Monday, January 14, 2008
John 3:35 The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into His hand.
JESUS IS BOTH GOD AND MAN
How do we bring together the two truths that Jesus is Lord over all and at the same time is a human being? If Jesus is God, how could God put everything in Jesus' power? If Jesus is God, He already has everything. So how can anything else be given to Him?
You already know that there are two natures in Jesus Christ, but there is only one person. These two natures keep their characteristics, but also transfer them to each other. This has caused some confusion.
For example, Mary gave birth to Jesus 1,539 years ago. So some ask, "If he is only 1,539 years old, then how can he be eternal?"
Jesus suffered on the cross when Pontius Pilate was governor in Judea. So some wonder, "If he suffered under Pontius Pilate, then how can he have everything in his power?"
How do we reconcile all of this?
The two natures of Christ, the human and divine, are inseparable, and they are united in one person. The characteristics of one nature are attributed to the other nature. For instance, dying is a part of being human. When human nature is united with the divine in one person, death also becomes a divine attribute. Therefore we can say, "God became a man. God suffered. God died." If you separate the human from the divine, that statement would be a lie, for God cannot die. But if we say that two natures reside in one person, then we have spoken correctly.
-- Martin Luther
