Post #2 A Flyover Of The Incarnation: The Son of God's incarnation

Introduction:

    In our last post we began to do a "flyover of the incarnation', noting the pre-existence of the Son of God. In that last post we considered how the Son of God existed eternally in the Trinity, evidently by His historical appearances throughout the Old Testament, and expectantly in the prophetic predictions that looked forward to His eventual incarnation. 

    When we talk of the incarnation, we first remind of ourselves of the definition we proposed at the beginning of the last post, namely: The Son of God’s entry into time and space to add unto His Person a human nature, endowed with mind, emotions, will, and body.  

    In today's post, we move onto part two of our "flyover" of the doctrine of the incarnation, namely the incarnation its. 

The incarnation's cause and effect

    To help simplify in our minds and hearts what took place, we can note the incarnation’s cause and then its effect. Let me say one more thing before moving forward. No theologian can explain how the incarnation happened (the mystery of how total humanity was united by the Holy Spirit to the Person of the Son in the virgin’s womb). All we know is that the incarnation did indeed occur.

A. Event of the incarnation: hypostatic union (cause).

          When we talk of the event of the incarnation in which our Lord participated, we first note the cause of it. Theologians refer to the moment of the Son’s Person united with a human nature as the “hypostatic union”. Theologian Wayne Grudem offers this summary statement of the doctrine: “The union of Christ’s human natures in one person”. 

    John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue in their volume “A Systematic Summary of Biblical Truth – Biblical Doctrine”, page 931, give a further description of the hypostatic union: 

“The union of Jesus’ Divine and human natures in one person, without confusion, without change, without division, and without separation.” 

    The word “hypostatic” refers to the Divine Person of the Son, having already the eternal Divine essence He shares with the Father and the Spirit. In fact, that Greek word “hypostasis” is found in Hebrews 1:3, which describes the Son in relationship to God the Father: “And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.”  

     One of the key verses that capture the moment of the hypostatic union or the Son’s adding of a human nature to His Divine Person is Hebrews 10:5 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me”. The hypostatic union, or union of a human nature to the Person of the Son, wherein was already His eternal Divine nature, is the cause of the incarnation’s event. What then is the result?

B. Effect of the incarnation: virgin birth (effect).

     As to viewing the hypostatic union from a human standpoint, note the angel’s words to Mary in Luke 1:35 “The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”  

    As the Son participated mysteriously yet wondrously of the union of a human nature to His Person, we understand the Holy Spirit to be the key Agent that made such a union possible. Notice John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.”  

    The conception and birth of the incarnated Son as a baby in the virgin’s womb and from it is what we mean by the effect. We can never peer into the mystery of how true humanity was united to total deity in the Person of the Son by the Spirit. The hypostatic union is veiled in mystery, stated as doctrine yet not fully comprehended. The virgin birth on the other-hand made visible, plain, and historic this wondrous miracle. 

Closing thoughts:

    We see then the participation of the Son in His incarnation. We’ve already observed the Son’s existence preincarnation from eternity. In the final post of this short series, we will discover what other truths result from the incarnation of the Son of God.

Post #1 A Flyover Of The Incarnation: The Son's Pre-Existence

Introduction:

    I thought that since we are looking at the section of the Nicene Creed that handles confession of the incarnation of the Son of God, it would behoove us to do a side series on the doctrine of the incarnation itself. In my last post I had us begin our journey into the Nicene Creed's confession of the incarnation, which readers may review here: Growing Christian Resources: Post #17 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven"

    On Sunday nights at our church I am preaching a series of messages on this very subject. Today's post and the next two are based off of a sermon I preached entitled "A flyover of the incarnation". I figured this short blog post series would complement our focus on the incarnation in our major blog series: "1700 years of the Nicene Creed". 

What do we mean by incarnation?

  The Son of God’s entry into time and space to add unto His Person a human nature, endowed with mind, emotions, will, and body is what we mean by incarnation. The Son’s incarnation made possible His provision of perfect righteousness, substitutionary death on the cross, resurrection, ascension, present ministry as the believer’s Mediator in Heaven, and soon return. 

    In 1739 Charles Wesley wrote the familiar Christmas Carol “Hark the Herald Angels Sing”. Its second stanza is my favorite lines of all the Christmas carols we sing in a given season:

“Christ, by highest heaven adored,

Christ, the everlasting Lord,

late in time behold him come,

offspring of the Virgin's womb:

veiled in flesh the Godhead see;

hail th'incarnate Deity,

pleased with us in flesh to dwell,

Jesus, our Immanuel.”

     The Young Baptist’s Catechism asks: “How did Jesus Christ, being the Son of God, become man?” Answer: “Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.”  

    For today's post, we are going to begin a three-part series of a fly-over of this important doctrine. This is important, as Peter writes in 2 Peter 3:18 “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”  

    To give the reader a bird's eye view of what we will cover in today's post and the next two, below is a summary outline:

1. The Son’s pre-existence before His incarnation.                

2. The Son’s participation in His incarnation.                        

3. The Son’s personal works from His incarnation.                

The Son’s pre-existence before His incarnation.      

     Hebrews 10:5-7 “Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, ‘Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, but a body You have prepared for Me; 6 In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. 7 ‘Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) to do Your will, O God.’”  

    How was Christ pre-existent before His incarnation? We can answer this question in stages: Evidence in the O.T., Expectations of prophecy, Eternal in the Trinity.

