By Lewis Sperry Chafer
[Author’s Note: In this series of articles, which aims at a premillennial and dispensational treatment of the whole field of Systematic Theology and which has already presented Bibliology, Theology Proper, Angelology, and Anthropology, the major division of Soteriology has been reached. This is the first of this series on Soteriology, and will be followed, God willing, by extended articles, continuing at least for the coming four years.]
Introduction
Soteriology is that portion of Systematic Theology which treats of salvation. The word salvation is a translation of the Greek word σωτηρία (cf. σωτήριον and σωτήριος), and is derived from the word σωτήρ which means Savior. Σωτηρία appears forty-eight times in the New Testament. Forty-six times it is translated salvation, once it is translated deliver (Acts 7:25), and once health (Acts 27:34).
In comparison with that which obtains in the New Testament, the Old Testament doctrine of Salvation is more involved; largely because of that which enters into all Old Testament revelation, namely, the progress of doctrine. This progression may well be stated in the words of Christ: “First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear” (Mark 4:28). It appears that, in the Old Testament, the English word salvation presents a latitude of meaning ranging from deliverance from enemies to right relation with God. Deuteronomy 28:1–14 describes the desired estate of an Israelite in the land, and to him salvation consisted largely in deliverance from all that might hinder those blessings. Such, indeed, were the benefits which Jehovah Himself held before His people. A still greater hope was ever before Israel of a spiritual triumph in their yet future covenanted kingdom. In reference to their estate in that kingdom it is written: “And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” (Deut 30:5, 6); “But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighhour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will-remember their sin no more” (Jer 31:33, 34); “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Ezek 36:24–28); “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Rom 11:26, 27).
These Scriptures, which represent a very large array of similar promises, speak of the nation as a whole, and predict restoration and salvation of that people according to Jehovah’s eternal purpose. Over against this national expectation were the issues involved in the relation which the individual sustained to God, which reality was a matter wholly independent of those great promises which secure the salvation of the nation.
Abraham begat seed by Hagar, by Sarah, and Keturah; but only “in Isaac [Sarah’s son] shall thy seed be called” (Rom 9:7). And, again, the election of God for the nation of promise determines that of the sons of Israel, “The elder shall serve the younger” (Rom 9:12, cf. Isa 60:12), and only through Jacob shall the national covenants be realized. Of the seed of Jacob—though as a nation they are preserved in their solidarity and entity and “though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea—a remnant shall be saved” (Rom 9:27); a remnant who as individuals were in right relations to God appeared in every generation. To this group the Apostle refers when he says, “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel” (Rom 9:6), and it is this spiritual Israel of whom he also speaks when he declares, “And so all Israel shall be saved” (Rom 11:26). Thus the final outworking of the divine purpose in behalf of the people to whom the earthly covenants belong, and whose destiny is that of the earth (cf. Matt 5:5), is consummated both as to the elect nation and the fulfilling of the hope for each individual Israelite, whose life was lived in the particular time when distinctive Jewish promises obtained. The present age must ever be seen in its exceptional character, namely, that there is now no difference between Jew and Gentile either as to their lost estate or their need of salvation by grace (Rom 3:9), and no difference as to the terms upon which they may be saved (Rom 10:12, cf. Acts 15:9). The distinctive doctrines of Judaism must be discerned as such, both as to their character and as to the dispensation in which they are in force. For want of specific revelation, the salvation of the individual under Judaism—as to terms, time, and general character—is obscure to men.
As to the meaning of the word salvation, the Old and New Testaments are much alike. The word communicates the thought of deliverance, safety, preservation, soundness, restoration, and healing; but though so wide a range of human experience is expressed by the word salvation, its specific, major use is to denote a work of God in behalf of man. When thus employed, it represents what is evidently the most comprehensive single doctrine of the Bible. It gathers into one conception at least twelve extensive and vital doctrines, namely, Redemption, Reconciliation, Propitiation, Conviction, Repentance, Faith, Regeneration, Forgiveness, Justification, Sanctification, Preservation, and Glorification.
