2 The Deity and the Humanity of the Son of God: Scriptures

This post has lots of Scriptures that support the deep and rich theology. He was both God and man, during his life here.

His life on earth during his ministry is called the State of Humiliation or Days of Humiliation. People around him mostly saw his humanity. But Scripture also reveals his deity.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Clarifying the Two Natures of Christ.

Professional theologians use biblical logic to sort out this proposition:

Jesus = True God and True Man

How exactly was he the God-man at his incarnation and during his ministry? Orthodoxy says Jesus was true man and true God, united in one person. Where do they get the notion of a God-man? From thin air? No, from Scripture.

1.2 Table of Scriptures

Theologians have to come to terms with the Scriptures that reveal both Christ’s humanity and deity.

HIS HUMANITY
	Trait or Action	Scriptures
1	He is called man even after his ascension.	1 Tim. 2:5
2	He had a human mother.	Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 7:14
3	He has a human (Jewish) genealogy	Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 2:7; 3:23-38.; Acts 13:23; Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 7:14
4	He had human flesh.	John 1:14; Heb. 2:14; 1 John 4:2; after his resurrection: Luke 24:39; John 20:27
5	He got tired.	John 4:6
6	He slept.	Matt. 8:24
7	He got hungry.	Matt. 21:18
8	He thirsted.	John 19:28
9	He suffered pain and sweat and drops of blood.	Luke 22:44
10	He had human mind and limited knowledge.	Mark 11:13; 13:32; Luke 2:52
11	He had a human soul and spirit and emotions.	Matt. 9:36; 26:38; Mark 10:14; Luke 19:4; John 2:15-16). Jesus wept John 11:35; 12:27; 13:21
12	He was tempted in every way, but without sin.	Heb. 2:18; 4:15 Note: To be tempted is not sinful, but to give in is. Jesus overcame temptation and was sinless—his divine nature and the Spirit enabled him to resist successfully.
13	He was made like his brothers—the Jews of his time—in all things.	Heb. 2:17
14	He had to pray to sustain himself and hear from his Father.	Matt. 14:23; Mark 1:35; Luke 22:41-42; Heb. 5:7
15	He ministered in the power and anointing of the Spirit.	Luke 3:21-22; 4:18-19; Acts 10:38
16	He died.	Matt. 27:50; Mark 15:39; 1 Cor. 15:3
HIS DEITY
17	He was conceived of the Spirit.	Matt. 1:18, 20; Luke 1:35
18	He was omnipotent (all-powerful) and had power and sovereignty over nature.	Matt. 8:26-27; 14:25; 17:27; After his ascension: Eph. 1:20-23; Phil. 3:21; Heb. 1:3
19	He was omniscient (all-knowing).	Mark 2:8; John 2:24; John 6:61, 64; 16:30 After his ascension: Col. 2:3
20	He was omnipresent (all-present).	Matt. 18:20; Matt. 28:20; John 1:51; 3:13; After his ascension: John 14:20; Eph. 1:23
21	He is eternal, without beginning or end.	Is. 9:6; Luke 13:34-35; John 1:1-2; 8:58; 17:5; Rev. 2:8; 22:13
22	He was equal with God.	John 1:1; 5:18; Phil. 2:6
23	All the fullness of deity dwelt in bodily form.	John 1:1-3, 10, 14; Col. 2:9
24	He is the Creator.	John 1:1-3, 10; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:10
25	He preserves the universe.	Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3
26	He is unchanging (immutable).	Heb. 1:12 (cf. Ps. 102:25-27); Heb. 13:8 Note: He changes in his human nature, when he feels emotions, for example, but his divine nature never changed in its essential attributes (eternality, omniscience, omnipotence, and so on).
27	He can forgive sins, reserved only for God, in this context.	Mark 2:5-7; Luke 7:48-49; Note: You can forgive someone who sins against you, but you have no right to forgive someone who sins against a third person (not you) or against God. And you and I cannot take away the sins of the whole world (John 1:29).
28	He can raise the dead, also on the last day of humanity (as we know it).	John 6:39-40
29	He judges all of humanity, the living and the dead.	John 5:22; Acts 10:42; 2 Cor 5:10; 2 Tim. 4:1; 4:8
30	He is the Savior of the world: Jesus-Yeshua-Joshua means “the Lord saves.”	Matt. 1:21; Acts 5:31; 2 Pet. 1:11
31	He bestows eternal life.	John 10:28; John 17:2
32	He is one with the Father.	John 10:30; John 17:22
33	He accepted and received worship.	Matt. 4:9-10; Note: Jesus said to worship only God, yet he is about to receive worship, as follows: Matt. 14:33; 28:9; Luke 24:52; Heb. 1:6 (cf. Deut. 32:43); Phil. 2:10-11
34	He is called God and proclaimed as such.	Is. 9:6; John 1:1; 1:18; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Heb. 1:8 (cf. Ps. 45:6-7); 2 Pet. 1:1; 1 John 5:20

1.3 More Information

Please see the Scriptures quoted in this article:

Two Natures in One Person: He Was Human and God.

1.4 Questions and answers in the next section

Clearly he was both man and God. How do we put those data points together?

Armed with those biblical data, what does Christ’s two natures mean? How do we see it without comingling and confusing them? We can learn more about the hypostatic union by asking and answering a long list of question in this post.

2.0 LORD AND YHWH

2.1 Brief Introduction

Y-H-W-H = KYRIOS (LORD) = THE LORD JESUS

The Septuagint (pronounced sep-TOO-uh-gent) is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, done around the second century B.C. It is abbreviated LXX for the (supposed) seventy scholars who translated it. It very often translates Y-H-W-H (Yahweh) as KYRIOS (pronounced KOO-rih-oss or KEER–rih-oss) or LORD.

2.2. Table

Here is a table that illustrates the original Old Testament and their quotations and application to Jesus in the NT. The NT writers and Jesus also applied this exalted title or name to himself.

YAHWEH = KYRIOS = THE LORD JESUS CHRIST
	Old Testament	New Testament
1	Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God (Ex. 20:9-10a).	The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. (Mark 2:28)
2	⁹He [THE LORD] said, “Go and tell this people: “‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ ¹⁰Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Is. 6:9-10)	³⁷Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” ³⁹For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ⁴⁰“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.” ⁴¹Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him. (John 12:37-41; cf. Matt. 13:14-15)
3	The Lord says to my lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” (Ps. 110:1)	“‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ ⁴⁵If then David calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” (Matt. 22:44-45)
4	“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. (Mal. 3:1)	And you, my child [John the Baptist], will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him (Luke 1:76)
5	The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not lack (Ps. 23:1)	“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (John 10:11)
6	The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. ¹⁴He will be a holy place; for both Israel and Judah he will be a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. (Is. 8:13-14)	Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. ³³As it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.” (Rom. 9:32-33)
7	And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors whom the Lord calls. (Joel 2:32)	⁹If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” ¹²For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom. 10:9-13)
8	“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. ²³By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. (Is. 45:23)	It is written: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will acknowledge God.’” (Rom. 14:11) At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2:10-11)
9	“But let the one who boasts boast about this: that they have the understanding to know me, that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness, justice and righteousness on earth, for in these I delight,” declares the Lord. (Jer. 9:24)	It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 1:30-31)
10	Who can fathom the Spirit of the Lord, or instruct the Lord as his counselor? (Is. 40:13)	¹⁶“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor. 2:16)
11	When you ascended on high, you took many captives; you received gifts from people, even from the rebellious—that you, Lord God, might dwell there. (Ps. 68:18)	This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.” ⁹(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions^[^c^]? ¹⁰He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) (Eph. 4:8-10)
12	People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth. (Is. 2:19 see vv. 2, 21)	This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. ⁸He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ⁹They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might (2 Thess. 1:7-9)
13	See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. (Is. 66:15)	2 Thess. 1:7-9 (see above)
14	He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. (Ps. 130:8)	While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, ¹⁴who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. (Titus 2:13-14)
15	In the beginning you [God] laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ²⁶They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. ²⁷But you remain the same, and your years will never end. (Ps. 102:25-27)	He also says, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. ¹¹They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. ¹²You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.” (Heb. 1:10-12)
16	Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear out like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail. (Is. 51:6)	Heb. 1:11, see above
17	Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. (Ps. 34:8)	Now … you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Pet. 2:3)
18	The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to fear, he is the one you are to dread. (Is. 8:13)	But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. (1 Pet. 3:15)
19	“And I [the LORD] will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son. (Zech. 12:10)	“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. (Rev. 1:7)
20	“I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jer. 17:10)	Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds. (Rev. 2:23)
21	“And with you, Lord, is unfailing love”; and, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.” (Ps. 62:12)	“Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done.” (Rev. 22:12)
22	See the Sovereign LORD comes power, and he rules with his mighty arm. See his reward is with him, and his recompense accompanies him. (Is. 40:10)	Rev. 22:12, see above
23	“This is what the Lord says— Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. (Is. 40:10)	I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last (Rev. 22:13)
Source: Frame, Systematic, p. 452, significantly revised here.

2.3 Quick Example

Let’s take an example which was important to Jews of the first century. As noted, in Mark 2:28, Jesus said he was the Lord of the Sabbath. Now consider Ex. 20:9-10a, which says the Sabbath belongs to Yahweh. “Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Ex. 20:9-10a). It is holy to him (Ex. 20:8, 11). Now Jesus owns the Sabbath; he is Lord over it.

2.4 Question and Answer

Question: If Jesus is the Son of God, how can he be Yahweh?

Answer: Jesus is the Son in relation to his Father. Therefore he is the Son of God or the Son of the Father. The NT writers also referred to the Father as KYRIOS or LORD, which proves the title is completely divine (Matt. 1:20; 9:38; 11:25; Acts 17:24; Rev. 4:11).

