Who is Jesus?- The GodMan

I. Theology Proper

5. The Divinity of Christ

The primary doctrine of Scripture is the doctrine of redemption. The person and work of the Redeemer is therefore the great theme of sacred writers. Due to the nature of work that He was to accomplish, it is necessary that He be both God and man. He must participate in the nature of those He came to redeem, and also have the power to subdue evil. From the beginning of the Bible to the end, this Godman Redeemer is exalted above all else and is the supreme object of reverence, love, and confidence to the dying sons of Adam in this world. Throughout the centuries men have fought and died over the debate of Christ’s divinity. His humanity is generally always accepted, because that is the part of him that we can identify with and understand. Men like Arius, who lived in the 4th century A.D., argued that Jesus was in fact divine, but God created Him, so He was not subsistent with the Father in a hypostatic union of the divine essence. This movement was deemed heresy by the council of Nicaea in A.D. 325. The Council wrote a Creed, which affirmed the deity of Christ, so that the generations to follow would know the truth, passed down for ages to come. The Nicene Creed is linked to the right, for future reference, under “Statement of Faith,” or you can go HERE. The biblical teaching about the person of Christ is as follows: Jesus Christ was fully God and fully man in one person, and will be so forever. We will prove this by first proving Jesus’ humanity, then His deity, then show how these two persons are tied together in the Godman.

The Humanity of Christ-

The humanity of Christ begins with the virgin birth. The Bible is very clear that Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit, not of a human father (Matt. 1:20; Matt. 1:24-25; Luke 1:25; Luke 3:23). It is very important that this doctrine be upheld as truth, because it shows three things. (1.) Salvation comes ultimately from the Lord. In Genesis 3:15, God declares that the woman’s “seed” will ultimately destroy the serpent. So, God brought this about by His own power, not human effort. (2.) The virgin birth made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person. Were God to merely create Jesus as a person in heaven, and send Him to earth, we would doubt that he was as “human” as we are. Were He to have two human parents, how are we to be convinced of His eternal deity? God could have done it either way, or any other way, but to most effectively transmit to us Jesus’ deity and humanity, the virgin conception is the way which removes all doubt in our human minds. (3.) The virgin birth also allows for Christ’s true humanity without inherited sin. All men have sin inherited to them from their first father, Adam. Jesus did not descend from Adam the same way all other men descend from Adam, so we can understand why He is sinless. Gabriel the angel indicated this to Mary in Luke 1:35 when He said, “therefore, the child will be called Holy.” Because the Spirit brought the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary, the child was to be called HOLY. Why did Jesus not receive sin from His mother, Mary? The Catholics answer this with the deduction that Mary was herself sinless. But, the Bible nowhere teaches this, and if this were true, How did Mary’s mother attain sinlessness so she wouldn’t pollute Mary? A God who created the universe could choose to allow His Son to be born sinless even if the mother were a sinner. The Holy Spirit must have blocked the transmission of sin from Mary just as He did from Joseph. This belief of the perfection of Mary assumes that (1.) God is not able to produce perfection out of sin, i.e. He is not omnipotent, or (2.) that Mary was in some way deity, and God completely left her out of the Bible in all its sufficiency and perfection because He forgot to include it. Therefore, we can easily conclude that Mary was not deity (perfect) and she conceived Jesus immaculately (free from sin) by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Another evidence of Christ’s humanity was His human weaknesses. He had a human body. He was born just all human babies are born (Luke 2:7). He grew as all children grow (Luke 2:40). He grew in “stature” (Luke 2:52). He became tired just as we do (John 4:6). He became thirsty (John 19:28). He became hungry after fasting for forty days (Matt 4:2). The culmination of His human limitations can be seen at the cross. He died, His body ceased to have life in it, and ceased to function, just as ours does when we die (Luke 23:46). Jesus also had a human mind. Luke 2:52 says he increased in wisdom, meaning He went through the process of learning just like all other children do. Another evidence of His human mind is in Mark 13:32, which says that His knowledge is limited (more on this topic later). He had a human body, mind and also human emotions. There are several indications in the Bible that Jesus had a human soul (or spirit). (John 12:27; John 13:21) In both of these verses the word for troubled is taravssw, (tarasso) which is used to convey when someone is anxious or surprised by danger. He also was sorrowful over His death (Matt 26:38), He “marveled” at the centurion’s faith (Matt 8:10). He wept with sorrow over Lazarus (John 11:35), and He prayed full of emotion (Heb 5:7). 

