The Bible Provocateur

"The Hypostatic Union: God & Christ Jesus" (Part 4/5)

The Bible Provocateur Season 2026 Episode 226

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“Not my will, but your will be done” is one of the most quoted lines in the Bible and one of the easiest to misunderstand. We sit with that Gethsemane prayer and ask the question hiding underneath it: when Jesus speaks of “my will” and “your will,” are we hearing one will, two wills, or something else entirely? As the conversation unfolds, we keep circling back to what “perfect faith” actually looks like when the cross is real, pain is real, and obedience still doesn’t waver.

Meg, Jonah, Mariah, Candy, Aaron, and Pat help us work through the big theology words with plain language: the hypostatic union, two natures, and the doctrine known as diothelitism. We talk about why some Christians insist Jesus has both a human will and a divine will, why others emphasize unity of will, and why the most important guardrail is this: there is never any conflict in Christ. If Jesus could will anything contrary to the Father, even in potential, the entire gospel collapses.

Along the way we connect key passages like Philippians 2:8-9, John 12:49-50, John 14, and Romans 5:19 to the real-life takeaway: sanctification, prayer, and learning submission without treating Jesus like he had a “split personality.” Whether you frame it as one will or two wills, we argue for the same outcome, perfect obedience and a Savior who is truly like us yet without sin. If this stretched your thinking, subscribe, share the episode, and leave a review, then tell us: how do you apply “not my will” in your own walk?

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erfect Faith And The Cross

SPEAKER_02

Or do we give it to God? This is what perfect faith looks like. Do you get what I'm saying, Meg? He's not chickening out. He's not wanting to. He's not saying, Man, I really don't want to go to the cross. It's none of that.

SPEAKER_06

No, I agree.

SPEAKER_04

Brother Jonah, Brother Jonah, go ahead. You wanted to add something. Go ahead, Jonah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, okay. I would answer. Hi, sister Meg. Okay, let's let's try to compare the old Adam and the new Adam. The old Adam was cursed because he fallen sin. And the new Adam is the Christ. What happened here when Jesus was saying, please take uh I please I will do you your will, not my will. Why he said this? Because the will he is going, it is the baptism of uh pain, of sacrifice. He was going to get uh humiliated, uh crucified. This is the process of pain, it is not something we can bury. So he said, I don't want to do this, but because the love I love a human, and for the sake of my love unto the human, I will I will I will give myself as a sacrifice, as a land. Of course, he doesn't want to go to this process, but because the death has a uh the result of death is uh sorry, the result of sin is a death. The wage the sin has a punishment, and this is the punishment he was taking. He doesn't want to do this, but because he loved us, he offered himself as a sacrifice. Of course, uh he was talking as from the from the point of view of a human because he was feeling the pain. Absolutely. You understand what I'm trying to say, and you I want to tell you, I want to say add something. This is the new Adam. If Jesus Christ did only one sin, we will not be non-Christian. This is the the old Adam falling sin, and the new Adam is Christ, which is is a full human and full God who didn't he was tempted by Satan and they never sinned.

o We Say Two Wills

SPEAKER_06

Okay, so this is what this is what I'm gonna say, and I I this is what I get, this is why I've come up with the conclusion. All right, I'm learning. Thank you. I appreciate you guys. All right, so God. So I can say this the son's divine will is the same as the father's will, one will, Christ's human will is perfectly submitted to the one divine will, right? So we can say that. So yes, so so he does have two wills, but that human will is perfectly submitted to the will of the father. That's why he says, I can only, I can't do nothing, only what I hear my father do, right? Yeah, that's that's true.

SPEAKER_02

Correct.

SPEAKER_06

Okay, so we could say that there are two wills. The one is the divine will is the same as the Father, Son, Holy Spirit. The div that will, the Christ's human will is perfectly submitted to the divine will. So two things can be true. So would that be correct?

SPEAKER_04

I think that would be correct. Because look, I the the fact of the matter is that as him being the son of God, he already has the divine will. He already has it.

unknown

Yes.

