Tag Archives: God-Man

The Doctrine of the Hypostatic Union

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The doctrine of the hypostatic union is one of the most vital truths in Christology. Jesus Christ is one Person with two natures—undiminished deity and true humanity—inseparably united without mixture or loss of identity. Scripture testifies, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), and further declares, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14a). Paul states, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9). These passages establish that the eternal Word, God the Son, took on true humanity in time, becoming the God-Man.

The deity of Christ is eternal, immutable, and infinite. From eternity past He is the Logos, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Spirit (John 1:1). His humanity began in time, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary (Matt 1:20-23; Luke 1:35). Radmacher observes, “The helpless infant being held in Mary’s arms was at the same time the eternal God sustaining Mary” (Earl Radmacher, Salvation, p. 40). In His humanity, Jesus was true flesh and blood, subject to growth, hunger, fatigue, and temptation—yet without sin (Heb 4:15). The hypostatic union means that the attributes of deity and the limitations of humanity are both fully present in the one Person of Jesus Christ.

This union is without confusion. The divine nature did not absorb or diminish the human, nor did the human nature alter the divine. Each retains full integrity. At the same time, the union is without division. Jesus Christ is not two persons but one indivisible Person forever. This explains how He could be weary in His humanity (John 4:6) while simultaneously sustaining the universe by the word of His power in His deity (Heb 1:3). Chafer notes, “Of these two natures it may be affirmed from the evidence which Scripture provides, that they united in one Person, and not two; that in this union, that which is divine is in no way degraded by its amalgamation with that which is human; and, in the same manner and completeness, that which is human is in no way exalted or aggrandized above that which is unfallen humanity.” (Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 1, p. 384).

The purpose of the hypostatic union is salvific. As true humanity, Christ could represent mankind and die as a substitute for our sins (1 Pet 3:18). As undiminished deity, His sacrifice had infinite value, sufficient for all humanity (1 John 2:2). Only one who is both God and man could reconcile God and mankind (1 Tim 2:5). Thieme explains, “After accomplishing His salvation mission on the cross, the humanity of Christ rose from the dead (Matt 28:5-7), was seated in glory ‘at the right hand of the Majesty on high’ (Heb 1:3), and will forever exist as the glorified God-man in resurrection body (Heb 1:8)” (R. B. Thieme, Jr., “Hypostatic Union,” Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, p. 147).

The result is that Jesus Christ remains forever the God-Man, undiminished deity and true humanity in one Person. In His glorified humanity, He is now seated at the right hand of the Father (Heb 1:3), awaiting the day when He will return as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 19:16). Fruchtenbaum remarks, “At present, He is the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God the Father. In the future, He will be the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven. He is not only always the Son of God, He is also always the Son of Man—both in the present in heaven and in the future when He comes in the clouds of heaven” (Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Messiah Yeshua: Divine Redeemer, p. 5).

Jesus is the unique theanthropic Person in history. Only the God-Man could bridge the infinite gulf between a holy God and sinful humanity. As true humanity, Christ could die as our substitute; as undiminished deity, His sacrifice possessed infinite worth, sufficient for the sins of the whole world. Scripture declares, “Christ died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). On the cross He bore our sins in His body (1 Pet 2:24), willingly laying down His life in our place (John 10:18), and on the third day He rose from the dead (1 Cor 15:3-4). Because of His finished work (John 19:30), forgiveness of sins and eternal life are offered freely to all, for “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins” (Acts 10:43), and “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God promises eternal life as His gracious gift, for “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 6:23). This salvation is received not by works (Rom 4:4-5) but by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone (John 14:6; Rom 3:28; Acts 4:12). Scripture affirms, “For by grace you have been saved through faith…not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph 2:8-9). Jesus Himself gave the simple promise: “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life” (John 6:47). The call of the gospel, then, is deeply personal—will you trust in Jesus Christ alone as your Savior today?

