The Gospel of John: Come and See the Incarnate Son of God

As we consider the nature of the Triune God, we’ve focused on the importance of the one shared essence of Father, Son, and Spirit. That shared essence means that they are co-substantial and not divided in any way. They don’t have three separate wills or act independently. It’s important to maintain Scripture’s teaching and not read how God functions in creation back into who God is in being. So when Jesus says, “The Father is greater than I,” he cannot refer to his status as “begotten” from the Father because he shares the divine essence and the Father is not “greater” than he. In the same way since the Spirit shares the divine essence, “preceding” from the Father and the Son, he is not lesser than either. They are one!

Another explanation remains and proves the simplest meaning of Jesus’ statement: the Incarnation. The incarnation is referred to as the “hypostatic union” or the “subsistence” of both the divine and human natures in one person. Jesus is “one” person with two natures. He is not two people, but one person with two natures (human and divine). This teaching was a point of contention in church history as scholars sought to define the person of Christ without violating scripture’s teaching. The teaching presents the great humility and love of God who gives himself for us in such a personal way.

It also helps us put Jesus’ statement in context, after all, it is the incarnate (in-flesh) Son of God who is speaking. In the context, he’s telling his disciples that they should rejoice that he is ascending back to the Father, for as a man, the Father is greater. Jesus is returning to the Father and the glory that he shrouded when he became man. But what’s amazing is that he will forever remain man, even in his ascended ministry. Join us as we consider this doctrine and its implications for our worship of Christ.