Even though He was completely human, He was also sinless. Some say that Jesus wasn’t fully human because He did not have sin, which is indicative of humanity. However, sin is not the “norm” for humans. God created us without sin. Sin is now normal, but it was originally abnormal. Adam and Eve were truly human. As humans are now, we are not what God intends for us (i.e. Not what He desired us to be) so we do not match His patter until perfection is restored to us. The scriptures collectively teach of Jesus’ perfection. Luke 2:40 says that He had the “favor of God” upon Him. After Satan unsuccessfully tried to tempt Jesus for forty days, He left Him (Luke 4:13). At Jesus’ trial, He asks which can accuse Him of sin (John 8:46), and received no answer. In all the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) there is no account of Him sinning. In John 8:12, Jesus says “I am the light of the world.” We understand light to mean truthfulness and moral purity, so Jesus is claiming to be the source of truth and purity. With regard to His Father, Jesus said, “I am always doing (present tense, i.e. Continual action) what is pleasing to Him” (John 8:29). At the end of Jesus’ life He could say “I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:10). There are tons of references to His perfection in the Bible besides these, but I will stop there. 

The Deity of Christ-

To accept and teach that Jesus was fully human apart from the truth that He was and is fully God is heretical and blasphemous. He was fully human and also fully divine. The word incarnation is used by the church to refer to the fact that Jesus was God in human flesh. The Latin incarnare means “to make flesh.” The incarnation was the act of God the Son whereby he took to himself a human nature.

One of the evidences of Jesus’ Deity is the direct scriptural claims. 

1. The Word Theos (God) Used of Christ: Although this Greek word is used to refer to the Father the most in scripture, there are several passages that use it to refer to Jesus. (John 1:1; John 1:18; John 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1). Therefore, if the Bible is truly infallible, since Jesus and God are referred to with the same word- Theos, they are the same in essence. The old Testament also attributes the title of “God” to the coming Messiah, Jesus (Isa. 9:6).

2. The Word Kyrios  (God, Lord, Master, Sir) Used of Christ: (Matt 13:27; Matt 21:30; Matt 27:63; John 4:11). This same word translates into the Hebrew word of the Old testament YWHW which was used specifically about God. The scholars of Jesus day studies the septuigant which was a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. Therefore, when they referred to Jesus as Kyrios or Lord, they were consciously calling Him God. The angels referred to Jesus as the “Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Kyrios) (Luke 2:11). This word was so powerful to them that it was like saying, “A baby is born today who is also God Himself.” It is no surprise, therefore, that “all who heard it wondered at what the shepherd’s told them” (Luke 2:18).

3. Many other references in Scripture teach us of Jesus’ deity as well. One example is in John 1:1, John not only calls Jesus “God” but also the “Word” (GR: logos). The people then would have understood this title as a dual reference. One to the powerful creative hand in the Old Testament by which the world was created, and the hand that upholds all of life in the present. In Greek thinking, Jesus was therefore the same as the God who created all things, and the God who sustains all things, proving His deity.

Another of the evidences of Christ’s deity were the direct evidences.

In addition to the many specific affirmations of Jesus’s deity in the above passages, we see many examples of His deity in His actions that point to his divine character. He illustrated His omnipotence when He calmed the storm with a word (Matt. 8:26-27), multiplied loves of fish (Matt. 14:19), and changed water to wine (John 2:1-11). He also claims to be deity when He says, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), and “I am the Alpha and Omega” (Rev. 22:13). His omniscience is demonstrated in his knowledge of people’s thoughts: (Mark 2:8; John 1:48; John 6:64). John 2:25 says that “He knew all men and needed no one to bear witness of man.” The disciples said  that He “knew all things” (John 16:30). After His resurrection, He asked Peter if he loved Him, and Peter replied, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you” (John 21:17). Other attributes like sovereignty, immortality, etc, present in Jesus’ life are all evidences of His deity.