It may be observed, also, that two fundamental ideas inhere in the meaning of the word salvation: On the one hand, to be saved is to be rescued from a lost estate; while, on the other hand, to be saved is to be brought into a saved estate, vitally renewed, and made meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light. Gospel preaching may follow either of these conceptions. It may warn the wicked to flee from the wrath to come, or it may woo them by the contemplation of those benefits which God’s infinite grace provides. The undesirable estate from which God’s salvation would rescue men has been partially defined in previous portions of this work. Under Satanology it was pointed out that unregenerate men are under the power of Satan, being energized by him, and that only the domination of God which translates out of the power of darkness into the kingdom of the Son of His love (Col 1:13) can avail. So, likewise, in both Anthropology and Hamartiology it has been demonstrated that man is born of a fallen race, condemned because of his participation in Adam’s sin, doomed because of the fact that he has only a fallen nature, judged as one who is under sin, and guilty before God because of his personal sins. It is also asserted that divine salvation is from the curse of the law (Gal 3:13), from wrath (1 Thess 5:9, John 3:36), from death (2 Cor 7:10), and from destruction (2 Thess 1:9). On the other hand, divine salvation provides a dismissal and removal of every charge against the sinner and equips him with eternal life in place of death, with the perfect merit of Christ in place of condemnation, and with forgiveness and justification in place of wrath.
In its broadest significance, the doctrine of Salvation includes every divine undertaking for the believer from his deliverance out of the lost estate to his final presentation in glory conformed to the image of Christ. Since the divine objective is thus all-inclusive, the theme is divided naturally into three tenses: (a) the Christian was saved when he believed (Luke 7:50; Acts 16:30, 31; 1 Cor 1:18; 2 Cor 2:15; Eph 2:8 R.V.; 2 Tim 1:9). This past-tense aspect of it is the essential and unchanging fact of salvation. At the moment of believing, the saved one is completely delivered from his lost estate, cleansed, forgiven, justified, born of God, clothed in the merit of Christ, freed from all condemnation, and safe for evermore. (b) The believer is being saved from the dominion of sin (Rom 6:1–14; 8:2; 2 Cor 3:18; Gal 2:20; 4:19; Phil 1:19; 2:12). In this second tense of salvation the believer is being divinely preserved and sanctified. (c) The believer is yet to be saved from the presence of sin when presented faultless in glory (Rom 13:11; 1 Thess 5:8; Heb 1:14; 9:28; 1 Pet 1:3–5; 1 John 3:1–3). To this may be added other passages which, each in turn, present all three tenses or aspects of salvation—1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 1:6, Ephesians 5:25–27; 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10; Titus 2:11–13.
Similarly, no greater fact regarding divine salvation can be declared than is asserted in Jonah 2:9, “Salvation is of Jehovah,” (R.V.) and in Psalm 3:8, R.V., “Salvation belongeth unto Jehovah.” The truth that salvation is of Jehovah is sustained both by revelation and by reason. As to revelation, it is the testimony of the Scriptures, without exception, that every feature of man’s salvation from its inception to the final perfection in heaven is a work of God for man and not a work of man for God. As to reason, there need be but a moment’s consideraton of the supernatural character of every step in this great achievement to discover that man could contribute nothing whatsoever to its realization. That every step is by faith is a necessity since man, having no power to effect a supernatural result, must be cast back in faith upon Another who is able. These obvious truths may be viewed from two different angles: (a) What may be termed the legal aspect of the problem of the salvation of a sinful being is one of satisfying those unyielding and infinitely holy demands of divine righteousness and divine government which are outraged by sin in its every form. No man can make an atonement for his soul and thus save himself. The penalty for his sinful condition requires so great a judgment that, in the end, were he to pay it, there would be nothing left to save. Over against this, is the truth that God has wrought in the substitutionary death of His Son to the end that the penalty is paid. This becomes the only hope for man, but the attitude of dependence upon Another, as a principle, is far removed from man’s own effort to save himself. (b) What may be termed the practical aspect of the problem of the salvation of a sinful being is seen in the character of all that enters into the estate of the saved. No one under any circumstances could forgive his own sin, impart eternal life to himself, clothe himself in the righteousness of God, or write his name in heaven. Thus it is concluded that no more obvious truth will be found on the sacred pages than this, that “Salvation is of Jehovah.” Not only is all that enters into salvation in its first tense wrought by God instantly in response to that simple faith which trusts Him for it, on the ground of the confidence that He is able to save righteously only through the death of His Son, but God is revealed to the sinner as One who desires to save with an infinite longing. He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, could hardly demonstrate more fully His passion to save the lost.
