Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

download Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

of 17

Transcript of Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    1/17

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    2/17

    VINESTOPICALCOMMENTARY

    C H R I S T

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    3/17

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    4/17

    VINESTOPICALCOMMENTARY

    C H R I S T

    W. E. VINEWITH C. F. HOGG

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    5/17

    Vines Topical Commentary: Christ

    2010 W. E. Vine Copyright Ltd. of Bath, England

    All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a

    retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic,mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for briefquotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission

    of the publisher.

    Published in Nashville, ennessee, by homas Nelson. homas Nelson is a

    registered trademark of homas Nelson, Inc.

    homas Nelson, Inc., titles may be purchased in bulk for educational,business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please

    e-mail [email protected].

    Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

    on file

    ISBN 13: 978-1-4185-4309-9

    PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica

    10 11 12 13 145 4 3 2 1

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    6/17

    5

    C

    Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

    Section 1: The Person and Work of Christ

    he Son of God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

    His Sonship as the Sent One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

    hou Art My Son, his Day Have I Begotten hee . . . . . . . . . 21

    he Significance of the itle he Firstborn . . . . . . . . . . . . 25In Him Was Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

    he Eternal Sonship of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

    he Incarnation of Our Lord. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

    he Perfect Servant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

    he Sinlessness of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

    he Moral Glories of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

    he Atoning Sacrifice of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

    he Resurrection of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

    he Ascension of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

    he High Priesthood of Christ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

    Christ the Firstborn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

    he Atonement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

    Christ is Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

    he Cross of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

    he Vicarious Sacrifice of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110

    Redemption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

    he Prologue of the Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115

    Christ as the Light. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

    he Necessity of New Birth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

    Christ as the Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

    Live-giving Overflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

    he Resurrection, and the Life. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

    he Recipients of Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

    Christ the Sent One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    7/17

    6

    C

    Witnesses to Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132

    Divine Love . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

    he Death of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

    Section 2: The Life of Christ

    he Choosing of Disciples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

    he Wedding in Cana. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153

    he Cleansing of the emple. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

    Nicodemus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157

    he Baptists Further estimony . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

    he Woman of Samaria. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161he Second Sign. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164

    he Healing of the Impotent Man. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165

    he Five housand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

    Christ and the welve. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

    he Woman aken in Adultery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170

    Blind from Birth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172

    he Raising of Lazarus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175Jesus Washes the Disciples Feet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

    Gethsemane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

    Pilate and the Jews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

    he Death of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187

    Evidences of the Resurrection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

    Jesus Appears to His Disciples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191

    Section 3: The Teachings of Christ

    he First Public Discourse in Johns Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . 198

    he Second Public Discourse in Johns Gospel. . . . . . . . . . . 205

    he hird Public Discourse in Johns Gospel. . . . . . . . . . . . 217

    he Fourth Public Discourse in Johns Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . 222

    he Good Shepherd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

    he Fifth Public Discourse in Johns Gospel . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

    he Prelude to the Sacrifice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238

    he Upper Room Discourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

    he Intercessory Prayer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    8/17

    7

    IWe may well hesitate to write anything upon the infinitely great and sacredsubject of the person and work of the Son of God. The place whereon wetread is holy ground; we may not approach it save with unshod feet, lest wemake ourselves of the number of those who have desecrated it by errone-ous speculations and by perversions of the truth. The apprehension of thenumerous onslaughts being made upon the doctrines of the faith concerningour adorable Lord, and the command given us to contend earnestly forthe faith once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3), provide additional in-ducement to handle this holy theme, and so to continue the witness already

    faithfully given by those who have held and taught the truth.C. F. Hogg

    Undoubtedly William Edwy Vine was qualified in many fields. As well asbeing a theologian and a man of outstanding academic intellect, he had a heartfor all humanity that made him a master of communication.

