Christology The Doctrine of Christ.

Presentation on theme: "Christology The Doctrine of Christ."— Presentation transcript:

1 Christology The Doctrine of Christ

2 The Person of Christ

3 Introduction What does the world say about the person of Jesus?
What do you say about Jesus?

4 The Person of Christ Matthew 16 Two responses to the question:
Culture’s answer: A good moral teacher, a prophet Peter’s answer: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

5 The Person of CHrist Who is Jesus?
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man in person, and will be so forever The heart of the Christian faith is in the person of Jesus Christ.

6 The Person of Christ Christology Christos – Christ Logy – Study of.
When we study the Bible, we are ultimately studying Christ! From Genesis to Revelation, the whole Bible is about Jesus.

7 Christ from Beginning to End
OT - He’s coming NT – He’s here Acts/Letters – Proclaim him Revelation - He’s coming again.

8 Christ in the Gospels How do the four gospels portray Jesus?
The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) are not contradictory accounts, but cohesive accounts of Jesus’ life.

9 Christ in the Gospels Matthew, Mark and Luke are called “synoptic gospels” “Syn” – together or with “Optic” – seen Some of the same material (parables, stories) are in the Synoptic Gospels John is not considered a part of the Synoptic Gospels, because his gospel is on a different focus.

10 Christ in the Gospels Focus of each of the 4 Gospels
Matthew – Jewish perspective, Fulfillment of OT prophecies, Jesus is the promised Messiah Mark – Brief & abrupt, Focus on Jesus’ miracles. Luke – Gentile emphasis. Salvation is not only for the Jew but for the Gentile as well. John – two-thirds is dedicated to the last few weeks of Jesus’ life. Very high Christology in John

11 People’s Responses to Jesus
Shepherd’s – the good shepherd Simeon – the promised Messiah is now here John the Baptist – the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world Nicodemus – a good teacher Woman at the Well – the Savior Pharisees – a blasphemer

12 Jesus own Testimony about His identity:
Jesus testifies to his own identity in the gospel of John. He gives seven “I AM” statements in John. Ego Eimi – ”I AM” When Jesus uses this phrase, he clearly identifies himself as God

13 Jesus’ “I am” Statements
John 12:49 Jesus says he is sent in the Father’s authority and says and does what the Father has commandment. To the Jewish community and the religious leaders, this is would be considered blasphemous for a man equating himself as God.

14 Jesus “I Am” Statements
The Bread of Life (John 6:35) Context: After the feeding of the five thousand. Purpose: Jesus is the satisfaction of his people.

15 Jesus “I Am” StAtements
The light of the world (John 8:12) Purpose: Jesus’ life and ministry glorifies the Father and shines a light on our sin and our need for salvation. The Door (John 10:7, 9) Purpose: Eternal life is only found in Jesus The Good Shepherd (John 10:11) Purpose: Jesus calls, leads, protects, and guides his sheep.

16 Jesus “I Am” Statement The Way, The Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6)
Purpose: No one comes to the Father except through Jesus The True Vine (John 15:1) Purpose: Our life is connected to being connected to Jesus The Resurrection and the Life. (John 11:25) Purpose: Only Jesus brings life to dead souls.

17 Paul’s Testimony about Jesus
Jesus as Savior (Acts 9; Eph. 2:8) Accomplished Redemption (Eph. 2:1-10; 1 Corinthians 15)

18 Jesus in the Old Testament
The book of Hebrews illustrates how Jesus is better type in the Old Testament. Better Moses Better Adam The true Tabernacle The fulfillment of the sacrificial system. The fulfillment of the priesthood.

19 Jesus’ Humanity Why was it necessary for Jesus to be human?

20 The Humanity of Jesus What does it mean for Jesus to be human?
Why do you think it is necessary for Jesus to become a man? Why was it necessary for Jesus to become a man?

21 Jesus needed to become a man Credit to Wayne Grudem
For Representative Obedience – Jesus obeyed where Adam utterly failed and disobeyed. Just as through the disobedience of one man many were made sinners, so through the obedience of one man many were made righteous. (Rom. 5:18-19; 1 Cor. 15:45, 47) To Be a Substitute Sacrifice – Jesus had to be made like us in every way to be an acceptable sacrifice for man, since it was man who rebelled against his Creator. (Heb. 2:14-17)