The GodMan-

Jesus was clearly 100% God and 100% man, so how can 200% equal the whole? Throughout the centuries people have tried to understand this, and have developed many theories concerning the relation between these two natures. There are three main theories which we will discuss:

1. Apollinarianism:

Figure 1

Apollinaris, bishop of Leadicea about A.D. 361, taught that the one person of Christ had a human body but not a human mind or spirit, and that the mind and spirit of Christ were from the divine nature of God. This view can be represented in figure 1. The church soon rejected this teaching because man needs to be redeemed in all areas including the mind and spirit; therefore, if Jesus was to be the atonement, He must be FULLY and TRULY man.

2. Nestorianism:

Figure 2

Nestorius was a popular preacher at Antioch, and bishop of Constantinople from A.D. 428. This doctrine presented the idea of two distinct persons in Jesus, a human person, and a divine person. This view goes against the biblical teaching of Jesus being ONE man. If Jesus were two distinct persons, then there would be constant struggle for power between the two. We have no such relationship going on in Jesus’ character told to us in the Bible. It always refers to Christ as a person, not, “Jesus’ human nature did this,” or “Jesus’ divine nature did that.” This view can be represented in Figure 2.

3. Monophysitism:

Figure 3

Eutyches (A.D. 378-454), leader of the monastery at Constantinople, taught the opposite error from Neostorianism, for he denied that the human nature and divine nature remained fully human and fully divine. He held that the two natures combined to form a third separate nature that never has or ever will exist outside of that union of the divine essence and humanity. This view can be represented in Figure 3.

The truth about Christ’s person was accepted at the council of Chalcedon near Constantinople in A.D. 451. The resulting statement, called the Chalcedonian Definition, guarded against these previous heresies. You can read it HERE, and it will be listed under the “Statement of Faith” to the right of the page. 

Figure 4

Against the Apollinarian belief of Christ having no human mind or soul, the statement was included of Jesus being “truly man, of a reasonable soul and body. . . Consubstantial with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us.” 

In opposition to the Nestorian belief that Christ has two persons united in one body, we have the words “indivisibly, inseperably . . . Concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons.”

Against the view of Monophysticism that Christ had only one nature, therefore diluting the two natures, we have the words “to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably. . . The distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved.” Figure 4 illustrates this true understanding of Christ’s character as the GodMan. This final sentence is sometimes used to understand this relationship of natures. “Remaining what He was, He became what He is not.” In other words, remaining what He was (fully divine), He also became what he previously had not been (fully human as well.)

Blogging for His glory, Adam Setser

I. 4. The Trinity

I. Theology Proper


4. The Trinity

In our study of the essence of God, we are reminded that God used the Scripture to reveal Himself to us, but only in finite doses. Were God to choose to reveal the entirety of His essence to us, we would cease to be carnal and finite, and would esteem ourselves higher than we ought. However, since God ordained that we only catch a glimpse of His nature, subduing us to finiteness, we are in no danger of comprehending His entire essence (nature, substance). Let us therefore strive to know Him to the greatest extent possible, for it is through the knowledge of Him that we are made alive, daily, into the spiritual world, which is the only world of true longevity and eternal import. 

We have learned of God’s love, goodness, wrath, justice, omnipotence, etc, but we would be remiss if we did not study deeper, with the intent to understand His divine essence and person of the trinity. God is not one God with three personalities, three gods with one head, or two gods with a third tacked on at the creation of the world. The doctrine of the trinity has been debated by some of the greatest minds of history. Men who try to rationalize God and understand Him will fight and produce derision in the church. History reveals this to us. When we consider the hidden mysteries of Scripture, we should be very careful and cautious not to overstep the bounds of the truth revealed to us in scripture and attempt to add on to the inspired Word of God. For how can the human mind which cannot even fully understand a created star we call the sun, or articulate the production of the human body dare to attempt to rationally comprehend the Creator? Let us leave to God the knowledge of Himself in its entirety and simply study and comprehend that part of Him that He chose to reveal to us. He is sovereign, let us not attempt to rationalize anything He did not provide for in His Holy Word.

