The hypostatic union is one of the most difficult things to describe as Christians—that is, without committing heresy. We know that Jesus is God. He has always been God, one of the heads of the Trinity. One God, three persons.
But what about Jesus’ humanity? What does it mean that Jesus was the God who became man?
And as we approach Easter season, what does his humanity and divinity have to do with us?
Well, in short, everything.
How Does Jesus’ Humanity and Divinity Work Together?
This article won’t attempt to explain how Jesus’ humanity and divinity work together. We can briefly overview some of the heresies that get this wrong. Still, even expert theologians who have studied the subject for years and years agree that the concept is inherently mysterious. Human brains can’t fully wrap around the concept of Jesus being fully human and fully divine at the same time.
We do need both Jesus’ humanity and his divinity, and we’ll understand why in a moment.
For now, here are some heresies that misunderstand the hypostatic union between Christ’s humanity and divinity.
- Adoptionism: This belief says that Jesus started as a man, but God adopted him into divinity at the baptism. This would make Christ sort of a demi-god, which doesn’t work at all because he wouldn’t be fully divine. This would put the Father over him in order of importance, which doesn’t work with a Trinitarian model.
- Apolonarianism: This belief says Christ had no human mind but only a divine one. This wouldn’t make him fully human, which also doesn’t work.
- Arianism: This belief says Christ and the Holy Spirit were created beings, not eternal like the Father.
- Docetism: This belief says that Christ was fully divine but only “seemed” to be a human. This obviously doesn’t work with his fully human nature.
- Nestorianism: This belief said that Jesus was two people (one divine, one human) instead of one person who was fully divine and fully human.
As you can see, we can get Jesus’ nature wrong in many ways. So why do we need to know about it in the first place?
Why Is Jesus’ Humanity Important?
Knowing about Jesus’s fully human nature is important for the following reasons.
- He was tempted as we are: If Jesus never experienced temptation, we would say he didn’t experience a truly human experience. But because he was tempted and resisted, he lived the life we ought to have lived. He set an example for us.
- He experienced hunger, exhaustion, and loneliness, Especially on the cross. If we went with one of the heresies that said that Jesus only appeared to be human, the suffering on the cross would be far less scandalous. We would have no sympathy for the torture he endured before his death. We can understand how much he loved us because he endured so much for us as a man.
- He shed his blood for us: If Jesus were fully divine but not human, there would be no blood sacrifice at all. The law makes it clear in the Bible that life must be traded for a life when sin is committed. Because he physically shed his blood for us, he exchanged his life for ours so that we can live.
Now that we’ve underscored some important reasons for Jesus’ humanity let’s look at his divinity.
Why Is Jesus’ Divinity Important?
If a mere man dies for us, we live another day—but we don’t live into eternity.
Something divine must be at play for us to experience eternal redemption. This is why we need Jesus’ full divinity, too.
Let’s explore three reasons why Jesus needed to be fully divine.
- Jesus conquered death: No human can do this. Anyone who experienced a resurrection in the Bible did so through the power of someone else (and in most cases, it was through the power of Jesus. Even the prophets who resurrected someone did it through God’s power). For someone to conquer death, they need to be divine. Therefore, Jesus had to be divine.
- Jesus advocates for us: Although prophets in the Old Testament could appeal to God to withhold his wrath for some time, the wrath eventually spills over. We see this during the time of the Babylonian captivity. For God’s wrath to be permanently abated, we need to have God himself advocating for us. This is where Jesus steps in.
- Jesus bore the weight of our sins: No human could do this. It would take someone with a fully divine nature to endure God’s wrath and cleanse humanity from their sins.
Some readers may wonder at this point about the 2 Philippians 2:7 passage, which says that Jesus emptied himself and became like humans. Doug Bookman provides a great explanation of what that means and how it plays into the mysterious hypostatic union.
Did Jesus Lose His Humanity By Emptying Himself?
In His incarnation, Jesus did not in any sense, to any degree, at any time, or for any season surrender any whit of deity (Colossians 2:9); indeed, the very notion of “surrendering” deity is incongruous to the point of nonsense. Jesus did, however, take upon Himself genuine human nature (Philippians 2:6-8).
There is ineffable mystery in the proposition that “the Word became flesh” as it is presented and developed in the Gospel narratives. But the stewardship of the believer is to bow the knee to all that the Scriptures make clear, even if there are dynamics or ramifications of revealed truth which ultimately transcend the ability to fully comprehend.
The Scriptures make clear that Jesus’s humanity—albeit unfallen humanity—was genuine and entire. Thus, as we read the Gospel narratives of Jesus’s life, it is important to remember that except at those occasional and relatively infrequent times when the Holy Spirit directed Jesus to access and employ the superhuman capacities which are a function of His divine attributes, He lived out His life under the actual and real limitations intrinsic to unfallen humanity. Thus, during the period between His physical conception and His ascension to the Father, Jesus voluntarily surrendered the independent exercise of His divine attributes.
This construct does not solve the enigma of the relationship between the divine and human natures. (Indeed, that enigma cannot be solved.) It does, however, express the biblical teaching concerning the way in which Jesus of Nazareth lived out His life upon the earth, and thus reflects what the gospels teach concerning the functional relationship between those natures.
Adapted from the lecture notes of Dr. Doug Bookman, professor of New Testament Exposition at Shepherds Theological Seminary (used by permission).
What Makes Jesus’ Human and Divine Nature Important to the Easter Story?
As we approach the timing of Easter, we have to realize the importance of Jesus in his full humanity and full divinity.
Christ died for us and overcame death for us as well.
Although Christians can disagree on non-doctrinal concepts such as marriage roles and how we conduct worship…this is something we all have to agree on. Otherwise, we fall into false religions that have cropped up over centuries.
This is something that entire church creeds were written on. So, with this in mind, why is it so important for us to know that Jesus was the God who became man?
First, it means that Jesus relates to us in every way. We cannot endure something that God has never undergone. So when we experience loss, sickness, homelessness, financial despair, and temptation, we know that our very Creator paved the way through these difficulties before us.
Second, it means that Jesus is more powerful than us. Jesus’ divinity is so important, too. We cannot overcome sin on our own. That’s why God had to step down onto earth to do it for us.
Finally, we need both for it to work. The hypostatic union is impossible for us to comprehend fully. And if we try to explain it, we’ll surely get it wrong. That said, we need both a fully divine and human nature for salvation to work. Thank goodness we have a Savior who did just that for us.
As we approach Easter, thank Jesus for becoming a man for us so we can spend eternity with him.
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/leolintang
This article is part of our larger Holy Week and Easter resource library centered around the events leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hope these articles help you understand the meaning and story behind important Christian holidays and dates and encourage you as you take time to reflect on all that God has done for us through his son Jesus Christ!
What Lent and Why is it Celebrated?
When is Lent? When Does Lent Start and End?
What is Ash Wednesday?
What Is Palm Sunday?
What is Maundy Thursday?
What Is Good Friday?
