Christian Creeds on Jesus's Humanity and Divinity

HTH-515 Topic 5

Christology and Salvation

I. The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus in the Bible

In the table below, identify six key biblical verses that establish Jesus's humanity (three verses) and divinity (three verses) and briefly explain their significance by paraphrasing what the passage says in your own words. [150-200 words]

The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus in Scripture

Scripture Reference

Brief Explanation of Texts

Hebrews 4:15

Chris is identified as the great High Priest, who stands between God and man. However, He lay aside His glory and became the Son of Man, identical to the human race in every way, including being tempted like humans are, but He did not sin.

John 4: 6

Chris is referred to as ‘tired or wearied’ from his journey and was sitting by the well when the Samaritan woman came to draw water. The nature of tiring and weariness symbolizes Christ as human

Mark 6: 3

Christ is referred to as the carpenter’s son, the son of Mary, and brother of Simon, Judas, and James, all of whom were earthly figures. Christ is identified as human because of His relations with earthly figures.

John 10: 30

Christ openly points to His divinity by identifying God the Father and Himself as one.

John 20:28

Upon Christ’s resurrection and appearance to His disciples, Thomas puts his fingers into the holes on His side and refers to Him as ‘My Lord and my God’, signifying that Christ was God.

John 10: 38

Christ urges His disciples to believe in His works so that they may understand and know that the Father was in Him and He was in the Father. Christ points to Him and God the Father as one, and signals that as the Father was divine, so was He.

II. Christian Creeds on Jesus's Humanity and Divinity

Read and reflect critically on the Christological portions of the Nicene and Chalcedonian creeds. In your opinion, what did these creeds struggle to establish and clarify concerning Jesus's identity? What does the Chalcedonian creed seek to further explain concerning the humanity and divinity of Jesus? [150-200 words]

The Nicene and Chalcedonian Creeds both struggle to establish Christ’s true deity and how He could have been the Son of Mary and the Son of God at the same time.[footnoteRef:1] The Nicene Creed states, for instance, the belief in one Lord Jesus Christ, God from God…begotten not made…of one being with the Father’, which indicates Christ’s divinity. In the same breath, the Creed states that Christ came down from heaven, became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made man. The Chalcedonian Creed adds to the controversy when it refers to Christ as one and the same Son, Christ, Lord, yet begotten of the Virgin Mary. Both creeds seems to be running a ‘Two Sons’ Doctrine – that Christ was the son of Mary when He does/says things only man can do, and the Son of God when He does/says things only God can do. [1: Nathan, Crawford, “forming a Community of Resistance, “ American Theological Inquiry 8, no. 1 (2015), 23 ]

The Chalcedonian Creed affirms, however, that Jesus Christ is a single person, as shown by the repeated use of the phrase, ‘one and the same’. Christ, according to the Chalcedonian Creed, is perfect in both humanity and divinity. He is truly God and truly man and the two natures are united in one person without being mixed or blended in any way.[footnoteRef:2] As such, Christ is neither truly human nor truly divine [2: Crawford, “Forming a Community of Resistance,” 23. ]

III. Outline of Three Christological Heresies

Choose three Christological heresies from the early church era. Use the chart below to outline the main understanding of each heresy along with the arguments Christian thinkers used to refute them. Make sure you include Scripture references. You are free to use bullet points in your outline.

Christological Heresies Chart

Name of Heretical Movement and Main Proponent(s)

Brief Description of Main Heretical Beliefs

Main Arguments and Biblical References

Given to Refute Heresy

Arianism – proposed by priest Arius of Alexandria (256-336AD)

Arianism argued that the Son was God’s special creation for man’s salvation. As a created being, Jesus was not an ontological equal of the Father. He only possessed a super-angelic nature because He was made at God’s good pleasure.

The Council of Nicaea (325) was among the primary refuters of this heresy. They declared that contrary to what the Arians believed, Jesus was ‘begotten not made, light from light, true God from true God, and of one being with the Father’. Jesus’ relationship with God as His only begotten son affirms his deity. John (John 1:1) affirms Christ’s divine nature by noting that Jesus already existed in the beginning as God.[footnoteRef:3] Further, Jesus Himself declared in John 10: 30 that He and the Father were one and prayed that He would be restored to the glory He had with the Father before the creation of the world (John 17:5). These Biblical references and arguments affirm that Jesus was God by nature and as the Father was not created, He too existed from the beginning. [3: Coleman, Ford, “Christological Controversies in the Early Church,” The Gospel Coalition, 2005, Accessed May 19, 2021. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/christological-controversies-in-the-early-church/]

Gnosticism – proposed by Marcion of Sincope (mid 2nd Century) and Velentinus of Rome (2nd century)

Jesus was a messenger bringing the special knowledge of salvation to the imprisoned soul of humanity. He did not have a physical body and there was no way He could thus be fully God and fully human (Ford, n.d.)

