BIBLE DOCTRINE II
LECTURE 31
CHRISTOLOGY – THE PERSON OF CHRIST
The following is from Robert Sargeant’s ebook “Landmarks of Baptist Doctrine”. Pastor Warner’s remarks are in [brackets]
We have seen that the Lord Jesus Christ is both perfect Man and perfect God; that He possesses a human nature (yet without sin) and a divine nature.
The purpose of this lecture is to contemplate the union of these two natures of Christ.
While this study will be brief, the student should be aware that this is a subject that has engaged the minds of philosophers, theologians, and churchmen for centuries — often with violent repercussions!
I. THE HYPOSTATIC UNION
The “hypostatic union” is the theological term for the union of the two natures of Christ in one Person. The Greek word (“hypostasis”) literally means “substance” or “person.”
A. False assertions over the centuries (dw)
1. The Union Is A Fusion.
Fourth and fifth century Alexandrian theology (philosophy) asserted that the divine and human natures of Christ were somehow fused together to form one inseparable nature. i.e., He did not have a divine nature or a human nature per se — but a third nature. This is “monophysitism” (one nature). ‘Eutychianism’ advanced this concept further by teaching that the body of Christ was divine also. [Jesus’ fleshly tabernacle was not deity, but, rather humanity, but not sin-stained!]
2. The Union Is Comparable To Marriage.
The wedding of a man and a woman is in reality “two becoming as one,” because there are still two people involved. This explanation of the union of Christ’s two natures fails because Christ is ‘one’ Person.
This is the 5th Century ‘Nestorian’ heresy, which sought to counteract the Alexandrian error by upholding “dyophysitism” [two natures] but asserting only a moral union between the two natures — leading to the implication that there are not only two natures, but two Persons! They saw the man Jesus Christ as the God-bearer. [Jesus’ fleshly tabernacle’ was just chemicals (as is ours) and was not in that of itself a ‘person’].
3. Jesus Is A Man lndwelt By Christ.
This explanation reduces our Lord to the same level as a believer, because every Christian is a man indwelt by God through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9,11; II Timothy 1:14). The Lord Jesus Christ is much more than a man filled with the Spirit or the presence of God. [Interestingly, while Jesus Christ was ‘in the flesh’ He was indeed God (His Being), His flesh was human, and He was indwelt by the Holy Spirit].
The Gnostic heretic Cerinthus (c.100A.D.) held that Jesus was a mere man upon Whom ‘the Christ’ descended at His baptism (and from whom this higher Divine power departed before the crucifixion).
4. Jesus Has Dual Personality.
This explanation proposes some kind of “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” on/off arrangement, and is not supported by scripture. In fact, it comes closer to describing the believer — who has both the old sin nature and the new divine nature (in a state of conflict).
5. Jesus Is Part-God And Part-Man.
Fourth century ‘Apollinarianism’ held that the body and soul of Jesus was human, but His spirit was divine — the “Logos.” In other words, Jesus was perfect God, but not completely human. To be part of anything is not to be anything — a “half-God” or a two-thirds God is no God! [Let’s break it all down: What parts of Jesus Christ were divine and what were not? Spirit: divine; Soul: divine; Body: human. His ‘soul’ is His Being, His Personhood, it is eternal. His ‘spirit’ was always fully indwelt by God the Holy Spirit….however, an interesting question is was His ‘spirit’ part of being a human (for all humans have a spirit)?].
6. Jesus Is A Man Of God.
Our Lord was indeed a Man of God, but this concept alone would reduce Him to the level of the greatest of men. Those who view Christ as the Founder of one of the world’s greatest religions — and on a par with Mahomet, Buddha, etc. — usually hold this opinion.
The contrast in John 1:1-8 between Christ and the greatest human being ever born (John the Baptist — Mt 11:11) answers this false notion.
6. Jesus Is A Deified Man.
This is akin to Mormon heresy! [He followed the teachings of the Bible and achieved ‘godhood’ through ‘obedience’; New Agers often term it reaching ‘Christ-Consciousness’ or becoming an ‘Ascended Master’].
7. Jesus had two distinct separate wills.
Other questions arising out of the early Christological controversies had to do with the will of Christ — did it belong to His Person or His nature? For example, ‘Dyotheleticism’ held that Christ not only had two natures, but also two wills. (Since personality involves intellect, sensibility, and volition [a will], one Person means one will.) [Thy Bible states Jesus said “not My will, but Thine be done”; Did Jesus have His own will and His Father have a different will? Did Jesus have a human will and also a divine will? Did He suffer from a ‘multiple personality disorder’? No. Jesus had His own will, which was affected by being in the frail tabernacle of ‘flesh’; His will was always (eternity past) to do His Father’s will; He did not have 2 different wills; each Person has their own ‘will’.]
[“Jesus Christ was fully God and perfect man, and that these two natures were united in one Person without forming a third nature” – Ryrie.]
