BIBLE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST.
By D. W. Hull
We have found thus far that the Father and Son are spoken of as two distinct persons; we shall now bring other passages bearing directly upon that point. Phil. i, 13–15. “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and 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 the first born of every creature.” No, says popular theology backed by the decision of popes, he is himself the invisible God. Jude 4. “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” Here the only Lord God is distinguished from the Lord Jesus Christ. If ever language implies anything it certainly implies in this connection that the “only Lord God” is a distinct being from “our Lord Jesus Christ.” Phil. ii, 5–11 “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus; who being in the form of God (very God, our opponents would read it) thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made (not his humanity, but he himself was made) in the likeness of men; and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death (No, says the Trinitarian, his body became obedient unto death, but the divine part never suffered) even the death of the cross. Wherefore (not his divine part, but) God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.” This confession will result in the Father’s glory, but if every tongue should confess that a part of Jesus only was Lord whilst the other part was human it would not be the confession that Paul desired to result in the Father’s glory. 1 Pet. i, 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” The reader should bear in mind that in all the passages quoted above, the Father and the Son are spoken of as separate beings. Jehovah is called not only the Father of Jesus Christ, but is also termed his God. Hear our Saviour while suffering upon the cross [Mark xv, 34]: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” We not only find that our Saviour calls his Father his God but that God had forsaken him. It is here asserted by Trinitarians that the God-head had left him. If this is the case then Christ was alive after the God-head had left him. Then it was only the humanity that died and we have only a human sacrifice. Gal. i, 3, 4 “Grace be to you, and peace from God our Father AND from our Lord Jesus Christ who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God, and our Father.” It would have been very easy here for Paul to have told the Galatians that Christ might deliver us from this present evil world according to his own will. Heb. xiii, 20. “Now the God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work,” &c. Here again God is spoken of as a distinct being from Jesus Christ. We learn here that while Jesus was dead, the God of peace was living, else he could not have raised Jesus from the dead. Having examined all the important passages of scripture on this subject, we will now take our leave of this part of it and proceed to show that Christ must needs die; and also what kind of a death he must die. We have said that Christ must needs die. Our reason for this assertion, is, that man by transgression is subject to death; and unless there is a being who is not subject to death to pay the penalty, there is no hope of a resurrection. See 1 Cor. xv, 26. Adam by transgression entailed death upon the whole human race; Christ by his death brings them back to life again. But he does not restore immortality to those who live all their lives in transgression of God’s holy law. Heb. ix, 27, 28; “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement, so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him will he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Nothing short of the same death that men are subject to will ever bring a resurrection. Christ is here represented as an offering. If there was any part of the lamb that was offered that escaped out of the body, then did a part of Christ escape death. But we are told that Christ’s soul did not die. We remark that in order to pay the debt and restore men to life he must die the same death to which man is subject. If our Trinitarian friends are not careful they will have a compound of four elements instead of three; thus, Godhead (one) Humanity (two—soul and body), and holy ghost (one) which makes four. Psa. xvi, 9, 10: “Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh, also shall rest in hope; for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (or the grave) neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” It would have been nonsense to say that Christ’s soul should not be left in sheol if it never was there. In proof that this has reference to Christ we refer the reader to Peter’s testimony; Acts ii, 25–27, 31, 34. “For David speaketh concerning him (Christ), I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand that I should not be moved.” Then comes the quotation above. He then goes on to show that it was not David because his sepulcher is with us to this day (an evidence that David’s soul was left in hell). He continues, “He seeing this before, spake of the resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in hell (ᾅδης—the grave) neither did his flesh see corruption.” This was evidence that David had reference to Christ. But as further evidence, the Apostle continues, “For David is not ascended into the heavens.” We have evidence then, that either dead or alive, Christ’s soul entered the silent portals of the tomb. Matt. xxvi, 38. “Then he saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful even unto death.” If this implies anything, we should infer that it would imply that the Saviour’s soul was subject to death. It would be the worst of nonsense to talk about a never-dying soul being sorrowful unto death. On this point we shall be obliged to quote again 2 Pet. iii, 18. “For Christ hath once suffered for sins the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being PUT TO DEATH IN THE FLESH.” There is no chance of escape here: Christ’s soul and every part that dwelt in his flesh was put to death and buried in sheol, or hades. We now turn to Isa. liii; “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth.”202We might here remind the reader that a lamb when slain is not partly killed and partly kept alive, but totally deprived of life. “He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” We might ask, What was left of him after he was cut off? Suppose the body only was cut off, and the soul freed; then the only important part was not cut off. “And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin,” &c. His soul was really made an offering for sin; this agrees with Peter’s testimony. “He was put to death in the flesh.” If the soul was the offering, it was the soul that was slain. “He shall see the travail of his soul (his “soul was sorrowful unto death”), and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong.” Why? Because he hath POURED OUT HIS SOUL UNTO DEATH! And he was numbered with the transgressors and he bear the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” This is so plain that it needs no comment. If the reader will now turn to 1 Cor. xv, he will observe that Paul bases our whole hope upon the resurrection of Christ from the dead. “If Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain,” says the apostle. Modern theology would answer, Not so Paul, for the only important part of Christ returned to heaven at death. Just here we might anticipate an objection. It is asserted that Christ promised the thief that they would that day be together in paradise. Luke xxiii, 43. “Verily I say unto thee to day, shalt thou be with me in paradise.” The quotation as it stands above however, does not seem to imply so much. Christ only asserted on that day what he would do when he comes in his kingdom! As punctuation is no part of inspiration we have taken the liberty to alter the punctuation somewhat above. The reader will find the subject of Christ’s promise to the thief elaborately discussed in a work lately published at the Review Office, Battle Creek, Mich. Let us now look at what the Saviour himself taught on this point. Matt. xii, 40. “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” How was Jonah in the whale’s belly? Was his soul in heaven and his body in the whale’s belly? How is the Son of man to get into the heart of the earth? We are answered that his body went into the grave, but his soul, divinity or something, went off to paradise. But we have still more positive testimony on this point. John xx, 17. “Jesus saith unto her, touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father.” This was three days after the Lord’s promise to the thief. This surely is enough to settle the matter with the candid. We trust we have now fairly investigated this subject having examined a majority of the scriptures referring to it. We have found positive testimony to show- That God is a personal being.
- That Jesus Christ was his Son.
- That he and his Father were distinct persons having one common interest, and
- That Jesus Christ died soul and body and rose again.
May the Spirit of the living God wake the dear reader to a sense of his obligation to the Son of God, who has so dearly purchased our redemption with his own precious blood. Amen.