Jeanie Martin Ministries

Have you ever wondered why some people believe that Jesus is God, while others believe that it’s impossible for Jesus to be God because they are two separate entities? Those who do not believe that Jesus is God swear that the Bible confirms that He was just a man, a prophet, and a teacher. Let’s not forget the voice that spoke from heaven declaring “Jesus as the Son of God.” 

How is it possible that Jesus can be both God and man at the same time?; and what is incarnation? I’m addressing these questions, and I hope that this information will help you to fully understand the Godhead (Trinity) as the Bible presents it.  Perhaps, there is something written here that will help to put your mind at rest. For those who can’t conceive the notion that Jesus is God, I hope that this information will shed some light for you pertaining to the truth of who Jesus is.

INCARNATION

“Incarnation” is a term used to indicate that Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh. Incarnation means “the act of being made flesh.”

Jesus was fully human and fully divine. He did not relinquish His divinity when he put on humanity; (Phil. 2:5-11.) Jesus voluntarily relinquished the prerogative of freely exercising His divine attributes, and He subjected Himself to the will of the Father while on earth. The subservience in roles does not equate to subservience in essence. The following paragraph provides an example:

When a King brings a subject into his Kingdom to serve, the roles are clearly defined as ruler and servant. The King has the right to command his servant, and the servant is obligated to serve the King. Both individuals are human in nature, and there is no difference between their essences. They are both equal in regard to species. A title does not alter the essential equality of both individuals as humans. The same is true pertaining to the members of the Godhead (Trinity). Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the three are essentially equal. They are all Divine in nature. Although, regarding the plan of redemption, they each have certain roles. These roles define their authority and subservience. The Father commands the Son, and the Father and the Son command the Holy Spirit. The fact that the Son took on human nature and made Himself subservient to the Father does not deny the deity of the Son, nor does it diminish His essential equality with the Father.

What is the hypostatic union? How can Jesus be God and man at the same time?

The hypostatic union is the term used to describe how God the Son, Jesus Christ, took on a human nature, yet remained fully God at the same time. Jesus always has been God (John 8:58, 10:30), but at the incarnation (the act of being made flesh), Jesus became a human being (John 1:14). The addition of the human nature to the divine nature is Jesus, the God-man. This is the hypostatic union, Jesus Christ, one Person, fully God and fully man.

The hypostatic union teaches that Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. The two natures are inseparable. His humanity and divinity are not mixed but are united without loss of separate identity. He did not become a human being until He was conceived in Mary’s womb, but He did exist in the form of God prior to His incarnation; (Phil. 2:5-8). He had two matures, but only one personality.

The doctrine of the hypostatic union is an attempt to explain how Jesus could be both God and man at the same time. It is ultimately, though, a doctrine we are incapable of fully understanding. It is impossible for us to fully understand how God works. We, as human being with finite minds, should not expect to fully comprehend an infinite God. Jesus is God’s Son in that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35). But that does not mean Jesus did not exist before He was conceived. Jesus has always existed (John 8:58, 10:30). When Jesus was conceived, He became a human being in addition to being God (John 1:1, 14).

Jesus became a human being in order to identify with us in our struggles (Hebrews 2:17). More importantly, so that He could die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Phil. 2:5-11).

THE PROMISED CHILD

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The might God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace; (Isa. 9:6).

The Birth of Jesus Foretold (Luke 1:26-38)

Most of us are familiar with the story of the birth of Jesus. God sent the angel Gabriel to a virgin named Mary, to announce that she was highly favored, and chosen by God to give birth to Jesus. Gabriel explained that the Holy Spirit would come upon her and the power of the Most High would overshadow her and the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.

This is the act of a Divine God. Being God incarnate, Jesus was in His essence immune from sin. God performed a miracle in preserving Jesus from sin. He was perfect and sinless humanity joined with sinless divinity.

God saw the sinful condition of mankind, and He decided to come down to earth. He entered the earthly realm through the womb of a woman because no one can exist on earth without an earth suit (flesh). Therefore, God wrapped Himself in flesh and came down to rescue man from sins’ death penalty. His plan was the ultimate plan of salvation for all mankind. 

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