Steven R. Cook, D.Min., M.Div.

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The Suffering of Jesus Christ

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Jesus' Sorrow as He Faces the CrossWhen God the Son added perfect humanity to Himself, this enabled Him to experience suffering and death with, and on behalf of, humanity. The suffering of Christ may be viewed in at least two ways: 1) His suffering during His time on earth prior to the cross, and 2) the suffering of the cross. As the God-Man, Jesus was perfectly holy in all His thoughts, words, and actions. Such perfect holiness brought with it a special form of suffering in this world that the rest of us could never know, since we are capable of yielding to the pressures of sinful temptation. When the time of His death was nearing, Jesus told His disciples “that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (Matt 16:21; cf., Mark 8:31; Luke 9:22). It’s noteworthy that Jesus said His suffering, dying, and resurrection were things that “must” happen to Him. The use of the Greek verb dei (δεῖ) here denotes divine necessity, which meant it was the will of God the Father that these things happen to Christ. Thomas Constable notes, “Jesus said that it was necessary (Gr. dei) for Him to go to Jerusalem. He had to do this because it was God’s will for Messiah to suffer, die, and rise from the dead. He had to do these things to fulfill prophecy (Isa 53; cf. Acts 2:22–36).”[1] The absolute necessity of Jesus’ death on the cross further emphasizes our helplessness to save ourselves, for if our salvation could have been secured by any other means, then the death of Christ would have been unnecessary.

While in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed to God the Father, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will” (Matt 26:39). In His humanity, Jesus struggled to face the cross, understanding the scope of what it meant and the agony associated with it. Jesus prayed a second time, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done” (Matt 26:42). The reference to the “cup” speaks of the suffering of the cross. John A. Witmer states, “In the Old Testament a ‘cup’ sometimes symbolized wrath (Jer 25:15), and so Jesus was aware that His coming death meant He would bear the wrath of God the Father against sin. Though Christ had no sin (2 Cor 5:21), He bore the sins of the world on Himself (1 Pet 2:24). Thus He was made ‘a curse for us’ because of His being hanged on a tree (Gal 3:13).”[2]

While on the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt 27:46). This was the cry of Jesus from His humanity. Peter tells us that Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross” (1 Pet 2:24). Peter’s reference to Jesus’ “body” indicates humanity, not deity. Sin cannot be imputed to deity. Humanity can bear sin. It was while Jesus was on the cross that He bore the wrath of the Father as He died in our place and bore the punishment that rightfully belongs to us. And the Spirit sustained Jesus’ humanity while He bore our sins. Robert G. Gromacki states, “God the Son incarnate suffered and died. The Father did not suffer and die. Nor did the Holy Spirit suffer and die, even though He filled Christ when the Savior suffered and died.”[3] The suffering and death of Jesus on the cross was salvific, as Jesus was made “sin on our behalf” (2 Cor 5:21). Mark wrote, “When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour. At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ which is translated, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Mark 15:33-34; cf., Matt 27:45-46; Luke 23:44-46). Concerning this moment on the cross, Witmer states, “It was at this point, as Jesus bore the sin of the world, that God, the Judge of sin, turned away from Jesus Christ, His incarnate Son, the Sin-bearer, as far as the personal consciousness of Jesus was concerned.”[4] But there is some mystery at work here, for God the Father could not forsake God the Son, as a separation within the Trinity is not possible. Yet, somehow, the humanity of Christ—not His deity—was forsaken at the time of the judgment on the cross, otherwise the words of Jesus would be meaningless. But Jesus’ suffering and death did happen, and it was His time on the cross that brought about our salvation; a salvation that is applied to us at the moment we trust in Christ as our Savior.

