|
IF you would know how admirably the Apostle preached this, hear how
this utterance was put into his mouth; as if from the mouth of God Himself,
as the Lord says: "For God sent not His Son into the world to judge the
world, but that the world might be saved through Him." For lo, as you
see, the Lord Himself affirms that He was sent by God the Father to save
mankind. But if you think that it ought to be shown still more clearly,
what Son God sent to save men,--though God's own and only begotten can only
be one, and when God is said to have sent His Son, He is certainly shown to
have sent His only begotten Son,--yet hear the prophet David pointing out
with the utmost clearness Him who was sent for the salvation of Men. "He
sent," said he, "His Word and healed them." Can you twist this so as to
refer it to the flesh as if you could say that a mere man was sent by God
to heal mankind? You certainly cannot, for the prophet David and all the
holy Scriptures would cry out against you, saying, "He sent His Word and
healed them." You see then, that the Word was sent to heal men, for though
healing was given through Christ, yet the Word of God was in Christ, and
healed all things through Christ: and so since Christ and the Word were
united in the mystery of the Incarnation, Christ and the Word of God became
one Son of God in either substance. And when the Apostle John was anxious
to state this clearly, he said "God sent His Son to be the Saviour of the
world." Do you see how he joined together God and man in an union that
cannot be severed? For Christ who was born of Mary is without the slightest
doubt called Saviour, as it is said, "For to you is born this day a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." But here he calls the very Word of
God, which was sent, a Saviour, saying: "God sent his Son to be the Saviour
of the world."
|
|