    Born in 1873, at the time when C. H. Spurgeon, D. L. Moody and F. B. Meyerwere enjoying popularity on both sides of the Atlantic, Vine was brought up in aboarding school owned by and governed by his father as its headmaster. his wasa major contribution to his interest in teaching. At the age of seventeen he was a

    teacher at his fathers school while attending the University College of Wales inpreparation for his eventual London University degree, an M.A. in classics.At the age of twenty-six he spent an Easter vacation at the home of a godly

    couple, Mr. and Mrs. Baxendale, where he met their daughter Phoebe; a fewyears later, they married. It was a marriage made in heaven. hey had five chil-dren: Helen, Christine, Edward (O.B.E.), Winifred, and Jeanette. During the timeof their engagement, Vines reputation as a clear Bible expositor was growing. Itwas not long before he accepted the joint headmastership of his fathers school.In 1904, after his father died, his brother heodore became joint headmaster

    with him.It was during this time, in conjunction with Mr. C. F. Hogg, that he produced

    three classic commentaries on 1 and 2 hessalonians, followed by Galatians.hese master works display the full scope of Vines scholarship.

    While Vine was teaching in the school, preparing for his M.A., and writingin-depth commentaries, he also developed a lifetime habit of teaching classes inNew estament Greek grammar. his laid the foundation for his all-time classicworks,AnExpositoryDictionaryofNewTestamentWords, and later,AnExpositoryDictionaryofOldTestamentWords. His dictionaries are classicscopies are in

    excess of 3 million worldwideproof that his scholarship and clarity of expres-sion is as relevant today as when first published.

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    9/17

    8

    I

    E C

    Vine applies a microscopic approach to expository teachinga word approachthat takes into consideration every reference to that word in the Bible as well

    as its use in contemporary and classic Greek. Vines verse-by-verse expositionreveals a depth of understanding that commentaries many times the size of hisfail to give. He explains the meaning of the key words in each verse and linksthem with the complete passage.

    his volume is compiled from the writings on Christ found in the five-vol-ume series TheCollectedWritingsofW. E. Vine. In some cases these articles havebeen condensed from their original form. Introductory paragraphs in italic typehave been added to assist the reader.

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    10/17

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    11/17

    10

    T S G

    T S GIn the Gospel of John, the writer emphasizes his declaration that Jesus isboth eternal and equal with God the Father. The Father and the Son areone, yet distinct. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit arent three sepa-rate beings; each possessed the attributes of Deity. That there is only oneGod remains an essential doctrine of the Christian faith. This emphasis isseen in greater focus in Johns prologue. Not only are there amazing theo-logical statements about Jesus Christ and His relationship to the Father, butthere are also very practical assertions about His qualities and characteris-tics, many of which can be seen in the original Greek, which you will readabout below.

    T E WIn the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Wordwas God (John 1:1). he first of these three statements declares His preexis-tence. In whatever way the phrase In the beginning may be understood (itprobably refers to the creation of the universe), the paramount fact is that He,the Word, was preexistent to it. Whensoever creation had a beginning He wasalready there. here was no beginning to His being.

    he second statement declares the distinctiveness of His person. He was

    with God. he preposition is not sun, which signifies accompaniment, normeta, which suggests accompaniment with mutual interest, but pros, which isexpressive of a personal attitude toward and occupation with the One whosepresence is being experienced.

    he third statement predicates His Deity, His oneness in Godhood withHim whom the second statement spoke of as God. he three declarations stressthe personal nature of Him who is the Word. hat this bears the implication ofthe existence of two Gods is refuted by this very Gospel, which declares that theFather and the Son are one, and by other Scriptures which predicate that there

    is one God.1

    T S R

    hese initial statements are followed by a repetition of the first and second, withemphasis on the demonstrative pronoun: he same (or rather, his One)was in the beginning with God. But why this repetition? here are no mere

    1 Te same applies to the Holy Spirit. Te doctrine of the Unity of the Godhead is prominent in theOld estament, and is maintained in the New. Te New, however, consistently with the progress ofdocrine in the Sacred Volume, plainly unfolds the truth of the rinity of Persons in the Unity of theGodhead. A Unitarian recently made the following remark in a conversation with one who holdsthe truth of the rinity in Unity: If what webelieve is true, you are idolaters; if what youbelieveis true, we are not Christians. Now the doctrine of the rinity, woven as it is into the very textureof the New estament, precludes ritheism and invalidates any imputation of the worship of threeGods. Yet to deny the Deity of Christ is to be devoid of title to be a Christian.

