Anthony Nwokedi

Jesus’ Two Natures: God and Man

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of

Nazareth. Followers of the Christian faith know Jesus as the Son of God. Christians teach that

God became human, as Jesus; making Jesus the savior of humanity: commonly known as Christ

or the Messiah (prophesied in the Old Testament or the Hebrew Bible). It is stated that Jesus

suffered, died, was buried, and was resurrected from the dead to expose the heavens to

whoever believes in him and trusts in him for the remission of their sins, also known as

salvation. Furthermore, Jesus ascended into heaven where he reigns and rules with God the

Father. It is last believed that Jesus will return to judge all humans—living and dead—and give

eternal life to those who believe in him. The most important part of the whole concept of Jesus

Christ, though, is the fact that he was born as a human. This was done, in part, so that Jesus

may suffer the pain and temptations of a mortal man. Jesus lived the normal life of a human

being, just like everyone else of us, but was the perfect, sinless human being—the only in

human history.1 The obvious reason behind Jesus’ perfectness is that Jesus has two distinct

natures: man and divinity. Jesus is fully divine and fully man. “And the Word was made flesh

and dwelt among us” wrote St. John (1:14). Prior to this line, the “Word” is explained as: “In the

beginning was the Word .. and the Word was God” (John 1:10). Jesus’ divinity makes him fully

God, regardless of the human form he took while on Earth.2 This teaching is a lot of times

explained with the Trinity, which refers to God as three distinct, eternally co-existing persons;

1.Briggs, Charles A. The fundamental Christian faith: the origin, history and interpretation of the Apostles' and
Nicene creeds. C. Scribner's sons, 1913.

2. “Jesus' Two Natures: God and Man,” last modified March 11, 2009, http://carm.org/jesus-two-natures.

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the Father, the Son (incarnate in Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Also, in other words, “the

Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet there are not three Gods, but

one God. They are distinct from another: the Father has no source, the Son is begotten of the

Father, and the Spirit proceeds from the Father. Though distinct, the three persons cannot be

divided from one another in being or in operation.” There is only one true God and he takes the

form of three, because he was born Son of God, Son of Man, and the Spirit of our God bridges it

all together. It is quite the mystery of us humans but provides insight on the depths of God’s

love for us. Jesus, conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a woman (Matthew 1:20), was

the union of God and humanity for the purpose of providing a Savior for us (Matthew 1:21). The

Savior would be Immanuel, which also means “God with us” (verses 22-23). 3 This all comes

down to how Jesus, fully God and fully human, using this vital and unique qualities to provide

salvation to humankind and showcase the real love that God has for us humans.

The historical problem of Jesus’ human life is the lack of sources available illuminating

how he lived while on Earth. The main sources of Jesus that are available today are the gospels.

They tell a tale of his life that started before his birth. It begins as the angel Gabriel visiting

Mary to pass news that she was the chosen one to bear the Son of God. Through this, the Virgin

Birth would take place, in which Jesus was miraculously conceived in his mother’s (Mary) womb

by the Holy Spirit, when his mother was still a virgin. Jesus was than born of Joseph and Mary,

his betrothed, whom were in Bethlehem from their home of Nazareth. An order from Caesar

Augustus forced Mary and Joseph to leave their home in Nazareth and move to the homes of

3. “What is the Trinity?,” last modified April 14, 2009http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/trinity.shtml.

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Joseph’s ancestors: the house of David, for the Census of Quirinus. Lack of accommodations led

Joseph and Mary to use a manger in substitute of a crib. The “Wise Men” or “Magi” than

brought gifts after being notifying of his birth by a sign: a star, in which they followed in order

to be led to his location. Jesus was later to be called a tekton, which is usually understood to be

a carpenter. 4

It was not until he had reached his thirties when he was finally able to be baptized. Jesus

was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist in front of a large crowd of people that

John was preaching and baptizing. At first, John was hesitant, but Jesus replied with, “It is

proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Mark states, after his baptism, Jesus rose

from the water and “saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a

dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”

Following his baptism, Jesus was than tested on human temptation in the desert, where he

fasted for forty days and forty nights. During the time, the temptation in the form of the Devil

appears to Jesus three times, and three times Jesus refuses him with a quotation of scripture

from the Book of Deuteronomy.5

Jesus starts a ministry in Galilee of teaching and miracles. He says of his purpose that, “I

came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have

not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” He then calls upon some Jewish

men to be his Twelve Apostles. They are chosen to accompany Jesus on certain special

4.“The Historical Figure of Jesus," Sanders, E.P., Penguin Books: London, 1995, p., 3.

5. Sanders, p. 8

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occasions, like his transfiguration. This is when Jesus leads Peter, John and James to the top of a

mountain and is transfigured before them. The image displays as his face shining as bright as

the sun and his cloths dazzling white, with Elijah and Moses appearing adjacent to him. After, a

large cloud overshadows the scene and a voice from up above says, “This is my beloved son,

with whom I am pleased.” It is a turning point in his ministry, for thereafter, he is to suffer, die

and rise again. Jesus is eventually betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas, and is arrested on the

orders of the Sanhedrin the high priest, Caiaphas. He is turned over to Pontius Pilate for

execution after affirming that he is the Messiah to the Sanhedrin. Jesus is than stripped,

flogged, mocked, crowned with thorns, and then crucified on the cross. He recites Psalm 22,

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me,” than dies. In three days, Jesus arose from the

dead and ascends to the heavens.6

All of these events from Jesus’ life truly shows that even though he was born a human,

he was a very unique one. Many of the things that he did or showcased were things only God

can do. Mentioned previously, is that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit exist. This is how Jesus can

be human, the son, but also be God, the father. God is one but is more than one, because he is

not just infinite, but is also made finite when he born of man. It is like the sense of when a man

and women marry and become whole, but also remain two distinct parts. God is not divided in

that each person has a third of the whole, rather, each of the three parts is considered to be

fully God.

6. Sanders, p. 16

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Jesus operated within the confines of human flesh, was born of a woman and grew up in

a human family. He suffered from human pains and weakness such as exhaustion and hunger.

At the end of his life, he cried out in a human way, asking for his God. This shows that Jesus

Christ was truly human. In order to save us, God became one of us. But in doing so, he only

clothed himself with humanity and did not abandon and part of his divinity. Scripture says that

Jesus continues to be fully God and fully human—now God in glorified human flesh. “For there

is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). 7

In conclusion, Jesus Christ was sent by the Father as Jesus Christ to be God revealed in

the flesh for our salvation. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, fully

God and fully human, two natures in one Person.

7. “The Dual Nature of Jesus Christ,” last modified June 2, 2009, http://www.gci.org/Jesus/dualnature.

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