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Chapter 8GenevaCat.1.8

I. Des articles de la foi — Le 7e dimanche

The Only Son of God

Christ is the only Son of God by nature, while believers are children of God only by adoption and grace.

Christ, the only Son of God 46. M: Why do you call him the only Son of God, when God calls all of us his children? E: We aren't children of God by nature, but only by adoption and by grace, because God is willing to count us as such (Ephesians 1:5). But the Lord Jesus, who is begotten of the substance of his Father and is of one and the same essence, is rightly called the only Son (John 1:14; Hebrews 1:2). For he alone is the natural Son.1 47. M: So you mean that this honor belongs to him alone by right and is naturally his, but it's shared with us as a free gift, insofar as we are his members. C: That's right.2 And yet, regarding this sharing, he is called elsewhere the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15).✦✦3

The Anointing and Incarnation

Christ was anointed by the Father and conceived by the Holy Spirit to become our Savior through the Virgin Mary.

The Anointing of Christ 48. Minister: What does the next part mean? Elder: It explains how the Son of God was anointed by the Father to be our Savior.4 That is, by taking on our human flesh and accomplishing everything required for our redemption, just as it is described here. Christ, true man 49. M: What do you understand by these two phrases, “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary”? C: That he was formed in the Virgin Mary’s womb from her own substance, so as to be the seed of David, as had been foretold (Psalm 132:11); and yet that this was done by the miraculous working of the Holy Spirit, without a man’s involvement (Matthew 1:1, 16; Luke 1:35).✦5

The Necessity of Human Nature

Christ took on human flesh to repair the damage of human disobedience and to serve as our Mediator.

50. M: So was it required that he put on our own flesh? C: Yes.6 Because the disobedience man committed against God had to be repaired in human nature (Romans 5:15); and also, he could not otherwise be our Mediator to join us to God his Father (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 4:15). Recovering in Christ what we lack M: So you're saying that Jesus Christ had to be man in order to carry out the office of Savior, as in our own person. E: Exactly.7 We have to recover in him everything we lack ourselves, and there's no other way to do it.

Conceived in Purity

The Holy Spirit's role in the conception ensured Christ was born without the corruption of original sin.

Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Minister: But why did this happen through the Holy Spirit rather than through human agency, following the natural order? Examiner: Because human seed is inherently corrupt, the power of the Holy Spirit had to intervene in this conception to keep our Lord free from all corruption and fill Him with holiness.8 53. M: So it is shown to us that the one who is to sanctify others is free from every stain, and from his mother's womb is consecrated to God in original purity, so that he is not subject to the universal corruption of the human race. C: I understand it that way.9

Read the original Latin

Christ Fils unique de Dieu 46. M : Pourquoi l'appelles-tu Fils unique de Dieu, vu que Dieu nous appelle tous ses enfants? E : Ce que nous sommes enfants de Dieu, ce n'est pas de nature, mais seulement par adoption et par grâce, en tant que Dieu nous veut réputer tels (Éphésiens 1:5). Mais le Seigneur Jésus, qui est engendré de la substance de son Père et est d'une même essence, à bon droit est dit Fils unique (Jean 1:14 ; Hébreux 1:2). Car il n'y a que lui seul qui soit naturel.

47. M : Tu veux donc dire que cet honneur est propre à lui seul et lui appartient naturellement, mais il nous est communiqué de don gratuit, en tant que nous sommes ses membres. E : C'est cela. Et pourtant au regard de cette communication, il est dit ailleurs le premier-né entre plusieurs frères (Romains 8:29 ; Colossiens 1:15).

Onction de Christ 48. M : Que veut dire ce qui s'ensuit après? E : II déclare comme le Fils de Dieu a été oint du Père, pour nous être Sauveur. C'est à savoir en prenant notre chair humaine et accomplissant les choses requises à notre rédemption, comme elles sont ici récitées.

Christ vrai homme 49. M : Qu'entends-tu par ces deux mots, « conçu du Saint-Esprit, né de la Vierge Marie »? E : Qu'il a été formé au ventre de la Vierge Marie, de la propre substance d'icelle, pour être semence de David, comme il avait été prédit (Psaumes 132:11); et néanmoins que cela s'est fait par opération miraculeuse du Saint- Esprit, sans compagnie d'homme (Matthieu 1:1, 16 ; Luc 1:35).

50. M : Etait-il donc requis qu'il vêtît notre propre chair? E : Oui. D'autant qu'il fallait que la désobéissance commise contre Dieu par l'homme fût réparée en la nature humaine (Romains 5:15) ; et aussi il ne pouvait être autrement notre Médiateur pour nous conjoindre à Dieu son Père (1 Timothée 2:5 ; Hébreux 4:15).

Recouvrer en Christ ce qui nous défaut 51. M : Tu dis donc qu'il fallait que Jésus-Christ fût homme pour accomplir l'office du Sauveur, comme en notre propre personne. E : Voire. Car il nous faut recouvrer en lui tout ce qui nous défaut en nous- mêmes, ce qui ne se peut autrement faire.

Christ conçu du Saint-Esprit 52. M : Mais pourquoi cela s'est-il fait par le Saint-Esprit et non point par oeuvre d'homme, selon l'ordre de nature? E : Parce que la semence humaine est d'elle-même corrompue, il fallait que la vertu du Saint-Esprit intervînt en cette conception pour préserver notre Seigneur de toute corruption et le remplir de sainteté.

53. M : Ainsi il nous est démontré que celui qui doit sanctifier les autres est exempt de toute macule, et du ventre de sa mère est consacré à Dieu en pureté originelle pour n'être point sujet à la corruption universelle du genre humain. E : Je l'entends ainsi.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Rom.8.29 — For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
  2. ↩Col.1.15 — He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
  3. ↩Luke.1.35 — And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore also the one to be born will be called Son of God."

Notes

  1. 1 ↩French 'naturel' is elliptical for natural sonship (by nature), set against adoptive sonship in the preceding sentence; the next section clarifies that this honor belongs to him alone and is his by nature.
  2. 2 ↩Source speaker label is E (Élève/Enfant). Rendered as C (Child) for English catechetical dialogue; M remains Master/Minister.
  3. 3 ↩French 'communication' is the technical sense of this honor being shared/imparted, not ordinary 'communication'; rendered 'sharing'.
  4. 4 ↩Source reads «II déclare»; translated as «Il déclare» (It declares), treating the double capital I as a typographic/OCR error for Il.
  5. 5 ↩« sans compagnie d'homme » is the source’s restrained phrase for conception without a human father; rendered as “without a man’s involvement,” not as modern clinical language.
  6. 6 ↩Source speaker label E (Enfant) rendered as C (Child), the usual English catechism pairing with M (Master).
  7. 7 ↩16th-c. catechetical 'Voire' is an emphatic yes ('Indeed'), not modern French 'or even'.
  8. 8 ↩French 'vertu du Saint-Esprit' rendered as 'power of the Holy Spirit' (operative divine force), not moral virtue.
  9. 9 ↩Source speaker label is E (Enfant). Rendered as C (Child) for English catechetical dialogue clarity; M left as M (Master/Minister).

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