Christology: the identity of Jesus as both God and man

Christology: The Identity of Jesus as Both God and Man

In the Bible, Jesus identifies himself as both God and man most explicitly in the book of John. In the first book of John, the Apostle John famously writes: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). According to Elwell, statements such as "I and [my] Father are one" (John 10:30) and "before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58) refer to the fact that Jesus is connected to the wisdom of God in the Old Testament, to the Law of God in the Old Testament, yet also to the concept of God-made-flesh in the New Testament.[footnoteRef:1] [1: Walter Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary Theology. 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), p.241]

Jesus is not merely the embodiment of Mosaic Law, however. His sacrifice has a spiritual dimension as well as a physical dimension. As the Apostle Paul says: "Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe" (Galatians 3: 19-22). The physical, earthly act of God's sacrifice on earth obviates the need for obeying the letter of the law as it is a fulfillment of the law in spirit.

This notion of the multifaceted, complex nature of God fulfilling both the spirit and the law of God is intrinsic the concept of hypostatic union, the idea that a monotheistic God has an existence of three persons in the form of a unified trinity.[footnoteRef:2] "In the incarnation of the Son of God, a human nature was inseparably united forever with a divine nature in the one person of Jesus Christ, yet with the two natures remaining distinct and unchanged."[footnoteRef:3] These persons are both distinct, yet also unified and perfect. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). [2: Elwell, p. 583] [3: Elwell, p. 583]

Accepting this dual nature of Christ as both God and Man is essential to understanding the full scope and significance of Jesus' sacrifice. It is not merely enough to honor the divine aspect of Jesus as he comes to earth as a sacrifice of God's own begotten son; it is also important to understand the theological teachings of Jesus. "The human life and teachings of the historical Jesus have to be given full place in his saving work as essential and not incidental or merely incidental in his atoning reconciliation."[footnoteRef:4] The dangers of overemphasizing either one of the other component of Christ's sacrifice -- his status of God and Man -- is that to overemphasize the spiritual aspect, one loses the significance of God coming to earth to sacrifice His only begotten son and the need for Jesus to suffer on the cross for the sins of humanity. Also, one loses the significance of the teachings of Jesus, which are a profound and important component of His ministry (Jesus left his words as instructive advice, not merely the actions of his person). Yet by overemphasizing the humanity of Jesus, the believer once again loses the significance of that sacrifice and reduces Jesus to a series of historical anecdotes and words, rather than sees Jesus as the Word made flesh, which is the truest and fullest expression of His identity. [4: Elwell, p. 244]