Natures of Jesus Christ

From the Bible we see that Jesus Christ had two distinct natures in a way that no other human being has ever had. One nature is human or fleshly; the other nature is divine or Spirit. Jesus was both fully man and fully God. The name Jesus refers to the eternal Spirit of God (the Father) dwelling in the flesh. We can use the name Jesus when describing either aspect or both. For example, when we say Jesus died on the cross, we mean His flesh died on the cross. When we say Jesus lives in our hearts, we mean His Spirit is there.

Below is a comparative list that will illustrate what we mean when we say Jesus had two natures or a dual nature.

View attachment 262592


We can resolve most questions about the Godhead if we properly understand the dual nature of Jesus. When we read a statement in Scripture about Jesus we should determine whether it describes His deity, His humanity, or both. Moreover, whenever Jesus speaks in Scripture we must determine whether He is speaking from His position as a human, as God, or both. We should not think of two persons in the Godhead or of two Gods, but we should think of the divine Spirit and authentic human flesh.

In every way that we humans can speak of our humanity and our relationship to God, so could Jesus, except for sin. Yet He could also speak and act as God. For example, He could sleep one minute and calm the storm the next minute. He could speak as a human and then as God, while being both simultaneously.

We must always remember that Jesus is fully God and not merely an anointed man. At the same time, He was fully human, not having just an appearance of humanity. He had a dual nature unlike anything we have, and we cannot adequately compare our existence or experience to His. What would seem strange or impossible if applied to a mere human becomes understandable when viewed in the context of One who is both fully God and fully human at the same time.

Good points, this might explain how he saw Nathaniel “under the fig tree, before Philip found you.” This would allude to the Father seeing/ hearing Nathaniel praying under the fig tree.

Or he might have just been being honest, and he saw him under the fig tree!

Or he might have just been being honest, and he saw him under the fig tree!

Didn’t you just go into a long thing about Jesus’ two natures, with one being fully God? And then you reply with that? C’mon man lol

You know Nathaniel immediately started to worship Him after He said that right?

Sorry, I didn't mean anything by it. Maybe Jesus telling him that was enough for Nathaniel to believe?

Well if God sees and hears all prayers and Jesus was God, then it would make sense, since the fig tree is where they prayed back then.

From the Bible we see that Jesus Christ had two distinct natures in a way that no other human being has ever had. One nature is human or fleshly; the other nature is divine or Spirit. Jesus was both fully man and fully God. The name Jesus refers to the eternal Spirit of God (the Father) dwelling in the flesh. We can use the name Jesus when describing either aspect or both. For example, when we say Jesus died on the cross, we mean His flesh died on the cross. When we say Jesus lives in our hearts, we mean His Spirit is there.

Below is a comparative list that will illustrate what we mean when we say Jesus had two natures or a dual nature.

View attachment 262592


We can resolve most questions about the Godhead if we properly understand the dual nature of Jesus. When we read a statement in Scripture about Jesus we should determine whether it describes His deity, His humanity, or both. Moreover, whenever Jesus speaks in Scripture we must determine whether He is speaking from His position as a human, as God, or both. We should not think of two persons in the Godhead or of two Gods, but we should think of the divine Spirit and authentic human flesh.

In every way that we humans can speak of our humanity and our relationship to God, so could Jesus, except for sin. Yet He could also speak and act as God. For example, He could sleep one minute and calm the storm the next minute. He could speak as a human and then as God, while being both simultaneously.

We must always remember that Jesus is fully God and not merely an anointed man. At the same time, He was fully human, not having just an appearance of humanity. He had a dual nature unlike anything we have, and we cannot adequately compare our existence or experience to His. What would seem strange or impossible if applied to a mere human becomes understandable when viewed in the context of One who is both fully God and fully human at the same time.

I think it might be because Jesus was just honest with him that he believed. Jesus said he is meek and lowly in heart, so maybe for Jesus to tell him that it was enough for him to believe?

Sure, if there was nothing special or spiritual about Jesus’s reply to Nathaniel, just one of Jesus’s off-handed neutral no-meaning replies. Like he said “Hey, saw you today.” Nathaniel should’ve just replied “Okay…”

I read the surrounding verses. Jesus tells Nathaniel something about him and then when Nathaniel asks how Jesus knows him he said he saw him under the fig tree. Jesus knows all men so perhaps Nathaniel knew that he would have to be the Son of God to know that about him by looking at him.

Wow, you almost acknowledged some connection between Jesus and God.

Huh? Sorry, I wasn't trying to feud with you or anything. I was just talking about the verses. I didn't pick up on the significance of what you were saying about people praying under the fig tree, I was just talking about the verses. Thanks for sharing that.

