Christology
The Basic Outline
The Preexistence of Christ
- Definition
- Preexistence means that He existed before His birth.
Evidence for Preexistence
- Proved by the Old Testament, Isa. 9:6
- Proved by the New Testament, John 8:58
- Proved by Works, Col. 1:16
- Proved by the Appearance of the Angel of The Lord, Exodus 3:2,4; Genesis 22:11
- Proved by His Names.
- Logos
- Son of God
- Jehovah
The Incarnation of Christ
- Definition of Incarnation
- The eternal second Person of the Triunity took on Himself humanity or flesh.
Central Passage, John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The Means of Incarnation
 | Virgin Birth - Matt. 1:23 & Luke 1:35 |
| Genealogies - Matthew & Luke |
The Purposes of the Incarnation
- To Reveal God to Us
- To Provide an Example for Our Lives
- To Provide an Effective Sacrifice for Sin
- To Be Able to Fulfill the Davidic Covenant
- To Destroy the Works of the Devil
- To Be Able to Be a Sympathetic High Priest
- To Be Able to Be a Qualified Judge
The Person of the Incarnate Christ included:
| Undiminished deity |
| Perfect humanity |
| United in one Person forever. |
His Deity
He Possesses Attributes Which Only God Has
- Eternally, Isa 9:6; Mic 5:2; Joh 1:1; Col 1:17; Heb 1:8-10; Re 1:8
- Omnipresence, Mt 18:20; 28:20; Joh 3:13
- Omniscience, Joh 16:30; 21:17.
- Omnipotence, Ps 45:3; Php 3:21; Re 1:8.
- Immutable, Heb. 13:8
- Self-existence, Joh. 1:1-3; 5:21-26; Heb. 7:16
- Holiness, Luke 1:35; Acts 3:14, I Pet. 1:19
He Performs Works Which Only God Can Do
- Forgiveness, Mark 2:10, Luke 7:47
- Life
- Resurrection
- Judgment, Joh. 5:22, 2 Tim. 4:1, Acts 17:31
- Creator, Heb 1:10; Col. 1:15
- Sustainer, Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3
- Miracle Worker, John 10:37
He Was Given the Names and Titles of Deity
| Son of God, Mat. 8:29; 16:16; Mark 1 |
| Lord and God, Joh. 1:1,18; Heb. 1:8; Titus 2:13; Mat. 22:43-45 |
He Claimed to Be God and He Received Worship
- John 10:30
- Mat. 4:10
- John 5:23
- Rev. 22:8-9
- Phil. 2:10
False Views
| Ebionism - Jesus was natural son of Joseph and Mary |
| Arianism - Jesus was not eternal; similar to, but not same as God |
His Humanity
| He had a human body. See Galatians 4:4 |
| He had a human soul and spirit. |
| He exhibited the characteristics of a human being. See Luke 2:52 |
| He was called by human names |
The early history of the doctrine of Christ's humanity
| Docetism - denied humanity, claimed that only an appearance of humanity. |
| Apollinarianism - Divine Logos replaced human spirit. |
The Unity of the Person of Christ
- Definition of Hypostatic Union
- The unity of deity and humanity within Jesus Christ.
- Two natures comprising one Person or hypostasis forever.
Biblical Material
| John 1:14 |
| Gal. 4:4 |
| I Tim. 3:16 |
| Eph. 2:16-18 |
| I John 2:1-2, 4:2, 4:15; 5:5 |
False Views
- Nestorianism- Christ was two Persons
- Eutychianism - Christ was a single mixed nature.
- Adoptionism
- Anhypostatic Christology
- Kenoticism
- Dynamic incarnation
Kenosis and Hypostatic Union
Key Verse: Phil. 2:6-7
| The eternal existence of Christ, verse 6, equality with God was something not to be hoarded, abused, or exploited. |
| Verse 7, Kenosis (verb) - self-emptying, setting aside to take on human attributes. |
The Functions of Christ
Christ as Prophet
| Jesus reveals God to man, Mt 11:27; Joh 3:2,13,34; 17:6,14,26. |
Christ as King
| Jesus will rule over all, Ps 89:27; Re 1:5; 19:16. |
Christ as Priest
| Jesus reconciles God and man, Heb 2:17. |
| Heb 3:1,2; 5:4,5 |
Christ's Earthly Life
His Preparation
- Birth.
- Infancy, childhood, and growth to maturity
- Baptism
- Temptation
His Preaching
- Early ministry in Judea
- Ministry in Galilee
- Perean ministry
His Passion
- The last week in Jerusalem
- Betrayal and arrest
- Trial before Annas
- Trial before Caiaphas
- Trial before Pilate
- Trial before Herod
- Second trial before Pilate
- Crucifixion and Burial
- Resurrection - Matt 28:6
His Postresurrection Ministry and Ascension - Acts 1:9-11
The Sinlessness of Christ
Definition
Our Lord never did anything that displeased God
or violated the Mosaic Law
under which He lived on earth.
Christ was sinless at every stage of his life.
Scripture Evidence
| Luke 1:35 |
| John 8:29 |
| 2 Cor. 5:21 |
The Temptation of Christ
- Peccability (posse non peccare)
- Definition - the concept that Christ could have sinned, whether He did or not
- Impeccability (non posse peccare)
- Definition - the concept that Christ could not have sinned.
Aspects of Impeccability
| The God-Man had no sin nature. |
| His humanity is different from ours. See Heb. 4:15 |
| Impeccability characterizes the God-Man as a totality (Shedd) |
The Atonement
- Definition of Atonement
- The death of Christ on the Cross
Various Theories
| The Socinian Theory: The Atonement as Example |
| The Moral-Influence Theory: The Atonement as a Demonstration of God's Love |
| The Governmental Theory: The Atonement as a Demonstration of Divine Justice |
| The Ransom Theory: The Atonement as Victory over the Forces of Sin and Evil |
| The Satisfaction Theory: The Atonement as Compensation to the Father |
A Major Theme in the Scriptures
| Old Testament (Sacrificial System) |
| The Gospels |
| Pauline Writings |
Basic Themes
- Sacrifice
- Propitiation
- Substitution
- Reconciliation
- Justification
- Ransom
Necessity of Christ's Death
| Holiness of God |
| Sinfulness of Man |
| Fulfillment of Scripture |
The Extent of the Atonement
| Particular Atonement |
| Universal Atonement |
| The question of atonement for disease |
The Effects of Christ's Death
- In relationship to the Universe
- In relationship to Men
- Removal of enmity between God and Man
- Satan's power over mankind has been changed
- Curse of the Law is removed
- The many blessings of God
- In relationship to Satan
Present Ministry of Christ
Christ is Building His Church.
- Formation
- Direction
- Nurture
- Cleansing
- Giving gifts
Christ is Praying for Believers
- Assures the security of our salvation
- Restores us to fellowship when fellowship is broken through sin
- Prepares a heavenly abode for us
- Christ is producing fruit in the lives of believers
Future Work of Christ
| Raise the dead |
| Reward all people |
| Judgment |
| Rule this world |
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