Person of Christ, 1-3
The Teaching of Paul: Christ's Divine and Human Natures
Paul's letters provide the earliest written testimony to the church's understanding of who Jesus is. The most concentrated passage is Philippians 2:5-11, often called the Christ hymn. Here Paul describes one who existed "in the form of God" yet did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited but "emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in human likeness" (Philippians 2:6-7). This passage affirms both Christ's intrinsic deity — He existed in the very nature of God before the incarnation — and His genuine humanity — He took on human form and was obedient even to death on a cross.
Other Pauline texts reinforce this dual reality. In Colossians 1:15-20, Christ is "the image of the invisible God" in whom "all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell." In Colossians 2:9, "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form." Romans 1:3-4 presents Jesus as descended from David "according to the flesh" yet declared Son of God "according to the Spirit of holiness." For Paul, Christ's deity and humanity are not in tension — they are both essential to His saving work.
The Teaching of Hebrews: Deity and Humanity in the High Priest
The epistle to the Hebrews presents Christ's two natures with particular clarity because its central argument — that Jesus is the perfect high priest — requires both. As God, He is "the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word" (Hebrews 1:3). The opening chapter quotes Old Testament passages applied to God and applies them directly to the Son (Hebrews 1:8-12, quoting Psalm 45:6-7 and Psalm 102:25-27).
Yet this same divine Son "had to be made like his brothers and sisters in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest" (Hebrews 2:17). He was "tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15). He "learned obedience from what he suffered" (Hebrews 5:8). The completeness of His humanity is essential: only a truly human priest could represent humanity before God, and only a divine priest could offer a sacrifice of infinite value.
The Teaching of John: The Word Made Flesh
John's prologue (John 1:1-18) provides the most explicit theological framework for understanding the Person of Christ. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). This identifies the pre-existent Christ as both distinct from and identical with God. Then comes the decisive statement: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). Not merely appeared as flesh, not inhabited flesh temporarily, but became flesh — a permanent, real incarnation.
Throughout the Gospel, Jesus displays both natures in seamless unity. He weeps at Lazarus's tomb yet raises him from the dead (John 11:35, 43). He thirsts on the cross yet declares Himself the source of living water (John 19:28; 4:14). He prays to the Father yet claims, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). John's First Epistle reinforces this: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched — this we proclaim" (1 John 1:1).
The Synoptic Gospels: Jesus as He Lived Among Us
The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) present the two natures of Christ primarily through narrative rather than theological exposition. Jesus' humanity is evident in His hunger (Matthew 4:2), exhaustion (Mark 4:38), sorrow (Luke 19:41), and growth in wisdom (Luke 2:52). He experiences the full range of human life — birth, childhood, temptation, suffering, and death.
Yet alongside this genuine humanity, the Synoptics present a figure who acts with divine authority. He forgives sins — something only God can do (Mark 2:5-7). He commands nature (Mark 4:39), casts out demons with a word (Mark 1:25), and claims authority over the Sabbath itself (Mark 2:28). He accepts worship (Matthew 14:33) and declares that "all authority in heaven and on earth" has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18). The transfiguration scene reveals His hidden glory (Matthew 17:1-8), while His baptism brings a divine declaration: "This is my Son, whom I love" (Matthew 3:17).
Jesus' Own Self-Understanding
Jesus' own statements about Himself are crucial evidence for understanding His person. He referred to Himself consistently as "the Son of Man," a title drawn from Daniel 7:13-14 that carries both human and transcendent overtones. He spoke of God as His Father in a unique and intimate sense (Matthew 11:27; John 5:18). He made claims that, if not true, would be the height of blasphemy: "Before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58); "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).
At the same time, Jesus acknowledged human limitations during His earthly ministry. He said that "about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" (Mark 13:32). He prayed to the Father (Luke 22:42) and expressed genuine anguish in Gethsemane (Mark 14:33-34). These are not contradictions but the authentic expressions of one person who possesses both a divine and a human nature — a mystery the church has always affirmed even when it cannot fully explain.
The Formulation of the Doctrine
The New Testament everywhere presupposes the two natures of Christ without providing a systematic philosophical explanation. The early church spent centuries working out the implications. The Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) articulated the classic formulation: Jesus Christ is "truly God and truly man," possessing two natures "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation," united in one person. This definition did not go beyond what Scripture teaches but expressed it with precision against various errors — those who denied His deity, those who denied His humanity, and those who confused or separated the two natures.
The Person of Christ remains the foundation of Christian faith. As Paul declared, "great indeed is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). This mystery is not a puzzle to be solved but a reality to be worshiped.
Biblical Context
The Person of Christ is presented across every strand of the New Testament. Paul's epistles (especially Philippians 2, Colossians 1, Romans 1, and 1 Timothy 3:16), the epistle to the Hebrews (chapters 1-2), John's Gospel (especially the prologue and the 'I am' sayings), and the Synoptic Gospels all contribute complementary perspectives. Old Testament messianic prophecies anticipate a figure who is both human (Isaiah 9:6; 53:3) and divine (Psalm 110:1; Daniel 7:13-14).
Theological Significance
The doctrine of Christ's person is foundational to the entire structure of Christian theology. Only one who is truly God can reveal God fully and offer an infinite atonement. Only one who is truly human can represent humanity, experience temptation, and serve as mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5). The union of two natures in one person is the hinge on which the doctrines of incarnation, atonement, resurrection, and ascension all turn. To deny either nature is to undermine the gospel itself.
Historical Background
The early church faced persistent challenges to a balanced understanding of Christ's person. Docetism denied His real humanity; Arianism denied His full deity; Apollinarianism denied His complete human soul; Nestorianism separated the two natures too sharply; and Eutychianism confused them into a hybrid. The ecumenical councils — Nicaea (325), Constantinople (381), Ephesus (431), and Chalcedon (451) — progressively clarified the church's confession. The Chalcedonian Definition remains the standard formulation for most of Christendom, affirming the full mystery of the incarnation while guarding against reductive errors.