Jesus' Two Natures: God and Man

by Matt Slick
Jesus is the most important person who has ever lived since he is the Savior, God in
human flesh. He is not half God and half man. He is fully divine and fully man. In other
words, Jesus has two distinct natures: divine and human. Jesus is the Word who was
God and was with God and was made flesh (John 1:1, 14). This means that in the
single person of Jesus he has both a human and divine nature, God and man. The
divine nature was not changed when the Word became flesh (John 1:1, 14). Instead,
the Word was joined with humanity (Col. 2:9). Jesus' divine nature was not altered. Also,
Jesus is not merely a man who "had God within Him," nor is he a man who "manifested
the God principle." He is God in flesh, second person of the Trinity. "The Son is the
radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things
by his powerful word." (Heb. 1:3). Jesus' two natures are not "mixed together"
(Eutychianism), nor are they combined into a new God-man nature (Monophysitism).
They are separate yet act as a unit in the one person of Jesus. This is called the
Hypostatic Union.
The following chart should help you see the two natures of Jesus "in action":
GOD MAN
He is worshiped (Matt. 2:2, 11; 14:33) He worshiped the Father (John 17)
He was called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8) He was called man (Mark 15:39; John 19:5)
He was called Son of God (Mark 1:1) He was called Son of Man (John 9:35-37)
He is prayed to (Acts 7:59) He prayed to the Father (John 17)
He is sinless (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15) He was tempted (Matt. 4:1)
He knows all things (John 21:17) He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52)
He gives eternal life (John 10:28) He died (Rom. 5:8)
All the fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9)
He has a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39)
The Communicatio Idiomatum
A doctrine that is related to the Hypostatic Union is the communicatio idiomatum (Latin
for "communication of properties"). This is the teaching that the attributes of both the
divine and human natures are ascribed to the one person of Jesus. This means that the

man Jesus could lay claim to the glory He had with the Father before the world was
made (John 17:5), claim that He descended from heaven (John 3:13), and also claim
omnipresence (Matt. 28:20). All of these are divine qualities that are laid claim to by
Jesus; therefore, the attributes of the divine properties were claimed by the person of
Jesus.
One of the most common errors that non-Christian cults make is not understanding the
two natures of Christ. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses focus on Jesus' humanity
and ignore His divinity. They repeatedly quote verses dealing with Jesus as a man and
try to set them against Scripture showing that Jesus is also divine. On the other hand,
the Christian Scientists do the reverse. They focus on the Scriptures showing Jesus'
divinity to the extent of denying His true humanity.
For a proper understanding of Jesus and, therefore, all other doctrines that relate to
Him, His two natures must be properly understood and defined. Jesus is one person
with two natures. This is why He would grow in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52) and yet
know all things (John 21:17). He is the Divine Word that became flesh (John 1:1, 14).
The Bible is about Jesus (John 5:39). The prophets prophesied about Him (Acts 10:43).
The Father bore witness of Him (John 5:37; 8:18). The Holy Spirit bore witness of Him
(John 15:26). The works Jesus did bore witness of Him (John 5:36; 10:25). The
multitudes bore witness of Him (John 12:17). And, Jesus bore witness of Himself (John
14:6; 18:6).
Other verses to consider when examining His deity are John 10:30-33; 20:28; Col. 2:9;
Phil. 2:5-8; Heb. 1:6-8; and 2 Pet. 1:1.
1 Tim. 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus." Right now, there is a man in heaven on the throne of God. He is
our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1). He is our Savior (Titus 2:13). He is our Lord
(Rom. 10:9-10). He is Jesus.
THREE DAYS AND THREE NIGHTS
For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly
Or "in the belly of a great fish", as is said, ( Jonah 1:17 ) for that it was a whale, is not
there said, nor is it certain it was; nor from the smallness of its swallow, is it thought
probable it should; nor does the word here used, necessarily imply one, but some large
fish; nor are there whales in the Phoenician Sea: it might be a kind of a sea dog, called
Carcharias, and sometimes Lamia, or Lamina, from its vast swallow; in which whole
men; even in coats of mail, have been found. However, be it what it will, Jonas was
three days and three nights in the belly of it; which agrees with the account in the above