A. Evidence in the Old Testament.

      We find in the Old Testament certain cameo appearances of the pre-incarnate Son. Theologians refer to these as manifestations of the Son, also known as “Christophanies”. For example, He is mentioned in over thirty Old Testament references, appearing to more than fifteen individuals as “Messenger of the Lord” or “Angel of the Lord”. In Genesis alone we find the “Angel of the Lord” eight times (Genesis 16:7-14; 21:17; 22:11-18; 24:7,40; 31:11-13; 32:22-32; 48:15-16). 

    The prophet Isaiah gives what is perhaps the best summary statement of this mysterious figure in Isaiah 63:8-9 “For He said, ‘Surely, they are My people, Sons who will not deal falsely. So He became their Savior. 9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them; in His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.”  We see in this passage that the Angel of the Lord performs the same work of redemption as God, and yet is distinguished from Him as a Person in the Godhead. Read in light of the New Testament, we can say this is an Old Testament appearance of the pre-incarnate Son.

     Not only did He appear as the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament, but other evidence exists as well. One other way to note evidence of the Son in the Old Testament, specifically in the mention of Him. One example is Psalm 2:7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You.”  The pre-existence of the Son is seen by evidence of Him in the Old Testament.

B. Expected by prophecy.

      Prophetic Scriptures in the Old Testament are filled with visions and predictions of the Son before His days in the flesh and when He would come to be man. The late H.L Wilmington in his “The Complete Book of Bible Lists” references some 45 Old Testament prophecies that pointed to or that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Such prophecies predicted for example:

(B1). He would descend from Abraham (Genesis 12:3,7; 17:7; Romans 9:5; Gal 3:16) and more specifically from Abraham’s great- grandson Judah, the patriarch of the Israelite tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10; Hebrews 7:14; Revelation 5:5).

(B2). He would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23) yet clearly still be “Emmanuel” or truly God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23).

(B3). That He would be called a Nazarene (Isaiah 11:1; Matthew 2:23) and be crucified or pierced in His hands and feet (Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; Mark 15:25; John 19:34,37; 20:25-27).

(B4). That He would rise from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Matthew 28:2-7), ascend into heaven (Psalm 24:7-10; Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51).

(B5). His current occupancy at the Father’s right hand was also predicted (Psalm 110:1; Matthew 22:44; Hebrews 10:12-13).

(B6). His second coming to rule on the earth is also predicted (Psalm 2:8; Revelation 2:27).

    When you extend the scope of prophecies pertaining to further details about His atoning work on the cross, resurrection, and second coming, a total of over 330 prophecies forecasted the coming of the incarnate Son of God. Micah 5:2 is the most striking, requiring the Person that fulfills it be truly God and truly man: “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.” 

    The preincarnate Son is evident in the Old Testament and was expected by prophecy. We can however push His pre-existence back all the way to eternity…

C. Eternal in the Trinity.

      Let me give for sake of time one prime example of the eternal pre-existence of the Son, Psalm 102:25-27 “Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 “Even they will perish, but You endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. 27 “But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” 

    This particular psalm, written quite possibly by the prophet Daniel, is speaking of none other than God the Son according to Hebrews 1:8-11, which quotes these verses. The Son of God is described in the Bible as “begotten” of the Father. That term “beget” speaks of Him being one with the Father in the same essence (John 10:30 “I and the Father are one”) while distinguishing Him from the Father with regards to His personal identity in the Trinity (see John 1:18 ”the only begotten God”). 

    Based upon the evidence of His appearances in the Old Testament, prediction by prophecy, and Personal eternal activity in the Trinity, we have a basic profile of the preincarnate Son in the Bible. But now what of His participation in what would be His incarnation? That will be the subject of the next post in this short series....stay tuned!

Post #17 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven"

Introduction:

    As we continue on in our study of the Nicene Creed, we enter now into a new section of the Creed. This new section is going to confess the incarnation of the Son of God. We devoted much time to expounding line by line the Creed's affirmation of the deity of the Son. What we are preparing to do is to enter into an equally profound mystery, namely the Son of God become man for our sake. 

Laying out the Nicene Creed's confession of the incarnation of the Son of God

    Let's first get a lay of the land for this important section of the Creed. I'll divide this portion of the Creed into subject headings to see the overall narrative of events which Christians everywhere confess to be an accurate summary of the Biblical teaching of the incarnation.

1. He came from Heaven to Earth to be in a cradle.

"Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven, 

and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, 

and was made man."

    Here we see in these first three lines the event of the incarnation itself. The Son of God, eternally pre-existent in the Trinity, having made various pre-incarnate appearance throughout the Old Testament (such as the "Angel of the Lord" or at Moses' burning bush). He was predicted by the Old Testament prophets in numerous prophecies concerning His eventual coming, which occurred at the virginal conception of His humanity and birth. Paul writes of the incarnation in 1 Timothy 3:16 "God was manifested in the flesh...". 

    The Nicene Creed goes forward.

2. He lived as a man from cradle to the cross to achieve salvation.

"and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; 

He suffered and was buried;"

The New Testament reveals it was for the sake of dying for our sins that the Son of God became man. New Testament passages such as Philippians 2:5-11 and 1 Peter 3:18 spell out this mission.

3. He died to raise from the dead to ascend in exaltation to Heaven. 

"and the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures; 

and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Father."