Eh, you’re right. My attitude was a little argumentative. I appreciate your patience with my hard headedness

The truth lies somewhere in between these historical views expressed by various theologians. That Jesus had a complete human nature and the complete divine nature at the same time is the teaching of Scripture, but we cannot separate these two natures in His earthly life. It is apparent that Jesus was human in will, mind, spirit, soul, and body, but it is equally apparent that He had the fullness of the Godhead resident in His flesh. From our finite view, humanity and deity were inseparably joined in His one Spirit.

The divine Spirit could be separated from the human body by death, but His humanity was more than a human body—the shell of a human—with God inside. He was human in body, soul, and spirit with the fullness of the Spirit of God dwelling in that body, soul, and spirit. Jesus differed from an ordinary human (who can be filled with the Spirit of God) in that He had all of God’s nature within Him. He possessed the unlimited power, authority, and character of God.

Furthermore, in contrast to a born-again, Spirit-filled human, the Spirit of God was inextricably and inseparably joined with the humanity of Jesus. Without the Spirit of God there would have been only a lifeless human that would not have been Jesus Christ. Only in these terms can we describe and distinguish the two natures in Jesus; we know that He could act and speak from either role, but we also know that the two natures were not actually separated in Him. With our finite minds, we can make only a distinction and not a separation in the two natures that blended perfectly in Him.

Although Jesus had a complete human nature, He did not have the sinful nature of fallen humanity. If He would have had a sinful nature, He would have sinned. However, we know He neither had a sinful nature nor committed sinful acts. He was without sin, He did not sin, and sin was not in Him (Hebrews 4:15; I Peter 2:22; I John 3:5). Since He did not have a human father, He did not inherit a sinful nature from fallen Adam. Instead, He came as the last Adam, with an innocent nature like Adam had in the beginning (Romans 5:12-21; I Corinthians 15:45-49). Jesus had a complete, but sinless, human nature.

The Bible does indicate that Jesus had a human will as well as the divine will. He prayed to the Father, saying, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). John 6:38 shows the existence of two wills: He came not to do His own will (human will) but to do the Father’s will (the divine will).

That Jesus was a human in spirit seems evident when He spoke on the cross, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Although it is difficult to distinguish between the divine and human aspects of His Spirit, some references seemingly focus upon the human aspect. For example, “he sighed deeply in his spirit” (Mark 8:12), “waxed strong in spirit” (Luke 2:40), “rejoiced in spirit” (Luke 10:21), “groaned in the spirit” (John 11:33), and “was troubled in spirit” (John 13:21).

Jesus was human in soul, for He said, “My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death” (Matthew 26:38; see Mark 14:34), and “Now is my soul troubled” (John 12:27). Upon His death, His soul visited hell (Greek hades—the grave or the underworld of departed souls), just as all souls did before Calvary (Acts 2:27). The difference was that the Spirit of God in Jesus would not let His soul stay in hell (Acts 2:27, 31); instead He conquered hell (again, hades) and death (Revelation 1:18).

The human soul and spirit of Jesus was inseparably bound to the divine Spirit, so that He had one Spirit, not two. Otherwise, Jesus could have lived as a man even with the eternal Spirit taken away from Him. This did not and could not happen, since Jesus is God in flesh, and as God He never changes (Hebrews 13:8).

If we do not accept that Jesus was fully human, then the scriptural references to His temptations lose meaning (Matthew 4:1-11; Hebrews 2:16-18; 4:14-16). So does the description of His struggle and agony in Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-44). Two passages in Hebrews point out that since Jesus was tempted as we are, He qualifies as our High Priest, understands us perfectly, and helps us in our infirmities: “In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren” (Hebrews 2:17). “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Hebrews 5:7-8 says, “Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death and was heard in that he feared; though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” These verses do not present a picture of someone unaffected by the emotions of fears and doubts. Rather, they describe someone who possessed these human weaknesses; He had to subdue the human will and submit to the eternal Spirit.

As a genuine human, Christ prayed, cried, learned obedience, and suffered. The Spirit of God was in control and God was faithful to His own plan, but as a human Jesus had to obtain help from the Spirit and, had to learn obedience to the divine plan. Surely all these verses of Scripture show that Jesus was fully human—that He had every attribute of humanity except the sinful nature inherited from the Fall. If we deny the humanity of Jesus, we encounter a problem with the concept of redemption and atonement. Not being fully human, could His sacrifice be sufficient to redeem us? Could He really be a true substitute for us in death? Could He truly qualify as our kinsman redeemer?

Thanks for sharing about praying under the fig tree, I would not have known that otherwise. I must have frustrated you by completely ignoring what you said about that, lol.