SPEAKER_04

But you're right, but according to his hum according to his humanity, yeah, I would I wouldn't argue that idea. But the issue is the issue is we have to understand, and this is what's the important point, because I I really wouldn't argue the two-will argument, because that that's this is this has been historically debated over and over again. But what has come out of these discussions is that these two wills, if you want, if you make that case, they are they are never in conflict. This is why I don't understand why this is an issue. Whether it's whether there's one divine, whether there's just one will or whether we talk about them having two wills, the issue is that they are never and what they were never in conflict, nor could they ever be in conflict.

SPEAKER_06

No, they couldn't. But that's why I'm saying that in his, but to me, when I hear it, it if you say one will, then I feel like, but he has two natures, and the will is attached to the natures, as we've spoken about before, then he would have to have a human.

SPEAKER_04

I get that. I I think I listen, I I get that, Meg, and I think I think you're right. Okay, look, we can we can say you're right. As long as as long as we un as long as the conclusion is is this that the will of Christ, the man, yes, was never in conflict with the part of his nature that is divine. Absolutely not. It can be 10 wills, doesn't matter to me.

SPEAKER_02

And Jonathan, when we say never in conflict, we mean no variation, no at the micro level.

SPEAKER_06

No, there is no variation.

SPEAKER_02

But big, but babe, let you gotta make at this point. They are so in perfect alignment that you can't see them. The distinction between them.

SPEAKER_06

No, I I understand that, but the thing is, is the reason okay, but the reason why is because the reason why it's so perfect, because if he didn't have that, he wept. He he he had experiential knowledge here that that he didn't have before as a man.

SPEAKER_04

But let me ask you the question. Let me ask you the question. Doctrinally speaking, theologically speaking, what's the significance of this?

SPEAKER_06

Because that's what make that's what makes him fully man and fully God. That's why I asked him. I I agree with this. That would be that would be the only thing because he was he was like us. He stood in the places that he stood, yet without sin, yet he knew no sin. But to to know that our Lord stood in the places that we stood and have been where he've been. And I get I get it. That's why it's just a per it's that's why I say I get it.

SPEAKER_04

I just don't, I I I get it, I get it. You're you're you're you're I like I have no problem with like I said, this has been that that has been a discussion for centuries. It has been. My from my standpoint, and and you know, and not just me, there's many other people, they the conclusion has always ended up being the same from people from from from church history, which has always been the two wills, it it's it, you know, like Sister Shelby says, it's accurate. Yeah, it's accurate. The issue is not, the issue is this. Can Christ, even in his human flesh, and I know you're not saying this, so I'm just throwing it out there, the fact that what matters is that the will of Christ was always in subjection to the will of his father, and Christ was incapable of willing anything different than what his father, that what his father had. So when it when Christ prays with his father and he says, Not my will be done, but your will be done, Christ is is subjecting himself to the direction and the will of his father. And I know that everybody understands that, but what I'm saying is is that when you have discussions, for example, you have to understand that that when we talk about the two wills, that depending on who we're dealing with or talking with, it can open a door where it needs to be explained and understood that there is no possible way that there can ever be conflict between Christ's two natures. So if we talk about two natures, that we give and we assign two wills, which is which we can do. And I don't argue that one bit. Well, what I will argue all day long is that there is never anything other than unity between the will of God, I mean the will of the will of Christ's divine nature with the will of his human nature.

SPEAKER_06

Absolutely 100%. But the reason also why I said that is because if if we say one will, but then somebody comes up to us and says, Hey, so you're what did Jesus mean when he said, Not my will, but your will be done, then we would have to introduce that and have a defense for that. You see what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_04

Because I I see what you're saying. I see what you're I see what you're saying. Um, yeah, so yeah, so I'm good with that.

SPEAKER_02

I'm I'm I'm I don't have a problem with that at all. And Meg Meg, just so you know, the name of the doctrine that you're talking to, that you're adhering to, which Jesus having two wills is known as diothyletism. Yeah. So you I know that's a heck of a word, but if you ever hear somebody throw out the word diotheletism, that's what that is referring to.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, this is diothetism?

