The Importance of the "One Nature" For Propitiation and Redemption

 The belief in the One Nature of the Incarnate Logos is essential, necessary and fundamental for redemption. Redemption requires unlimited propitiation sufficient for the forgiveness of the unlimited sins of all the people through all ages. There was no solution other than the Incarnation of God the Logos to offer this through His Divine Power. Thus, if we mention two natures and say that the human nature alone performed the act of redemption, it would have been entirely impossible to achieve unlimited propitiation for man’s salvation. Hence comes the danger of speaking of two natures, each having its own specific tasks. In such case, the death of the human nature alone is in sufficient. Accordingly St. Paul Says: "For had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory. “(1 Cor. 2:8). He did not say; they would not have crucified the man Jesus Christ. The term "Lord of Glory" here affirms the One Nature and its necessity for redemption, propitiation and salvation; this is because the one who was crucified is the Lord of Glory. Obviously, He was crucified in the body, but the body was united with the Divinity in One Nature, this is the essential basis for salvation. St. Peter says to the Jews: "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you and killed the Prince of Life.” (Acts 3:14,15). Here he confirms that the One crucified was the "Prince of life" a term which denotes divinity. St. Peter never separated the two natures or facts involved in the crucifixion, due to the importance of their unity for the enactment of redemption. St. Paul also says in his letter to the Hebrews: "For it became Him, for whom are all things in bringing many sons unto glory to make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. “(Heb. 2:10) Whilst suffering, He never forgot His divine message: "For by Him were all things created. "(Col. 1:16). In another instance St. Paul says: "For Him and by Him all things." When the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to St. John the Visionary, He said to him; "I am the First and the Last, I am He that lives, and was dead and behold, I am alive for evermore Amen... and have the Keys of hell and death. “(Rev. 1:17,18). Thus it is He Who was dead that is the First and the Last and in Whose Hands are the keys of hell and death. Here Christ did not separate His Divine nature from His human nature while speaking about His death. Therefore, He who died is the Lord of Glory, the Prince of life, the Prince of Salvation and the First and the Last. It is very dangerous, for our salvation, to separate between the two natures. Perhaps some would say ‘who declared such separation? Is it not the Council of Chalcedon that declared the belief in two united natures?! Yes, it did but the Tome of Leo says also that Christ is two: God and man, the One astonished us with miracles and the other received disgrace and suffering! What then? If that one being is alone the receiver of suffering, then where is the salvation we gained?

 The One Nature and the Suffering

 Surely, Divinity is not susceptible to suffering, but when the human nature underwent suffering, it was united with the divine nature. Thus pain was inflicted upon this one Nature. This Explains why the Creed set by the Holy Council of Nicea says, "The Only-Begotten Son of God descended from heaven, was Incarnate and became man and was crucified for our sake in the reign of Pilate, suffered and was buried and rose from the dead". There is a great difference between saying that the human nature alone, apart from the Divine nature, suffered, and that the Incarnate Only-Begotten Son was crucified, suffered, was buried and rose from the dead. Thus, here we find the advantage of believing in the One Nature which provides effective unlimited redemption. But, did the Divinity suffer? We say that, essentially, the Divine nature is not susceptible to suffering yet He suffered due to His humanity, and was physically crucified. Hence we say in the prayer of the None (the sixth hour), "You Who have tasted death physically in the sixth hour" He, the man, united with the Godhead, physically died and His death provided unlimited atonement. The holy fathers explained this point through the aforementioned clear example of the red-hot iron, it is the analogy equated for the Divine Nature which became united with the human nature. They explained 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 alone bends (suffers) whilst the fire is untouched though it bends with the iron. As for the crucifixion of Christ, the Holy Bible presents us with a very beautiful verse; St. Paul the Apostle speaks to the bishops of Ephesus asking them: "... to feed the Church to God which He has purchased with His Own Blood" (Acts 20:28); he ascribes, the Blood to God, although God is Spirit, and the Blood is that of His human nature. This expression is the most wonderful proof of the One Nature of the Incarnate Logos; what is related to the human aspect can be attributed to the Divine nature at the same time without distinction, as there is no separation between the two natures. The separation between the two natures claimed by Nestorius failed to provide a solution to the question of propitiation and redemption.  We often say "Mr. X died" but we do not say that his body alone died, seeing that the spirit is in the image of God, and God has bestowed on it the blessing of immortality. If the first aim of the Incarnation is redemption, and redemption cannot be fulfilled through the human nature alone, faith in the One Nature of the Incarnate Logos is an essential and undeniable matter. Redemption cannot be fulfilled if we say that the human nature alone underwent suffering, crucifixion, blood-shedding and death.

