The Credal statement that "Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is
both God and Man; yet He is not two but One Christ" is not an arbitrary
dogma, but is based upon the facts as set forth in the Gospels. There
are our Lord's own direct statements as reported in St. John's Gospel;
("I and My Father are One". St John X. 30. "He that hath seen Me hath
seen the Father" St. John XIV. 9.) There is also His reply to the
question of the High Priest at His trial, reported by St. Matthew
(XXVI. 63, 64.), St. Mark (XIV. 61, 62.), St. Luke (XXII. 70.), in
which our Lord distinctly claimed Divine Sonship, and that in the sense
stated in the Creeds, as is shown by the fact that He was at once
adjudged to be guilty of death for blasphemy, which would not have been
the case had not His claim amounted in the mind of His judges to that
of equality with God. Passing for the moment Peter's confession of
faith at Caesarea Philippi (St. Matt. XVI. 16) there are certain
inevitable inferences establishing the belief that in Christ God became
Man which are drawn from His life and teaching while on earth. Some of
the most salient of these are;--
1. He invariably speaks to men about God not as one whose thoughts are
the outcome of even the deepest and most perfect spiritual insight a
man could possess, but as one who had absolute knowledge. We feel
instinctively that it is God who is speaking to us about God.
2. Next, he makes a claim upon men that no man, however perfect, ought
to, or would dare, to make; a claim which men would strongly resent
another man making on them. For He claims men body, soul, and spirit,
and not only for time, but for eternity, and tells them that the
acceptance or rejection of that claim will make all the difference to
their eternal destiny (e.g. St. Matt. X. 32). And He could only make
this claim as One who speaks as God.
3. His teaching is delivered with an absolute authority that no man
could possibly arrogate to himself. What he says is final; "I say unto
you". Nor does he offer salvation through acceptance of a system or
philosophy of life, but through Himself; "Come unto me"; "Follow me";
"I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me"; and many similar statements abundantly illustrate this fact.