AUGUST 19TH, 1920
AUGUST 19TH, 1920
Beloved Brother, — I wish I could be of more service to you than I feel I can be in regard of this very great subject. I would say, however, that mediatorship must appear in John, for revelation required it. God being what He is, a Spirit and dwelling in light unapproachable whom no one can see, can be declared only by One in another — human, seeing men are in view — condition. “The only begotten Son” refers to our Lord as Man; that is, there is One great enough personally to make the declaration, and being a Man, what is declared is intelligible to men. But on God’s side He is declaring, mediating — as I may say. Later men are brought to God as we see in chapter 20 (see also chapter 17). There was One who could lay His hand upon us both. One who was with God and who is God became flesh and dwelt among us. As in flesh He is [p. 182] contemplated as an only begotten with a Father; then as the only begotten Son in the bosom of the Father, He declared Him. All this necessarily underlies 1 Timothy 2: 5. As regards the designation “only begotten Son”, F.E.R.’s thought was that to connect both terms of relationship with our Lord before incarnation is going beyond Scripture. I have always accepted this, while reluctant to say much about it, the subject being so great. To apply to Him as in the form of God without restriction, terms that Scripture applied to Him as Man is obviously not right. Of course personally He remains what He ever was but as become Man He takes a place relatively lower to carry out the will of God — to become the Mediator. The only begotten Son is given and sent — these are not expressions that apply to Him as in the form of God. Compare Mark 13: 32 and indeed the whole tenor of Scripture. Without meaning it, the full thought of Deity is often obscured (to say the very least) by the habit of using terms carelessly, applying without modification to Christ when He was in the form of God, terms that Scripture applies to Him in manhood. Perhaps the above will indicate what I had in mind at Croydon — as I said the subject is very great — the greatest indeed and so one treads lightly, knowing, I trust, one’s limitations.
Affectionately yours in Christ,
James Taylor.