The Two Natures of Christ

Definition and Meaning

The term "two natures" denotes the central doctrine of Christology that Jesus Christ possesses both divinity and humanity in their fullness within a single person (hypostasis). The two natures are not mingled with each other, nor is one changed into the other. At the same time, they are neither divided nor separated. Theologians call this union of the two natures in one person the hypostatic union. The doctrine articulates the confession that the Son of God, who became man in the Incarnation, did not lose his divinity.

Biblical and Historical Background

Passages frequently cited as speaking of both Christ's divinity and his humanity include John 1:14, Philippians 2:6-8, and Colossians 2:9. Passages cited as showing his true humanity include Hebrews 4:15, among others.

The early church rejected Docetism, which denied Christ's humanity, and Arianism, which denied his divinity. In 325 the Council of Nicaea confessed that the Son is of the same essence (homoousios) as the Father. Two views later became the subject of controversy. One was Nestorianism, which was criticized for dividing Christ as though into two persons; the other was the teaching of Eutyches that Christ's humanity was absorbed into his divinity. In 451 the Council of Chalcedon defined that Christ possesses two natures in one person, "without confusion, without change, without division, without separation." This statement is commonly called the Chalcedonian Definition.

The Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the major Protestant churches accept this definition. The Oriental Orthodox churches, such as the Coptic and Armenian churches, by contrast, do not accept the Chalcedonian Definition and instead confess "one nature of the incarnate Word." They maintain that their position does not imply a mingling of the two natures.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean denominations differ little on the doctrine itself. Presbyterians confess it in Chapter 8 of the Westminster Confession of Faith, and the Reformed tradition confesses it in the Heidelberg Catechism. Methodists and Anglicans set forth the same teaching in Article 2 of the Articles of Religion each has inherited. Church members encounter the doctrine when they confess the Apostles' Creed in Sunday worship. Anglicans, Lutherans, and others also use the Nicene Creed.

Denominations do differ, however, in how they explain the relationship between the two natures.

• Lutherans emphasize the communication of attributes. They hold that Christ's human nature also participates in the attributes of the divine nature, and they connect this with their understanding that the body of Christ is truly present in the Lord's Supper.
• The Reformed churches emphasize the distinction between the two natures. They hold that the human nature of the ascended Christ is in heaven.

This difference is one of the points at issue in the Eucharistic controversies. Christology is also treated as one of the principal criteria when Korean denominations deliberate on designations of heresy.