The four Gospels, the Book of Acts, the New Testament letters, and the Book of Revelation all assert that Jesus Christ did not stay dead. The resurrection was God's public vindication that all that Jesus accomplished on the cross was accepted. His virgin birth demonstrated the reality of "the Word made flesh" (John 1:14). His cross proved why He became man for our sakes (Matthew 1:21). His resurrection and ascension manifested His exaltation as God and man, forever the Mediator between God and those who place their faith in Him. 

4. He will return from Heaven to exercise judgment upon the earth.

    The Creed concludes its section by focusing attention on Christ's second coming or second advent.

"and He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead;  

whose kingdom shall have no end."

    We see then four main doctrinal headings concerning the incarnation of the Son of God: humiliation and virgin birth, redemption, exaltation and ascension, and second coming. 

Taking a closer look at the phrase: "Who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven."

    What is meant by the term "incarnation"? When we look at this first phrase in this section of the Nicene Creed, we can answer that question by sub-dividing it into three parts.

A. The Son is the subject of the incarnation.

    First, we notice the relative pronoun "who". The same eternally begotten Son of which the Nicene Creed went to great pains to expound and defend is the subject of the incarnation. The 18th century Baptist pastor/theologian John Gill wrote in his "A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity" about how the eternal Son of God participated in His incarnation:

"The Son having agreed to it, being sent,
came in the flesh, by the assumption of it; he took upon him the nature of the children, and partook of the same flesh and blood with them; he took upon him the form of a servant, and was found in fashion as a man" (Hebrews 2:14,16; Philippians 2:7,9).

The Nicene Creed's use of the relative pronoun "who" reminds us that this is a continuation of its section on the confession of the Son concerning His Divine and now human natures. The Creed goes on in this first line.

B. Salvation was the purpose of the incarnation. 

    It is in the second phrase of the line we find out the reason why the Son of God became man: "for us men and our salvation". Athanasius, the fourth century defender of Christ's deity and one of the chief architects of the Creed of Nicaea in 325 A.D., wrote a masterpiece called "On the incarnation". He noted the main purpose of the incarnation of the Son of God:

"It was our sorry case that caused the Word to come down, our transgression that called out His love for us, so that He made haste to help us and appear among us. It is we who were the cause of His taking human form and for our salvation that in His great love He was both born and manifested in a human body."

C. The Son remained truly God in His incarnation. 

 

   Then we come to that third part of the first line on the Son of God's incarnation, namely, "came down from Heaven". Here we see the Nicene Creed remind us from whence the Son came. His eternal pre-existence and sending forth by the Father are in view. Psalm 102:25-27 states: “Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 “Even they will perish, but You endure; and all of them will wear out like a garment; Like clothing You will change them and they will be changed. 27 “But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” This particular psalm, written quite possibly by the prophet Daniel, is speaking of none other than God the Son according to Hebrews 1:8-11,

 "But of the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. 9 “You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;

Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness above Your companions.” 10 And, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; 11 They will perish, but You remain; and they all will become old like a garment."

    Even when He came down from Heaven, the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ, never ceased being truly God at the same time. Jesus Himself prayed these words on the eve of His crucifixion in John 17:4-5 "I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. 5 Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was."

Closing thoughts:

    We saw today how the Nicene Creed begins the confession of the incarnation of the Son of God. We see in the opening line "who, for us men and for our salvation, came down from heaven" that the eternal Son was the subject of the incarnation, that salvation was the purpose or mission of the incarnation, and that He ever remained truly God in His incarnation. Next post we will continue in our exploration of the Nicene Creed's confession of the incarnation of the Son of God by noting the doctrine of the virgin birth. 

Post #6 Principles for healing - Patterns for healing today and final thoughts on God's presence and power in healing

Introduction:

In our last post in this series we looked at various principles related to miraculous healing from Jesus’ ministry here Growing Christian Resources: Post #5 Principles For Miraculous Healing - Patience by the Word of God. We defined a miracle as follows: 

A miracle is an infrequently occurring act by God in a spiritually significant setting that confirms His messenger and message. 

    We had looked at the healing of the leper in Luke 5:12-16. We noted two principles that can aid us when praying about healing or in understanding God’s healing power related to prayer.

1. Pray by the will of God. Luke 5:12-13

2. Patience by the Word of God. Luke 5:14-16

We learned that it is appropriate to pray according to God’s will for healing. That is, to pray “if it be your will” is not unbelief. Modern faith healing often neglects the Bible’s designations of God’s unrevealed and revealed wills. There are aspects and purposes of God’s will that are unrevealed, for which we cannot know. 

    To pray in faith recognizes that I won’t know everything with certainty, thus it is Biblical to yield oneself to God by praying “if it be your will”. The leper asked Jesus “if your are willing, you can make me clean” in Luke 5:12. Then a second principle, “patience by the Word of God” meant we exercise patience by God’s Word by obeying it and praying according to it. God’s Word is to be our guide. In today’s post we will conclude this series on "principles for healing" as we aim to better understand how to pray for those who need healing. 

1. The patterns of God’s healing today.

I had mentioned in the last message that I take what is called a “cessationist view” of the miraculous gifts. We find over 250 miracles in the Bible of all sorts, with roughly 90 or so involving healing of different types (spiritual maladies, psychological ailments, and physical diseases). I wanted to at least clarify where I land on this issue before we move on to the text before us in Luke 5:17-26. Below focuses upon miracles of healing.

    I hold to a “cessationist” view on the miraculous gifts, meaning that the manifestation of genuine miraculous giftings and offices like Apostles and Prophets ceased at the end of the Apostolic era in the first century. God certainly still heals today, mainly in answer to prayers and the working of His providence. 

   Those who would disagree are called “continuationists”, who believe to one degree or another, the route of miraculous gifting has not ceased, but continues. What do we see in the Bible pertaining to the pattern of miraculous giftings for healing? Were there periods where it stopped and then started again? Or has it always continued alongside the normal route of healing in answer to prayer? 

    In the Bible, we find large stretches of time where no miracles occurred, interspersed with sudden bursts of them. In the lives of the Patriarchs in Genesis, God would heal the infertility of Sarah, Rachael, and Rebekka (2,000 b.c.-1,800 b.c.), enabling them to bear forth children. 

    Another 400 years would pass until Moses’ ministry in 1440 b.c., where only once do we see him perform a miraculous healing (Exodus 4:6-7). Another 300 year period would pass, with Gideon the Judge complaining in Judges 6:13 that it had been centuries since any miracle transpired in Israel from the days of Moses. 

    From Gideon’s time in 1150 b.c. or so we wait fifty or so years until God heals Hannah of her infertility for she and her husband to give birth to Samuel in 1 Samuel 2 in roughly 1100 b.c. From that point we pass by another two hundred years before we see the healing of King Jeroboam’s hand (1 Kings 13:4-6) in 930 b.c. 

    Over a century would pass again until the ministries of Elijah and Elisha in 850 b.c. A century or so would pass again until the healing of King Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:5-7 by the prophet Isaiah applying medicine on his wound in 750 b.c. After the prophet Isaiah, another 700 years would pass where no healing miracles through individuals took place. Answers to prayer for healing went forward, yet miraculously gifted individuals would wax and wane depending upon the need for validating God’s revelation and progressive revelation. 

    It is with Jesus and the Apostles we find a huge clustering of healings. Jesus performed over 15 healing miracles in the four Gospels of His 35 or so total miracles. Then the Apostles performed roughly ten healing miracles in Acts. We see periods where God worked miracles through gifted individuals in addition to the route of prayer/providence, followed by long stretches where God chose to use the more conventional route of prayer. 

    Then as the Apostolic age closed, the pattern of God using miraculously gifted people would wane and cease once again. God is God and if He would ever so choose to heal somebody by manifesting a sudden gift of healing, He could do so. 

    Yet the Biblical pattern we just reviewed suggests miraculous healing occur in our world today through the primary route of providence and prayer, rather than through Apostles, prophets, or those gifted with such miraculous gifts. 

    Other than Paul’s letter of 1 Corinthians in 12-14 and one reference in Galatians 3:5, I find no other reference to miracles or healing gifts in any of his other letters or any of the remaining letters of the New Testament. 

    The Book of Revelation indicates that after the Rapture of the Church, in the final seven year period of history known as “The Tribulation Period”, miraculous healings, and corresponding signs will resume as one final testimony of God’s judgment. We’ve observed then patterns for God’s healing today. With that review, we can still glean principles that can help us when praying for healing today.

2. Presence and power of God. 5:17

A. The presence of the Lord who heals. 

We read in Luke 5:17 “One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing.”  

    Jesus was already living His human life as one who was under the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. It is most likely that the Holy Spirit is the Person of the Trinity mentioned here in the text. 

    We must also not forget too that when one Person of the Trinity is acting or working in our world, the other two are automatically included. Although Jesus submitted His human will under the Spirit’s leading, and even though He chose not to use His Divine power for personal advantage or effect, He could utilize the power of His divine nature when the occasion was deemed appropriate by the Father. Thus, we could say too that the same Lord Jesus being truly man was also present as truly God, ready to do a Divine working. 

    In a later miracle in Acts 3:16, God works a healing through Peter to heal another paralyzed man. We read there in Acts 3:16 “And on the basis of faith in His name, it is the name of Jesus which has strengthened this man whom you see and know; and the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect health in the presence of you all.” 

    As we will see in a bit, Jesus was going to heal the man on the stretcher back here in Luke 5:17-26. Thus, the presence of the Lord who heals. What else about the presence and power of God?

B. Purpose of God determines healing.

    When you and I pray for healing, it is important we ask for God’s power to operate as He wills it. God is everywhere present (Psalm 139:1-6). His power is without limits (Romans 11:36). In circumstances of Divine healing, God chooses when and how to direct His power to heal, whether at that moment or for another purpose. All faith can do is receive whatever God gives. Faith doesn’t determine when I’m healed. Instead, it’s God’s purpose. 

    I recall the four times my father was anointed with oil for various cancers, God chose to heal him of a brain cancer, causing the tumor to disappear. The other times, God had different purposes in mind. 

    For instance, Moses prayed for his sister Miriam to be healed from leprosy and God did not grant his request because He had another purpose in view (see Numbers 12:13-14). God’s purpose for not granting the request was to discipline Miriam for having spoken out against Moses. She never again spoke against her brother. If God had healed her right then and there, she may had done it again. God is most wise (Romans 16:27). His power and purposes never conflict. 

    His power can heal diseases, as well as strengthen faith, and even bring about salvation as others observe trust in God for the one waiting on Him. Thus, the presence of the Lord who heals. The purpose of God determines healing. What else about the presence and power of God?

C. Don’t stop praying for healing. 

    God’s power is certainly able to heal when we pray. We often quit praying for healing after one or two times. Part of coming to God in prayer is the exercise of our faith. God is cultivating patience with His timing, while also urging us to not quit too soon in our praying. James 5:16 reminds us, “therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”  

    May this post and the last several in this series on principles for healing guide the reader in praying for healing either for themselves or for others. 

