The Hypostatic UnionHow Can a Man be God?

In this article, we examine the two complete human and divine natures that exists in perfect harmony in the Person of Jesus Christ.  Written August 2024.

Table of Contents

• Introduction and Definitions of Terms
• Doctrine Development and Related Heresies in the Early Centuries AD
• Examining the Hypostatic Union
• Importance of the Hypostatic Union
• Is Jesus Still the God-Man?

Introduction and Definitions of Terms

Hypostasis

Hypostasis comes from the Greek word hupostasis which basically signifies an “essence” or “substance” and denotes the necessity of existence.   The closest Latin equivalent is persona.  Philosophically, hypostasis places a primary emphasis on essence as distinct from a being’s attributes.  Theologically, it is often used as a term to describe any one of the three real and distinct personal “persons” of the one undivided divine essence known as the “Trinity” or “Triune God”.  The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being [hypostasis], sustaining all things by his powerful word.  After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven (Heb 1:3).

Hypostatic Union

In simplest terms, the Hypostatic Union is the union, and relationship between, the two natures of Jesus.  At His incarnation, Jesus took on a human nature along with His existing divine nature.  Thus, as He was already God, he became the God-Man.  This mysterious union is beyond our complete understanding, but we can understand it to the extent revealed in the Holy Scriptures.  Indeed, the doctrine is critical for a correct understanding of the Christian Faith, particularly of the doctrine of salvation.  It is important to note that only one person within the Trinity, actually became flesh (added a human nature to His existing divine nature).  This of course, was Jesus.

The Word [Jesus] became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14).

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Col 1:15-17).

The Trinity

The word “trinity”, which is derived from the Greek and Latin words meaning three in one, does not appear verbatim in the Holy Scriptures, however the doctrine is clearly presented, particularly in the New Testament (NT).  Scripture consistently reveals God as one essence eternally existing in three persons, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:18-20).

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2Cor 13:14).

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Mt 3:16-17).

See Introduction to the Trinity for additional information.

Heresy

The popular website Wikipedia defines heresy as “any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization”, and a heretic as “a proponent of heresy”.  We can agree on the definition of “heretic”, but a Christian would disagree with part of their definition of “heresy”, namely “the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization”.  Although it may technically correct, it is also true that many religious organization themselves hold heretical views, since atheists, radical environmentalists, and religious cults are basically heretical religions.  Even many churches from a variety of  denominations can promote heresies.

Thus, we suggest a definition of “heresy” as “any opinions or beliefs that are at variance with the true meaning of the Holy Scriptures”.  The Bible is the inerrant, infallible word of the one true Living God,  Thus all doctrines that are contrary to the Bible are considered heretical.  In contrast, all doctrines consistent with the Bible would be considered as orthodox beliefs.

We should also distinguish between the core beliefs of Biblical Christianity and the secondary and tertiary beliefs.  The core beliefs are non-negotiable, while there is some differences of interpretive opinions allowed for the latter.  This invariably leads to the question of “what are the core beliefs?”.   Probably one of the best summaries of the core beliefs of orthodox Christianity is found in the Apostles’ Creed dating from the early centuries AD.

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Doctrine Development and Related Heresies in the Early Centuries AD

In the first few centuries after the death and resurrection of Christ, the early church developed a concise theology of a number of doctrines related to the Biblical Christian faith.  The majority, such as the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union of Christ, were developed by necessity in order to counter the many misunderstandings and heresies that sprang up during this era.  One of the earliest heresies was Docetism, dating all the way back to the first century, when many Bible writings were still in progress.  This heresy taught the Jesus only appeared to be human.  The term is related to the Greek word dokein, which means “to seem to be”.  Some hardcore Docetists asserted that Christ was born without any human matter and that all the acts and sufferings of his life, including the Crucifixion, were mere appearances, perhaps like a hologram.   As a consequence of their belief, they were forced to deny certain acts of Christ such as His Resurrection and Ascension into heaven.  Milder Docetists acknowledged that Jesus had an intangible and heavenly body but disagreed on the degree to which it shared in His real actions and sufferings. 

 Docetism was attacked by all opponents of Gnosticism, especially by Bishop Ignatius of Antioch in the 2nd century.  This heresy of course, would have made Christ’s incarnation, His genuine suffering, and His death and resurrection impossible.  The Apostle John attacked this heresy, a form of Gnosticism, in his first and second epistles.  This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world (1Jn 4:2-3).  I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world.  Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist (2Jn 7).  In addition, the Apostle Paul had previously written, See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.  For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Col 2:8-9). 

The original NT scripture manuscripts were finished and widely circulating by the end of the first century.  They would then be canonized by various church councils over the next few centuries.  During this period, Docetism and Gnosticism were attached by several church leaders such as Bishop Ignatius of Antioch in the second century.  Over the next few centuries after the death and ascension of Christ, the church was forced to develop a succinct theology regarding the two natures of Christ in order to deal with a number of divergent heretical belief systems that sprang up to challenge the scripture teachings on the subject (the term “Hypostatic Union” was not adopted until the early six century).  The most popular heresy to spring up in the second century was Monarchianism.  While Docetism, denied the actual humanity of Christ, Monarchianism denied the deity of Christ.  This heresy held that only God the Father was divine and Jesus was merely a mortal who was endowed with divine wisdom, although many proponents still considered Him as the Redeemer.  This position thus represented the extreme monotheistic view.

Two types of Monarchianism developed: the Dynamic (or Adoptionist) and the Modalistic (or Sabellian).  Dynamic Monarchianism held that Christ was a mere man, although miraculously conceived, but was also considered the Son of God because He had been filled with divine wisdom and power.  This view was taught at Rome near the end of the second century by Theodotus of Byzantium, who was excommunicated by Pope Victor I as a heretic.  In addition others were excommunicated who continued to teach this heresy over the next half century or so.  Modalistic Monarchianists maintained that the titles of “Father” and “Son” were merely different designations of  the one God, who “with reference to the relations in which He had previously stood to the world is called the Father, but in reference to his appearance in humanity is called the Son.”  Thus, this heresy was also a denial of the Trinity.  It was taught  in Rome by Praxeas, a priest from Asia Minor about 206, but was disputed by Tertullian in the tract Adversus Praxean (~213AD), an early and very important contribution to the doctrine of the Trinity.  Monarchianism / Modalism continued to spread into the 3rd century, but it became widely regarded as a heresy afterward.  The Council of Antioch (349AD) declared that Jesus was the Son of God by divine nature rather than by adoption, thus refuting the Monarchianism heresy.  In our modern times, TJ Jakes is probably the leading proponent of the modalism heresy.

Another related heretical challenge came from Bishop Arius of Alexandria, who placed a great emphasis on the oneness of God, thus also challenging the deity of Jesus.  He maintained that the very being (Greek ousia, meaning substance, essence, or entity in the same sense of hypostasis) of God the Son differed from that of God the Father so that Christ could not be the same as the God of creation.  He also proposed that the Son came from the Father and had a beginning instead of being coeternal with the Father.  At the First Council of Nicaea (325 AD), Arius was refuted when the council declared that Christ was “begotten, not made, and of the same substance as the Father”.  The council stressed that Jesus was homoousios, Greek for “of one or the same substance,” rather than homoiousios “of a similar substance”.

In reaction to Arianism, Apollinarus the Younger (310-390AD), Bishop of Laodicea asserted that Christ consisted of divine a nature housed in a human body but without a human soul.  Although Apollinarus’ view was probably well-intended, it was also seriously misguided and he was eventually excommunicated from the church.  One purpose of the Nicene Creed (325 AD) was to refute Arianism.  In addition, the First Council of Constantinople (381 AD) also rejected Apollinarianism as being insufficient to describe Christ as God incarnate while also adopting the Nicene Creed.

The rise of Nestorianism in the fifth century required further doctrinal development, particularly in relation to the personhood (hypostasis) of Christ.  In 428, Bishop Nestorius of Constantinople declared that Christ's human and divine natures were separate, thus dividing the being of Christ into two persons, one divine and one human.  This was based on his objections to the word Theotokos, Greek for “God-bearer,” in reference to the Virgin Mary.  Nestorius’s refusal to address Mary as mother of God appeared to deny the unity of the God-Man.  Just a few years later in 431, the Second Council of Ephesus affirmed “that the Word, uniting to himself in his person the flesh animated by a rational soul, became man”.  Twenty years later, Nestorianism was also condemned at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.  The council also addressed the ideas of Eutyches (375-454AD) who subscribed to Monophysitism (from the Greek monos, “one,” and physis, “nature”), the belief that Christ took on a human body, but that His nature remained totally divine.  The council refuted this belief in a single nature, affirming that Christ was “perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man…consubstantial with the Father…and consubstantial with us”.  From the fifth century until present day, virtually all the principal branches of the Christian church have been united in condemning Nestorianism and have continued to affirm that Christ is a single person, at once wholly human and wholly divine.