The greatest of all motives which actuates God in the exercise of His saving grace is the satisfying of His own infinite love for those ruined by sin. In this may be seen the truth that the salvation of a soul means infinitely more to God than it could ever mean to the one who is saved, regardless of the glorious realities which constitute that salvation. But in addition to the satisfying of infinite love, three other divine motives in the salvation of the lost are disclosed: (a) It is written, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph 2:8–10). Most emphatic is the truth thus declared that salvation is a divine undertaking on the basis of pure grace in which no human works or merit may enter. This salvation is unto good works; it is never by good works, and it is unto such good works as are foreordained of God. (b) In like manner, it is declared that God is motivated in His salvation of men by the advantage which their salvation will be to them. John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” It is clearly asserted in this familiar text that a twofold benefit accrues to all who believe on Christ—they do not perish and they do receive everlasting life. These advantages are immeasurably great both as to their intrinsic value and as to their endless duration. The question may be asked as to whether there could be any higher actuating motive on the part of God in man’s salvation than the benefit man receives from it. There is an objective in God’s exercise of His saving grace which is far more a reality to God than either good works or man’s own benefit. It is (c) the fact that man’s salvation is by divine grace to the end that the grace of God may have an adequate manifestation. Of this truth it is recorded, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus” (Eph 2:7). There was that in God which no angel had ever seen. They had observed His wisdom and power displayed in the creation and upholding of all things. They had beheld His glory; but they had not seen His grace. There could be no manifestion of divine grace until there were sinful creatures who were objects of Grace. The importance, in heavenly realms, of the unveiling of infinite grace could not be estimated in this world. There was no complete exhibition of divine love until God gave His Son to die for lost men. The momentousness of that demonstration is also beyond human understanding. In like manner, there could be no complete exhibition of divine grace until sinners were saved through the death of God’s Son, and the measure of that grace is also beyond finite understanding. The thought transcends all comprehension that even one from this fallen sinful race will be so changed by divine power that he will be satisfying to God as an exhibition of His infinite grace; and, though the vast spaces of heaven be thronged with such, the demonstration is not enhanced by multiplied representations, for each individual will be the expression of God’s superlative grace.
By the perfect accomplishment of Christ in His death—dying the just for the unjust—the saving arm of God is no longer shackled on account of those just claims of judgment which His outraged character and government must otherwise impose; and, being thus freed to act, He does all that infinite love dictates. Naught in heaven or on earth—naught within the Godhead or among created beings—could surpass the end which divine salvation achieves for a lost soul as the manifestation of God’s grace and the satisfaction of His love. This incomprehensible, illimitable result is assured in the promise that every saved one will be “conformed to the image of his Son” (Rom 8:29), And the Apostle John also testifies, “When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). This is evidently what is in the mind of the Apostle when he writes, “And as we have borne the image of the earthly we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1 Cor 15:49). Even now Christ is in the believer as “the hope” of that “glory” (Col 1:27), and this body itself will be fashioned “like unto his glorious body” (Phil 3:21). It is no small distinction for a hell-deserving sinner that God should so love him that, having borne his judgments, He should employ him as the agent by whom He will declare eternally to the universe the precise scope and character of His unqualified grace.
The gospel preacher will do well to study to the end that he may rightly emphasize the two divine perfections in man’s salvation, before mentioned, both of which are gained on righteous grounds through the death and resurrection of Christ. One of these is a disposal of that which is evil, while the other is the securing of that which is good. These twofold divine perfections are, (1) That by the death of Christ, all judgment and condemnation are so perfectly borne that they can never again be reckoned against the believer (Rom 8:1, R.V.). Even in the salvation of a soul, no blow is struck, no criticism or censure is uttered. (2) Likewise, and on the ground of that same death and on the ground of Christ’s resurrection, every requirement for eternal association with God in heaven is bestowed—all, indeed, on the principle of uncomplicated grace.
