The Dual Nature of Christ

CREATION AND THE NATURE OF MAN

It is a clearly understood fact among ail Christians that man was created by God, so it is not necessary for us to dwell much upon it. But we want to ask – how was he created? Man was created in what image, with what element and nature?

THE UNFALLEN NATURE OF MAN
(Prelasparian).

Since God’s love was there to create man, He never hesitated to create man in His own image. The unconverted man who does not hâve the spirit of Christ may not appreciate his own personality, or the beauty seen in others. The love of God is revealed by the fact that He decided to create man in His own image. The inspired book of Genesis throws light upon this subject. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Gen. 1:26. The element God used to create man was the dust of the earth.

In other words this dust can be defined as the powdery particles of earth or mud. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground,” Gen. 2:7. The answer to the question “what nature man was created with?” lies in the word ‘image.’ Sister. E.G. White describes it as follows, “man was to bear God’s image, both in outward resemblance and in character.

Christ alone is “the express image” (Hebrews 1:3) of the Father; but man was formed in the likeness of God. His nature was in harmony with the will of God. His mind was capable of comprehending divine things. His affections were pure; His appetites and passions were under the control of reason. He was holy and happy in bearing the image of God and in perfect obedience to His will.” PP p.45.

The words “express image of the Father” and “formed in the likeness of God” entirely differ from one another. For the question why “Christ alone is the express image of the Father,” can be analysed later under the topic “the nature of Christ.” But the words “express image” and “formed in the likeness,” will be carefully studied hère. Since Christ is only one among the Godhead, Paul uses thèse words in Hebrew 1:3 Christ is the “express image” of the Father. There is a vast difference between thèse two words “Express” and “Form.”

The Webster’s dictionary defines the word express as such: “The express image of her mother.” A female child bears the resemblance and personality of her mother as she is. The author, to describe the personality of Christ uses another phrase just prior, in the same verse of Hebrews 1:3 “being the brightness of his glory.” Our pioneer, Elder M.L. Andreasen comments on this verse as follows. “The third verse presents Christ as “being the brightness of his glory.” The participle ‘being’ is an expression of eternal, timeless existence, and has the same sense as “was” in John 1:1. ‘In the beginning was the Word.’ The word is Christ. (Verse 14) He did not corne into existence in the beginning. In the beginning, He was. When He came to this world He became flesh. He had not previously been flesh. By way of contrast, He did not become the brightness of His Father’s glory. He always was. This constitutes the essential and external ground of personality. ‘Brightness’ has various translations: out shining, out raying and reflection. It has the same relation to God’s glory as the rays of the sun hâve to the sun. The rays cannot be separated from the sun, or the sun from ils rays. Thèse two are inseparable. – The Book of Hebrews by M.L. Andreason pp.49.50

The word “formed” (Rom 9:20) applies to the creation of man, meaning to mould into a special form or shape. The verb mould includes the action of creation also. So, evidently it can be said, that man is not the express image of the Father, but he is a created being. Though man is a created being, and was part of the holy and divine family, there is a distinguishable difference between the nature of God and the nature of man. The inclination to sin is seen in the mind of man, it was not in the nature of God. The words propensities, inclination, attitude, tendencies and liking, ail hâve the same meaning – the nature, or the heart.

The propensity to sin is only making a demarcation in the two natures of God and man. The Spirit of Prophecy says that, “our first parents, though created innocent and holy were not placed beyond the possibility of wrong doing”. PP, p.48. The phrase “possibility of wrong doing” is defining the free will choice, only. Thus we ask the question, “Why did God create man with such a nature?” The definite answer is No, God never created man with such a nature and He is not a partner with man in committing sin. God created man with uprightness, but man only chose the sinful way and ils bitter consequences. Can we say that God only made the propensities in the creation of man and thèse hâve caused man to sin? The Spirit of Prophecy throws more light upon it, “God made man upright; He gave him noble traits of character, with no bias toward evil” – PP.p.49. He gave him noble traits of character, which would not be directing them to evil.

“The Angels warned them to be on their guard against the devices of Satan, for his efforts to ensnare them would be unwearied. While they were obedient to God, the evil one could not harm them; for if need be, every angel would be sent to their help. If they steadfastly repelled his first insinuations, they would be as secure as the heavenly messengers.” PPp.53. To give man a choice is God’s will while ail other parts of nature obey only instinct. Why did man choose not to serve God, when he was under the moral Law? As we come to a conclusion and express ourselves regarding the unfallen nature of man we see that he chose to bring the propensities of sin upon himself, and thus lost much of the image of God. But when man committed sin, the glory departed from him, ‘he realized that he was naked’ and the righteousness of God was also lost in man. Before the fall of man in their gardening work “their
occupation was not wearisome…” PP.50

THE FALLEN NATURE OF MAN
(POSTLASPARIAN):

After the fall of man what were the changes that took place in man’s nature? The word of God says, “And the Lord God called to Adam and said into him, where art thou?

