to be spiritual as well as earthly, and enlivened by goodwill. To us this
faith is like a queen decorated with as many precious stones as could be
seen in the wall of the Holy Jerusalem (Revelation 21 : 17 – 20 ).
[ 6 ] “So that you won’t think the words I am saying are exaggerated
and discount them as a result, I will read you something from the Holy
Word that will make it clear that our faith is not faith in a human being,
as you think it is; it is faith in the true God in whom everything divine
exists. John says, ‘Jesus Christ is the true God and eternal life’ ( 1 John
5 : 20 ). Paul says, ‘All the fullness of divinity dwells physically in Christ’
(Colossians 2 : 9 ). In the Acts of the Apostles it says of Paul, ‘To both Jews
and Greeks he preached repentance before God and faith in our Lord
Jesus Christ’ (Acts 20 : 21 ). The Lord himself says that all power in heaven
and on earth has been given to him (Matthew 28 : 18 ); but these are just a
few passages.”
[ 7 ] After that the angel looked at me and said, “You know what the
beliefs of the so-called Evangelicals are or should be about the Lord the
Savior. Recite a few of them so that we may know whether they foolishly
believe that the Lord’s human manifestation is merely human, or
whether they ascribe anything of divinity to that human manifestation,
and if so, how.”
I then read out loud excerpts from the book of Evangelical orthodoxy
called the Formula of Concord,printed in Leipzig in 1756. I read the follow-
ing: “In Christ the divine nature and the human nature are so united that
they are one Person” (pages 606 , 762 ). “Christ is truly God and a human
being in an individual Person; he remains so to eternity” (pages 609 , 673 ,
762 ). “In Christ God is human and a human is God” (pages 607 , 765 ).
“Christ’s human nature has been exalted to all divine majesty” (with quotes
from many of the apostolic fathers, pages 844 – 852 , 860 – 865 , 869 – 878 ). “In
his human nature Christ is omnipresent and fills all things” (pages 768 , 783 ,
784 , 785 ). “In his human nature Christ has been given all power in heaven
and on earth” (pages 775 , 776 , 780 ). “In his human nature Christ sits at the
right hand of the Father” (pages 608 , 764 ). “We are to call on Christ in his
human nature” (page 226 ; this statement is supported there by Scriptural
passages). The Augsburg Confession completely supports this worship
(page 19 ).
[ 8 ] After I read these things out loud, I turned to the chairman and
said, “I know that all who are here are associated with people on earth
who are like them. Tell me, if you would: do you know whom you are
associated with?”
§137 the lord the redeemer & redemption 197