Post #16 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - The Son of God: "Through Whom All Things Are Made" and the Nicene Line

Introduction: 

    As we have made our way through this series on the Nicene Creed, we have journeyed through the confession of the deity of the Father and that of the Son. Today we will expound the final line of the Nicene Creed's confession of the Son's deity, namely "through whom all things are made". 

    For sake of comparison, I have written already in this series about the confession of the Father as "Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all things visible and invisible" here Growing Christian Resources: Post #6 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "Maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible." The Christian confession of the Father being "the Maker of Heaven and Earth, of all things visible and invisible" is a definite marker of Deity. As we will see in today's post, reference to the Son as "through whom all things are made" functions to bracket the Nicene Creed's confession of the united deity of the Father and the Son by focusing on their work of creation as One Creator God. 

The line drawn by Nicaea to distinguish God from everything else.

    As already noted, the Nicene Creed uses the doctrine of creation to point attention to the true deity of the Father and that of the Son. Theologian Fred Sanders refers to this move by the Council of Nicaea as drawing "The Nicene Line". What Sanders means by this idea is the line drawn between the Creed's confession of the Father and Son's deity and Creatorship to what follows in their works of creation and redemption. Put another way, this "Nicene Line" establishes the Creator/creation distinction. Sanders writes about the Nicene Line in his blog:

"Construing the events of the New Testament as the disclosure of divine sonship, Nicaea thus draws a line between God and creation, locating the blessed Trinity above the line precisely in order to describe the divine work of transformatively blessing creatures below the line." The Nicene Line as Structural Principle for Christian Doctrine · Fred Sanders

    Sander's observation is very helpful in better understanding the Nicene Creed. When we arrive at the article or confession of the Holy Spirit, He too is given this identifying marker of Creatorship: "And we believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of Life." The Nicene line is drawn there as well, distinguishing the deity and Divine work of the Holy Spirit in creation from what follows in creation and redemption (especially in the confession of the church, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection, and the world to come). All three Persons of the Trinity are confessed in this way, distinguishing the Triune Creator God from His Creation of all things and redemptive activities on behalf of sinners.  

The Son Is The Person of the Trinity "through whom all things are made"

    As the Creed confesses this defining marker of the Son's total deity, it is summarizing the language of the New Testament's revelation of the Son. Several Scriptures in the New Testament attest to this language of the Son being the one "through whom" all things are made.

John 1:1-3 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being."

1 Corinthians 8:6 "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him."

Colossians 1:16-17 "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together."

Hebrews 1:2-3a "in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power."

    The great Baptist theologian John Gill wrote the follow about the Son's role in creation along with the Father in his work "A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity; or a System of Evangelical Truth From The Sacred Scriptures". His remarks capture well what we're discussing currently about the Son being the One "through whom all things are made":

"that before the mountains were brought forth, or ever the earth and world were formed, God was, even from everlasting ; so that an eternity anteceded the making of the world. Christ also, the Wisdom and Word of God, was before the earth was; even when there were no depths, nor fountains abounding with water ; before the mountains and hills were settled, and the highest part of the world made, Psalm 90:2. Prov. 8:24—30."

The implications of confessing the Son as being "through whom all things are made". 

    When we read these four main passages that speak of the Son's work of creation, a few implications follow.

1. If the Son were not eternal, there would be no creation. 

    The Nicene Creed's logic here devastates the heretic Arian's insistence on the Son being the highest created being. If the Son was below the "Nicene line" of what counts as God, then that would mean no creation would exist. Furthermore, as I have argued for in previous posts in this series, without the Son, there is no God the Father, and thus no Trinity, since the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. By tacking on the phrase "through whom all things are made" to the previous line "one substance with the Father", the Council of Nicaea equates the Son with the Father not only in being, but in Divine ability. 

2. If the Son were not truly God, He could not create.

    By saying the Son is the one "through whom all things were made", a statement is made regarding something only God can do. Only Deity can create. Isaiah 45:18 "For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am the Lord, and there is none else." In Scripture, God the Father is identified with this ability, Revelation 4:11 “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” With the already mentioned revelation of the Son being the one "through whom" all things are made, the Scripture establishes the Son's ability to create as so with the Father, thus reinforcing the Son as truly God. 

3. Since the Son and the Father are confessed as uniquely able to make all things, then it follows that these two Divine Persons are one in essence.

    The logic of the Nicene Creed leads to this remarkable conclusion. To see the Son at work affirms His total deity as much as the other previous statements that expounded His eternal relation with the Father as "begotten, not made" and the initial statement utilizing the Divine title "Lord". In John 10:30 Jesus affirmed "I and the Father are One". 

    As we have attempted to expound the Nicene Creed's profound confession of the deity of the Son and that of the Father, we will turn our attention in the next several posts to the Nicene Creed's confession of the incarnation of the Son. 

Post #15 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - What Is Meant By The Son Being "One Substance With The Father"

Introduction:

    As we begin today's post, I thought I would begin with the section of the Nicene Creed we've covered thus far in this series, included a bolded part that we will look at in today's post.

"We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made."

    As we have walked our way through this section of the creed, we've observed confession of the deity of the Father and the Son. This idea of the Son being of one substance with the Father underscores their oneness or union in being. 

    As the Father and Son have the sameness of essence, they are also distinguished by eternal relations as the Father begetting or filiating the Son and  the Son being begotten by the Father. 