SPEAKER_04

Yeah, yeah. It's it's it's a very historical argument that people have talked about all the time. And it's it's always bewildering to me in my own background, because at the end of the day, there is no separation in terms of the direction of Christ's will. He didn't have one side of him going, oh, I think I want to go that way, and the other side of him going, I think I want to go that way. That was not that's so to me, so in other words, you can say two wills, and I will say will and unity, or unity of his or unity of will. Either way, the fact of the matter is there is never any aspect in the will of Christ that could go contrary to his father's will. Ever. And so the I so what I one so that's why I asked the question, what is the significance? Like, how does me understanding or two will, how does it fit, how does it affect our our understanding of God? How does it under how does it impact our sanctification, for example? Like, how do you apply it?

SPEAKER_06

What does that's why that's why I said I applied it? What the the application, um, the application would then be to have complete understanding in the verses when he says, Not my will, but your will be done. So we could then say, yes, the Lord Jesus Christ has two wills, but that will that the Lord Jesus Christ's human will is perfectly submitted to the Father at all times because he is without sin and he can't sin. So for the sake of scripture, I feel we would have to say that in order to defend the word of God. Okay, okay.

esus As Our Example Of Submission

SPEAKER_04

All right. We'll we'll leave it at that. That's fine. Not a problem. I get it. So I think so I think that that um you know when it comes to the father or or God, the Godhead, um, I don't I don't I doubt if there's any if there's any uh at least I hope not, any confusion on the matter. But let me go back to uh Jonah and then uh Mariah.

SPEAKER_01

Okay, thank you. Uh I want to say that uh here we okay, Jesus we have to. I want to add a point, little point. Jesus was an example for us. Jesus was praying before uh the he eat. Jesus was praying to the Father. Uh Jesus was uh what, as you say, Jesus was a like a leader for us and a past. So we see him and we follow him. So when he says, Please, not your will, my not my will, your will, he was telling us uh for us, it is not my will. He has to increase and I have to decrease. It's an example also for us to learn as a man, because Jesus was taking the human flesh as a man, how we should follow Christ, how we should take our cross to deny ourselves, you know this verse. If you if someone wants to follow me, let's take the cross and deny himself and follow me. This is how we deny ourselves. It's your will, not my will. He's teaching us. Okay, so it's not only theological, but he's an example for us. He's trying to tell us the way, how we should, how we should, how we supposed to walk in in the spirit, not the flesh.

SPEAKER_04

Right. Yeah, I mean, I don't I don't have I don't have a problem with the idea, never did, with the idea of two of two different wills. The is as because but what needs to be understood, as we as we talked about earlier, was that there was never a conflict in his will. So, you know, I don't think Christ had this split personality where it's like, oh, I think I want to go that way. I don't that's that's this is all I'm talking about. So whether we make the case of the the um um, and I think that that's what make I think that's what you're referring to, because this was a very old school um you know argument, and it came right out of uh out of one of the councils. I can't remember which one it was, but it came straight out of one of those councils.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, the only thing was is is I remember you saying when you were teaching us before that the will is attached to the nature, and so that's what sparked me. So when when we got into the two, the two the the divine nature and the human nature, that's what sparked my thought. And so that's why I was asking, and I went to scripture with it. So that that's the only thing that I was in I I was having an issue with. So I'm glad we cleared it up. I appreciate you guys for giving me the clarity.

SPEAKER_04

Um, I think you I think you had clarity already.

SPEAKER_06

I did not. No, no, I didn't. I'm asked, I I I really because when I heard you say one, well, I that that's what made me think, but then you then we went to human human nature versus divine nature, and I remember what you said previously that nature is attached to will. And so that's what led me to the conclusion. I didn't know it was called that D-word that Pat gave. Why are you smiling at me?

SPEAKER_04

Because you cracked me up. You're funny. I love you.

SPEAKER_05

Why?

SPEAKER_04

That's all right. Let's let's go on. Let's go on. Uh Mariah, you had a question or a statement.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, um, it just kind of reminded me of Philippians 2, 8 and 9. Uh, well, eight really, right? Um, being being found in the fashion of a man, he humbled himself. Like he submitted himself and became obedient unto death, even the cross, right? So that would be his um his will or that that nature humbling himself unto the father.

