Question Corner by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA · Jan 20, 1904

Question Corner

By Editor

1463. How Much Did Christ Give Up?

An esteemed correspondent, referring to question 1430, entitled, "Made Like unto His Brethren," says:—

An answer to question No. 1430 in SIGNS for Oct. 7, 1903, seems to me so contrary to Scripture (at least as regards the Deity of the Saviour) that I feel constrained to write to you about it.

Jesus laid aside His glory when He left heaven for earth, but I know of no scripture which says He laid aside His deity.

He "made Himself of no reputation," or "emptied Himself," as the Revised Version has it, but He could not empty Himself of Himself.

He took the form of a servant, but the same Book tells us that He was God, divine, at the same time. So that He was very God and very man.

We do not think there is any difference of belief over this question; for in the same letter our friend says: "It was necessary for divinity to die or we should not have had an infinite sacrifice." (Italics his.) And this is what is meant by laying aside His Deity; for divinity means that which pertains to God, while Deity means God. But it is divinity in contradistinction to humanity which makes Deity. Our correspondent says that Christ "could not empty Himself of Himself;" but what else was there of which He could empty Himself but Himself? It is just that very thing which He did, to the glory and praise of God, and on the basis of that He speaks to humanity, "If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself" (Matt. 16:24), renounce "all that he hath," "yea, and his own life also" (Luke 14:33, 26). The Son of God gave up all. Stepping from the throne of Deity He became a servant, the chiefest of servants because the greatest minister. Meeting the greatest of God's enemies, as a servant He rebukes that enemy only in the name of the Lord. Met by that enemy's temptations, He does not use the authority of Deity, but overcomes the temptation by simple faith in "It is written."

Yet the Son of God did not lose His individuality, whether we can comprehend the great fact or not; it was preserved in God, even as the human does not lose his individuality when he gives up all for Christ; it is preserved in Christ. Matt. 16:25; John 12:24-26. Neither did Christ ever lose His godly character of perfect righteousness; in fact, in that very thing His life, His Divinity, His Deity was preserved. For the introduction of sin into the universe was the very test of Deity. Therefore from that indissoluble firm of Deity, in character, in holy purpose, one stepped down and gave all, that He might save the race, and the other, the Father, gave all in giving the Son. He who became Jesus could not have been the God He was and not have given Himself; for because of that very humiliation,—emptying Himself, of counting "not an equality with God a thing to be grasped,"—God highly exalted Him. Now "equality with God" is Deity; but this the Son gave up in purpose in the beginning, held to it in purpose all through the ages till He consummated it in fact when He died, the Son of God, on the cross of Calvary, preserving His individuality, His Deity, His life, in His all perfect character, and demonstrating that by His resurrection from the dead, Victor over sin and death through perfect righteousness. Rom. 1:1-3; Acts 2:24.

He knew all this in His own consciousness when on earth. He called Himself the Son of God, but He did it not as Deity come from heaven, but as the High Commissioner of Deity, sent of God, commissioned by the Father. He bore not witness to Himself, because Himself had been given up; but God bore witness to His Son through the Inspired Word, through John the Baptist, through the Spirit-working power imparted to Him. And at the very last that Son had so demonstrated His Father's love that He could commit life into His hands and lie down in the utter unconsciousness and powerlessness of death. And all this was in the purpose in the beginning; for He was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world," Rev. 13:8; 1 Peter 1:19, 20. And in all this, and much more might be said on this exhaustless theme, is revealed the wonderful love of our God.