    As a final review, we've observed that the term "begotten", appearing three times, expressing three important truths about the Son relative to the Father.

1. "The only begotten Son of God". 

    The Son as Son possesses the personal property of Sonship, making Him distinct from the Father. He is otherwise, point-per-point, equal in every respect to the Father in glory, power, and attributes.

2. "Begotten of the Father before all worlds".

    The act of the Father begetting the Son has went on for all eternity. If there were no begetting of the Son, there would be no God the Father. The begotten relation that the Son has with the Father, being eternal, reinforces not only the co-equality of the Father and the Son, but also they as co-eternal within the Godhead. 

    So far then, the first two uses of "begotten" in the creed grant us two pillars for Trinitarian theology, namely the distinction between the Father and Son on the one hand, and their co-eternality and co-equality on the other hand. 

3. "Begotten, not made".

    This third use of "begotten" more forcefully expresses that the Son is not created by the Father in the relation of begetting. To beget is to communicate, to share in equal measure with the Son. The Divine nature itself is indivisible, hence by definition God Himself is uncreated, having existed for all eternity. 

    The Father, Son, and Spirit have perpetually, equally, and eternally "subsisted" or constantly stood in relation to one another in upholding the Divine essence with which they relate to one another. Hence, this third use of begotten expresses the Son as uncreated, being on the "God-side" of the Creator/creature distinction as to His Divine nature. 

The train tracks expressing the Son's deity in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.  

   The term "begotten" and the phrase "one substance" operate as train tracks upon which any discussion of the Son's deity, distinction from, and equality with the Father proceeds. We've spent past posts elaborating on the term "begotten" and its related truth of the Son's eternal generation from the Father. In today's post I want us to look at this other term that cements together the whole confession of the deity of the Son in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed - He being one substance with the Father. 

Why the Nicene Creed stresses the Son being "once substance" with the Father.

    At stake in the events leading up to the Council of Nicaea of 325 was defense against the teachings of the heretic Arius. David Wright, in an article "The Formation of the Trinity in the Early Church" summarizes Arius' view:

"But the path to the council of A.D. 381 was tortuous and strewn with obstacles. A long-lasting spate of controversy broke out ca. 318 over the teaching of a senior presbyter in Alexandria named Arius. He propounded what can be called a monotheism of the Father—that is to say, only the Father was truly God, and his Son or Word was not eternal and did not possess by nature any of the perfections of divinity. He was in fact a creature, even though unique, since through him was brought into being the rest of creation." 1

    As the dispute led to Nicaea 325, Arius insisted on the subordinate role and being of the Son as a creature of the highest order, God the Father's chief emissary. The orthodox defenders of Christ's deity discussed how to express the deity of Christ in their formation of the Creed in such a way that Arius' heresy could not wiggle out. 

    In as much as the term "begotten" was a strong term, the Arians were quite slippery in proposing their teachings, even using the term "begotten" as alleged proof that the Son had a beginning of existence from the Father. Athanasius, the main defender of the Son being "One substance" with the Father, records the Arians slick maneuvers in his "de decretis", a commentary of sorts of want went on after the Council of Nicaea 325 A.D.,

"When thus pressed, they will perhaps make an answer which has brought them into trouble many times already; We consider that the Son has this prerogative over others, and therefore is called Only-begotten, because He alone was brought to be by God alone, and all other things were created by God through the Son." 2

    Athanasius then writes later in his "De Decretis" that as the Council of Nicaea 325 was weighing how to defend against Arius and to show the true intent of expressing the Son as eternally begotten of the Father, it was there that Athanasius commented:

"but since the generation of the Son from the Father is not according to the nature of men, and not only like, but also inseparable from the essence of the Father, and He and the Father are one, as He has said Himself, and the Word is ever in the Father and the Father in the Word, as the radiance stands towards the light (for this the phrase itself indicates), therefore the Council, as understanding this, suitably wrote 'one in essence,' that they might both defeat the perverseness of the heretics, and show that the Word was other than originated things." 3

    We've already noted how the Nicene Creed's confession of the Son's deity (in both 325 and 381 versions) proceeds on twin tracks of the phrases "begotten" and "one in substance" (Greek word "homoousios"). As theologian Fred Sanders notes:

"For our purposes, it is enough to recall the logic of the creed only reaches the judgment "same-in-substance with the Father" by going through 'begotten' The only Son who can be same-in-substance is a Son begotten, not made."4

    The original Nicene 325 brings the section of the deity of the Son to this crescendo "being of one-substance with the Father". The focal point of this phrase is so much emphasized in the original creed that it stated in a variation from to one of the "begotten" statements:

("the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God")

We also see too that a short statement is added at the end of Nicaea 325:

"But those who say: 'There was a time when he was not;' and 'He was not before he was made;' and 'He was made out of nothing,' or 'He is of another substance' or 'essence,' or 'The Son of God is created,' or 'changeable,' or 'alterable'—  they are condemned by the holy catholic and apostolic Church."

    What both versions of the Nicene Creed are doing then is asserting the distinction and union of the Son with the Father by the relation of begotten on the one hand; while affirming in no uncertain terms that the Son is of the exact same nature or substance as the Father as it pertains to the totality of deity within the Trinity. 

Practical applications of understanding the Son being one substance with the Father.

