The Two Became One

Jesus Christ at the Incarnation

Two Distinct, Opposite Natures United in One Person

In order for Christ to legally qualify to be our substitute and representative, His divinity had to be united to our corporate fallen humanity that needed redeeming. It is in the incarnation that these two distinct opposite natures were united together in one person and Christ became the second Adam. This is the in Christ motif, the central theme of Paul's theology [1 Corinthians 1:30].

The Paradox

AS GOD HE WAS: AS MAN HE WAS MADE:
  1. Son of God [Lk.1:35]
  2. Self-Existing [Jn. 1:4]
  3. Spirit [Jn. 4:24]
  4. Equal with God [Phil. 2:6]
  5. Sinless [2 Cor. 5:21]
  6. Independent [Jn. 10:18]
  7. Immortal [1 Tim. 1:17]
  8. Lawgiver [Ja. 4:12]
  1. Son of Man [Lk. 19:10]
  2. Of a Woman [Gal. 4:4]
  3. Flesh [Jn. 1:14]
  4. A Slave of God [Phil. 2:7]
  5. Sin [2 Cor. 5:21]
  6. Dependent [Jn. 5:19,30]
  7. Mortal [Heb. 2:14,15]
  8. Under Law [Gal. 4:4]

Jesus Christ in the Resurrection

The Two Natures Became One, Sharing the Same Divine Life

On the cross, our corporate condemned life died eternally in Christ [the wages of sin, see 2 Corinthians 5:14]. In the resurrection, God gave the human race the eternal life of His Son [1 John 5:11]. All that we are, as a result of the Fall, Christ was made at the incarnation; that through His life, death, and resurrection all that He is we were made in Him [2 Corinthians 5:17]. This constitutes the good news of the gospel.

By nature we are:

  1. Spiritually dead but in Christ were made spiritually alive [Eph. 2:5]
  2. Sinners but in Christ were made righteous [2 Cor. 5:21]
  3. Sinful but in Christ were made holy and blameless [Eph. 1:4]
  4. Condemned but in Christ were justified [Rom. 5:18]
  5. Sons of man but in Christt were made sons of God [1 Jn. 3:1]
  6. Hell bound but in Christ were made to sit in heavenly places [Eph. 2:6]
  7. Mortal but in Christ were made immortal [2 Tim. 1:8-10]
  8. Poor but in Christ were made rich [2 Cor. 8:9]
  9. Lower than the angels but in Christ were made joint heirs [Rom.8:17; Heb.2:5-12]