Theology Thursday
Q. 21. Who is the Redeemer of God’s elect?
A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Ok, don’t get tripped up by the ‘God’s elect’ bit. This question is all about the nature of Jesus. To explain, let me come at the question a bit sideways.
Why do Protestants reject the Roman Catholic mass? It’s not because they (Roman Catholics) don’t allow ordinary people (the laity) to drink the cup. And it’s not because of the robes and incense. It’s actually because of the nature of Christ.
Roman Catholics believe that in the Mass, the wafer and the wine actually ‘transubstantiate’ are changed into the actual body and blood of Christ. So much so that they can say that Jesus is truly present with them in the Mass.
But Protestants object to this thinking. God can be everywhere at once because He is invisible and omnipresent. But while Jesus is fully God, He’s also fully human. And humans can’t be in multiple places at multiple times.
It is a mystery of sorts, how Jesus can be both fully God and man at the same time. But it is crucial. If Jesus isn’t fully human then He can’t truly represent humanity as one of us. If Jesus isn’t fully God then how can His sacrifice be considered worthy of all the sins of God’s people.
But Christ is fully man and fully God. Now and forever. I’m looking forward to meeting Him in eternity and asking how that works.
For Today:
Pray:
Passages: 1 Timothy 2:5, Isaiah 9:1-7, Titus 2:13, John 1:1 & 1:14, Colossians 2:9, John 8:58, John 17:5, 1 Timothy 3:16
A. The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Ok, don’t get tripped up by the ‘God’s elect’ bit. This question is all about the nature of Jesus. To explain, let me come at the question a bit sideways.
Why do Protestants reject the Roman Catholic mass? It’s not because they (Roman Catholics) don’t allow ordinary people (the laity) to drink the cup. And it’s not because of the robes and incense. It’s actually because of the nature of Christ.
Roman Catholics believe that in the Mass, the wafer and the wine actually ‘transubstantiate’ are changed into the actual body and blood of Christ. So much so that they can say that Jesus is truly present with them in the Mass.
But Protestants object to this thinking. God can be everywhere at once because He is invisible and omnipresent. But while Jesus is fully God, He’s also fully human. And humans can’t be in multiple places at multiple times.
It is a mystery of sorts, how Jesus can be both fully God and man at the same time. But it is crucial. If Jesus isn’t fully human then He can’t truly represent humanity as one of us. If Jesus isn’t fully God then how can His sacrifice be considered worthy of all the sins of God’s people.
But Christ is fully man and fully God. Now and forever. I’m looking forward to meeting Him in eternity and asking how that works.
For Today:
- Do you believe Jesus is fully man and fully God?
- Can you articulate why it matters that He is?
- Reflect on what it’s going to be like to see Him face to face.
Pray:
- Praise the Father that He is the invisible eternal God.
- Give thanks for Jesus Christ who is fully man and fully God, redeemer of our sins.
- Ask God for His Holy Spirit to help us understand and articulate these things for our confidence.
Passages: 1 Timothy 2:5, Isaiah 9:1-7, Titus 2:13, John 1:1 & 1:14, Colossians 2:9, John 8:58, John 17:5, 1 Timothy 3:16
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