I believe in One Lord Jesus Christ
Why Jesus is fully God and fully man
THEOLOGYREFLECTION
As long as we love Jesus, that's all that matters, right?
Last Friday, we Catholics celebrated the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. During the homily, I couldn't help but reflect on how Jesus has been working in my life as the Good Shepherd. I was in awe of His willingness to seek out even one lost sheep, leaving the other ninety-nine behind. As someone who has felt like that lost sheep, words can’t fully express how grateful I am to have a friend like Jesus. I want to know Him more deeply.
I’ve found that true love naturally leads to a deep desire to truly know the other person—especially what makes them distinctively who they are. For example, I'm always eager to learn more about my fiancée and what makes her uniquely herself. I want to understand her family of origin, how and where she was raised, what she’s working on in her PhD research, and why she loves me the way she does. Simply saying you love someone, without the desire to know them more deeply, results in a shallow love.
The same is true in our relationship with Christ. After all, didn't Jesus command us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength? Genuine love for Him should stir in us a desire to know Him—His heart, His story, and what makes Him who He is.
Now, I'm not saying our knowledge of Jesus has to be perfect. I haven't been to heaven and back, and I don’t believe there will be theology exams at the pearly gates before God lets us in. But because we love Jesus, we naturally want to understand Him rightly and to defend Him when He is misunderstood, misrepresented, or falsely accused. Just as we would stand up for someone we love here on earth, our love for Christ should compel us to seek truth about Him and speak that truth with both conviction and compassion.
With that out of the way, let's set the record straight about Jesus—and why the Christian understanding of Him as both fully God and fully man is not only central to our faith, but also the most coherent and compelling way to understand who God is.
If Jesus wasn't God, then His crucifixion didn't matter
The central tenet of our Christian faith is that God created human beings that ended up rejecting Him through our sin. Throughout the Old Testament, God prepared His people through ongoing revelations, just like how parents educate their children gradually, but it didn't stop there. God loves His creation so much that He sent His only begotten Son to redeem us on the cross and enable us to have the right kind of relationship with Him.
Before Jesus came, our relationship with God was broken beyond repair. No amount of good deeds, animal sacrifices, or efforts on our part could restore that perfect connection. God’s holiness demanded a perfect sacrifice—one without flaw or sin—to atone for humanity's continuous rebellion. This is precisely where Jesus' divinity becomes crucial. Because He is fully God, His sacrifice is infinitely valuable and sufficient to bridge the gap between us and God. Only the divine Son could meet the righteous demands of God’s justice while offering grace and forgiveness to humanity.
If the one on the cross wasn't truly God, then it would have been just some random dude dying on the cross, one among many who suffered and died. His sacrifice, in that case, would have no lasting power to save humanity, rendering our entire Christian faith meaningless. But because Jesus rose from the dead—a fact supported by strong historical evidence—He cannot be merely human. The resurrection reveals that He is more than a man; He is truly God, conquering sin and death on our behalf.
As St. Athanasius famously wrote:
"The Word of God became flesh so that we might be made gods... the body of the Word, then, being a real human body… died; yet because the Word was in it, death and corruption were utterly abolished."
This truth underscores why Jesus' divinity is essential—only God incarnate could defeat death and offer salvation to humanity.If Jesus wasn't fully man, His cooperation with God the Father to die on the cross wouldn't be genuine
If Jesus wasn't fully man, then His cooperation with the Father wasn't genuine
The idea of the Incarnation can be summarized as "God became man". This is important because throughout the Old Testament, sin entered the world through man (Adam), and therefore sin has to be conquered by a man. What makes Christianity unique among many other religions is that instead of humanity striving to reach God on our own, God Himself comes down to our level in Jesus Christ. Through this act, He makes it possible for us to be lifted into His divine life. This wouldn't be possible without Him being a fully human first.
In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup pass. But not as I will, but as you will." This moment reveals Jesus' true humanity—He experiences real fear and anguish, even wishing to avoid suffering. Yet, in full obedience and trust, He submits to the Father's plan.
This shows that Jesus’ humanity is essential because He genuinely faced the pain and fear of the cross, choosing love and sacrifice for our salvation. Understanding this helps us appreciate the depth of His love and encourages us to follow His example of surrender and faith to God.
Because Jesus walked through suffering Himself as a full human, His redemption becomes deeply personal—not just the work of an all-powerful being demonstrating power from afar. I'm reminded that I'm never alone in my struggles. When I face moments of despair or hardship, I can bring my fears and doubts honestly before Him, knowing He understands and cares deeply. This gives me strength to persevere and hope that no matter how dark things feel, His love is greater and His grace is enough to carry me through.
Furthermore, His resurrection brought forth a glorified body—one that ascended into heaven. This gives me hope and joy, knowing that life after death in friendship with God is not just a vague idea, but a real, embodied future. Jesus didn't rise as a spirit; He rose in a physical, glorified body. That promise of resurrection wouldn’t be possible if He hadn't taken on a real human body and nature. Because He rose as one of us, we can look forward to rising and spending eternity with Him.
Closing remarks
I could go on and on, as this is a profound and rich subject, but I'll pause here and include some further references at the bottom of this blog post for those who want to explore more. To close, I want to share a powerful declaration from the Nicene Creed—one of the foundational statements of the Christian faith that clearly affirms the true nature of Jesus Christ:
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made. For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.
This ancient creed beautifully encapsulates what we have been exploring: Jesus is truly God and truly man—fully divine, fully human—who came to redeem us and restore our relationship with God. His life, death, resurrection, and promised return form the heart of our hope and faith.
If our understanding of Jesus, God the Son, is flawed, then we won't be able to fully appreciate His sacrifice and love for us and live it out in this life.
Further readings: