Teachings

These teachings I received from others. Through these teachings and others, I found Christ.

Person, Operation, & Nature

It is common to refer any number of vices to “human nature”. In fact, the problem with this kind of thinking is the failure to distinguish between person, operation, and nature. Nature is that which is common to all members of a species. There is one nature of human beings, another of dogs, another of sheep, etc. There is no such thing as a nature that is not enhypostasized as a person. Person is that which is utterly unique to the individual and is not duplicated in any other member of the species. Operations are those functions and activities proper to a particular nature, and visible only in persons. It is human nature to have a body, to be either male or female, etc. By nature, man has the capacity to reproduce, has a mind, a will, etc. Operations proper to human nature include reproduction, thought, the exercise of the will, and so on. The person is the absolutely unique individual member of the species. Each person is a whole universe, utterly unique, absolutely distinct as an individual.