In concluding this introduction to the study of Soteriology, the student is enjoined to give exceptional attention to this great theme, and for two important reasons, which are, (1) God’s message includes the whole human family in its outreach, and since the great proportion are unregenerate, and since the gospel of salvation is the only word addressed to the unsaved, it is reasonable to conclude that, in a well-balanced ministry, gospel preaching should account for no less than seventy-five percent of the pulpit testimony. The remainder may be for the edification of those who are saved. It stands to reason that, if so much of the preacher’s message should be within the general field of Soteriology, the study of this division of Systematic Theology should be attended with great diligence, sincerity, and prayerful expectation. (2) The preacher is an important link in the chain which connects the heart of God with the souls of lost men. Concerning the other links in this chain, it may be remarked that there is no deficiency in the provisions of redemption through the sacrifice of Christ. There is no flaw in the record of that redemption as revealed in the Oracles of God. There is no weakness or failure on the part of the enabling Spirit. There should be no omissions, defects, or derelictions in the preacher’s presentation of redemption to those for whom it is provided. When seriously contemplated, the responsibilty of gospel preaching cannot but solemnize the heart and be the cause of an ever-increasing dependence upon God. It is not to be wondered at that the Apostle, speaking for the Holy Spirit, declares with that unique emphasis which a twofold repetition imposes, “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal 1:8, 9). This anathema has never been revoked, nor could it be so long as the saving grace of God is to be proclaimed to a lost world. From the human point of view, a misrepresentation of the gospel might so misguide a soul that the way of life is missed forever. It behooves the doctor of souls to know the precise remedy he is appointed to administer. A medical doctor may, by an error, terminate what at best is only a brief life on earth. The doctor of souls is dealing with eternal destiny. Having given His Son to die for lost men, God cannot but be exacting as to how that great benefit is presented; nor should He be deemed unjust if He pronounces an anathema on those who pervert the one and only way of salvation which was purchased at so great a cost. A sensitive man, when realizing these eternal issues, might shrink from so great a responsibility; but God has not called His messengers to such a failure. He enjoins them to “preach the word” and assures them of His unfailing presence and enabling power. Probably at no point in the whole field of theological truth is the injunction more applicable which says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15).
The study of Soteriology is to be pursued under the following main divisions: (1) The Savior, (2) The divine purpose, (3) Is redemption limited?, (4) Important questions answered by various theological systems, (5) Seven aspects of salvation, (6) The terms of salvation, (7) Christ’s present ministry.
The Savior
Introduction
There is but one Savior and only One who in every respect is qualified to save. The truth thus asserted is the foundation of Soteriology, and, of these two declarations, the first calls for an investigation into the Person of Christ—which line of truth has been considered in many pages under Trinitarianism, and there properly restricted to contemplation of His Person. The second declaration—that He alone is qualified to save—calls for an investigation into the work of Christ on the cross and is the ground of all that enters into Soteriology. Thus, in turn, Soteriology is the cornerstone of Systematic Theology; being, as it is to the fullest degree, that which man may comprehend of God’s self-revelation to a fallen race. As stated above, under Trinitarianism specific consideration has been given to Christ’s Person. Under Soteriology (apart from an introductory word), specific consideration is to be given to Christ’s work; while under Christology these two fundamental truths are to be considered together. As before intimated, it is essential, when approaching the study of the work of Christ, to restate, or review, certain facts relative to His Person to the end that some larger recognition may be secured as to Who it is that undertakes to provide so great a salvation. Attention is therefore first directed to—
A. The Person of the Savior
That man is incapable of a comprehension of Deity is a truism, and it is equally certain that man is incapable of depicting what he cannot comprehend. In the Bible, God has spoken regarding Himself, and this has accomplished much for impotent man in his attempt to know the truth about God; yet this revelation—even when the mind is illuminated by the Spirit—is dimly apprehended. It is under such unavoidable restrictions that a human author may write or a human voice may speak. Unspeakably exalted is the theme of the Person of Christ; but, for the present emergency, this division of the general thesis may be subdivided into four aspects—(a) Christ’s seven positions, (b) His offices, (c) The hypostatic union, and (d) His Sonships.
