A Christian Guidebook: Who Is Jesus? (2)
For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15.21, 22
Never irrational
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ, which Christians celebrate at Christmas, is but the opening act of a story of devotion, heroism, betrayal, torture, murder, and redemption which, were it not for the triumph of the resurrection, would seem to make a mockery of the idea that God is good.
Was it necessary, to bring salvation to the world, that the Son of God, the God/Man, should be made to suffer the humbling of Incarnation and the horrors of suffering and death? Could not the almighty God of heaven and earth have devised some other means of accomplishing the same end?
This was the question Boso, the young theological student, pondered, and which he posed to his master, Anselm of Canterbury. Anselm made his question the center of discussion in his great theological treatise, Cur Deus Homo. We must not take this question for granted, because our unbelieving friends will not. They will have questions about why such a good Man should have to die so horrible a death. Could God not come up with some more “reasonable” plan?
To some of his contemporaries, Boso explained, it was irrational for God to act in such a way. Yet, as Anselm insisted, “the will of God is never irrational.” We cannot understand God’s ways and works at the same depth He does, but we can understand them as He intends, trusting that He knows all things, and does all things well. Thus we may come to see the reasonableness of the Christian doctrine of the Incarnation.
Not seemly?
Boso explained to Anselm that some unbelievers he knew were insisting that it was an “injustice and dishonor to God” to insist on the Incarnation. All that fleshly living and dying seemed to them somehow “incompatible with Deity.”
In fact, as Anselm explained, the Incarnation of the eternal Son of God is inescapable for the salvation of sinners, who are such by their own choice. Anselm asked, “Does not the reason why God ought to do the things we speak of seem absolute enough when we consider that the human race, that work of His so very precious, was wholly ruined, and that it was not seemly that the purpose which God had made concerning man should fall to the ground…?”
God has a great and glorious plan for humankind, which we have forfeited by our pursuit of sin and selfishness rather than of the goodness and glory of God. God had to become a man to save us, Anselm explained, for if He had done so by any other means—say, by an angel—then we would by right have to be the servants of that being; and, if we were the servants of any being other than God, we would “in no wise be restored to that dignity” and abundant life which God intends for us and which would have been ours if we had not sinned.
Further, because sin had entered the world through men, justice required that sin should be vanquished by a man. Those who are guilty must be made to pay. Yet no human being born of women would ever qualify for such a task, given the stain of original sin and our inability to overcome it through our own efforts. Thus, all humankind would appear to be doomed, since none among their kind could be found to redeem them.
The new Man
We need a new Man for our salvation, a Man sent from God Who is both Man and God—a God/Man. For only such a Man can fulfill the righteousness that we have spurned, and only such a Man can break the power of death which we deserve.
And Jesus is the only such Man.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, is thus the only way salvation can be accomplished for human beings (Acts 4.12), for, by obeying and fulfilling all the Law of God, He has fulfilled the righteousness we spurned. This is what theologians refer to as the active obedience of Christ.
And He has borne the judgment we deserve, according to the justice of God’s Law, by His passive obedience offering Himself as a substitute on our behalf. And each of these acts of obedience He accomplished as God in the human flesh with which He was born of the Virgin Mary.
Who is Jesus?
Who is Jesus? He is the fulfillment of God’s righteousness and the bearer of our judgment: “For [God] made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5.21).
As by a man death came to the world, so it was necessary that, by a Man—the God/Man—death should be defeated in death, and life should reign in righteousness through our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is the Biblical perspective on humankind’s greatest need and only hope. It may seem irrational or unseemly to the mind which is not submitted to God’s Word; but to those who will allow their thoughts to be enlightened by Scripture, the redemptive work of Jesus makes perfect sense.
Search the Scriptures
1. We must submit our thinking to God’s thinking if we’re going to understand God’s salvation. What do the following verses teach us about why this is so difficult for some people? Ephesians 2.1-3; Romans 8.5-7; 1 Corinthians 2.13, 14:
2. Read John 3.1-20. How did Jesus respond to a man who said to Him, “This doesn’t make sense”? What were His main points?
3. Read Acts 17.22-34. How did Paul seek to influence the thinking of some “worldly-minded” men?
Next steps—Preparation: Nicodemus knew the Scriptures The worldly philosophers of Athens did not know the Scriptures. How were Jesus’ and Paul’s presentations alike? How were they different? How did each appeal to the reason of the hearers?
Additional Resources
For a free copy of Anselm’s Cur Deus Homo, click this link.
If you have found this study helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Support for ReVision comes from our faithful and generous God, who moves our readers to share financially in our work. If this article was helpful, please give Him thanks and praise.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or you may send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
