Apologetics

---

The Hypostatic Union of Christ and the Believer
By Charles W. Fincher

Let me begin with a story, I am a story teller by nature.

I was living my life from day to day, going to work, trying to take care of my family; I had graduated from Bible College and had prepared to go into full time missions work near my home. I had a bright future, or so it would seem.

The mission job failed to come to fruition, things at my job became almost unbearable, my body began to show signs of rapid physical aging because of the nature of my job and the list goes on; we each have our own list of woes, it would take the rest of our lives to voice them all!

It was during this time after I had became unemployed that the thought of being retrained to go into a different line of work began to come to the forefront of my mind, but what type of work should I do? The notion of going into the medical field started to rise to the top of the possibilities.

When I had worked overseas in my younger days I was told by the medical missionaries that I would do well in that type of work, but being young and unsaved, I didn’t listen to them! So now nearly thirty years later, here I am ready to make my debut into the world of medicine! Or at least the medical office! One has to start some place!

I am happy to say that I am much older now, saved and a little bit wiser and I have completed my training in medical administration from a national university!

Okay, the story is over, I kept it short today for you. Let’s move on with what has been keeping me awake for many hours during the night. What is the Hypostatic Union of Christ?

There are mathematical equations we all have learned from the earliest age, used by anyone from school children first learning their numbers to the mathematical geniuses such as Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking.

1+1= 2, there is no other way to come to any other answer. There are variations of this equation when we start to subtract, multiply or divide, or when we use the higher forms of math, algebra, geometry or calculus, but the base unit of math is 1+1 =2.

Let me pause here to say that I make no claim to be an authority in matters of mathematics! I function at best on an average level towards the middle end of the scale!

Now that we have established the basis for our calculations, let’s proceed to the next level where precise units are calculated and consistency is required to achieve the desired outcome every time; pharmaceuticals.

As a medical administration student, I was exposed to a great deal of information on many topics that I would be dealing with once I finished my training. Pharmacology was one of those topics I enjoyed, though I still find it difficult to use the PDR (Physicians’ Desk Reference).

There is a term, “synergism” that describes the reaction of two different medications and their effect when combined. Davi-Ellen Chabner in her book, The Language of Medicine defines synergism as; ”Combination of two drugs causes an effect that is greater than the sum of the individual effects of each drug alone.” (1)

Likewise, Dorland’s Pocket 28th Edition Medical Dictionary defines “synergy” as, “1. correlated action or cooperation on the part of two or more structures or drugs.” (2)

My interpretation of the meaning of the word synergism is this, “the effect when used alone is not as effective as when combined with a second drug, thus making a new drug from two separate drugs.” Let me write this into an equation that I have developed. Drug A + drug B > drug A – drug B.

We all have personally experienced this concept when we take something for our colds and allergies. Read the box labels to get a better picture of this equation.

Some of you might be wondering right about now if I’m writing a math paper or theology paper? Now that we have established two constants in life that affect all of mankind, math and medicine, let’s move on as we explore the hypostatic union of Christ.

I have struggled with this concept, or at least how to present it in such a new way so that I’m not just copying what others have said before about the topic. What can the average believer take away from my time of study of this topic? I believe I have found such a means!

In my research I have consulted Mr. Ryrie and his book, Basic Theology (3). Mr. Ryrie defines in his book what the hypostatic union is.

“The result of the Virgin Birth was a God-man. God always was. The total human nature was conceived by the Spirit in the womb of Mary, and the Baby born was fully God and a perfect human being, united in one person forever. This is called the hypostatic union.” (4)

Scripture tells us plainly in John 1:14, “And the Word “Logos”, “transliteration mine” was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Also see Mt 1:18- 23; Lk 1:30-35; Rom1:3-4.

John Piper has a website, Desiring God, staff author David Mathis discuses the topic in a series of short articles; the site also has a discussion board so the readers may comment about the articles. (5, 6)

It was Dr. Richard I. Gregory (7) who first piqued my interest in the subject during a Sunday school class he taught one morning as a substitute teacher. Let me explain this union using an equation that I learned from Dr. Gregory.

