Westminster Larger Catechism # 37
Commentary by Dr. Chuck Baynard
Q37. How did Christ, being the Son of God, become man?
Answer: Christ the Son of God became man, by taking to himself a true body, and a
reasonable soul, being conceived by the power of the Holy Ghost in the womb of the Virgin
Mary, of her substance, and born of her, yet without sin.
References: John 1:14; Mt. 26:38; Luke 1:27,31,35,42; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 4:15; Heb. 7:26.
As we begin this section on Christ the God/man let us be careful not to mingle the two,
nor try and divide the two. We are dealing with a metaphysical element here that we have
neither precedent for, nor since. It will defy the logic of the finite mind to logically
work this out. Nonetheless, God has spoken and it is therefore truth. There is no analogy
we may draw from the natural or known that will serve as an example of how this can be.
All attempts I have seen come far short, and in the end do more harm to this important
doctrine than help. God has spoken, let us accept His word in faith.
We should note right off we aren’t dealing in the natural realm here for we read
that "by taking to himself a true body" a reference to His place in the eternal
Godhead. Which among men ever had anything to do with their own conception and birth? Yet
throughout Scripture we do not see any of the Godhead acting alone. In the creation we are
introduced to all three, and thus it ever was and shall ever be. We see a parallel where
Christ says that no man takes His life, but that He lays it down willingly, and that He
will take it up again. We speak of the power of the Holy Spirit in the resurrection, but
then the Godhead, the Trinity never acts alone, but in complete harmony, all everywhere
are present. The only possible exception of this is a break in this eternal connection
that appears from the words of Scripture and logic seems to demand, as He actually took
the weight of sin upon Himself on the cross. We can ponder whether it was man or God who
cried out under the weight of this awesome event, the answer nonetheless lies in eternity
within the counsel of God. Fully God, yet fully man for all of eternity is God's revealed
word to us, and therefore truth.
As we have discussed already, Christ was without sin. This is an important element in
this introduction of the unique birth of the Son of God. Also as noted, I believe this
weighs in most heavily for the "federal" scheme of things regarding original
sin. I do not see any other method that will do justice to the Scriptures as a whole on
this point. I would point once more that in all of history as revealed in Scripture, our
only source of truth, there was something unique about the creation of both the first and
second Adam. (See questions 21 - 30.)
This (sin) is an area of our doctrines I think we should all visit frequently. An
understanding of sin will humble us and help us maintain the proper perspective of our
position in Christ. I have lived with the Westminster standards as my constant companion
for several years and keep it open as one of the works that I am currently reading, in
addition to any other books and my daily reading of the Scriptures. I can no longer tell
you how many times I have read and pondered every word of these works. Yet I still find
these the best of devotional materials to be had. The copies with the actual Scripture
printed as footnotes keep us constantly meditating on the Word of God where the foundation
of our Reformed faith stands, and makes the connection of given verses to our reformed
doctrines. However it has been the time spent understanding sin and its implications and
especially how repugnant to God sin is, that has brought much spiritual growth and moved
me closer to God. This is not to dininish any of our other doctrines, but to cause us to
stop and dwell upon an area we often are want to lightly brush aside and move on to more
pleasant thoughts.
The Divines have broken this into several questions and deal with the many facets of
the life of Christ in small bites. (Questions 37 -57 specifically deal with His work, and
then the continuing benefit thereof follows in other questions.) Thus I will endeavor not
to have too much overlap in this area, but let each question develop on its own, that area
which it addresses.
From this introduction then know that Jesus Christ was born of woman, made under the
law (He was Jewish, one of God’s covenant people) and therefore fully man. Yet even
in the humiliation we do not see God set aside any of His power and glory, but rather read
that He was filled with grace and the Holy Spirit fully rested upon Him, thus maintaining
His fullness as God. Two yet one, combined in what has ever been a thorn in the side of
the theologian to present in a way mere mortals can understand. Fully God, fully man
forever as the Word of God made flesh. The next three questions will develop this more
fully and explain why both natures had to be combined in just this way to bring about
God’s perfect plan. In the Scriptures we see glimpses of Christ’s glory and
Godhead even as we read passages where He lived and suffered even as we, yet without sin.
Keep that "sinless" thought before you as this series of questions reveal Jesus
Christ, Son of God to the world. Also remember we do not mingle the two identities as we
try and delve into this doctrine of the God-man, God’s perfect love made manifest in
the flesh.
Dr. Chuck Baynard
246 Rainbow Circle
Clover, SC 29710
January 1998
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