SPEAKER_04

Right, yes, and this is why this is why I was saying he gave up his prerogative as God. There's aspects of his prerogative. And I would argue that his divine, you know, his the the divine will that he had as a son of God from eternity, I think that there's an aspect of what of what he was uh um uh relinquishing in order to fulfill his role as a man to me to me would indicate that this is a part of his divine will that he uh did not did not uh function with in the sense of like what Meg was talking about and gave the example she got, and also the example of him saying he didn't know when he would return. That was reserved for his father. Also, when he says that he didn't know who would be seating to at the right hand of his father, but that would be given at the time when we go to judgment. Christ gave up his some of his prerogatives, and this is where I sort of go, uh this is where I sort of go different than some of the people that I have learned from in the past. Um so but uh the one the reason why I don't argue it is because if the outcome is the same, that his his will is in unity with his father. That's all that matters really. Whether he had whether you he had one, as I was saying, intimating, or whether he had uh two operating at the same time, which I'm against, or whether he had uh whether he had uh what was the third option? One one of his of his own, uh, or whether he had one that he just uh gave up in order to comply with humanity, as Jonah was presenting, him being this example. So his his humanity, well his humanity was left for him to be able to depend upon God the way we should. And so, but the reason why it's not a big debate for me is because all of those of the the wisest, in my opinion, of godly men, the conclusion was always the same, regardless of how you view the structure of Christ's nature. The outcome was always the same. His will was never in, he he was incapable of willing anything contrary to his father. That's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_05

So then when when a few chapters later, um the disciples say, now we know that you know all things, right? Um, because before, I mean, obviously, like some people would um say he did not know this or he did not know this, but then he shows himself to know all things, but whether or not it's for him or the father, that's that's another story.

SPEAKER_04

Right.

SPEAKER_05

He's always submitted to the father. So if it's the father's uh will that he um tells or tells the son when it's time, that's the father's will, and he will obey it either way.

SPEAKER_04

Right, absolutely, and that's that is right there, is to me, is the essence of who of his of his person when he came here. Uh uh and so and I think it has it goes a lot to when we talk about in Philippians about him giving up his prerogatives as God. I believe that was one of those prerogatives that he gave up to know certain things. And and and and gave up part of the pro some of the prerogatives perhaps to will certain things. And so um But here's the here's the good thing. It it's all good only because the outcome is always the same. He never went or desired anything contrary to his father, and that is what's important. Sister Candy, go ahead. You were gonna say something earlier. Sorry, sister, it didn't want to get to you.

SPEAKER_00

It's all good, but now that we're where we are, I'm just gonna read a couple of scriptures because in John 12, 49 and 50, he says, For I did not speak of my own accord, but the father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life, so whatever I say is just what the father has told me to say. Then if you go to John 14, 10, the words I say to you are not my own. Rather, it is the Father living in me who is doing the work. So 1424 says, These words you hear are not my own. They belong to the father who sent me. The world must learn that I love the father and I do exactly what my father has commanded me. And I'm gonna hit 1410 again because he says, the words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the father living in me who is doing the work.

SPEAKER_04

Amen. Amen. And and that is to me what we're really dealing with here. I mean, the issues, uh, one will, two wills, ten wills. I mean, he only actually operated and functioned with one will, and that was his father's will. And that's all he ever did. Amen. And that's all that's all he ever sought for. And so, and but in also when Roman, hold on, hold on, let me let me let me let me get around a little bit. We'll come back to you, Meg, in a second. Uh, Aaron, go ahead. You were gonna say something. Aaron, then Pat, and then Meg.

SPEAKER_03

Oh, yeah, I was just agreeing that um when I looked it up, it was the Council of Constantopology. That's it. That's it. Um, where they had they had, I guess they disagreed that Jesus only had one will. Right. That he had two wills because he couldn't be fully God and fully man if he didn't have the will of God and the will of man. But then um either way, like you said, they're not in conflict with each other.

hy The Doctrine Matters For Us

SPEAKER_04

Right. And that's that's and that is the essence of it. And I think that that that conversation just it even then it opened up a lot of uh opened up a lot of debate and discussion. And to me, it you know, it was always like, well, if if Christ never did anything contrary to his father's will and he and he couldn't do anything contrary to his father's will, then I don't I I have a problem understanding what the significance is of identifying the the multiplicity of wills or singular will, because the here's the fact of the matter is whenever you're doing the father's will, you are in unity with him. And that's what is is important to do. When we die and we go to glory, there's nothing that we're gonna be able to do outside of God's will. It will be an impossibility. It'll be right and so Christ himself could not do anything contrary to his father's will. That is what the issue really is. Was he capable of doing or willing or desiring anything contrary to his father? And the answer is an emphatic no. That's what matters. He couldn't do it, he couldn't sin, he couldn't contemplate sin, he couldn't think of sin, and then he expected he experienced the influences of sin in his life. He was tempted by the devil, but Christ never sinned, nor was he tempted to sin in the sense that uh he had something in him that could be aroused. So the the the the uh concupiscence was not in him. In other words, the tendency to sin was not even in Christ. Likewise, the tendency to will different from his father was not possible. That's what needs to be understood, and that's what all the ancients also believed, even though they debated one or two wills. So that's this is this is what I'm what I'm talking about. So I don't have an argument with it as long as we know that the outcome is what it is. That's all. Um sister May, go ahead. Right.

SPEAKER_06

You are 100% correct. But the other thing is to well, it was Romans chapter 5. Are we going down another another random hole? No, it's the same thing. It's the same thing. I I just want to make some clarifiers. So in Romans chapter 5, 19, right, it says, by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. So the reason that I'm that I'm saying two wills is because our Lord and Savior was perfectly obedient to the Father, which also fulfills the law of the and the let me let me ask you a question, because I know I know you, you will be the dead horse.

SPEAKER_04

Let me ask you a question. Do you think that if Christ, do you think that he ever willed anything, not did anything, do you think he ever willed anything that was contrary to his father? Absolutely not. Then that's where the argument stops. That's all that matters. Now, if if you now so the thing is, if we if we if we make this whole idea about these two different wills, here's again, here's my point. How does that affect our thinking? How should that how should that affect what in other words, what's the takeaway?

SPEAKER_06

Okay, the takeaway is we can reconcile scripture, number one. Number two, that perfect obedience is required to be righteous before God by man. So in order for that to be fulfilled, then the Lord Jesus Christ had to be perfect in that way with full submission of obedience by his will, which perfectly fulfills everything. And so, although his will was never separate from the will of the Father, we can reconcile scripture and be biblically precise in saying these things. That's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_04

What we can what we what we can what we can conclude conclude is what the Bible has made very plain over and over again. He was every bit as human as we were, yet without sin.

SPEAKER_06

Amen. That's all there is. And two wills. Okay. Give him ten. No, but I don't want to give him a little bit. I just want to give him a little bit more.

SPEAKER_04

Because again, and I want you to think about this. I want you to think about this. I don't want to talk about it tonight because I want to give everybody their last word for tonight. But what I but what I want to what I want to talk to you about later, off offline, is I want you to be able to explain to me how does that affect our walk? Like what do we take away from that theologically and say, this is giving me a better understanding of the thing. What does it give you a better understanding of? What it gives me a better understanding of is that he that he was like man in every aspect. Yes, that's what it does for me. However, and this is what the significant point is, and I'm uh and this is the dead horse that I want to beat down. He could never ever, nor did he, nor did he ever will or desire anything contrary to his father. And that's all I'm saying. So it doesn't matter if you have if you hold the one will person, meaning, because I believe that Christ, like you said, we had uh Christ being made up of two uh uh hypo uh not he was one hypostasis with two natures. But again, the aspect of it when because we started the conversation talking about hypostatic union, and the union means that the divine nature and the human nature became one, they became one, and this is why I argue for the one will. Now, now you can look at it and go from a metaphysical standpoint, you can say, okay, let's let's talk metaphysics. You know, something Jonathan Everett might talk about. He had two wills, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da. The human nature, God's will. Okay. But the fact of the matter is, he only operated and functioned according to one, his father's. And that's what the humanity, that's what humans are supposed to do. And that is the example he led, which is what Brother Jonah was talking about, which I agree with 100%. He needed to be in that situation in order to show us also how we are to rely and depend upon divinity, the Godhead, our Lord.

