31. Statement of the Subject.

Statement of the Subject. THE redemption designed by God from eternity was accomplished in time by His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, [1] and of this we are now to treat. The subject will be discussed under three heads: I. The Person of the Redeemer. II. The Work by which He accomplished Redemption. III. The several States in which He appeared from the time of His incarnation. [1] HOLL. (650): “The Redeemer of the human race is Jesus Christ. The Redeemer is called Jesus, i.e., Saviour, because He was to save His people from their sins, Mat 1:21.” (655): “He is called Christ, i.e., anointed, because He was anointed by the Holy Ghost as our king, priest, and prophet, John 1:41.” The Dogmaticians prove that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah, in whom all the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the Messiah are exactly fulfilled. HOLL. (675): “Proof. (1) Whoever is God and man is the true Messiah. But Jesus, etc. The major premise is evident from 2Sa 7:12-13; Psa 110:1; Mic 5:1; Jer 23:5 . . . (2) Whoever was born of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Judah, of the royal branch of David, and of a pure virgin, is the true Messiah. The major premise, from Gen 22:18; Gen 9:10; 2Sa 7:12; Isa 5:14. The minor, from Luk 3:23; Luk 1:34. (3) Whatever ruler of Israel, as God, was begotten from eternity, and as man was born in the fulness of time at Bethlehem, is the true Messiah. The major premise, from Mic 5:2. The minor, from Mat 2:6. . . . (4) He is the true Messiah, for whose approach a divinely-appointed herald prepared the way. The major, from Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1. The minor, from Mark 1:2-3. . . . (5) Whatever king of Zion entered Jerusalem poor and humble, riding upon an ass, is the true Messiah, Zec 9:9. . . . (6) Whoever is the Goel, or Redeemer, according to the law of consanguinity, Job 19:25; the prophet like Moses, Deu 13:15; a universal king, Zec 9:9; Psa 72:8; a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, Psa 110:4; a priest interceding for sinners, Isa 53:12; who is to pass through the extremity of suffering, Psa 22:1-31; Isa 53:1-12; who is to die, Dan 9:26; who is to be buried, Isa 53:9; who is to be free from corruption; to descend to the dead and to rise again, Psa 16:10; to ascend to heaven, Psa 68:18; to sit at the right hand of God the Father, Psa 110:1, is the promised Messiah. All these things the New Testament declare of Jesus of Nazareth.” A. — OF THE PERSON OF CHRIST.