The Two Natures of Christ
Last updated: 2026-04-10
The hypostatic union refers to the mystery that in the one Person of Jesus Christ, two distinct natures—the divine and the human—are inseparably united without confusion, mixture, or division. Through this union, Christ is truly God and truly man, remaining one Mediator for our salvation.
📖 The Mystery of One Person
The 1689 LBCF Ch.8 §2 confesses that the Son of God took upon Himself human nature so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures—the Godhead and the manhood—were inseparably joined together in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion. This aligns with the historic Chalcedonian Definition, which declares that Christ is one and the same Son, acknowledged in two natures unconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, and inseparably. As Scripture testifies, "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9).
Sources: 1689 LBCF Ch.8 §2 · Chalcedonian Definition · Colossians 2:9
🔗 Communicatio Idiomatum
Because Christ is one Person, the properties of both natures are attributed to Him as the Mediator. The 1689 LBCF Ch.8 §7 and the Westminster Confession of Faith Ch.8 §7 explain that while each nature does what is proper to itself, Scripture sometimes attributes the property of one nature to the person denominated by the other. John Calvin, in the Institutes of the Christian Religion Ch.14 §1, describes this as the *communicatio idiomatum* (communication of properties), where, for example, it is said that God purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). This is not because the divine nature has blood, but because the Person who shed it is both God and man.
Sources: 1689 LBCF Ch.8 §7 · Westminster Confession of Faith Ch.8 §7 · Institutes of the Christian Religion Ch.14 §1 · Acts 20:28
🙏 Gospel Hope in the Union
This doctrine is not merely academic; it is the ground of our salvation. As stated in the Belgic Confession Art. 19, our salvation depends on the reality of His humanity, for He became man that He might die for us according to the infirmity of His flesh, yet remained true God to conquer death. Christ is the bridge between God and man, and because He took our nature, we who were "more sinful and flawed than we ever dared believe" are "more accepted and loved in Christ than we ever dared hope." As it is written: "For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
Sources: Belgic Confession Art. 19 · 1 Timothy 2:5
It is essential that Jesus is both fully God and fully man so that He can serve as the one mediator who reconciles God and humanity, offering a perfect sacrifice in our place. By uniting these two natures in one person, Christ is capable of bearing the infinite weight of God's wrath as God, while experiencing true human suffering and representing us as our brother in the flesh.
📖 The Necessity of the God-Man Mediator
For Christ to serve as our Mediator, He had to satisfy the requirements of justice on our behalf. As 1689 LBCF Ch.8 §2 confesses, He took upon Himself man’s nature with all its infirmities, yet without sin, remaining very God and very man. This union ensures that the works of His humanity are accepted by the Father as the works of the Son of God. As noted in Heidelberg Catechism Q.17, He must be very God so that, by the power of His Godhead, He might sustain the burden of God's wrath in His human nature, thereby obtaining righteousness and life for all who trust in Him.
Sources: 1689 LBCF Ch.8 §2 · Heidelberg Catechism Q.17
❤️ Our Consolation in Christ's Sympathy
The wonder of the gospel is that we are not left to face God's judgment alone. Because Jesus is truly man, He knows our frame and understands our suffering. Westminster Larger Catechism Q.40 explains that it was requisite for the Mediator to be God and man in one person so that the proper works of each nature might be relied upon by us as the work of the whole person. We are more flawed than we dared believe, yet because the eternal Son of God became flesh, we are more loved and accepted than we ever dared hope. He is our Brother who represents us, and in Him, our salvation is secure.
Sources: Westminster Larger Catechism Q.40
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