The Divinity and Mortality of Jesus
One of the important ideas introduced during the course was one that described the divine characteristics of God. Specifically, at least In Christianity, God is noted to have three aspects: omnipotence, omniscience, and omnibenevolence. By having each of those, God is viewed as an all-powerful, all knowing, and all good being. What I want to focus on is God’s son, Jesus. The doctrine in Christianity known as the trinity describes God as being one with Jesus, as well as the Holy Spirit. This union means that Jesus must be a divine being – Jesus is God. Clearly, however, Jesus is also depicted and described as one who is human as well. How can Jesus be both God and a man? How is it that Jesus is seen as having the divine characteristics that are fitting of God, yet has all the characteristics of a mortal? These are the questions I want to focus on and hopefully make some sense out of. Christian theology employs the idea of the Hypostatic union between God and Jesus which means that Christ is in fact one person with two fully complete natures. Jesus is completely human and completely God at the same time. There is no dilution or separation of these qualities. Jesus is simply both with the two distinct natures existing concurrently. However, I find issue with this idea. Is it not contradictory? Jesus obviously takes on the form of a mortal man as evidenced by certain passages in the scriptures. Luke 2:52 says “And Jesus grew in in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” This passage illustrates that Jesus may not have been omniscient. If he was still growing in knowledge, then he must not be all knowing. The passage, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have”, from Luke 24:39 shows us that Jesus had the body of a mortal man. He was also born to a human mother. Now, Jesus may be seen as all good, however, that may not be entirely the case. In Mathew 19:17, Jesus says, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” The “one” Jesus is referring to must be God. A way this can be interpreted is that Jesus isn’t entirely sure what is really good or he may be questioning whether he himself is truly good. He does say, “there is only one who is good.” These passages about Jesus bring about the idea that he seems much more human than god-like. So, what about the aspect of omnipotence? Throughout the scriptures, Jesus was said to have performed many miracles that must have been the work of God. Surely his performance of these miracles showed his divine power, but where is his power when he prays? On several occasions in the scriptures, Jesus prays to God. If he is praying to someone else, then does that show that Jesus was indeed not all-powerful? “Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God.” This passage, for example, from Luke 6:12 is evidence that Jesus was still very human like and spent a whole night praying to God in solitude. Why pray to someone else if you are all powerful and could answer your own prayers? There is strong evidence in the scriptures itself that hint the Jesus may have simply been a “gifted” human and not God. These passages make me seem to believe that Jesus could have simply been a type of semi-divine being instead of fully divine as the passages contradict some of the core beliefs about a divine being such as God. Jesus may not have been all powerful, all knowing, or all good, yet Christian theology pushes us to believe that is not the case. Although the passages I took from the scriptures pointed to the idea that Jesus was simply a glorified human being, there exist some strong counter arguments to this case. First, and probably the most obvious one, is that we are only taking into account Jesus’ human natures. We should focus on the idea that Jesus, somehow, is both fully human and fully divine and is completely capable of feats of both natures. By pointing to these passages, one can say I was merely focusing on his human side. Maybe Jesus only chose to act human sometimes while choosing to act as a god in others.
