Works of the Right Rev. Bishop Hay of Edinburgh/Volume 1/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII.
Of Jesus Christ Our Redeemer
Q. 1. IS it necessary to know Jesus Christ the Redeemer?
A. It is most necessary to know both what Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us; for " there is no other name under heaven given to men whereby we must be saved," Acts, iv. 12. And Christ Himself, speaking to His eternal Father, says, " This is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent," John, xvii. 3.
Q. 2. Who is Jesus Christ?
A. Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second Person of the ever-blessed Trinity, who, taking our nature upon Him, became man in order to redeem lost man.
Q. 3. Where doth it appear that Jesus Christ is God the Son, the second Person of the blessed Trinity?
A. From many plain texts of Scripture. Thus the angel declared to the blessed Virgin Mary, before He was conceived in her womb, " The holy One that shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God," Luke, i. 35. St Peter, inspired by God Himself, said to Christ, " Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God," Mat. xvi. 16. St John declares " that- the Word was God," and that this "Word," or Son of God, "was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father," John, i. 14. St John the Baptist, by particular revelation from the Holy Ghost, says of Jesus Christ, "I saw, and I gave testimony that this is the Son of God," John, i. 34. God the Father, at the transfiguration, by a voice from heaven, declared, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Mat. xvii. 5. All the miracles He performed are recorded in the Gospel in proof of this truth. " Many other signs Jesus did; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God," John, XX. 30. And St Paul declares that " Christ is over all things, God blessed for ever," Rom. ix. 5.
Q. 4. Is Jesus Christ true man?
A. Jesus Christ is also true man; for whereas He was always God, equal to His Father from all eternity, when the fulness of time was come He became man by taking our nature upon Him, and uniting it to His Divine nature in His own person; so that He is also true man, having the nature of man - that is, having a soul and a body like unto us. Thus " the Word," or Son of God, " which in the beginning was with God, and was true God, was made flesh, and dwelt among us," John, i. "Jesus Christ being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God, but debased Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men, and in fashion found as a man," Philip, ii. 6. God sent His own Son in the likeness of " sinful flesh," Rom. viii. 3. "For nowhere doth He take hold (that is, take upon Him the nature) of the angels, but of the seed of Abraham He taketh hold," Heb. ii. 16. " And hence we are sanctified by the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ once - for this Man offering one sacrifice for sins, for ever sitteth on the right hand of God," Heb. x. 10 , 12. "Forasmuch then as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, He (Jesus Christ) also Himself, in like manner, partook of the same, that through death He might destroy - the devil," Heb. ii. 14. And that He has a human soul as well as a body. He assures us Himself when He says, "My soul is sorrowful even unto death," Mat. xxvi. 38. Lastly, Jesus Christ Himself declares He is a true man, capable of being put to death, when he says, " You seek to kill me, a man who have spoken the truth to you," John, viii. 40.
Q,. 5. Was Jesus Christ, in His human nature, subject to all the infirmities of man?
A. Yes; Jesus Christ, as man, was pleased to subject Himself to all our infirmities and miseries, sin only excepted, of which He was incapable, that He might thereby manifest to us the more abundantly the infinite riches of His goodness and mercy towards us. Thus He subjected Himself to suffer hunger, and thirst, and weariness; to be afflicted with grief and sorrow of mind; to be tempted and tried; to suffer pain and torment in His body, and to undergo death itself, and that in the most cruel and ignominious manner. " It behoved Him in all things to be made like to His brethren, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest, with God, to make a reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that wherein He himself hath suffered and been tempted, He is able to succour them also that are tempted," Heb. ii. 17. " For we have not a high priest, who cannot have compassion on our infirmities, but one tempted in all things like as we are, yet without sin," Heb. iv. 15. For "He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth," i Pet. ii. 22. On the contrary, " He was holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners," Heb. vii. 26.
