Who is Jesus? The Question Christians Can Never Stop Asking
3 Keys to Christian Unity
What unites all Christians? As Christians prepare to commemorate Nicaea’s 1700th anniversary, Pope Leo XIV reminds us that what unites Christians remains deeper than what divides us: shared biblical faith, the call to divinization, and service to those in need. Pope Leo XIV is making his first Apostolic Journey to Turkey, historically the site of much theological controversy. Seeing the controversy of Arius and the orthodox bishops in the early 4th century, the emperor Constantine convened a Council to discuss theological topics and resolve the problem of the nature of Jesus as the Son of God. In his Apostolic Letter, In Unitate Fidei, Pope Leo marks a path for unity for all Christians.
Biblical Faith versus Greek Philosophy
Theologians make sure their reflection is rooted in Sacred Scripture. For the first several centuries, the Fathers used philosophical concepts critically and creatively, but things came to a head with the great Christological dispute on the nature of Christ. They wanted to explain how the term “Son of God” could be understood and reconciled with biblical monotheism. For the first time, the Church fathers went beyond Biblical language to describe Jesus as the Son of God. Pope Leo points out that this is not a departure from Biblical faith. Arius misused Greek philosophy and proposed subordinationism and Platonic categories to explain Christ’s nature. Orthodox bishops had to stand up against him.
At the Council of Nicaea, the bishops had to introduce two non-Biblical terms. Ousia translates as “substance,” while homoousios translates as “consubstantial.” The Council “used these terms precisely to affirm biblical faith with clarity and to distinguish it from Arius’ error, which was deeply influenced by Hellenism. We use this patrimony when we recite the Nicene Creed: “begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.” Jesus is not less than nor subordinate to the Father.
The Nicene Fathers wanted to remain faithful to biblical monotheism, while maintaining the authenticity of the Incarnation. The Incarnation is one of the central truths of Christian faith, while one that often risks misunderstanding. Just as Jesus came down from heaven to become man, he calls humans to rise to heaven in a process referred to as divinization.
Divinization
Divinization has a scriptural basis in the body of Paul’s writings. He begins by talking about emptying himself of his divinity to become man (cf. Phil. 2:7). John’s Gospel also affirms that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us”. Seeing God become man is one of the most astonishing, while shocking, aspects of Christianity. It is one of the main objections that the Greeks had to the Gospel preached by Paul. It is fitting that Pope Leo brings this up, since it has some concrete applications to some of the confusion of our own time.
New Age spirituality responds to man’s innate desire for the divine. New Age spirituality talks about all human beings possessing a “spark of the divine.” Pope Leo quickly makes it impossible to interpret “divinization” along these lines.
Divinization in no way implies the self-deification of man. On the contrary, divinization protects us from the primordial temptation to want to be like God (cf. Gen. 3:5).
Christ shows us the way of the future, in that what he is by nature, we participate in by grace. By being the Son of God, Jesus is consubstantial with the Father. Through grace, the free gift of God, we are able to participate in this extraordinary reality and become co-heirs and adopted sons and daughters of God. This happens at our Baptism and is a sacrament we share with all Christians.
Service to those in need
Just as we share a common baptism, we share a need to serve others who are less fortunate. Recognizing that we are called to become like God through baptism and grace, we share in his tremendous example of self-emptying and service.
If God loves us with all his being, we too must love one another. We cannot love God whom we do not see without loving our brother and sister whom we do see (cf. 1 Jn. 4:20).
The Catholic Church has long been a leader in reaching out to solve humanitarian needs. This comes not from a mere sense of altruism, but especially through the recognition that, through the mystery of the Incarnation, we are called to see the dignity of all human beings. For if God chose to become man, all men and women possess a certain dignity just by that very fact.
Pope Leo reminds us that unity is not nostalgia, diplomacy, or sentiment – it is a return to the heart of the Gospel: one Lord, one faith, one baptism. Constantine knew that clarity about Christ could heal fractures and renew society. Our moment demands the same courage. If Christians again speak of Jesus with shared conviction and live his self-emptying love in service to the vulnerable, then dialogue will deepen, trust will grow, and unity will no longer seem impossible. The path to communion begins where it always has -with Christ at the center.