Shorter Catechism Q. 27. Wherein did Christ’s humiliation consist? A. Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition, made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life, the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross; in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time.
Commentary: Having considered Jesus’ person and work, the Catechism now discusses the two states wherein Christ performed his work, namely the states of humiliation and exaltation. These two states refer to the two phases of Christ’s life and work delineated by his resurrection. Question 27 looks at the first phase, which is characterized by humiliation because it required the Son of God to come down from heaven, become a human being and dwell among us in this present evil age.
The state of humiliation consists of Christ’s birth (“in his being born, and that in a low condition”), life (“made under the law, undergoing the miseries of this life”), death (“the wrath of God, and the cursed death of the cross”), and burial (“in being buried, and continuing under the power of death for a time”). The Larger Catechism questions 47-50 provide helpful commentary on each of these aspects of Christ’s humiliation.
WLC 47: “How did Christ humble himself in his conception and birth? Christ humbled himself in his conception and birth, in that, being from all eternity the Son of God, in the bosom of the Father, he was pleased in the fulness of time to become the son of man, made of a woman of low estate, and to be born of her; with divers circumstances of more than ordinary abasement.”
WLC 48: “How did Christ humble himself in his life? Christ humbled himself in his life, by subjecting himself to the law, which he perfectly fulfilled, and by conflicting with the indignities of the world, temptations of Satan, and infirmities in his flesh, whether common to the nature of man, or particularly accompanying that his low condition.”
WLC 49: “How did Christ humble himself in his death? Christ humbled himself in his death, in that having been betrayed by Judas, forsaken by his disciples, scorned and rejected by the world, condemned by Pilate, and tormented by his persecutors, having also conflicted with the terrors of death and the powers of darkness, felt and borne the weight of God’s wrath, he laid down his life an offering for sin, enduring the painful, shameful, and cursed death of the cross.”
WLC 50: “Wherein consisted Christ’s humiliation after his death? Christ’s humiliation after his death consisted in his being buried, and continuing in the state of the dead, and under the power of death till the third day; which hath been otherwise expressed in these words, He descended into hell.”