Episode 11: The Person of Christ

Christ for Us

Bible Study on the Person of Christ. What does it mean that Christ is true God and true man in one person?

As always, you can read and follow along to the Bible Study at Christforus.org.

#Arianism #Adoptionism #Docetism #Nestorianism #Christology #PersonofChrist #TwonaturesofChrist #FormulaofConcord #Lutheran #Theology

Nicene Creed

…And in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of His Father before all worlds,

God of God, Light of Light,

very God of very God,

begotten, not made,

being of one substance with the Father,

by whom all things were made;

who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven

and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary

and was made man;

and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate.

He suffered and was buried.

And the third day He rose again according to the Scriptures

and ascended into heaven

and sits at the right hand of the Father.

And He will come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead,

whose kingdom will have no end. …

Popular Heresies

• Arianism
  • Arius was a presbyter near Alexandria, who died in 336 AD. He was excommunicated by a council of Alexandria in AD 321 and later Arianism was condemned at the Council of Nice in 325, which produced the first draft of the Nicene Creed.
  • Arius taught that God is only one undivided person, who, in order to create the universe, first created an intermediate being through whom he would create the rest of creation. This being is the Logos or Son of God, but is not himself God. He has a beginning, he is capable of sin, and he is capable of changing. This teaching of course conflicts with John 1; Hebrews 13:8; among many other passages.
• Adoptionism
  • A teaching that Jesus received Divine power at his Baptism and was adopted as the Son of God, but really wasn’t one person with the second person in the Trinity.
  • One proponent of a form of Adoptionism was Paul of Samasota (Bishop of Antioch 260-272), whom the Formula of Concord condemns with a quote from Theodore, “He wickedly taught that the Lord Christ was nothing other than a mere man in whom God the Word dwelt, just as in every prophet.” SD VIII:16
• Docetism
  • The teaching that Jesus was not really true man, but that he only appeared to be true man, hence the name from the Greek δοκεῖν, which means to seem. So, Christ only appeared to be suffering on the cross.
• Apollinarianism
  • A reaction to Arianism, named after Apollinaris of Laodocea (ca 310-390), who taught that Jesus is God; however, he erred by saying that he had a Logos instead of a human soul, which would make Jesus not fully man. This then is a form of Docetism, because Jesus would only seem like a man. This was condemned in the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD.
• Eutychianism
  • Named after Eutyches (ca. 378-454 ca.), which teaches that there are two natures of Christ before the incarnation, but only one after, because the divine nature swallowed up the human nature like a great ocean swallowing up a drop of liquid. This is a form of Monophysitism, which teaches that there is only one nature in Christ, as opposed to dyaphysitism, which is taught in the Nicene Creed.
    • Gregory of Nazianzus writes, “For that which He has not assumed He has not healed; but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved.” Letter 101 to Cledonius the priest against Apolinarius in NPNF 7:440.
    • Monothelitism, a form of monophysitism, which teaches that Christ only has one will (Greek θέλημα), that is, the divine will. This runs into the same problem as Monophysitism, in that it essentially denies the humanity of Christ. Monothelitism was condemned in the Sixth Ecumenical Council (Third Council of Constantinople) on Sept. 16, 681, which asserted that Christ has two wills, a divine and human, but that the human is subordinate and perfectly conformed to the divine will, as is taught in Mt 27:34; Jn 1:43; 17:24; 19:28; divine will Lk 13:24; Jn 5:21.
• Nestorianism
  • Nestorius, died 451 AD, patriarch of Constantinople 428, condemned in 431 Council of Ephesus. He allegedly taught that there is no communion between the human and divine natures of Christ, that Mary is not the Theotokos, but the Christotokos. This means that the Son of God was not born and did not suffer or die. This is basically a form of Adoptionism.
  • Nestorianism is still widely taught in churches in the east. Lutherans accuse the Reformed of Nestorianism, because they deny that Christ is able to be present with His body and blood in the Sacrament, because His body is in heaven.
    • For example, Luther criticizes Ulrich Zwingli, who uses the Greek phrases alloeosis (ἀλλοίωσις: difference, alteration), to explain why Christ is said to do something, which only his human nature actually did. Zwingli used the concept of alloeosis to construe “all passages of Scripture in which anything is ascribed to the divine nature of Christ or to the entire Christ that is property of the human nature. The purpose of the alloeosis, as used by Zwingli, was denial of the communication of attributes.”[1]
    • Thus Luther wrote, as is quoted in the Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration:
      • [Zwingli] calls it alloeosis when something is said about the divinity of Christ which after all belongs to His humanity, or vice versa—for example, in Luke 24[:26], “Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and so enter into glory?” Here he performs a sleight-of-hand trick and substitutes the human nature for Christ. Beware, beware, I say, of this alloeosis, for it is the devil’s mask since it will finally construct a kind of Christ after whom I would not want to be a Christian, that is, a Christ who is and does no more in His passion and His life than any other ordinary saint. For if I believe that only the human nature suffered for me, then Christ would be a poor Savior for me, in fact, He Himself would need a Savior. In short, it is indescribable what the devil attempts with this alloeosis! [LW 37:209-10] SA VIII:39-40

Formula of Concord VIII

• The Formula of Concord discusses the Pesron of Christ in article 8, because of the Lord’s Supper controversy:
  • In opposition to the Sacramentarians, Dr. Luther maintained the true, essential presence of Christ’s body and blood in the Supper with solid arguments from the words of institution. The objection was raised against him by the Zwinglians that, if Christ’s body were present at the same time in heaven and on earth in the Holy Supper, it could be no real, true human body. For such majesty was said to be peculiar to God alone. They said Christ’s body was not capable of it. SD VIII:2
• The Formula of Concord affirms:
  • We believe, teach, and confess that God’s Son from eternity has been a particular, distinct, entire, divine person. Yet He is true, essential, perfect God with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time He received also the human nature into the unity of His person. … Christ Jesus is now in one person at the same time true, eternal God, born of the Father from eternity, and a true man, born of the most blessed Virgin Mary. This is written in Romans 9:5, “from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever.” SD VIII:6
  • In this undivided person of Christ, there are two distinct natures: the divine, which is from eternity, and the human, which in time was received into the unity of the person of God’s Son. SD VIII:7
  • Both natures mentioned remained unmingled and undestroyed in their nature and essence. SD VIII:8
  • We believe, teach, and confess that it is the property of the divine nature to be almighty, eternal, infinite, everywhere present at the same time, and all-knowing. In other words, it agrees with the properties of [the divine] nature and its natural essence. These are essential attributes of the divine nature. Never in eternity do they become essential properties of the human nature. SD VIII:9
  • On the other hand, these are properties of the human nature: being a bodily creation or creature, flesh and blood, finite and located in one place; it suffers, dies, ascends, and descends; it moves from one place to another, suffers hunger, thirst, cold, heat, and the like. These properties never become properties of the divine nature. SD VIII:10
  • Each nature in Christ does not exist by itself so that each is, or makes up, a separate person. These two natures are so united that they make up one single person, in which the divine and the received human nature are and exist at the same time. So now, since the incarnation, there belongs to the entire person of Christ personally not only His divine nature, but also His received human nature. So without His divinity, and also without His humanity, the person of Christ or the incarnate Son of God is not complete.” SD VIII:11
  • Through the personal union with the Deity, and afterward through the glorification, Christ’s human nature has been exalted to the right hand of the majesty, power and might, over everything that can be named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come [Ephesians 1:21]. SD VIII:12
  • The Formula explains the union between the divine and human natures as a communion, using the analogy of fire heating iron, where the iron, while remaining iron, shares in the attributes of fire, namely, heat and light. See SD VIII:19.
  • In Christ two distinct natures exist and remain unchanged and unconfused in their natural essence and properties. Yet there is only one person consisting of both natures. Therefore, that which is an attribute of only one nature is attributed to the entire person, who is at the same time God and man (whether the person is called God or man). SD VIII:36

Communication of Attributes: The Three Genera.

