Question 21: The Redeemer

Question 21: Who is the Redeemer of God's elect?

Answer: The only Redeemer of God's elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continueth to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.

This initial statement about Christ summarizes the doctrine of the Incarnation, a doctrine which has been repeatedly attacked and then defended since the beginning of Christianity. The result of these battles has been the development of careful and precise wording that accurately summarizes the teaching of Scripture. There are three main ideas taught in this answer, which can be described in terms of three ways that Jesus is a "son."

Jesus is the Son of David. David was promised a son who would sit on his throne forever (2 Samuel 7, Psalm 132).  The words Redeemer, Lord, Jesus, and Christ all point to the fulfillment of this promise. A Redeemer is one who purchases his people out of slavery. A Lord has kingly authority. The name Jesus means "God saves." The word Christ is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word Messiah, which means anointed one. Jesus, the son of David, is the promised king who will save his people from their slavery to sin and reign over them forever in his eternal kingdom.

Jesus is the Son of Man. This is the phrase that Jesus most commonly used to refer to himself during his time on earth. Although the phrase has an important Old Testament background (especially from Daniel 7), it also conveys a basic reality: Jesus is fully human. The catechism uses the word nature to describe the essential qualities of something. Jesus has two natures, one of them being his human nature. Whatever it is that makes a human human, Jesus fully possesses those qualities (Hebrews 2:14).

Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus "became" man, but he already "was" God (John 1:1). The catechism clearly identifies that Jesus is not simply an important person who can in some way be called the Son of God, but he is the eternal Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. Just as whatever makes a human human was possessed by Jesus when he became man, Whatever makes God God has belonged eternally to Jesus. Thus in the one person Jesus there are two natures, joined but not mixed, and now continuing together forever.

Jesus commanded us to worship God in Spirit and truth. This means that we must worship the real Jesus, not a Jesus of our own imaginations. Do you worship the Jesus of the Scriptures, who is Son of David, Son of Man, and Son of God?

Reference: Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 8.