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    12/17

    11

    T S G

    repetitions in the Scriptures. Sometimes a reiterated statement is confirmatory ofwhat has been stated; sometimes it is also introductory to what immediately fol-lows. his is the case here; for, immediately after the repeated statement that theWord was in the beginning with God, the existence of the universe is attributedto Him. All things were made by Him.

    his again is reiterated and expanded: And without Him was not anythingmade that hath been made. his also is not simply a repetition. It is preparatoryto a declaration that He is the Author of life: life, which exists in Him essentially,is bestowed through Him upon His creatures. In Him was life, and the life wasthe light of men. Upon the fact that in Him life is unoriginated and essentialrests the dependence of His creatures upon Him for it. he order of life and lightis significant. In nature, life in its full activity depends upon light; light is the life

    of the animate physical creation. In spiritual matters the position is reversed.he Life is the light. We do not receive spiritual life simply because Christ isthe light. He brings light into our darkness because He brings life, the life thatbecomes ours when we are born of God, that is to say, when we receive Christby faith (v. 12).

    hese subjects, the Word, the Life, and the Light, as set forth in verses 413,lead to a resumption of the title he Word in verse 14, and to the statement,he Word became flesh and dwelt among us. he Revisers have rightly ren-dered by became instead of was made.1he statement that He became flesh

    declares the voluntariness, on the part of Him who is the Word, of the act of HisIncarnation. Further on in the Gospel, as also in the first Epistle of John, we learnthat this voluntary act was likewise the sending by the Father. he counsels ofgrace were mutually designed and carried out; this is true in respect also of theHoly Spirit, whose part in the Incarnation is declared in Matthew 1:1820 andLuke 1:35.

    T O D A

    he apostle bears witness for himself and his fellow-apostles that they beheld

    His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father. here are certain facts tobe noted in this phraseology. he definite article is absent in the original beforeboth only begotten and Father. According to a well-known principle in regardto the Greek definite article, its omission before certain descriptions of personsor objects serves to stress the particular feature or character mentioned in thedescription; whereas, on the other hand, the insertion of the definite article sim-ply points the reader to the person or object as one well-known, or one to berecognized. hus, had the definite articles been used here, the apostle would sim-ply have been pointing out (as is frequently the case) that the two persons whomhe was mentioning were those well-known to his readers as the only begottenSon and the Father. But that is not the case, for he is giving a description of theparticular kind of glory which he and his fellow-apostles had seen. he nature

    1 Ginomaishould never be rendered to make, except in the passive voice where English requires it.

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    13/17

    12

    T S G

    of the description, then, shows that the definite articles were purposely omittedin order to lay stress upon the particular characteristics, of the One as an OnlyBegotten, and of the Other as a Father.

    T M G

    We may here notice the significance in Scripture of the word glory, as usedof God and of Christ. From what is said in the passages where this word isfound, we learn that glory, in this respect, is the manifestation of characteristicsor character, and of power. For instance, when in the second chapter we read:his beginning of His signs [a sign is a miracle with a meaning or message] didJesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, the glory which He revealedin His kindly act at the wedding feast was the expression both of His power and

    His character.So, then, the glory which the apostles witnessed in Christ was the visible

    expression of what is indicated in the relationship of an only begotten from aFather.

