Dr. Joseph Pinter, my Theology prof. in College used to joke about trying to "unscrew the inscrutable." Doc. I could use a little extra torque. I've been reading and thinking about the incarnation of the Son of God, in particular the kenosis. The Bible gives us straight-forward information--"The Word (referring to Christ) became flesh ." (incarnation, John 1:14) "Christ Jesus . . . emptied Himself." (kenosis, Philippians 2:5-7) For 400 years Theologians labored to adequately express in one statement what they saw, concerning this, presented throughout the New Testament. In 451 at the Council of Chalcedon, the assembled delegates agreed that Jesus Christ is one person, "the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledge in two natures [Divine and human], without confusion, without change, witout division, or separation . . ."
A contemporary Theolog, Millard Erickson, points out that the statement is essentially negative. "It tells us what 'two natures in one person' does not mean."* There is good reason for the learned, ancient scholars to be so nay-saying. We are dealing with something beyond us. After eight pretty tight pages, Erickson admits, "we may have difficulty specifying exactly the content of this doctrine."**
If I can be allowed to hang out in such learned company for a moment, I'll add my two cents. "If God couldn't do anything that I couldn't understand, He wouldn't be much of a God, would He?"
I'm still twisting. Though my progress in understanding is minimal, my advance in appreciation is great. "God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son . . . " (John 3:16).
It's STTA.
* **Erickson, M. (1985). Christian Theology. (730 & 738). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
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