Christology 2 Lecture 3
Christology • Sermon • Submitted
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Christology is the study of the person (humanity and divinity) and the work of Christ (the atonement - what was accomplished when Christ lived, died, and rose again before God, Man, and angles) we look at his Resurrection and Ascension as well as His work as Prophet, Priest, and King.
We are currently talking about the Work of Christ in the Atonement.
Today we are going to study the
New Testament terms describing different aspects of the Atonement.
New Testament terms describing different aspects of the Atonement.
The Atoning work of Christ is a multifaceted event with so many aspects.
Even the Angles are interested in exploring the gospel…we should as well look at the gospel as a diamond with so many angels and facets.
Read 1 Peter 1
It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
The gospel is so simple that even a child can understand but so complex that even the angels are still beholding it’s glory.
We can view the Atonement from all different aspects.
The NT uses different words to describe the these; we shall examine four of the more important terms.
The four terms show how Christ’s death met the four needs that we have as sinners:
1. We deserve to die as the penalty for sin.
2. We deserve to bear God’s wrath against sin.
3. We are separated from God by our sins.
4. We are in bondage to sin and the kingdom of Satan.
These four needs are met by Christ’s death in the following ways:
1. Sacrifice
1. Sacrifice
To pay the penalty of death that we deserved because of our sins, Christ died as a sacrifice for us.
for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
2. Propitiation
2. Propitiation
To remove us from the wrath of God that we deserved, Christ died as a propitiation for our sins.
In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
3. Reconciliation
3. Reconciliation
To overcome our separation from God, we needed someone to provide reconciliation and thereby bring us back into fellowship with God.
All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
4. Redemption
4. Redemption
Because we as sinners are in bondage to sin and Satan, we need someone to provide redemption and thereby “redeem” us out of that bondage.
Ransom is the price paid to redeem someone from bondage or captivity.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
We must note that this price was not paid to Satan. He has no right to demand any paying.
Therefore, the idea of ransom payment cannot be pressed in every detail. It is sufficient to note that a price was paid (the death of Christ) and the result was that we were “redeemed” from bondage.
We ere redeemed from bondage to Satant because,
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.
and when Christ died...
and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.
God the father..
He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
And for deliverence from bondage to sin Paul says,
So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.
So in conclusion:
1. We deserve to die as the penalty for sin - Jesus is our Sacrifice
2. We deserve to bear God’s wrath against sin - Jesus was the Propitiation
3. We are separated from God by our sins - Jesus made Reconciliation
4. We are in bondage to sin and the kingdom of Satan - Jesus is our Redemption accomplished and applied to our life and sin.
Sacrifice, Propitiation, Reconciliation, and Redemption
In this class we are teaching the Penal Substitution view of the atonement.
There are several others we wont have time to study in our class:
1. Ransom to Satan Theory - Satan did not have any authority to ask God for a payment.
2. The Moral Influence Theory - this theory states that God did not require a payment for sin but that Christ’ death is a great example of God’s love and draws us back to God to love him and receive forgiveness.
3. The Example Theory - this theory taught that Christ death teaches us how we are to live our lives in obedience.
4. The Governmental Theory - this again states that God could have set aside the need of the Atonement and thus sent Christ to die to show how much it would have cost. Christ did not actually pay the price of Sin.
To say that God could forgive sin (in spite of the fact that throughout Scripture sin always requires the payment of a penalty) without requiring any penalty is seriously to underestimate the absolute character of the justice of God.
The Extent of the Atonement
Also in this class we will not explore the extent of the atonement - did Christ die for the entire world or just the elect. These are topics of great debate in the church throughout history.
One thing for sure is that if you have found joy in the truth of the Atonement you are blessed indeed.
Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places