In this study, we will look at the (1.) person of God, (2.) the Son of God, (3.) The Holy Spirit, (4.) and the unity of the Trinity as a single unit.

The ὺπόστασις of God-

The relationship between the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit is expressed in the greek word ὺπόστασις (hypostasis). This relationship is referred to as the hypostatic union. Hypostasis can be translated as subsistence. Therefore, the hypostatic union is a union of 3 subsistences. Heb 1:3 says that Jesus is the “express image of His person” or “exact imprint of His nature,” and is the “brightness of His (the Father’s) glory.” From this we can infer that there is a proper hypostasis or subsistence of the Father that shines through the Son. Again we can infer that there is a subsistence (hypostasis) of the Son which distinguishes Him from the Father. Also, the Holy Spirit possess his own hypostasis, separate from the Father or the Son. This is not therefore a distinction of essence (nature or being) of God, for that would be multiplying and subtracting some of God from each subsistence. Therefore, it is key to understand that the Greek word hypostasis is the same as the Latin persona (person) and the english subsistence. All this can be explained in the teaching of the Greek church of the πρόσωπα (prosopa) (aspects) of God. God is one, having but one nature and set of attributes applied to three prosopa (aspects).

The Son of God-

The divinity of Christ has been debated over for centuries. The fourth century church started to loose their strict interpretation of Scripture, falling into apathy and heresy on every point of doctrine. Arius led the world into a great debate over the deity of Christ, saying that the word λόγος (logos) (word) was a created being and therefore NOT hypostatic with the Father. The word he used to describe this union was ὸμοιουσιος (homoiousios) meaning similar substance. The true doctrine was upheld by Athanasius alone which led to this era being called Athanasius Against the World. The true doctrine was separated from the false by one iota (the greek letter “I”). Ὸμοουσιος (homoousios) was the true doctrine which meant same substance. So, the substance of Christ is truly the same as that of God the Father, being truly consubstantial with the Father in a hypostatic union.

Jesus existed before His earthly manifestation because 1 Pet 1:11 says that the Spirit of Christ in-dwelt the Old Testament writers. Jesus is the word (or command) of the Father (Heb 1:2). He is eternal in essence (same as the father) (James 1:17). For God is not changing. John 17:5 also implies Jesus’ eternity. The Father operates through the Son. We will further explore Christ’s person in the following studies of the Divinity of Christ.

The Holy Spirit-

The Holy Spirit plays many roles in our lives and in scripture so that the best way to understand and define Him is by experience and practicality in Scripture and our own lives. We know the sinfulness of man, and we also know of the grace given directly to us for good works. We therefore know that the Spirit is at work in us creating Christ-likeness. 1 Cor 12:11 attributes these works of growth and spiritual gifts to the actions of the Spirit who is also the author of these gifts since he “apportions to each one individually as he wills.” Paul tells us that the Spirit dwells in us (1 Cor 3:16).The direct relationship between the Father and the Spirit is seen also in Isaiah 63:10. God was grieved and so Isaiah’s Holy Spirit was grieved. They are both deity seeing and grieving over the same things. We will further explore the Spirit’s person in following studies.

The Unity of the Trinity-

The unity of the essence of God in three persons is something the scriptures teach on the whole in its canon. There are no specific passages that describe and help us understand the trinity as an end in itself. Deut 6:4, Isaiah 44:6, and James 2:19 all say that God is one. He is not polytheistic. Throughout the Bible the same amount of worship and adoration is ascribed to each person of the trinity. It is not more evident that the Father is God, or the Son is God, nor is the deity of the Spirit more clearly revealed than that of the Father or Son. The Father says I, the Son says I, the Spirit says I. The Father is first, Son second and Spirit third. The Son is of the Father, and the Spirit is of the Father and Son. The Father sends the Son, and the Father and Son send the Spirit. The Father operates through the Son, and the Father and Son operate through the Spirit. The opposite of these statements is never found. The Son never sends the Father, nor does the Spirit work through the Father. Therefore, the Holy Trinity is a subordination of the persons as to the mode of subsistence and operation.