Now I would like to point to evidence that Jesus was a being worthy of the status of God. Although in a human body, Jesus was very much seen as God. For one, he is noted to have been sinless. Jesus was tempted, just as humans are, to give in and commit sin, however Jesus never did. This is shown in Hebrews 4:15 with the passage, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” This goes back to the idea of Jesus being a benevolent being. Someone who sins cannot be benevolent and it’s shown here that Jesus never committed sin, even when tempted. In finding out whether Jesus was all powerful, we can simply look to the miracles he performed as adequate proof of his powers. Now, when it comes to the omniscient aspect of Jesus, I encountered some difficulty in locating passages that provided a clear sense that Jesus was in fact all knowing. Of course, there existed quotes from Jesus’ peers and contemporaries in which they simply said Jesus knew everything. Other than what those people said, there was a lack of passages illustrating accounts or events of Jesus’ displaying his knowledge. However, Mark 13:32 was interesting in that it may have noted that Jesus may not have been completely knowledgeable. “But about that day or hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. This is interesting because Jesus himself said this about his second coming. No one knows, including Jesus himself, except for God when the second coming of Christ is to happen. Why would Jesus say this if he is fully God, one who is equal to God and thus, must be all knowing? In explaining this, you could go back to the argument that Jesus was simply acting with his human side. As the Hypostatic union stated, Jesus is indeed fully man and God with no dilution of these natures. It’s possible he chooses when to act as God and when to act as a mortal man and cannot act as both as the same time. I, however, still find difficulty dealing with this contradiction. It is difficult to grasp that a single being, one hundred percent of a being, can be one hundred percent of two beings. This is all leading up to my conclusion, however, I would like to deviate and focus on related Christian doctrines such as the Trinity and a various creeds that may help find an answer to Jesus’ divinity and mortality. The Trinity, meaning three in one, is a doctrine that teaches that God exists equally with three persons or beings – God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Each “part” of the trinity exists as God and is one with God. Now, an interesting thought I came across was involved their equality. If each being coexisted and was equal, then why was Jesus the only one of the three to have a human form? If they are truly equal, then why did Jesus have to live amongst humans and ultimately suffer and die for our sins? If the union is truly perfect, wouldn’t all three have to experience the same thing? Instead, God and the Holy Spirit are relatively unaffected aren’t deeply embedded in human affairs as Jesus was as he had to directly experience life as a human. As I noted earlier, Jesus displayed, on many occasions, his human side and that is something God or the Holy Spirit, to my knowledge, never did. Although I do find some slight issue with the idea of their equality, I think it is also important to consider something as simple as choice. Its possible God and the Holy Spirit simply choose not to be just as Jesus was and take on a different form. What I can conclude from this is that, maybe, the Trinity is indeed equal, but not identical. As evidenced by Jesus’ divine capabilities, all three members of the Trinity can be capable of pretty much anything, however the approach taken by each member may differ. I think is a viable conclusion in regards to the Trinity, as well as the union between God and Jesus. Simply put, their abilities are equal yet not identical. For example, Jesus is viewed to have similar abilities as God, yet took a drastically different approach as he took human form to deal with humanity’s sins. Next, I want to further reiterate some core beliefs of Christianity in relation to this union between Jesus and God. As the Nicene Creed states:
“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; He suffered and was buried; and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father; and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life; who proceeds from the Father [and the Son]; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the prophets. And I believe one holy catholic and apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen. “ Christians believe in one God, the father, as well as the only begotten son of God, Jesus Christ. Something important to note here is that Jesus is “being of one substance with the Father”. This reiterates the belief of the hypostatic union which says the Jesus has two full and separate natures – God and man. Jesus is the same as God as he is of the same substance as Him. Also, the creed states the reason for which Jesus even existed. Being one with God, Jesus was made human by the Holy Spirit and was conceived by a human mother, the Virgin Mary. His purpose was to be the savior for all humans and take up our sins by himself, thus freeing humans of their evil actions. Also, the creed states of how Jesus suffered, died, and ascended into heaven and is seated next to God until the day he comes again to judge the living and the dead. This line notes the destruction of Jesus’ human form, yet his divine substance still remains as he returns to Heaven and is once again one with the Father. It clearly shows the two natures of Jesus as he still remains a complete entity even though the human nature is no longer present. The creed also notes the equality of the three members of the Trinity as it says the Holy Spirit is to be worshipped and glorified just as God and Jesus are. Overall, the Nicene Creed further restates Jesus’ two complete natures. He had always existed, just as God had always existed, but did not obtain a human form or nature until the Holy Spirit made it so. Jesus had a purpose to become human, unlike the other members of the Trinity, and that was to serve as the source of salvation for the human race. Jesus took on the full weight of human sin and suffered for us. That whole account shows Jesus’ human nature in action as he showed compassion to us as he was suffering, He even prayed to God during the moments before his death. Once he died, his human form was destroyed, but he still existed as a completely divine being. His divine nature took over. The divine equality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is shown as each have existed forever, displayed otherworldly abilities, and are to be worshipped and gloried. This creed illustrates some core beliefs about these divine entities. One other creed I would like to focus on is the Creed of Chalcedon. If there is one statement belief that clearly defined the natures of Jesus, it is this one. This creed, adopted at the Council of Chalcedon in 451 states: “We, then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a reasonable [rational] soul and body; consubstantial [co-essential] with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, only begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ; as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning Him, and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.” This creed teaches five main beliefs:
1) Jesus has two natures – He is God and man.