I. Christ’s Seven Positions
The entire field of Christology is well comprehended in the seven positions in which Christ is set forth in the Scriptures. Though these are observed more thoroughly under Christology, there seems to be no more illuminating approach to this vast theme respecting the Person and work of Christ. The purpose in this preparatory treatment is an attempt to comprehend—so far as may be possible—the infinite greatness of the One who has undertaken to save the lost. The spiritual progress of the Christian may be measured by the growth he makes in “the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever” (2 Pet 3:18). It is stated by Christ Himself that the work of the Spirit in the heart of the believer will be to “glorify me” (John 16:14). By these Scriptures it is indicated that the believer’s conception of Christ who saves him should not only be extended to supernatural proportions, but should be increasing with every passing day. That He may have the preeminence, these seven positions are introduced here.
1. The Pre-incarnate Christ
It is doubtless true that, in view of the fact that Christ took upon Himself the human form and nature, the mind of man is disposed to think of Him in terms of finite inability and incompetency. A certain cure for this misleading practice is meditation and reflection on His pre-incarnate existence. Such consideration always tends to an apprehension of the incarnate Christ which is free from human misconceptions.
Having received and welcomed something of His eternal Godhood, it will be natural to give His Deity its proper place when pursuing the truth respecting His incarnate mode of existence.
It is hoped that the student is mindful of the somewhat extended investigation, under Theology Proper, of the major passages (Isa 7:14; 9:6, 7; Micah 5:2; Luke 1:30–35; John 1:1, 2, 14; Phil 2:6–8; Col 1:13–17; 1 Tim 3:16) bearing on Christ’s pre-incarnate existence as one in the Triune Godhead. But one passage will be reconsidered in this connection, namely,
John 1:1,2,14
Though, so far as the record goes, the Son of God did not apply the specific term Logos to Himself, it is applied to Him by the Holy Spirit in the passage under consideration. This appellation might with the best of reason be used more than it is to identify the pre-incarnate Son of God. A distinctive name which relates Him to eternity is not only needed, but is thus supplied by the Holy Spirit, whose use of this title in this connection is complete authority for its employment, for the same purpose, under all circumstances. By its very meaning, the designation Logos bears a far-reaching revelation, not only of His Deity, but of His essential and eternal relation to the First Person. Of this name Logos Archbishop B. D. Alexander writes, “The doctrine of the Logos has exerted a decisive and far-reaching influence upon speculative and Christian thought. The word has a long history, and the evolution of the idea it embodies is really the unfolding of man’s conception of God. To comprehend the relation of the Deity to the world has been the aim of all religious philosophy. While widely divergent views as to the Divine manifestation have been conceived, from the dawn of Western speculation, the Greek word logos has been employed with a certain degree of uniformity by a series of thinkers to express and define the nature and mode of God’s revelation. Logos signifies in classical Greek both ‘reason’ and ‘word.’ Though in Biblical Greek the term is mostly employed in the sense of ‘word,’ we cannot properly dissociate the two significations. Every word implies a thought. It is impossible to imagine a time when God was without thought. Hence thought must be eternal as the Deity. The translation ‘thought’ is probably the best equivalent for the Greek term, since it denotes, on the one hand, the faculty of reason, or the thought inwardly conceived in the mind; and, on the other hand, the thought outwardly expressed through the vehicle of language. The two ideas, thought and speech, are indubitably blended in the term logos; and in every employment of the word in philosophy and Scripture, both notions of thought and its outward expression are intimately connected.”[1]
The second Person, fulfilling the significant meaning of the title Logos, is, and always has been, as He ever will be, the manifestation of God. This is implied in the term Logos; for He who bears that name within the Godhead, is to the Godhead what speech is to thought—the expression of it. Dr. W. Lindsay Alexander writes clearly of this: “This word carries its own meaning with it; in other words, that the simple idea presented to the mind by this word is so truly descriptive of Jesus Christ that it may be used without any qualification as a designation of Him, just as the words, life, light, manna, passover, peace, etc., elsewhere are used. But this throws us upon the inquiry, In what sense is Jesus Christ the Word? for it must be allowed that the term does not so