CHRISTOLOGY : CHRISTOLOGY Terry R Baughman, MAET
Christian Life College – Stockton CA
CHRISTOLOGY : Is it important what we believe about Jesus?
John 8:24 "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." CHRISTOLOGY
CHRISTOLOGY : The Hypostatic Union
What is the relationship, if any, of the deity and humanity in Christ? CHRISTOLOGY
The Denial of Deity : The Denial of Deity Ebionites – Jesus Christ was not God Himself
Jesus was a prophet like Moses
Made “the anointed one” at baptism
The Denial of Deity : The Denial of Deity Dynamic Monarchianism / Adoptionistic Monarchianism
Jesus was merely a man endowed with the Holy Spirit in a special way
Rejected by the early church, but resurrected by 19th century theological liberalism
The Denial of Deity : The Denial of Deity Other views – less than full deity
Cerinthianism –a gnostic doctrine, Jesus and Christ were separate beings
The Denial of Deity : The Denial of Deity Other views – less than full deity
Arius –Jesus was a created deity, like the Father but inferior to Him
God created Jesus and Jesus in turn created all else
Heresy condemned at Nicea (AD 325)
Resurrected in Jehovah’s Witness movement
The Denial of Deity : The Denial of Deity Other views – less than full deity
Subordinationism
Jesus is the same essence as the Father, but subordinate to the Father
Influenced the views of Justin Martyr, Origen, and Tertullian
Condemned as heresy
The Denial of Humanity : The Denial of Humanity Docetism
Jesus merely appeared to have a human body
Influenced by gnosticism, which held that all matter is evil Ignatius of Antioch was martyred by fighting wild beasts in Rome. On the way to Rome, he wrote seven letters opposing Docetism, which provides valuable information on the early church.
He was reputed to be a disciple of St John. He died circa 135.
The Denial of Humanity : The Denial of Humanity Monophysitism
(or Eutychianism, after Eutyches, a leading defender)
Human and divine natures were so intermingled that the humanity of Jesus was absorbed into the deity
Jesus had only one dominate nature, the divine
The Denial of Humanity : The Denial of Humanity Apollinarianism –named for Apollinaris (c. 370)
Taught that Jesus had a human body but no human spirit
The Spirit of God took the place of a human spirit
A similar view suggests that Jesus had only a divine, not a human, mind
The Denial of Humanity : The Denial of Humanity Monothelitism
Jesus has only one will
It may have somehow been a “divine-human” will
Council at Chalcedon declared that Jesus had two natures.
Council of Constantinople declared that He had two wills, a human will subject to his divine will.
Attempts to Reconcile the Humanity and Deity : Attempts to Reconcile the Humanity and Deity Nestorius
Patriarch of Constantinople in 428
Objected to Mary’s title: theotokos “God-bearing”
Suggested the title: Christotokos “Christ-bearing”
Seen as rejecting the hypostatic union
Deposed by the General Council at Ephesus in 431
Attempts to Reconcile the Humanity and Deity : Attempts to Reconcile the Humanity and Deity Council of Chalcedon in 451
The deity and humanity of Christ exist “without confusion, without change, without division, without separation”
The two natures coalesced in one person and one substance.
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Deity of Christ
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Deity of Christ
John 1:1
VEn avrch/| h=no` lo,goj( kai. o` lo,goj h=n pro.j to.n qeo,n( kai. qeo.j h=n o` lo,gojÅ
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Deity of Christ
Thomas’ confession
John 20:28 “And Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Deity of Christ
He is God Himself
“of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”
NKJ Romans 9:5
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Deity of Christ
He is God and our Savior
“looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,”
NKJ Titus 2:13
(note the singular)
“who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
NKJ Titus 2:14
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Deity of Christ
John sees the Son, Jesus Christ, as the true God:
And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
NKJ 1 John 5:20
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Deity of Christ
Paul sees all the attributes of deity dwelling in Jesus Christ:
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
NKJ Colossians 2:9
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Deity of Christ
A testimony to the absolute deity of Jesus Christ:
And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
NKJ 1 Timothy 3:16
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Humanity of Christ
Born as a baby
Grew mentally, physically, spiritually, and socially
Was tempted by the devil
Hungered
Thirsted
Grew weary
Slept
Prayed
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Humanity of Christ
Was scourged and beaten
Died
Was a sacrifice for sin
Did not know all things
Has no power
Was inferior to God
Was a servant
Biblical Teaching : Biblical Teaching The Humanity of Christ
The likeness of sinful flesh
Romans 8:3
Jesus had a human will
Luke 22:42; John 6:38
Jesus had a human spirit
Luke 23:46; Mark 8:12; Luke 2:40
Jesus had a soul
Matthew 26:38; John 12:27
Humanity was essential to His high priestly work
1 John 4:2-3; Hebrews 2:17; 5:7-8
Systematic Formulation : Systematic Formulation Jesus Christ is both God and man.
Jesus had a complete, but sinless human nature and at the same time a complete divine nature.
The incarnation is permanent
All of God we will ever see is God manifest in the flesh (humanity)
The Spirit of God was inextricably and inseparably joined with the humanity of Jesus.
We can only make a distinction, not a separation, in the two natures
Jesus as the Image of God : Jesus as the Image of God eivkw,n “eikon”
Jesus Christ is the “image” of the invisible God.
2 Cor 4:4; Col. 1:15
An exact representation of God in man.
The eikon was so precise and complete that it could be actually be said that Jesus is God Himself.
The KenosisPhilippians 2:1-11 : The KenosisPhilippians 2:1-11 evke,nwsen, from keno,w
The nature of His self-emptying and subsequent exaltation
He willingly added genuine and complete humanity to His existence as God.
Limitations inherent in humanity:
Limitation of space
Limitation of knowledge
Limitation of power
His deity was in no way limited or compromised.
Slide 29 : Tertium quid
Tertium quid (Latin for a "third thing") was a term used in the Christological debates of the fourth century to refer to the followers of Apollinaris who spoke of Christ as something neither human nor divine, but a mixture of the two, and therefore a "third thing".
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