The States of Christ
What is the nature of the person of Christ, divine, human, or divinehuman? How can the unity of the person of Christ be proved from Scripture? What are the effects of the union of the two natures in Christ? Is it proper to make Christ the object of our prayers? Which are the main errors relating to the doctrine of Christ?
References for Further Study:
Berkhof, Reformed Dogmatics, I, pp. 310–332; Hodge, Outlines of Theology, pp. 378–390; McPherson, Christian Dogmatics, pp. 288–
321; Orr, Side-Lights on Christian Doctrine, pp. 115–122.
THE STATES OF CHRIST
The doctrine of the states of Christ was developed in the seventeenth century. The states in question are the states of the person of the Mediator and not, as the Lutherans maintain, of the human nature of Christ. It should be borne in mind that a state is not exactly the same as a condition. The former is one's position in life and particularly the relation in which one stands to the law, while the latter is one's mode of existence, especially as this is determined by the circumstances of life. One who is found guilty in a court of justice is in a state of guilt or condemnation, and this is usually followed by a condition of incarceration with all its attendant deprivation and shame. The states of the Mediator are generally treated as including the resulting conditions. In fact, the usual enumeration of the stages of Christ's humiliation and exaltation makes the resulting conditions more prominent than the states themselves.
A. The State of Humiliation. The state of humiliation consists in this that Christ laid aside the divine majesty which was His as the sovereign Ruler of the universe, and assumed human nature in the
form of a servant; and that He, who is Himself the supreme Lawgiver, became subject to the demands and the curse of the law.
This doctrine is based on such passages as Matt. 3:15; Gal. 3:13; 4:4; Phil. 2:6–8. This state of Christ is reflected in the corresponding condition, in which we usually distinguish the following stages:
1. THE INCARNATION AND BIRTH OF CHRIST. In the incarnation the Son of God, sometimes called the Word (John 1), became flesh.
This does not mean that He ceased to be what He was and changed into a man. In His essential nature the Son of God is exactly the same before and after the incarnation. It merely means that He assumed, in addition to His divine nature, a complete human nature, consisting of body and soul, John 1:14; Rom. 8:3; 1 Tim. 3:16; 1 John
4:2; 2 John 7. Through the incarnation He really became one of the human race, since He derived His human nature from the substance of Mary. This should be maintained in opposition to the Anabaptists, who claim that He received it from heaven and that Mary was merely the conduit or channel through which it passed. Scripture teaches us that the incarnation was effected by a virgin birth, and in view of this our Confession states that the human nature of Christ was
"conceived in the womb of the blessed virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Ghost, without the means of man." This doctrine is based on the following passages of Scripture, Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:20; Luke
1:34, 35. The work of the Holy Spirit in connection with the birth of Christ was twofold: (a) He caused the conception of Christ's human nature in the womb of Mary; and (b) He sanctified this human nature in its very inception, and thus kept it free from the pollution of sin. The doctrine of the virgin birth was accepted by the Church from the earliest times, but is denied by modern liberal theologians, as contrary to the laws of nature. Some maintain that the incarnation is not a part of the humiliation of Christ, since He still has His human nature, and yet is no more in a state of humiliation. But we
should carefully discriminate here. While an act of great condescension, it was not necessarily a humiliation that the Son of God assumed a human nature; but it was an act of humiliation that He assumed "flesh," that is, human nature as it is since the fall, weakened and subject to suffering and death, though in His case free from the taint of sin.
2. THE SUFFERINGS OF CHRIST. We are often inclined to think of the sufferings of Christ as limited to His final agonies. Yet His whole life was a life of suffering. It was the servant-life of the Lord of Hosts, the life of the sinless One in a sin-cursed world. The way of obedience was for Him a way of suffering. He suffered from the repeated assaults of Satan, from the hatred and unbelief of His own people, and from the persecution of His enemies. His loneliness must have been oppressive, and His sense of responsibility crushing.
