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The genuineness of Christ’s divinity and humanity
The genuineness of Christ’s divinity
In the Institutes, after discussing the necessity of Christ to be true God and true man as the Mediator (Inst., 2.12), Calvin proceeds to demonstrate the genuineness of the two natures of Christ (Inst., 2.13).42 The divinity of Christ as “the only begotten Son of God” (Tylenda 1972a: 14) is proved by His works in relation to the world. Christ worked in the creation of the universe as an intermediary (Inst., 1.13.7) and governs the universe “with providence and power” (Inst., 1.13.12). He (Inst., 1.13.10), as mentioned above (§ 3.3.2), was identified with the Eternal God when He appeared to God’s people in the period of the Old Testament as the Angel of God.
Calvin mentions three main factors which demonstrate Christ’s divinity since His incarnation. First, the witness of the apostles. The apostles proclaimed Christ to be the one who fulfilled and would fulfil “what had been foretold concerning the Eternal God” when He appeared in the flesh (Inst., 1.13.11). In Romans 9:32-33, for example, Paul declared that Isaiah’s prophecy that “the Lord of Hosts is to be ‘a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense for the Judeans and Israelites’” [Isa. 8:14p] was fulfilled in Christ. With this Paul proclaimed Christ to be the Lord of Hosts (Inst., 1.13.11). And Paul, applying God’s foretelling concerning Himself that “before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear” to Christ, said that “we must all stand once before the judgment seat of Christ” [Rom. 14:10p] (Inst., 1.13.11).
Second, Christ’s works which are proper only to God. For example, when Christ proved that He had the power of remission of sins, which is proper only to God, He showed Himself to be equal with God (Inst., 1.13.12). Third, Christ’s divinity was 42 The deity of Christ is discussed in the Institutes 1.13.7-13. also “demonstrated by His miracles” like raising the dead, healing the sick and casting out demons, which were done on His own authority (Inst., 1.13.13). Christ also has been acknowledged by the Church of both the Old Testament and the New Testament as the only one in whom they can put their trust and hope since salvation, righteousness and life are contained in Him (Inst., 1.13.13). All these prove the deity of Christ. Christ is the eternal God, the only begotten Son of God.43
Calvin (Inst., 1.13.13), as Edmondson (2004: 206-207) points out, emphasizes the importance of the practical knowledge of Christ in recognizing the divinity of Christ. When we experience Christ’s grace, we can perceive His divinity more certainly and firmly than with any idle speculation. Calvin (Inst., 1.13.13) concludes his discussion on the genuineness of Christ’s divinity with the following statement: “The pious mind perceives the very presence of God, and almost touches Him, when it feels itself quickened, illumined, preserved, justified, and sanctified.”
The genuineness of Christ’s humanity
The Son of God is clothed with our flesh to fulfil the office of the Redemptive Mediator. The human nature which Christ assumed is real. Calvin demonstrates the genuineness of Christ’s humanity against two representative opponents of Christ’s real manhood: the Marcionites44 and the Manichees, who Calvin (Inst., 2.13.1) believes “fancied Christ’s body a mere appearance,” and “dreamed that He was endowed with heavenly flesh” respectively. Against these figures, Calvin says that Christ was “a man truly begotten of human seed,” not created in the air. This was made clear by Christ’s calling Himself “the Son of man,” which means a true man in the Hebrew idiom (Inst., 2.13.1; 2.13.2). Calvin (Inst., 2.13.1; 2.13.3) also presents Christ’s being called “the seed of Abraham and the fruit of David’s loins” as a convincing evidence that proves His true manhood. The promises of “the blessing” and “the eternal throne” were not given to a heavenly seed or a man of
air, but to the seed of Abraham and the fruit of David’s loins. It is to fulfill these promises for Christ to assume human nature. Paul designated Christ’s human nature by immediately adding the adverbial phrase “according to the flesh” when he named Christ “Son of David” [Rom. 1:3]. That Joseph was not involved in the conception of Christ’s human body does not nullify that Christ is the seed of David since “it was clear enough that Mary came from the same family” as Joseph (Inst.,
2.13.3).