1. To say the Son is one substance with the Father is to say He is God as much and in the same way the Father is God, since both Divine Persons equally share the same Divine nature. As the Father is God who creates from nothing, so to is the Son (1 Corinthians 8:6). As the Scripture affirms repeated that "salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9; Isaiah 43:10-11), so to is salvation found in no one else and from no one else than God the Son, whether we talk of Him pre-incarnate or in His incarnation (Psalm 102:25-27; Hebrews 1:5-8; Acts 4:12; Romans 10:9-10). Salvation and creation require God to be the source. Jesus Christ is referred to as Creator and Savior in the Bible. Thus He has to be of the same essence as the Father.

2. Then one more practical point about Jesus being the same substance as the Father. When we pray, we pray to the Father, through the Son, by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:8). Jesus is exalted in our worship and He is the one to whom and through whom we pray (Philippians 2:9-11; 1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:15-16; Hebrews 6:18-20). If the Son were not of the same substance as the Father, our worship and prayers to the Son would count as idolatry and blasphemy. 

Endnotes:

1. David Wright. The Formation Of The Doctrine Of The Trinity In The Early Church. Revival and Reformation. Volume 10:3. Page 81. 

2. Athanasius. De Decretis. Book One, Chapter three, section seven.  CHURCH FATHERS: De Decretis (Athanasius)

3. Athanasius. De Decretis. Book One, Chapter three, section nineteen.  CHURCH FATHERS: De Decretis (Athanasius)   

4. Fred Sanders. "Only Begotten Son", in the edited compilation of essays "On Classical Trinitarianism - Retrieving The Nicene Doctrine of the Triune God." IVP Press. 2025. page 424.

Post #14 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - What The Nicene Creed Means By The Son Being "Begotten, Not Made"

Introduction:

      We are now in the section of the Nicene Creed's confession of the Son that reiterates the Son being begotten. Why re-emphasize a term that's been already introduced in the Nicene Creed? The begetting or filiation of the Son by the Father is an internal relation between the two Divine persons. The Father and the Son are equal, eternal, and of the same Divine nature in every respect, with the exception that the Father is the Father and the Son is the Son, with no confusion between their Divine identities. The Son being "the only begotten" is a Biblical description. Let's first review the terrain we covered in past posts. 

    The term "begotten" is a Biblical word that describes what distinguishes God the Son from God the Father (John 1:1,5; John 8:12; John 14:9; John 20:28; 1 John 5:20; Psalm 2:7; Hebrews 1:5). In posts #8 here Growing Christian Resources: Post #8 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "The only begotten Son of God" (P1 Arguments favorable to the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son) and #9 here Growing Christian Resources: Post #9 1700 Years of the Nicene Creed - "The only begotten Son of God" (P2 Why the doctrine of eternal generation holds despite opposing arguments to it) The term is tied to the doctrine of eternal generation of the Son. 

    As I noted up above, the Son being "begotten" is what distinguishes Him from the Father. John Gill, the eighteenth century Baptist Theologian, affirms the importance of the Son being "begotten" as a lone distinguishing feature of the Son that distinguishes Him from the Father and the Holy Spirit. This is important to note, since the classical doctrine of the Trinity asserts that all three Persons of the Godhead are co-equal, co-eternal, and of the same nature in every way while remaining distinct from one another. Gill notes:1

"This nature, which they in common partake of, is undivided and it is not parted between them, so that one has one part, and another a second, and another a third ; nor that one has a greater, and another a lesser part, which might distinguish them ; but the whole fulness of the Godhead is in each."

    Let me pause for a brief moment to remind the reader of our last post in which we looked at the Nicene Creed's confession of the Son being "true God of true God". Gill's comments reflect that truth of the Son being as much God by nature as the Father, hence both Persons being co-equal in every respect. Gill goes on:

"It is the personal relations, or distinctive relative properties, which belong to each Person, which distinguish them one from another ; as paternity in the first Person, filiation in the second, and, spiration in the third ; or more plainly, it is begetting Psalm 2:7, which peculiarly belongs to the first, it is being begotten, that is the personal relation, or relative property of the second Person, John 1:I4."

    Gill then concludes by laying out the equality of the Holy Spirit and how He is distinct from the Father and the Son by His procession and spiration from them. Gill's point in this second part of the quote is to show that the term "begotten" helps us see why the Son is distinct from the Father, while never denying His co-equality from the Father. 

    As we remind ourselves of the importance of this term "begotten" in the creed, and its connection to the doctrine of the Son's eternal generation, we can note two general observations.

1. Eternal generation (and thus "begotten") explains why the Son is eternal. 

    First, those who argue for the eternal generation of the Son teach that Father eternally communicates to Him the entire Divine nature (or at least His identity as the Son). According to theologian Matthew Barrett, the Divine essence is shared without division from The Father to The Son: 

"The concept takes us to the very heart of what it means for the Son to be a Son. He is eternally from the Father, which is why He is called Son. To be more specific, from all eternity, the Father communicates the one, simple, undivided divine essence to the Son."2

    The eighteenth century Baptist Theologian John Gill explains eternal generation a little differently as the Father communicating the Son's identity, whilst both share in the common essence:

"It is better to say, that they are self
existent, and exist together in the same undivided essence; and jointly, equally, and as early one as the other, possess the same nature’. Thus, there is not one person who, in the personal ordering of the Trinity, communicates the essence to the others. There are simply three, who relate personally to one another in the essence, with each person possessing the essence of him self." 3

    Both explanations of eternal generation fall within the pale of Bible-believing orthodoxy and views that draw from the Nicene Creed's confession of the Son being "begotten, not made". Eternal generation or begetting of the Son firstly explains why the Son is eternal. Notice a second general observation.

