During this Advent season, we are using the Definition of Chalcedon as our Creed, our Confession of Faith that we say together during the service. The central concern of the Definition of Chalcedon is to proclaim the two natures of Christ, that He is fully God and fully man, and that these two natures came together in the one person, Jesus of Nazareth.
This definition is not only a theological point against all heresies; this definition is also a theological foundation for political liberty. The Definition of Chalcedon does this by clearly distinguishing between God and man. The miracle of Christmas, of God becoming a man, really is an astounding miracle. God bridged the infinite distance between Himself and man.
In the face of Roman Caesars claiming to have become gods, the Definition of Chalcedon proclaims that there is only one God-man, Jesus Christ. In the face of the Roman Pope claiming to be the Vicar of Christ, God’s presence on earth, the Definition of Chalcedon rejects this, and insists that there is only One mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ. In the face of the tyranny of nations and states and courts, claiming Divine authority over our property, our children, our inheritance, by taxing people far beyond God’s tithe, the Definition of Chalcedon draws a firm and fixed line in the sand, insisting that no man is God but Christ, no human institution is God, and therefore every man must answer to Him. When human courts claim to author the beginning or end of human life or human sexuality or marriage by their arbitrary and capricious whims, the Definition of Chalcedon scoffs at their hubris and insists that the divine and human natures can never be mixed or confused and changed. God is in heaven; man is on the earth. Christ is on His throne.
The point is that secularism is only a convenient and temporary lie aiming to attack Christianity, but every man is deeply committed to the religion of humanism, the old Satanic offer to make men into gods, which is the foundation of all political tyranny and slavery and statism. Because if man is a god then he can do whatever he wants.
So as you proclaim your faith in the incarnation this morning and celebrate the birth of Christ this year, do so proclaiming your freedom, because no man is God except Christ.
Photo by Ivan Bertona on Unsplash
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