 Turn to the Holy Bible and read what it says about God the Father, "He that spared not His Own Son but delivered Him up for us all.) (Rom. 8:32) and also, "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish..." (John. 3:16), and "But that He loved us, and sent His One Son to be the propitiation for our sins.) (1 John. 4:10). Thus, the One sacrificed by God is the Son, the Only Begotten Son, that is, the Second Hypostasis (Person) of the Holy Trinity; the Logos. The Bible did not say that He sacrificed His humanity or anything of the kind although He died on the cross with His human body, this is clear proof of the One Nature of God the Logos, and herein is the importance of this unity for the act of redemption. The Bible also says in this context, "God the Father Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of His Dear Son, in

Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the Image of the Invisible God." (Col. 1:13-15). When the Bible speaks about the forgiveness of sins through the Blood of Christ, it attributes this to the Son Who is the Image of the Invisible God, and to Whom is the kingdom. This is more evidence of the One Nature and the concern of the Holy Bible dealing with the matter of redemption. Another Similar example is apparent in the parable mentioned by Christ about the wicked vinedressers. He says: "But when the vinedressers saw the Son.. They caught

Him and cast Him out of the vineyard and killed Him. " (Matt. 21:37-39). Here, death is attributed to the Son, and He did not specify His human body. How profound are these words concerning the One Nature". The Holy Bible proves to us the One Nature of Christ by attributing to the Incarnate Word all acts and qualities that some attribute to one of the two natures, and we shall start by quoting the verses which throw light on the Son of Man.

 The Term "Son of Man"

 The Use of the Term "Son of Man" Where Reference is to the Divinity: No doubt, the term "Son of Man" denotes the human nature of Christ just as the phrase "Son of God" denotes His Divinity. However, our Lord Jesus Christ used the term "Son of Man" on several occasions where He meant "Son of God" of which I mention a few: (1) He explained that the Son of Man is in heaven and on earth. He told Nicodemus "no man has ascended up to heaven but He that comes down from heaven, even the Son of Man which is in heaven.” (John. 3:13). So who is that Son of Man who descended from heaven? And who is he that is in heaven and speaks to Nicodemus on earth? Is it the Divine nature or the human nature? He cannot be the Incarnate Logos. Therefore, this statement very clearly indicates the One Nature. (2) The Lord Jesus Christ said, "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day.” (Matt. 12:8) If the expression "Son of Man" means (or denotes) the human nature, and "the Lord of the Sabbath" denotes the divine nature, then being put together in one statement is another proof of the One Nature. (3) He said that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins (Matt. 9:6). But no one forgives sins except God alone. So was the one who said to the paralyzed man "Your sins are forgiven" the human nature or the Divine one? Is it not preferable to say that it is the Incarnate Logos? (4) The Lord Jesus Christ says that the Son of Man is the One Who shall Judge the world. So is it the human nature that will judge the world or the Divine nature? He also says: "For the Son of man will come in the Glory of His Father with His angels and then He will reward every man according to his works. “(Matt. 16:27). We notice here that: He says the "Son of Man” and at the same time "in the glory of His Father". That is: He defines "Son of Man" and "Son of God" in one statement, indicating the One Nature. Further He Says: "The Son of Man with His angels" while the words "His angels" indicate His Divine nature.

Thus, we notice here that the term "Son of Man" cannot indicate the human nature alone nor the Divine Nature alone, but indicates the unity of the two natures or the One Nature of the Incarnate Logos. (5) We find the previous term in (Matt. 25:31-34): "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit upon the throne of His Glory... and He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand come you blessed of My Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world". Here the "Son of Man" and "Father" are used in one phrase. This means that the speaker is the Son of Man and the Son of God at the same time. And the Son of Man is the One Who will Judge the World while judgment proceeds from the Son of God (John. 5:22). And here the unity of natures (the One Nature) is obvious. (6) The Lord Jesus Christ said to the high priest during His trial, "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven." (Matt. 26:63-65). In this context, St. Stephen said at the time of his martyrdom: "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God?" (Acts 7:57). So, who is the one sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heavens? Is He the One with the human nature or the one with the Divine nature?

It is impossible to separate here but we can say that it is the One Nature, the Nature of the Incarnate Logos. (7) The Son of Man calls the Angels "His angels" and the elect "His elect" He says, "And He (the Son of Man) will send His angels with great sound of a trumpet, and they shah gather together His elect...," (Matt. 24:29-31). Here, as the "Son of Man", He acts as God, we cannot explain this phrase by saying that in one instance it is the human nature and in the other it is the Divine nature. For the speaker is the Lord Jesus the Son of Virgin Mary, as well as the Son of God, the Judge of the whole world, Who has supreme power over the angels and can send them, and has power over human beings and can collect His elect from the extremities of the heavens. It is One Nature which cannot be split or severed into two. (8) Our Lord Jesus Christ, talking to His disciples said, " What, and if you will see the Son of Man ascend up where He was before.” (John 6.·62). What is important here is the phrase "Where He was before" meaning that he was in heaven at first. Obviously He who was in heaven is the Son "Hypostasis". But here, due to the One Nature, He says concerning the Son of’ Man what He says about the "Hypostasis" of the Son because He is the Incarnate Word. This is consistent with what He said to Nicodemus about the Son of Man that is it "He that came down from heaven.” (John. 3:13), while he that came down from heaven is the Son "hypostasis", meaning the Divine nature. In the same sense, St. Paul says about the Lord Jesus Christ that He is the "Lord from heaven." (1 Cor. 15:47).

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