2. Eternal generation explains why the Son is the Son, and why the Father is the Father. 

    Then secondly, the distinguishing characteristic that defines the Son as "the Son" is in how the Father begets Him or what theologians call "filiates". Filiation conveys to the Son His identity as the Son, as noted already in my quotation of John Gill.

Our focus for today.

    As we look today at the phrase "begotten, not made", the eternal generation of the Son by the Father is meant to convey He is not created. As we saw above, the entailments of the term "begotten" mean the Son is eternal and that He is not to be confused with the Father in terms of His identity in the Trinity. This clause in the Nicene Creed gives us a third defining feature of "begotten", namely that the Son is uncreated. 

    Unlike the ancient Arians, who proclaimed "there was a time when the son was not" (akin to Jehovah Witnesses today who proclaim the Son to be God's "highest created being", hence viewing the Son as an act of creation by the Father) the Nicene Creed's emphasis upon the Son being begotten of the Father before all worlds envisions an eternal, uncreated act within the Trinity. 

    That act-of-relation between the Father and the Son is what establishes on the one hand the eternality and equality of the Son with the Father, while on the other hand eternal generation is what distinguishes the Son from the Father. This act-of-relation, the eternal generation of the Son, is an uncreated act. To see why this is practically important to all Christians who affirm the deity of the Son in lines with the Bible and the Nicene Creed's affirmations, we need to grasp why the Son of God could be our Savior if He is "begotten, not made". 

Why the Son must be "begotten, not made" to be our Savior

    The whole matter of the Nicene Creed's insistence on the Son being "eternally begotten of the Father" is to show He is not only the Creator in union with the Father, but also the Redeemer. As we will explore in later posts in this series, the whole section that deals with the humanity of the incarnate Son focuses quite heavily on the mission of the incarnation - the cross and its application to sinners so moved by the Spirit to believe in the Son. 

    Theologian Michael Reeves delivered a wonderful address entitled: "The Nicene Creed vs Arianism" here: https://youtu.be/arIPKIg013A.

    As for our focal phrase in today's post "Begotten, not made", Reeves notes the following observation:

"When one begets, you beget one who is the same being as yourself. Humans beget humans, being of the same nature as themselves. God did not beget the world, He created it. Just as humans make or create cake - something unlike themselves - God created or made the world. Humans beget humans and humans make cake. God begets the Son. Since begetting is about the same being, when we say that God begat the Son, we should expect it to mean that He is one in nature with the Son. That is the meaning of the Father begetting the Son".

    What would have happened if the Son were a created being, as the ancient Arians asserted and modern-day Jehovah witnesses insist? This phrase "begotten, not made" drives home the point we find in Isaiah 43:10-11 for instance:

"You are My witnesses, 'declares the Lord, 'And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. 11 'I, even I, am the Lord, and there is no savior besides Me."

    Uniformly the testimony of Scripture is that "salvation is of the Lord" (Jonah 2:9) and as the Apostle Paul expressed in his doxology at the end of his eleven chapter exposition on the doctrine of salvation in Romans 11:36 "For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen."

    The Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. and Constantinople in 381 asserted this phrase "begotten, not made" in their respective versions of the creed to drive home the point that no created Son could had provided salvation. This is the fatal flaw in modern Jehovah Witness theology. 

How the Son being "begotten, not made" has relevance in modern evangelism

    I recall years ago a group of Jehovah Witnesses handing out pamphlets advertising a local conference at their "Kingdom Hall" meeting place: 

"Come hear about how Jesus Christ is the Savior of the World".

    I pointed out to them that according to their theology, there is no way Jesus Christ could be Savior of the World. I took them to the above passages I cited. I concluded that they either had to admit their theology was in error, or stop proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Savior of the World. They of course would not do either. 

    Nevertheless, the phrase "begotten, not made" safeguards the central affirmation of the Gospel that the Apostle Peter affirms in Acts 10:38 "Jesus Christ is LORD". Or again, Paul writes in Romans 10:9 "If you will confess with your mouth Jesus is LORD, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."

    Both Scriptures cited above use the Divine title "LORD" or "Jehovah/Yahweh" to show the Son's equality with the Father, as well as to demonstrate that He is able to save sinners just as much as the Father, since He Himself is God.  

Closing thoughts for today:

    The whole point of the Nicene Creed's affirmation of the Son being "begotten, not made" is to affirm three important truths. 

1. First, the Son as "begotten, not made" means He is eternally equal with the Father. He is uncreated as the Father is uncreated. 

2. Secondly, by being "begotten, not made", the Son is of the same substance as the Father, meaning the Father and the Son are united as One God. 

3. Lastly, the Son being "begotten, not made", means He alone, touching His Divine nature, could be our Savior, since only God can be the source of our salvation. 

Endnotes:

1. John Gill. Body of Divinity. Pages 98-99, Book 2. Consulted from the Digital Version available on Internet Archive here Gill's complete body of practical and doctrinal divinity: : being a system of evangelical truths, deduced from the Sacred Scriptures. : Gill, John, 1697-1771 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

2. True God from True God - Credo Magazine

3. Quoted from the periodical "Perichoresis" - Volume 20:1, article by Jonathan Swan: "John Gill (1697-1771) And the Eternally Begotten Word of God. John-Gill-(1697-1771)-and-the-Eternally-Begotten-Word-of-God.pdf