All of us, perfectly unanimous, teach that one son, our Lord Jesus Christ, perfect for divinity, perfect for humanity, true God and true man, [?] Two natures, unmistakable and immutable, indivisible [?] The properties of each nature. Does it remain intact?
Thus, the Fathers of the Church wrote in the definition of Chalcedon in 451; However, even if they spoke unanimously, their doctrine of Christ seems very complex. Does it really matter?
- Given the sacrifices they have made to properly describe Christ.
- One can imagine that if these Christians were present in a Bible study group on Philippians 2.
- 5-11.
- Could they very well tell us:?From what we’ve heard.
- It’s never been more important?.
Imagine the discussion about stretching, because this one, surviving in the form of God [?] Was it exhausted?(Fp 2. 6-7). Someone says, “Does this mean that Jesus became a man for a while and then became God again?””No, ” said another, “He simply emptied his divine attributes and then recovered them. “(without stopping to reflect on the miracles of Moses, Elijah, or the Apostles), “Did you mix humanity with your divinity?Wasn’t that how you could work miracles?”
Is it really important that these views be false, or even heretical, as long as we know that Jesus saves and testifies to others about him?After all, the important thing is that we preach the gospel.
However, this is precisely the point: Jesus Christ Himself is the gospel. Like loose threads in a tapestry, remove any of these views and the whole gospel will collapse. If the Christ we trust and preach in is not qualified to save us, we have a false Christ.
Think for a moment about the descriptions of Christ above. If at any time it were to stop being all that is like God, the cosmos would disintegrate; because it is he who holds all things with the word of his power (Heb 1. 3). If it were a mixture of divinity and humanity, then it would not be real or completely human, and therefore would no longer be one of us, nor could he act as our representative and substitute. He could not save sinners or help the Saints. That is why Hebrews emphasizes that Christ has a humanity identical to our own, with the exception of sin. There’s no mixing or confusion here.
Most of us try to clearly describe what we love, whether it’s science, computer science, sports, business or family life. Should we be indifferent to how we think and talk about our Savior and Lord?
That is why the Fathers of the Church, and later the Westminster theologians, stressed that the Son of God always remained “of the same substance as the Father and equal to him”, but still, in the incarnation, “he took on nature. human “. with all their essential properties and common diseases, but without sin [?] The two complete, perfect and distinct natures? Divinity and humanity? Were they inseparably united in one person, without conversion, composition, or confusion? (Westminster Confession of Faith, 8. 2).
This impressive affirmation protects the mystery of the Incarnation while carefully describing its reality: the two natures of the Son are not united with each other, but are united in their one Person, so, in all that he has done, he has acted appropriately in terms of his divinity or his humanity, a divine person exercising the powers of each nature in his own sphere.
This highlights the value of the Church’s beliefs, written by men who thought more deeply and often suffered more harshly than we did, spoke of a deep love for Christ and his people, concerned for a lost world, their testimony helps us in three ways:
1. Il protects us by putting limits on our reflexión. 2. Il teaches us to help us see the biblical truth expressed in its shortest form. 3It unies us so that Christians around the world can share the same clear confession of who Christ is and what He has done.
Does it really matter? In light of the sacrifices our ancestors made to articulate the greatness of our Savior’s person and what Christ should be to save us, you can bet that this is the case.
This article is part of the December 2014 issue of Tabletalk magazine.
Translation: Joel Paulo Aragono da Guia Oliveira. Revision: Vinicius Musselman Pimentel. © 2016 Ministério Fiel. All rights reserved. Webpage: MinisterioFiel. com. br. Original: If we do not trust in the biblical Christ, we have a false Savior.
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