JESUS' TWO NATURES by Matthew J. Slick, B.A., M. Div. Jesus is God in human flesh. He is not half God and half man. He is fully God and fully man. At the incarnation He added to His divine nature the nature of man. Thus He has two natures: divine and human. He is both God and man at the same time. He is not merely a man who "had God within Him" nor is he a man who "manifested the God principle." He is God, second person of the Trinity. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word" (Heb. 1:3, NIV). Jesus' two natures are not "mixed together," nor are they combined into a new God-man nature. They are separate yet act as a unit. This is called the Hypostatic Union. The following chart should help you see the two natures of Jesus "in action": JESUS God Man He is worshipped He worshipped the Father - (Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; 28:9). - (John 17). He is prayed to He prayed to the Father - (Acts 7:59). - (John 17:1). He was called God He was called man - (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8). - (Mark 15:39; John 19:5). He was called Son of God He was called Son of Man - (Mark 1:1). - (John 9:35-37). He is sinless He was tempted - (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15). - (Matt. 4:1). He knew all things He grew in wisdom - (John 21:17). - (Luke 2:52). He gives eternal life He died - John 10:28). - (Rom. 5:8). The fullness of deity dwells in Him He has a body of flesh - (Col. 2:9). and bones - (Luke 24:39). One of the most common errors that non-Christian cults make is not understanding the two natures of Christ. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses focus on Jesus' humanity and ignore His divinity. The Christian Scientists, on the other hand, focus on the divine nature and ignore the human. For a proper understanding of Jesus and, therefore, all other doctrines that relate to Him, His two natures must be properly understood and defined. The Bible is about Jesus (John 5:39). The prophets prophesied about Him (Acts 10:43). The Father bore witness of Him (John 5:37, 8:18). The Holy Spirit bore witness of Him (John 15:26). The works Jesus did bore witness of Him (John 5:36, 10:25). The multitudes bore witness of Him (John 12:17). And, Jesus bore witness of Himself (John 14:6, 18:6). Other verses to consider when examining His deity are, John 1:1,14; 5:18; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Phil. 2:5-8; Tit. 2:13; Heb. 1:6-8; and 2 Pet. 1:1. 1 Tim. 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." Right now, there is a man in heaven on the throne of God. He is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). He is our Savior (Titus 2:13). He is our Lord (Rom. 10:9-10). He is Jesus. _________________________________________________________________ Matthew J. Slick, B.A., M. Div. I welcome your comments via E-mail at mslick@connectnet.com