Christology 1 Lecture 4
Notes
Transcript
The Person of Christ
Humanity and Deity
The Person of Christ
Humanity and Deity
The Deity of of Christ
Direct Scripture claims
Our Christology would not be complete without discussing Christ’ Deity as well as his Humanity.
Although the word Deity does not occur in Scripture the Bible uses the Word “Incarnation”
The incarnation was the act of God the Son whereby he took to himself a human nature.
The scriptural proof for the Deity of Christ is very extensive in the New Testament.
a. The Word God (Theos) Used of Christ
The Word Theos is the usually the name for God the Father in the NT but several times it is used for Jesus.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
There are 7 clear passages in the NT that explicitly refer to Jesus as God.
In the OT
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
b. The Word Lord (Kyrios) Used of Christ
The word Lord is used at times as a term like Master or Superior but in the Septuagint (every greek speaker would interpret it as this) it is used to mean Yahweh, the creator of the Universe. Or synonymous with Jehovah, the God who wars for his people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’ ”
A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”
“ ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet” ’?
yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”
On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.
c. Other Strong Claims to Deity
So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?”
Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’ ”
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He calls himself the Son of Man
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”
Son of man is the term Daniel used of Christ
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Son of God
but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
These passages combine to indicate that the title “Son of God” when applied to Christ strongly affirms his deity as the eternal Son in the Trinity, one equal to God the Father in all his attributes.
2. Evidence that Jesus Possessed Attributes of Deity.
In addition to the specific affirmations of Jesus’ deity in many passages we see many examples of actions in Jesus’ lifetime that point to his divine Character
Omnipotence - He stilled the storm with his word.
Omniscience - He knew peoples thoughts.
Omnipresence - Where two or three are gathered together there I am.
Divine Sovereignty- he could forgive sins and speak with God’s authority.
Immortality - he rose again from the dead. They couldnt kill him.
He accepted worship as God.
3. Did Jesus Give Up Some of His Divine Attributes While on Earth? (The Kenosis Theory)
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Kenosis Theory
This theory holds that Christ gave up some of his divine attributes while he was on the earth as a man.
Several theologians from Germany and England (1860-1910) came up with another theory of the incarnation that had never been advocated in the history of the church.
John Wesly’s hymn, “Jesus emptied himself of all but love”
The theory states that Jesus emptied himself of omniscience, omnipresence, and omnipotence. This was his voluntary self-limitation.
The Scriptures teach the opposite.
He emptied himself - he made himself nothing
but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
This was a change in role and status not attributes or nature.
Therefore, the best understanding of this passage is that it talks about Jesus giving up the status and privilege that was his in heaven: he “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (or “clung to for his own advantage”), but “emptied himself” or “humbled himself” for our sake, and came to live as a man. Jesus speaks elsewhere of the “glory” he had with the Father “before the world was made” (John 17:5), a glory that he had given up and was going to receive again when he returned to heaven. And Paul could speak of Christ who, “though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor” (2 Cor. 8:9), once again speaking of the privilege and honor that he deserved but temporarily gave up for us
Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 551). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.
4. Conclusion: Christ is Fully Divine.
The NT, in hundreds of verses calls Jesus “God” and “Lord” and use a number of other titles of deity that refer to him, and in many passages that attribute actions or words to him that could only be true of God himself.
For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,
We conclude that he is truly and fully God. His name is rightly called “Emmanuel”
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).