What does it mean in the Westminster Shorter Catechism question 22 when it says "reasonable"?

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jason d.
deacon @ Sovereign Joy Community Church
reformed baptist (LBC.1689)
fort worth (haltom city), texas

Logical, I assume.

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Josh Hicks, Chloë's Dad
Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church, RPCGA
Facebook - The Calvinist Vent
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It is God that multiplies our sorrows.... God, as a righteous Judge, does it, which ought to silence us under all our sorrows; as many as they are, we have deserved them all, and more: nay, God, as a tender Father, does it for our necessary correction, that we may be humbled for sin, and weaned from the world by all our sorrows; and the good we get by them, with the comfort we have under them, will abundantly balance our sorrows, how greatly soever they are multiplied. - Matthew Henry

Hello Jason! I believe that it basically means that just as we have a soul, Christ had a human soul. I think it was a reaction to the views of some in the early church who affirmed that Christ had a "true body," but not a "reasonable (human) soul."

This is classic, catholic, and creedal language from the Definition of Chaldecon, where the teaching of Apollinarius was rejected. Basically, Apollinarius taught a tri-partite view of Christ, with a body, a lower "animal" soul, and the Word as the higher soul. Our father rejected this, stating Christ was truly human, meaning, he had a true body and "rational/reasonable" (not "animal") soul.

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Rev. Daniel R. Hyde
Pastor, Oceanside United Reformed Church, Carlsbad/Oceanside, California
Th.M. candidate, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary

So I was close, but not nearly as helpful and detailed as Rev. Hyde!

Yeah, you were really, really close on that one.

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sarah
WI
OPC
My Pastor's Sermons: Mark Jenkins...he's awesome!!!

Well, I said "logical" in the sense that it means "rational," as Rev. Hyde put it. I just didn't know the background that would cause them to put it in there. I was reminded of Romans 12 when the Scriptures say "which is your reasonable service."

aw, thanks much for the quick clarification!

I always thought it meant a rational soul as opposed to an animal soul, but I didn't know the history behind why it would be necessary to specify that with regards to Christ. Thanks, Rev. Hyde.

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Scott Roper
Member, Redeemer Presbyterian Church (PCA)
Winston-Salem, NC
scottandjenny.ws

Now that I've got you all hooked you can now buy my book on Christology that deals with this subject:

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