Pre-incarnate Christ 100% God + 100% man (who was sinless) = Christ, the sinless Son of God, the God/man.

Rom 1:3, 4 gives us more insight into the matter. “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:”

Let’s look at it from a medical viewpoint.

Human ovum + Holy Spirit of God = Christ; the Holy Spirit being the third part of the Trinity as the impregnating power from God. Because Christ had no earthly father, the sin of Adam was not imputed upon Him until he was hanging on the cross at Golgotha!

What strikes me about this is that the obvious thing missing from the equation is “sin”. Because of the conception of Christ by the Holy Spirit, the imputation of man’s sins to Christ was made possible; without a human body, this would not have been made possible!

2 Cor 5:19 says, “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

1 Pt 2:24 goes on to tell us, “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.”

Yet, the other side of the coin is this, that the righteousness of Christ could be imputed to our account. 2 Cor 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

Because He is 100% God, God cannot sin; therefore Christ’s sacrifice can be accepted by God. Christ took on flesh and blood so that He could identify with us and our physical “sufferings”, but He as God did not sin because a Holy God cannot sin!

The old expression, “Never judge a man until you have walked a mile in his moccasins.” comes to mind. He experienced hunger and thirst, aches and pains as well as all of the emotions that we mortals experience in our life time.

Hebrews 2:9- 10 says it nicely, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.”

One area I have alluded to and is strong within my mind is this thought. Christ being the very image of God, 100%, not 50% or 99%, but wholly God, had to take on 100% of sinful flesh so that He could die for the sins of mankind.

In His pre-incarnate form, Christ could not be killed, in His future form, His resurrection body is described in the gospels, epistles and in the book of Revelation, there, He has a glorified body that can know no death! Lk 24:13-33, 36-40; Jn 20:19-20; Rev 1:13- 15.

The Holy One of God could only be a sacrifice for mankind if He had a human body like unto our own!

Without the flesh and blood that we have as containers for our souls and spirits, Christ’s death on the cross may have been an illusion to those who witnessed it that day, and the stories told of that day and the following days were created by men and women with over active imaginations!

Yet, if that is the reality of the matter, why have many countless numbers of the redeemed allow themselves to be murdered for the cause of Christ when it would have been far better for them at that moment to renounce Christ and live a while longer in this life?

To bring this to a close, the hypostatic union of Christ is critical to every true believer in Christ. A basic understanding of this concept is essential in our lives as followers of Him, and as His bride who awaits her groom on her wedding day!

Without Christ taking on human flesh, He could not have paid the price for our sins as the Father requires. On Golgotha, Christ died once and for all, for all of mankind, past, present and future!

His death was real, just as any human knows; He did not pretend to be dead as some theorize. Yet, on the third day, by the power of His divine nature within His dead human flesh, He arose from the dead, victorious over our enemy death! 1 Cor 15:54 - 57.

We who are in Christ have this hope, that as He is now, at the appointed time of the Father, we shall be like He is! 1 Cor 15:52, 53 says, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

The hypostatic union is our confidence and hope for a future time, that is because Christ is fully divine, the second part of the Trinity, and fully human, we have no longer need to fear death and the grave!

Bibliography

1. Chabner, Davi-Ellen; “The Language of Medicine”, Eighth Edition, Saunders, p 869
2. “Dorland’s Pocket 28th Edition Medical Dictionary”; Saunders, p 821
3. Ryrie, Charles; “Basic Theology”, Moody Press, hypostatic union, pp 287-289, 324
4. Ryrie, Charles; “Basic Theology”, Moody Press, hypostatic union, p 324
5. http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog, David Mathis, What is the Hypostatic Union?
6. http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog, David Mathis, Jesus is Fully Human.
7. Dr. Richard I. Gregory, Senior Pastor of Honesdale Gospel Tabernacle, Honesdale, PA; he is also the man who led me to Christ.

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE