The Son of God

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Oct 29, 1896

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 22, No. 43.

THE CONTROVERSY OF THE AGES. NO. 4.

The Son of God.

PRE-EMINENTLY He who afterward became Jesus had been declared to be THE SON OF GOD before the world was. He was one with the Father, possessing glory with the Father (John 17:5), of “the very image of His [the Father's] substance” (Heb. 1:3, R. V.); but his claim to the eternal Sonship and equality in counsel and work and honor had been disputed by that being who stood next to the Son, the one above all others who in himself sealed up the sum of all created wisdom and beauty (Eze. 28:12). He not only disputed the right of the Word of God to his position, but he led others to do the same, and a third of heaven's spirits of light revolted. The universe became divided by the entrance of sin.

But the doubts of Satan and his myrmidons did not affect the fact of the Sonship of the Word. He was the eternal Son of God still. To him the Father said, “Let US make,” etc. His omnipotent power, his divine majesty, might have been vindicated when Lucifer rebelled, by the instant destruction of all the rebel host; but such a course would have sown doubts in the minds of beings who were on probation but were yet loyal. Neither was it God's power that was alone called in question, but God's character. It is that which the adversary has persistently and unremittingly assailed from the beginning of sin. If God's creatures can be led to believe that God is not love, that he is unjust, partial, implacable, unmerciful, they will not serve him; they fall an easy prey to Satan.

Efforts to Save.

For the reasons that God is merciful, loving, kind, just, he did not destroy Lucifer and the rebellious hosts. He gave him and them the opportunity to repent and turn. He pleaded with them as only God could plead, to restore them to righteousness and life. “How do we know this?” We know it because it is thus that God pleads now, and he is eternally the same—“with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning.” The Son of God did not aspire to be equal with God, “did not meditate a usurpation” to the throne of the universe when he saw Lucifer plotting for eternal dominion (see Phil. 2:5-7, R. V., and Adam Clarke's translation), but he “emptied himself,” gave himself, then and there, for the sinners. He took the form of a servant, became an angel among the angels, that he might redeem angels, but they would not. And when they rejected the righteousness and life so freely offered, he came lower still to those duped by Satan—fallen man—stooping even to death, that he might redeem the fallen who wished to be redeemed, and vindicate to the universe to all eternity the character of God. That was the work of the Word of God, the Eternal Logos, when he became Michael, when he became Jesus the Man of Nazareth; when he was anointed the Christ, when he died our Sacrifice on Calvary. And during all this time all the hosts of evil, with all the baleful, deceptive, cruel devices of sin, were brought against him, that God's character might be marred, that the Great Vindicator might fail.

But Eternal Love waited and loved still. Right is Might, but it must be manifest in the way of Right. And so Jesus lived the right against all the assaults of the enemy, vindicating the decision of the Father in the councils of eternity, vindicating his right to share with Eternal Love the throne of eternal dominion, and by his eternal sacrifice lifting mankind to heaven's glory. Yet when he died for the sins of others all the hosts of evil rejoiced in hellish triumph.

But sin can not entomb righteousness for aye. Darkness can not abide by the living light. Death can not destroy life. Christ was righteousness and life and light; and the grave, the depth, the nadir, of sin could not hold the Prince of righteousness and life. He died, not for his own sin, but for those of the world, which he voluntarily bore; but he arose because in him was righteousness and therefore life.

The very fact that sin and Satan could not hold him in the grave was a demonstration that he was righteous. Love—justice, mercy, infinite goodness—was personified in him. The motives which sustained him in all his temptations and sufferings were vindicated by his resurrection. And for this reason the apostle declares that Christ Jesus was “determined to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Rom. 1:4, margin.) God had stated it before, yea, even in the beginning. It was determined by the resurrection. That act demonstrated the truthfulness of God's word in the beginning. It showed that the Eternal Logos embraced within himself the eternal principle—Right is Might; in the absolute righteousness is the absolute power over all opposing forces.

The King of Glory.

Again, God said to Moses that his glory was his goodness; it was all demonstrated in Christ's character and in his resurrection. He was by his triumph shown to be worthy of the everlasting dominion over all God's created works, and how much more over the perversion of those works—sin and death. He won righteousness and life, not alone for himself, but for all those who had before trusted or who would ever trust in him. Therefore when he died, the very earth, responsive to his anguish, opened the graves of righteous ones. (Matt. 27:52,53.) When he ascended up on high he led, to grace his triumph, a multitude of captives, gathered

from the power of sin and Satan. (Eph. 4:8, margin.) Not as did warriors of old did he lead them heavenward; not chained to his chariot wheels, the chains the emblems of hopeless bondage, but captives set free in the wondrous, boundless dominion of love, bound by love's free cords (ever adoring but never confining) to the great heart of Infinite Love. His triumphal entrance to the eternal city, escorted by angelic hosts, is thus prophetically described by the song of victory recorded in the twenty-fourth psalm. As Jesus, with the saints redeemed forever from death's dominion, and the cohort of attending angels, near the heavenly city, the angels break forth in joyous song:—

“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; And be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of Glory shall come in.”

The watching messengers of God from within the portals inquire:—

“Who is the King of Glory?”

The triumphant escort return reply in joyous pæan:—

“Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors; And the King of Glory shall come in.”

Once more, that they may hear again the new song, the watchers ask:—

“Who is this King of Glory?”

And once more, clearer, stronger, more triumphant, growing gladder with its repetition, comes the joyous reply:—

“Jehovah of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.”

He has demonstrated his right to the name of the Father, by showing forth the glory, the goodness, of the Father in a life of suffering, triumphant over sin. He vindicated the eternal love of the Father to the inhabitants of heaven, forevermore. He demonstrated the power of righteousness over sin, in sinful flesh. He won for all eternity and for all who would yield to him the victory of righteousness and life over sin and death. On the eve of his terrific crowning struggle with the powers of darkness he said: “Now is the judgment [Greek, crisis] of this world;” but it was not doubtful to his confident faith, for he continues: “Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:31, 32.)

How true it all was! The crisis was met; Satan was cast out; Christ was lifted up, a mark of hatred, obloquy and scorn, to die, but in dying he conquered. Then was fulfilled the scripture:—

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Rev. 12:10.)

Then also did the angels of God learn the riches of his grace as never before, as declared by the apostle Paul (Eph. 3:10, 11):—

“That now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the purpose of the ages which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.” (R. V. margin.)

Glorious things has God wrought for us, and for the universe, through the weakness of the flesh. It has been the power of righteousness manifest in the weakness of a flesh of sin. But the victory is forevermore. What was wrought in Christ was wrought for all. And so the apostle prays, as every one may pray, in all the assurance of faith:—

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come; and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

There Christ sits enthroned in eternal power and righteousness and love, for all who will come to him, and, reader, for you. (To be continued.)