The Sixth Ecumenical Council – Constantinople III (680–681 A.D.)

 

Key Issue: The Two Wills and Two Energies of Christ

The Sixth Ecumenical Council confronted the heresy of Monothelitism, which claimed that Christ had only a single divine will and energy, dismissing the reality of His human will. This false teaching threatened the fullness of Christ’s humanity by implying that He only acted according to a divine will, not genuinely as a human being.

Council’s Decision

• The Council affirmed that Jesus Christ possesses two wills (divine and human) and two energies (divine and human) corresponding to His two natures.

• These wills and energies are not in conflict but work in perfect harmony within the one person of Christ.

• The human will of Christ is truly real, not merely symbolic or overridden by the divine; His genuine obedience is central to Christian salvation.

Theological Significance

1. Safeguarding the Full Humanity and Divinity of Christ

By teaching two natural wills and two corresponding energies, the Council protected the doctrine that Christ is both fully God and fully human. If Christ lacked a true human will, He would not fully share and heal our human condition or offer real human obedience to God.

2. Real Obedience and Redemption

Christ’s human will freely submits to the divine, enacting real human obedience on behalf of all. This means that the saving work of Christ truly included human effort and cooperation, fulfilling what humanity was called to offer God but could not.

3. Harmony, Not Conflict

The unity of Christ’s wills ensures His actions remain one and undivided, yet the distinction preserves that His humanity was genuine. Christ’s obedient life, struggle, and sacrifice were not play-acting—they were the genuine offering of God-made-man.

Theological Conclusions

• Christ has two natural wills (human and divine) and two natural energies, united harmoniously in one Person.

• His human obedience is real and effective, securing salvation for all humanity.

• Monothelitism condemned: Any teaching that denies Christ a human will or energy undermines the true Incarnation and redemption.

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How Christ’s human will participates in salvation and helps believers relate to Jesus more deeply as both God and Man.

The Sixth Ecumenical Council taught that Christ had two natural wills—one divine and one human—and two corresponding energies, working perfectly together. This safeguarded both the fullness of Christ’s divinity and His genuine humanity, showing that His human obedience to the Father was real, not just symbolic. By affirming Christ’s human will, the Council ensured that Jesus truly experienced human choice, struggle, and surrender—making His victory over sin and death a victory achieved as both God and man. This means believers can trust that Christ’s redemption fully meets human needs, and that as truly human, He is able to sanctify every aspect of human life and will.