Christ, the Hated God

Abstract

The majestic doctrine of Christology, the union of Christ’s two natures, (and the majestic doctrine of the Holy Trinity) depends upon the chief doctrine of justification by faith alone apart from works of the law. Without the chief doctrine the majestic doctrines will not be properly proclaimed to sinners. The chief doctrine distinguishes Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, from the law. Christ is a sacrament who gives himself altogether outside of the law, in obedience to the Father, not the law, overcoming the law itself. Therefore, faith is not the work of an allegedly-free human will which assents to Christ’s story as framed by the law (Anselm). Instead Christ dies so that the law can testify against itself that Christ bears all sin, and in order to create a divine death into which sinners can be baptized. Therefore, faith is the trust ( fiducia ) created by the Holy Spirit in the preaching of Christ’s death and resurrection outside the law. Here God preached (mercy) overcomes God not-preached (wrath) for the hearer. Conversely, Christ’s removal of the law as the mediator between God and human beings, and the legal scheme’s justification by love, causes hate where there is no faith.