And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself” Genesis 3:9,10. The three changes we see in thèse verses are (1) the nature of being afraid, (2) the nakedness realized and (3) hiding from the presence of God. “After his transgression Adam at first imagined himself entering upon a higher state of existence. But soon the thought of his sin filled him with terror. The air, which had hitherto been of a mild and uniform temperature seemed to chill the guilty pair.

The love and peace which had been theirs, was gone and in ils place, they felt a sense of sin, a dread of the future and a nakedness of soûl. The robe of light which enshrouded them now disappeared and to supply its place they endeavoured to fashion themselves with a covering, for they could not, while unclothed, meet the eye of God and the holy angels”- (Ibid.).

When the glory of God departed from man, changes took place in their spiritual, mental and physical structures. In the place of the character and the righteousness of God, the carnal mind took over. The Apostle Paul writes with inspiration.” I find then a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with me” Romans 7:21. The greât controversy started between sin and righteousness. Now, man could not go back to his past life – the life before sin. As the sinful nature and carnal mind also became the nature of man, he could not change his fallen nature and corne back to God’s glorified life with his own strength. But God is so gracious in His redeeming love. He never thought that man should be eradicated from His Creation. God gave them six thousand years to repent and to return back to their unfallen nature. “For six thousand years his prison house has received God’s people and he would hâve held them captive forever; but Christ has broken his bonds and set the prisoners free”. GC, p. 659 (This “prison house” denotes Satan’s captivity).

THE HUMAN NATURE OF CHRIST

The plan of redemption’s most famous verse is “for God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but hâve everlasting life”. John 3:16. We see the ultimate love of God in this verse. In what way did God give His only begotten son, Jesus Christ? We know from Inspiration that He could not go back without being eternally lost. If Jesus would hâve yielded Himself to sin in the wilderness after His forty days of fasting. He could hâve not returned back to this pre-existence in heaven. The resurrection from death would hâve been impossible for Him. If Satan didn’t hâve the idea of bringing to life the propensities of sin in Jesus’ fallen nature, He would hâve not tried (Mark 6:31). Jesus felt hungry (Mark 4:2) He felt sad (Mark 26:37,38), “Jesus was tempted in ail points as we are, yet without sin. (Heb 4:15) The propensities of Jesus to sin were tested to the utmost in Gethsemane and the Cross.

Because of Christ’s human nature only He said the words “O my father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me…”
To understand the human nature of Christ, the Bible gives an authentic verse, “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in ail things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren”. Heb.2: 16,17 (ARV)

In the pre-existence of Jesus, He was the “express image of His Father”, but the angels were inferior to Jesus and were created beings. But, for the redemption of man Jesus took upon Him the nature of the seed of Abraham – mankind’s nature in every way that matters to us. Abraham had ail the propensities or inclinations of sin or the fallen nature of Adam. Jesus took the same nature of Adam after he fell into sin. E.G. White says, “Christ came to this world and clothed His divinity with humanity, taking upon him the nature of man. He came to pass through the experiences of humanity, taking upon him the nature of man. He came to pass through the experiences of humanity, to pass over the ground on which Adam had fallen…”

Hère the Spirit of Prophecy clearly states, Christ took the human nature where Adam had fallen, or postlasparian. As a logical approach to the study of this subject, the analysis of human nature, we are told in the Spirit of Prophecy, “The Christian is to realize that he is not his own but he has been bought with a priee. His strongest temptations corne from within for he must battle against the inclinations of the natural heart” Christ Tempted as we are p. 11.

When man has the propensities or the inclinations of sin, Christ also must bear the same nature of man. Otherwise how can He be an example to keep the law of God, to prove to man that man also can keep the law of God in his human nature?

We hâve seen in the beginning of this study, the difference between the unfallen and fallen natures of man. If Christ would hâve possessed only a divine nature in His incarnation, He might hâve been born with the robe of light which was worn by Adam and Eve before their fall. So, when Christ took the nature of the seed of Abraham he was born with the robe of Abraham that we also wear. Then what was the necessity for Jesus to be conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary? We hâve seen in the beginning of this study “Christ alone is the express image of the Father, and He is not a created being. The express image of the Father means the exact image of the Father. Jesus also says, “If ye had known me, you should hâve known my Father also; and from henceforth ye know him and hâve seen him.” John 14:7 Man degenerated after four thousand years of sinning. He cannot reproduce anything in the flesh other than his own image. Jesus is the express image of the Father. This is the reason God the Father assigned this work to the Holy Spirit, who is the executor of the Father’s command; and the Holy Spirit only can bring the exactness of the Father’s image back to us. How we can become partakers of the divine nature of Christ is the mystery of Godliness; but this is conceived by the Holy Spirit within us as the Holy Spirit conceived the Son of God, Jesus.

As the Son of man, Jesus took the sinful flesh of human nature. But the two different natures of Christ had their two different places. SisterE.G. White says more about it, “Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the Son of God? No, the natures were mysteriously blended in one person, the man, Christ Jesus”. Ellen G. White comments in Vol. 5. p.H13,TheS.D.ABibleCommentary. Yes, the two natures of humanity and divinity were blended in one Man, Jesus Christ.