The real essence of His sufferings should not be sought in His bodily discomfitures and pains as such, but in these accompanied with anguish of soul and a mediatorial consciousness of sin. Because of His ethical perfection and His passion for righteousness and holiness and truth, the causes of suffering were far more numerous for Him than they are for us. No one could feel the poignancy of pain and grief and moral evil as Jesus could. The temptations of Christ also formed a part of His sufferings, and a very essential part. It was only by entering into the very trials of men that Jesus could become a truly sympathetic High Priest, "able to succor them that are tempted," Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 22:28; John 12:27; Heb. 2:18; 4:15;
5:7–9. No fully satisfactory answer can be given to the question, how it was possible that Jesus, the sinless One, should be tempted. On the one hand we must maintain the reality of His temptations, and on the other hand the certainty that these temptations could never result in sin on His part.
3. THE DEATH OF CHRIST. When we speak of the death of Christ here, we have in mind His physical death. Christ did not die as the result of an accident, nor by the hand of an assassin, but under a judicial sentence. It was of importance that this should be so, because He had to be counted with the transgressors. Moreover, it was significant that He was tried and sentenced by a Roman judge, representing the highest judicial power in the world, functioning by the grace of God, and dispensing justice in God's name.
Furthermore, it had special significance that He was not beheaded or stoned to death, but crucified. By suffering that Roman form of punishment He was reckoned with the meanest criminals and the scum of mankind, and thus met the extremest demands of the law.
At the same time He suffered an accursed death, and thus gave evidence of the fact that He became a curse for us, Deut. 21:23; Gal.
3:13.
4. THE BURIAL OF CHRIST. It might seem that the death of Christ was the last stage of His humiliation, especially in view of the last words on the cross: "It is finished." But these words in all probability refer to His active sufferings. It is quite clear that His burial also formed a part of His humiliation. Man's returning to the dust is part of the punishment of sin, Gen. 3:19. Moreover, several passages of Scripture clearly imply that the Saviour's abode in the grave was a humiliation, Ps. 16:10; Acts 2:27, 31; 13:34, 35. The sinner is represented as being buried with Christ, and this refers to the going down, the putting off, the destruction of the old man, Rom. 6:1–6. It clearly shows that the burial of Christ is regarded as a part of His humiliation. The burial of Christ served the purpose of removing the terrors of the grave for the redeemed and of sanctifying the grave for them.
5. THE DESCENT OF CHRIST INTO HADES. After speaking of the sufferings and death of the Saviour, the Apostolic Confession adds:
"He descended into hell (hades)." These words are variously interpreted. Roman Catholics interpret them to mean that Christ after His death went down into the Limbus Patrum, where the Old
Testament saints were confined, to release them and bring them to heaven. Lutherans regard the descent into hades as the first stage of Christ's exaltation, a triumphal march, perhaps between His death and resurrection, to celebrate His victory over the powers of darkness. The Church of England holds that, while Christ's body was in the grave, the soul went into that part of hades, called paradise, the abode of the righteous souls, and gave them a fuller exposition of the truth. Finally, the Reformed Churches usually interpret the phrase, "He descended into hell," figuratively as an expression of the idea that Christ suffered the pangs of hell both in Gethsemane and on the cross. On the whole it seems best to combine two thoughts:
(a) that Christ suffered the pangs of hell in the garden and on the cross; and (b) that He entered the deepest humiliation of the state of death. The Scripture passages on which the doctrine of the descent into hades is based are especially the following: Ps. 16:8, 10; Eph.
4:9; 1 Pet. 3:18, 19; 4:6.
B. The State of Exaltation. In the state of exaltation Christ passed from under the law as a covenant obligation, having paid the penalty for sin and merited righteousness and eternal life for the sinner. As Mediator He now entered into the undivided favor and good pleasure of God, and was crowned with a corresponding honor and glory. It had to appear also in His condition that the penalty of sin was lifted.
His exaltation was also His glorification. Roman Catholics and Lutherans teach that the exaltation of Christ began with the descent into hades. Reformed Churches, however, maintain that it began
with the resurrection of Christ. Four stages must be taken into consideration here.
1. THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST. The resurrection was the great turning-point in the states of Christ. a. The Nature of the Resurrection. The resurrection of Christ did not consist in the mere fact that He came to life again and that body and soul were re-united. If this were all it involved, He could not be called "the firstfruits of them that slept," 1 Cor. 15:20, nor "the firstborn from the dead," Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5. It rather consisted in this that in Him human nature, both body and soul, was restored to its pristine purity, strength, and perfection, and even raised to a higher level, while body and soul were re-united into a living organism. It was quite evident after the resurrection that His body had undergone a remarkable change. It was the same and yet so different that it was not easily recognized. It was a material and real body, and yet one that could suddenly appear and disappear in a surprising manner, a body transformed into a perfect organ of the spirit, and therefore "spiritual," Luke 24:31, 36, 39; John 20:19; 21:7;
1 Cor. 15:50. Evidently there was also a change in the soul life of Christ. This does not mean that He was changed religiously and ethically, but that His soul was endowed with new qualities, perfectly adjusted to His future heavenly environment. Through the resurrection He became the life-giving Spirit, 1 Cor. 15:45. b. The Significance of the Resurrection. The resurrection of Christ has a threefold significance:
(a) It constitutes, a declaration of the Father that Christ met all the demands of the law as a covenant obligation; (b) it symbolizes what will happen to believers in their justification, spiritual birth, and future resurrection, Rom. 6:4, 5, 9; 8:11; 1 Cor. 6:14; 15:20–22; 2
Cor. 4:10, 11, 14; Col. 2:12; 1 Thess. 4:14; and (c) it is the cause of our justification, regeneration, and final resurrection, Rom. 4:25 5:10;
Eph. 1:20; Phil. 3:10; 1 Pet. 1:3. c. The Denial of the Resurrection. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is a miracle which defies all natural explanation. For that very reason many at present deny the resurrection of Christ, declaring it to be a physical impossibility, since material particles in the course of time enter into the composition of many bodies, and can never be restored to all the bodies of which they once formed a part. But they who deny the resurrection must, of course, explain the undeniable fact that belief in the resurrection of Christ was general in the first Christian century. Various theories have been suggested in explanation, such as (a) that the apostles and other early witnesses palmed off a falsehood on a credulous people; (b) that Jesus did not really die, but merely swooned, while the apostles thought that He had actually died; (c) that the apostles and the women in their excited state of mind saw visions of Jesus and confused these with actual appearances; and (d) that the resurrection story was really imported from other oriental religions and derived from pagan myths. But these explanations fail to do justice to the facts in the case, as they are narrated in Scripture.
2. THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST. The ascension of Christ does not stand out as boldly on the pages of the Bible as the resurrection. The latter was the real turning-point in the life of Jesus, and the ascension may be called its necessary complement and completion.
This does not mean that the ascension was devoid of independent significance. The Scriptural proof for it is quite sufficient. Jesus referred to it time and again before His death, John 6:62; 14:2, 12;
16:5, 10, 17, 28; 17:5; 20:17. Luke gives us a double account of it, Luke 24:50–53; Acts 1:6–11. Paul refers to it repeatedly, Eph. 1:20;
4:8–10; 1 Tim. 3:16, and the Epistle to the Hebrews calls attention to its significance, 1:3; 4:14; 9:24. a. The Nature of the Ascension. The ascension may be described as the visible ascent of the person of the Mediator from earth to heaven, according to His human nature. It was a local transition, a going from place to place. This implies, of course, that heaven is a place as well as earth. But the ascension of Jesus was not merely a transition from one place to another; it also included a further change in the human nature of Christ. That nature now passed into the fulness of heavenly glory, and was perfectly adapted to the life of heaven. Some
Christian scholars of recent date consider heaven to be a condition rather than a place, and therefore do not conceive of the ascension locally. Scripture clearly represents heaven as a place, however. It is the dwelling-place of created beings, such as angels and saints, Matt.