22 Jesus Needed to Become A man
To Be the One Mediator Between God and Man – We needed Christ to represent us to God and to represent God to us. (1 Tim 2:5) “Only someone both fully divine and truly human can effectually mediate between God and men.” – C. J. Mahaney To Fulfill God’s Original Purpose for Man to Rule the Creation (Heb. 2:8-9; Luke 19:17, 19; 1 Cor. 6:3) To Be Our Example and Pattern in Life – Christ showed and taught us how we are to live. We have no better example to follow than in Christ. (1 John 2:6, 3:2-3; 2 Cor. 3:18, 1 Pet. 2:21)

23 Jesus Needed to Become a man
To Be the Pattern for Our Redeemed Bodies – Jesus’ resurrection body was the firstfruits of those who will follow and be resurrected with Him on that last day. (1 Cor. 15:42-49) To Sympathize as High Priest – Jesus has experienced our struggles and so he can understand what we go through. (Heb. 2:18, 4:15-16)

24 Fully Man: The Virgin Birth
Scriptural evidence for : Isaiah 7 – allusion to Jesus’ virgin birth Galatians 4:4 “when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman” Luke 1 The virgin birth made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person” - Wayne Grudem

25 Fully Man: Jesus had a Body
Luke says Jesus as a baby was placed in a manger Luke 2:40, 52. Jesus’ human body was just like ours: he hungered, he thirsted, he grew tired, he needed sleep, he bled, he died.

26 Fully Man: Jesus had a body
Jesus “grew in wisdom” This means Jesus had a human mind that developed, he had to learn how to eat, walk, talk, read and write. Jesus, while in his body, had a limited knowledge. (Mark 13:32)

27 Fully Man: Jesus had a Body
Jesus had a human soul with human emotions Matthew 8:10 – Jesus is “astonished” at the centurions faith.

28 Fully Man: Jesus was sinless
Jesus was like us in every way, but did not acquire our sin nature nor did he sin. Biblical support: 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15 So, there are two positions taken when it comes to the sinlessness of Christ

29 The Sinlessness of Christ
Impeccability of Christ – Christ was not able to sin Peccability of Christ – Christ was able to sin Were the temptations of Christ real?

30 The sinlessness of christ
Scripture affirms: Christ never actually sinned It is clearly affirmed that Jesus was really tempted, and that those temptations were real (Heb. 4:16) Also affirms that God cannot be tempted (James 1:13)

31 The Sinlessness of CHrist
Christ had the ability to sin and not sin. He was tempted in every way we are, but was without sin. Because he was fully man, he was able to be tempted, but because of his divine nature, he would never fall to temptation.

32 The God-man forever Is Jesus still fully God and fully man? Yes
Jesus did not temporarily become a man and then lose his humanity once he ascended. Acts 1:9 – 11 His humanity and deity have been united as one and will be so forever.

33 The deity of Christ Jesus is God INcarnate

34 Scriptural Evidence Two Key Words: Theos (God) and Kyrios (Lord)
The Septuagint applies both of these words to Jesus The Septuagint is Greek translation of the Old Testament

35 Scriptural Evidence Paul repeatedly in his letters writes “Grace and peace to you from God the Father and Lord Jesus Christ” He sees the source of grace and peace from God the Father and Jesus.

36 Scriptural Evidence Colossians 1:9; Hebrews 1:3 Isaiah 9:6,
Prophecy about the Messiah and his rule The LORD says this Messiah will be called “Mighty God” Jesus affirms his own identity as God. (John 8:58)

37 Scriptural Evidence So Scripture affirms Jesus is God in the Flesh
Throughout the gospels, we see Jesus reveal his deity through his miracles.

38 Attributes of Deity Seen in Jesus
Besides Jesus’ own declarations and other declarations about him. There are also accounts of his own actions that commend him to being fully God.

39 Attributes of Deity Seen in Jesus
Omnipotence – Jesus has authority over all things. He changed the water into wine (John 2:1-11); fed the 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fish (Matthew 14); and calmed the storm with a word (Matthew 8:26-27). Omniscience – Jesus knew people’s thoughts (Mark 2); knew who was going to betray him (John 6:64); and knew people’s backgrounds (i.e., the woman at the well in John 4). Even others who spent time with him admitted that he knew everything, as Peter does when being restored after his denial in John 21:17.

40 Attributes of Deity Seen in Jesus
Immortality – Although Jesus’ human nature can die, his divine nature cannot. Thus, he has the authority to raise his body up. He declared that he had the power to take up his own life and proved it in his resurrection. Hebrews 7:16 says that he has the “power of an indestructible life.” Sovereignty – Jesus is supreme, and this is shown in his ability to forgive sins upon seeing the faith of the paralytic (Mark 2:5-7). Worthy of worship – Only God is worthy of worship; yet we see Jesus being worshipped not only as an infant by the Magi but throughout his ministry on earth and in heaven around the throne.

