Introduction
At Christmas, we gaze on the manger and see a baby — weak, dependent, unable to speak. Yet Scripture also says: “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col 1:17). Was Jesus, while learning to talk as a child, still fully God, still active in the Trinity with the Father and the Spirit? The answer must be yes.
This is the heart of the Incarnation: the eternal Son did not stop being God when He became man. He was, at the same time, the infant in Mary’s arms and the eternal Word upholding the universe.
1. The Hypostatic Union
The Council of Chalcedon (AD 451) articulated the mystery: Jesus Christ is one Person in two natures, divine and human, “without confusion, without change, without division, without separation.”
- As man, He grew, hungered, slept, and learned language (Luke 2:52).
- As God, He never ceased being omnipresent, omniscient, and one with the Father and the Spirit (John 1:1; Heb 1:3).
Thus, when Jesus was a baby, He was not less God. He was fully God and fully man in one Person.
2. The Son Did Not Cease His Role in the Trinity
The Trinity is indivisible. The Father, Son, and Spirit always act in perfect unity. The Incarnation did not interrupt the eternal communion of the Persons.
- The Father still ruled in heaven.
- The Spirit still hovered and filled.
- The Son, even in flesh, remained eternally one with them.
John Calvin put it well: “The Son of God descended from heaven in such a way that, without leaving heaven, He willed to be borne in the Virgin’s womb.” (Institutes 2.13.4).
Even as the baby Jesus nursed, the eternal Son was sustaining Mary herself.
3. The Communication of Properties (Communicatio Idiomatum)
Theologians explain this paradox with the doctrine of the communicatio idiomatum — the “communication of properties.”
- What belongs to the divine nature and to the human nature can both be spoken of the one Person.
- So I can say: “Jesus was a baby” (true of His humanity) and “Jesus upholds all things” (true of His divinity). Both statements are true of the one Person, Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the baby in Bethlehem was not “just a baby.” He was the eternal Son, active in the Trinity, veiled in weakness.
4. Jesus’ Humility in Dependence
Philippians 2:6–7 says He “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” This “emptying” did not mean ceasing to be God. It meant choosing not to exercise divine attributes independently, but to live as man in dependence on the Father and the Spirit.
So while the Son was still active in the Trinity, His human experience was real. He learned words from Mary, even while as God He was the eternal Word.
Application: Trusting the God Who Became Small
If the eternal Son could be both the baby in the manger and the sovereign God at the same time, then no situation in my life is beyond His reach. He understands my weakness, for He lived it. He rules in power, for He never ceased being God.
When I feel small, I remember: my Savior became small. When I feel overwhelmed, I remember: my Savior upholds all things. The same Jesus who learned to talk is the Lord who speaks worlds into being.
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