18:10; 2 Cor. 5:1, and is often mentioned alongside of the earth, which is a place, 1 Chron. 16:31; Eccl. 5:2; Isa. 66:1. Moreover, the Bible directs our thought upward to heaven and downward to hell,
Deut. 30:12; Josh. 2:11; Ps. 139:8; Rom. 10:6, 7. b. The Lutheran Conception of the Ascension. The Lutheran view of the ascension differs from that of the Reformed. They do not regard it as a local transition but as a change of condition, whereby the human nature of Christ passes into the full enjoyment and exercise of the divine perfections, which were communicated to it at the incarnation, and thus became permanently omnipresent. c. The Significance of the Ascension. In the ascension we see Christ as our great High Priest entering the inner sanctuary to present His completed sacrifice to the Father. It is prophetic of the ascension to all believers, who are even now set with Christ in heavenly places,
Eph. 2:6, and are destined to be with Him forever, John 17:24.
Finally, it is also instrumental in preparing a place for those that are of Christ. The Lord Himself points to the necessity of going to the Father. in order to prepare a place for His disciples, John 14:2, 3.
3. CHRIST'S SESSION AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD. After His
ascension Christ took His place on the throne at the right hand of the Father. He predicted that He would be seated at the right hand of power, Matt. 26:64. Peter makes mention of it in his sermons, Acts
2:33–36; 5:31, and several passages in the Epistles refer to it, Eph.
1:20–22; Heb. 10:12; 1 Pet. 3:22; Rev. 3:21; 22:1. Naturally, the expression "right hand of God" cannot be taken literally, but should be understood as a figurative indication of the place of power and glory. That Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father simply means that the reins of government over the Church and the universe are entrusted to Him, and that He is made to share in the corresponding glory. It is His public inauguration as the God-man.
During His session at the right hand of God, Christ rules and protects His Church and exercises authority over the universe in behalf of His people; presents His completed sacrifice to the Father, making it effective and securing its benefits by constant intercession for all believers; and continues to teach His people through the Holy Spirit and through the instrumentality of His servants.
4. THE PHYSICAL RETURN OF CHRIST. The highest stage in the exaltation of Christ is not reached until He returns in the capacity of Judge. He Himself refers to this as a special prerogative, John 5:22,
27, and so do the apostles, Acts 10:42; 17:31. Several other passages also refer to His judicial activity, Matt. 19:28; 25:31–34; Luke 3:17;
Rom. 2:16; 14:9; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Tim. 4:1; Jas. 5:9. Some place the return of Christ in the past, claiming that the promise of His coming again was realized when He returned in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. But this was a spiritual and invisible return, while the
Bible teaches us to look for a physical and visible return of Christ, Acts 1:11. Even after Pentecost we are taught to look forward to the coming of Christ, 1 Cor. 1:7; 4:5; 11:26; Phil. 3:20; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess.
4:15–17; 2 Thess. 1:7–10; Tit. 2:13; Rev. 1:7. The second coming of Jesus Christ will be for the purpose of judging the world and perfecting the salvation of His people. It will signalize the complete victory of His redemptive work.
Questions for Review:
What is meant by the states of the Mediator? What is the state of humiliation? In what did the incarnation consist? How did Christ receive His human nature? What Scripture proof have we for the virgin birth? What was the work of the Holy Spirit in connection with the birth of Christ? Was the incarnation a part of Christ's humiliation? Were the sufferings of Christ limited to the end of His life? What was the nature of His sufferings? What significance does it have that Christ died a judicial death, and that He died by crucifixion? What significance did the burial of Christ have? What different views are there of the descent into hades? What is the correct view? What is the state of exaltation? What was the nature of the resurrection of Christ? In what respect was the body of Christ changed after the resurrection? Did He undergo any other change?
What was the significance of the resurrection? On what ground is it denied by some? What theories are suggested to explain the general belief in the resurrection of Christ? How is the ascension of Christ related to His resurrection? How does Scripture prove that the ascension was a change from place to place? How do the Lutherans conceive of the resurrection? What significance has the ascension?
What is meant by the session of Christ at the right hand of God?
What work does He accomplish during His session? Did Christ return in the Holy Spirit? Was this the predicted second coming of Christ? What is the purpose of His second coming?