For Advent this year we are going to use an adaptation from the Scot's Confession (A.D. 1560) for the 'Affirmation of Faith' in worship. Here is my adaptation, and below that is the original. The title of this blog post is the best phrase that didn't make the cut. Enjoy some good Presbyterian theology this Advent season!
When the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, God's eternal wisdom, the substance of God's own glory, into this world. Jesus took the nature of humanity from the substance of a woman, a virgin, by means of the Holy Spirit. And so was born the Messiah promised, whom we know to be Emmanuel, true God and true man, two perfect natures united in one person. We acknowledge that this wonderful union between the Godhead and humanity in Christ arose from God's eternal decree that we should be saved.
Further, the Messiah underwent punishment for our transgressions, suffered for our disobedience, and died to overcome death. In his death, the infinite and invincible power of God, has purchased for us life, liberty, and perpetual victory. So we confess, and most undoubtedly believe.
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| John Knox: He wrote the original. And could beat me up. |
The Original:
CHAPTER VI
The Incarnation of Christ Jesus
When the fullness of time came God sent his Son, his eternal wisdom,the substance of his own glory, into this world, who took the nature of humanity from the substance of a woman, a virgin, by means of the Holy Ghost. And so was born the “just seed of David,” the “Angel of the great counsel of God,” the very Messiah promised, whom we confess and acknowledge to be Emmanuel, true God and true man, two perfect natures united and joined in one person. So by our Confession we condemn the damnable and pestilent heresies of Arius, Marcion, Eutyches, Nestorius, and such others as did either deny the eternity of his Godhead, or the truth of his humanity, or confounded them, or else divided them.
CHAPTER VII
Why the Mediator Had to Be
True God and True Man
We acknowledge and confess that this wonderful union between the
Godhead and the humanity in Christ Jesus did arise from the eternal and
immutable decree of God from which all our salvation springs and
depends.
CHAPTER VIII
Election
That same eternal God and Father, who by grace alone chose us in his
Son Christ Jesus before the foundation of the world was laid, appointed
him to be our head, our brother, our pastor, and the great bishop of our
souls. But since the opposition between the justice of God and our sins
was such that no flesh by itself could or might have attained unto God, it
behooved the Son of God to descend unto us and take himself a body of
our body, flesh of our flesh, and bone of our bone, and so become the Mediator
between God and man, giving power to as many as believe in him
to be the sons of God; as he himself says, “I ascend to my Father and to
your Father, to my God and to your God.” By this most holy brotherhood
whatever we have lost in Adam is restored to us again. Therefore we are
not afraid to call God our Father, not so much because he has created us,
which we have in common with the reprobate, as because he has given
unto us his only Son to be our brother, and given us grace to acknowledge
and embrace him as our only Mediator. Further, it behooved the
Messiah and Redeemer to be true God and true man, because he was able
to undergo the punishment of our transgressions and to present himself
in the presence of his Father’s judgment, as in our stead, to suffer for our
transgression and disobedience, and by death to overcome him that was
the author of death. But because the Godhead alone could not suffer
death, and neither could manhood overcome death, he joined both together
in one person, that the weakness of one should suffer and be subject
to death—which we had deserved—and the infinite and invincible
power of the other, that is, of the Godhead, should triumph, and purchase
for us life, liberty, and perpetual victory. So we confess, and most undoubtedly
believe.
