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Singular Essence of Christ
by Phil Maxwell March 23, 1999
I was recently challenged for suggesting that the "singular essence"
of Yahshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) is human, a man. Although redundant, I included the
adjective "singular" to emphasize the point in contrast to the commonly held
position that Yahshua was/is both fully God and fully man, a position generally referred
to as the "dual nature" of Christ doctrine. Although I have long considered my
position to be diametrically opposed to the "dual nature" doctrine, this
encounter drew my attention to the fact that the words used in this debate indicate
otherwise.
In reality, the thoughts and conclusions embodied in these terms may well be direct
opposites, but, nevertheless, the matter seems worthy of further scrutiny. I do not
characterize my understanding of Yahshua as "singular nature" for reasons, and
it occurred to me that there may be reasons that my opponents don’t adopt the term
"dual essence" for reasons, as well. Although I wouldn’t use the term
"dual nature" myself, upon deeper reflection, I don’t necessarily disagree
with the technical implications of the term in regards to Yahshua. More on that later, but
first, we should begin with a couple dictionary definitions:
Essence - The basic or necessary constituent of a thing; intrinsic nature, as
contrasted with what is accidental, ephemeral, or superficial.
Nature - The particular combination of qualities belonging to a person, animal,
thing, or class by birth, origin, or constitution.
Obviously, these words are similar in meaning, but are not absolute synonyms.
“Essence” is inherently singular, as it deals “THE basic or necessary
constituent of a thing” or its “INTRINSIC nature,” as opposed to the
potentially numerous and possibly superficial qualities that may comprise something’s
“nature.” Whereas my nature may be depicted in any number of ways, my essence is
that of a human, or more specifically, a man. The questions ‘what is my
essence?’ and ‘what is my nature?’ do not necessarily elicit the same
answer, and neither do the same questions in regards to Yahshua the Son of God. Therefore,
before any debate between these apparently opposing notions of Yahshua’s
‘singular essence’ or ‘dual nature’ can be conducted, the terms need
to be reconciled. Like two cars passing each other on a highway, they may go in opposite
directions, but they never meet.
This was originally intended to be a defense of the term “singular essence” as
it was challenged in the aforementioned debate. However, the direction of my thoughts
turned as I embarked on this because I realized that Yahshua did in fact exhibit both
human and deity like qualities. Thus, I found that I was in basic agreement with the
position I sought to challenge, that Yahshua has a “dual nature,” at least from
the perspective this is generally rendered. I offer this qualification on perspective for
reasons that I will become clear later. I still maintain, however, that His essence is
human and that, therefore, statements of His essence that don’t agree with that, such
as ‘Yahshua (Jesus) is God,’ are inaccurate.
Since those who hold to the ‘dual nature’ doctrine generally describe this
position as meaning that Yahshua is both fully God and fully man, I can only conclude that
they mean that Yahshua has a dual essence, even if not explicitly stated as such. Saying
that Yahshua’s nature represents both that of God and man is one thing, but saying
that He IS God and that He IS man, is quite another thing altogether. Thus, while I can in
good conscience stipulate that Yahshua naturally had both the qualities of His Father,
God, and his human mother, I differ with the apparent meaning of the ‘dual
nature’ doctrine, which indicates that He had/has a dual essence. The fact that one
bears attributes or rank through inheritance does not make one the same as their mother of
father, which points to the fallacy of the concluding that Yahshua is God based upon the
record of Him exhibiting qualities and power that He repeatedly stated came from His
Father.
John 5:19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever
he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just;
because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye
know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I
speak these things.
John 5:22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in
heaven and in earth.
The Scriptures give us some very clear bearings on the essence of Yahshua and of God,
Yahweh, the Father, which I'll get to shortly. First, however, it is important to note
that there are some basic premises that apply to the concept of essence. In particular, by
definition, essence deals with the basic composition or make up of something. While there
may be a plurality of words that can depict essence in any given case, they must all
describe the same basic composition. Therefore, any true statements of essence about any
given thing must be synonymous, complimentary, or harmonious.