41 Did Jesus Give up his attributes?
From the Scriptures, it is clear Jesus shares divine attributes with God the Father. There is a debate on whether or not Jesus gave up his divine attributes This debate is called the Kenosis Theory

42 Kenosis Theory This theory argues Jesus gave up some of his attributes when he became a man. Philippians 2:5-8 becomes the central passage behind this debate. The word kenosis means “to empty”

43 Kenosis Theory “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross!”

44 Kenosis theory Some Bible translations have “made himself nothing” (NIV), most translations have “emptied himself” Late 19th Century – key century, during this time, scholars argued Jesus must have given up his attributes. These theologians saw it irreconcilable that Jesus is both omniscient and limited in knowledge

45 Kenosis Theory This does not fully understand the mystery of incarnation. What does it mean that Jesus emptied himself? Answer: “taking the form of a servant” He became like us with flesh and bone, but did not lose his deity

46 Kenosis Theory For many centuries, Christians understood Phil. 2:5-8 as Jesus giving up status and privilege in heaven to come to earth. Jesus willingly concealed his glory due to him as Son of God and did not assert his divine prerogative. Problem with Kenosis Theory: gives us a Jesus who is less than fully God.

47 The Hypostatic Union of Christ
One Person, Two Natures The Hypostatic Union of Christ

48 Jesus: Fully God and Fully Man
How is Jesus fully God and fully man? This question is difficult to answer, because we have a hard time understanding how this can be so. Jesus with two nature has perplexed and confused many during church history, which has led to Christological heresies that the early church had to respond.

49 Jesus: Fully God and Fully Man
The term for dual nature of Christ is Hypostatic union This term means “Christ’s human and divine nature are united in one person”

50 Christological Controversies
The early church faced some controversy in trying to explain how Christ is both man and God. These controversies do not mean the church is in error, but the church did have consolidate what they believed about Christ. These controversies would lead to early church creeds and confessions.

51 Arianism Proposed by Arius in the 3rd to 4th century.
He suggested Christ was created by God. He reasoned from passages where “only begotten” was used, it meant “created by God” He denied the deity of Christ.

52 Arianism The controversy in Arianism focused on one letter in a Greek word Homoousios – “same essence” Homoiousios – “of like essence” Arius argued that Christ was “of like essence” to God but not fully God. The Jesus of Arianism is fully human, but not fully God.

53 The Church’s Response to Arianism
The Council of Nicea – 325 A.D. Arianism had spread throughout the Empire at the time. Athanasius opposed Arius. A church council was called to deal with Arianism.

54 The Church’s Response to Arianism
The church concluded that Jesus is truly God and truly man. They sided with Athanasius. This decision was seen in the creed produced from this council. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, begotten of the Father [the only-begotten; that is, of the essence of the Father, God of God,] Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father;

55 Apollinarianism The next christological controversy was proposed by Apollonaris. He argues Jesus had a human body, but a divine mind. Apollonaris presents a Jesus that is fully man, but less than fully God. He also presents a Jesus who is not able to fully save us from the consequences of sin (especially mind and soul)

56 The Church’s Response to Apollinaris
Theodoret and Basil of Caesarea accuses Apollinaris of “confounding the persons of the Godhead” Apollinarism is condemned as a heresy in 381 by the Council of Constantinople.

57 Nestorianism This controversy was created by Nestorius who argued Christ had two distinct and separate natures. Two separate persons in the body of Christ. Nestorius affirmed two natures, but these natures were not unified.

58 Monophysitism Along the same belief of Nestorianism, the monophysite heresy came out of this. Eutyches proposed Jesus did not have two natures, but only one nature Mono – one, physis – nature.

59 Monophysitism This nature found in Jesus, they argued was a mixture of divine and human, so no real humanity and no real deity.

60 The Council of Chalcedon
Met in 451 A.D. They condemned both Nestorianism and the Monophysite controversy. Out of this council they affirmed the dual nature of Christ Vera homo – truly man Vera deus – truly God.

61 The Chalcedonian Confession
Christ is truly God and truly human. These two natures are perfectly united with no mixture, confusion, separation or division.

62 Conclusion The doctrine of Dual Nature of Christ is a difficult doctrine. How do we understand this? 1.) We must look at Scripture where there are instances of Jesus’ humanity being seen, and in other places where his deity is seen. (Ex. Matthew 8)