Continuing with Article VIII, the Person of Christ. While this controversy was rooted in the issue of *how* Jesus could be bodily present in the Lords Supper for men and women to eat and drink, there were, in fact, bigger fish to fry in terms of geting this doctrine clear and correct. Nothing less than understanding how God worked our salvation and what promises are set before us in Christ is at the heart of this. If, as the Church has always taught, there is a sharing between the divine and human in the one person of Christ, then God indeed takes our salvation in hand and redeems us with an outstretched arm. If, as the opponents maintained, the sharing between the divine and human was only a way of speaking - then the unity of the person of Jesus is lost, and you end up with two Christs - one divine and one human (think here of well-meaning folks who say things like, Jesus suffered according to His human nature and did His miracles according to His divine nature. No! No! A thousand times, No! To divide up Jesus like this is lose Jesus.). With such a divided Jesus, the human Christ can only suffer and die, but cannot redeem; and the divine Christ can do great works, but cannot fulfill our righteousness. We need one divine and human Christ to redeem us, conquer our death, and give us a share in His life. But here, read this: From this basis of the personal union, as it has been stated and explained above, that is, from the manner in which the divine and the human nature in the person of Christ are united with one another, namely, that they have not only the names in common, but have also in deed and truth communion with one another, without any commingling or equalizing of the same in their essences, flows also the doctrine de communicatione idiomatum, that is, concerning the true communion of the properties of the natures, of which more is to be said hereafter. For since this is verily so, quod propria non egrediantur sua subiecta (that properties do not leave their subjects), that is, that each nature retains its essential properties, and these are not separated from the nature and poured into the other nature, as water from one vessel into another, so also no communion of properties could be or subsist if the above-mentioned personal union or communion of the natures in the person of Christ were not true. Next to the article of the Holy Trinity this is the greatest mystery in heaven and on earth, as Paul says: Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, that God was manifest in the flesh, 1 Tim. 3:16. For since the Apostle Peter in clear words testifies [ 2 Pet. 1:4 ] that we also, in whom Christ dwells only by grace, on account of that sublime mystery, are in Christ, partakers of the divine nature, what kind of communion of the divine nature, then, must that be of which the apostle says that in Christ dwelt all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, so that God and man are one person? But since it is highly important that this doctrine de communicatione idiomatum, that is, of the communion of the properties of both natures, be treated and explained with proper discrimination,-for the propositiones or praedicationes, that is, how to speak of the person of Christ, and of its natures and properties, are not all of one kind and mode, and when they are employed without proper discrimination, the doctrine becomes confused and the simple reader is easily led astray,-the following explanation should be carefully noted, which, for the purpose of making it plainer and simple, may well be comprised under three heads: Namely, first, since in Christ two distinct natures exist and remain unchanged and unconfused in their natural essence and properties, and yet of both natures there is only one person, hence, that which is, indeed, an attribute of only one nature is ascribed not to that nature alone, as separate, but to the entire person, which is at the same time God and man (whether it is called God or man). (Solid Declaration, Article VIII.31-36) The entire person is at the same time God and man. Which means that everything He does, He does as God and man - and that by communion with Him we become partakers of the divine. We dont become divine - for we are flesh and blood and ever shall be. But in Christ, because of His personal union, we can share in the grace, glory, life and love of God. And if that doesnt knock yer socks off (that you, in Christ, can be a bearer of Gods love into this world - not some sort of juiced-up human affection, but the very love that flows from the Fathers heart), I dont know what will. ;-) Rejoice.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 18:02:49 +0000
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