The Two Natures Of Christ

But it was Christ that died on the Cross of Calvary; it was on Golgotha's hill that His reasonable soul was separated from His human body, and, although the soul was separated from the body, both body and soul were indissolubly united to His Divine Person and nature. It was Christ's body that lay in the tomb; to quote Dr. Hugh Martin, "Emmanuel hath put forth and glorified His power, more in dying than in rising again." Professor McLagan's figure of the empty scabbard bound upon the warrior's person, while the unsheathed sword is in his hand - the fine conception by which that great divine illustrates that, in the state of death, Emmanuel's body and His soul remain each in union with His Godhead; then it remains to ask: "Is there the action of greater power and prowess in the gentle ease with which that warrior, the battle having been fought and won, returns the sword to its sheath; or in the prior, princely, peerless act in which - what shall I say - in which, having girt thy sword upon thy thigh, O Most Mighty, thy right hand, teaching terrible things, flashed it forth for victory!" (Atonement, p. 78.)

It was Christ that rose from the dead and ascended up on high. When He ascended up into heaven, He no more ceased to be man than He ceased to be truly God when He descended. The two natures of Christ remain inseparably united for ever, perfectly distinct. The human nature of Christ could not be converted into Deity, for Deity is changeless, without form or shape. "A pure Spirit, invisible, without body, parts or passions." (Westminster Confession of Faith, Ch. 2.) Christ's deity could not be changed into human nature, for that would involve change in Deity, and that is impossible.

The Lord Jesus Christ is called God's "holy child Jesus." These words are used twice in the short prayer that is recorded in Acts 4:27, 30, and they refer to the humanity of Christ. The word "holy" denotes character: He was a holy child. Before the incarnation He was God the Son, but not God's child. That "holy thing" conceived by the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary is God's "holy child, Jesus." We read in Mark 1:24, of the Saviour being called the "Holy One" of God. Such a designation could not be applied to Christ before His incarnation; He received it because of the sinlessness of His humanity. These titles bring out two distinct natures and one person. Before Gabriel's visit to Mary, God would not say that He is the Holy One of Himself; but after the shepherds had called on Mary in Bethlehem, God, the Son, had now entered into indissoluble union with human nature, and, in consequence of assuming humanity, our Lord receives the title, "Holy one of God." The title does not only mean exemption from all moral taint, but also His consecration to the work which the Father gave Him to do. (John 18:36.) It was the humanity of Christ that was consecrated to the work. "To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world." (John 18:37.) His humanity, a "true body" and a "reasonable soul," was subject to all the infirmities of the flesh.

Professor McLagan, in a sermon preached over one hundred years ago, said: "He, Christ, had no sin, it is true; but did He not feel weakness? Did He not see danger? Was not His heart afraid? When tempted, had He not experience of a confiict which brought His strength and holiness to an unsparing trial as any that befalls His people can bring them? What less can be intimated to us by such complaints and supplications as these? 'I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it is melt in the midst of my bowels; My strength is dried up like a potsherd. Be not Thou far from me, O Lord! O my strength, make haste to help me! Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog. Save me from the lion's mouth.'"

The Human nature of Christ was prepared for the personal residence of His Godhead. (Gal. 4:4.) "God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law." But the distinguishing properties of His Divine nature, i.e., omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, etc., were not communicated to His human nature, and the properties of His human nature could not be communicated to His Divine nature.

The gifts and graces and endowments of His human nature did not proceed from His Divine nature, but proceeded from the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost, dwelling in His human nature, qualified His manhood according to its growing capacity, equipping His humanity for the mediatorial work. The properties of both Divine and human natures belonged to Christ; two distinct natures and one person for ever. Thus, when the Scriptures speak of Christ as weeping, suffering, dying, and rising from the dead, the reference is to His humanity; and when the Inspired Word ascribes omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience, the reference is to His Divine nature.

What Christ accomplished in His humanity, from its birth in Bethlehem to its death at Calvary, was by the immediate agency of the Holy Ghost. "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee; therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." (Luke 1:35.) "He whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto Him." (John 3:34.) "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot unto God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God." (Heb. 9:14.)

As we have said before, what Christ the Lord has to say concerning Himself is of far greater importance than any evidence we can produce. When the Lord Jesus Christ entered into the synagogue of Nazareth and stood up to read, the Book of the prophet Isaiah was passed to Him; opening the book, He found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor, etc." Christ refers to these words as His qualification or credentials. "And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened upon Him, and He began to say unto them, this day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears." (Luke 4:18.) When the Pharisees attributed Christ's power to cast out devils to Beelzebub; we read in Matthew 12:25, the operation of omnipotence which belongs to Deity alone. "And Jesus knew their thoughts." In verse 28, Christ attributes His power to cast out devils to the Holy Spirit of God. "If I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you."

To write a Life of Christ would be impossible, as little more than a picture of His humanity could be written; as the Divine nature has no history. Christ said to John on Patmos: "I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." He is the same "yesterday, today and for ever." We must remember that the incarnation of God, the Son, is incomprehensible; but what man can know of the Person of Christ, as revealed in the Holy Scripture, makes it abundantly clear, that the Holy Spirit, working in and with the Son, completed the work of reconciliation on the Cross of Calvary. It was the Son of God that enabled His human nature to unite with the Holy Spirit for the glory of God and our redemption.

We would recommend a close study of the answers to questions 38, 39, 40, 41, and 42 of the Larger Catechism, which will be found in the Westminster Confession of Faith.