The God who stoops…to us

“This certainly is an inestimable pledge of special love, that God should so greatly condescend for our sake.”  — John Calvin

Scott Oliphint wrestles with this term, “condescension,” in his book, Reasons for Faith: Philosophy in the Service of Theology, in a chapter he titles, “Christian Covenantal Condescension.”  The syllable count is daunting, but the truth delightful.  Here is an extended quotation:

“But just what does this voluntary divine condescension entail?  We should note that, as far as God’s relationship to that which he creates, it entails everything that he does, says, and as we will see, is with respect to that relationship.  For example, the very fact that God brings something into existence to which he himself is in some way related entails, automatically, an act of condescension.

“It entails condescension because of who God is essentially [in his essence].  Given that God is supremely perfect and without need or constraint, to begin to relate himself tgo that which islimited, constrained, and not perfect is, in sum, to condescend.  for example, the very fact that Scripture tells us that ‘the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters’ (Gen 1:2) is evidence of God’s own condescension; he had to ‘come down’ to hover over the waters.  God, as infinite Spirit, has no need to constrain himself by hovering over the face of the waters.  he is altogether infinite, without constraint.  But he does however, and he condescends to do so.

“Or, to use another example, the very fact that Scripture tells us that ‘God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light’ (Gen 1:3) is evidence of condescension.  God did not have to speak at all.  he is not in need of language in order to communicate (especially since, in this case, there was no one with whom to communicate except himself) or to create.  Neither does he need to speak in order to create.  he could create without saying a word.  But he spoke, and it was.  He condescended to speak, and it was.  His word is evidence of his condescension to us.

“Not only so, but just after Adam and Eve sinned, ‘they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day’ (Gen 3:8).  God condescended to his creation in order to begin and maintain a relationship with that creation, more specifically, with those whom he had made in his image.  Evidence of (something of) the extent of that condescension is found in the next verse as well: ‘But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (v. 9).  In condescending to relate to Adam and Eve, he is, like them, (not essentially, but covenantally) restricted in his knowledge of where they might be hiding in that garden.

“It is for this reason that the [Westminster] confession wants to summarize God’s condescension in the word covenant.  That is, the condescension itself includes a contract that God makes with his human creatures, a contract that requires, first, God’s relating himself to us, and, second, an understanding of our relationship to him” (232-234).

This word, “condescension,” captures a beautiful nugget of Reformed theology, for it preserves for us a sense of God being infinite in his essence and yet engaged with his creation.  All of his dealings with his creation represent a lowering (condescending) of himself to us, a catering of his own infinitude to us who are finite: he speaks to us, sustains us, disciplines us, extends common grace to us, redeems us, empowers us, and will ultimately glorify us.  The God who was alone in himself in the radiant perfection of the Trinity, created.  With that creation he would forever condescend to that creation in mercy.    Preeminently that condescension meant the cross: 

“How marvelous!  How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be,
How marvelous!  How wonderful,
Is my Savior’s love for me!”May we rest in the infinite splendor of the God who stoops…to us in Jesus Christ.

DJB