The Apostle warns the church against challenging Christ’s humanity or refusing to acknowledge that Christ had come in the flesh (I John 4:1-3). Ignatius of Antioch also spoke against this erroneous view, when he affirms that Jesus was both spirit and flesh, born and unborn, God in man, both from Mary and from God, and first subject to suffering before He could overcome it (Ign Ephesians 6:2.). He argues that there would have been no reason for the martyrs and apostles to suffer for Jesus as they had done if Christ too had not suffered in flesh. [footnoteRef:4] [4: Ford, “Christological Controversies,” n.pag ]

Apollinarianism – proposed by Apollinaris of Laodicea

Christ was not a real man, but He was not totally divine either. Although He had a human body, His mind was taken over by the divine word or logos.[footnoteRef:5] If Christ lacked a soul, and therefore, min; He cannot be referred to as man because man is not a mindless animal.[footnoteRef:6] [5: Ford, “Christological Controversies,” n.pag] [6: Ford, “Christological Controversies,” n.pag]

Apollinarianism is refuted by many biblical passages that affirm Jesus’ existence as a true human being. Apostle John affirms Christ’s humanity in John 1:14 when He states that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Further, if Jesus was not truly human, He could not be a perfect substitute for humanity. He, the man, is the mediator between God and mankind and is able to do that because He is both human and God (Timothy 2:5).

IV. Theories of Atonement

Using the chart below to outline three main theories of atonement. Place them in order from best (top) to least (bottom) according to how you think they serve to explain the meaning and purpose of Jesus's death as an atoning sacrifice. You are free to use bullet points in your outline.

Analysis of Three Theories of Atonement

Theory and

Main Proponent(s)

Major Strength

Main Weakness

Satisfaction Theory by Anselm (Year 1100) – God’s honor is stained by the sin of the creation and this honor needed to be restored for true atonement to occur. Restoration could only be accomplished by humans as it was humans that sinned against God.[footnoteRef:7] However, only a divine being could bring atonement, hence the necessity of the God-man incarnation [7: Studies in Christianity, “Theories of the Atonement of Jesus Christ,” Studies in Christianity, 2017, Accessed May 19, 2021, https://studiesinchristianity.wordpress.com/2017/08/23/theories-of-the-atonement-of-jesus-christ/]

The theory is founded on the strong logic that God acts to reconcile humans with Himself, which affirms His loving nature

The theory demonstrates that there is no connection between God and humanity except through Christ, which then means that humanity has no role to play.

Christus Victor - atonement is viewed around divine conflict and victory, and Christ is the redeeming figure who is set to fight against the powers of darkness that hold human beings captive.[footnoteRef:8] [8: Andrew Park, Triune Atonement: Christ’s Healing for Sinners, Victims, and the Whole Creation (Westminster, John Knoxx Press, 2009), 29]

Christ becomes man and makes the transaction on behalf of man. As such, Christ is not viewed as a moral motif for humans to follow, but a strong super-natural element and the cross becomes a symbol of the decisive encounter with evil in line with God’s eternal plan.[footnoteRef:9] [9: Studies in Christianity, “Theories of the Atonement,” n.pag ]

The modern mind may find it hard to understand how the sinfulness of man would be cleansed through the death of a sacrificial lamb.[footnoteRef:10] [10: Park, Triune Atonement, 26. ]

Recapitulation by Irenaeus – Christ came to recapitulate the flesh and bring unity between it and the divine, something Adam had failed to do. [footnoteRef:11]Thus, Christ underwent suffering to restore the connection between God and humans that was present before Adam’s sin destroyed it.[footnoteRef:12] [11: Studies in Christianity, “Theories of the Atonement,” n.pag] [12: Studies in Christianity, “Theories of the Atonement,” n.pag]

The theory is founded on significant historical precedent, including the origin of sin

The necessity of Christ suffering for the sin of Adam and the rest of humanity is unclear.[footnoteRef:13] [13: Studies in Christianity, “Theories of the Atonement,” n.pag]