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PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 14
We must explain, helpfully, how the two natures of Christ reside together in one person. There is a duality in this sense as well as a perfect unity. “The Word was made flesh” means that the Son of God became the Son of man, not by confusion of substances, but by unity of person. The best human analogue of this mysterious union is that of soul and body. Some characteristics of the body and of the soul are distinct from one another, other parts are in common, and others are capable of being transferred. But it should be noted that two diverse underlying natures make up the one human person. The interchange between the human and divine natures is called the communicatio idiomatum. The unity of the person of the Mediator is proven by the Scriptures demonstrating that both natures at once comprehended in the same person of the Son.
There are those who attempt to overthrow the incarnation because of certain heretical ideas. The two natures may not be thought of as either fused or separated. Nestorius taught a double Christ (the natures were pulled apart). Eutyches taught a unity of person destroying one nature or the other (the natures are commingled). Servetus supposes the Son of God to be a figment compounded from God's essence, spirit, flesh, and three uncreated elements. He denies the God-man, holding that before Christ came in the flesh there were only shadow-figures in God which were made plain only when the Word truly began to be the Son of God. In answer to all of these we assert the traditional view of the church: that the preexistent Logos, eternally God's Son, took human nature in a hypostatic union (and Scripture proves that Christ is Son according to both natures).
PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 15 - Christ’s Offices - the Prophetic Office, Kingship, and Priesthood
Jesus Christ's saving activity is seen in His threefold office. First concerning the prophetic office, there are Scriptural passages applicable to this idea. God provided an unbroken chain of prophets to teach salvation—but all these looked to a full understanding only with the coming of Christ. The name of Christ supposes three offices, all done by anointing with oil: prophet, priest, king. His Messiahship is especially connected with the kingly office, but should not be overlooked in the other two. Christ, as Scripture states, was anointed as prophet, but not only for Himself as teacher; His anointing as prophet applies also to His whole body, the church, in which the preaching of the gospel is to continue.
Secondly, the Kingly Office has a spiritual character. The eternity of Christ's dominion a. spiritual kingship, therefore, it is efficacious and beneficial for us in two ways: 1) in the church we will weather all the storms and so be preserved, and 2) in the individual believer this office inspires us to hope for blessed immortality. It is the reality that happiness promised us by Christ does not rest in earthly prosperity, but in a heavenly life after death.
Thirdly, the Priestly Office demonstrates reconciliation and intercession. The purpose and use of Christ's priestly office is that our Mediator reconciles us to God Thus we see that Christ’s sacrifice is the sacrifice of our high priest, and it is once for all—not respecting the nonsense of the papist resacrificing of the Mass.
PREVIEW OF CHAPTER 16 - How Christ Has Fulfilled the Function of Redeemer
Though we were alienated by sin from God, we are reconciled by Christ to God who loved us. 1. The Redeemer makes us aware of God's wrath as well as thankful for His loving act in Christ. God's wrath is set against unrighteousness, but His love precedes our reconciliation in Christ . Such a work of atonement derives from God's love for us. Here, Christ has redeemed us through His obedience, which He practiced throughout his life, and died as a sacrifice for us. He was “Crucified”, was “Dead and buried”, “Descended into hell” and rose again from the dead as the Creed says.
Did Christ actually descend into the nether world? The “descent into hell” is an expression of the spiritual torment that Christ underwent for us, for a mere bodily death on Christ's part would have been ineffectual for us (and Scripture testifies of this). Jesus Christ had to go through the sense of complete estrangement from God the Father, through a lively fear of death, in order to completely to bear our nature, and our sufferings.
The Creed also says that “on the third day He rose again from the dead.” Here it is in Christ's resurrection alone, not His death, that the victory of our faith over death lies. Then He “Ascended into heaven,” and is now “Seated at the right hand of the Father.” This place of authority and “sitting” is taken from comparison with assessors at a king's court. Here there are benefits imparted to our faith by Christ's ascension.
Then Christ will come to judge the world. Because Christ's kingdom lies hidden in the earth under the lowness of the flesh (despite His clear indication of His present power to those who believe), faith is called to ponder the visible, bodily presence of Christ which He will show in the Day of Judgment. But the blessing is that the Judge is the Redeemer! He is our strength, purity, gentleness, redemption, acquittal, remission from the curse, satisfaction, purification, reconciliation, mortification of flesh, newness of life, immortality, inheritance of the heavenly kingdom, protection, security, abundant supply of all blessings and untroubled expectation of judgment.
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