Q. 6. Why did Jesus Christ subject Himself to all the infirmities of human nature?
A. That He might be able to suffer for our sins; for whereas the Divine justice demanded a satisfaction for sin equal to the injury done to God by sin, which none but God could give; and, on the other hand, God Himself was incapable of suffering in His own nature, in order to give that satisfaction; therefore He took our nature upon Him, with all its infirmities, that in His flesh He might suffer and die for us: Christ " His own self bore our sins in His body upon the tree, that we being dead to sin, should live to justice; - by Whose stripes you are healed," i Pet. ii. 24 : " Christ also died once for our sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might offer us to God, being put to death, indeed, in the flesh,"I Pet. iii. 18. "Christ therefore suffered in the flesh,"I Pet. iv. 1; and Isaiah long before His coming hath foretold, that " He was wounded for our iniquities. He was bruised for our sins,... and by His bruises we are healed," Isa. liii. 5.
Q. 7. What was it that moved Almighty God to provide such a Redeemer for lost men?
A. It was the effect of His pure love and mercy towards us. He was not obliged to do it; He might have pursued us with all the rigour of His justice, if He had been pleased to do so, as He did the fallen angels; but He had compassion upon our miseries, and, of His own free will, out of pure love to us, provided the Redeemer for us. Thus Isaiah, foretelling the sufferings of the Redeemer, says, " He was offered because it was His own will," Isa. liii. 7. And Jesus Christ says on this subject, "No man taketh away My life from Me, but I lay it down of Myself; and I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again," John, x. 18.
And therefore, though His enemies on different occasions sought to apprehend Him, " yet no man laid hands on Him, because His hour was not yet come," John, vii. 30. Now that it was pure love for us, and compassion for our miseries, which moved God to send us such a Redeemer, is often declared in holy writ: " God so loved the world as to give His only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God sent not His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world may be saved by Him," John, iii. 16. " By this hath the charity of God appeared towards us; because God hath sent His only begotten Son into the world that we may live by Him. In this is charity: not as though we had loved God; but because He first loved us, and sent His Son to be a propitiation for our sins," i John, iv. 9. " God, who is rich in mercy, for His exceeding great charity wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead by sins, hath quickened us together in Christ (by whose grace you are saved),... that He might show, in the ages to come, the abundant riches of His grace in His bounty towards us in Christ Jesus," Eph. ii. 4. " In this we have known the charity of God; because He hath laid down His life for us," i John, iii. 16. "God commendeth His charity towards us; because, when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, Christ died for us," Rom. V. 8. " Christ also loved us, and hath delivered Himself for us an oblation and a sacrifice to God," Eph. V. 2. And in this we see the greatness of His love for us; for, as He Himself declares, " Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends," John, xv. 13.
Q. 8. In what manner did God the Son take the nature of man upon Him?
A. He made choice of the blessed Virgin Mary to be His Mother, and, when the fulness of time was come, in her sacred womb, and of her most pure blood, a human body was formed, by the operation of the Holy Ghost, and a most perfect soul was created to animate this body; and in the same instant of time the Divine nature was united to this soul and body, in the person of God the Son, by the power of. the Most High, which overshadowed this blessed Virgin for that purpose. Jesus Christ, God and man, being thus conceived in her sacred womb, remained there for the space of nine months, and then was born of her in the stable of Bethlehem, she still remaining a pure virgin.
Q. 9. What account does the Scripture give of this?
A. St Paul says, that " when the fulness of time was come, God sent His Son, made of a woman," Gal. iv. 4 , to show that He took flesh of her, or that His body was formed of the substance of her body; so also the Scripture says that He was born of Mary, - " Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ," Mat. i. 16. And that she was a Virgin, both when she conceived and when she brought Him forth, was foretold long before by the prophet Isaiah, saying, "Behold a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel," Isa. vii. 14 ; " which, being interpreted, is God with us," Mat. i. 23. And in what manner this was done is thus told by St Luke: " And the angel Gabriel was sent from God, unto a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a Virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the Virgin's name was Mary. And the angel being come in, saith to her, Hail, full of grace, our Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women. And when she had heard, she was troubled at his saying, and thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said to her, Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God: behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus: He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High.... And Mary said to the angel, How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, and therefore, also, the Holy One which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.... And Mary said. Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to thy word." Luke, i. 38.
Q. 10. Has Jesus Christ two natures?
A. Yes; Jesus Christ has two natures, the nature of God and the nature of man, united together in one person, which is the Person of God the Son; for, as the Athanasian creed expresses it, " as the rational soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ."