    Further, the Revisers have rightly rendered the preposition by from andnot of. he word in the original ispara, which signifies, in this construction,from the presence of, from with [a person]. he same preposition is used inthe Lords own words in 7:29, I am from Him, and He sent Me.

    his preposition from, together with what has already been set forth con-

    cerning the glory as that of a Fathers Only Begotten, indicates that He Whobecame flesh, was Himself, in virtue of the previously existing relationship, theunique and perfect representative and manifestation of the being and characterof the Father from whose presence He came. In other words, the glory to whichJohn refers was the outshining of a unique, eternal only begotten sonship.1

    T T O B

    he term only begotten, used in verse in connection with the definite article, is

    one which, with reference to Christ, is found only in the writings of the apostleJohn, and, as we have seen in the former instance in verse 14, the term does notrefer to generation in respect of His humanity. here are other statements rela-tive to His Sonship which do not contain the title only begotten, and which do

    1 Tat John the Baptist is said to have been sent from [para] God, does not adversely affect the inti-mation in 1:14 that Christ stood prior to His Incarnation in unoriginated relationship as Son to theFather, and that the glory which the apostles beheld was the glory of One who held this relation-ship. What requires consideration is both the contextual phraseology, concerning Christs glory inits manifestation in this respect, and the teaching of Scripture elsewhere concerning the eternalrelation between the Father and the Son. Tere is all the difference between the circumstances ofthe Baptist and what Scripture teaches about the person of Christ. Te latter precludes our pressingthe analogy on the ground of the similar use of the preposition. Angels and prophets are said tostand in the presence of God, and in this sense John the Baptist was sent from God, but the truthrelating to Christ as only begotten from the Father is different. Parawith the genitive with refer-ence to Him has to do with that which is antecedent to His birth.

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    14/17

    13

    T S G

    refer to His Incarnation; but that is not the case with monogens, only begotten.his speaks of that relationship as Son in which He stands alone, coequal andeternal with the Father, yet distinct in personality as the Son.

    Again, the term as used of the Sons relationship to the Father in the idealand intimate affections involved therein must be distinguished from generationas applied to human beings. he phrase eternal generation finds nothing to cor-respond to it in Scripture. It does not serve to explain the doctrine of the eternalrelationships in the Godhead. Human limitations prevent a full comprehensionof the eternal. Yet God has in grace conveyed the facts relating to Himself in lan-guage the phraseology of which we can understand, though the facts themselveslie beyond the range of human conception.

    he term here, as frequently in Scripture, signifies both uniqueness and

    endearment. hus of Isaac in Hebrews 11:17, the writer, quoting from theSeptuagint of Genesis 22:2, instead of from the Hebrew which, translated, reads,hy son, thine only son, whom thou lovest, even Isaac, says that Abrahamoffered up (lit., was offering) his only begotten son.

    Plainly therefore only begotten is in that passage the equivalent of only.Now, by actual relationship Isaac was not Abrahams only son. Ishmael had beenborn before, but Isaac stood in unique relation to Abraham, and in a place ofspecial endearment.

    he significance of the word only begotten, in a sense altogether apart

    from birth, is strikingly exemplified in two passages in the Psalms. In that part ofPsalm 22 which is anticipatory of the Lords utterances on the cross, the appeal ismade, Deliver My soul from the sword, My darling from the power of the dog.According both to the Hebrew and the Greek, the word for darling is onlybegotten. he same is the case in Psalm 35:17, where the English translationgives rescue My soul from their destructions, My darling from the lions. Plainlythere can be no connection here with natural relationship of father and son; whatis intimated is that that part of the being which is referred to holds the position ofpreciousness and uniqueness. So with the use of the term in regard to the infinite

    and unoriginated relationship between Father and Son.In addition to the thought of uniqueness and endearment, the term when

    coupled with the word Son conveys the idea of complete representation, theSon manifesting in full expression the characteristics of the Father. his is borneout by what is further said in John 1:18.