Even today, the Council of Chalcedon still contains one of the best theological treatments of the Hypostatic Union.  Yet, debates about the natures of Jesus continued even after the councils findings were finalized and published.  In 482 the Acacius, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople from 472 to 489, attempted to reconcile differences with the monophysites who continued to insist that Christ had only a single, divine nature.  Acacius was correct to pick up on the fact of Christ’s divinity from the councils of Nicaea and Chalcedon, but still failed to acknowledge Christ’s humanity  While his teachings were generally accepted by the Eastern church, his teachings were rejected by the Roman Pope Felix III in 484.  Pope Felix excommunicated Acacius, resulting in the Acacian Schism between the Eastern (Constantinople) and Western Church (Rome) remaining unresolved until Easter in 519, when the reunion was finalized.

In 553 the Second Council of Constantinople further defined Christ as a unique, single person, a hypostasis, and one member of the Trinity.  The 14 anathemas issued by the council further rejected Nestorianism by insisting yet again upon the hypostatic unity of the person of Christ in his two natures, divine and human.

Bibliography Note and Credit:  Verified certain dates and persons with several articles from the Encyclopedia Britannica.

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Examining the Hypostatic Union

As we noted above, the Hypostatic Union mysterious union is beyond our complete understanding, but we can glean several facts from an examination of the Holy Scriptures.  We also noted that the definition developed in the Chalcedonian Creed of 451AD remains the standard today.  While working on this article, we developed and added our modern translation of the creed with some added paraphrasing as reproduced below.

We would like to emphasize and clarify a couple of critical points made in the creed.  First, Christ is not of a single nature consisting of a mixture of a divine and human nature, but of two true and complete natures.  We often portray this by the expression “fully God and fully man”.  The late great theologian and pastor, Dr RC Sproul, held that a better description is “truly God and truly man”.  While I respect his argument, and believe “truly” to also be an accurate description, I still like the word “fully”.  The 1913 Webster Dictionary defines “fully” as “In a full manner or degree; completely; entirely; without lack or defect”.  Thus, I think we can say that being “fully God and fully man” means that Christ possessed all the divine attributes of God and all the attributes of humans (except of course, without sin - see Why Jesus had to be Perfect).  In addition, both sets of attributes were completely united in His Person.  This also means that, although He sometimes appeared to act according to His human or divine nature, both sets of attributes were available to Him at all times.  Next, when Christ was born (incarnated), He took on a human nature and human flesh, yet there was no change to His divine nature.  That is to say that a portion of his divine nature did not split off and become mortal.  Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb 13:8). 

Somehow, in a way that is beyond limited scientific explanations, Jesus’ divine and human natures exist such that they are united in His person, yet remain distinct.  Each nature retains its own attributes and qualities without interfering with the other.  For example, in His divine nature He was eternal (Jn 1:1-2; Col 1:17, Rev 1:8), all powerful (Heb 1:3), all knowing (Jn 2:24-25; 16:30), unchanging (Heb 13:8), and all present (Mt 28:20).  He also performed acts by His divine nature, such as healing people and casting out demons (Mt 8:16), and forgiving sins (Lk 7:48).  Yet at the same time Jesus, in His human nature was born to a human mother (Lk 2:1-20, predicted in Is 9:6-7), grew, learned and was obedient to His human parents as a child (Lk 2:40,51-52).  He also experienced human limitations such as hunger (Mt 4:2), thirst and fatigue (Jn 4:6-7, 19:28), and other typical human emotions (Mt 26:37; Jn 2:15; 11:35).  He was also tempted (Mt 4:1-11; Heb 2:18).  Jesus’ calming of the storm (Lk 8:22-25) is an excellent example of His usage of both natures.  In His human nature, he fell asleep, but when awakened by His frightened disciples, He used His divine nature to calm the wind and raging waves of the sea.

Finally, what Christ accomplished to make our salvation possible, he did as the God-Man.  That is the subject of the following chapter.

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Importance of the Hypostatic Union

In our previous chapter above, we laid out some of the facts about the Hypostatic Union.  We now attempt to examine the importance of the union of the two natures of Christ.  With respect to our salvation, “importance” is probably not a strong enough word since the divine and human natures of Christ are both absolutely essential when it comes to the Gospel.

