The work of the Holy Spirit - pagina 270

INTRODUCTION

230

opposing opinions that are clearly drawn and sharply outlined.

The Socinian conceives of

man and

of the

his moral being,

image of God as entirely outside and consisting in the exercise of

something resembling divine authority. The Roman Catholic does indeed look for the divine image in man, but severs him from the divine ideal,

i.e.,

as a garment.

the original righteousness which

The Lutheran,

put upon him

is

like the Socinian, puts the divine

image outside of man, exclusively in the divine ideal, which he conman, but calculated for him and originally created in his nature (however distinct from it). Lastly, the Reformed confesses that man's whole personality is the impress of God's image in his being and attributes to which belongs naturally siders not as foreign to

;

that ideal perfection expressed in the confession of original right-

eousness.

Undoubtedly the Reformed confession

the purest and most

is

excellent expression of the Bible revelation; hence

we maintain

from deepest conviction. It maintains that God created man in His image, and not his nature only, like Rome nor his authority only, like the Socinians nor his righteousness only, like the Luit

;

;

therans.

His divine image does not belong merely to an attribute, or quality of man, but to the whole

man

;

for

He

state,

created tnan in His

and the confession which subtracts from this detracts from i.e., from the Spirit's direct testimony: " Let Us make man in Our image and after Our likeness," and not " Let Us re-form man in Our image." Neither is the divine image only in man's personality, as the

image

;

the positive Scriptural statement,

:

Vermittelungs (Mediation)

theologians, following

Man's personality certainly belongs to the principal thing. trast can not ality is is

Personality

it,

but

is contrast to

Fichte, hold.

all, nor even our equals, and con-

it is

be after the image of God, for God

a very feeble feature of the divine image.

not

is

One.

Person-

True personality

no contrast, but glorious completeness, like that in God. One is something defective; three persons in one being, com-

person

pleteness.

Wherefore we protest against these loud and emphatic asserimage is our imperfect personality, as leading the Church away from the Scripture. No man himself is the image of God, his whole being as man in his spiritual existence, in the being and nature of his soul, in the attributes and workings that adorn tions that the

;

—

Deze tekst is geautomatiseerd gemaakt en kan nog fouten bevatten. Digibron werkt voortdurend aan correctie. Klik voor het origineel door naar de pdf. Voor opmerkingen, vragen, informatie: contact.

Op Digibron -en alle daarin opgenomen content- is het databankrecht van toepassing. Gebruiksvoorwaarden. Data protection law applies to Digibron and the content of this database. Terms of use.

Printen