The Seventh-day Adventists – The Problem of Christ and His Relationship with the Angel Michael
His Holiness Pope Shenouda addresses the issue of Christ’s relation to the angel Michael, focusing on rejecting the interpretation of some groups (especially Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Sabbatarians) that makes Christ a created angel instead of being the eternal, uncreated Son.
Distinction between appearance and essence
He explains there is a big difference between the Lord appearing in the form of an angel or a man in Old Testament occasions and the idea that the nature of Christ is angelic; an appearance does not change the nature of the divine essence nor make God a creature.
Biblical verses and evidence
He cites verses from the epistles (Hebrews, Philippians, Colossians) and events from the Old Testament (Jacob’s wrestle, the appearance of the angel of the Lord to Moses, Manoah and Gideon) to show that angels are created and that Christ the Creator is above them, and that the appearances were non-material manifestations of the divine presence.
On the divinity of Christ and redemption
He affirms that an angel cannot provide an all-encompassing atonement because an angel is a created, limited being, whereas the incarnation and resurrection of the Son of God were necessary to redeem humanity and offer a full atonement that a creature cannot provide.
Reply to verses claimed to indicate Michael
He addresses arguments claiming Michael is a title of Christ and presents the difficulties of these interpretations, such as verses that indicate the weakness of a non-divine being versus Christ’s authority who rebukes demons and commands them.
The danger of affecting the doctrine of the Trinity
He warns that reducing or changing the understanding of Christ to an angel undermines the doctrine of the Trinity because that would make one of the Persons a creature, endangering the Church’s theology.
Guiding conclusion
The Pope calls for distinguishing between symbols and appearances of the Old Testament and the nature of the divine Persons, and to adhere to the biblical readings and the Orthodox tradition in affirming Christ’s deity and His oneness with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
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