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The Bible makes claims of Jesus’ humanity throughout many of its passages. One of the most oft quoted verses in Scripture which illustrates Jesus’ humanity is John 1:14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” This passage not only refers to Jesus (The Word), but it also describes His humanity when it explains to us “The Word became flesh.” Another reference to Jesus’ humanity is found in Matthew 4:2, where it states, "After fasting forty days and forty nights, He was hungry." The fact Jesus felt hunger is a clear indication of His humanity, as hunger can only be experienced by a being that has a physical body. It is evident Jesus was fully man.
There are also many instances when Jesus claimed to be God. In John 10:30, Jesus says, "I and my Father are one." The ancient Hebrews would have understood that Jesus was claiming to be God when He made this statement. In fact, some Jews were so outraged by Jesus’ claim that, they attempted to stone Him to death (John 8:59). In Matthew 28:9, the two Mary’s fell at Jesus’ feet and began to worship Him.
Worship is something which is reserved expressly for God, per Luke 4:8. Yet Jesus welcomed praise and worship on many occasions. This is but a small example which affirms the Biblical basis for His deity.
According to the Elwell text, “In the incarnation of the Son of God, a human nature was inseparably united forever with the divine nature in the one person of Jesus Christ, yet with the two natures remaining distinct, whole, and unchanged, without mixture or confusion, so that the one person, Jesus Christ, is truly God and truly man.” This is the most widely accepted explanation for the Hypostatic Union. However it does not explain the actual mechanics of the finite coming together with the infinite in one instance. God operates on Kairos time which is the beginning and end simultaneously, whereas humans operate on Kronos time, which only provides us with a limited perception of the past and present, while we are unable to know our future. The Hypo-static Union is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith.
While Jesus is fully God, He is also fully man. It is because of this that He is able to relate to our human weakness, and also reconcile us before God. Jesus came to atone for our sins, and this is made possible only through His perfect, physical sacrifice on the cross. Hebrews2:10 states, “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” Although this explains the need for atonement, which only Jesus can provide for us, it still leaves many questions unanswered. However what is important is the why questions, and not so much the how.
The danger of overemphasizing Jesus’ humanity is that it can lead to the denial of His divinity. The Christian faith is based around the fact that Jesus came and bore the burden of our iniquities up on the cross. There must have been a crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah for us to receive grace. Likewise, by overemphasizing His deity, we are left with a Messiah who is un-relatable and, also, it can potentially lead one to question whether or not He was indeed human. If the Messiah was not fully human, as well as divine, there is no basis for the Christian faith or our salvation through grace. However there are some objections to the traditional views of Christology. These objections include distorted views of the Hypostatic Union such as Docetism, Gnosticism, and Monarchianism. These faulty doctrines are heretical in nature and deny that Jesus is fully God and fully man. The best approach to confronting these heresies is to respond using Scripture. The Gospels and Epistles clearly teach the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union; any other view denies us our salvation and the very Word of God.
Jesus set the ultimate example of love and servitude. 1John 4:9-11 says, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” I believe this verse encompasses what Jesus’ humanity means for me.
This is a paper I wrote over a year ago, and I am aware there are areas which need improvement, in terms of explaining the Hypo-static Union. Yet the main idea of the paper was to illustrate the two natures of Christ, without overemphasizing one of His natures. If there is anything you would like to add, or if you see an area which needs improvement, feel free to leave a response. Grace and Peace!
[HR][/HR][1]John 1:14 (New International Version)
[2]Matthew 4:2 (New International Version)
[3]John 10:30 (New International Version)
[4]John 8:59 (New International Version)
[5]Matthew 28:9 (New International Version)
[6] Luke4:8 (New International Version)
[7]Walter Enwall, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second ed. (GrandRapids: Baker, 2001), s.v. “Hypostatic Union” p583-84
[8] Hebrews2:10 (New International Version)
[9] WalterElwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second ed. (Grand Rapids:Baker, 2001), s.v. “Patristic Christology.” p241-42
[10] 1John 4:9-11 (New International Version)
There are also many instances when Jesus claimed to be God. In John 10:30, Jesus says, "I and my Father are one." The ancient Hebrews would have understood that Jesus was claiming to be God when He made this statement. In fact, some Jews were so outraged by Jesus’ claim that, they attempted to stone Him to death (John 8:59). In Matthew 28:9, the two Mary’s fell at Jesus’ feet and began to worship Him.
Worship is something which is reserved expressly for God, per Luke 4:8. Yet Jesus welcomed praise and worship on many occasions. This is but a small example which affirms the Biblical basis for His deity.
According to the Elwell text, “In the incarnation of the Son of God, a human nature was inseparably united forever with the divine nature in the one person of Jesus Christ, yet with the two natures remaining distinct, whole, and unchanged, without mixture or confusion, so that the one person, Jesus Christ, is truly God and truly man.” This is the most widely accepted explanation for the Hypostatic Union. However it does not explain the actual mechanics of the finite coming together with the infinite in one instance. God operates on Kairos time which is the beginning and end simultaneously, whereas humans operate on Kronos time, which only provides us with a limited perception of the past and present, while we are unable to know our future. The Hypo-static Union is one of the great mysteries of the Christian faith.
While Jesus is fully God, He is also fully man. It is because of this that He is able to relate to our human weakness, and also reconcile us before God. Jesus came to atone for our sins, and this is made possible only through His perfect, physical sacrifice on the cross. Hebrews2:10 states, “In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered.” Although this explains the need for atonement, which only Jesus can provide for us, it still leaves many questions unanswered. However what is important is the why questions, and not so much the how.
The danger of overemphasizing Jesus’ humanity is that it can lead to the denial of His divinity. The Christian faith is based around the fact that Jesus came and bore the burden of our iniquities up on the cross. There must have been a crucifixion and resurrection of the Messiah for us to receive grace. Likewise, by overemphasizing His deity, we are left with a Messiah who is un-relatable and, also, it can potentially lead one to question whether or not He was indeed human. If the Messiah was not fully human, as well as divine, there is no basis for the Christian faith or our salvation through grace. However there are some objections to the traditional views of Christology. These objections include distorted views of the Hypostatic Union such as Docetism, Gnosticism, and Monarchianism. These faulty doctrines are heretical in nature and deny that Jesus is fully God and fully man. The best approach to confronting these heresies is to respond using Scripture. The Gospels and Epistles clearly teach the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union; any other view denies us our salvation and the very Word of God.
Jesus set the ultimate example of love and servitude. 1John 4:9-11 says, “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” I believe this verse encompasses what Jesus’ humanity means for me.
This is a paper I wrote over a year ago, and I am aware there are areas which need improvement, in terms of explaining the Hypo-static Union. Yet the main idea of the paper was to illustrate the two natures of Christ, without overemphasizing one of His natures. If there is anything you would like to add, or if you see an area which needs improvement, feel free to leave a response. Grace and Peace!
[HR][/HR][1]John 1:14 (New International Version)
[2]Matthew 4:2 (New International Version)
[3]John 10:30 (New International Version)
[4]John 8:59 (New International Version)
[5]Matthew 28:9 (New International Version)
[6] Luke4:8 (New International Version)
[7]Walter Enwall, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second ed. (GrandRapids: Baker, 2001), s.v. “Hypostatic Union” p583-84
[8] Hebrews2:10 (New International Version)
[9] WalterElwell, ed., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Second ed. (Grand Rapids:Baker, 2001), s.v. “Patristic Christology.” p241-42
[10] 1John 4:9-11 (New International Version)