immediately yield up its meaning as do some of those other terms with which we have compared it. Now, in reply to this I think the oldest answer is still the best. ‘The Son,’ says Origen, ‘may be the Word because He announces the hidden things of His Father;’ or, as another of the Fathers gives it, because He is the interpreter of the will of God. The idea here is, that as a word is the interpreter of the hidden invisible spirit of man, so Jesus, coming forth from the bosom of the Father, of Him whom no man hath seen at any time, has revealed Him to us. Words bridge over the chasm between spirit and spirit, and form a medium of communication between mind and mind. They are winged messengers that come from that which sense cannot descry, and through the medium of sense convey to others knowledge of that hidden power that sent them forth. They are thus emphatically revealers of the invisible, palpable exponents to us of what, but for them, must ever have remained hidden from us, being supersensible. In like manner has Jesus Christ made known and expounded God to us. In Himself God is utterly beyond our knowledge; we cannot by searching find Him out; and it is only as He reveals Himself to us that we can have any just thought of Him at all. But of all the revelations of Himself which He has given to men, none is so full, so clear, so impressive, as that which He has given in the Person of His Son. Here all the other rays of light which God has sent forth to illuminate our darkness are concentrated in one blaze of glory. Here all the other words which God hath spoken to men are gathered up and condensed into one grand and all-embracing utterance, which therefore becomes emphatically The Word—the living personal manifestation of God to, men….
“The attentive reader of the O.T. cannot have failed to observe how there runs through the writings which it contains a distinction between God as He is in Himself,—hidden, invisible, unsearchable, incomprehensible; and God as He is in relation to His creatures,—revealed, manifested, declared. Sometimes this is conveyed very distinctly and unmistakably, as by the appearances of the Angel of Jehovah, who is both Himself Jehovah and yet distinct from Jehovah—a representation which can be rendered intelligible only on the supposition of a distinction between God as revealed and God as concealed. In other cases the same idea is presented by certain forms of expression which presuppose it, and are explicable only on the assumption of it. Such, for instance, is the frequently-recurring expression, the ‘Name of God’—an expression which indicates something distinct from God as God, but to which, nevertheless, personal and divine qualities are ascribed; for men are commanded to put their trust in God’s name, God serves men by His name, God puts His name in a person or place, the result of which is that God is in that person or place; and many other similar usages, which can be explained satisfactorily only on the supposition that the name of God is God, not as He is in Himself, but as He is revealed to men. Such also is the distinction made between the ‘face of God,’ which no man can behold, and His ‘back,’ which Moses was permitted, in compliance with his earnest request, to see. As the countenance is the index of the soul, the spiritual part, so to speak, of the body, the face of God is His inner essential glory, His essence as a Spirit; and as the back part of a man is purely material, and subject to the scrutiny of the senses, so this is used by God to denote what of Him may be revealed, and by being revealed may be known by His creatures. What that is He Himself expressly declares when, in the same connection, in answer to the prayer of Moses, ‘Show me Thy glory,’ God says, ‘I will make all my goodness [properly, beauty, majesty] to pass before thee, and will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee.’ This was what Moses could see, and this—the divine name or revelation of God, the beauty, the manifested perfection of God—He would make to pass before him; and it is of this that God speaks as His back, because it could be made known to men in contradistinction to His face, His essential being, which no man could see and live. These instances may suffice to show that the idea of a distinction between God as He is in Himself and God as revealed to His creatures could not but be familiar to an attentive reader of the ancient Jewish Scriptures; so that St. John, in representing the great Revealer of God as with God and as God, would not overstep the limits of enlightened Jewish thought and intelligence.”[2]
There are three determining truths set forth by John concerning the Logos: (a) He, as one with God and as God, is from all eternity (1:1, 2), (b) He becomes flesh (1:14), and (c) He ever manifests the First Person (1:18). With this comprehensive revelation all the Bible is in accord, and such is the adorable, almighty, all-wise, eternal Person who came into the world to be the Savior of men.