B. How many natures does Jesus have? (dw)
How many ‘natures’ does the Lord Jesus Christ have? 1? 2? more?
The Lord Jesus Christ always spoke of Himself as one Person. There was never any interchange of ”l” and “Thou” between His human and divine natures. The Lord Jesus Christ clearly has two natures, not one.
It is correct to speak of the person (singular) of Christ, but not of the nature (singular) of Christ, for He has two distinct natures!
The person of Christ is ‘theanthropic’ (both God and Man in one Personage), but not His nature. [One should not] refer to [Jesus as having] a “divine-human” nature (singular).
This union of two natures in one Person is in reality incomprehensible to the human mind. Like the doctrine of the Trinity — that of three distinct Persons in one essence — we must accept it as fact by faith because the Bible teaches it to be so.
The Bible attests to the duality of natures in Christ. For example, in Isaiah 9:6 we see:
His humanity —“unto us a child is born.” [A human was born via Mary]
His deity —“unto us a Son is given”— the eternally pre-existent Son, the mighty God, the everlasting Father. [He was born in a human body yet He was still God.
Again, the key understanding to have is that Jesus has indeed existed in eternity past as the Son of God, and God Almighty; and that He humbled Himself (but did not give up being the Son of God nor God Almighty) and ‘was made flesh’ (born as a human being)(possessed a fleshly tabernacle); but did not take on the ‘sin nature’
We born-again humans have 2 natures within one Person! (A lost person has just one nature)
Let’s let Paul tell us about it --
Rom 7:16-19,21-25 If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.]
C. The necessity of two natures
Christ had to become a man in the truest and fullest sense of the word in order to atone for the sins of mankind.
It was a man that sinned — thus only a man could pay the penalty.
[Also, since the punishment for sin involved ‘death’, it could not have been God as He was in Heaven, for God’s ‘body’ could not die…God had to take on the form of man; a body that could actually die!
Phil 2:6-8 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Heb 10:5,10,12 Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
And, the sacrifice for man (Jesus Christ) needed to be more than just ‘man’; He needed to be God! What would satisfy the Holy God (The Father)? A holy, unblemished sacrifice (no sin) was necessary; yet, every man was blemished, unholy, sinful; God had to (of course) send His own sinless, unblemished, holy Son to be the sacrifice for all of man’s sins! The only One who could satisfy the ‘law’ and satisfy the Holy God of Heaven was God Himself (Jesus Christ).
Heb 7:26-27 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
Gal 4:4-5 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Jesus Christ had to be both ‘man’ and ‘God’ in order to redeem sinful mankind from eternal punishment in Hellfire! Oh, how important the ‘hypostatic union’ is!!!]
II. THE CHARACTER OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
[We may now understand better this ‘Hypostatic Union’ marvel, but just how well do we know who Jesus is?]
A. In all points tempted…yet without sin --
Heb 7:26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens.
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
The question arises: “Could Jesus have sinned?”
While acknowledging that Jesus did not sin, there are some who teach He could have sinned. For example, Ellen G. White, the foundress of the Seventh-Day Adventist cult, taught that Jesus experienced a constant struggle to avoid sinning and was successful only due to the enabling grace of God rather than to the impeccability of His Person. There are those who believe that Jesus actually could have sinned, and that the whole plan of salvation “hung in the balance” during the temptation of Christ.
There is abundant proof that He did not sin — but ‘could’ He have? No. [And here is why:]
1. I John 3:9 declares, ‘Whosoever is born of God (as was Jesus Christ) doth not sin: for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.” Jesus not only lived a holy life, He was born holy! [A good question is “what actually contributes the sin nature?” Is it the actual fleshly body? No. Is it one’s soul? I say, Yes (but not dogmatically). Some may say that the sin nature is somehow passed down through chromosomes (from Adam, through the male line); but, that seems too rationalistic and empirical, and seems to remove the spiritual and supernatural from a very ‘spiritually related’ issue!
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.]
2. Christ was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Ghost (Luke 1:35). How could the Holy Spirit produce anything capable of sinning? [Though some may try and argue that Mary’s genetics passed on the sin nature…]
3. The possibility that Christ could sin contradicts the divine attributes He possessed. If Jesus Christ could have sinned, then God could sin!
James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: [Though some might reason that it was Jesus’ fleshly, human side that could sin, and not His diving side (nature). But, I firmly disagree with this.]
4. Jesus Christ was not holy and sinless because he refused to sin — He refused to sin because He was holy.
[5. He was tempted, yet without sin --
Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
Heb 2:18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.
It is difficult to grasp, but nonetheless true, Jesus Christ was tempted to sin but chose to not yield to the temptation, and, also, could not yield (sin). Some might wonder, though, how it could be a temptation if He was incapable of yielding to it. I can’t explain that, but, I firmly believe that He experienced temptation but relied on the power of the Holy Ghost to resist it… His ‘flesh’ was indeed tempted, but His divinity could not in anyway possibly sin… This all deals with the wonder of the hypostatic union!