Chapter 11, “The Mystery of the Work of Christ, Part 2”
Christ’s Office as King and the Nature of Kenosis
Kilcrease chooses to discuss the office of Christ as king first. He points first at Jesus genealogy and observes that there were many descendants of David, as he would have had many children from his many wives. The genealogies were well kept and preserved up until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70. Kilcrease also discusses various theories about the genealogies in Matthew and Luke.
As king Jesus’ work includes re-establishing the reign of grace. To do this, God in the flesh becomes a servant to man, under the Law, restoring the proper nature to government, restoring creation.
Kilcrease then turns his attention to a lengthy excursus dealing with Christ’s emptying himself to be the creator of and example of Christian freedom. Detailing some 17th century debates about whether Christ put aside his divinity by leaving it or by simply not exercising it, Kilcrease discusses the reality of Jesus, being both divine and human, living with all the weakness of humanity. In essence, Jesus’ identification with man is made more real by his understanding that he could pick up his divine right. The fact that Jesus chose not to do so exercises his royal power and communicates that, in his kingdom, we can also lay our lives down for others.
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