Bishop's Epistle: THE DUAL NATURE OF CHRIST (Chapter Four: Distinctions Between The Two Natures)

Christ Pantocrator, Sinai

Distinctions Between The Two Natures of Jesus

The life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, presented by the four Evangelists, offer a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, and inspiration to all those who open the pages and apply themselves to reading the story. It is remarkable, however, that so many who read the Gospels come away without really knowing the main character. Some see Jesus of Nazareth in the pages of the Gospels as something more than a man, but not quite God – in the Almighty sense. Others see in the writings of the four Evangelists a Jesus that is indeed the Yahweh of the Old Testament. We may question how these two opposing opinions of Jesus arise from the same set of Scriptures. The answer is most likely found in the seemingly contradicting presentations given in the Gospels of His life and teachings. Much of the four Gospels gives an account of Jesus as Isaiah’s “child born and son given,” i.e. the human Christ – the son of David, while a very large part is dedicated to the divine Savior and presents Him in the light of Isaiah’s “ Mighty God and Everlasting Father. “

Sadly, most people do not do close readings of the Gospels – they are prone to read the Bible as one might read, well…. a novel. In such a cursory perusal one is likely to pick up one or the other aspects of the Evangelists’ accountings. So some come away saying, O Jesus was a holy man – more than a mere man really, but not God in the real sense. Others read the last words of John’s Gospel and declare without reservation that Jesus is indeed the Mighty God of the Old Testament.

In reality, both are correct and/but neither is correct without the other. The Evangelists were faithful to record the life and teachings that emitted from both natures of Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was both God and Man. At times those things we read concerning Him are referencing Him as Man and at times the things concerning Him are referencing Him as God. It is error to read the Jesus-Passages that reference His humanity and feel as though that’s all there is. (Jesus-Passage: any passage of Scripture that references Jesus; where, either He is speaking or is being spoken about.) It is equally error to take the Jesus-Passages that reference Him as God and say that is all there is. Only when the information concerning His humanity and that concerning His deity are fused together do we have the truth concerning Jesus of Nazareth.

The following is a sampling of the seemingly biblical contradictions concerning Jesus. Remember these are not contradictions at all; but, only a demonstration His two natures.

· Jesus is Omniscient (knows all): In His God Nature that is true (John 21:17; Jude 25); but, in His Man Nature it is untrue (Mark 13:32; Revelation 1:1).

· Jesus is Omnipotent (all powerful): In His God Nature it is true (Heb 1:3); but, in His Man Nature it is untrue (John 14:28).

· Jesus is Omnipresent (everywhere at once): In His God Nature it is true (Matthew 18:20; Jeremiah 23:23); but, in His Man Nature it is untrue (Matthew 3:16; John 11:1-21).

· Jesus has All Authority: In His God Nature it is true (Colossians 2:10); but, in His Man Nature it is untrue (1 Corinthian 11:3).

· Jesus is Lord of All: In His God Nature it is true (Acts 10:36); but in His Man Nature it is untrue (1 Corinthians 15:28).

· Jesus Resurrected Himself: In His God Nature it is true (John 2:19-21); but, in His Man Nature it is untrue (Galatians 1:1).

The conclusion of this, then, is that Jesus of Nazareth is both Almighty God and Man in one person although the deity and humanity remain separate and distinct, the one from the other.

The Icon at the top of this essay is Christ Pantocrator, Sinai, which has different facial expression for each side of its face to represent the Dual nature of Christ: God and man. Here each side is mirrored to show the two personas.

Be sure to continue reading the Dual Nature in chapters 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 at the links provided here:

Chapter One: Introduction to the Fact
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-dual-nature-of-jesus-of-nazareth.html

Chapter Two: Jesus is Yahweh Godhttp://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-dual-nature-of-christ-chapter-two.html

Chapter Three: Jesus is Human
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-dual-nature-of-christ-chapter-three.html

Chapter Four: Distinctions Between the Two Natures
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-dual-nature-of-christ-chapter-four.html

Chapter Five: The Test of Deity
http://bishopjerrylhayes.blogspot.com/2019/06/the-dual-nature-of-christ-chapter-five.html

Apostolically Speaking
☩☩ Jerry L Hayes
(Mar David Ignatius)

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Read other essays from the Bishop on the subject of the Godhead:

Godhead Theology is a study of Christian Godhead theology. ... Was He God or not? In Godhead Theology Bishop Jerry Hayes follows that debate through the first 300 years of the Church's history. Our book is in five sections: Section One ... demonstrates Modalistic Monarchianism as the original orthodoxy of the Chruch; Section Two introduces the Apostolic Creed ... ; Section Three is an affirmation of Modalistic Monarchianism; Section Four is Modalism's responses to objection from the pluralists Trinitarians, Binitarians, Arians and Semi-Arians. Included are two comprehensive indexes: Subject Index and Scripture Index. 613 pages.

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The Jesus Debate is a written debate between Bishop Jerry Hayes and Prof. Willy Olmo. This book contains all papers submitted between this two knowledgeable men. Bishop Hayes affirms and defends the Oneness of God; Prof. Olmo affirms and defends Arian Unitarianism.

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The Hayes vs Mulbah Debate is a formal written debate on the subject of the Godhead, between Bishop Jerry L Hayes (Onenessarian) and Minister Andrew Mulbah (Trinitarian). This work contains the debate in its entirety plus other related material. Included are the two Creeds from which both disputants argue their respective views: The Apostolic Creed (the statement of faith for the Oneness/Modalistic Monarchian theology) and the Athanasian Creed (the official statement of faith for the Trinitarian theology).

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Bishop's Epistle

Saturday, June 29, 2019

THE DUAL NATURE OF CHRIST (Chapter Four: Distinctions Between The Two Natures)

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