By Giuseppe Monno
Two Natures, One Person, One Personal Subject
When the fullness of time had come, the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son, assumed human nature—taking on flesh animated by a rational soul—and became man (John 1:1, 14; Galatians 4:4; Philippians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 10:5–7), while remaining fully God (John 10:30; 16:15; 20:28; Acts 20:28; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1).
As defined by the Fathers at the Council of Chalcedon (451), in Christ, the incarnate Word, two natures—divine and human—are united without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation. Each nature remains fully intact within the unity of the one divine Person of the Son. Thus, Christ possesses two natures, yet is one Person with a single personal subject. His humanity has no independent personal center apart from the Person of the Son, as reaffirmed by the Fathers at the Council of Ephesus (431).
Two Natural Wills
Just as Christ has two natures, so too He has two natural wills: one divine, shared with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and one human. These are not in conflict. Rather, Christ’s human will is perfectly and freely aligned with His divine will, without resistance or hesitation, as taught by the Fathers at the Third Council of Constantinople (681).
Accordingly, Christ’s words—“Father, not my will, but yours be done” (Matthew 26:39) and “Your will be done” (Matthew 26:42)—express His human will in loving submission to the divine will. Likewise, Hebrews 10:7: “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.”
Two Modes of Operation
The same council (Constantinople III, 681) also affirmed that Christ acts according to both His divine and human natures. Each nature operates in a manner proper to itself, yet always in unity with the one Person of the Son.
Thus, His miracles manifest His divine power, while His sufferings belong to His human nature. Yet all these actions—divine and human alike—are the acts of the one and same Christ.
The Knowledge of Christ
According to theologians, including Benedict XVI, Christ possesses three kinds of knowledge: acquired, infused, and beatific.
– Acquired knowledge: like that of any human being, developed through experience (Matthew 15:34; Mark 8:27; Luke 2:52; John 11:34).
– Infused knowledge: granted directly by God to His human intellect; filled with the Holy Spirit and His gifts (Isaiah 11:1–3), Christ knows even the hidden thoughts of the human heart (Mark 2:8; John 2:25; 6:61).
– Beatific knowledge: the direct and perfect knowledge that flows from His unique union with the divine Word, through which—even in His humanity—He fully knows all things (John 21:17).
From the very moment of the Incarnation, Christ possesses the fullness of knowledge in a perfect and complete way.
Christ’s Soul and Sanctifying Grace
Because Christ’s divine and human natures remain distinct, His human soul is not replaced by the Person of the Son but is united to Him. This soul is endowed with sanctifying grace, which elevates it and enables it to live in perfect communion with God, as in every human being—yet in a unique and unsurpassable way. Scripture also affirms that Christ “grew in wisdom and grace” (Luke 2:52).
The Immediate Vision of God
As one with the Father (John 10:30) and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9; Acts 16:6–7; Galatians 4:6), Christ does not live by faith, but by direct and immediate vision of God. From the very first moment of the Incarnation, He is fully aware of His identity as the Son of God made man.
All That Belongs to Christ Is Attributed to the Person of the Son
Because Christ’s humanity is united to the Person of the Son, everything that pertains to His human nature can be attributed to Him personally. Thus, it is correct to say that God suffered, died on the cross, and rose again on the third day—not because the divine nature can suffer or die, but because the one who suffered and died is truly God in His person.
The Worship of Christ in Both Natures
Christ, true God and true man, is to be adored in both His divine and human natures with one and the same worship, since His humanity belongs to the Person of the Son. As affirmed by the Fathers at the Second Council of Constantinople (553), the Son of God is to be venerated together with His flesh.