To say that this doctrine is incomprehensible is true, but it is also true of redemption, omniscience or any other doctrine. So, let us always imagine the trinity as unified in One God, but at the same time acknowledge their separate persons. God is more glorified because He is more familiar to us in three persons versus one. He does not share glory, so glorying in the Spirit is glorying in the Father as well. Jesus is the manifestation of the Father. Let us look to Him and His life in a different light- the light of the true trinity being and acting and existing in one essence, joined in a hypostatic union. This God-man is who God ordained we look to for our earthly minds to comprehend. He is the WORD of the Father. Let us not be as the Arians and refute the deity of Christ because we can not rationally understand Him. In the same way let us not forget that the Spirit lives in us. He IS the EXACT essence of the Father, in us. Tap into that strength. Let us also not forget that we serve ONE God, with ONE essence, with ONE mission. Three persons + one essence = Trinity.

Blogging for His glory, Adam Setser

I. 3. B. Communicable Attributes (Part 3)

I. Theology Proper


3. Nature and Attributes of God (Cont. . .)

B. The Communicable Attributes (Part 3)


On the final post of the attributes of God, I would like to say that I have learned a lot, and I hope you have as well. Worship apart from the knowledge of the Worshiped, is very dangerous. The goal of systematic theology is not to increase our knowledge for temporal, worldly reasons, but to understand our Maker, Creator, and Sustainer greater, as He is. This greater knowledge then leads to greater doxology which then truly springs up out of the fullness of the heart and spirit, not from outside disciplinary sources. Let’s take advantage of this gift of knowledge given to us by great men like Wayne Grudem, Charles Hodge, John Calvin, St. Augustine, Martin Luther, etc.

1. Justice (Righteousness)

The attribute of God’s righteousness ties directly in with His justice. These two words are different in the English, but they are the same in the Hebrew and Greek. Therefore, I will use them interchangeably in this study. The definition for God’s righteousness is: that God always acts in accordance with what is right and is himself the final standard of what is right. How do we know this? Deut 32:4 says that He is “just and right.” Abraham knew God’s character when He said that God would do “right” (Gen 18:25). Ps 19:8 says that “the precepts of the Lord are right.” Since God IS right, just, He cannot be unjust, giving people what they do not deserve. So, when He redeemed His elect, forgiving their sins, He had to have a substitute to take the penalty. If God is so perfect and powerful, why did He have to have atonement anyway, why couldn’t He just forgive? The answer is in His attribute of Justice. Since sin is wrong and deserves punishment, He can give nothing in return for the sin but what it deserves. Jesus therefore took that just punishment for our sins so we do not have to. Ever thought about redemption that way? God would have declared Himself unrighteous if He did not punish sin. It pleased God to punish Jesus because through that Jesus’ death, His justice was fulfilled, upholding His perfection (Rom 3:25-26). 

Another question that comes up with this attribute is that of the origin of right. How do we know God is doing right? Who determines right and wrong? The answer is in keeping with the attributes we have already discussed. God IS the final standard of right. He IS right. Anything that accords with His nature is right, anything else is WRONG. What if in your daily life you had a direct line to God’s nature which exposed all the right and wrong decisions in your life? If we study God’s nature and learn Him to the greatest extent possible, we will be able to make those “grey decisions” much more black and white. The practical portion of this section would be that if you need help discerning right and wrong, seeing the black and white in your life, you need to know God greater. The more familiar you are with someone, the more like-minded you become. Familiarize yourself with God!

