For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
While this Scripture may be the most famous attestation of the generosity of God, it contains a loaded expression that led to a heated debate about the identity of Christ. As the “only begotten Son” of God, some questioned the combined humanity and deity of Christ.
The answer that orthodox Christians say is simply, both, but getting there took some work.
The Council of Ephesus ruled that the mystery of Jesus was that He was simultaneously fully God and fully man. The council agreed on 12 anathema statements drafted by Cyril of Alexandria in contrast to the heretical views of Nestorius of Constantinople.
We view the first 6 today and the remaining 6 tomorrow.
“1. If anyone does not confess that Immanuel is God in truth, and therefore that the holy virgin is the mother of God (for she bore in a fleshly way the Word of God become flesh), let him be anathema.
2. If anyone does not confess that the Word from God the Father has been united by hypostasis with the flesh and is one Christ with hHis own flesh, and is therefore God and man together, let him be anathema.
3. If anyone divides in the one Christ the hypostases after the union, joining them only by a conjunction of dignity or authority or power, and not rather by a coming together in a union by nature, let him be anathema.
4. If anyone distributes between the two persons or hypostases the expressions used either in the Gospels or in the apostolic writings, whether they are used by the holy writers of Christ or by Him about Himself, and ascribes some to Him as to a man, thought of separately from the Word from God, and others, as befitting God, to Him as to the Word from God the Father, let him be anathema.
5. If anyone dares to say that Christ was a God-bearing man and not rather God in truth, being by nature one Son, even as “the Word became flesh”, and is made partaker of blood and flesh precisely like us, let him be anathema.
6. If anyone says that the Word from God the Father was the God or master of Christ, and does not rather confess the same both God and man, the Word having become flesh, according to the Scriptures, let him be anathema.”
The Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431) confirmed these statements to bring clarity to the church and to address heresies that had emerged causing division and dissension. Here again is where this council falls in the bigger picture looking back.
1. Council of Nicea (A.D. 325)
2. Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381)
3. Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431)
4. Council of Chalcedon (A.D. 451)
5. Second Council of Constantinople (A.D. 553)
6. Third Council of Constantinople (A.D. 680)
7. Second Council of Nicea (A.D. 787)
Today’s header photo comes from the cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra that dates back to A.D. 1050. It illustrates the third of the seven councils.
I really like the mural for this council and how it portrays the proceedings. You see Emperor Theodosius II in the middle, Cyril of Alexandria on the right, Nestorius of Constantinople on the left, and about 250 bishops looking on.
Cyril prevailed. But the victory was not for him or his camp but for Jesus. So to celebrate, let’s reflect again on today’s Scripture. It’s one of the most beautiful statements in the Bible about generosity and the identity of Jesus.
God loved you and me so much He gave His only Son. Jesus was born in human flesh of Mary, fully man. And yet He Himself attested to His oneness with the Father, fully God.
God did what He needed to do to make a way to life for me and you. He did not send help, He came.
Take a moment today to pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your attention someone who may not know or believe in Jesus. Pray for an opportunity to share Christ with them. Just like Mary played a part, you and I can too. Otherwise, they may end up anathema.
Don’t send help to them. Move toward them and ask the Spirit to lead and guide you.