"CHRIST'S DUAL NATURES"

“Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

Hebrews 2:17 

Previously, we launched a new blog series that explores five core beliefs of Christianity. We discussed the Christian doctrine of one God who exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Here's another doctrine that every Christian affirms:

Jesus is fully God and fully man. 

A key teaching universally accepted by all Christian groups is that Jesus is both 100 percent God and 100 percent man. It is a core belief, as it affects one's salvation; having the right understanding of Jesus' dual nature is essential to being saved.

Fully Man (Humanity)

Jesus had to be a man so that He could sympathize with us and be a merciful High Priest, reconciling us to God. 

Today's text explains that Jesus needed to be made "like his brothers" in every respect. He put on human flesh and lived a perfect life. He became subject to human desires, thoughts, and affections. He experienced every human emotion and temptation, but He did not sin.

His perfect humanity was necessary for His role as the merciful and faithful High Priest. He is merciful to us and faithful to God. His duty as High Priest is to satisfy God's demands on behalf of the people (propitiation). He performed this priestly duty by sacrificing Himself on the cross, dying in our place.

Fully God (Deity)

Jesus also had to be holy and perfect because only a perfect sacrifice could pay for the sins of mankind.

“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 

God made reconciliation with us possible through the earthly ministry, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. He made Jesus be sin for us; Christ, who never sinned, that we might become the righteousness of God.

By bearing our sins in His body, Christ did not become sinful. Instead, God made Him an offering for sin on our behalf. When we put our trust in Him, we are considered righteous in God's eyes. Jesus' perfection is credited to our account.

All Christians affirm that Jesus is both God and man. We understand that Jesus has two natures, and each is essential to God's plan of saving sinners. Taking away one of these two natures would make the plan of salvation ineffective and impossible. 

Do you believe that Jesus is fully man and fully God?

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by David Leone on Unsplash