Every man is conscious, that he is one,—one existence, one intelligent being, one human being, or an intellect or mind now dwelling in a human body; and he acknowledges every other man to be a similar being. He also regards every angel, that comes to his knowledge by revelation, as one being. God, the Creator of the universe, we view necessarily as one being. The idea of a duplicate intellectual being is beyond our thought; it is inconceivable, an absurdity, a contradiction. Jesus Christ then was either man or the one Son of God in the form of a man.
That there is "one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" is Paul's teaching. The reason of calling Christ man is, that "God sent his son in the likeness of sinful flesh," Rom. 8:3. The Son's intelligent spirit was enough to be the tenant of one human body without a co-tenancy with a human spirit, and enough to suffer for the sins of the world.
When Paul speaks of Christ as being once "in the form of God," he did not mean, that he was God himself, in whose form or likeness he was, Phil. 2:6. Then in the next verses, by his being "in the form of a servant," "in the likeness of men," "in fashion as a man," he could not mean, that Christ was a real, perfect man. But did he first live in heaven, and thence come to the earth to tabernacle in human flesh and to offer himself as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the race of men?
In the first chapter of John's gospel we are taught, that Christ or the Son of God, called the Word, existed in the beginning with God and that all things were made by him. At the very commencement of all created existences in the universe, he existed with God, and by him all created things in the universe were created. Here then was a high and glorious dignity in heaven, the Son of God, before he dwelt in human flesh.
In the third chapter of John we read, that Christ said to Nicodemus,—"If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not; how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he, that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man, which is in heaven." The express contrast of the words—"ascended up to heaven, came down from heaven," seems to fix the meaning beyond any possible doubt.—In the 6th chapter of John Christ said, as we read, "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him, that sent me."—"Moses gave you not that bread from heaven, but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he, which cometh from heaven, and giveth life unto the world." When the Jews murmured at his discourse, because he said, "I am the bread, which came down from heaven," Jesus repeated his plain teaching—"I am the living bread, which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread, that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." That is, he who came down from God in heaven would give his flesh, his human body to the agonies of crucifixion for the salvation of men. Many of his disciples said, "this is an hard saying: who can hear it?" What was the reply of Christ? It was this: "does this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of Man ascend up where he was before?" In the 16th chapter of John we read Christ's words—"The Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed, that I came out from God. I came forth from the Father and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father." Here again the contrast of expressions shows the meaning of the phrase, "I am come into the world." I will adduce only one other passage:—In Ephesians 4th we read—"Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" "He that descended is the same also, that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things." I think it thus most clearly and amply established in scripture, that the Lamb of God came down to the earth from the presence of God and laying aside his high dignity dwelt in a human body, as a man dwells in a body, and died in agony on the cross. There may be various high inquiries, which may here spring up. But surely no theory can be true, which contradicts and overthrows the divine teaching. No scheme of theology can be true, which denies, that he, who came down from heaven, could die and did die as a lamb of sacrifice to God for the sins of the world,—for this is a denial of the great doctrine of the atonement, and thus withers up all the hopes of sinful men. Who can prove, that God could not have a Son derived from Him before time began, by whom he created the universe, and who in his most amazing love to us abased himself to man's condition and died in our stead on this little globe of his own creation? If we find in the Bible any plain, intelligible teaching of God, will it do to set up our reason against the teaching of Him, who is infinite reason and infinite wisdom?
If any truth is plain in the Bible, is it not that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in human flesh or in fashion as a man by his sufferings on the cross made atonement for the sins of the world? Paul says, Rom. 5:11;—"We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have received the atonement; and that God hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God:" Coloss. 1:13.—Peter says, that his brethren were "redeemed with the precious blood of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." Other expressions are these, Christ "after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, [that is, for perpetuity,] sat down on the right hand of God:" Heb. 10:12, "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood:" Rom. 3:25, "Unto him, that loved us and washed us from our sins in his own blood:" Rev. 1:5.—That the Son of God, who came down from heaven, was himself a sufferer and sacrifice on the cross for our sins is every where taught in scripture. Without believing this how can we regard Christ as a Redeemer and Savior?
[Sonnet 81.] In order that revealed truths may beam upon the mind of man and produce their proper effect it is necessary, that God's revelation be understood and not misapprehended. If two men attach a different and contradictory meaning to the same passage of scripture, one of them is in error and fault; and if the error relates to the character of God and to some very important doctrine, it may be perilous.
For instance, two of our theologians have taught a contradictory doctrine, drawn as they thought from scripture, as follows; Jonathan Edwards maintained, that sin was "not the fruit of any positive agency or influence of the Most High;"—"it would be a reproach and blasphemy to suppose God to be the author of sin" in the sense of the agent, actor, or doer of a wicked thing. But Dr. Emmons maintained, that God "produced all the free, voluntary, moral exercises" of man; that God "creates evil when and where the good of the universe requires;" that "Satan placed certain motives before man's mind, which by a certain divine energy took hold of his heart and led him into sin." This teaching seems blasphemous, and contradictory to all notions of free, voluntary agency, as well as to the tenor of scripture. He relies for scripture proof on Exodus 4:21, where God says in respect to Pharaoh, "I will harden his heart." But this, rightly understood, is only a prediction of a certain event, that Pharaoh would harden his own heart as it is declared he did in ch. 9:34. So in respect to other quoted passages, it might be shown, that they were misunderstood and perverted from their proper meaning. We all know by common sense, by reason, and conscience, that we are free agents; therefore justly accountable to a holy, sin-hating God. But if God made, created, produced all our wicked volitions and acts; how can we regard him as just in punishing us for the very acts, which he produced? And what can such passages as James 1:13, mean, "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man?"
[Sonnet 82.] The following seem to be clear and prominent points of instruction in the divine Word.
1. There is one God, eternal, infinite, all-wise, perfect in goodness, the creator of the universe. Hence all the gods and idols of the heathen are vanity and a lie.—"There is one God the Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." Ephes. 2:5.—"The Lord our God is one Lord."—"God is one."—"One God and one Mediator." Mark 12:29. Galatians 3:20. I Tim. 2:5. Thus throughout the whole scripture the unity of God is asserted or implied. The name of God occurs 500 or 600 times in the Bible. "God is one;" one conscious, intelligent being and voluntary agent. No man in the exercise of his reason has any doubts as to his own oneness, or as to the oneness of any brother man or of any angel, of whom he may think or speak. If I am conscious, that I am a single intellectual being, and necessarily regard every other man as such; then it cannot enter my thoughts, that the one God is a compound being.