Article 2: I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, HIS SON,

OUR LORD

Lesson 5: Jesus as God and Man

Objectives:
Doctrine: Explain the truth that Jesus is both God and
Man
Morals: Identify three ways on how you can pattern your
life after that of Jesus
Worship: Create a personal prayer to Jesus
Where Are
What do you mean by the word “person?”

Person

1. Write the words that come to your mind when you hear or read the word
“person.”

2. From what you have written make a sentence that would give you the meaning
of the word “person.” Write your sentence in the box below.

Learning the Message

 We can define “person” from different points of view. To the modern mind, we
hear the word “person” we tend to think of a unique and distinct individual, someone
who has a unique and distinctive centers of consciousness, a person. With this, in mind,
we simply say that God cannot have three centers of consciousness otherwise we will
have three God’s not one.
In this lesson, we shall discover what person is the context of Jesus’ being true
God (divine) and true Man (human) yet ONE PERSON… the second person in the
Trinity.

Sacred Scripture
“For there is one God. There is also mediator between God and the human race,
Christ Jesus, Himself human, who gave Himself as a ransom for all.”

- 1 Timothy 2:5

God is one in three divine persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus,
the Son is the Second Person, the Word of God made man. In this first letter of Paul to
Timothy we can see the role of Jesus who is truly God (divine) and truly Man (human)
in one person- the Second Person of the Blessed trinity. Jesus, who became “God made-
man” saves us from sin and redeems humanity.

What are the two natures of Jesus?

Jesus Christ is the true God and true man, because in him there are two natures,
divine and human, but only one divine person. His divine nature is eternal and was
never created; his human nature is mortal and was conceived in the womb of the Virgin
Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit.
The Council of Ephesus (431 AD) declared that the two natures are united in one
divine person in the so-called hypostatic union. This union, also referred to as mystical
union, is beyond human comprehension and can be accepted only by faith.
In order to explain the union of the two natures into one person, the Church
suggested a two-color coding for the icons of Jesus: blue, the color of Heaven, to signify
his divine nature; and red, the color of blood, to signify his human nature.
What are the proofs of the divine nature of
Jesus?
The proof of the divine nature of Jesus Christ are the following:
1. The Prologue of St. John:
In the introduction to his Gospel, St. John the Evangelist declared that Jesus
Christ, referred to as the Logos or the Word of God, existed as God from all
eternity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the
Word was god: (John 1:1).

2. Jesus’ answer to Philip:

During the Last Supper, the apostle Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father. In
his reply, Jesus confirmed his divine nature: “Whoever has seen me has seen the
Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in
the father and the Father is in me? ’’ (John 14:9-10)

3. The profession of faith of St. Thomas:

After probing his fingers in the wounds of Jesus, St. Thomas made the profession
of faith in his divine nature, saying: “My Lord and my God “(John 20:28). And
Jesus commented: “Have you come to believe because you have seen me?
Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed” (John 20:29).

What are the proofs of the human nature of

Jesus?
1. The incarnation in Mary’s womb:
The Son of God became a real man in the womb of Mary, as Gabriel
announced unto her: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you shall name him Jesus” (Luke 1:31). St. John proclaimed: “And
the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:41).

The term incarnation comes from the Latin words in and carnem, which
literally means “to enter into the flesh,” or “to become a man.”

2. The death of Jesus:

The ultimate demonstration of the human nature of Christ is his death on the
cross, because god cannot die; only humans do. Jesus identified himself as
 Son of Man, when he said: “The Son of Man must be handed over to sinners
and be crucified” (Luke 24:7).
3. The teaching of St. Paul:
Paul declared that Jesus is the only mediator between God and man because
he is true God and also true man: “For there is one God, and one Mediator
between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5).

Sacred Scripture
“… Jesus then cannot be divided. He is one person, for this man Jesus is the
Eternal, Son of God made man.”
- Catechism for Filipino Catholics, 511-512

Jesus who is truly God and truly Man is ONE PERSON. He cannot be divided.
Jesus is the eternal Son of God who became Man in order to save us. For:

 Unless Jesus was truly man, He could not save us. How could he show us
the way to live an authentic human life if He was not Himself human?

 Unless Jesus was God, he could not redeem us for only an all holy,
immortal God can:
- free the whole human race from sin and death and
- give us a share in the fullness of divine life.

This is what we call the GOOD NEWS, that our Savior Jesus Christ is a man like
us and understands all our experiences as human beings. He is also our God whom we
worship and adore for He is one through whom the father created us and gave us life.
He has one identity: the Second person of the Trinity, who is both man and God for our
redemption.

We celebrate this truth in our devotion to the Sacred Heart because in the heart
of Jesus we can find the compassion love of God; or to the Black Nazarene, because in
His death we find His ultimate love for us, or to Christ the King, because He is our Lord
and King, a true servant leader of His people.
Let’s Share
Doctrine
Jesus is the eternal Son of god made man in time. He is one person with two natures:
human and divine.
1. Jesus is truly human because:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. Jesus is truly God because:

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Morals
Jesus, who is one person truly God and truly Man, shares His person for others
especially to the least, the lost and the last.
3. I choose the following specific actions as personal steps in becoming like Jesus:
a. ____________________________________________________________________
b. ____________________________________________________________________
c. ____________________________________________________________________

Worship
Jesus the God-man is the truth of all Christian worship. All our prayers and
devotions must be rooted in Him. Besides praying to Jesus, we pray through Him with
Him, in Him in the unity of the Holy Spirit to the Father.
4. Write a prayer of praise to Jesus who is truly human and truly God.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
Reference/s:
1. MATURING in JESUS CHRIST 8
Authors: Sr. Aileen U. Bonifacio, SPC. M.A
Sr. Mary Rosella U. Faypon, SPC. Ed. D.
Sr. Caritas de St. Paul Sevilla, SPC, M.A.
Fr. Joseph L. Roche, SJ, Ph.D.

2. THE APOSTLES CREED

Author: Rev. Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI