Teaching · 4 October 2026
Jesus Christ, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity
The eternal Son, true God and true man — the Word made flesh, our Redeemer and Lord.
The Christian faith professes one God in three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity is Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, “the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father” (Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed). He is not a creature, nor is He inferior to the Father; He is true God from true God, begotten, not made, of the same substance as the Father. Thus, the Church teaches that the Son is fully and eternally divine (cf. CCC 232–234; 242–256).
The eternal Son is the Word (Logos) through whom all things were made. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… all things were made through him” (John 1:1–3). He is therefore not someone who became the Son of God at a particular moment; He is Son from all eternity. Jesus Himself reveals His eternal relationship with the Father: “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), and “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30).
At the appointed time, the eternal Son became man for our salvation. This is the mystery of the Incarnation: “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). By the power of the Holy Spirit, He took flesh from the Virgin Mary and became truly human while remaining truly divine. The Council of Chalcedon (451) expressed this faith by teaching that Christ is one and the same Son, truly God and truly man, possessing a complete divine nature and a complete human nature, united in one Person, “without confusion, without change, without division, without separation.” Mary is therefore rightly called Mother of God (Theotokos) because the person she bore is the divine Son made man.
Jesus Christ came to accomplish the Father’s plan of salvation. Through His teaching, suffering, death and Resurrection, He redeemed humanity from sin and opened the way to eternal life. His Cross is not a defeat but the supreme revelation of divine love: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3:16). His Resurrection confirms His divinity, conquers death and is the foundation of Christian hope (cf. CCC 571–655).
As the risen Lord, Jesus remains eternally the mediator between God and humanity. He has ascended into heaven and “is seated at the right hand of the Father,” yet He remains truly present to His Church. He is present especially in the Eucharist, in which, under the signs of bread and wine, His Body and Blood are truly, really and substantially present (cf. CCC 1373–1377). He continues His saving work through the Church, the sacraments and the preaching of the Gospel.
Jesus is therefore not merely a great teacher, prophet or moral example. He is the Son of God, our Lord and Saviour. Christian discipleship consists in knowing Him, believing in Him, loving Him and following Him. His question remains decisive for every generation: “But you, who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16:15). The answer of the Church is clear: Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of the Father, true God and true man, our Redeemer and Lord.