Incomparable: 7 Days With JesusParaugs

Day 4: Pondering the Paradox; the twofold nature of Christ, Gal 4:4

Why does sin retain such a hold and appeal for you and me? We could lose our minds trying to figure that one out.

The sins that tempt us most have proven to be our worst enemies, causing us more trouble and mischief than anything else in our lives. And yet—at all the wrong times and in all the wrong ways—we somehow find them attractive. Sensible. Comfortable. Preferable.

How can that be?

After many years and many hard failings, here’s what I’ve concluded to be my best answer: sin becomes attractive to the extent that I take my eyes off Jesus.

And the opposite is true as well. The more I see of Him, the more I get to know Him and learn to love Him, and the less alluring sin’s temptations become. My battles feel less overwhelming as I grow more captivated by the greatness and beauty of who He is.

As we seek to grasp these realities about Christ, even in their mystery, they draw forth worship and awe from us, from breathless hearts grown weary under the loads we carry. They make us want more of this One who loves us, and want fewer of those things—in fact, none of those things—that propose to help us but only hurt us.

Take, for example, the perplexity that can arise when we pair Christ’s divinity with His humanity. Throughout the first few centuries AD, debate raged over how to synthesize these seemingly paradoxical claims. How could Jesus be both divine and human? At the same time? In the same person?

After generations of squabbles, hashed out in gathered assemblies of church representatives from all over the known world, a fourth council convened in AD 451 in the city of Chalcedon. And out of this extended meeting of the minds, as they dived back into the Scriptures to see what God’s Spirit had revealed about the Son, they developed what became known as the Chalcedonian Creed, which can be summarized by the following four statements:

1. Christ is fully and completely divine (fully God).
2. He is fully and completely human (fully man).
3. His divine and human natures are distinct (not mixed together).
4. His divine and human natures are completely united in one person.

This is one of the most profound concepts in theology, beyond our ability to grasp fully. But should we really expect Jesus to be any less? This is what makes Him incomparable.

Jesus is fully divine, and He is fully human. He existed as God before time began, but He took on a human nature when conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb, without in any way diminishing His deity.

This is affirmed in Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy: For unto us a Child is born [humanity],

Unto us a Son is given [deity]. (Isa. 9:6 nkjv)

In the New Testament we read that “God sent his Son, born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4). One and the same Person, yet with two natures. Fully God, fully man.

We see both natures evident in the Gospels: Jesus could attend a wedding (a human activity), but while there He could change water into wine (a divine activity). He could be weary enough to fall asleep in a boat with His disciples (a human characteristic), but when awakened He could rebuke a storm and calm the seas (a divine characteristic).

And this twofold nature is not temporary, but permanent. Jesus is still the God-man and will be forever. Today He is enthroned in heaven in His resurrected, glorified body, with (as many Bible students believe) the scars of the nails and spear still visible in His hands and side.[1]

Is your head spinning a little? You’re not alone. This mystery has challenged Christians in every era. But consider this: if Jesus is anything less than fully human and fully divine, He is not enough for us. This twofold nature of Christ is absolutely essential if our redemption is to be accomplished

The humanity of Christ means He is willing to save us.
The divinity of Christ means He is able to save us.
Both willing and able—that’s what we need. And that’s what we have in Jesus.

And remember that the entrance of this God-man into the world was for us. “Unto us a Child is born” and “unto us a Son is given.” We were sinners, enemies of God, separated from Him. And Jesus—without ceasing to be fully God, without laying aside any of his Godness—took on our human nature that He might reconcile us to the Father. What a wonder this is! What love this is!

Why should we ever feel the need to look for completion, for comfort, for temporary solutions in ourselves, in our sins, or anywhere else, when we have such a Savior?

Father, I praise You for the mystery and the wonder of who Jesus is: fully God, yet fully human. He is everything I need and more in time and eternity. Not only was He willing to save me; He is also able to save me from the power and practice of my sin. Who else could ever be as lovely and desirable as He is to me? AMEN.

[1] David Mathis, “His Scars Will Never Fade: The Wounds Christ Took to Heaven,” Desiring God, May 18, 2019, https://www.desiringgod.org/ articles/his-scars-will-never-fade. See also Randy Alcorn, “Why Does Jesus Have Scars on His Resurrection Body? Will They Be Permanent?,” Eternal Perspective Ministries, June 18, 2020, www.epm.org/resources/2020/ Jun/18/Jesus-scars-resurrection.