From blessing to blessing
This morning just before going to church Pat had a text message that a friend wanted to come, someone who'd mentioned coming along some time ago, but this message came out of the blue ! And lo and behold, she did come...
We used for our Confession of Faith the Definition of Chalcedon. I did this deliberately because French christians sometimes have a rather reactionary approach to Jesus' humanity. I have heard more than once the opinion that Mary was a surrogate mother to Jesus. This may be a very anti-Mariolatry line but it isn't a valid Christian position.
The Bible makes clear Jesus is of our humanity, continuous with us in every way, but without sin. Chalcedon (AD 451) makes this clear by it's repeated assertions :
of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood;
like us in all respects, apart from sin;
as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer
In the ensuing discussion I went to get one of the Heidelberg Catechism booklets, and this makes the Bible's position clear, too :
Question 35. What is the meaning of these words "He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary"?
Answer: That God's eternal Son, who is, and continues true and eternal God, took upon him the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Ghost; that he might also be the true seed of David, like unto his brethren in all things, sin excepted.
Christmas is doctrinal and theological. It cannot be otherwise, can it !
We used for our Confession of Faith the Definition of Chalcedon. I did this deliberately because French christians sometimes have a rather reactionary approach to Jesus' humanity. I have heard more than once the opinion that Mary was a surrogate mother to Jesus. This may be a very anti-Mariolatry line but it isn't a valid Christian position.
The Bible makes clear Jesus is of our humanity, continuous with us in every way, but without sin. Chalcedon (AD 451) makes this clear by it's repeated assertions :
of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood;
like us in all respects, apart from sin;
as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer
In the ensuing discussion I went to get one of the Heidelberg Catechism booklets, and this makes the Bible's position clear, too :
Question 35. What is the meaning of these words "He was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the virgin Mary"?
Answer: That God's eternal Son, who is, and continues true and eternal God, took upon him the very nature of man, of the flesh and blood of the virgin Mary, by the operation of the Holy Ghost; that he might also be the true seed of David, like unto his brethren in all things, sin excepted.
Christmas is doctrinal and theological. It cannot be otherwise, can it !
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