(3) Post-iiicarnatc. — Having become man, Christ remains human. In the Kingdom whose Lord He is. He is Jesus who was so named in His earthly life. Mediator between God and man, He is Him- self man (1 Ti 2'). From Him, as the Head, life streams down to all members of the body (Col f ,
1 Co 12-'', Eph 4'" '^). In Him the members are ' com- plete,' receive fulness of satisfaction (Col 2'°). In Him human nature finds itself raised to its highest perfection, hence in Him there can be none of the barriers that divide man from man (Col 3", Gal 3^). This is the point of the comparison in Ro 5'=-=i and 1 Co 15*^-*'' between the first Adam and the Second. In one sense Adam is the head of the race, in another the Risen and Exalted Christ is the Head, and from Him all life comes. This is the very heart of St. Paul's experience, and there- fore also of His Christology. Qirist is living. St. Paul presupposes the pre-existent Christ ; his Christ could not begin to be in time. He is acquainted ■ndtli tile historic life through which Christ gained His glory. But that which St. Paul gazes upon with endless adoration is the Person of the Risen and Glorified Lord. Between the living Christ and him there is such union as surpasses power of lan- guage to express. Christ dwells in the believer in His complete human-Divine personality, and im- parts Himself in growing fulness to the believer ; and there is thus developed identity of experience and identity of character, ■\vhich will ultimately bvi crowned by identity of outward condition (Gal 2^,
2 Co 3'8, P"li 3=').
3. Christ in His relation to the Cosmos.— Tlie intellect of the time was much occupied with specu- lations regarding the relation of God to the world. To Greek dualism this was really an insoluble problem. The gulf between God and the universe yawned impassable. The place of a solution was taken by a mythology of ' powers,' ' principalities,' and the like supposititious beings, who existed only in the jargon of the philosophical sects. On Jewish .soil this mytliology was changed into a hierarchy of angels. Wild as these dreams .are, they represent a real need of thought and of religious experience. The problems of creation and redemption cannot be held ap.art. The creative purpose mu.st include redemption, and redemption must have cosmic bearings. We cannot rest in a harmony with God which leaves the universe outside, unreconciled, possibly the abode of forces against ivhich the redeeming agency Avould be powerless to defend us. St. Paul's view is that the universe has a part in the history of man. Injured by human sin, it will
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come to its completion when the children of God enter on their heritage (Ro 8-'). Christ, the Re- deemer of men, accordingly, is Lord of the nni- verse. Nothing lies outside His gracious sway. The clumsy macliinery of angels, or powers, or whatever these needless creations are named, is replaced by the one Person, who is the Agent of God alike in creation and in redemption (Col l^'-"). Christ, who is the manifestation of God, is of in- finitely higher rank than all the creatui"es. All things, whatever their place and dignity, owe to Him their existence, and find in Him their goal. This exalted Person is also Head of the Church, and Agent in reconciliation (vv.'*"°°). That is to
say, the work of redemption can be accomplished nly by One who is also tl " ' ""
iier must be God absolutely, e needed a Mediator for Him also. The
only by One who is al?so the Creator. Tfi< deemer must be God absolutely, else there will be
cannot have, in our apprehension, the value of God, unless He is God in His own proper being.
The testimony of St. Paul to Christ contains great heights and depths, but it exhibits no in- consistency with .Jesus' self-witness. It is not a mosaic of Jewish and Hellenic elements. It is the product of experience, developed under the con- ditions of that Divine assistance which Jesus Him- self described, Jn 16'--'^.
iv. Hebrew.s. — In this Epistle the Christian faith is defended against any attempt to belittle the person and office of the Redeemer. However
Divi
purpose
glorious other agents of
have been, ' this man ' is more glorious by far in the dignity of His person and in the \astness and finality of His redemptive work. To Him, there- fore, is api)lied the familiar Christian designation of Lord (2^ V" 13-"). The characteristic name ap- plied to Him, however, is .s'o» ( P- - 7-* 5'* 1" 6" 7' 10-' 4"). This title expresses His Divine and eternal bein". The author of this Epistle follows the ex- ample of the Apostle Paul in describing the Chris- tian salvation under the aspect of a history of the Son of God. This history moves in three stages.
(1) The pre-cxistcnt state. — Not much is said on this mysterious topic. The NT writers are con- cerned to allude to it only in order that, in the light of it, the earthly life of Jesus may be discerned in its marvellous condescension as an act of self- sacrifice, and in order that His present position of equality with God may be intellectually credible.