When mentioning the Hypostatic union, it refers to describe the union of Christ’s two nature. Two distinct natures clearly distinguishable and substantially different, one fully human and one fully divine and the two natures are united forever in one person, Jesus Christ. How could Jesus the second person of the Trinity be fully God and fully human at the same time? The Hypostatic union, He continued to exist as God when He became a man and added human nature to Himself.
The Divinity of Jesus
The trues about Jesus’ divinity is reveald in the Bible from the O.T., to the Gospels, and in the epistles.
Isaiah 9:6:
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Apostle John’s testimony of Jesus in John 1:1-3:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
John 20:28:
And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
The greek word used for God is; “G2316, “theos” theh’-os”, and means following; ” Of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with G3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively a magistrate; by Hebraism very: – X exceeding, God, god [-ly, -ward]” Strong concordance.
In the context of the verse it can only mean God as the supreme divinity. Also, Jesus is endorsing what Thomas said “My Lord and my God” by not rebuking him for worshiping Him as “theos”.
Romans 9:5:
of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Philippians 2:6:
who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
Colossians 2:9:
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
Titus 2:13:
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
2 Peter 1:1:
Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
1 John 5:20:
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Jesus has the same attributes as God
Jesus is eternal (John 1:1, 8:58), the creator of all things (John 1:3), having the same nature, attributes, and is as much God as the Father (Phil. 2:6, John 5:23, John 10:30-33 , John 14:9-11, Hebrews 1:3, Rev. 1:8).
Jesus receive worship
Several times in the Bible Jesus receive worship only acceptable to God (Matthew 2:11, 14:33, 28:9, Luke 24:52. John 9:35-38, 20:28, Rev. 19:10, 22:8-9).
God the Father Himself calls Jesus for God
Hebrews 1:8:
“ But to the Son He says:
Your throne, O God, is forever and ever;
A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom,”
Jesus has the power to forgive sins
In Matthew 9:6 and Mark 2:10, Jesus declare His power to forgive sins, an attribute to God alone (Mark 2:7, Micah 7:18a). That’s why the scribes considered Jesus to speak blasphemies, Mark 2:5-7:
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
6 And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 7 “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus purchased the Church with His blood
Revelation 1:5, 1 peter 1:18-19, Romans 3:25a, Ephesians 2:13, Matthew 26:28, Colossians 1:14, therefore He is God according to Acts 20:28:
“Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.”
The Humanity of Jesus
The full human nature of Christ is as important as His divinity. A denial of Jesus’ full humanity is the spirit of anti-Christ (1 John 4:3; 2 John 1:7).
Jesus was the same as us with a real human body of flesh and blood (Hebrews 2:10-18). He had a normal human birth and death (Matt 1:18-25, Mark 15:37, Luke 2:7, Galatians 4:4) and a human mind, “he grew in wisdom and in stature” (Luke 2:52). Jesus had normal physical requests, he felt hunger (Matt 4: 2), thirst (John 19: 28), fatigue (John 4:6), and were tempted. (Hebrews 4:15). He had human emotions such as marvel (Matt. 8:10), weeping (John 11:35), worrying and deeply grieve (Mark 14:33), Joy (Luke 10:21), compassion (Matt 15:32), and anger (Mark 3:5). He lived on the earth just as we do and was like us in every respect. Perhaps one of the strongest Bible verses about Jesus’ humanity is Hebrews. 4:15b, which says “but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.” Jesus was tempted as God cannot be (James 1:13). Also, Jesus Himself refers to Himself as a man in John 8:40:
“But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.”
Jesus is fully God (Titus 2:13, John 20:28, John 5:20b, John 1:1-3, Isaiah 9:6 , Colossian 2:9, Philippians 2:5-8, John 5:23, John 10:30-33, John 14:9-11), and fully man (Hebrews 2:10-18, 4:15b, Luke 2:52, John 4:6, Matt 4: 2, John 19:28, Mark 14:33, 15:37, Matt 8:10, John 11:35, Gal 4:4, John 8:40) united ( John 1:1,14, Rome 1:3-4, Colossians 2:9) without a mix of His Humanity and His Deity (John 3:6), Spirit and flesh may not be mixed (Galatians 5:17).
He has two complete natures but not two persons. He is one person God- man person (Col. 2:9, John 1:1, 14). This is the Hypostatic union: Jesus Christ, one person fully God and fully man. Both the divine and human natures are joined in Him.
These two aspects, that Jesus is man and God at the same time, are absolutely necessary. If Jesus was not a man who lived under the law (Galatians 4:4) and kept the law ,( Rom. 8:3-4) He could not take our place and be a surrogate for us (Rom. 8:3-4, 2 Corinth 5:21, 1 Peter 2:21,24, 3:18, Isaiah 53), and the curse would still be over us (Gal. 3:13,14,16).
Rom. 8:3-4:
“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
God sent His Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, to keep the law on our behalf. Jesus condemned sin “in the flesh”; that is, he lived a perfect life in our stead.
He had to be God to offer a holy sacrifice as of a lamb without blemish and without spot (1 Peter 1:19, 1 John 2:1 b-2a) and He needed to became a human being, live a sinless life under the law and to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins and become a surrogate for humanity (Isaiah 53, Rom 8:3-4, 2 Corinth 5:21, Gal.4:4, Hebrews 2:17, 1 Peter 2:21,24, 3:18, Isaiah 53 ).
In summary
The Hypostatic union means that the one person of Jesus Christ is both fully human and fully divine, that there is no mixture or dilution of either nature and that each nature retained its own particular properties that allowed the one person of Christ, on His divine side, to exercise all the attributes of deity whilst at the same time on His human side He experienced all things of humanity.
How can these be?… It is of great importance to understand this if you want to understand the believer’s identity in christ. At the moment I haven’t published part 2 and 3, but meanwhile you can read my article “Abba Father” that deals with same subject.
Aly-Sam Botros
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