Theological Term of the Week

humanity of Christ
The teaching that Jesus was truly human, with a human body, mind, soul, emotions, and with human limitations and weaknesses, so that all the essential elements of unfallen humanity were found in him

• From scripture:

  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18 ESV)

  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:15 ESV)
  

• From The Westminster Larger Catechism:

  Question 39: Why was it requisite that the Mediator should be man?

  Answer: It was requisite that the Mediator should be man, that he might advance our nature, perform obedience to the law, suffer and make intercession for us in our nature, have a fellow feeling of our infirmities; that we might receive the adoption of sons, and have comfort and access with boldness unto the throne of grace.

• From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem, a list of reasons that Jesus’ full humanity was necessary:

  1. For representative obedience.
  2. To be a substitute sacrifice.
  3. To be the one mediator between God and men.
  4. To fulfill God’s original purpose for man to rule over creation.
  5. To be our example and pattern in life.
  6. To be a pattern for our redeemed bodies.
  7. To sympathize as High Priest.

• From Herman Bavinck in The Divine and Human Nature of Christ:

  [T]he Christ became very man and perfect man, like us in all things, sin excepted. He was infant, child, youth, and man, and He grew in wisdom and in favor with God and man (Luke 2:40 and 52). All this is not appearance and illusion merely, as those must say who hold that the Divine properties belong to the human nature, but it is the full truth. There was in Christ a gradual development, a progressive growth in body, in the powers of the soul, in favor with God and man. The gifts of the Spirit were not given to Him all at once, but successively in ever greater measure. There were things which He had to learn, and which at first He did not know (Mark 13:32 and Acts 1:7). Even though He was in possession of the not-able-to-sin state of being, there was in Him, because of His weak human nature, the possibility of being tempted and of suffering and dying. So long as He was on the earth He was not according to His human nature in heaven, and hence He too did not live by sight but by faith. He fought and He suffered, and in all this He clung fixedly to the word and the promise of God. Thus He learned obedience from the things which He suffered, continually established Himself in obedience, and so sanctified Himself. And in this at the same time He left us an example, and became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him (Heb. 5:9).

Learn more:

1. Arthur Pink: The Humanity of Christ
2. David Legge: The Humanity of Christ
3. Greg Johnstone: Human, Body and Soul
4. Phil Johnson: Christ as Man (mp3)
5. At my old blog: Quiz on Jesus As a Human Being with answers.

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

I’m also interested in any suggestions you have for tweaking my definitions or for additional (or better) articles or sermons/lectures for linking. Credit will be given for any of these suggestions I use, too.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms organized in alphabetical order or by topic.

Theological Term of the Week

virgin birth
Mary’s miraculous conception of Jesus by a work of the Holy Spirit, without the participation of any human father, so that Mary was still a virgin at the time of Jesus’ birth.

• From scripture:

  Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:18-21 ESV)
  

• From The Heidelberg Catechism:

  Question 35. What is the meaning of these words “He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary”?

  Answer: That God’s eternal Son, who is, and continues true and eternal God, took upon him the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Ghost; that he might also be the true seed of David, like unto his brethren in all things, sin excepted.

  Question 36. What profit dost thou receive by Christ’s holy conception and nativity?

  Answer: That he is our Mediator; and with His innocence and perfect holiness, covers in the sight of God, my sins, wherein I was conceived and brought forth.

• From In Understanding Be Men by T. C. Hammond:

  …[Great] significance attaches to the virgin birth when it is realized that here God begins to ‘do a new thing’ for our salvation. Seen in this light, the supernatural form of the birth of Jesus takes on a profound symbolical appropriateness. It proclaims that mankind is able to make no contribution to its own aid. Even Mary is entirely passive; the initiative is all of God. It is God who ‘has visited and redeemed his people’. … The virgin birth declares that God acts on His own. The ‘overshadowing’ of the Holy Spirit recalls Genesis 1:2, and perhaps indicates the beginning of the new creation.
  

Learn more:

1. GotQuestions.org: Why Is the Virgin Birth So Important?
2. John Hartog III: The Virgin Birth: A Mystery to Be Cried Aloud
3. Sam Storms: The Virgin Birth
4. John Piper: Conceived by the Holy Spirit
5. Al Mohler: Can a Christian Deny the Virgin Birth?
   
6. Wayne Grudem: The Person of Christ, Part 1 (mp3)

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

I’m also interested in any suggestions you have for tweaking my definitions or for additional (or better) articles or sermons/lectures for linking. Credit will be given for any of these suggestions I use, too.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms organized in alphabetical order or by topic.

Theological Term of the Week

My list of theological terms is missing a few on the nature of Christ, so that’s where we’re going next.

hypostatic union
The union of the two natures—divine and human—in the one person of Jesus.

• From scripture:

  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
  
  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. (1 John 1:1,14 ESV)

  Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil….
  
  For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:14, 16-17 ESV)

• The Definition of the Council of Chalcedon:

  Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

• From In Understanding Be Men by T. C. Hammond:

  …[I]t is important to realize:
  
  1.That, while the two natures were united, they were not intermingled and altered in their individual properties, so that there resulted a third type of substance which was neither divine nor human.
  
  2. That there were not transfers of attributes from one to the other, such as a human characteristic transferred to the divine, nor was our Lord’s deity reduced to human limitations.
  
  3. That the union was not an indwelling such as the indwelling of the Christian by the Spirit of God, but a personal union such that the resulting being was a unit, who thought and acted as a unit.
  

Learn more:

1. GotQuestions.org: What is the hypostatic union?
2. Sam Storms: Classical View
3. Walter Elwell in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology: Council of Chalcedon (451)
4. B. B. Warfield: The Person of Christ
5. Gerald Bray: The Two Natures of Christ (mp3)
   
6. Wayne Grudem: The Person of Christ, Part 3 (mp3)

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it, giving you credit for the suggestion and linking back to your blog when I do.

I’m also interested in any suggestions you have for tweaking my definitions or for additional (or better) articles or sermons/lectures for linking. Credit will be given for any of these suggestions I use, too.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms organized in alphabetical order or by topic.