Jesus Christ is believed by Christians to be both fully God and fully man. This apparent paradox is a central tenet of Christian doctrine and has been the subject of much theological debate and reflection over the centuries. Here is an overview of what the Bible teaches about how Jesus can be both divine and human.
Jesus is Fully God
There are many passages in Scripture that point to Jesus being fully divine and equal with God the Father:
- John 1:1 states that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Verse 14 reveals that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,” referring to Jesus.
- John 8:58 – Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” This echoes God’s name in Exodus 3:14 – “I am who I am.”
- John 10:30 – Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”
- John 20:28 – Thomas calls Jesus “My Lord and my God!”
- Colossians 2:9 – “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.”
- Hebrews 1:3 – Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.”
- Titus 2:13 – refers to “our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Jesus also demonstrated divine attributes such as omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. He received worship, forgave sins, and created miracles. All of this affirms His divine nature.
Jesus is Fully Man
At the same time, the Bible is clear that Jesus was fully human:
- John 1:14 – “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”
- Galatians 4:4 – “God sent his Son, born of a woman.”
- Philippians 2:7-8 – Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man…”
- Hebrews 2:14 – “Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity.”
As a man, Jesus exhibited the full range of human qualities and experiences:
- He was born and had a normal human development (Luke 2:40, 52)
- He became hungry, thirsty, tired, and slept (Matthew 4:2, John 4:6-7, John 11:35)
- He experienced the range of human emotions like compassion, sadness, anger, and joy (Matthew 9:36, John 11:35, Matthew 21:12, John 15:11)
- He felt physical pain and died (John 19, Hebrews 2:14)
Jesus did all this while remaining sinless, unlike any other human (Hebrews 4:15). But He identified fully with human experience and weaknesses (Hebrews 2:17).
Why Did Jesus Have to Be Fully God and Fully Man?
It was essential for Christ to be both God and man in order to accomplish the work of salvation:
- To reveal God – As God incarnate, Jesus perfectly revealed the nature and character of God in a way we could understand (John 1:18, John 14:9).
- To be the perfect sacrifice – Jesus had to be fully human to die for humanity’s sins. But only the infinite God could bear the full penalty of sin (Hebrews 2:9, Acts 20:28).
- To be the mediator – Jesus serves as the only mediator between God and humanity precisely because He is both (1 Timothy 2:5). His human experience allows Him to empathize with us (Hebrews 4:15).
- To defeat sin and death – Only an incarnate God had the power to conquer death and destroy the works of Satan (1 John 3:8, Hebrews 2:14).
In summary, Jesus had to be fully divine to reconcile the world to God and fully human to identify with humanity and serve as an acceptable sacrifice for sin. Both natures united perfectly in Christ.
How Can Jesus Be Both Divine and Human?
At first glance, the idea of Jesus being simultaneously 100% God and 100% man appears contradictory or impossible. However, Scripture teaches both. Here are a few theological concepts that help explain:
- Hypostatic union – This refers to how God the Son took on human nature while remaining fully God. His divine and human natures are distinguished but united in His one person.
- Kenosis – From Philippians 2, this describes how Jesus “emptied himself” by veiling His divine attributes to become human while still retaining His divine nature.
- Communication of attributes – Divine attributes are ascribed to Jesus’ human nature and vice versa by virtue of the hypostatic union.
- Anhypostasia – Christ’s human nature has no independent existence apart from union with God the Son.
In summary, Jesus is not half-God/half-man. He is fully divine and fully human united inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, and inseparably in one person. This is a profound mystery – we can apprehend the doctrine but not fully comprehend it.
Challenges and Responses
Throughout history, some have objected to or challenged the doctrine of Christ being fully God and man. Here are some examples and how Christians have responded:
- Denying Christ’s divinity – Groups like Jehovah’s Witnesses and early Arians claimed Jesus was not eternally existent or divine but merely the first created being. This violates clear Scripture that He is God.
- Denying Christ’s humanity – Some early Gnostic and docetic teachers rejected Christ’s full humanity, teaching He just appeared to be human. But Scripture affirms Jesus’ real human birth, life, and death.
- Claiming Jesus gave up His divine attributes – Some argue that Jesus laid aside or ceased to be divine while on earth. But Scripture teaches He continued to possess full divine attributes – He simply chose to veil their use.
- Nestorianism – Nestorius taught that the divine and human natures were completely separated. But Scripture asserts Christ is one person with two natures united, not two separate persons.
- Monophysitism – Eutyches taught Jesus had only one blended divine-human nature. But Jesus has two distinct natures – remaining fully divine and fully human.
Throughout history, orthodox Christianity has upheld that Jesus Christ is the God-man – fully divine and fully human united in one person. This is a non-negotiable tenet of Christian doctrine.
Significance and Implications
The doctrines of Christ’s deity and humanity carry profound implications:
- We can have confidence in Christ’s revelations about God because He is God (Matthew 11:27).
- Jesus can fully empathize with our human weaknesses and serve as our high priest (Hebrews 4:15-16).
- Salvation is completely accomplished by God Himself on our behalf rather than just through a created intermediary (Hebrews 7:25-28).
- We worship Jesus as God incarnate – worthy of total devotion and honor (John 20:28, Philippians 2:10).
- Believing in the incarnation is essential to Christianity and to seeing Jesus as He is (1 John 4:1-3, 2 John 1:7).
In conclusion, the biblical doctrines of Christ’s full deity and humanity are central to the good news of the gospel. Jesus had to be God to save us and man to represent us. This Jesus – the God-man – is the object of our faith and the subject of all Scripture.