Even after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus said to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” (Luke 24:26). In the book of Acts, Luke records that Jesus “presented Himself alive after His suffering” (Acts 1:3). Peter said, “the things which God announced beforehand by the mouth of all the prophets, that His Christ would suffer, He has thus fulfilled” (Acts 3:18). And Paul reasoned “from the Scriptures, explaining and giving evidence that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead” (Acts 17:2b-3; cf., Acts 26:23). Jesus’ suffering and death were necessary for salvation to be available to humanity.

Dr. Steven R. Cook

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[1] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Mt 16:21.

[2] John A. Witmer, “Jesus Christ”, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 352.

[3] Robert G. Gromacki, “The Holy Spirit”, Understanding Christian Theology (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2003), 468–469.

[4] John A. Witmer, “Jesus Christ”, Understanding Christian Theology, 352.

Jesus’ Ascension and Session

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Jesus Ascending into HeavenAfter Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to many on several occasions. His final appearance was to His apostles. Luke wrote, “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven” (Luke 24:50-51). And in Acts we’re told, “He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight” (Acts 1:9). It’s important to note that Jesus ascended bodily into heaven, and that He will return the same way. Jesus’ ascension into heaven was the beginning of His session at the right hand of God. Concerning Jesus’s session, R. B. Thieme Jr. notes, “At His session, the humanity of Christ was ‘crowned with glory and honor’ and exalted to a position far higher than the angels (Heb 2:9). The Father put all powers and authorities in subjection to His Son and confirmed the ultimate subjugation of all who oppose Him.”[1] Jesus is, right now, “at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him” (1 Pet 3:22; cf., Eph 1:20), and He was “crowned with glory and honor” (Heb 2:9), and holds the title of “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev 19:16). According to Werner Foerster, “Session at the right hand of God means joint rule. It thus implies divine dignity, as does the very fact of sitting in God’s presence.”[2] And Ryrie notes, “By His resurrection and ascension our Lord was positioned in the place of honor at the right hand of the Father to be Head over the church, His body (Eph 1:20–23).”[3] Walvoord notes:

In the ascension of the incarnate Christ to heaven, not only was the divine nature restored to its previous place of infinite glory, but the human nature was also exalted. It is now as the God-Man that He is at the right hand of God the Father. This demonstrates that infinite glory and humanity are compatible as illustrated in the person of Christ and assures the saint that though he is a sinner saved by grace he may anticipate the glory of God in eternity.[4]

Ryrie states, “The Ascension marked the end of the period of Christ’s humiliation and His entrance into the state of exaltation…The Ascension having taken place, Christ then was ready to begin other ministries in behalf of His own and of the world.”[5] Lewis Chafer notes seven aspects of Jesus’ current ministry in heaven.

Seven aspects of His present ministry are to be recognized, namely: (1) exercise of universal authority. He said of Himself, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Matt 28:18); (2) Headship over all things to the Church (Eph 1:22–23); (3) bestowment and direction of the exercise of gifts (Rom 12:3–8; 1 Cor 12:4–31; Eph 4:7–11); (4) intercession, in which ministry Christ contemplates the weakness and immaturity of His own who are in the world (Psa 23:1; Rom 8:34; Heb 7:25); (5) advocacy, by which ministry He appears in defense of His own before the Father’s throne when they sin (Rom 8:34; Heb 9:24; 1 John 2:1); (6) building of the place He has gone to prepare (John 14:1-3); and (7) “expecting” or waiting until the moment when by the Father’s decree the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of the Messiah—not by human agencies but by the resistless, crushing power of the returning King (Heb 10:13).[6]

Dr. Steven R. Cook

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[1] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Session of Jesus Christ”, Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 238.

[2] Werner Foerster and Gottfried Quell, “Κύριος, Κυρία, Κυριακός, Κυριότης, Κυριεύω, Κατακυριεύω,” ed. Gerhard Kittel, Geoffrey W. Bromiley, and Gerhard Friedrich, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1964–), 1089.

[3] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 313.

[4] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord (Galaxie Software, 2008), 121–122.

[5] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology, 312.

[6] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 7 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 82.