2) Each nature is full and complete – He is fully God and fully man.
3) Each nature remains distinct.
4) Christ is only one person.
5) Things that are true of only one nature are nonetheless true of the person of Christ.
This creed gets straight to the point and explains Jesus has two fully complete and distinct natures in one person. The last teaching, number 5, is interesting and also essential in understanding the nature of Christ. Jesus’ human form and actions are actions performed by his human nature. Jesus’ divine nature is also characteristic of Christ. Whether performing as a human or performing as God, Jesus is still Jesus and he still remains one person. This creed and the Nicene Creed explain some essential beliefs about God and Jesus and it is hard to argue against the widely held beliefs of the church. I argued at the beginning how difficult it was for me to comprehend the idea of having two complete beings in a single being. After going through scripture passages and important doctrines it is now easier for me to understand Jesus’ two natures. In arguing for the existence of his human nature, Jesus was born to fulfill a mission. That mission was to save humanity from their sins. He had a reason to take on human form and all of the characteristics of a human being and that was most likely to ease the interaction with humans. It would have been hard to imagine a divine being in its normal form, whatever that may look like, coexisting with humans and eventually dying on a cross as a means for our salvation. Also, since Jesus was God, its possible he simply chose when to use or not use his godly powers. As said in the Creed of Chalcedon, each of Jesus’ natures is completely distinct and cannot be diluted by the other nature. With this, one could say he chose when to use one nature and when to use the other without utilizing both natures simultaneously. Here, we can conclude that Jesus would temporarily set aside his divine nature so that he could live life on Earth as a man, who was also completely free from sin, making him the perfect sacrifice for our sins. There is purpose to his double nature. By becoming human and showing us his human side, he wished to identify with us more intimately and closely. It is something he did to relate to us and experience everything humans had to go through. So, if Jesus a man or is he God? He is both. The scriptures contained passages evidencing that he was truly human and did not possess God-like abilities. On the other hand, the scriptures also had passages depicting his otherworldliness and evidence that he wasn’t a human. However, these passages are simply showing us his two complete natures. The hypostatic union means there can be no dilution between his two qualities, so each nature cannot be weakened or diluted by the other nature. With this, it makes sense that Jesus would only display one nature at a time. Although in the beginning I struggled in making sense of the fact the Jesus was two beings in one, I now understand it after analyzing various passages and doctrines. To me, this whole idea is kind of like a controlled schizophrenia. Although we’re not dealing with personalities, the idea is somewhat the same. Christian doctrine holds that Jesus is one person but with two complete natures – that of God and that of man. I noted there were some contradictions, in that, for example, someone who is one hundred percent human could not perform miracles or that an omnipotent person would not pray to someone, but once you realize Jesus had a purpose for his actions and that each nature was complete and inseparable, it becomes much easier to comprehend. Jesus is God and Jesus is man. Both Jesus and God have always existed with their divine powers, but it took the wickedness of humans to create a purpose to become to just like them. Jesus is one with God and can do what God can do, but took on human form to relate with us and save us. Its clear Jesus has two natures – he simply chooses when to utilize one or the other. He has a purpose for acting the way he does. Jesus is God just as God is Jesus. They are equal in every way.

References

"Bible Gateway." BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 100 versions and 50 languages.. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .
"Chalcedonian Creed (451 A.D.)." CARM. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. .
"Desiring God God-Centered Resources from the Ministry of John Piper." Desiring God. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Nov. 2013. .
"Nicene Creed." Nicene Creed. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2013. .
Slick, Matt. "Jesus' Two Natures: God and Man." CARM. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. .