2. The Incarnate Christ
In a reasonable effort to attain to a worthy appraisement of the Redeemer, this fundamental truth must be fixed in mind as the ground for all other realities which enter into. His marvelous, exalted Being, namely, that, since He combines in Himself undiminished Deity and perfect humanity, there is none other comparable to Him, either within the Godhead, among angels, or among men. This Theanthropic Person is as much God as is the Father or the Holy Spirit; but neither the Father nor the Spirit has come into union with that which is human. Similarly, this Theanthropic Person is in every respect the embodiment of every feature of a true human being; but no other human being has ever been so united to the Godhead. There is no implication here that this Theanthropic Person is superior to the Father or the Spirit; it is only pointed out that He differs from all others in heaven or on earth in that the breadth of the sphere of His Being has been expanded to a point to which none other has ever, or will ever, attain. He functions perfectly and finally in the service for which a Theanthropic Person was indicated. No need of another could ever arise. In view of the later consideration of the whole field of mediation, pursuance of this theme is discontinued for the present. However, most urgently the truth is stressed that, apart from an interminable investigation into, and meditation on, the peculiar features of this unique Theanthropic Person, there can be no commendable growth “in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
3. Christ in His Death
Again extended discussion awaits a later contemplation of the sufferings of Christ; yet the right evaluation of the Saviour is bound up, to a large degree, in His work upon the Cross. Such an evaluation had come to the Apostle when, in personal adoration, he said, “who loved me and gave himself for me.” Vast indeed are the triumphs of Christ through the cross—reaching on to the transformation of things on earth and in heaven. A right understanding of these will result in a richer and fuller knowledge of the One who is mighty to save.
4. The Resurrected Christ
The incarnation accomplished the union of two natures in one Theanthropic Person, in which union His Deity was veiled, and His humanity, though sinless, was such as might mingle in the common experiences with other men; but the resurrection accomplished the unveiling of His Deity and the glorification of His humanity. Through the resurrection, He became what He ever will be and that which none other had ever been before—a glorified man in heaven. Of Him it is said, “Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting” (1 Tim 6:16). Because of His sufferings and death, God has, in resurrection, highly exalted Him and given Him a name which is above every name. In any recognition of all the Savior is, there must be a contemplation of His present estate—that which He ever will be in heaven.
5. Christ Ascended and Seated in Heaven
The Omnipresent Savior, though indwelling every believer, though present where two or three are met unto His name, and though accompanying every messenger to the end of the age, is, nevertheless, locally present in heaven, seated on His Father’s throne and there administering as Savior of lost men, as Head over all things to the Church, and is preparing a place for the sons whom He is bringing into glory. When on earth, none knew Him more intimately than John, the beloved disciple. He saw Him as a child, in His public service, in transfiguration, in death, and in resurrection; yet, when he saw Him in glory described in Revelation 1:13–18, it was then that John fell at the glorified Savior’s feet as one dead, and was able to arise only as he was lifted up and strengthened by his glorified Lord. It is with that same glorified Savior that Christians will be confronted as they enter heaven, and it is of this Savior the believer must now be aware if he would know who it is that saves his soul.
6. Christ Returning
The utmost capacity of language to express limitless glory is strained in those passages wherein the second advent of Christ is described (cf. Isa 63:1–6; Dan 7:13, 14; Matt 24:27–31; Acts 15:16–18; 2 Thess 1:7–10; Rev 19:11–16), and that conception of this glorious Person must be added to the sum total of all that the Savior is by whom the lost are saved, and by whom they are presented faultless before the presence of His glory.
7. Christ Reigning Forever
By the authority of the Father, the Son, to whom all authority is given, must reign upon the throne of David until all enemies are put under His feet. Then, by the same authority He will reign forever and ever, that God may be all in all (1 Cor 15:24–28). It is predicted that His reign shall be everlasting—on the throne of His father David (cf. Isa 9:6, 7; Ezek 38:21–25; Dan 7:13, 14; Luke 1:31–33; Rev 11:15). Such is He in whom the sinner trusts and such is He whom all Christians are admonished to know. The call to know “our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” is a call to enter an immeasurable realm of reality—even all that the Savior is.
Dallas, Texas
Notes
- The International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, 1915 Edition, Vol. III, pp. 1911, 1912.
- System of Biblical Theology, Vol. 1, pp. 360-363.
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