But, nowhere in the Bible is it said that the divine nature was utilized by Christ to overcome temptation. In the wilderness when Jesus met three temptations, instead of using His divine nature and power; He resisted satanic forces by the word of God alone. Thus Jesus set us an example, when Satan is assailing us with temptation how we are to overcome. In Christ, divinity and humanity were combined. Divinity was not degraded to humanity, divinity held ils place, but by being united with humanity. Jesus withstood the fiercest test of temptation in the wilderness” – Signs of the Times Feb.18.1890.

Jesus, “In the weakness of human nature sustained the character of God” – Signs of the Times, April 8,1897 p.214.
The following statement of the Spirit of Prophecy is a strong reference for understanding that Christ never parted with His divinity while in His human nature. He veiled His divinity with the garb of humanity, but he did not part with His divinity “-Review and Herald June 15,1905

“For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh” – Romans 8:3 It was the will of God that Christ must take human nature and with the sustaining power of the Father, sin must be overcome. For what, was Jesus made “in the likeness of sinful flesh?” “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but hâve eternal life. “.” John 3:14:15. AH who hâve lived upon the earth hâve felt the deadly sting of “that old serpent called the devil and Satan”. Revelation 12:9 The fatal effects of sin can be removed only by the provision that God has made” – PP.p.430.

Hère Sister E. G. White makes a connection for the verses John 3:14 and Revelation 12:9. In the gospel of John it is said that the brazen serpent was lifted up by Moses. In Revelation, Satan is called the old serpent. She adds in this same statement, “The fatal effects of sin can be removed only by the provision that God has made”. To remove the sin what provision did God make? ‘But when the fullness of time was corne, God sent forth His Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of Sons. Galatians 4:4,5. This is the provision made by God to remove sin.

God sent his only begotten Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and made him an example. The sinful man also can keep the law of God while he is in sinful flesh. But what is the reason the brazen serpent must be lifted up? What is meant by lifting up Christ as compared with the serpent which symbolizes Satan? The word of God clears this problem for us: “For He hath made him to be sin who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him”. 2. Corinthians 5:21.

In the Sanctuary service the scapegoat symbolized Satan. We also know that Christ became sin and the Sin-bearer. This was the reason Jesus said to Nicodemus “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up” John 3:14. The Son of man is the One who became sin -like the serpentfor us. Why did Christ take the nature of “sinful flesh?” Let us proceed to the book of Romans, “that the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit” Roman 8:4. Christ came with the likeness of flesh because of the righteousness of the law of God in His humanity, and became an example for us. “Then said, Lo, I corne, in the volume of the book it is written of me. I delight to do thy will O my God, Yea. Thy Law is within my heart.” Psalms 40:7,8 “Christ bears the penalty of man’s past transgression, and by imparting to man His righteousness, makes it possible for man to keep God’s holy law. SDA Bible Commentary Volume 6, p. 1092

Now the question arises, whether Christ is the example for man to be righteous or the substitute? “For even hereunto were ye called; because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps.” (I Peter 1:21) If Christ has been a substitute for us in keeping the law or to be righteousness, we need not keep the law. Because it can be said that with no propensities or inclination of sin and with a divine nature Christ kept the law
and became the substitute for us. But as we hâve seen that Christ in his human nature with the propensities of sin kept the law of God. So he became the example for us.

“The World’s Redeemer came not only to be a sacrifice for sin, but to be an example to man in ail things”. Manuscript 1,1892. “What an example is hère given in the life of Christ for sinners to imitate. If they will not follow the example given to them, they will be without excuse.” Youth’s Instructor, February 1874. “We are safe in following the example of Christ.” Ibid. Indeed Christ was also the substitute for us. But not for our righteousness, only for the penalty of sin. Christ died upon the cross, where we might hâve died. “He identified Himself with sinners as their substitute taking upon himself their sins.” I bid.

Presenting the nature of Christ as Christ was born with the nature before Adam fell, or no propensities of sin in Him, or not a example for us in keeping the law – ail such teachings lead us to the same conclusion though they hâve different ways of being presented. But ail such teachings are presenting wrongly the will of God. It is leading to the doctrines of the fallen churches – saying that Christ kept the law with His divine nature. They say, “Man cannot keep the law.” Those who are teaching that Christ took the nature of prelasparian man before the fall of Adam fall into this same error. They are standing in the entering wedge of Babylon’s “wine of the wrath of fornication” (Revelation 14:8). We are told that Christ did not hâve an evil propensity or that no corruption rested upon him SDA Bible Commentary 5, p. 1128 Does this mean that Christ did not take man’s sinful nature? When man becomes a partaker of the divine nature (born again) he “need not retain one sinful propensity” SDA Bible Commentary 7,.p.943. (To be continued)

Br. David Sampathkumar, India