Christology the study of Christ
Jesus Christ is true God and true man. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He died upon the cross, the Just for the unjust, as a substitutionary sacrifice, and all who believe in Him are justified on the ground of His shed blood. He arose from the dead according to the Scriptures. He is now at the right hand of the Majesty on high as our great High Priest. He will come again to establish His kingdom of righteousness and peace.
I. The Person of Christ
A. He existed from Eternity
JOH 1:1, JOH 17:5 JOH 8:58
We conclude from these and other verses that Jesus did not come into existence at Bethlehem but has eternal existed with the first and third persons of the Godhead.
B. He took on a human body
1. He retained His full Deity
JOH 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
JOH 5:17,18 JOH 10:30 HEB 1:8 JOH 1:18
Jesus Christ was fully God. There was no diminishing of His attributes or person at the incarnation.
2. He took on complete humanity
JOH 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.
PHI 2:5-8 HEB 2:14 HEB 2:18
Jesus Christ was fully human. He hurt, He bled, He got hungry, He got thirsty, He got tired, He felt He experienced the limitations of the flesh yet experienced the unlimited resources of the Father through total dependence.
ROM 1:3 concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord,
3. He was born of the Virgin Mary
MAT 1:22 Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying, "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel\," which translated means, " God with us."
John makes it very clear that the belief that the eternal Word of God took on real flesh and came to earth as a man in order to become the first of a new kingdom of redeemed people.
C. Character
1. Attributes (See Attributes)
2. Sinless
HEB 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
JOH 8:46 1JO 3:5
Jesus did not sin and had no sin in thought, word, deed, attitude.
II. The Work of Christ
A. Created all things
COL 1:15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
B. Life and ministry on earth
1. Office
a. Prophet HEB 1:1
b. Priest Heb 2:17 (see above)
c. King 1Tim 6:15
2. Purpose on earth
a. Represent the Father
JOH 1:18 No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained {Him.}
b. Reveal Truth (Preach the gospel)
c. Ruin the works of the devil
1JO 3:8 The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
d. Rescue/redeem the sinner
1JO 3:5 And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
GAL 4:5 in order that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.
2CO 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
e. Reconcile man to God
2CO 5:17,18 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
f. Restore life
JOH 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.
3. Death
Jesus Christ became a substitutionary sacrifice in our place in order to satisfy the righteous demands of a Holy God.
1PE 3:18 For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
MAR 10:45 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."
4. Resurrection
1CO 15:3-8 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as it were to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.
The physical resurrection of Christ is important for several reasons.
• He didn't rise from the dead He lied.
• He would not be able to continue His work on our behalf.
• It is the immovable core of Christianity.
• We would still be dead in our sins.
5. Ascension
EPH 4:10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
1TI 3:16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.
C. Present Work
1. Prepare a place for all believers
JOH 14:2 "In My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, {there} you may be also.
2. Continually Intercede
HEB 7:25 Hence, also, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
HEB 5:9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,
3. Continually Hold the universe together
COL 1:17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
HEB 1:3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;
4. Administrate His Church on earth
EPH 1:22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, EPH 1:23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Revelation pictures Him walking among the churches.
Christ formed the church, cares for the church, gifts and empowers the church.
D. Future Work
1. Return for believers
1TH 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of {the} archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.
2. Execute total final victory over Satan, death and hell.
3. Rule the whole world.
4. Judge all people; the wicked and the righteous
JOH 5:22 "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,
JOH 5:27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is {the} Son of Man.
a. The Righteous
2CO 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
b. The Wicked
REV 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is {the book} of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds.
5. Establish His eternal righteous kingdom on the new Heaven and earth
REV 19:15 And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may smite the nations; and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty.