For instance, I can say that my essence is human, or I could say that I am a person, both
statements being synonymous descriptions of my essence. I could also say that I am a man,
which would be a harmonious, more detailed statement of my essence. On the other hand, I
could not truly say that I am a human and also that I am a dog or a rock (really asking
for it there, I know), because the essence of dogs and rocks are neither synonymous,
complimentary, nor harmonious with the essence of a human. The point is that if something
is explicitly stated to be of a particular essence, then it necessarily cannot be of any
other incompatible essence. If I state that I am a man, therefore, I am also eliminating
any possibility that I am a rock, a dog, a tree, a cup of soup, and an infinite array of
other things which have an “intrinsic nature” that is incompatible with my
essence as a man.
Thus, in regards to the matter at hand, if we can document in the Scriptures that the
essence of God is not compatible with that of a man and vice-versa, then we can absolutely
conclude that any being that has the intrinsic nature of a man is not God. Without any
conjecture necessary, the Scriptures do so state:
Num 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he
should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not
make it good?
1 Sam 15:29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man,
that he should repent.
Job 9:32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come
together in judgment.
Clearly, Yahweh, the One, True God Almighty, is not and cannot be a man, which is to
say of human essence; His essence and human essence are incompatible. The picture of
Yahweh’s essence and nature is further illuminated by the fact that He is an eternal,
invisible Spirit:
John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and
in truth.
2 Cor 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is
liberty.
1 Tim 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour
and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Heb 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as
seeing him who is invisible.
To complete the picture, the Scriptures also show that Yahweh is eternally
unchangeable:
Mal 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not
consumed.
Ps 102:26-27 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like
a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art
the same, and thy years shall have no end.
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the
Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
Looking at it from the other angle, there are numerous declarations written in the Word
of God that Yahshua’s essence is, in fact, human:
1 Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ
Jesus;
1 Cor 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God
among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as
ye yourselves also know:
Of course, there are many other references to Yahshua that clearly depict His humanity,
including His own frequent references to Himself as the “Son of man,” but that
is not the point of contention here. Those who espouse the “dual nature”
doctrine do not deny Yahshua’s humanity, they simply add that in addition to being a
man (human essence), He is also God (Yahweh’s essence). There isn’t even any
dispute over the fact that Yahshua’s words, actions, and attributes represented both
human and divine elements. The point is that Yahweh the Almighty God’s essence (not
nature) is incompatible with that of a man. Therefore, we have a valid negative statement
of essence that the Scriptures affirm: If God is not and cannot be a man, then a man
cannot be God. Likewise, the Scriptures also allow a positive statement of essence
regarding Yahshua: He is a man. What more need be said? Yahshua is a man, so, therefore,
to say that Yahshua IS God cannot be true, regardless of what else may be said in regards
to His essence and nature. While saying that Yahshua is the image of or like God is in
perfect harmony with the Scriptures, to say that He IS God is not accurate, although
‘likeness’ is a term that requires further qualification.
As I indicated earlier, my technical agreement with the term “dual nature” in
regards to Yahshua is qualified by what I believe is the perspective from which it is
generally rendered. The nature of man may be viewed in the context of how we are in our
fallen state as the descendants of Adam or how we are becoming and shall eternally be in
our glorified state as the descendants of Yahshua, the last Adam. From the former
perspective, we see a huge gulf between us and our Creator, and, likewise, between us and
the righteousness of Yahshua. Nevertheless, there is also plenty of basis for us to
identify with Him as a man, as well. He is, after all, both the Son of man and the Son of
God. Thus, we understandably conclude that He possessed both the nature of God and man,
seeing these two aspects of Yahshua as being quite distinct.
However, from a spiritual vantage point, we know that mankind as descended from Adam is
far from being all that Yahweh the Creator intended from the beginning and has declared in
the end. Man was made to be conformed to the very image of Yahweh, and Yahshua, the first
begotten of the dead (us), presently represents that complete, perfect design. As we are
to walk by faith rather than sight, we should be able to at least get a glimpse of
man’s nature in this context. As Yahshua was and is, so are those who are begotten of
the Spirit both the sons (daughters) of man and the children of God. When human essence is
viewed in an eternal context, suddenly, the huge gulf between the nature of man and the
nature of Yahweh is not nearly so great!
When Yahweh created man, He didn’t begin some haphazard work to be improvised from
then on:
Isa 40:28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the
LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no
searching of his understanding.
Isa 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are
not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:
Eccl 3:11 He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in
their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to
the end.
Rather, He made man by a perfect design that included his eventual perfection, which
otherwise stated, is to dwell in His very own image and glory:
Gen 1:26-27 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: ....So
God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female
created he them.
Gen 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in
the likeness of God made he him;
Gen 9:6 ....for in the image of God made he man.
1 Cor 11:7 ...forasmuch as he [man] is the image and glory of God:
James 3:9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are
made after the similitude of God.
1 Sam 2:10 The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he
thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength
unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.
Isa 43:5-7 Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather
thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back:
bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth; Even every one that
is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have
made him.
This work, the creation of man to dwell forever in the image and glory of Yahweh the
Creator, was manifested at the time appointed in the very beginning in the person of
Yahshua, God’s own Son:
Mark 1:14-15 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the
kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a
woman, made under the law,
In Him, for the first time since the beginning of time, mankind got their first glimpse
of his ultimate destiny, a man who represented the image of God:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
2 Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not,
lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them.
In Christ, the unfolding revelation of the work that Yahweh set in motion long ago has
been manifested in the world. From that point, by design, commences a gathering unto
Christ:
Gen 49:10 The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his
feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
John 12:32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Of course, God sending forth His Son still represented only the beginning of the new
man, man conformed to the Creator’s image and glory:
1 Cor 15:45-49 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the
last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but
that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the
earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they
also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as
we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
Eph 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness.
Col 3:10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him
that created him:
When we consider the essence of man in his final, perfected and glorified state,
instead of seeing a huge gulf between Yahshua and us we see absolute similarity:
2 Cor 3:18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
Col 1:25-28 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is
given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from
ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make
known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ
in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in
all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
As I previously indicated, the real source of confusion on the essence of Yahshua is
rooted in the failure to recognize the fulness of Yahweh’s creation of man. This is
not just a matter of what Yahshua was when He walked the earth, but one that reaches to
what He is now, or His essence as the first begotten of the dead: the risen, exalted, and
glorified Son of God. Recognizing that this image does not conform to what most of us
would normally consider the essence of humanity, we must consider not only what
Yahshua’s essence was, but what it is now. However we describe Yahshua’s
essence, He is the very image of God, and not only that, but we shall be like Him:
I Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we
shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we
shall see him as he is.
As we know, there “is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus.” [1 Tim 2:5] Yahshua, the Son of God, “is the image of the
invisible God,” [Col 1:15] and we are to be conformed by the power of God to be just
as Yahshua is (present tense). While recognizing that terms like ‘image’ or
‘likeness’ can have broad, context sensitive implications, in no case does it
infer like substance or essence. (Obviously, if God is invisible, the image of God is not
a physically visible image.) In fact, if something is the ‘image’ of something
else, then they are necessarily not one and the same thing. On the other hand, regardless
of context, in order to qualify as being the ‘image’ of something, there most
certainly must be ample similarities of some sort.
This leads back to the beginning of creation, where the Creator of the ends of the earth
brought forth man from the dust of the earth by the power of His Word and determined that
he would be in His own likeness or image. Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no
vision, the people perish,” and the word ‘vision’ here specifically
refers to prophetic messages. It is vital that we discern the destiny set forth by the
Word of Yahweh for the redeemed of the earth, lest we perish.