Unfortunately, the standard for entering heaven is perfection (Mt 5:48).  This fact disqualifies us all since we have all sinned (Rm 3:23), so we must find another way.  Fortunately, the Bible also gives us the way, the one and only way, to be saved.  If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.  As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”  For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Rm 10:9-13).

So, why is the Hypostatic Union a requirement for this?  We must go back to the Old Testament (OT) sacrificial system for an explanation.  As explained by the divinely-inspired author of Hebrews, In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Heb 9:22).  However, the OT sacrifices were merely a temporary covering of sin, because It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins (Heb 10:4).  Why was this?  Because we are not bulls or goats, we are human beings.  We thus needed a perfect sinless human sacrifice to take away our sins.  Therefore, he had to be like his brothers and sisters in every way, so that he could become a merciful and faithful high priest in matters pertaining to God, to make atonement for the sins of the people (Heb 2:17, CSB).  This is why Jesus had to be both human and perfect. 

But there were two other problems!  In His humanity, Jesus came from the tribe of Judah, which disqualified Him as a human priest since only those from the tribe of Levi could become priests.  In addition, His human sacrifice would only be able to save one other human.  This is where His divine nature is essential.  As such, Christ was able to serve in the true heavenly tabernacle (likely God’s throne room).  So Jesus in His divinity became the superior High Priest of the superior New Covenant (see Heb 8:1-6).  Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people.  He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.  For the law appoints as high priests men in all their weakness; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever (Heb 7:27-28).

We finally note that the coming of the God-Man was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah approximately seven hundred years before the incarnation of Christ.  For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.  And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is 9:6).  In total, Jesus fulfilled over three hundred OT prophesies during His first advent, including the amazing ones in Isaiah 53.

We can sum up this chapter by again quoting the author of Hebrew.  Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Heb 4:14-16).

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Is Jesus Still the God-Man?

We know that Jesus, after His resurrection and ascension, is now sitting at the right hand of God.  But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet (Heb 10:12-13 - ESV).  A question that is sometimes asked is “what kind of body does He now have?”  In Luke 24, we read of a post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to two of His followers as they walked along the road to Emmaus.  At first, they were supernaturally kept from recognizing Jesus in His resurrected body as He began a conversation with them.  The followers continued walking while telling Jesus of the final events of His life, including the crucifixion and the empty tomb.  When they came to their village, the followers invited Him to stay since it was approaching evening.  We pick up the narrative at verse 30, When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”  They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem.  There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon”.  Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread (Lk 24:30-35).  We’re not told how they finally recognized Him.  Perhaps it was seeing the scars in His hands or wrists when He served the bread that opened their eyes.

While the disciples were discussing this, Jesus appeared to them.  We now continue the narrative at verse 36.  While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.  He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?  Look at my hands and my feet.  It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.  And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”  They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.  He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”  Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures (Lk 24:36-45).  Since Jesus is the firstfruits of our resurrection (1Cor 15:20), we can get a few clues of His (and the future resurrected body of believers) from these passages.  The resurrected bodies will be recognizable yet different.  If Jesus appeared in the room that was typically locked due to fear of the Romans and Jewish authorities, then it may have the ability to pass through solid objects.

We next move to the Ascension in Acts 1-10.  Jesus commanded His disciples to remain in Jerusalem for the next few days until they were baptized by the Holy Spirit (Ac 1:4-5).  They then asked Jesus if He would now restore the Kingdom to Israel since they still did not totally understand that that would not occur until the end times.  He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Ac 1:7-11).  This appears to indicate that, since Jesus ascended in a glorified resurrected human body, He will almost certainly have the same glorified body upon His return.

Paul gives us some of the most pertinent information on our resurrection body in 1Corinthians 15:35-53.  We provide a short excerpt, So will it be with the resurrection of the dead.  The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.  If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body (1Cor 42-44).  We look forward to having a permanent imperishable body like Christ.  Paul also noted that, But our citizenship is in heaven.  And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Php 3:20-21).  The Apostle John also writes, Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known.  But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1Jn 3:2). 

Finally, in Paul’s first epistle to Timothy, he wrote For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus (1Tim 2:5).  This appears to be a clear affirmation of Jesus retaining His glorified resurrected human body since Paul wrote this several decades after Jesus’ ascension back into heaven and referred to the “man Christ Jesus” in the present tense.  Thus, all evidence points to the fact that Jesus Christ is the God-Man forever and ever.

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