Jesus Christ is God’s only son; two essences converge in him: divine and human. The divinity of Christ is vital for Christians because it shows that the deification of the human body is possible, as well as the divine embodiment in the personality of an ordinary individual. In addition, it was the divine nature of Christ that allowed him to accept a sacrifice for the sins and sufferings of people. The divinity of Christ shows Christians the idea of divine all-forgiving love, thus bringing together the human and the divine as essences and closely intertwining them. Man, being created in the image and likeness of God, is the creator in the world, while God entirely created the world. Thus, it is appropriate to speak of the importance for Christians not only of the natural divinity of Jesus Christ but precisely of the fact that his figure combines the divine and the human. This close interweaving becomes the foundation of Christian anthropology, psychology, and existentialism.
Investigators and ordinary people can draw several conclusions from the divinity of Christ that, in a modern reading, seem anthropocentric. First, God is cognizable because through the knowledge of his son, “acquaintance” with him, a clear understanding of God is possible. It rejects the solipsistic intentions of some people about the unknowability of the world. Secondly, salvation and the forgiveness of sins are available to man. The example of Christ shows that it is possible and necessary to come to him voluntarily (Etzel & Small, 2016). He sacrificed himself of his own free will, being the infinite God and giver of the world; he didn’t have to do it. Thirdly, the divinity of Christ shows the reunion of God and man and their inseparable connection.
Many examples of Jesus Christ’s image as an outcast or a sinner in modern culture detract from his divine nature. Although the sculpture of Homeless Jesus was created by the devout sculptor Timothy Schmaltz and approved by Pope Francis, this work of art exalts the human nature of Christ and detracts from the divine. Christ is presented as poor and not needed by anyone, which is a priori impossible in his divine nature. However, such a sculpture draws attention to the severe problems of humankind and the sinfulness of modern people.
Reference
Etzel, G., & Small, R. N. (2016). Everyday theology: Exploring the Christian faith. B&H Academic.