Is Jesus of one Being?
Theological Interrogation Essay for Theology 1, Sept 2020
Jesus is one being with God because Jesus is fully human and fully divine seeking the restoration of humankind through an inseparable grace. Of one being is a God who dwells amongst humankind to offer transformation. I lay claim to Athanasius views that Jesus is of one being - fully divine and fully human – dwelling with to return us to our genesis state of being (Norris, 18-19; Athanasius in Norris 88, 94, 98). Scripture points to the importance of Jesus’ humanity and divinity as one. The humanity of Jesus allows an entry point to see Christ as one being with God and ultimately God’s openness to value all people at all intersections of their particularity for salvation.
In the Gospel of John, we hear “in the beginning was the Logos and the Logos was with God and the Logos was God” marking a truth that God and Jesus (Logos) have been and are one since Genesis. The divinity of God becomes one in flesh and dwells amongst humanity in John 1:14. Athanasius’ offering of why Jesus becomes human is rooted in humankind’s “origin (to be) relocated in God” (Athanasius in Norris 89, 92). I agree with Athanasius and see this restoration of humankind throughout scripture where “God is within Christ (Logos) reconciling the world” (2 Cor. 5:19 NRSV). This reconciliation within scripture is through a divine bodily form of Jesus that is shocking and scandalous proof of a God that is for us and in mutual relationship with us – a God who challenges, questions and transforms through their divine nature for our sake collectively (Rigby. 61, 63).
I need Jesus to be of a “new humanity” one that removes the oppressor, understands my suffering, and is born through the womb of a woman not corrupt. This Jesus in his new humanity offers forgiveness, solidarity and promise of the kin-dom of God (Migliore, 181-182). The embodied form of Jesus as one being knows the suffering of my community and of this world. Because Jesus is God being with us, God acts on behalf of all of us through the flesh’s suffering (Athanasius in Norris 93-94, 100).
It is critical, however, as Rigby offers us, to note that Jesus is a representation of humanity – not the sole example of humanity (58, 62). Jesus’ fully divine self offers an inseparable grace that is for all people. Although I resonate deeply with Athanasius, it must be stated how his theological understanding of Jesus as one being tastes of rightness instead of a God who operates in full mutuality for all. Rigby takes the hand of Athanasius and offers liberation to rightness and shows us Jesus of one being – a God who seeks mutual inseparable grace for all and values all people as worthy of salvation (Norris, 18-19; Rigby, 63-65; 72-73).
Through a divine God who desires mutual relationship, offers us the Logos as a way to commune, and scriptural evidence of God with us, we are invited to look at the “particular creatures that surround us to gain insight on what it means to claim that God has entered into existence with us” (71). Here, I believe, is where the claim Jesus is of one being with God is transformative. When such belief brings humankind to the table, despite difference or particularity, then we remain open to the value of all people as God does through Logos and in relationship with us. Therefore, leaving open the possibility for restoration of humankind. This is the scandal and shock of our belief in this claim – that God does this transformation with us.
If Jesus is not of one being with God, then the offering of mutual relationship through God’s divine intervention and dwelling is separated and thus the understanding of our suffering and need for God’s grace is disrupted. This pursuit of grace for all becomes nothing more than salvation for the few. Of one being is not mediator as Arius claims, but God with humanity, dwelling with our human condition in order to offer divine salvation (Athanasius in Norris, 94).