Practicing Christian Doctrine: An Introduction to Thinking and Living Theologically

by Beth Felker Jones

The language of person names both the Second Person of the Trinity and the historical person Jesus of Nazareth, God in the flesh. Eternally, this person is God. Beginning early in the first century in the womb of Mary, God became human. In this person, Jesus, are the fullness of divine nature and the fullness of human nature. In Jesus, we see divinity in its divine integrity, in no way less than truly God. In Jesus, we see humanity in its human integrity, in no way less than truly human. Thus, when we Christians talk about the two natures of Jesus Christ, we affirm that he is both divine and human. The Christology of Chalcedon doesn’t “solve” the supposed problem of the incarnation, nor does it tell us precisely what it means for divinity and humanity to unite in Jesus. Instead, the definition affirms what God has done in the divine-human Jesus while also maintaining silence about the deep mysteries of the incarnation.