April 3, 2025
Week #13 — Day 5
The “Historical Jesus”
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, for ever.
1 Tim. 2:5-6; John 1:14; Gal. 4:4; Rom. 9:5; Luke 1:35; Col. 2:9; Heb. 7:24-25.
Q. 22. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
A. Christ, the Son of God, became man, by taking to himself a true body and a reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost, in the womb of the Virgin Mary, and born of her, yet without sin.
Heb. 2:14, 16; Heb. 10:5; Matt. 26:38; Luke 1:27, 31, 35, 42; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 4:15; Heb. 7:26.
“To make men treat Christianity as a means; preferably, of course, as a means to their
own advancement, but, failing that, as a means to anything—even to social justice. The thing to do is to get a man at first to value social justice as a thing which the Enemy demands and then work him on to the stage at which he values Christianity because it may produce social justice.” (C.S. Lewis, Screwtape Letters, Letter #23)
When we talk about what is called the “historical Jesus,” we are not referring to the history of Jesus Christ, but rather the liberal and unbiblical attempts to “classify” Jesus as both God and man, usually with the proviso that He could not have possibly been both at the same time. The article below is long, but outlines this attempt through the centuries and years.
Tracing the “Historical Jesus”
Judaizers — Jesus “plus” (NT times)
Gnostics (Late 1st century) — denial of the Incarnation (NT times) —Jesus only a
man —“ ‘the Christ’, by which they meant a divine emanation, was within him
only during his public ministry, descending upon him at his baptism
and leaving him before the cross.” (John Stott)
Son of God — only an “emanation” from God the Father
Christ “gained” Godhood by the resurrection (1st – 3rd centuries) — Adoptionism
Father, Son and Spirit only 3 roles not persons (3rd – 4th centuries) — Sabellianism
Son a created being, like the Father but not the same essence as the Father (310–
320 AD) — Arianism
Jesus is God but not truly man (362–400 AD) — Apollinarianism
Jesus had a “dual” personality (428–450 AD) — Nestorianism
Jesus a great man, a moral authority, but not God (1819) — Unitarianism
Jesus “mediates” redemptive awareness of God (1820–1884) — we imitate that
consciousness of dependence (Schleiermacher)
In Christ God draws near us, touches us and takes us up into the divine
consciousness (1806) (Hegel)
The divine Logos (John 1) became a man by reducing himself to our reality and
then increased in wisdom and power to reassume the divine nature (1880s– 1941) Kenotic Theories)
Christ as God simply a faith experience, not objectifiable truth (1780s) (Kant)
Social gospel and good deeds become the most important message of Jesus
(1870–1920s) (Rauschenbusch)
“In the ‘Historical Jesus’ outcome, Christianity becomes a means to my end, defined
by me and verified by dozens of writers and philosophers through the centuries.
What matters is not the Jesus of the Scriptures, but rather the Jesus I want him to be.
Very God and very man. This is the “historical Jesus” we worship, serve and adore.
Beware the temptations to make him so abstract as to deny his humanity or so
human as to deny his divinity, and thus “use” Jesus for our own autonomous ends.”
A Puritan Prayer —
“THREE IN ONE, ONE IN THREE, GOD OF MY SALVATION,
Heavenly Father, blessed Son, eternal Spirit,
I adore thee as one Being, one Essence,
one God in three distinct Persons,
for bringing sinners to thy knowledge and to thy kingdom.
O Father, thou hast loved me and sent Jesus to redeem me;
O Jesus, thou hast loved me and assumed my nature,
shed thine own blood to wash away my sins,
wrought righteousness to cover my unworthiness;
O Holy Spirit, thou hast loved me and entered my heart,
implanted there eternal life,
revealed to me the glories of Jesus.
Three Persons and one God, I bless and praise thee,
for love so unmerited, so unspeakable, so wondrous,
so mighty to save the lost and raise them to glory.
O Father, I thank thee that in fullness of grace
thou hast given me to Jesus,
to be his sheep, jewel, portion;
O Jesus, I thank thee that in fullness of grace
thou hast accepted, espoused, bound me;
O Holy Spirit, I thank thee that in fullness of grace
thou hast exhibited Jesus as my salvation,
implanted faith within me,
subdued my stubborn heart,
made me one with him for ever.
O Father, thou art enthroned to hear my prayers,
O Jesus, thy hand is outstretched to take my petitions,
O Holy Spirit, thou art willing to help my infirmities,
to show me my need, to supply words, to pray within me,
to strengthen me that I faint not in supplication.
O Triune God, who commandeth the universe,
thou hast commanded me to ask for those things
that concern thy kingdom and my soul.
Let me live and pray as one baptized into the threefold Name.”
Excerpt From
The Valley of Vision
Edited by Arthur Bennett