Jesus with arguably the greatest confirmation of Jesus’ divine nature, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). The Word, which, according to verse fourteen of this same chapter, is the Christ, was declared to be co-eternal, co-existent, and co-equal with God the Father. The undeniable implication of this verse, in addition to Jesus’ consciousness of his deity, serves as a salient indicator that Jesus Christ was truly God.

The Humanity of Jesus Christ

Not only does the New Testament verify the deity of Jesus Christ, but it also affirms the human nature of the Son of God. In his Lectures in Systematic Theology, Henry Thiessen (2006)  highlights the fact that Jesus had a normal human development. God the Father did not send the Son of Man to this earth as a fully grown man, but as a lowly babe born of a virgin in Bethlehem. Luke, who penned the books of Luke and Acts and gave meticulous attention to details, addressed the natural growth of Jesus. He wrote, “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). A final corroboration of his humanity is a sensation known by every individual who has ever lived: He hungered after fasting for forty days in the wilderness (Geisler, 2011). Therefore, Christians can confidently believe that the person of Jesus Christ was truly God and truly man.

References

Geisler, Norman (2007). A Popular Survey of the New Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Books.

Geisler, Norman (2011). Systematic Theology in One Volume. Minneapolis: Bethany House.

Grudem, Wayne (1994). Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Thiessen, Henry (2006). Lectures in Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans.

Tozer, A. W. (2009). The Knowledge of the Holy. New York: HarperOne.

Vine, W. E. (1966). An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words. Old Tappan: Fleming H.

Revell.

Walvoord, John (1969). Jesus Christ Our Lord. Chicago: Moody Press.