The Dual Nature of Christ
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
To fully understand who Jesus Christ is, we must understand the dual nature of Christ; both Oneness and Trinitarians agree on this point.
Bishop Leo I of Rome called the Council of Chalcedon, AD 451 to define Orthodox Christianity. He taught that Christ has two natures but is only one person.
Dual Nature Defined
Dual Nature Defined
Jesus Christ had two natures;
He was fully God and fully man.
The spirit in Him was divinity and the flesh was humanity.
The Bible refers to Jesus as being the Son of God and the Son of man.
The Son of God refers to His deity , while the Son of man refers to His humanity .
Note: The Bible never calls Jesus, God the Son.
That terminology would indicate a second person or deity in the Godhead. (We will cover this later in the lesson on the Trinity.
Scriptural Evidence of the Two Natures
Scriptural Evidence of the Two Natures
When we read a statement about Jesus, we must determine if it describes Jesus as a man or as God.also, when Jesus speaks in scripture, we must determine whether He is speaking as a man or as God.
The Humanity
The Humanity
As a man, Jesus was born as a baby, grew in stature and in wisdom, was tempted, hungered, thirsted, grew weary, slept, was limited in power and knowledge, prayed, was scourged, was inferior to God, was a servant, died on a cross.
The Deity
The Deity
As God, he existed from eternity, never changes, cast out devils, miraculously fed multitudes, calmed the storm, answered prayers, healed the sick, forgave sins, knew all things, had all power, was God, was King of kings, was the Almighty, raised His own human body from the dead.
Understanding the different natures of Christ helps us to understand the different roles He played.
He was God and man at the same time.
In Contrast
In Contrast
As a man, he slept in the bottom of the boat;
as God, he calmed the storm.
As a man, He was hungry and thirsty;
as God, He fed the multitude, cast out devils, healed the sick and spoke great words.
10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
The miracles He performed and the words He spoke were not of humanity, but they were of the Spirit.
That’s why Jesus could forgive sins
5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
It was not just a man speaking; it was God.
Jesus Spoke as God to the Thief on the Cross
43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
It was the deity in Christ that forgave sin, not His humanity.
Jesus Praying to the Father
Jesus Praying to the Father
In the final hours of the life of Jesus, He prayed in the garden:
42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
The same treatment is applied here. Humanity prayed to deity. The flesh prayed to the Spirit.
Note: This was not one person in the Godhead praying to another, nor is it one God praying to another. (We will be covering this also in the bible study on the Trinity).
When Jesus died on the cross, the humanity cried out in pain and gave up the ghost (spirit). God did not die on the cross.
God is an eternal spirit that cannot die; the humanity died. Neither did the second person in the Godhead die. That would be part of God dying.
The Bible clearly separates the roles that are played by both.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Conclusion:
Jesus was fully God and fully man. He spoke as God and as man.
He had all of the power of the Almighty, yet all the limitations of humanity.
Biblical Conversations in the Godhead
Biblical Conversations in the Godhead
Conversations in the Godhead always reflect the dual nature of Christ.
Conversations are always between the humanity of Jesus and the deity in Jesus.
Always between the Father and the Son, and never involves a conversation between the Holy Spirit and the Father.
They always reflect the humanity submitting to deity.
Three Manifestations of One Spirit
Three Manifestations of One Spirit
Now that we have an understanding of the dual nature of Christ,
we must also understand that God has manifested Himself to us as the Holy Spirit.
God has revealed Himself to us in three major roles:
1. The Father in creation;
2. The Son in redemption; and
3. The Holy Spirit in regeneration.
These, as we know, are three manifestations of the same Spirit.
It’s important to understand that the spirit of God is the same Spirit as the Holy Spirit.
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
God’s Spirit is the same Spirit that was in Christ and is given to the believer when they are born of the Spirit.
God further makes Himself known to us by allowing us to feel His presence and by filling us with His Spirit,
which we know as the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit.
Conclusion: There is only one Spirit (Father) that manifests itself as the Son and as the Holy Ghost.
HOW MANY THRONES ARE IN HEAVEN?
HOW MANY THRONES ARE IN HEAVEN?
When we get to heaven, will there be three thrones or one?
2 And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
This verse clearly does not say there are three thrones or three persons sitting on one throne, but there is one throne and one sitting on that throne.
Jesus Christ will be the only image of God we will ever see.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
4 And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
Jesus is the Lamb, and again, we will only see His face
A common misconception conjured up by The Trinity is that our heavenly Father is manifested as a little old gray-haired man in heaven.
There is no biblical support for this image. God is a Spirit, and He has never manifested Himself as an old man.
Thus, we will not see a gray haired heavenly Father sitting on a throne when we get to heaven.
Do angels behold the face of God?
Do angels behold the face of God?
10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
חָזָה to see; mostly mentally or Prophetically. KAL ainf. bimp. cfut. חֲזָה Ch. P’AL dpart. active.
“Behold”....as in prophetically, referring to the prophetic judgement of God to those that would offend in this manner.
perhaps “beholding or seeing as in knowing the judgement of God)
The biblical use of the word Father describes God metaphorically as the Father in creation (as the almighty God). Remember, God is a Spirit and spirits do not have flesh and blood (Luke 24:39).
if we look at the biblical definitions of the word “face’ used here we see it in a different light.
Easton’s Bible Dictionary (Face)
FACE—means simply presence, as when it is recorded that Adam and Eve hid themselves from the “face [R.V., ‘presence’] of the Lord God” (Gen. 3:8; comp. Ex. 33:14, 15, where the same Hebrew word is rendered “presence”). The “light of God’s countenance” is his favour (Ps. 44:3; Dan. 9:17). “Face” signifies also anger, justice, severity (Gen. 16:6, 8; Ex. 2:15; Ps. 68:1; Rev. 6:16). To “provoke God to his face” (Isa. 65:3) is to sin against him openly.
additionally, the Greek word for “behold” in this verse can be literal or figurative. It is apparent that Jesus was speaking figuratively.
Since there are no other scriptures to support the idea that the Father has a physical image other than Jesus, then this one passage is not sufficient enough to support such a doctrine.
Who Will Jesus sit beside?
Who Will Jesus sit beside?
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
The Jews traditionally have understood that the right hand of God speaks metaphorically of a place of power.
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Conclusion: The right hand of God is not a physical place but a metaphorical place of power.
Will the Holy Spirit sit on the left side of the Father?
There are no scriptures to support such a notion. God’s Spirit and the Holy Spirit are one. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are the same (Romans 8:9-11; 1Peter 1:11; 2 Corinthians 3:17;
Acts 16:3; John 14:18).
18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
The only image the Holy Spirit has been manifested in was a dove. This would have a dove sitting on a throne to the left of God.
Since Revelation 2:4 said there is only one throne, and one sitting on the throne, that would exclude three thrones or three images sitting on one together.
The only plausible explanation is that the one eternal, invisible, Spirit of God that dwells in light, that no man can see, must have manifested Himself as the Son of God and also as the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion: Since the Father and the Holy Spirit are one and the Father and the Son are one and since Jesus is the image of the invisible God, then Jesus is the only one we will see when we get to heaven.