The Humanity and Deity of Christ: Why the Object of Faith Matters

Series: Sola Fide: The Heart of the Gospel — Why Faith Alone Still Matters in a Confused Age
Author: Dave Jenkins

The Reformers were not content to say, “we are saved by faith alone”; they were careful to add, “in Christ alone.” Faith itself does not save. The power of salvation lies in the object of faith: the Lord Jesus Christ, who is truly God and truly man.

Every false religion, every cult, and every theological distortion ultimately fails at this point. They either deny Christ’s full deity—reducing Him to a created being or moral example—or they deny His full humanity—making Him a distant figure untouched by weakness or suffering. Yet Scripture insists that saving faith must rest in the Christ who is truly God and truly man, the eternal Son incarnate for our redemption. To misplace our faith is to lose the gospel itself. As Jesus warned, “Unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).

The True Object of Saving Faith

Saving faith is not vague spiritual optimism or trust in an abstract “higher power.” It is personal trust in the real, biblical Jesus. The apostle Paul writes, “There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). The Savior must be both God and man to accomplish redemption.

• As man, He represents us before God, obeying where Adam failed and dying as our substitute (Romans 5:18–19).
• As God, His obedience and death possess infinite worth, able to satisfy divine justice and grant eternal life to all who believe (John 1:1, 14; Hebrews 9:14).

If Jesus were merely human, His death could not atone for the sins of the world. If He were merely divine without true humanity, He could not stand in our place. The gospel depends entirely on the truth that the eternal Son became flesh—“Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Faith, therefore, must grasp the whole Christ—His person and His work. Anything less is another gospel.

The Confessional Witness

The early Church fought tirelessly to preserve the truth of Christ’s two natures. The Chalcedonian Definition (A.D. 451) summarized this doctrine clearly:

One and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved.

The Reformed confessions stand firmly in this stream. The Westminster Confession of Faith (8.2) declares:

The Son of God, the second person in the Trinity… did, when the fullness of time was come, take upon Him man’s nature, with all the essential properties, and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin… so that two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, the Godhead and the manhood, were inseparably joined together in one person.

The Belgic Confession (Article 19) likewise affirms that the divine and human natures are united in one single person, not divided into two Sons. This union is not a theological abstraction—it is the foundation of redemption. Only the God-Man could bear the penalty of sin and reconcile God and humanity.

Why Getting Christ Right Matters

Faith is only as good as its object. A counterfeit Christ cannot save. When cults call Jesus “a god,” or when liberal theology reduces Him to a moral teacher, they offer a christ who cannot redeem. Likewise, mystical movements that present Jesus as an inner spiritual force separate Him from the flesh-and-blood Redeemer of Scripture.

Paul warns of those who “preach another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4). Saving faith must rest on the biblical Christ, not a cultural or sentimental substitute. As Athanasius rightly said, “What He has not assumed He has not healed.” If Christ did not truly take our nature, we remain unredeemed.

Faith in the Whole Christ

True faith unites the believer to the whole Christ—not merely to His teachings or example, but to His person. Scripture presents Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King.

• Prophet: He reveals God’s truth (John 1:18).
• Priest: He offers Himself as a perfect sacrifice (Hebrews 7:25–27).
• King: He rules and defends His people (Philippians 2:9–11).

Saving faith does not merely agree with facts—it entrusts the soul to the living Christ. Through faith, the Holy Spirit unites believers to Christ so that His righteousness becomes ours, His death our death, and His life our life. This union depends entirely on who Christ is—God and man in one person.

The Humanity We Need

Scripture insists that Christ’s real humanity is essential for our salvation and comfort. Jesus hungered (Matthew 4:2), wept (John 11:35), grew weary (John 4:6), and suffered (Hebrews 2:18). These were not illusions but genuine human experiences.

Hebrews 4:15 assures us that our High Priest sympathizes with our weaknesses. Because Jesus is truly human, He knows our frailty. Because He is truly divine, He can actually save us. His humanity also guarantees our future resurrection, for the risen Christ reigns bodily in heaven (1 Corinthians 15:45).

The Deity We Depend On

Equally vital is Christ’s full deity. Only God can bear the infinite weight of divine wrath. John declares that the Word “was God” and that this same Word “became flesh” (John 1:1, 14). If Christ were not God, His death would be noble but not saving.

Because the One who died is the eternal Son, His sacrifice has infinite value and eternal efficacy. His deity ensures that He can grant eternal life to all who believe (John 10:28).

Contemporary Distortions of Christ

Today, Jesus is often presented as a moral example, social reformer, or therapeutic presence. Others promote a “cosmic Christ” detached from the historical Jesus of Scripture. Each of these distortions undermines the gospel. The object of saving faith is not an idea or experience, but a person—the incarnate Son who lived, died, and rose again in history.

The Implications of Right Belief

1. Assurance: Christ’s perfect mediation secures our salvation (Hebrews 7:25).
2. Access: Through His humanity we approach God with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).
3. Adoration: The God-Man alone is worthy of worship (Revelation 5:9–13).
4. Imitation: His incarnate life shapes our obedience (Philippians 2:5–8).
5. Hope: His resurrection guarantees ours (1 Corinthians 15:20–23).

The Faith That Saves

Saving faith is a Spirit-wrought trust in the real Jesus as He is revealed in Scripture. It looks away from self and rests wholly on Him. It confesses with Thomas, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).

Conclusion

The object of faith determines the reality of salvation. Sola Fide must never be separated from Solus Christus. To believe in the true Christ—the eternal Son made flesh—is to possess eternal life. The humanity and deity of Christ are not abstract doctrines; they are the very means of our salvation and the foundation of our hope. The true Christ alone can save. He alone is worthy of our trust, our praise, and our everlasting faith.