Westminster Larger Catechism # 46
Commentary by Dr. Chuck Baynard
Q46. What was the estate of Christ’s humiliation?
Answer: The Estate of Christ’s humiliation was that low condition, wherein he for
our sakes, emptying himself of his glory, took upon him the form of a servant, in his
conception and birth, life, death, and after his death, until his resurrection.
References: Phil. 2:6-8; Luke 1:31; 2 Cor. 8:9; Acts 2:24.
First thought as I looked at this was concerning the word "estate." This
isn’t a word we would use in this context today, and even in the days of the Divines,
had an almost opposite meaning than that of servanthood; that is, it was a term used only
of those of high social rank. It can refer to a period of a person’s life without
qualification, but this is an unusual use of the word, then and now. In one sense then
Christ had no estate, for He personally said, My kingdom is not of this earth. Yet, as the
Son of God He was the King of all, and of the highest "estate." If we take a
peek ahead we see the Divines use the same word in dealing with His exaltation, and I
think can safely assume they then used the word to simply mean during this phase or time
of His life.
We must be extremely careful here not to draw a line of division between the divine and
human nature of Christ. At the same time, I submit that at no time does Christ give up or
do away with His glory, His position as the third person of the Trinity. We see glimpses
of this throughout the revelation of Him in the Scriptures; as a boy of twelve He says, I
must be about my Father’s work; next we catch a glimpse of it at His baptism, then
upon the mount; and in several other passages where the divine knowledge comes through and
he knows and understands (in the flesh) who He is, and what He must do. The two most
striking occasions to me being in John where He says, I lay my life down, and I will take
it up again, then upon the cross, He utters that fantastic word of promise, "it is
finished."
Did Christ "humble" Himself? Most certainly, but to whom and how become the
all important questions. First to God the Father, in perfect obedience. While willingly
humbling Himself, even in the flesh and in the role of a servant, we must continuously ask
why, and was this a conscious act for a specific purpose? I think the answer is yes, to
all of these. To answer in a reverse order, the purpose was the redemption of the elect;
for His own glory. Willingly then He did not make manifest in the flesh His glory, His
deity, but it isn’t tossed aside, He is the eternal Son of God; fully God and fully
man. Even in the human nature, He knew who He was, and the power and glory that were
rightly His (He thought it not robbery to consider Himself equal to God). Thus definitely
a conscious and deliberate "non-use" of the divine glory and power that were
His. Why? Because God said so, that perfect obedience that man could not obtain for
himself as with all other things, provided by God. I don’t try and offer any profound
insight here as to how He did this. The Scriptures say so is more than enough for me. We
walk by faith not sight.
Logic fails, and we find this an area where faith reigns supreme. As an aside here, it
is interesting to look at the word "wisdom" as related in Proverbs, then compare
this to the divine logos of the Gospel of John, and then consider from whence we get our
word logic. Of all the writers of Scripture, I think only Solomon and then John make the
connection that all true wisdom and "logic" are Christ incarnate in the world;
the very word of God. Read the wisdom passages in Proverbs and see for yourself how wisdom
there is portrayed in a way that is all but prophetic, or perhaps is, of the person of
Christ, the word of God made manifest in the flesh.
As we consider the "estate" of Christ here I think we need to ask to whom was
He a servant? Why? While in the flesh I don’t think we find servant and humility in
the sense some are want to use them concerning Christ. He was a leader of men, a teacher,
and bowed not to the civil nor religious leaders of His day. He firmly, and perhaps almost
arrogantly confronted them at every turn in His life. Not blasphemy; who among men would
have spoken to the Jewish leaders with the boldness of Christ, except a true prophet of
God? Search the Scriptures, who dared confront rulers and kings of Israel with the truth
of their sins and boldly so? Who dared to speak to rulers of pagan nations without fear?
The humility was in not calling down the fires of heaven on the heads of His foes; even as
He points out to those who came to seize Him that fateful morning in the garden. I dare to
say that had any of the prophets pointed the finger at their foes and said die, this would
have happened. Yet in all of Scripture, except for Moses and Pharaoh and Elijah on Mount
Carmel, we see no such use of God’s power to His anointed, they humbly die with
sealed lips, in obedience to God. How unlike the world and the demand for the rights that
are our birthright in the flesh, are the faithful of God. We see Paul turn to his Roman
citizenship; under divine inspiration? Perhaps, though here I see more of the flesh
showing, and God’s providential control of events.
My mind is drawn first to Christ praying for this cup to be removed, yet "thy will
be done." As with Paul and his thorn in the flesh; and the examples abound not only
in Scripture, but in the shed blood of martyrs throughout the history of the Jews, the
church, and continues today, God’s servants quietly suffering and dying for His
purpose, His glory. Thankfully most of us will never be called upon for the ultimate test
of our faith and obedience, that of eagerly, lovingly, embracing the flames of the
martyr’s post, praying "Father forgive them, for they know not what they are
doing." Humility? Yes. Humiliation? Only in the eyes of man. In the flesh, the first
three commandments and placing God in the proper perspective with regards to His creation
were foremost in the Life of Christ. I name the first three because the fourth Christ
claimed for Himself, even in the flesh. (More of the divine presence, His glory shining
through? I think these glimpses were given lest we forget this is no ordinary man, but the
Son of God we are dealing with.)
Humble, yes. Humiliated? I think not. And I do not think this is the sense of the term
intended throughout history in speaking of the humiliation of Christ. It takes pride, ego
to be humiliated, Christ the perfect servant of God, thus became the servant of all, not
in humiliation, but humility; bowing before the sovereign will of God the Father. Yes, He
suffered humiliating acts at the hands of the children of Satan, but not because of
internal pride, and this humiliation is more in man’s perspective than His as the Son
of God, living, serving, and dying for the benefit of the elect, but for His own glory. So
the word, as we will see drawn out in some detail by the Divines in this series of
questions, is humble (humility) not humiliation. This isn’t to change how we deal
with this in theological terms, but that we understand the nuances of the words we use to
classify this portion of the revelation of our Lord. Jesus Christ was, is, and shall ever
be the King of Glory!
What a fantastic lesson for us then, as we quietly, with profound confidence confront
the evils of this world, our heads held high, in full confidence of the ultimate
exaltation of our God of us, with no need for personal pride. Understanding our purpose is
to glorify Him, that we might know the sureness of our destiny, enjoy Him forever. Fearing
not him who can kill the body, but He who can destroy both body and soul in hell. This is
our purpose, our goal, but these words are much easier said than done. For, in the flesh,
sin still abides, and arrogance and pride are always just beneath the surface. How
different to this world where self worth is the cure all of the day, and much sought
after. How hard for us to forget self and serve Him at all costs. Yet in so doing we have
peace with our Creator and know the only true peace and joy, whereby resting in His hands
have what man has sought throughout history, eternal life.
Once more we see the truth of Paul’s words about becoming a living sacrifice,
which is only reasonable. Servant of all? Yes, but only because we are first the
"bond servant" of God. Paid for with an awesome price, not unto bondage, but
willingly giving our all, not because of the price, but because of the tender mercies
shown toward us by God, in the payment of that price. Perhaps now we might read 1 Cor. 13
about the most powerful gift of the Holy Spirit, and understand the awesome power of love,
personified as the very essence of the God we "serve."
Dr. Chuck Baynard - 246 Rainbow Circle, Clover, SC 29710
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