The Divinity of Jesus

[Thomas_Aquinas_1]

I’m having an e-mail conversation with my uncle. I wrote the following letter in an attempt to explain the teaching of Jesus and the Incarnation, as opposed to the teaching of his Church. I haven’t sent it yet, and would welcome any comments.
Dear …

I read through the website for the Unity Christian Church, and what they teach about Jesus sounds almost identical to the Arian heresy from the 4th century. In the Q&A section of the website it asks the question: “Does Unity believe in the Divinity of Jesus”. This is the reply:

Answer: “Yes, Unity teaches that the spirit of God lived in Jesus, just as it lives in every person. Every person has the potential to express the perfection of Christ as Jesus did, by being more Christlike in everyday life”.

The answer is problematic for several reasons. One question that came to my mind was: What do they mean by “Christ”. When it says “every person has the potential to express the perfection of Christ, as Jesus did” it seems to imply that Christ is something general (the Spirit of God?), that lived in Jesus, just as he lives in others. It seems to make a distinction between Jesus and Christ, whereas in reality they are one and the same.

Another problem is the way it describes Jesus. It makes Him sound as if He is simply a perfect human being who possessed the Spirit of God. That’s also a problem because there is an infinite difference between Jesus, and a human being who is theoretically perfect and possesses the Spirit of God.

During the early years of the Church most of the heresies dealt with the nature and Person of Jesus, and the Trinity. Some denied that Jesus was a true man by claiming He did not have a human nature (or not a complete human nature), while one in particular denied that He was true God, although they conceded that He possessed the divine nature. When heresies arise, they cause a lot of confusion, but in the end, as certain errors are condemned, the truth is more clearly understood. Due to all the heresies from the early years, we now have a very clear understanding of the nature and Person of Jesus.

Jesus: True God and true man: In the Trinity there are three Persons in one God. At the Incarnation, the Second Person of the Trinity assumed a human nature, but when He did so He remained a Divine Person. That is a very important point. What it means is that the Person of Jesus is Divine, infinite, uncreated, and has existed for all eternity. His Person is God. He is one Person (a Divine Person) with two natures (human and divine).

With you and I, or any other human person for that matter, it is infinitely different. If a man possesses the Spirit of God within himself, he remains a mere human person. He remains a finite creature by nature, who receives the Spirit of God by grace. The man does not become God or a Divine Person when he receives the Spirit of God. He remains a mere man who possesses the Spirit of God within himself.

An analogy that can be used to show the difference between God and a person who participates in the Spirit of God, is that of the sun and the earth. In this analogy, the sun represents God and the earth represents man. The light proceeding from the sun represents the Spirit of God.

The sun (God) is the source of its light. The earth (man) participates in the light that proceeds from the sun; but by participating in the light of the sun, the earth does not become the sun. The earth participates in the light that proceeds from the sun, in the same way that man receives the Spirit of God. The light belongs to the sun by nature; it is received by the earth by “grace” (meaning something freely given).

The difference between a Divine Person and a human person who possesses the Spirit of God is the same difference that exists between the sun and the earth illumined by the sun’s light in the above analogy.

Now, when the Second Person of the Trinity – the Word of God – assumed a human nature, he did not cease to be a Divine Person. He remained an uncreated Divine Person, even after assuming a created human nature. If we return to the analogy of the sun and the earth, we could say that at the Incarnation, the sun (God) entered into the earth (human nature) and become one thing with it. Notice, the earth did not merely participate in the light that came that came forth from the sun, but the sun itself entered into the earth becoming one thing with the earth. The sun (God) entering into the earth (human nature) and becoming one thing with it, is what took place at the Incarnation when God assumed a created human nature. The only thing to add to the analogy would be to consider the sun as uncreated and eternal, and the earth created in time.

Jesus, not only teacher, but God and Redeemer: Something else I noticed in the website is that they referred to Jesus as being a Divine teacher, but I didn’t see where he was described as God, and Redeemer. That is a big omission, but it is consistent with the denial of original sin. If there is no original sin, there is no need for a Redeemer. In that case, Jesus is merely a teacher. But that is only part of the truth – and it isn’t the biggest part.

continue

 

[Thomas_Aquinas_1]

continuation

**Jesus as Redeemer: ** By assuming a human nature, the Divine Person of Jesus was able to perform human acts (he could feel, he could pray, he could suffer, etc.). Since Jesus was a Divine Person (God), the actions he performed through His human nature were of infinite value. Therefore, the sufferings of Jesus in reparation for the sins of man were of infinite value. A man could never redeem himself since his works are finite. The actions of God, however, which were performed through the created human nature He assumed at the Incarnation, were of infinite value and therefore could merit our Redemption. The primary reason for Jesus coming was not to teach us, but to redeem us: “Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as gold or silver… But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb unspotted and undefiled” (1 Peter 1:18-19). God could have used any man, such as Moses, to teach us; but only the Person of God Incarnate could redeem us. The Bible refers to this Person as “our God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1), because His Person was Divine

**Conclusion: **When the website says “the Spirit of God lived in Jesus, just as it lives in every person”, it is basically teaching the Arian heresy. The Arian heresy of the 4th century taught that Jesus was divine, but not God. They said he was not Divine by nature, but by grace, through a participation in the Spirit of God. They basically said he was a perfect person who possessed the spirit of God.

The truth is that Jesus was infinitely different than a human being because His Person was Divine. He did not merely participate in the Spirit of God, but was the source of Divine life, just as the sun is the source of light. By saying the Spirit of God lives in Jesus just like it does in others is to say that Jesus is merely an “earth” (to use the analogy), who participates in the light of the sun. That lowers Jesus to the level of a mere man - a perfect man possibly, but still a mere man. The reality is that the Person of Jesus is God, and remained so even after the Incarnation.

I’ll end with by quoting the Athanasian Creed that was formulated during the days of the Arian heresy

The Athanasian Creed

*Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except everyone do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensibles, but One Uncreated, and One Uncomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Co-eternal together, and Co-equal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity, is to be worshipped. He therefore that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess, that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.

God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born into the world. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable Soul and human Flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one Man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into Hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting, and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.*

 

[DianaCC]

When I’ve written stuff like this, I’ve noticed it comes across to my audience as overkill and usually doesn’t get read.

Sometimes encountering a real live heresy that was dispensed with centuries ago but is taken seriously by real people today is a learning opportunity for the orthodox believer, but the heterodox usually already know they are heterodox and typically excuse themselves by saying they are recovering or restoring the original truth that orthodoxy supposedly rejected and suppressed.

Since this is a real conversation with a real person and not a textbook you are writing, it may be better just to focus on what your your uncle as an individual actually believes, not on what Unity holds as an organization. Besides, I don’t get the impression Unity is all that concerned about doctrinal hairsplitting like whether the Holy Spirit is a hypostasis and even less concerned about enforcing a particular dogmatic formula among adherents. Hence, an exposition of orthodox trinitarianism is probably going to have no effect.

It may be better to find out first what he himself actually believes and show that there is much, much more to Christianity than that. For example, let’s say he believes Jesus was a great teacher. But a cursory reading of the Gospels reveals he thought far more of himself than that, even to the point of self-serving narcissism … if he was a great teacher in whom spirit lived as it does in all of us. Furthermore, there are quite a few things in the Bible that are clearly intended to be taken literally that Unity dismisses as symbolic or that your uncle fails to appreciate. So either Jesus is not a great teacher, or Unity is not a docile school, or your uncle is missing out on the real significance of Jesus as a phenomenon. See where I’m going with this?

 

[thistle]

peterkreeft.com/topics/christ-divinity.htm
peterkreeft.com/topics-more/resurrection-evidence.htm

 

[Thomas_Aquinas_1]

When I’ve written stuff like this, I’ve noticed it comes across to my audience as overkill and usually doesn’t get read.

Firstly, thanks for the feedback. I agreed with what you said above, but in this case he tells me he is reading what I send and taking a few days to absorbe it. What I posted above is probably the most difficult to understand of the e-mail I’ve sent so far (I actually haven’t sent it to him yet), but he is pretty intelligent so I do think he will be able to grasp it. My impression is that he is really reading things closely and trying to reallly trying to understand.

Since this is a real conversation with a real person and not a textbook you are writing, it may be better just to focus on what your your uncle as an individual actually believes, not on what Unity holds as an organization.

He only recently began attending Unity and I don’t think he is fully devoted to them. He said he only attends from time to time, and recommended that I read through their website. The reason I mention that is because I don’t think my pointing out the doctrinal errors of Unity will offend him personally. Regarding what my uncle believes, from what I can tell he is really just searching at this time. He’s reading a book on the History of Christianity and trying to find the truth. That is my impression.

Besides, I don’t get the impression Unity is all that concerned about doctrinal hairsplitting like whether the Holy Spirit is a hypostasis and even less concerned about enforcing a particular dogmatic formula among adherents.

I got that impression as well in reading their materials. But although Unity is not concerned about doctrine, my uncle might be. But what I have come to learn is that I am unable to convert anyone. All I can do is try my best to present the truth, and then leave the results in God’s hands. Even if no good external fruit comes from such efforts, I benefit personally from writing these things.

Thanks for your imput. I do appreciate it.

 

[ForeverRome500]

that does sound confusing…

**a mere man, even if perfect, with the spirit of god is still NOT= to Jesus Christ???
**

 

[Thomas_Aquinas_1]

that does sound confusing…

**a mere man, even if perfect, with the spirit of god is still NOT= to Jesus Christ???
**

For example, the Blessed Mother was sinless. She was created immaculate and never committed any actual sins. Nevertheless, she was infinitely inferior to Jesus.

The reason is because Jesus is a Divine Person with a human nature. He is God who assumed a human nature; but when He assumed the human nature he did not cease being a Divine Person. He remained the Word of God - the second Person of the Trinity - in human flesh.

Mary, on the other hand, was merely a human person who possessed the Spirit of God (the indwelling Holy Ghost) within her. Even though she possessed the Holy Ghost and was free from all sin, she was not equal to God.

So, a perfect human person who possesses the indwelling Holy Ghost is infinitely inferior to a Divine Person who assumes a human nature.