Article XIX
The Union of Two Natures
The person of the Son is inseparably united to human nature, with both natures retaining their distinct properties even through death.
We believe that through this conception, the person of the Son was inseparably united and joined to human nature, so that there aren't two Sons of God or two persons, but two natures united in one person, with each nature retaining its distinct properties. Just as the divine nature has always remained uncreated, without beginning of days or end of life, and fills heaven and earth, so the human nature didn't lose its properties but remained created, having a beginning of days, being finite in nature, and retaining everything proper to a true body. And although by his resurrection he gave it immortality, he nevertheless didn't change the reality of his human nature, since our salvation and resurrection also depend on the reality of his body.1 But these two natures are so closely united in one person that they weren't separated even by his death.
The Unbroken Divinity in Death
Christ's divine nature remained united to his human nature even in the tomb, ensuring his efficacy as both God and man for our salvation.
What he entrusted to his Father as he died was a true human spirit, which left his body; yet the divine nature always remained united to the human nature, even while the body lay in the tomb. And the divinity continued to be in him, just as it had been in him when he was a little child, although for a short time it was not revealed in the same way.23 That is why we confess him to be true God and true man: true God, so that by his power he could conquer death, and true man, so that he could die for us through the weakness of his flesh.
Read the original Latin
Nous croyons que par cette conception la personne du Fils a été unie et conjointe inséparablement avec la nature humaine, de sorte qu'il n'y a point deux Fils de Dieu ni deux personnes, mais deux natures unies en une seule personne, chaque nature retenant ses propriétés distinctes. Ainsi que la nature divine est toujours demeurée incréée, sans commencement de jours ni fin de vie, remplissant le ciel et la terre: la nature humaine n'a pas perdu ses propriétés, mais est demeurée créature, ayant commencement de jours, étant d'une nature finie et retenant tout ce qui convient à un vrai corps. Et encore que par sa résurrection il lui ait donné immortalité, néanmoins il n'a pas changé, la vérité de sa nature humaine; attendu que notre salut et résurrection dépendent aussi de la vérité de son corps. Mais ces deux natures sont tellement unies ensemble en une personne, qu'elles n'ont pas même été séparées par sa mort. Ce qu'il a donné en mourant recommandé a son Père c'était un vrai esprit humain, lequel sortit de son corps, mais cependant la nature divine demeura toujours unie à l'humaine, même étant gisante au tombeau; et la divinité ne laissait d'être en lui, comme elle était en lui quand il était petit enfant, quoique pour un peu de temps elle ne se démontrât pas ainsi. Voilà pourquoi nous le confessons être vrai Dieu et vrai homme: vrai Dieu pour vaincre la mort par sa puissance, et vrai homme, afin qu'il pût mourir pour nous selon l'infirmité de sa chair.
Notes
- 1 ↩The comma after “changé” appears extraneous; the phrase has been translated according to its clear intended syntax.
- 2 ↩The French is syntactically compressed and likely textually defective. It has been rendered according to the evident sense: what Christ entrusted to his Father as he died was his human spirit.
- 3 ↩The feminine participle points to the human nature, but the immediate physical sense concerns Christ's body lying in the tomb.
The Belgic Confession companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit