Fully God and fully human; eternal Son; virgin-born; Savior and Lord
The Wesleyan Church affirms the Chalcedonian formula: Jesus Christ is truly God and truly human, with two distinct natures united in one person. As God, Christ is the eternal Son, equal in power and glory with the Father, sustaining all things by His word. As human, Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, died on the cross, and rose bodily on the third day.
The incarnation is central to Wesleyan soteriology: God became human so that humans might be restored to the image of God and made holy. Christ's humanity is not merely nominal but genuine—He was truly tempted, truly suffered, truly died. His pre-existence as the divine Logos is affirmed throughout John's Gospel and Pauline writings. The virgin birth is affirmed as an essential doctrine protecting both Christ's full divinity and His full humanity.
Key Distinctions
- Natures formula:
- Chalcedonian — truly God and truly human; unconfused union
- Christological emphasis:
- eternal Logos; divine agent of creation; sustains all things
Scripture References
Sources
- The Wesleyan Church Discipline (2016), §§1000–1017
- Council of Chalcedon (451)
- Wesleyan Articles of Religion, Article II
- John Wesley, Sermons on the Incarnation