BC 5.4

5.4. The Two Natures of Christ

We believe that by being thus conceived the person of the Son has been inseparably united and joined together with human nature, in such a way that there are not two Sons of God, nor two persons, but two natures united in a single person, with each nature retaining its own distinct properties. Thus his divine nature has always remained uncreated, without beginning of days or end of life, (Heb. 7:3) filling heaven and earth. Christ's human nature has not lost its properties but continues to have those of a creature- it has a beginning of days; it is of a finite nature and retains all that belongs to a real body. And even though he, by his resurrection, gave it immortality, that nonetheless did not change the reality of his human nature; for our salvation and resurrection depend also on the reality of his body. But these two natures are so united together in one person that they are not even separated by his death. So then, what he committed to his Father when he died was a real human spirit which left his body. But meanwhile his divine nature remained united with his human nature even when he was lying in the grave; and his deity never ceased to be in him, just as it was in him when he was a little child, though for a while it did not so reveal itself. These are the reasons why we confess him to be true God and truly human- true God in order to conquer death by his power, and truly human that he might die for us in the weakness of his flesh.

Proof texts

• John 1:14 — [14] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
• John 10:30 — [30] I and the Father are one.”
• Rom. 9:5 — [5] To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
• Phil. 2:6-7 — [6] who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, [7] but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
• Heb. 7:3 — [3] He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.
• Matt. 28:20 — [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
• 1 Tim. 2:5 — [5] For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
• Matt. 26:11 — [11] For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.
• Luke 24:39 — [39] See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
• John 20:25 — [25] So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
• Acts 1:3, 11 — [3] He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. [11] and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
• Acts 3:21 — [21] whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
• Heb. 2:9 — [9] But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
• 1 Cor. 15:21 — [21] For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead.
• Phil. 3:21 — [21] who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.
• Matt. 27:50 — [50] And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
• Rom. 1:4 — [4] and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

For discussion

1. The Assembly cited John 1:14 in support of this answer. Read it in context — how does it bear on what is claimed here?
2. 17 passages are cited here. Which does the most work, and is anything claimed that the proofs do not obviously carry?
3. HC Q29 treats the same ground. What does it add, and why might it put things differently?

Read alongside

HC Q29