Opposites but inseparable
Cross and resurrection are, therefore opposities-but inseparable. This is a corner-stone of Luther’s doctrine of the communicatio idiomaticum, the sharing of attributes. The divine cannot be separated from the human, majesty cannot be isolated from humility, the work of God in the resurrection cannot be separated from the agony of the cross. Seen from below, that is, from the position of the man who now listens to the Word, this means that he hears nothing from God unless he is in the process of dying; one can only trust when he is in despair – that is, when the self-reliance that can do without God is broken in pieces. Hope in the resurrection is denied and empty whenever man manages to build up his life on his own, for God is near to him that is of a broken heart and Christ found his life through death. The history of man that is contained in Israel’s struggles, defeat and death reaches its end in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
From Gustaf Wingren’s “The Living Word“, pp. 59-60
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