34. 5. The complete union of the divine nature and the human nature in him was effected by the suffering on the cross, which was his last trial.

Support for this proposition was provided above, in the chapter explaining that the Lord came into the world to subdue the hells and to glorify his human nature, and that the suffering on the cross was the last battle, by which he gained complete victory over the hells and completely glorified his human nature. Since, then, by suffering on the cross the Lord completely glorified his human nature-that is, united it to the divine nature-and thereby made his human nature divine as well, it follows that he is Jehovah and God in respect to both natures.

[2] That is why in so many passages in the Word Jehovah, God, or the Holy One of Israel is called the Redeemer, the Savior, or the Maker, as in the following:

Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God, my Savior.” (Luke 1:46-47)

The angel said to the shepherds, “Behold, I am bringing you good news, a great joy, which will be for all people. There is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

They said, “This is truly the Savior of the world, the Christ.” (John 4:42)

I, Jehovah God, am helping you; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 41:14)

Thus says Jehovah, who is your Creator, O Jacob, and your Maker, O Israel: “I have redeemed you. I am Jehovah your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.” (Isaiah 43:1, 3)

Thus says Jehovah your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, “I am Jehovah, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.” (Isaiah 43:14-15)

Thus says Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel, and Israel’s Maker. (Isaiah 45:11)

Thus says Jehovah your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 48:17)

... so that all flesh may know that I, Jehovah, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob. (Isaiah 49:26)

Then he will come to Zion as the Redeemer. (Isaiah 59:20)

... so that you may know that I, Jehovah, am your Savior and your Redeemer, the Powerful One of Jacob. (Isaiah 60:16)

Jehovah, the one who formed you from the womb. (Isaiah 49:5)

... Jehovah, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalms 19:14)

They remembered that God was their Rock, and God on High their Redeemer. (Psalms 78:35)

Thus says Jehovah your Maker, and the one who formed you from the womb. (Isaiah 44:2)

As for our Redeemer, Jehovah Sabaoth is his name, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 47:4)

“With everlasting compassion I will have mercy on you, ” says Jehovah, your Redeemer. (Isaiah 54:8)

Their Redeemer is strong; Jehovah is his name. (Jeremiah 50:34)

Let Israel hope in Jehovah, because with Jehovah there is mercy; with him there is abundant redemption. He will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. (Psalms 130:7-8)

Jehovah God is my rock, my fortress, the horn of my salvation, my Savior. (2 Samuel 22:2-3)

Thus says Jehovah, the Redeemer of Israel, Israel’s Holy One: “Monarchs will see and abide, because of Jehovah, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.” (Isaiah 49:7)

God is only among you, and there is no other God. Surely you are a hidden God, O God of Israel, the Savior. (Isaiah 45:14-15)

Thus says Jehovah the King of Israel, and Israel’s Redeemer, Jehovah Sabaoth: “There is no God other than me.” (Isaiah 44:6)

I am Jehovah, and there is no Savior other than me. (Isaiah 43:11)

Am I not Jehovah? And there is no [God] other than me; and there is no Savior other than me. (Isaiah 45:21)

I am Jehovah your God. You are to acknowledge no God other than me; there is no Savior other than me. (Hosea 13:4)

Am I not Jehovah? And there is no God other than me. I am a just God, and there is no Savior other than me. Look to me so that you may be saved, all you ends of the earth, because I am God and there is no other. (Isaiah 45:21-22)

Jehovah Sabaoth is his name, and your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. He will be called the God of the whole earth. (Isaiah 54:5)

[3] We can see from these passages that the Lord’s divine nature called “the Father” (and here called “Jehovah” and “God”) and his divine human nature called “the Son” (and here “the Redeemer” and “the Savior” as well as “the Maker, ” meaning the Reformer and Regenerator) are one, not two, for it not only says “Jehovah is God” and “the Holy One of Israel is the Redeemer and Savior, ” it also says “Jehovah is the Redeemer and Savior.” Not only that, it even calls Jehovah “the Savior” and says, “there is no Savior other than me.” This clearly shows that the divine nature and the human nature in the Lord are one person and that the human nature is divine as well, since the Redeemer and Savior of the world is no other than the Lord in his divine human nature, which is called “the Son.” Redemption and salvation are properly credited to his human nature, and are called “merit and righteousness, ” since his human nature bore the trials and the suffering on the cross, which means that he accomplished redemption and salvation by means of his human nature.