I've been accused of trying to reduce Yahshua to be less than He is for presumed purposes
of setting a lower standard or mark for us. Nonsense. First of all, I don’t give one
whit whether someone agrees with me that Yahshua was and is a man and not God. However,
the Bible clearly and repeatedly sets forth a mark for us to aim our sights upon being
just like He is, of the same essence and nature, resurrected, glorified, incorruptible,
and partaking in His inheritance. We are to be as gods, yes, and we are to be the very
image of Yahweh, the invisible Almighty Spirit who created all things, but we are not to
be the Almighty God. There is, always has been, and always will be only one God and Father
of all. Mankind was designed to be in His image and likeness, not to be Him, and the same
is true of the Lord Yahshua, who is the head of the body that consists of the children of
God. Though the head, He is still a part of that same group, the children of God.
If someone can show any difference between the essence of Yahshua and that of the redeemed
of the earth from the Scriptures, I’d like to see it. My Bible says that when we see
Him, we will be like Him, and that we are being changed into the same image that He is.
What image is that? The image of the Creator! Isaiah wrote and Paul reiterated that the
glory that is before man in the resurrection is beyond anything ever seen, heard, or even
thought of. This doesn’t just apply to those of us still working our salvation out
with fear and trembling on this earth, it applies to Yahshua, who has already been
received into glory.
We desperately need to quit thinking about humanity solely in the context of corruptible
man in the flesh and start thinking about man as He was designed to be. The inability to
see the human essence of Yahshua is simply, in my opinion, a manifestation of a lack of
vision of the completed creation of man. We aren’t even supposed to be striving to be
as Yahshua was in the flesh, at least not as an ultimate goal. We are to be as He is, now
and forever, present and future tense. The perspective that sees Yahshua as dual natured
is symptomatic of a failure to see man as the eternal, glorified, exalted creature he has
been designed to be.
This is exactly what Peter exhibited when he thought to build altars not only to worship
Yahshua, but also Moses and Elijah, when they were given a vision of glorified mankind at
the transfiguration. John even got corrected for worshipping an angel, and man is to rule
over angels! We need to open our eyes, go back to Genesis and follow the Scriptures all
the way through, because its there, over and over again - man is destined to glory! Those
who think that stating that Yahshua is a man, as the Scriptures do, diminishes His glory
and honor need to think again about what the Scriptures say about the essence of man in an
eternal context.
So, again, although I disagree, I’m not bothered by the fact that most think that
Yahshua is God. I’m deeply disturbed by the implication of this, though, which is
that this creates a Scriptural disconnect between where we are and where we are supposed
to be headed. Wrong goals lead people in wrong directions. We will be hard pressed to make
our way down the narrow path and through the strait gate that leads to eternal life if we
don’t have a clear bearing on what our goal is. As the writer of Proverbs stated, “where
there is no vision, the people perish.”
There aren’t any Scriptural promises that we will become God Almighty, or even that
we will be as He is. When we say “Yahshua (or Jesus) is God” we indirectly, but
absolutely eliminate any possibility that we can be as He is, of the same essence. Either
that, and/or we set ourselves up for a great deception to think ourselves more than we
are. Let's think about that for a moment. Clearly we are directed to have our hopes and
ambitions set towards being as Yahshua is, but if He is God, what are we striving for?
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut
down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also
upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. [Isa 14:12-14]
We are to follow Yahshua, the second man, who overcame sin and death that we might be
where He is and like He is - one with the Father, the very image of Yahweh the Creator.
Yahshua is not only our Lord and Savior, He is also a brother to the children of God. He
was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, but completed the course His Father gave Him,
being now set at the right hand of God and reigning supreme over all creation. He did not
cease being a man, he simply passed into the glorified place Yahweh has made for all who
will follow His Son. We are bid to come unto Yahshua, to cease from our labors and enter
into His rest, and if we will, we have unspeakable glory before us. Will we cease to be of
human essence in the resurrection? Of course not. Rather, we will be transformed into the
fulness of the human beings our great God intended for us from the beginning.
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through
their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they
also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are
one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world
may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they
may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation
of the world. [John 17:20-24]
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the
heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath
revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep
things of God. [1 Cor 2:9-10]
And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men,
and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with
them, and be their God. ...He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his
God, and he shall be my son. [Rev 21:3,7]
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. [Matt 6:21]
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