Phil. 2:5-11; 1 John 3:24-4:3, Mystical Union (2)

·        MONOPHYSITES, EGYPTIAN COPTICS: The God-nature and human-nature in Christ combined to form a yet different nature.  (If this is true we cannot say Christ was one of us, tempted as we are.)

·        NESTORIANS: Jesus was two separate persons; some things he did as God, some things he did as man.  (If this is true then Jesus had an unfair advantage in living on earth; He was not truly one of us.)

·        ORTHODOXY: This is the definition of the Council of Chalcedon in 451AD.  They admittedly struggled with correct terminology because they were seeking to describe something that was completely unique in all history, something for which there was nothing comparable.

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 respect, 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.

To understand what is at stake, consider these Scriptures:

ü 1 John 4:2-3: Every spirit that acknowledged that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.  And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now already in the world. (Being approved of God demands the truth about the Deity and Humanity of Christ.)

ü Heb. 2:17: Therefore in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Propitiation, Jesus’ work saving on the cross, demands the truth about the nature of Jesus.)

ü Heb. 4:15: For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize without weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.  (Jesus Priestly intercession for sinful humans requires the truth about His nature.)