Hermeneutics Seminar (David Larsen)

Kyle Ohtani

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Hermeneutics

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How to Interpret Seemingly Contradictory Passages in the Bible (David Larsen)

Intro: Jesus same substance of the Father (Yesterday) - divinity of Christ

Homousios - same substance

Today: 2 natures of Jesus in the incarnation - 2nd person of the Trinity became man.

Mystery is not a troublesome path, difficult but not misery. It leads to gain.

Nicene creed has value: they give us boundary markers (Zuck also spoke on this).

God does not have a beginning, does not change, is not a creature, he has no passions, we aren’t limiting him but we are DISTINGUISHING HIM from creation.

The Incarnation

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

God’s Son became man.

It is by his incarnation we gain true knowledge of God.

1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

What does the incarnation mean that Son of God became man. Eternal God has a human nature. What does it mean.

The Definition of Chalcedonian: boundaries on how to think about the incarnation.

It must adhere to this to adhere to the Bible.

Consubstantial with the Father and us as humans.

Fully God and Fully Man

All of what it means to be God Jesus is and all what it means to be human Jesus is.

One person with two natures (undergo no mixture, no division and no separation).

The two nature are distinct natures.

At no point was the difference of the natures take away through the union.

Both natures come together in a single person. 2 distinct natures as one person. This is in opposition to Cerinthian Gnosticism.

Creator and created human nature remain distinct. Each nature remains intact and distinct from each other.

Sin makes us less human!!!!!

Romans 9:5 “To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

Philippians 2:6 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,”

Titus 2:13 “waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”

Hebrews 1:3 “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

Hebrews 1:8 “But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.”

1 Peter 1:1 “Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,”

FULLY GOD. What does it mean?

Each attribute is identical with God’s being. He is what he possesses..in God all his attributes are identical with his being. Herman Bavinck

Philippians 2:7 “but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

Some teach that he took off some of his divine attributes. But he cannot lay aside only some of his divinity because his attributes are identical to his being.

Others say rather he laid aside his divine RIGHTS. He gave up his Godly rights to be come a Jewish baby. But even this may seem that he is not exercising his divine power. But again his power is who he is and laying this aside would mean he’s not fully God.

David Larsen says he rather conceals his divine glory, covered it up, and took his human form.

So even while he’s a MAN Jesus STILL EXERCISES ALL HIS DIVINE POWER.

John 1:14 “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

Hebrews 2:14 “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,”

He had to be made like his brother in EVERY RESPECT.

Hebrews 2:17 “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”

If he is not a human you are not saved. “That which He has not assumed He has not healed; but that which is united to His Godhead is also saved.”

Jesus learned but he also knew everything.

Galatians 4:4–5 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

Extra Calvinisticum: all that belongs to God remains intact in the incarnation

Jesus divine nature, even in th incarnation, is still infinite, is still all-powerful, is still self existent, is still immutable.

***Even when Jesus in the boat, he was still everywhere

***Even when he was being nursed he was still holding the universe together by his power.

Who is the one person that Jesus is? He is the eternally begotten divine Son.

A single person and a single subsistent being; he is not parted or divided into tow persons, but is one and the same only begotten Son.

One individual. Philippians 2:5–7 “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”

God the divine Son became man. A single person. Not divided into two people.

Though fully human nature, He does not have a created human person.

What it means to be a human is to be created.

But what about the body you have prepared for me?

The human nature of Christ does not have its own person.

It is not personal in itself. The human nature does not have independence on its own. He didn’t just possess an already existing person. But rather he took on a human nature. (Anhypostatic).

BUT it is ENHYPOSTATIC. It’s still personal because the DIVINE Son Himself is its person. There is NO JESUS without the divine part.

The only historical Jesus there is is the one who has his being in union with the Son of God who is eternally begotten of the Father. Those who pore over the gospels searching for another Jesus in the Bible search for something that doesn’t exist.

It is a mystery how he does not have a human personhood but a personhood from above and still a human.

Even when Jesus experiences things that are human, it is still said of Jesus as the divine Son. We wouldn’t say only his human nature experienced it?

Partitive Exegesis - Bible speaks of Christ in twofold manner, some divine and some to his human form. There is a distinction between human and divine nature.

Example: Romans 1:3 “concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh”

“according to the flesh” the qualifier highlights that there are two natures. He came from David in a fleshly manner, not divine manner.

Romans 9:4–5 “They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”

Again distinguishes the two natures.

So does Jesus have his own human SPIRIT like a human has his own SPIRIT separate from the Holy Spirit? HE DOES HAVE HIS OWN HUMAN SOUL. What is soul?

Soul and spirit synonymous.

So yes is the answer.

Jesus had a human spirit/soul - on the creature side. Human fully.

Question: DID GOD DIE ON THE CROSS? No, not in his divine nature, but Yes, according to human nature. GRAMMER.

Acts 3:15 “and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.”

Acts 20:28 “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”

Partitive Exegesis and Communication of Attributes

The human nature dies on the cross. The human nature though only has it’s existence IN the divine son.

Qualify the statement: Son of God died “according to his human nature”

Just like God knows all things but does not know the hour according to his human nature. Yet, the ignorance is still even said of the Divine Son because the personhood is from the divine Son.