[4] Since, then, after the union of his human nature with his inner divine nature, which was like that of soul and body in us, they were no longer two but were one person (according to the teaching of the Christian world), the Lord was Jehovah and God in both respects. This is why some passages speak of “Jehovah” and “the Holy One of Israel the Redeemer and Savior, ” but others say “Jehovah is the Redeemer and Savior, ” as you can see from the citations above.

For Christ being called the Savior, see Luke 2:10-11 and John 4:42. On God and the God of Israel being the Savior and Redeemer, see Luke 1:47; Isaiah 45:14; 54:5; Psalms 78:35. On Jehovah, the Holy One of Israel being the Savior and Redeemer, see Isaiah 41:14; 43:3, 11, 14-15; 48:17; 49:7; 54:5. On Jehovah being the Savior, Redeemer, and Maker, see Isaiah 44:6; 47:4; 49:26; 54:8; 63:8; Jeremiah 50:34; Psalms 19:14; 130:7-8. On Jehovah God being the Redeemer and Savior, “and there is no Savior other than me, ” see Isaiah 43:11; 44:6; 45:14, 18, 21-22; Hosea 13:4.

81. CHAPTER TWO

THE LORD THE REDEEMER

The previous chapter dealt with God the Creator, and at the same time with creation; this chapter will deal with the Lord the Redeemer, and at the same time with redemption. The following chapter will deal with the Holy Spirit, and at the same time with the way God works. By the Lord the Redeemer we understand Jehovah in the Human; for the following pages will prove that Jehovah Himself came down and assumed human form in order to effect redemption. We say 'the Lord' and not 'Jehovah' because the Jehovah of the Old Testament is called the Lord in the New Testament, as can be established from the following passages; we read in Moses:

Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our ¹ God is one Jehovah; you shall love Jehovah God with your whole heart and your whole soul, Deuteronomy 6:4-5.

but in Mark:

The Lord our God is one Lord; you shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, Mark 12:29-30.

Also in Isaiah:

Prepare the way for Jehovah, make smooth in the desert a path for our God, Isaiah 40:3.

but in Luke:

You shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare the way for Him, Luke 1:76.

and in other passages. The Lord too ordered His disciples to call Him Lord, and He was therefore so called by the Apostles in their Epistles, and later by the Apostolic Church. This is plain from its creed, the so-called Apostles' Creed. The reason was that the Jews did not dare to name Jehovah on account of His holiness, and because 'Jehovah' means the Divine Being (Esse), which existed from eternity, while the Human, which He took upon Himself in time, was not that Being. I showed in the previous chapter (18-35) what the Divine Being or Jehovah is. For this reason, here and in what follows by the Lord we understand Jehovah in His Human.

[2] Now since knowledge of the Lord surpasses in excellence all other kinds of knowledge known to the church, or even in heaven, I shall adopt an ordered arrangement to bring that knowledge to light, as follows:

(i) Jehovah, the Creator of the Universe, came down and took upon Himself human form, in order to redeem and save mankind.

(ii) He came down as the Divine Truth, which is the Word, yet He did not separate the Divine Good from it.

(iii) He took upon Himself human form in accordance with His Divine order.

(iv) The Human by which He brought Himself into the world is what is called the Son of God.

(v) The Lord by acts of redemption made Himself righteousness.

(vi) By the same acts He united Himself with the Father, and the Father with Him. This too was in accordance with Divine order.

(vii) Thus God became man, and man God, in one person.

(viii) His progress towards union was His state of exinanition ² , and the union itself is His state of glorification.

(ix) From this time on no one from Christian countries can come into heaven, unless he believes in the Lord God the Saviour, and approaches Him alone.

These propositions will be explained one by one.

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