Page:Studies in the Scriptures - Series I - The Plan of the Ages (1909).djvu/185

 could not have been an acceptable sacrifice \ neither could he have kept perfe&ly the law of God. A perfed man was tried, and failed, and was condemned ; and only a perfedt man could pay the corresponding price as the Redeemer.

Now we have the question fairly before us in another form, viz.: If Jesus in the flesh was a perfedl man, as the Scriptures thus show, does it not prove that a perfe& man is a human, fleshly beingnot an angel, but a little lower than the angels? The logical conclusion is unmistakable; and in addition we have the inspired statement of thePsalm- ist (Psa. 8 : 5-8) and Paul's reference to it in Heb. 2 : 7-9.

Neither was Jesus a combination of the two natures, hu- man and spiritual. The blending of two natures produces neither the one nor the other, but an imperfe<Sl, hybrid thing, which is obnoxious to the divine arrangement. When Jesus was in the flesh he was a perfedt human being ; previous to that time he was a perfect spiritual being ; and since his resurre&ion he is a perfedl spiritual being of the highest or divine order. It was not until the time of his consecration even unto death, as typified in his baptism at thirty years of age (manhood, according to the Law, and therefore the right time to consecrate himself as a man) that he received the earnest of his inheritance of the divine nature. (Matt. 3 : 16, 17.) The human nature had to be con- secrated to death before he could receive even the pledge of the divine nature. And not until that consecration was a&ually carried out and he had a&ually sacrificed the human nature, even unto death, did our Lord Jesus become a full partaker of the divine nature. After becoming a man he became obedient tmto death ; wherefore, God hath highly exalted him to the divine nature. (Phil. 2 : 8, 9.) If this Scripture is true, it follows that he was not exalted to the divine nature until the human nature wag a&wally sacrificed dead.

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