THE TWO NATURES OF JESUS CHRIST: "GOD AND MAN"
Since the beginning of the world, no person has ever lived like Jesus Christ. Jesus is a very significant person who is the Savior, God in the flesh—"Emmanuel" (Isaiah 9:6). Jesus is not half-God and half-man, as many people and religions claim. Jesus is fully God and fully Man at the same time. In other words, Jesus had two distinct natures—God and Man—simultaneously.
The Bible says that Jesus is the "Word," who is God and was with God, and was made flesh and dwelt among us; read John 1:1 and 14. This means that this one person, Jesus, had two natures: divine and human.
This divine nature did not change when the "Word" became flesh (John 1:1, 14). Instead, the Word took on humanity (Colossians 2:9). Therefore, the deity of Jesus Christ was not diminished or altered. Moreover, Jesus was not merely a man who had God within him, or a man who simply did the works of God—by no means! Jesus is God in the flesh and is the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 1:3: "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Therefore, these two natures of Jesus Christ cannot be mixed (Eutychianism), nor can they be combined into one God-man nature (Monophysitism). These two natures are distinct and subsist in themselves, yet they are one in the person of Jesus. This union is called the Hypostatic Union.
The following table will help you see these two natures of Jesus Christ:
| GOD | MAN |
|---|---|
| Jesus is worshiped (Matthew 2:2, 11; 14:33) | Jesus worships God the Father (John 17) |
| Jesus is called God (John 20:28; Hebrews 1:8) | Jesus is called Man/Human (Mark 15:39; John 19:5) |
| Jesus is called the Son of God (Mark 1:1) | Jesus is called the Son of Man (John 9:35-37) |
| He is prayed to (Acts 7:59) | He prays to God the Father (John 17) |
| Jesus is sinless (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15) | Jesus was tempted (Matthew 4:1) |
| Jesus knows all things (John 21:17) | Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52) |
| Jesus gives eternal life (John 10:28) | Jesus died (Romans 5:8) |
| All the fullness of God dwells in Jesus (Colossians 2:9) | He had flesh and bones (Luke 24:39) |
FURTHER TESTIMONY OF THE TWO NATURES OF JESUS
The doctrine of the Hypostatic Union includes the "communicatio idiomatum" (Latin for "communication of properties"). This is the teaching that both natures—divine and human—of Jesus Christ are present in the person of Jesus. This means that the man Jesus had the right to say that He "had glory with the Father before the world was created" (John 17:5), to claim that He came down from heaven (John 3:13), and to claim omnipresence (Matthew 28:20). All these claims of Jesus are attributes of God, and Jesus possessed them.
One of the greatest errors made by non-Christians is their failure to understand that Jesus had TWO NATURES. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses view Jesus merely as a human being and ignore His divine attributes. They consistently use verses that affirm Jesus' humanity and pit them against verses that declare Jesus is God. On the other hand, Christian Scientists do the opposite. They focus more on Jesus' divinity and forget that Jesus was also human.
To understand Jesus properly, every teaching concerning Jesus must address Him as both God and Man. These two natures belong to Him. That is why Luke 2:52 says: "And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man." Yet at the same time, He was omniscient—read John 21:17. Jesus is the Word of God who became flesh/man (John 1:1, 14).
Furthermore, the Scriptures testify about Jesus (John 5:39). All the prophets prophesied about Jesus (Acts 10:43). God the Father gives testimony about Jesus—read John 5:37; 8:18. The Holy Spirit also gives testimony about Jesus—read John 15:26. The works of Jesus also testify about Him—read John 5:36; 10:25. Crowds of people also testify about Jesus—read John 12:17. AND JESUS testifies about Himself—read John 14:6; 18:6.
There are many other verses that testify that Jesus is God, including:
John 10:30-33; 20:28; Colossians 2:9; Philippians 2:5-8; Hebrews 1:6-8; and 2 Peter 1:1.
1 Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all people, a testimony given at the proper time." Right now, there is a Man in heaven who sits on the throne. He is our Mediator before God the Father (1 John 2:1). He is our Savior (Titus 2:13). He is our Lord (Romans 10:9-10). That Man is called JESUS.
Truly, Jesus is God.
For more questions, contact us at: maxshimbaministries@gmail.com
Brought to you by Dr. Maxwell Shimba
For Max Shimba Ministries Org.
©2015, April.
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