The "Cosmic Christ" and "The Definition of Chalcedon"

So how many Presbyterians know anything about the "Definition of the Council of Chalcedon" formulated in 451 A.D. Some might say "Well its not in our Book of Confessions!" But yes it is. In "The Second Helvetic Confession," in the XI chapter entitled, "Of Jesus Christ, True God and Man, the Only Savior of the World," the Definition of the Council of Chalcedon is affirmed.

This is what is written:

"And, to say many things with a few words, with a sincere heart we believe, and freely confess with open mouth, whatever things are defined from the Holy Scriptures concerning the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and are summed up in the Creeds of the first four most excellent synods convened at Nicaea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon--together with the Creed of blessed Athanasius, and all similar symbols; and we condemn everything contrary to these." (5.078) (Bold Mine)

If we accept "The Second Helvetic Confession" as truth then we must also accept the "Definition of Chalcedon." To not affirm Chalcedon means we are willing to tear apart the person of Christ. In their non-affirmation of Chalcedon, many progressive theologians and radical feminists fall down before the god of the "Cosmic Christ" or some similar merciless deity.

I thought of this Creed when I was posting my article Presbyterians Pushing Bad Books which is about an article written by Jerry L. Van Marter of the Presbyterian News Service. Marter's news article was about an author, Rev. Brian Arthur Brown of the United Church of Canada, and his book, Noah’s Other Son: Bridging the Gap Between the Bible and the Qur’an.

As I pointed out and actually showed from the text, Brown is attempting to divide the two natures of Jesus Christ. He wants to make what he and others call the Cosmic Christ a different thing then the person of Jesus. But that is un-biblical and the one thing that the Apostle John named as Anti-Christ. I think of the radical feminist Elizabeth Johnson and her book She Who Is. She wrote:

"The fundamental nature of Christian identity as life in Christ makes clear that the biblical symbol Christ, the one anointed in the Spirit, cannot be restricted to the historical person Jesus nor to certain select members of the community but signifies all those who by drinking of the Spirit participate in the community of disciples. Christ is a pneumatological reality, a creation of the Spirit who is not limited …” (162)

The spirit in this passage takes the place of the "Cosmic Christ." And one can see in other works by other progressives where the "Cosmic Christ," takes the place or merges into what is so often referred to as Spirit or spirit. In other words there is some divine something that permeates all of creation and Jesus was somehow more filled with this or embodied it more than other humans except perhaps Buddha or Krishna, etc.

What is not noticed, often with this heretical understanding is that in that case Jesus simply becomes an example of how to respond to or embody the divine something. And once against there is no redemption for fallen humanity. Works of some kind reign supreme. Grace is completely distorted.

But Scripture plus the Definition of Chalcedon rules all such wearisome teaching out of bounds for Christianity. Here is the Definition:

"Therefore, following the Holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the Fathers has handed down to us."