Lord’s Day 5
Q14. Can any mere creature make this payment for us?
No. In the first place, God will not punish any other creature for the sin which man has committed. Furthermore, no mere creature can sustain the weight of God's eternal wrath against sin and deliver others from it.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Ezekiel 18:4, 20
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. … The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.”
Hebrews 2:14–18
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.”
Psalm 130:3
“If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”
Nahum 1:6
“Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.”
Commentary — Zacharias Ursinus (1616)
The exclusive particle "mere" is added in this question, that the negative answer may be true; for it was necessary that a creature should make satisfaction for the creature's sin, but not such an one as was merely or only a creature, because such an one could not make the satisfaction which was required, as will appear in the remarks which we shall now make.
We must, therefore, since satisfaction must be made through another, enquire, whether this other person may be any creature besides man; and whether he may be a mere creature. We deny both propositions. Our reason for denying the "first" is, because God will not punish the sin which man has committed in any other creature. This is in accordance with the order of his justice, which does not permit one to sin and another to bear the punishment. "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." (Ez. 18:20.) This reason proves that no creature, except man could satisfy for man: yea, God could not be satisfied for the sin of man by the eternal destruction of heaven and earth, and of the angels themselves, and all other creatures. Our reasons for denying the "second proposition" are these:
1. Because no creature possesses such power as to be able to sustain a finite punishment, equivalent to that which is infinite, for the purpose of making satisfaction for the infinite guilt of man. A mere creature would be consumed and reduced to nothing, before satisfaction could be made to God in this way: "For God is a consuming fire." "If thou shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh." &c. (Deut. 4:24. Ps. 130:3. Rom. 8:3.) This reason proves that no creature in the whole universe was able to make satisfaction to God for man's sin, by punishment, so as to come forth from the same, which escape was necessary in order to our deliverance. There could, therefore, in this way, on account of the weakness of the creature, be no just proportion between sin and its punishment.