God, With, Us: Incarnation in Three Soundbites

I. Summary: The human Jesus is the divine Jesus
1. Jesus is fully human
2. Jesus is fully divine
3. Jesus is one person
Heresies are inferences that compromise one or more of these

II. Humanity
Taken for granted in the New Testament
Theological conclusions from Jesus' humanity:
1. Romans 5:12-21: Jesus can recapitulate, reverse sin
2. 1 Corinthians 15: Jesus' resurrection is paradigmatic
3. Hebrews 2:14-18, 4:15-16, etc.: Jesus can intercede

III. Divinity
Why so subtle in the New Testament?
Surface indicators: "Prooftexts" (biblical one-liners)
John 20:28, Rom. 9:5, Heb. 1:8, 1 John 5:20, Titus 2:13 + 2 Peter 1:1, John 1:1, John 1:18, John 8:58
Why so few?
Deeper indicators: Roles and acts of Jesus (narratives)
A role in creation: 1 Cor. 8:6, Col. 1:16, Heb. 1:2, John 1:2-3
Sovereignty over creation:
Calming the storm, walking on water, feeding miracles
Forgiving and judging: Healing the paralytic, sheep and goats, 2 Cor. 5:10
Central role in salvation: Luke 19:10, "savior" title, healings/exorcisms
Special relationship with the One who sent him:
Baptism, transfiguration, Matt. 11:27
Special relationship with the Holy Spirit:
John 14:26, John 15:26, John 20:21-23, Acts 2:33, 38
Special relationship with both: Matt. 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14
Deepest indicators: Pervasive worship practices (liturgies)
"Lord" (kurios): 1 Cor. 16:22, Phil. 2:5-11 (after Isa. 45:22-23)
Nicea, 325 and Constantinople, 381 affirm both humanity and divinity
IV. Unity
How are they one? Two ancient schools of thought on "hypostatic union":
1. Alexandria: "Word-flesh" Christology (cf. John 1)
Danger: Liable to compromise Jesus' true humanity
2. Antioch: "Word-man" Christology (cf. Mark 1)
Danger: Liable to compromise Jesus' unity or divinity
Chalcedon's uncompromising compromise, 451 (after Ephesus, 431):
In Christ divinity and humanity are "without confusion, change, division, or separation"
Result: Communication of attributes (communicatio idiomata)
Each nature influences (without compromising) the other
Chalcedonian orthodoxy implies divine humanity (Athanasius) — and human divinity (Luther, Barth)
Analogy: Red-hot iron (John of Damascus)
My alternative interpretation sees a "concurrence of relations":
The relationships constituting divine personhood and human personhood concur in one person
Either way, incarnation grounds doctrines of salvation (e.g., Anselm)