Summing uii our results, we have in the NT the liasis of a doctrine of Christ's merit as the worth to GckI (and men) of His human work carried on throughout His life, and culminating in His death. This worth of Christ's work is estimated by God along the lines of Christ's ol>edienoe to His will (the work of Christ l)eing that which the Father has given Him to do (.In 4-^ 17^)). It is recognized by (iotl in the special love with which He regards Christ in the accomplishment of His work, and outwanlly by His exaltation or glorification. It is U> be noted, however, that while the jiosition of lordship is viewed <as the reward of the work of Christ, the salvation of men is not viewed in the NT as its direct rcirnrd, but rather as it-i fniif or effcrf (.In 1-2^). Christ saves, according to NT con- cejitions, by His earthly work, but not by means of it as a qwintum which can lie detached from His Personality, and rewarded by the salvation of men [as in the conception of tli« ecclesiastical doctrine of Christ's merit, presently to be dis- cussed]. Instead of this, we have the concepticm that through His work He l>econies a saving Per- .sonality, or, a.s Rothe puts it, that through it He 'qualifies Him.self to become a Redeemer' {Throf. Ethik.'- iii. p. 104). Our salvation follows from His work ; since the Christ, who lived to minister
to men, to make known to them the words which the Father had given Him, and to keep them from the evil, and persevered in His work to the death in perfect obedience to the will of His Father, thus ottering uj) His life as a sacrifice to Ciod, by this very work and the Personality achieved through it, exercises a saving authority and influence over men (.In \-2^- ; cf. the similar idea in Is 53", where the righteous Servant justifies many through his knowledge, and thus sees of the travail of his soul and is satisfied). But the open recognition of Christ's work by God in the exaltation of Christ, which begins with the Resurrection, al.so con- tributes to His saving power over men (cf. Ro 4''" 'raised for our justification'); inasmuch as a human personality influences us not onlj* hy its inner worth, but also through the outward mani- festation and revelation of that worth. Thus in the NT the Saviourlioo<l of Christ is connected specially with His Lordship (.\c 5=", 2 P 1"). The name which is above every name (Ph 2") is the name of .salvation (.Ac .")'-). ' Cf. also the use of the name C/irtsf, which implies both Saviourhood and Lordship, in sjiecial reference to the state of exalta- tion (Ac 2*^ ; St. Paul al.so always thinks of the risen Lord as the Saviour). It is at this point that the way in Svhich human salvation can be regarded as the ' reward ' of the work of Christ becomes clearest, inasmuch as the exaltation which is His direct reward puts Him in the jxisition to reap the full fruit of His travail in the salvation of souls.
Two more points are nece.ssary to complete our outline of the suggestions of the NT towards a doctrine of Christ's merit. In the first place, there is required (c) a closer definition of Christ's saving poiccr. What is the work by which He saves? It is, above all, the revelation of the holy love of Go«l in Christ's life and death, which moves men at once to faith in God as revealed in Him, and to repentance (ixeTivoia, change of mind from love of sin to love of God), and thus brings them into that communion with the Father which is the essential ground of all the blessings of salvation. Christ's love towards men and His holiness, in the absolute unity of His Person, are a manifestation of the love and the holiness of God, as existing in a similar absolute personal unity ; and the trust and repentance which Christ inspires are directed through Him to God. P'or proof of these state- ments, the following passages, amongst others, may be referred to. According to Jn 1'^'* the giace and truth of Christ declare the invisible God. In Ro 5'* the grace of Christ is equivalent to the grace of God. In Ro S^'** the love of Chri.st reveals the love of God. Further, in Jn 17"-^ the Father wlioir Christ reveals is the holy, the righteous Father. Jesus awakes not onlj- trust in the love of God (Ro 5" 8-'*"*'), but also repentance towards God (.\c 5*' ; cf. the Pauline idea of baptism into Christ's death and resurrection as involving a death to sin and new life unto God, Ro 6'""). Finally, to know Gotl as revealed in Christ is etern.ll life, or the sum of all blessings (Jn 17*).
(d) In the second place, the above definition of the work of Christ as the revelation of the holy love of (iod, throws further light upon the ' reurnrr of Christ. We saw that while this meant primarily the recognition of Christ's work by Gotl in His exaltation, it involved indirectly the fruit or ettect of the work of Christ, as realized through this. But now it appears that the whole conception of the reward of Christ by God is subordinate to the idea of the inimnnenre of G04I in His work. The work of Christ is not only the work which God has given Him to do (.In 4^ 17^). but God works through Him ; so that the value to God of the work of Christ consists ultimately in His voluntary self-surrender to be the personal instrument in the