In response to the objection that if Christ derived from men, “He could not be exempted from the common rule” that all Adam’s offspring are subject to sin, Calvin (Inst., 2.13.4) refers to the comparison that Paul the apostle makes between Adam and Christ, which demonstrates that the rule is not applicable to Christ, the Second Adam [Rom. 5:12-21; 1 Cor. 15:47]. When Paul states that God sent Christ “in the likeness of sinful flesh” for the law to be satisfied [Rom. 8:3-4], he teaches clearly that Christ is “true man but without fault and corruption, being distinguished from all
other descendants of Adam. Christ is free from all stain not just because Mary, of whom He was begotten, is not unclean as a virgin, but because “He was sanctified by the Spirit that the generation might be pure and undefiled as would have been true before Adam’s fall” (Inst., 2.13.4). Calvin (Inst., 2.13.1) also sees Christ’s reception of the Holy Spirit as an evidence of the genuineness of Christ’s humanity:
Since God cannot “be enriched in His essence by some accidental gift,” it is clear that the gifts of the Spirit was given to Christ according to His humanity. Christ alone as our Head received the Holy Spirit without measure so that “we should all receive from His fullness” (Inst., 2.13.1; cf. Comm. Lk. 1:15). The anointing with the Holy Spirit, as Willis-Watkins (1966: 83-84) points out, equipped Christ’s humanity with gifts to accomplish His Redemptive mediatorial offices.
CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION
1.1. The research problem
1.2. The purpose and method of this study
1.3. The main issues of this study
1.4. The outline of chapters
CHAPTER 2. GREGORY PALAMAS’ DOCTRINE OF DEIFICATION
2.1. Introduction
2.2. The Hesychast controversy
2.3. The presupposition of deification: Man as created in the image of God
2.3.1. Analogies between God and man
2.3.2. The harmonious mutual bond of the soul and the body
2.3.3. The capability of participation in the life of God ∙
2.3.4. Free wil
2.4. The substance of deification: the participation in the uncreated divine energies
2.4.1. The uncreated divine character of the deifying grace ∙
2.4.2. The necessity of the divinity of the deifying grace
2.4.2.1. The mortality inherited from fallen Adam
2.4.2.2. The grant of immortality ∙
2.4.3. Distinction between the essence and energies of God
2.4.3.1. The essence as the inner being of God and energies as His Personal manifestation ad extra
2.4.3.2. The real distinction, not nominal
2.4.3.3. The real distinction, but without division
2.4.4. Deification as the participation in the uncreated divine energies
2.4.4.1. Man’s becoming god eternal and uncreated by grace
2.4.4.2. Without cessation of being a creature
2.4.4.3. Deification spiritual as well as corporeal
2.5. The locus of deification – the hypostatic union of the divine and human natures in Christ
2.5.1. The real body of Christ
2.5.2. Communicatio idiomatum and deification of Christ’s human nature
2.5.3. An inexhaustible source of our deification
2.5.4. The salvific significance of the whole life of Christ
2.6.1. The nature of union with Christ carried out through the Eucharist ∙
2.6.1.1. Spiritual as well as corporeal
2.6.1.2. In divine energy, not in divine hypostasi
2.6.2. The effect of the union with Christ
2.6.3. The preparation for partaking of the Eucharist
2.6.3.1. Purification
2.6.3.2. Faith
2.6.3.3. Continual life in accordance with God’s will
2.6.4. The sacrament of Baptism ∙
2.7. Summary ∙
CHAPTER 3. CALVIN’S IDEA OF THE RELATION BETWEEN CHRIST’S DIVINITY AND HIS HUMANITY IN THE HYPOSTATIC UNION
3.1. Introduction
3.2. Christ, the Cosmic Mediator
3.3. Christ, the Redemptive Mediator ∙
3.3.1. The necessity of the redemptive mediatorship
3.3.2. Performance of the redemptive mediatorship before incarnation
3.3.3. The redemptive mediatorship concerned Christ’s whole Person as God and man
3.4. The genuineness of Christ’s divinity and humanity
3.5. The relation between Christ’s two natures (1) – distinction ∙
3.6. The relation between Christ’s two natures (2) – union
3.7. The question of the communicatio idiomatum ∙
3.8. Summary
CHAPTER 4. THE NATURE OF CALVIN’S NOTION OF UNION WITH CHRIST
4.1. Introduction
4.2. Real and true union with Christ
4.3. The agent of our union with Christ – the Holy Spirit
4.3.1. The inner teacher enlightening us to receive Christ
4.3.2. The Spirit of Christ communicates Christ and what belongs to Him
4.3.3. The agent of union guaranteeing the personal dimension of the union
4.4. The instrument of our union with Christ – faith ∙
4.5. Summary
CHAPTER 5. CALVIN’S IDEA OF COMMUNION WITH CHRIST IN THE LORD’S SUPPER
CHAPTER 6. CALVIN’S DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION
CHAPTER 7. CONCLUSION