    I B F

    he plain implication of the preexistent sonship of Christ given in verse is con-firmed in verse by the description of the Son as the One who is in the bosomof the Father. he phraseology employed is that of the definite article with thepresent participle of the verb to be, lit., the [one] being in the bosom . . . hisform of phrase provides what is virtually a titular description, and is to be distin-guished from the use of the relative pronoun with the present tense of the verb

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    15/17

    14

    T S G

    to be (who is). Had it been the intention of the writer to state that the Son isat the present time in the bosom of the Father, in contrast to a time in the pastwhen He was not in that position and relationship, the relative clause, that is tosay, the relative pronoun with the present tense, would have been used (i.e., hosesti, who is). he participial construction (the definite article with the presentparticiple being) is not thus limited in point of time. Here the constructionconveys a timeless description, expressing a condition and relationship charac-teristic, essential and unoriginated.

    he phrase in the bosom of the Father conveys the thought of affection,and is indicative of the ineffable intimacy and love essentially existent betweenthe Father and the Son, the Son sharing all the Fathers counsels, and ever beingthe object of His love.

    he preposition eis(in) expresses something more than the similar prepo-sition en.1

    What is suggested is not only in as indicating the essential union of the Sonwith the Father, but the further thought of His absolute competency to respondto the Fathers love. Of none other could the phrase be used. Nothing is to begained by rendering the preposition by into, as if in a more literal sense.

    he use of the definite article in this construction points, then, to the unique-ness and the essential nature both of the position and the relationship of Christ.

    As in verses 114, the doctrines relating to Him as the Word culminate in

    the statement of His Incarnation, the Word became flesh, so now verse 18,recalling the description only begotten from verse 14, and distinguishing theSon by that designation, leads on, while terminating the prologue, to the witnessof John the Baptist. his is introduced by the particle and connecting verse 19with verse 18, and this witness brings before us the culminating truth of Christas the Lamb of God (v. 29).

    F I O A

    he principle of the stressing of the character or description of a person by meansof the omission of the article, as exemplified in the clause an only begotten froma Father, is well illustrated in certain passages in the epistle to the Hebrews inconnection with the sonship of Christ.

    H :,

    In the opening words of the Epistle, God, having of old time spoken unto thefathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end

    of these days spoken unto us in HisSon, Whom He appointed Heir of all things,through Whom also He made the worlds, the insertion of the word His in ital-ics is sufficient indication that there is no definite article in the original. Literally,

    1 Etymologically eis(really ens) was thus a more comprehensive word than the simple en.

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    16/17

    15

    T S G

    therefore, the statement reads hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in aSon. he stress is put upon the relationship. He in whom God has spoken to usis marked out as One standing in relation to Him as Son to Father. In verse 8, incontrast to this, the article is used: Of the Son He saith, hy throne, O God, isforever and ever. he use of the definite article here marks the Son as the personwho has already been spoken of in this respect.

    he design in the stress on the word Son in verse 2 is not to convey the ideathat God has spoken to us in one who became His Son, but that he has done soin one whose relationship to Him as Son stands in antecedent existence both tocreation and to His Incarnation. he appointment of Christ as heir was a matterof the divine counsels in Eternity.

    he passage is itself a testimony to the preexistent Sonship of Christ; for

    not only has God spoken to us in Him who is His Son, but by Him, the Heirof all things, he made the worlds (the ages). he plain implication is that Heby whom God made the worlds stood in relationship to Him in this respect asHis Son. If there was no such relationship before the Incarnation, the conclusionseems unavoidable that one God made use of another God to make the worlds.here are not two Gods, nor are there three acting together. Deity is monothe-istic. He by whom all things were created (Col. 1:16), was the Son of the Fatherslove (v. 13), and one with Him in Godhood as Creator as in all other attributesof Deity.

    he Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit were never three separate beingseach possessed of the attributes of Deity, each self-existent, and possessed ofsimilar character and power. hat there is only one God remains an essen-tial doctrine of the Christian faith. hat there are three distinct persons in theGodhead is consistent with the foundation truth of the unity of the Godhead.he very titles given in Scripture are evidences of this. Yet each is God, that is tosay, possessed of Godhood, and all subsist together as the One God. Denial ofthe eternal Sonship of Christ lays one open to the ritheistic idea that, as to pres-ence, place, and glory, divine persons were together, coequal and coeternal, and

    yet that the Father and the Son were not related as Father and Son. It leads also tothe erroneous view that the relationships of the Father and the Son belong simplyto the sphere of revelation.

