#5 Art. VII “The Person of Christ” Formula of Concord, Solid Declaration

In his small work on the last words of David,* Dr. Luther, a little before his death, wrote thus: “According to the other, the temporal, human birth, the eternal power of God was also given unto him, but in time, and not from eternity. For the humanity of Christ has not been from eternity, like the divinity, but, according to our computation, Jesus the Son of Mary is now 1543 years of age. But from that moment, in which the divinity and humanity were united in one person, the man, the Son of Mary, truly is, and is called the omnipotent, eternal God; who has eternal power, who created and preserves all things, per communicationem idiomatum, because with the divinity, he is one person, and is also true God. Concerning this, he says: ‘All things are delivered unto me of my Father,’ Matt. 11:27. And in another place: ‘All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth,’ Matt. 28:18. Who is he that says: ‘Unto me?’ Unto me, Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Mary, and born as man. From eternity I have this power of the Father, before I became man. But when I became man, I received it in time according to the humanity, and held it concealed until my resurrection and ascension, when it was to be manifested and declared;—as Paul, Rom. 1:4, writes: ‘He was declared to be the Son of God with power;’” John uses the term glorified, John 17:10. (Henkel Translation, p. 702).