Is Jesus Christ truly God, truly human, or both?
Jesus Christ is both truly God and truly man, united without confusion, change, division or separation in one divine Person.
From all eternity, the Son of God is the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, consubstantial with the Father. At the Incarnation, he took on a complete human nature—with a human body, a human intellect, and a human will. He experienced hunger, fatigue, joyful friendship and deep sorrow, being like us in all things except sin.
This unity is known as the hypostatic union. Because Jesus is fully God, he has the power to save us and forgive sins. Because he is fully human, he can stand in our place as the true High Priest, offering his life for our redemption and opening the way to eternal communion with God.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 464
- John 1:1
- John 1:14
- Philippians 2:6-7
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.