Next, recall the posts on the Trinity. They are three persons contained within one God. (See the triangle inside the one circle.) All three persons share the same Godness.

The NT writers give Jesus the title KYRIOS from the OT, which often translates Yahweh. So KYRIOS is a title. As the Lord Jesus is revealed in the New Testament, he was Yahweh all along in the Old Testament. Jesus is Yahweh come in the flesh.

The bottom line: the title KYRIOS (Y-H-W-H), used of Father God and the Lord Jesus, proves the equal divinity of the Father and Son. It is a title revealing their shared divinity. Don’t make it more complicated than that.

3.0 Table of His Names and Titles

This table reveals more about his roles and activities, which also sheds a brighter light on his two natures, human and divine.

Names and Titles of Jesus Christ
1	God	John 1:1; Heb. 1:8; 1 John 5:20
2	God the One and Only	John 1:18
3	God over all	Rom. 9:5
4	Immanuel (“God with Us”)	Is. 7:14; Matt. 1:23
5	Our God and Savior	Ti. 2:13; 2 Pe. 1:1
6	The Lord	Acts 2:36; Rom. 10:9; Phil. 2:11; Col. 2:6
7	Lord of all	Acts 2:36
8	Lord and God	John 20:28
9	Lord and Savior	2 Pe. 1:11, 2:20, 3:18
10	Lord of glory	1 Cor. 2:8
11	Lord of lords	Rev. 17:14, 19:16
12	King of kings	Rev. 17:14
13	Alpha and Omega	Rev. 21:5-6
14	The Living One	Rev. 1:18
15	The Holy One of God	Mark 1:24
16	The Holy and Righteous One	Acts 3:14
17	The “I am”	John 8:58
18	The Cornerstone	Mark 12:10
19	The Messiah	Matt. 16:16
20	The Son of God	Luke 1:35; John 20:31
21	The Word of God	John 1:1; Rev. 19:13
22	The Lamb of God	John 1:36
23	The Bridegroom of the Church	John 3:39
24	Husband of the Church	2 Cor. 11:2
25	The Prophet	John 6:14
26	The Bread of life	John 6:48
27	The Light of the world	John 8:12
28	The Good Shepherd	John 10:11; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pe. 5:5
29	The Resurrection and Life	John 11:25
30	King of Israel	John 12:13
31	King of Jews	John 19:19-21
32	The Way, the Truth, the Life	John 14:6
33	Prince and Savior	Acts 5:31
34	The Author of life	Acts 3:15
35	Son of Man	Acts 7:56
36	Judge of living and dead	Acts 10:42
37	Our Passover Lamb	1 Cor. 5:8
38	The second Adam	1 Cor. 15:45-47
39	Head of the Church	Col. 1:18
40	The Mediator	1 Tim. 2:5
41	The Righteous Judge	2 Tim. 4:8
42	The Great High Priest	Heb. 4:14
43	The Lion of the Tribe of Judah	Rev. 5:5
44	The Root and Offspring of David	Rev. 22:16
45	The Son of David	Matt. 21:9; 22:42
46	Bright and Morning Star	Rev. 22:16
Source: NIV Study Bible 2011, though adapted.

3.2 Lessons from the Scriptures

What can the table teach us about his divine and human natures?

We have clarity in our relationship with God. In Jesus Christ’s full humanity, God the Father can relate to us. The Scriptures reveal that God exists in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are invited to have a relationship with all three of them. We should never walk away from this doctrine because we now relate intimately with the Father, through his Son, and by the power of the Spirit.

4.0 Reflections

4.1 Two Natures of Jesus

This post focused on Jesus and his two natures. If you don’t understand it, then you can still have a relationship with him, which is the point of the whole Bible, if you think about it.

Our salvation has a firm foundation. This doctrine of Christ’s two natures goes right to our salvation and our eternal life and our relation with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Jesus Christ’s full deity, the Father can redeem us from our sins. Therefore, we can never give up on the hypostatic union–two natures in one person.

His two natures do not support New Age. New Agers and eastern gurus focus on his divinity. This too is shortsighted. To keep the balanced image of Jesus in the Scriptures, we must observe both his true divinity and his true humanity.

His two natures do not support modern conceptions of the historical Jesus. He was not merely a human living two thousand years ago, without his divine nature. His was an historical figure, but he must not be limited to humanity only.

4.2 Your Needs Can Be Met

He is well able to take care of you. He can meet your needs. Call on him and his name. Worship him for who he is as revealed in these names and titles and YHWH.

1 The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God

3 Three Offices of Christ

ARTICLES IN CONCISE THEOLOGY

Introduction to Concise Theology

The Bible: Basics

General and Special Revelations and Moral Law

1 The Trinity: The Basics

2 The Trinity: Questions and Answers

3 Scriptures on the Trinity

God the Father

One Hundred and Fifty-One Biblical Descriptions of God

Creation