Introduction
The person of Christ has been the center of theological debates in both Christian and non-Christian arenas. Theologians and philosophers have attempted to define the person of Christ using human and divine attributes, which Christ portrays. Moreover, the prophets and disciples provided insights about the person of Christ, which have enhanced the definition of Christ using both the human nature and the divine nature.
Among Christians, Christ is the savior of humanity. The apostasy of humanity compelled God to devise means of saving humans from sin and averting their eternal condemnation. In this view, God sent Christ to save humanity by becoming flesh through normal birth, living as an example, preaching about the Kingdom of God, and shedding His blood to redeem humans from their sins.
Frame (2013) holds that Jesus Christ is “our Lord, Savior, Redeemer, King, Friend, Shepherd, Leader, and Teacher” (887). Essentially, the person of Christ and His works portray Him as the savior of humanity in the world in which the sins have pervaded. Therefore, the research paper aims to describe the person of Christ and His works in relation to the divine nature and the human nature.
The Person of Christ
Virginal Conception of Jesus Christ
To execute some of His roles such as the salvation of the humankind, Christ took the human nature and bore all the attributes of men. The human life of Christ is evident in the various aspects of His life from birth until death. It is imperative to understand that Christ was born of a woman, who was a virgin. The birth of Christ was not unique for it occurred like other births of babies.
As a result, several people view Christ as the son of Joseph, a mere carpenter (Placher 2001, 7). Moreover, when Christ was born, He went through the stages and processes that Jews undergo. For instance, after 8 days, the Jews named and initiated Christ according to their culture.
The element of initiation and naming after 8 days was very instrumental in compounding the human nature of Christ and increasing the bond between Him and humanity.
Humanity of Christ
To affirm His human nature, Christ also felt emotional and physical pain just like other humans. When Lazarus, who was the brother of Mary and Martha, died and stayed in the grave for three days, He demonstrated emotions like ordinary humans. Owen (2001) explains that Christ shed tears, which is an emotional demonstration that takes place during an unfortunate demise of a close family or friend (22).
In the scripture, Christ wept when He saw the suffering that mourners like Martha and Mary experienced due to the loss of their brother (John 10:35 [King James Version]). Moreover, Jesus Christ felt the physical pain when the Romans and Jews tortured and crucified Him.
After the death Christ, Joseph of Arimathea took His body and buried it in a grave. The events of death and burial reflect aspects of human nature since all humans must die when their lifetimes on earth end.
Christ as a Spirit
The spirit form of Christ is evident in several scenarios that occurred during His life on earth. Disciples of Christ witnessed some of the events that distinguished the human nature of Christ and demonstrated His spiritual person. When Christ was only 12 years of age, He surprised the elders in the synagogue with His extensive knowledge concerning the issues of the scripture.
The extensive knowledge of the scripture that Christ had is one of the factors that distinguished Him from other children of His age (Placher 2001, 6). In addition, during the baptism of Christ, unique anointment and spiritual presence of God demonstrated the existence of the trinity and the spiritual nature of Christ.
Deity of Christ
Some of the events that reveal the spiritual person of Christ include the transfiguration and incarnation. During transfiguration, Christ appeared to be more of spiritual than human. Transfiguration is one the activities that can only materialize in the spiritual form of a person.
Other major factors that show the divinity and the deity of the spirit person of Christ include the events such as the one that transpired during his baptism in the River Jordan (Frame 2013, 889). When John baptized Christ, a dove landed on His head and a voice spoke from heaven confirming that indeed Christ was the beloved son of God.
The voice from heaven spoke and said that, “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Therefore, the events that occurred during the baptism of Christ are very practical in portraying the spiritual person of Christ and creating a distinction between Him and the humans.
Christ the Image of God and the Hypostatic Union
The fact that Christ remained infallible irrespective of all manner of insults that He received during His lifetime on earth substantiates His spiritual person. The substantiation materializes since God is the only infallible being in heaven and on earth. Therefore, the infallible nature of Christ depicts Him as God, who took the form of man and operated as a complete spirit in the human form.
According to the scripture, Christ explains that whoever has seen Him has already seen God, since God is in Him and He is in God (John14:9). It is imperative to highlight that Christ is a reflection of God and He is one of the members of the trinity. In the exposition of the hypostatic union, during His lifetime on earth, Christ lived as a human being and as a spirit.
In essence, Christ had the form of a spirit and the form of a human being, all of which facilitated His role and work of salvation on earth. The concept of the hypostatic union explains that Christ did not only take a complete human nature, but He also took a complete spiritual being.
The Work of Christ
Savior and Priest
Christ plays very important roles in the lives of Christians, who view Him as the savior, priest, and a prophet. When men sinned against God, Christ came to save them and restore the union between them and God. Through the act of sacrificing Himself for humanity, Christ played the role of a savior.
The sacrifice that Christ made to save the humankind from the wrath of God was an act of reconciliation aimed at bringing together the union between God and humanity. The concept of sacrifice is very clear in the scripture because the disciples assert that, “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
Furthermore, Christ is a priest, who sacrificed Himself for humanity to bring atonement. According to Placher (2001), as Christ understands the weaknesses of humans, He sympathizes and intercedes for them before God (4). The roles of cleansing humanity of their sins and interceding for their redemption are the roles of the savior and the priest.
Prophet
The ability of Christ to preach the word and pass commands from God to the humankind presents Him as a true prophet and clearly elucidates His prophetic role. For Christ represents the eternal life through His sacrifice to the humankind. The excellence that Christ demonstrated through His words and deeds from the scripture affirms His role as prophet (Owen 2001, 5).
Although Christ came to the earth as a savior, Christians believe that a day is coming when Christ will come with a prophetic authority and every knee shall bow before Him (Phil. 2:10-11). The process and establishment of the prophetic authority held by Christ is one that is eternal and beyond human rule or influence.
Conclusion
During His lifetime on earth, Christ lived a life that represented the divine nature and the human nature. The representation of the person of Christ has been the center of controversy in the field of theology. As a result, the person of Christ has been the center of theological debates in both Christian and non-Christian arenas.
The ability to combine the divine nature and human nature into one entity, Christ, is a phenomenon that theologians call ‘hypostatic union’.
Some of the aspects that substantiate the argument that Christ was indeed a human being include the virgin conception, His humanity, and sufferings, whereas the elements that demonstrate His divine nature person include the deity, infallible nature, savior of humanity, priesthood, and prophethood. During His time on earth, Christ played the roles such as prophet, savior, and priest.
The roles are very practical in the life of several individuals, who profess the Christian religion. According to the Christians, these roles played by Christ are still functional and applicable in the daily engagements of life.
Reference List
Frame, John. 2013. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Christian Belief. New Jersey, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed Publishing Company.
King James Version. 2004. The Holy Bible. New York, NY: Hendrickson Publishers.
Owen, John. 2001. The Person of Christ. New York, NY: Sovereign Grace Publishers.
Placher, William. 2001. Jesus the Savior: The Meaning of Jesus Christ for Christian Faith. New York, NY: Westminster John Knox Press.