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Christology
One of the most difficult concepts to grasp within Christianity is the notion that Jesus
Christ is both God and Man in one being. As humans, we have a thirst for knowledge and often
want tangible proof when determining if something is valid. However, the Bible tells us in
Hebrews 11:1 that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not
see. In other words, to have faith in Jesus Christ requires individuals to believe in Him
regardless of whether or not He chooses to reveal Himself to them through sight. Moreover, the
first place to begin seeking answers to questions about Jesus humanity or deity is the Bible. This
essay will: (1) provide scholarly and Biblical support for Jesus humanity and deity, (2) explain
how Jesus can be both God and Man at the same time and why it is significant, (3) explain the
importance of Jesus incarnation, (4) present of few of the common objections to traditional
Christology and the problems of overemphasizing the deity of Christ, and (5) explain why Christ
in his humanity is an example for mankind.
Jesus being both God and Man means that He has divine authority and power, is sinless,
and understands what it means to be human. The explanation about how Jesus can be both God
and Man at the same time comes from the Hypostatic Union. According to Elwell (2001), the
Hypostatic Union proclaims that
In the incarnation of the Son of God, a human nature was inseparably united forever with
the divine nature in the one person of Jesus Christ, yet with the two natures remaining
distinct, whole, and unchanged, without mixture or confusion, so that the one person,
Jesus Christ, is truly God and truly man (p. 583).
The Council of Chalcedon, the fourth ecumenical council of the church, established this doctrine.
However, Biblical support is necessary to validate it. The first Biblical piece of evidence that

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points to Jesus being human is that he was born of a woman. In Luke 1:35, the angel Gabriel
appears to Jesus mother, Mary, to proclaim His birth. When Mary asked the angel how she could
be pregnant due to the fact that she was a virgin, Gabriel replied The Holy Spirit will come on
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be
called the Son of God. This also points to Jesus being the Son of God because Mary would
become pregnant through the divine intervention of the Holy Spirit. Jesus would also be devoid
of sin due to the Holy Spirits divine intervention. Another piece of evidence that points the
humanity of Jesus is the fact that he was tempted. Matthew 4:1-2 says, Jesus was led by the
Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he
was hungry. The devil tried to tempt Jesus into giving into His hunger and breaking His fast.
However, Jesus resisted temptation and so can those who follow Him. A key point in proving
that Jesus, in addition to being Man is also God is that He has the power to forgive sins.
Colossians 2:14 says, He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the charge of our legal
indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the
cross. Furthermore, since Jesus is human, He understands the experiences and trials of humanity
and since He is God, He has the power to deliver people from sin.
However, there are counter-arguments to these claims of traditional Christology.
According to Elwell (2001) Apollinaris tried to safeguard the unity of the person of the Godman by denying that he had complete manhood (p. 242). His reasoning was that since Christ
was divine, He could not be completely human. Also, Elwell (2001) stated that Nestorius
supported the belief that Jesus was God, but thought, the suffering of the humanity could not be
attributed to the Godhead (p. 242). These theories overemphasized the deity of Christ and in
consequence, denied His incarnation, his humanity, and the salvation of the world through Him.

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In conclusion, since many people overemphasize Jesus divinity, it is important to
remember the significance of His humanity. Jesus is an example to all believers because of his
humanity. He was born of a woman, was tempted, got hungry, was afraid, and more. There is
nothing unique to humanity that He did not experience. However, the fact that He endured those
same sufferings and resisted, gives hope to His followers. For because they have accepted Jesus
as their Savior, they now have the ability to call on His strength and by doing so, grow closer to
God and His love.

Word count: 799

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Bibliography
Elwell, W. (Ed.). (2001). Evangelical dictionary of theology (2nd ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Academic.