According to the humanity of the Son, the Bible says that He is a creature. Colossians 1:15b says the Son of God’s love is “the Firstborn of all creation.” Our critics have made a big mistake because they think that we speak about this matter according to the teaching of the Arians. In the book entitled Concerning the Person of Christ we have clearly said, “According to the complete revelation of the Bible, Christ is both the Creator and the creature, because He is God and He is man-He is God who creates, He is also man who is created....When Christ became a creature He did not lose His eternal, uncreated nature-He remains the Creator. In like manner, when He became man He did not lose His divine nature-He is still God” (pp. 45, 47).
Moreover, if we do not confess that Christ is a creature, this is equivalent to not confessing that Christ is God who “became flesh” (John 1:14) and “partook” of “blood and flesh” (Heb. 2:14) to become a “man” (1 Tim. 2:5). Then we would become Docetists (cf. 1 John 4:3, note 1, in The New Testament, Recovery Version). The Docetists believed that Christ only has divinity and does not have humanity, that His human body was not a real body but was merely a phantom. As referred to in 1 John 4:2-3, they did not confess that Christ came in the flesh.
Over thirty years ago, a so-called co-worker told me that Christ in heaven today is not a man. What he meant is that the Lord lost His human nature immediately after His resurrection and is therefore no longer a man. But Acts 7 says that Stephen, before he was stoned to death, saw the Lord Jesus still standing as the Son of Man at the right hand of God (v. 56). In Revelation 1, the apostle John saw that the Lord Jesus, who is walking in the midst of the golden lampstands, is like the Son of Man (v. 13). In Matthew 26, when the high priest interrogated the Lord Jesus, saying, “Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God” (v. 63), the Lord replied, “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (v. 64). This indicates that the Lord will still be the Son of Man at His coming back. Furthermore, John 1:51 proves that, in eternity, this Jesus will still be the Son of Man, on whom the angels of God will be ascending and descending. Hence, the Lord Jesus not only put on human nature when He became flesh, but He also died, resurrected, and ascended with His humanity, and He will have His humanity even in His coming back and unto eternity.
Some may ask, “Was it not only two thousand years ago that Christ became flesh? Why then does the Bible say that He is the Firstborn of all creation?” We need to consider this question not according to man’s calculation but according to God’s calculation. For example, according to man’s calculation, the first man is Adam and the second man is Cain. However, the Bible says that the first man is Adam and the second man is Christ (1 Cor. 15:45-47); this is God’s calculation.
Furthermore, Genesis 18:1 says that Jehovah appeared to Abraham, and then it says that Abraham saw three men coming. Among the three men, one was Jehovah. At Abraham’s time Jehovah had not yet become flesh, yet He appeared to Abraham in the form of man. Abraham not only fetched water for Him to wash His feet (v. 4) but also served Him a meal (v. 8). That One was Christ with a human body, not a phantom. Therefore, in John 8 the Lord Jesus said, “Abraham exulted that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced....Before Abraham came into being, I am” (vv. 56, 58). The creeds are also short of this point.
First John 1:7 says, “The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.” The name Jesus denotes the Lord’s humanity, which is needed for the shedding of the redeeming blood. The title His Son denotes the Lord’s divinity, which is needed for the eternal efficacy of the redeeming blood. Hence, Acts 20:28 says that the church was obtained by God “through His own blood.”
Colossians 2:2 says that Christ is the mystery of God. Then verse 9 says, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” This means that the fullness of the entire Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Spirit-dwells in Christ as one who has a human body. Before Christ’s incarnation, the fullness of the Godhead dwelt in Him as the eternal Word (John 1:1), but not bodily. From the time that Christ became incarnate, clothed with a human body, the fullness of the Godhead began to dwell in Him in a bodily way; and in His glorified body (Phil. 3:21) now and forever it dwells.
The last item which the creeds are short of is the matter of Christ, the Son, being the embodiment of the fullness of the divinity of the entire Triune God. Hence, it is neither secure nor accurate enough to take only the creeds as the standard.
When we put together all these items that are omitted in the creeds, we can see that the Divine Trinity is indeed a mystery. The more we study the matter of the Trinity, the more we have to admit that the Trinity is truly mysterious and incomprehensible. This is why Martin Luther said that if you try to understand the matter concerning the Triune God, you will be the teacher of God. In this matter we all must say, “I have not yet come to know as I ought to know” (cf. 1 Cor. 8:2). If you say you know, then you are the teacher of God. Because the items concerning the Triune God are too mysterious, after we have thoroughly studied them, we have to humbly bow our heads in worship, saying, “Lord, how we thank You that in all these years You have released all these mysteries concerning the Divine Trinity in order that we may know how to enjoy You.” If we are only for doctrinal study, we cannot adequately explain even an ordinary fish, let alone the Triune God. The Triune God is too mysterious. In conclusion, He is the Triune God; He has the aspect of being three, yet He is still one.
Recently, a group of people in America declared that they will go back to the Councils. This means that they believe that all issues must be decided according to the resolutions of the Councils and not according to the Bible. However, the resolutions of the Councils are simply the creeds; therefore, their intention is to go back to the creeds that are seriously short. For this reason, there is an undercurrent hidden here today and there is also a warfare. If you desire to serve the Lord full time for a long time, you must have the fundamental knowledge concerning this matter. What I have given you is just a sketch to show you that our knowledge of God is altogether scriptural and that most Christians’ knowledge of God is mostly according to the creeds and is therefore inadequate. Even to this day they still recite the creeds during their worship in their worshipping places. The basis of their belief is the creeds instead of the Bible. However, the foundation of our faith is not the creeds. Rather, we study the Bible daily. This is our faith and our practice.
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