How Can Christ Be Both God And Man?

"You've changed," my wife said to me. "You used to be . . . " She then went on to describe how my views of people and of life are different now than they used to be. And yet I am still the same person—or do I just think I am? I suppose it depends partly on what I mean by the term person. Has my person changed? Do I have a different person-ality than I did 20,30, even 40 years ago? We do believe people can and do change, do we not?

I speak about this in order to introduce the many, many ways people have thought about Jesus over the years. No one denies that he lived in the first century of what is called the Christian—or some say common—era (CE). No one denies that he has had universal influence. But who is he? Or, as some say, who was he? Here's a partial list of what people have decided about Jesus. I'll skip the fancy Greek or Latin terms applied to the various items listed.

• the promised Messiah, but only a man
• one of the great prophets, but only a man
• God, but appearing to be human
• an ordinary man, son of Mary and Joseph, adopted by God as His Son at Jesus' baptism
• a holy man reincarnated as all are across the ages
• truly a man, but also a god created by the heavenly Father in the beginning of all things
• one person to be sure, but a person with both human and divine natures
• God who merely used a human body like a garment—not really a human
• God with one person, one substance, one nature
• truly a man with a human nature and truly God with divine subsistence or nature

Confused yet? What do you believe about Jesus? Who is he? Who is he to you? Is he but one of the many holy people to whom you may pray? Is he one of the many gods created by the one true God? You and I really need to get this straight, because our eternal destiny depends upon it—or at least that's what most Christians insist. Which point in the list above is the one you chose? Or do you feel I'm nit-picking and trying to confuse you? Let's take a look at but a couple Bible verses.

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.” And he said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - Isa. 7:10-13 ESV

Notice that the virgin is to conceive and bear a son. Except that the child was to be conceived by a virgin, he was to be born in the normal manner. He was to be a man child, a human. However, the prophecy tells us that his name is to be Immanuel, a Hebrew name meaning El (God) immanu (with us). The virgin gave birth to "God with us".  This same note is picked up by the Apostle Paul. 

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. Rom. 9:3-5 ESV

Jesus' human nature is described according to his ancestry. He is a Jew and the promised Messiah of the Jews, descended from the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And yet he is "God over all, blessed forever." Here in Romans Paul openly declares Jesus to be God. Paul ascribes divinity to Jesus again in his letter to Corinthian believers. 

None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Cor. 2:8 ESV

The man Jesus was put on the cross. He suffered a horrible death there and was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. And yet Paul gives him a divine or godly title, "The Lord of glory"! In this manner he makes it clear that Christ's true divinity and his true humanity did not change even a little during his suffering and crucifixion. And he emphasizes the same thing in his talk to the elders or pastors at Miletus.

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. Acts 20:28 ESV

Their congregations are part of the "church of God"! and yet God obtained the church with his own blood. Blood is a human thing. Jesus was truly human and yet Paul openly declares him to be God! Thus the blood is God's blood. Jesus is truly God and truly man. This is why it is perfectly biblical and accurate to say that "God died" upon the cross.

God's Word reveals Christ as fully and completely Man and fully and completely God. Great indeed is the revealed mystery here, a mystery that we cling to in faith, because we believe that Christ, true man and true God, died for us and thus set us free from all condemnation.

More on this next time.

Blessed Mary The Pure Virgin

The virgin birth of Jesus is a critical part of the Gospel. It cannot be removed without destroying the Gospel itself. In Holy Scripture you find the following references to the birth of Jesus by the Virgin Mary. What follows them are the statements about the Virgin Mary and the birth of  Jesus in the Lutheran Confessions.

First Holy Scripture.  

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. - Luke 1:26-31 ESV 

And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the group they went a day's journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. - Luke 2:40-45 ESV 

. . . And there followed him a great multitude of the people and of women who were mourning and lamenting for him. But turning to them Jesus said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' For if they do these things when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be put to death with him. And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. - Luke 23:23-38 ESV 

While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. (Some manuscripts insert verse 47: Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak to you”). But he replied to the man who told him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother." - Matt 12:46-50 ESV 

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you. . . " - John 2:1-11 ESV 

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. - Acts 1:14 ESV 

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh - Rom 1:1-3 ESV 

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, - 2 Tim 2:8 ESV

And next, the Lutheran Confessions

Augsburg Confession III, 1

“Likewise it is taught that God the Son became a human being, born of the pure Virgin Mary, and that the two natures, the divine and the human are so inseparably united in one person that there is one Christ.” 

Smalcald Articles I-4

“That the Son became a human being in this way: he was conceived by the Holy Spirit without male participation and was born of the pure, holy Virgin (Latin: always virgin) Mary.”

Apology (AP) XXI 2

“These jackasses do not see that in Jerome’s controversy with Vigilantius* there is not a syllable about invocation [of the saints]. He speaks about honoring the saints, not about invoking them. Nor do the rest of the ancient writers prior to Gregory I mention invocation. Such invocation, together with the theories that the opponents now teach about the application of merits, clearly lacks the support of the ancient writers.” **

AP XXI 25, 27

Here and there this form of absolution has come into use: “The passion of our Lord Jesus Christ and the merits of the most blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints be to you for the forgiveness of sins. . .” (cf. the medieval indulgences doctrine)

“Now we grant that the blessed Mary prays for the church. But she does not receive souls in death, conquer death, or give life, does she? What does Christ do if the blessed Mary performs all these things? Even though she is worthy of the highest honor, nevertheless she does not want herself to be made equal with Christ but instead wants us to consider and follow her example. . .” 

AP XXVII 53

“Thus the Dominicans invented the rosary of the blessed Virgin which is mere babbling (Matt. 6:7), as foolish as it is wicked; it nourishes a false confidence. This wickedness, too, is used only for making money.” 

Formula of Concord (FC), Epitome VIII 10-12

“Therefore, we believe, teach, and confess that God is a human being and a human being is God. That could not be if the divine and human natures had absolutely no communion with each other in fact and in truth. For how could the human being, Mary’s son, be called, or be, the Son of the most high God in truth if his humanity was not personally united with God’s Son, in reality, that is in fact and in truth, but instead shared only the name “God” with him? 

“Therefore, we believe, teach and confess that Mary did conceive and give birth to a child who was merely, purely, simply human, but she gave birth to the true Son of God. Therefore she is rightly called and truly is the Mother of God.”

FC VIII 24

“Because of this personal union and communion of the natures, Mary, the most blessed Virgin, gave birth not to a mere, ordinary human being, but instead to a human being who is truly the Son of God the Most High, as the angel testifies. He demonstrated his divine majesty in his mother’s womb, in that he was born of a virgin without violating her virginity. Therefore, she remained truly the Mother of God and at the same time a virgin.” 

FC XII 1

Intolerable teachings in the Church

1. That Christ did not receive his body and blood from the Virgin Mary but brought them with him from heaven.

FC, SD VII

“In the tract On the Last Words of David, which Dr. Luther wrote shortly before his death, he says, “According to the second, temporal, human birth Christ was also given the eternal dominion of God, yet temporally and not from eternity. For the human nature of Christ was not from eternity as his divine nature was. It is computed that Jesus, Mary’s son, is 1,543 years old this year. But from that moment when deity and humanity were united in one person, the Human Being, Mary’s Son, is and is called almighty, eternal God, who has eternal dominion, who has created all things and preserves them per communicationem idiomatium [through sharing of characteristics] because he is one person with the Godhead and is also very God.”  

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As I noted above, the virgin birth of our Lord Jesus is a vital part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that these notes will strengthen your faith in this wondrous Good News that came to all men on that first Christmas as the angels sang, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" - Luke 2:14 ESV