    It will be helpful here to quote Liddons remarks on the use of the word per-sonsin reference to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Speaking of the truthrelating to the Godhead, he says: It postulates the existence in God of certainreal distinctions having their necessary basis in the essence of the Godhead. hatsuch distinctions exist is a matter of Revelation. . . . hese distinct forms of beingare named persons. Yet that term cannot be employed to denote them, without

    considerable intellectual caution. As applied to men, persons [this word is notin quotes in the original but the style in Vines is to put quotes on words used aswords] implies the antecedent conception of a species, which is determined forthe moment, and by the force of the expression, into a single, incommunicablemodification of being. But the conception of species is utterly inapplicable to

  • 8/12/2019 Vine's Topical Commentaries:Christ

    17/17

    16

    T S G

    hat One Supreme Essence which we name God; the same essence belongs toeach of the divine persons. Not, however, that we are therefore to suppose noth-ing more to be intended by the revealed doctrine than three varying relations ofGod in His dealings with the world. On the contrary, His self-revelation has forits basis certain eternal distinctions in His nature, which are themselves alto-gether anterior to and independent of any relation to created life. Apart fromthese distinctions, the Christian Revelation of an Eternal Fatherhood, of a trueincarnation of God, and of a real communication of His Spirit, is but the base-less fabric of a dream. hese three distinct Subsistences, which we name Father,Son, and Spirit, while they enable us the better to understand the mystery of theself-sufficing and blessed life of God before He surrounded Himself with createdbeings, are also strictly compatible with the truth of the divine unity. And when

    we say that Jesus Christ is God, we mean that in the Man Christ Jesus the secondof these persons or subsistences, one in essence with the first and with the third,vouchsafed to become Incarnate.

    T O D A H :

    Again, in Hebrews 1:5, in the quotation, I will be to Him a Father, and He shallbe to Me a Son, the omission of the definite article places the emphasis uponthe relationship expressed in the terms Father and Son. his statement is nota prediction about a time when the relationship would begin. he beginning of

    the relationship is not in view. What is set forth is, firstly, its distinct character incontrast to its nonexistence in the case of the angels; and secondly, the adequaterealization of it in His life of entire obedience to the Fathers will; and not onlythen, but its continuance ever afterwards. he relationship which had eternallyexisted found a new expression in the Son Incarnate.

    here is a love which had no beginning involved in the relationship. Neverwould the love of the Father to the Son and that of the Son to the Father havebecome known and adoringly apprehended by the redeemed, had it not beenfor the Incarnation of the Son. he manifestation of the relationship gives us to

    appreciate in measure what the Father is to the Son and what the Son is to theFather. In the statement, then, I will be to Him a Father, and he shall be to Me aSon, we have the assurance that the relationship was to be realized in a perpetualfulfillment in the divine actings on behalf of man, and in an ineffable apprecia-tion therein of the fatherhood of the Father by the Son, and of the sonship of theSon by the Father.

    he word huios, son, is not simply, nor indeed always, indicative of off-spring; it signifies expression of character. We read, for instance, of sons of thisworld, and sons of light (Luke 16:8, ..). Used of the Lord Jesus, the singletitle Son generally signifies, as in the passages we have just considered regard-ing Him, that He shares in unoriginated subsistence the Fathers nature, and isthe revealer of His character. hus He says to Philip, He that hath seen Me hath