mentioned place, and is the sign Christ speaks of in the foregoing verse; and a very
great sign and miracle it was, that being swallowed down by such a fish, he should
remain in the belly of it three days and three nights, as one dead; for, without a miracle,
he could not have lived an hour; and on the third day, as one raised from the dead, be
cast out of it upon the dry land; which was a very eminent type of the death, burial, and
resurrection of Christ, as appears by what follows. The Jews reckon up several wonders
or miracles in this case of Jonah's; as that a fish was prepared to swallow him up, and
he not drowned in the sea; and that this was prepared for him from the creation of the
world; that he should be three days and three nights in the fish's belly, and be alive; and
that he should retain his senses and his understanding, so as to be able to pray: they
represent him also as if he was in the state of the dead F12, and that the fish itself was
dead, and was quickened again. According to Josephus, after he had been carried 250
miles in the Hellespont of the Euxine Sea, he was cast ashore F13.
So shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
That Christ means himself by the "son of man", there is no reason to doubt; and his
being laid in a tomb, dug out of a rock, is sufficient to answer this phrase, "the heart of
the earth", in distinction from the surface of it; but some difficulty arises about the time of
his continuing there, and the prediction here made agreeable to the type: for it was on
the sixth day of the week, we commonly call "Friday", towards the close, on the day of
the preparation for the sabbath, and when the sabbath drew on, that the body of Christ
was laid in the sepulchre; where it lay all the next day, which was the sabbath of the
Jews, and what we commonly call "Saturday"; and early on the first of the week, usually
called "Sunday", or the Lord's day, he rose from the dead; so that he was but one whole
day, and part of two, in the grave. To solve this difficulty, and set the matter in a clear
light, let it be observed, that the three days and three nights, mean three natural days,
consisting of day and night, or twenty four hours, and are what the Greeks call
(nucyhmera) , "night days"; but the Jews have no other way of expressing them, but as
here; and with them it is a well-known rule, and used on all occasions, as in the
computation of their feasts and times of mourning, in the observance of the passover,
circumcision, and divers purifications, that (wlwkk Mwyh tuqm) , "a part of a day is as
the whole" F14: and so, whatever was done before sun setting, or after, if but an hour,
or ever so small a time, before or after it, it was reckoned as the whole preceding, or
following day; and whether this was in the night part, or day part of the night day, or
natural day, it mattered not, it was accounted as the whole night day: by this rule, the
case here is easily adjusted; Christ was laid in the grave towards the close of the sixth
day, a little before sun setting, and this being a part of the night day preceding, is
reckoned as the whole; he continued there the whole night day following, being the
seventh day; and rose again early on the first day, which being after sun setting, though
it might be even before sun rising, yet being a part of the night day following, is to be

esteemed as the whole; and thus the son of man was to be, and was three days and
three nights in the grave; and which was very easy to be understood by the Jews; and it
is a question whether Jonas was longer in the belly of the fish.
FOOTNOTES:
F12 R. David Kimchi & Jarchi, in Jonah i. 17. & ii. 1. Zohar in Exod. fol. 20. 3. & 78. 3.
F13 Antiq. 1. 9. c. 18.
F14 T. Hieros. Pesach. fol. 31. 2. T. Bab. Moed. Katon, fol. 16. 2. 17. 2. 19. 2. & 20. 2.
Bechorot, fol. 20. 2. & 21. 1, Nidda, fol. 33. 1. Maimon. Hilch. Ebel, c. 7. sect. 1, 2, 3.
Aben Ezra in Lev. xii. 3.

Who wrote the Bible?

The prophet Moses began the first five books of the Bible sometime before 1400 B.C.
The apostle John penned the last book of the Bible, Revelation, about A.D. 95. Scripture
contains books and letters from over 40 prophets and messengers of God, all of whom
wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. See 2 Tim. 3:16,17.
The various Bible writers lived at different times, some separated by hundreds of years.
In many cases they were complete strangers to one another. Some were businessmen
or traders, others were shepherds, fishermen, soldiers, physicians, preachers, kingshuman beings from all walks of life. They served under different governments, and lived
within contrasting cultures and systems of philosophy. But here is the wonder of it all:
When the 66 books of the Bible with their 1,189 chapters made up of 31,173 verses are
brought together (KJV), we find perfect harmony in the message they convey. As the
great scholar F.F.Bruce noted: "The Bible is not simply an anthology; there is a unity
which binds the whole together."
The Bible writers gave God's messages by voice and pen while they lived, and when
they died, their writings lived after them. These prophetic messages were then gathered
together, under God's leading; in the book we call the Bible.
The Scripture says in II Peter 1:20-21, "You must understand that no prophecy of
Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its
origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the
Holy Spirit."
The Holy Spirit revealed to the prophets the messages of Scripture. The writers of the
Bible wrote not according to their own will or whim, but only as they were moved, or
controlled, by the Spirit of God. The Bible is God's own book!