Q. II. How does it appear from Scripture that there is but one person in Christ?
A. Because the same person who is there declared to be Christ, according to the flesh, is also declared to be God; thus St Paul, speaking of the Israelites, says, " Of whom is Christ according to the flesh, who is over all things, God blessed for ever," Rom. ix. 4. He also says that the same person, " who being in the form of God thought it no robbery to be equal to God, was made in the likeness of man, and in fashion found as a man," Philip, ii. 6 ; and Jesus Christ Himself, who says on one occasion " I and the Father are one," John, x. 30 , says at another time, " I go to the Father, for the Father is greater than I," John, xiv. 28 ; where the same person of Christ, the same, declares that He is one and the same with the Father, speaking of Himself as God, and as to His Divine nature; and that He is also inferior to His Father, speaking of Himself as man, and as to His human nature: so that in these expressions is declared both that there is but one person in Christ, and that in this one person the two natures are united.
Q. 12. Does it appear from any other texts of Scripture that there are two natures in Christ, the Divine and human natures?
A. Most evidently; for, as Ave have seen above that Christ is both true God and true man, all the texts which show those two truths show that He has both the nature of God and the nature of man; for, being true God, He must of necessity have the nature of God, and being true man. He must of necessity have the nature of man, since the being anything and the having the nature of that thing is one and the self-same.
Q. 13. Will this union of the Divine and human natures in the person of Christ be ever dissolved?
A. It will never be dissolved; for the Holy Scripture assures us that Jesus Christ, true God and true man, is " a priest for ever," and that He is a " king for ever "; that He will reign over His faithful, and over all His enemies, " for ever "; that all things are subjected to Him, and that "of His kingdom there shall be no end." Thus, " the Lord hath sworn, and He will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever," Ps. cix. 4 ; which St Paul declares was said by God the Father to Christ in these words: "So also Christ did not glorify Himself to be made a high priest, but He that said to Him, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee," as he says also in another place, " Thou art a priest for ever," Heb. v. 5 ; and a little after adds that Christ is made priest, "not according to the law of a carnal commandment, but according to the power of an indissoluble life; for He testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever," Heb. vii. 17. And with regard to His kingdom, Isaiah says: "A child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon His shoulders.... His empire shall be multiplied, and there shall be no end of peace; He shall sit upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to establish it, and strengthen it with judgment and with justice, from henceforth and for ever," Isa. ix, 6 , 7. And Ezekiel, speaking of Christ's kingdom, says: " Thus saith the Lord God - and My servant David shall be king over them, and they shall have one shepherd - and David My servant shall be their prince for ever," Ezek. xxxvii. 24 , 25. Hence the angel Gabriel says to the blessed Virgin: " Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end," Luke, i. 31. The Jews themselves were very sensible of this truth, and therefore said, " We have heard out the law that Christ abideth for ever," John, xii. 34. From all which St Paul declares, that "Jesus Christ, yesterday and to-day, He is the same for ever," Heb. xiii. 8.
Q. 14. Is the blessed Virgin truly and properly the Mother of God?
A. Yes, she is truly and properly the Mother of God; because she conceived in her womb, and brought forth, in due time, that Divine Person who is both true God and true man, as the angel declared to her, when he said, " Thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and the Holy One which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God," Luke, i. Now, to conceive and bring forth a son is surely to be his mother. It is true the divinity of Jesus Christ was from all eternity, and as God He was begotten of the Father before all ages, without any mother; so that it cannot be said that the blessed Virgin begot the Divine nature of Jesus Christ. But this is nowise necessary to make her the Mother of God; for our own mothers do not beget our souls, yet they are truly our mothers, both as to soul and body, because our souls, though created immediately by Almighty God, are united to our bodies in our mothers' womb, where we are conceived, and in due time brought forth by them. In like manner as the Divine nature was united to the human nature in the person of Jesus Christ within the womb of the blessed Virgin, and He who is true God was conceived and born of her, this makes her truly and properly the Mother of God. Hence St Elizabeth, inspired by the Holy Ghost, gave her this sacred title, when she said, " Whence is this to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?" Luke, i. 43.