§ 31. 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, Matt. 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 2 Sam 7:12, 13; Ps. 110:1; Micah 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; 49:10; 2 Sam. 7:12; Is. 5:14. The minor, from Luke 3:23; 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 Micah 5:2. The minor, from Matt. 2:6. . . . (4) He is the true Messiah, for whose approach a divinely-appointed herald prepared the way. The major, from Is. 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, Zach. 9:9. . . . (6) Whoever is the Goel, or Redeemer, according to the law of consanguinity, Job 19:25; the prophet like Moses, Deut. 13:15; a universal king, Zach. 9:9; Ps. 72:8; a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, Ps. 110:4; a priest interceding for sinners, Is. 53:12; who is to pass through the extremity of suffering, Ps. 22; Is. 53; who is to die, Dan. 9:26; who is to be buried, Is. 53:9; who is to be free from corruption; to descend to the dead and to rise again, Ps. 16:10; to ascend to heaven, Ps. 68:18; to sit at the right hand of God the Father, Ps. 110:1, is the promised Messiah. All these things the New Testament declare of Jesus of Nazareth.” A. — OF THE PERSON OF CHRIST.