• Genus Idiomaticum: Attributes of either nature are ascribed to the entire person of Christ
  • John 8:58: Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
  • Luke 3:23: Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age,
  • John 21:17: he said to him, “Lord, you know everything
  • Luke 2:52: And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man.
  • Colossians 1:16: For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
  • John 18:12: Soldiers bind Jesus.
• Genus Maiestaticum: Genus of glory, deals with the attributes of the divine nature, such as omniscience, perfection, omnipotence, omnipresence, etc. being communicated to the human nature.
  • Matthew 28:19
  • Hebrews 1:3-4: He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.
  • Colossians 1:9: For in Him [Christ] the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
  • “This divine power, life, might, majesty, and glory was given to the received human nature in Christ.” SD VIII:61
  • “Scripture testifies clearly (John 5:21, 27; 6:39-40) that the power to give life and to execute judgment has been given to Christ because He is the Son of Man and since He has flesh and blood.” SD VIII: 58
  • The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7) (quoted SD VIII 59)
  • “To make alive, to have all judgment and all power in heaven and on earth, to have all things in His hands, to have all things subject beneath His feet, to cleanse from sin, and so on, are not created gifts. These are divine, infinite properties. Yet, according to the declaration of Scripture, these have been given and communicated to the man Christ. (See John 5:27; 6:39; Matthew 28:18; Dan. 7:14; John 3:35; 13:3; Matt. 11:27; Ephesians 1:22; Heb. 2:8; 1 Cor. 15:27; John 1:3). SD VIII:55
  • “In, with, and through the human nature, Christ shows, uses, and acts on His divine power, glory, and efficacy, as the soul does in the body and fire in glowing iron.” SD VIII:64
  • For on Him the Father poured the Spirit of wisdom and power without measure. So as man, Christ has received all knowledge and all power (in deed and truth) through this personal union. SD VII:74
• Genus Apotelesmaticum: derived from the Greek term for the performance of a task, this is the biblical teaching that whatever one nature (divine or human) performs, it does with the participation of the other nature and is indeed done by the united Christ. For this reason, we say that when Christ died, which He did according to His human nature, that God indeed died for our sins, although, God Himself cannot die. Not only did Christ die for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3), but God’s own Son died for our sins (Romans 5:10).
  • In fulfilling Christ’s office, the person does not act and work in, with, through, or according to only one nature. It works in, according to, with, and through both natures. SA VIII:46

Theological Implications

• If Zwingli’s alloeosis stands, then Christ will have to be two persons, one a divine and the other a human person, since Zwingli applies all the texts concerning the passion only to the human nature and completely excludes them from the divine nature. … [LW 37:212] SD VIII:43
• If it cannot be said that God died for us, but only a man, we are lost; but if God’s death and a dead God lie in the balance, His side goes down and ours goes up like a light and empty scale … For God in His own nature cannot die; but now that God and man are united in one person, it is called God’s death when the man dies who is one substance or one person with God. [LW 41:103-4] SD VIII:44
• Christ’s presence with His Church on earth: We do not understand these testimonies (Matthew 18:20; 28:20) to mean that only Christ’s divinity is present with us in the Christian Church and congregation, and that such presence does not apply to Christ according to His humanity in no way whatever. SD VIII:77
• By this communicated power, according to the words of His testament, He can be and is truly present with His body and blood in the Holy Super. He has pointed this out for us by His Word. This is possible for no other man, because no man is united with the divine nature the way Jesus, the Son of Mary, is. SD VIII:29

Conclusion

The divine and human natures of Christ are perfectly united into one Person, so that what is said of one nature belongs to the entire Christ. This is how we are able to say that Mary is the mother of God and that God suffered and died for our sins and that the man Jesus can forgive sins, His blood can wash away our sins, that He is able to be present with His Church and give us His body and blood to eat and to drink in the Sacrament. This teaching is incredibly important for the doctrine of salvation, the Church, and the Sacraments.

[1] https://cyclopedia.lcms.org/definitions?mode=index&page=0&index=ALLOEOSIS&definition=D6E7D78A-B266-EE11-9148-0050563F0205