2. Will of God

The Will of God has been butchered brutally by people everywhere in every denomination. This attribute is a major attribute of God because it implies His sovereign freedom, connection with humanity, and His moral obligation. When someone says, “What is the will of God for my life,” I love to read and listen to the responses from well meaning people who know nothing of the true will of God expressed to us in His character through the Scriptures. The “will of God” for a person’s life is just one application of His sovereign control over the universe. His will is much deeper than just a pre-determined game-plan for your life. This is the Will of God:

The word will is used as (1.) in a narrow sense, i.e. Directly pertaining to his actions free from outside restrictions or influences (self-determination). (2.) His power (omnipotence). (3.) His love and all His moral perfections. People from all ages limited this will to simply self-determination. Even some theologians simply discuss His decrees or purposes.

-Freedom of the Divine Will

The first facet of the Divine Will is its absolute self-determination. God is free in the highest sense of the word. An agent is said to be free when (1.) He is at liberty to act or not to act, according to his good pleasure. This is liberty in acting. (2.) He is free in his volitions, when they are determined by his own sense of right, wrong, or desirable. Freedom is so much more than just spontaneity. An example of spontaneity is found in the affections. Loving, hating, delighting, abhorring, do not depend upon the will but upon spontaneous reactions to the stimulus. They are not free. God is free in the actions of creating or preserving because these do not come from the necessity of nature. He was free to create or not create, to sustain or not sustain. Neither option would conflict with His nature or promises.

-Decretive and Preceptive Will of God

Revealed (Preceptive) will of God

There are two facets to the will of God. His decretive will and His preceptive will. The decretive will of God concerns His purposes and relates to the actions of nature as He has decreed them to be, i.e. Whatever happens in the universe happens because He has declared it to be so. This will is unmovable and sure, no matter your actions or reactions to it. This will is also known as the secret will of God, for we cannot know it. The preceptive will of God deals with the laws He prescribes men to follow, in accordance with His nature. Men break this will constantly, for God “wills” that all men be saved, but all men are not saved. This will is also known as God’s revealed will. God desires that all men come to know Him in a covenant relationship in this revealed will. If one did not know that there are two separate categories of God’s will, one would ascribe the implications of His will of desire to His will of decree, making the scriptures inconsistent in its teaching of grace, faith, election and hell. Were God to decree that all men be saved, there would be no hell, or God would be a liar. These two facets of God’s will are very important to us as Christians as well, because through the will of desire, or the revealed will, we can know the “WILL OF GOD” for our lives. 

-Moral Obligation

The question on this subject is whether things are right or wrong, simply because God commands or forbids them? Or, does He command or forbid them, because they are right or wrong for some other reason than his will? The common doctrine of Christians on this subject is, that the will of God is the ultimate ground of moral obligation to all rational creatures. No higher reason can be assigned why anything is right than that God commands it. This means, (1.) That the divine will is the only rule for deciding what is right and what is wrong. (2.) That his will is that which binds us, or that to which we are bound to be conformed.

3. Sovereignty

God’s absolute sovereignty is not a property of the divine nature, but a prerogative arising out of the perfections of the Supreme Being. (Ps 115:8; Dan 4:35; 1 Chron 29:11; Ps 24:1; Ezekiel 18:4; Is. 45:9; Matt 20:15; Eph 1:11; Rom 11:36). From these verses, it is plain, (1.) That the sovereignty of God is universal. It extends over all the creatures from the highest to the lowest. (2.) That it is absolute. There is not limit to be placed over His authority. (3.) It is immutable. It cannot be ignored or rejected. It binds all creatures the same way gravity applies to all things on earth. 

This sovereignty is exercised in establishing the laws, physical and moral, under which all creatures are governed, the determining of the separation of powers in the created beings, the appointing of each person his position and lot, and in His distribution of his favors. God is no less sovereign when He does what He wills with His own. He gives to some riches, to others health, to some the light of the gospel is sent, others are left in darkness. Why? Because it seemeth good in His sight. (Matt 11:26). The Sovereignty of God is not limited by anything out of Himself, but it is controlled in its manifestations by His infinite perfections. All power in heaven and earth is God’s. The man that submits to God, allowing himself to be governed by God is supremely blessed. This sovereignty of God is the ground of peace and confidence to all his people. Nothing controls the sequence of events in this world but GOD. 

That concludes our study of God's attributes, the next study will be on the Divinity of Christ.

Blogging for His glory, Adam Setser