THE SUPREMACY OF CHRIST Dr. Jay T. Robertson

Transcription

1 THE SUPREMACY OF CHRIST Dr. Jay T. Robertson What Is Christology? Christology is the study of the person and work of Jesus Christ. It examines who he is (his person) and what he does (his work). What Are Some Approaches for Studying Christology? Christology from Above Christology from Below Christology from Behind In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3, 14 ESV) What Does Incarnation Mean? The Incarnation means that the eternal Son of God became flesh, that is, he assumed an additional nature, namely, a human nature. Hebrew Understanding of the Word Greek Understanding of the Word (Logos) Five Biblical Aspects of the Logos The Logos is eternal. The Logos has always been with God, face-to-face with the Father as an equal in relationship. The Logos is a person distinct from yet equal to God. The Logos is the Creator and therefore eternal, self-existent, and all-powerful.

2 2 The Logos became flesh to reveal life, light, grace, truth, glory, and even God himself. How Did People Know God Was Coming? Genesis 3:15 Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14-15 Isaiah 7:14 Matthew 1:18-25 (the almah versus bethulah debate) Micah 5:2 Luke 2:1-7 Isaiah 52:13-53:12 Matthew 27:28, 57-60; Luke 23-24; Acts 2:25-32; 1 Peter 2:24 How Did God Come Into Human History? The incarnation is not an idea borrowed from pagan mythology. The Mormon teaching that God the Father had physical, flesh-and-bone sexual relations with Mary, thereby enabling her to conceive Jesus, is not true. The incarnation does not teach that a man became God. The second member of the Trinity did not come into existence at the incarnation of Jesus Christ. While it is true in one sense that God became a man, we must be careful to note that the second divine person in the Trinity became a man and that the entire Trinity did not incarnate as a human being. Read Luke 1:30-38 for a biblical announcement about the incarnation of Jesus. Was Jesus Fully God? God the Father said Jesus was God. (Hebrews 1:8; Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5) Demons said Jesus was God. (Mark 1:24; Luke 4:33-34, 40-41) Jesus said he was God. (Matthew 26:63-65; John 6:38, 41-46; John 14:6; Mark 10:17-18; John 5:18; John 8:58-59; John 10:30-33) The Bible plainly says Jesus is God. (Matthew 1:23; John 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Titus 3:4; 1 John 5:20; 2 Peter 3:18)

3 3 Jesus is given the names of God. Son of Man Son of God Lord I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 22:13) Jesus possessed the attributes of God. Eternality (John 1:1, John 8:57-58; John 17:5; Colossians 1:17; Philippians 2:6; 1 Timothy 1:17; Hebrews 1:11-12) Immortality (1 Timothy 1:17) Invisibility (1 Timothy 1:17) Omnipotence (Matthew 8:26-27; Matthew 14:19-20; John 2:1-11) Omniscience (Matthew 11:27; John 2:25; John 4:18; John 16:30) Omnipresence (Psalm 139:7-12; Matthew 18:20; Matthew 28:20) Immutability (Hebrews 13:8) Creator (Isaiah 37:16; Isaiah 44:24; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) Sustainer of All Creation (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3) Savior (Joel 2:32; Romans 10:9-13; Titus 3:6) Sovereignty (Matthew 28:18; 1 Corinthians 15:27) Deity (Isaiah 45:21b-23; Philippians 2:10-11) Jesus did the works of God. (Matthew 12:24; Matthew 27:42; Luke 5:20-21; John 5:22-23; John 6:39-44; John 10:28; John 10:36-39; John 11:47) People worshiped Jesus as God. (Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 4:10; John 5:22-23; John 9:38; Matthew 21:15-16; Philippians 2:10-11)

4 4 Was Jesus Fully Human? Jesus had a human name and a human genealogy. (Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38) Jesus was born of a woman, had brothers and sisters, and was racially Jewish. (Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:7; Galatians 4:4; Matthew 13:55; John 4:9) Jesus grew physically, spiritually, mentally, and socially, learned, experienced fatigue, slept, grew hungry and thirsty, worked as a carpenter, had male and female friends he loved, gave encouraging compliments, loved children, celebrated holidays, went to parties, loved his mom, prayed, worshiped, and obeyed God the Father. (Luke 2:42, 52; Luke 3:23; Matthew 4:12; Mark 11:13-14; Luke 2:40, 52; Matthew 8:24; Mark 4:38; Luke 8:23-24; John4:7; Mark 4:36-41; Matthew 4:2; Mark 11:12; Luke 4:2; John 4:7; John 19:18; Mark 6:3; John 11:3-5; Mark 12:41-44; Matthew 19:13-15; Luke 2:41; Matthew 11:19; John 19:26-27; Matthew 14:23; Mark 1:35; Mark 14:32-42; John 17; Luke 4:16; John 5:30; John 6:38; John 8:28-29, 54; 10:17-18) Jesus had a human body and he suffered and died in the flesh. (Romans 8:3; Philippians 2:7-8; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 4:2-3; Ephesians 2:15-16; Colossians 1:21-22; Hebrews 10:19-20; 1 Peter 2:24) Jesus had a human spirit he experienced grief, had compassion, was stressed, was astonished, was happy, and even wept. (John 12:27; John 13:21; John 19:30; Matthew 23:37; Luke 19:41; Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:41; Luke 7:13; John 13:21; Mark 6:6; Luke 7:9; Luke 10:21-24; John 15:11; John 17:13; Hebrews 12:2, 22; John 11:34-35) First John 4:2-3 reveals the strategic importance of Jesus humanity. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already. How Could God Become a Man? The Council of Chalcedon met in AD 451 to wrestle with the confusion that surrounded the divinity and humanity of Jesus. The council declared that Jesus Christ is one person with two natures (human and divine) who is both fully God and fully man. Hypostatic Union (hypostasis person ) Christ has two distinct natures: humanity and deity. There is no mixture or intermingling of the two natures. Although he has two natures, Christ is one person.

5 5 We maintain the biblical position of the full divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. To accomplish this, we must conclude that when the Son of God became a man, he did not change his identity as God but rather changed his role. According to the church father Augustine: Christ added to himself which he was not, he did not lose what he was. Key Passage Philippians 2:5-11 But made himself nothing [ Made himself of no reputation or emptied himself ] Jesus set aside his rights as God and the rightful continual use of his divine attributes, with the occasional exception such as forgiving sin. Though Jesus remained God, he chose instead to live by the power of the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that Jesus in any way ceased to be fully God, but rather that he chose not to continually avail himself of his divine rights and attributes while on the earth. To be clear: Jesus remained fully man and fully God during his incarnation, and he maintained all of his divine attributes and did avail himself of them on occasion, such as to forgive sin, which God alone can do. Nonetheless, Jesus life was lived as fully human in that he lived it by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit What Are Some Prominent False Teachings about the Doctrine of the Incarnation? Docetism Adoptionism Modalism Arianism Apollinarianism Nestorianism

6 6 Eutychianism How Is Jesus Incarnation a Source of Great Comfort? In the Incarnation Jesus Is Like Us. Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV) Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25 ESV) In the Incarnation Jesus Is Unlike Us. Jesus is God. We are not! Jesus alone is without sin. We all sin.