SPEAKER_06

I think for I think the reason is is like for relational purposes too. You know, like to know that the Lord. What you asked me about it, I'll talk to you about it.

SPEAKER_04

I know. I just I when you say relational and when you brought up the two wheels, I I mean, I have a feeling that I know exactly where you come here from.

SPEAKER_06

You know what I'm saying? The Lord shows us the way. And and and it's essentially this the same thing that the Lord Jesus Christ said, right? Is is is a beautiful example for us. Like when we when we receive salvation, I say it all the time, Lord, not my will, but your will be done, Lord. And I think that it's it's a very it's not a good thing.

SPEAKER_04

I think but I think but I think there's a very big difference between you saying that or me saying that and Christ saying that.

SPEAKER_06

I understand because he's perfect and we're not perfect, but the beauty is is that we want we just want to follow our Lord. And although it's impossible, it's he was like us in every way, but without sin.

SPEAKER_04

Right. And if he ever and if he and if he but here's the thing: even if Christ, even if he had the potential, he could potential size, or it I'm just saying, if he had the potential to will outside of his father's will, that would make him a sinner. That's all I'm saying. If he had the even if he had the potential to will anything contrary to his father, that would have been a sin. It would have been sinful.

SPEAKER_06

Exactly, but scripture doesn't say that. Didn't say what? It doesn't say that he to me, scripture doesn't reveal that he had had had the will or had the ability, because once we read in scripture and harmonize it, he didn't. So the even the scripture doesn't say anything about that. It doesn't even have a potential, or there's too many verses, so we know that. That's what I would say.

ather Commands Son Obeys

SPEAKER_04

Okay, I'm confused, but okay, I get it. That's fine. Brother Pat, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02

So, Meg, the father commands and the son obeys, right? So, from one perspective, a person might say, Well, that's clearly two wills. But is it no, it's not.

SPEAKER_06

Hold on, say it again, Pat.

SPEAKER_02

The father commands and the son obeys. So, from one perspective, from a human perspective, that's two wills. The son came, like for instance, I did not come to do my will, but I've come to do the will of him who sent me. Jesus made that statement, right? This is a perfect example of that. Of the father commanded and the son obeys. And so from a human perspective, they say that that's two wills. One's commanding and one's obeying. But is it really two wills?

SPEAKER_06

So I would say, I would say yes, because scripture says it. Not my will, but your will be done. But the the Lord Jesus Christ will.

SPEAKER_04

No, mate, hold on. Okay, listen.

SPEAKER_06

Let's let's because the only reason I say it is because I know, but that's not making your argument.

SPEAKER_04

That's making my argument. Because Christ is making a distinction between his hit between his will and his father's will, right?

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, but it would he be would he be fully man and fully God.

SPEAKER_04

No, but he is. But what I'm saying is, but when Christ prayed to his father, he said, not my will be done, but yours. Christ is not the father. This is where your this is where your mistake is. And and see, and I and even people in the in the comments were saying, Oh, yeah, I agree with you, Meg, whatever, but that's not what that's not what that verse is saying. Christ is distinguishing between his own will and his father's will. But Christ is not his father. Even as a son of God, he's not his father. Exactly. But I understand what you're saying. I I get what you're saying. And like I said, this has been a big somebody wrote the word there. I remember this.

SPEAKER_06

What's it called again?

SPEAKER_04

You know what it's called.

SPEAKER_06

No, I don't. That's the word right there that she put in it that creation put in the track.

SPEAKER_04

It's right there. Yeah. But like I said, this is this that was a big but Meg, here's the thing. For the sake of discussion, I don't disagree with you. Because one thing that I do know is that we all here agree with the fact that Christ could never will something different from his father. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_06

Yes.

SPEAKER_04

All right. So that's that's that is all that matters. I will, I had like in my lifetime as a Christian, outside of, you know, I've never had a discussion about Christ's two wills outside of study. So, so the um, but I understand why the question comes up. I under I get that part. But the issue is this his will is never been, he can never will anything contrary to his father. But the verse that you're talking about, he's making a clear distinction between his father's will and his own will. And so, not between his his sovereign, his own divine will versus his human.