Daily Devotional

Theology is important. The essential quality of eternal life, according to John 17:3, is the knowledge of God. But too often, theology is boring. Most of my high school students would probably read a theology textbook only as a last-ditch approach to combat insomnia!

Take, for example, the discipline of Christology. Scripture is clear that Jesus is fully God (John 10:30) but also fully man (Hebrews 4:15). He is one Person with two natures. We call this the Hypostatic Union, as defined by the Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451: “[Jesus is] truly God and truly man… to be acknowledged in two natures inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably.” This definition arose out of 150 years of intra-ecclesiastical conflict over Christological heresies like Arianism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, and the Monophysites.

Having a correct view of what Scripture teaches about Jesus’ humanity and divinity is extremely important for any Christian, including a junior higher or high schooler. But the paragraph above would not make for a very interesting short-form video that my students are so fond of. They might make it four or five seconds in before scrolling to the next video in the never-ending stream of algorithmic content. Then again, that may be true for most of us. So how do we communicate theology in a way that actually sticks in our brains?

One of the best ways I’ve seen this done was in a lecture by Sean McDowell at an apologetics conference. I’ve since encountered similar analogies in other sources. Sean used superheroes to explain the four parts of the Hypostatic Union. Here’s my version:

• Batman heresy: Batman may be an excellent crime fighter, but he has no superpowers. Just brains, brawn, and a bank account. Likewise, the heresy of Arianism said Jesus was a created being; super powerful, but not actually God.  Jesus is not “godlike,” in the same way that Batman is almost superpowered; Jesus is fully God. 
• Superman heresy: Superman does have superpowers, but he’s not human. He looks human when posing as Clark Kent, but he’s really a solar-powered alien. Likewise, the heresy of Apollinarianism said Jesus only “looked” human. He only took on part of our nature, like putting on a human skinsuit. But Jesus doesn’t just appear to be human, like Superman does; Jesus is fully man.
• Hulk heresy: The Hulk has two natures: Bruce Banner and the Hulk. But only one of them controls him at a time; sometimes he’s a brilliant scientist, and sometimes he’s a giant green rage monster. Likewise, the Nestorians taught that Jesus’ two natures were separate; the “human” Jesus felt hunger and exhaustion, while the “divine” Jesus taught and did miracles. But Jesus’ two natures can’t be divided or separated, like the Hulk’s can; Jesus is one Person. 
• Spider-Man heresy: Spider-Man’s DNA is a combination of human and radioactive spider. His human and spider “natures” are combined into a third nature, a human-spider hybrid of sorts. Likewise, the Monophysites taught that Jesus doesn’t have two natures, but one, a neither-fully-God-nor-fully-man nature that blends the two. But Jesus isn’t some third thing, like Spider-Man; Jesus has two natures.

See what we did there? We took a difficult theological concept (the hypostatic union) and used contemporary terminology to make it memorable and engaging. A student might not remember the Definition of Chalcedon, but they hopefully will remember the heresies of Batman, Superman, Hulk, and Spider-Man.

So what’s the point? Theology is important, but it doesn’t have to be boring, as this little superhero analogy shows. To take the life-changing truths of God’s Word and make them dull and unappealing is frankly sinful. A proper understanding of who God is, of what His Word says, is critically necessary for real worship, real life change, real service of God and others. May we never resign doctrine to ivory-tower academics because it might be “boring.”

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers."