Hypostatic Union, Mystical Union and Salvation

In his book “Hypostatic Union of Christ”, Jude Irenaeus traces the history of this concept through the first centuries of Christianity. The book shows how the hypostatic union gradually became clearer over the course of controversies and councils, culminating in a central doctrine of Christianity describing the union of two natures — divine and human — in one and the same person (or “hypostasis”), Jesus Christ who is both fully God and fully man. These two natures are neither mixed, nor confounded, nor modified by their union.

The foundations of a reflection on the nature of Christ began in the second century with Justin of Nablus, Irenaeus of Lyons and Tertullian. During The Arian Crisis in the fourth century, Athanasius of Alexandria forcefully defended the full divinity of Christ against Arianism, which denied this divinity. The Council of Nicaea (325) affirmed that Christ is “consubstantial” with the Father, marking a decisive step in the formulation of the hypostatic union. The Council of Ephesus (431) reaffirmed the unity of the person of Christ and condemned Nestorianism, which separated the divine and human natures of Christ too radically. At the Council of Chalcedon (451), the definitive formula of the Hypostatic Union was produced and remains a reference for Christian Christology.

Theologians such as Cyril of Alexandria played a key role in the formulation of this doctrine, insisting on the unity of the person of Christ despite the distinction of His natures.

Jesus Christ is both fully God and fully man

Eternally God, He assumed human nature at His incarnation through the virginal conception of Mary. This incarnation enables Him to truly identify Himself with the human condition and His weaknesses (Hebrews 2:17 “For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.”), and above all to accomplish the redemptive work by offering His life as a ransom for sins through His death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-11). Thus, the doctrine of hypostatic union affirms that, without confusion or alteration of natures, Christ is one person, truly God and truly man, for eternity.

Don’t fall into mistakes

Remember the following details to avoid errors.

1. The nature of “Man” and that of “God” are united. This union is:
2. No Confusion: They don’t mix to create a “third nature” (like pink is the mix of red and white). Jesus is not a “half-God, half-man”.
3. Without change: Divinity does not become humanity, and humanity is not absorbed by divinity. Each nature keeps its properties intact.
4. Without division: One cannot separate the “Jesus man” from the “Jesus God”.
5. Without separation: They always act together as one person.

A metaphor for this union is the image of iron being heated red.

• Iron and fire are two distinct natures.
• Iron does not become fire, and fire does not become iron (no melting/mixing).
• Yet, in hot iron, the two are totally united: if you touch iron, you touch the heat of fire. Iron works with the power of fire.

How had the hypostatic union taken place?

The kenosis of Christ (from the Greek kenosis, “emptying” or “humiliation”), described in particular in Philippians 2:5-8, refers to the act by which the Son of God, while remaining fully divine, “emptied” or “humiliated” himself by taking on human nature, accepting the limitations and suffering of the human condition. This concept, to which a chapter in the first collection was devoted, is often seen as the movement by which God makes himself accessible to humanity. Christ’s kenosis describes that Jesus sometimes submitted to human limitations (John 4:6, 19:28) and at other times acted by the power of His divinity (John 11:43, Matthew 14:18-21). In both cases, it was the unique person of Jesus who was acting. Jesus had two natures, but one personality.

There is a close and inseparable relationship between these two concepts “Kenosis” and “Hypostatic Union”, because they describe two facets of the same precise event that theology calls the Incarnation. If the hypostatic union describes the “what” (the state of Jesus), kenosis describes the “how” (the act of humility). This relationship is seen as one of complementarity and logical dependence between these two concepts. Without kenosis, there would be no incarnation, and therefore no hypostatic union. But the hypostatic union is the doctrine that defines the permanent reality of Christ after the incarnation. Kenosis is therefore the means by which the hypostatic union is achieved.

Imagine a king who renounces his privileges to live as a peasant (kenosis). Once he has taken on this identity, he is both king and peasant in one person (hypostatic union). Kenosis is the act, the hypostatic union is the reality that follows from it.

In other words, without kenosis, the hypostatic union could not have taken place. Kenosis is therefore the necessary condition for the hypostatic union to exist.

• The initiative comes from the “Logos” who assumes a human nature and who has decided to add a human nature to His divine nature (John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us…”). In order for the union to be perfect and sinless, human intervention is limited. From the moment of conception, Jesus’ human nature never existed apart from His union with the divine person of the Son. There is the uniqueness of the subject since there is only one “I” in Jesus. The “I” of Jesus is indeed that of the divine person of the Son of God, and not of a separate human person. This hypostatic union means that in Jesus, human nature and divine nature are united in one person, “the Son”, making His consciousness and words Divine. When He says, “I thirst”, it is the Divine Person who is expressing a need of His human nature. When Jesus resurrects someone, it is the Divine Person who acts through His divine nature.

The Council of Chalcedon declares that for union to take place without destroying one of the two natures, certain truths must be maintained:

• The divinity does not become limited.
• Humanity does not become all-powerful.
• They coexist perfectly in the unity of the person of Christ.

How is the Hypostatic Union Maintained?

The Bible mentions that the Holy Spirit is the agent that makes possible and sustains the union between divinity and humanity in Jesus Christ. Here are the details of His role:

• Formation of union: The Holy Spirit is the One who has “prepared” and “formed” the human nature of Christ to be united with the divine person of the Son without confusion (Luke 1:35 “The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.”).
• Sustaining the union: Although Jesus was God, He lived out His earthly ministry relying on the Holy Spirit so that His human nature would act in perfect harmony with His divine nature (Luke 3:21-22 “²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.””. Acts 10:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.”).
• The Bond of Faithfulness in the Sacrifice: The union was maintained even in the extreme suffering of the Passion, where the Spirit sustained the humanity of Jesus to remain subject to the divine will (Hebrews 9:14 “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”).
• The Guarantee of Resurrection: The hypostatic union is not broken by death; the Spirit is the one who restores life to the human body of Jesus, thus confirming His identity as the Son of God (Romans 8:11 “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”).

Kenosis and Hypostatic Union: Abstract Theological Concepts?

In short, like the doctrine of the Trinity, the doctrine of Kenosis and the doctrine of hypostatic union remain a mystery beyond full human comprehension. The very nature of God exceeds the capacities of the finite intelligence, and the human mind cannot claim to grasp the divine infinity exhaustively. Jesus had always been God (John 8:58, 10:30), but through His incarnation, He became a human being (John 1:14). The union of human nature with divine nature gave Jesus Christ, the God-man who is both fully God and fully man.

However, by faith, these two doctrines become a theology that is not abstract, since they are the very engine of salvation. Without the Incarnation and this dual nature, reconciliation between God and humanity would be impossible.

Meditation: Do not confuse the persons in the Trinity or divide the person of Christ. Thus, while the Trinity expresses personal plurality within the one essence of divine nature, the hypostatic union affirms the personal unity of Christ in the real distinction of His two natures.