“Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you.

”
(1Pet 3:15)
E Lecture III: Biblical Defense of Our Faith E
E The One Nature (Entity) & Incarnation:
It is impossible to say that Virgin Mary gave birth to the Divine Nature alone, because she gave
birth to a visible child. Also, she did not give birth to the Human Nature alone; otherwise, we revert to
the Nestorian Heresy. Moreover, the Virgin Mary did not give birth to the Human Nature and the Divine
Nature, otherwise, it would be said that she had two sons: one being God and the other a man. Our Lord
Jesus Christ is not two Sons, one being the Son of God (Divine Logos) to be adored, and the other being
a man (Human Nature) not to be worshiped. As St. Athanasius stated, “He is not bi- natured, to one we
worship and to the other we do not. But He is rather of One Nature (One Entity) before whom we kneel
down in one genuflection”. Therefore, our worship is not offered to the Divine Nature apart from the
Human Nature. There is no separation and consequently all worship is offered to the ONE Incarnate
God. For this reason, we worship this born Child and say, ‘Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal,
who was born of the Virgin, have mercy upon us’.

• “That Holy One who is born will be called the Son of God.” (Lk 1:35)
• “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; … His name will be called Wonderful,
Counselor, Mighty God …” (Isa 9:6)
• “Behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,
which is translated, ‘God with us’.” (Mt 1:23)
• “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Lk 1:43)
Notice that Virgin Mary was called “Mother of God” while still pregnant.
• “When the fullness of time had come, God sent His Son (Divine Logos), born of a woman.”
(Gal 4:4)
• “Great is the mystery of godliness; God was manifest in the flesh.” (1Tim 3:16)
E The One Nature (Entity) & Redemption:
The belief in the One Nature (entity) of the Incarnate Logos is essential for soteriological
reasons: Redemption and salvation require unlimited propitiation sufficient for the forgiveness of the
unlimited sins of all people through all ages. These sins were also committed against an unlimited God
and therefore require unlimited atonement. If we mention Two Natures and say that the Human Nature
alone was crucified receiving disgrace and suffering, while the Divine Nature astonished us with
miracles, then it would be entirely impossible to achieve unlimited propitiation (redemption).

• “For had they known, the y would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1Cor 2:8). St. Paul did
not say, ‘They would not have crucified the man Jesus Christ’. The term “Lord of glory” affirms
the One Nature (entity) and its necessity for redemption and salvation. Our Lord Jesus Christ was
crucified in the body (Human Nature), which was united with the Divine Logos in One Nature.
This is the essential basis for salvation.
• Likewise, St. Peter said that the Jews killed “The Prince of Life”(Acts 3:15). He used a term
denoting the Divine Nature when he was speaking about the death of the Human Nature, which
emphasizes their unity into One Nature (entity).
• Our Lord Jesus Christ Himself did not separate His Two Natures, He said, “I am the First and the
Last. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore”(Rev 1:17). Thus
He who was dead is the same who is the First and Last. Again, no separation, but One Entity.
• “He who did not spare His Son, but delivered Him up for us all…” (Rom 8:32), “For God so
loved the whole world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son…” (Jn 3:16).
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 • “He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins ” (1Jn 4:10). The one
sacrificed is the only-begotten Son, the Divine Logos, the Second Hypostasis (person) of the
Holy Trinity. The Holy Bible did not say that He sacrificed His Human Nature even though it
was His Human Body that died on the cross. This is a clear evidence of the One Nature (entity)
of the Incarnate Logos.
• Likewise, it is written, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into
the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the
forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God” (Col 1:13-14). When Holy Scripture
speaks about the forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ, it attributes this to the Divine
Logos who is the Image of the invisible God. This is more evidence of the One Nature (entity).
E Did the Divine Logos suffer?
Surely, the Divine Nature is not susceptible to suffering, but when the Human Nature underwent
suffering, it was united with the Divine Logos. The Holy Fathers explained this point through the
analogy of the red-hot iron. They said that when the blacksmith strikes the red-hot iron, the hammer is
actually striking both the iron and the fire united with it. The iron (Human Nature) alone bends (suffers)
whilst the fire (Divine Nature) is untouched though it bends with the iron. Nevertheless, suffering which
is related to the Human Nature can be attributed to the Divine Nature without distinction due to their
union, as there is no separation between the two Natures.
St. Paul said, “Shepherd the Church of God which He purchased with His own blood” (Acts
20:28). Here we see St. Paul ascribing the blood to God (Divine Nature) even though God is Spirit (Jn
4:24) and the Blood is that of His Human Nature. But as we said that after the union of the Two Natures
One Entity resulted to which we refer.
E The One Nature (Entity) & The term ‘Son of Man”:
No doubt, the term ‘Son of Man’ refers to the Human Nature of our Lord Jesus Christ just as the
term ‘Son of God’ refers to His Divine Nature. However, our Lord Jesus Christ used the term ‘Son of
Man’ on several occasions where He meant ‘Son of God’, which proves the One Nature (entity) after the
union:

• He told Nicodemus, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that
is the Son of Man who is in heaven” (Jn 3:13). Of course it is the Divine Logos who is in
heaven at the same time as this conversation is taking place, but our Lord Jesus Christ refers to
the Divine Nature with the same term that is used for the human one indicating the One Entity
after their union. Also, “What then if you should see the Son of man ascend where He was
before?” (Jn 6:62). Obviously, He who was in heaven is the Divine Logos. But our Lord Jesus
Christ says concerning the Human Nature what applies only to the Divine Logos due to their
unity into One Entity.
• Our Lord Jesus Christ said, “for the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mt 12:8). Since
the term ‘Son of Man’ refers to the Human Nature and ‘Lord of Sabbath’ refers to the Divine
Logos, then being put in one statement is another proof of the one Nature after their union
• Also, “The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins ” (Mt 9:6). No one forgives sins
except God alone and this is why the Jews accused Him of blasphemy (Mt 9:3). But in this verse
our Lord Jesus Christ actually meant the One Nature of the Incarnate Logos.
• “The Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward
each according to his works” (Mt 16:27). Since the terms ‘His Father’ and ‘His angels’ refer to
the Divine Nature also judging the world will be done by the Divine Nature, thus, using the term
‘Son of Man’ indicates the unity of the Two Natures into one Nature of the Incarnate Logos.

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 E Other Examples:
• St. John said, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom
of the Father, He has declared Him” (Jn 1:18). The Divine Logos declared the Father when
He was incarnate in the fullness of time. Can we say that the one who declared the Father
was his Human Nature? No, because St. John says that it was the only begotten Logos who
declared Him. But we know that it is the man Jesus Christ who declared Him indicating the
One Nature after the union.
• Our Lord said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (Jn 8:58). He did not say ‘My Divine Nature
existed before Abraham’, but said ‘I AM’ proving the unity and oneness of His Nature.
• St. Paul said about the Jews when they were in the wilderness of Sinai, “They drank of that
spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ” (1Cor 10:4). It is well known
that the Jews were in Sinai fourteen centuries before the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. So
how could He be with them quenching their thirst unless St. Paul was speaking about the
Divine Logos? Yet the Divine Logos was not called our Lord Jesus Christ until the time of
his Incarnation. But due to the One Nature (entity) the apostle did not distinguish or separate
and spoke about the eternity of our Lord Jesus Christ (the man) and His presence before His
birth. Likewise, he said, “Let us not tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were
destroyed by serpents” (1Cor 10:9). Also, about Moses the prophet, it was said that he was
“esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt” (Heb 11:26).
• The angel said to St. Joseph that St. Mary will bring forth a Son and that he shall call His
name Jesus for “He will save His people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). Only God can save His
people from their sins, but the angel attributes this act to the man Jesus proving the One
Entity of the Human and Divine Natures. The same can be said about all the miracles of our
Lord Jesus Christ.
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* This Lecture is adapted from ‘The Nature of Christ’ by H.H. Pope Shenouda III.

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