II Timothy 3:16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work." The Holy Bible affects human beings so profoundly
because "all" the Bible is "God-breathed." It's more than a nice collection of moral
principles; it's more than a great book; it's an inspired document, God's book. The
prophets related what they saw and heard in human language, but their message came
directly from God.
Rev.Falak Robson
JESUS "Yahweh is salvation. Meaning of the Word Jesus (the Latin Iesus, a
transliteration of the Greek (Iesous). The Greek form is a rendition of the
Aramaic ( Yeshua), which is derived from the Hebrew ( Yehoshua). The name
Yeshua appears to have been in use in Judea at the time of the birth of Jesus. The
LORD saves came to earth to save us because we cant save ourselves from sin and
its consequences.
No matter how good we are, we cant eliminate the sinful nature present in all of us.
Only Jesus can do that because he is sinless, He became human being for us as Lamb
of God (John 1:29) The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world) Jesus didnt
come to help people save themselves; he came to be their Savior from the power and
penalty of sin.
Jesus was to be called Immanuel (God with us) as predicted by the prophets Isaiah
(Isaiah 7:14) because Jesus is God, he is with us forever (Matthew 28:19-20).God was
literally among us in the shape of Son of God. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ is present
today in the life of every believer. Thank Christ to his death on cross for our sin, risen on
third day and will come again to judge the world .We ask him to take control of our lives,
the new life begins in Him, the life everlasting.
Jesus came in this world the power which can re-create life. He is able to bring the life
again the soul which is dead in sin; he came in this world to revive the ideals which
have died .He is able to make strong again the will to goodness which has perished .He
renews life, when men have lost all the life means. Jesus the Spirit of God was never
operative as never before in this world. It is the spirit who brings Gods truth to men.
Spirit was God agent in the creation of the world.
Jesus enables us to see what God is and what man ought to be; Jesus opens the eyes
of our minds so that we can see the truth of God for us; Jesus is the creating power
came amongst men; Jesus is the re-creating power which can release the souls of men
from death of sin.

This is the mission of Gods to our heart that God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life
(John 3:16).
A Comparison between Jesus and Muhammad
Jesus

Muhammad

Death Jesus died and rose from the dead.

Fighting

Muhammad died and stayed dead.

Jesus never fought. Muhammad fought many many times.

Hearing from God When Jesus heard from God, he went to the desert to be tempted
and began his ministry with boldness. (Mark 1:14-15). When Muhammad heard from
God (supposedly through an angel), he cowered, was uncertain, and wanted to commit
suicide. (Quran 74:1-5)
Identity

Jesus claimed to be God (John 8:24; 8:58) as well as a man.

Jesus claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6).
claimed to be a man.
Instructions Received

Muhammad

From God the Father (John 5:19) Allegedly from an angel

Killing Jesus never killed anyone. Muhammad killed many.

Life Jesus had the power to take life but never did. He restored it.Muhammad had the
power to take it, but he never restored it.
No one ever died in Jesus' presence.
he killed them.

Many people died in Muhammad's presence--

Marriage
Jesus never married.
married a nine-year-old girl.

Muhammad had over 20 wives and even

Ministry

Jesus received his calling from God directly. (Matt. 3:17).

Jesus received his commission in the daylight.

Muhammad allegedly received it from an angel (Gabriel).

Muhammad received his words in the darkness of a cave.

Ministry Length
20 years.

Jesus taught for 3 1/2 years.

Muhammad taught for more than

Miracles
Jesus performed many miracles including healing people, calming a storm
with a command, and raising people from the dead. Muhammad's only alleged
miracle was the Quran.
Prophecy
Jesus fulfilled biblical prophecy about being the Messiah.
Muhammad
did not fulfill any biblical prophecy except the ones about false teachers (Matt. 24:24).
Sacrifice
Jesus voluntarily laid his life down for others.
life many times and had others killed.
Sin
2)

Muhammad saved his own

Jesus never sinned. (1 Pet. 2:22) Muhammad was a sinner. (Quran 40:55; 48:1-

Slaves

Jesus owned no slaves.

Muhammad owned slaves.

Virgin Birth

Jesus was virgin born.

Muhammad was not virgin born.

Voice of God Jesus received and heard the direct voice of God. (Mark 1:10-11)
Muhammad did not receive or hear the direct voice of God. It was an angel
instead.
Women
Jesus spoke well of women.
Muhammad said women were 1/2 as
smart as men (Hadith 3:826; 2:541), that the majority in hell will be women (Had.
1:28,301; 2:161; 7:124), and that women could be mortgaged.
There is no comparison between Jesus and Muhammad. Muhammad falls so far short
that he cannot be held on any level remotely close to Jesus. Muhammad is clearly
inferior to Christ.