The Excellencies Of Christ by A.W. Pink
How important is it to have an accurate understanding of the Person of Christ? "There is no salvation apart from a true knowledge of Him." All men should desire and diligently pursue wisdom. Where is wisdom to be found? "In Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:3. The Apostle Peter exhorts believers to "...grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 3:18. Our Lord and Savior is both God and man united in one person. The two natures remain distinct——the human nature is not Divine (Christ's human nature never existed as a separate entity apart from His Divine person). Christ as God, never ceased to be Divine, even when he took a human nature-—"It needs to be maintained that the two natures are united in the one person of Christ, but that each retains its separate properties, just as the soul and body of men do, though united." It was necessary, that one Mediator between God and man, partake of both natures-—Divine and human. There is much mystery surrounding the person of Christ. Many things about his person will remain a mystery to us in this life. Pink asks this question about the person of Christ, which in our present state we cannot comprehend how this can be: "How is it possible that the same person should be at the same time infinite and finite, omnipotent and helpless?"
Pink draws a distinction between the condescension of Christ and His humiliation. Some writers and theologians lump them together but there is a proper distinction between them. The humiliation of Christ pertained to his trials and suffering-—The Lamb of God who bore the sins of His people. His condescension was taking a human nature (a created thing) and joining that to His Divine nature-—"...For God the Son to take into union with Himself a created nature, animated dust, was an act of infinite condescension."
Arthur Pink notes that "The Humanity Of Christ" has nothing that it can be compared to, either in nature or history. It stands by itself, if you will, there is nothing like it. The creation of Adam was from the dust of the earth; Eve was created from adam's rib; we were created by natural generation. But Christ's human nature does not parallel these. "The humanity of Christ was, under the immediate agency of the Holy Spirit supernaturally conceived (Isaiah 7:14) of the virgin." It must be emphasized that Christ's humanity is not a person, it never had a separate existence. "By a person is meant an intelligent being subsisting by Himself." Pink's definition of person is the best I've ever come across.
The Excellencies of Christ first appeared as a series of articles in "Studies in the Scriptures" (I believe in the 1940s). They first appeared in book form as a part of "Gleanings in the Godhead" (which also included "The Attributes Of God," which has been published as a separate book since the early 1960s). This printing by GLH Publishing in 2020 is the first time this series of articles on Christology has appeared as a separate book by itself.