The Doctrine of Christ [1]
Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man in one person, and will be forever.
A good place to begin our study of Christ is with the virgin birth. Christ was born by Mary, His virgin mother, who conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 1:18, 1:20, 1:24-25, Is. 7:14, Gen. 3:15, Luke 1:35, and 3:23). This brings up the term Theotokos, literally God-bearer, usually attributed to Mary as “Mother of God.” Many evangelicals are afraid of this term because of what the Catholics have done with it regarding Mary’s veneration. However, it is used to describe the concept that Christ was born in the flesh. It is not just a term that should be rejected because one group has misused it. If Christ did not have a human mother, He would not be human, and if He did not have a Divine Father, He would not be God. The Creator had to become the creature in order to save the created.
The Humanity of Christ
Jesus Christ is fully man, He does not only have a human body, but also a human soul (Luke 2:7), and mind (Luke 2:52). He was obedient to His parents (Heb. 5:8). He had human emotions (John 12:27), and a range of emotions at that (Matt. 8:10, and John 11:35). He was without sin (Heb. 4:15, John 8:46), and He kept the entire Law (John 15:10). As fallen humans, we can never do this (Rom. 8:3, 2 Cor. 5:21). James 1:13 teaches that God cannot be tempted, but Jesus’ humanity could. Full humanity is necessary for representative obedience to God (Luke 4:1-13, Gen. 2:15-3:7, Rom. 5:18-19). It was also necessary for Him to be a substitute/ sacrifice (Heb. 2:16-17). He became fully human to be the mediator between God and man (1 Tim. 2:5). He also became fully human to fulfill God’s original purpose in ruling over creation (Heb. 2:8-9, Matt. 28:18, Eph. 1:22, Rev. 3:21, Luke 19:17, 1 Cor. 6:3). He is to be our example and pattern for life (1 John 2:6, 3:2-3, 2 Cor. 3:18, Rom. 8:29, 1 Peter 2:21, Heb. 12:2-3, Phil. 3:10, Acts 7:60, 1 Peter 3:17-18, and 4:1). He is also to be the pattern for our redeemed bodies (1 Cor. 15:42-44, 23, and 49, Col. 1:18). Finally, Jesus will be human forever (John 20:25-27, Luke 24:39, Acts 1:11, Rev. 1:13, 19:9).
The Deity of Christ
Jesus is Jehovah or Yahweh God. (John 1:1, 18, 20:28, Rom. 9:5, Titus 2:13, Heb. 1:8, Ps. 45:6, 2 Peter 1:1, John 8:57, John 8:58, Ex. 3:14-eimi).
The Kinosis of Christ
This concept comes from Philippians 2 specifically verse 7 where Christ is said to empty Himself of some things. Some people say He emptied Himself of some of His Divine attributes, but this would mean that He was no longer God, that idea, therefore, must be rejected. So what did He empty Himself of? Four things: 1) His pre-incarnate Glory, Christ took on humanity (John 17:5). 2) His use of Divine attributes for His own benefit, He now does what the Father wills. 3) His Functional Equality (Phil. 2:10). And 4) He left His non-corporeal (non-bodily) existence (1 Cor. 15:25-28). Jesus Christ is still fully Divine (Col. 1:19, Col. 2:9, Matt. 1:23). Christ is fully God and fully man, the two natures never contradict.
The Works of Christ
- Christ performed the works of Creation (John 1:13, 1 Cor. 8:6).
- Christ performed the work of redemption through his death and resurrection. His death will be discussed when we begin developing a Christian worldview of humanity.
- Christ was resurrected from the dead (1 Cor. 15:12-19, 1 Cor. 15:3-8). The results of the resurrection are as follows: 1) It authenticated the person and work of Christ, showing that He was who He claimed to be (Rom. 1:4). 2) It showed that God accepted His atonement (Rom. 8:34, 4:25). 3) It assures believer’s of their own resurrection (John 14:19, and 1 Cor. 15:20-23 or 12-58 for larger context). 4) It assures believers of all necessary power (1 Cor. 1:19-22, and Phil. 3:10). And 5) it guarantees judgment for the world (Acts 17:31). This last reason may be a major part of why some people do not believe Christ rose from the dead, they do not want to be judged, so they choose not to believe it.
- Christ ascended into Heaven (Mark 16:19-20, Acts 1:6-12, Luke 24:50-53). Christ also prays for the Father to restore His pre-incarnate glory in (John 17:5, and Phil. 2:9).
- Today, Christ exercises Lordship over believers (1 Peter 3:22, Eph. 1:21-22, Ps. 110:1, 1 Cor. 15:24-28). He intercedes as the Great High Priest (Rom. 8:34, Heb. 7:25, 9:24), and prays for five things specifically (John 17:1-26): 1) God’s glory, 2) eternal salvation, 3) sanctification, 4) unity, and 5) for us to behold His glory and be with Him in the eternal state (1 Tim. 2:5).
Application:
Again, this is a lot of information, but it helps us to see not only who Christ is, but how we should live and why we should live that way as a result of His work. When Christ is portrayed in art, He should not be made light of, portrayed as weak, or incapable of completing the work He has claimed to do. In much of the art in the modern and postmodern culture, these are exactly the ways in which He is portrayed. Some works of art guilty of this include a painting made up of a cross in a box that was urinated upon, songs by many rock bands (especially those who perform Black Metal), and groups like Depeche Mode. In their song, “Personal Jesus,” they claim to be capable of answering prayer and hearing confessions just like our Savior and Lord. They do this in a joking manner that even pokes fun of the reverence that any believer should have towards Jesus Christ. When we listen to music, watch television, go to the movie’s, attend an opera, or visit an art gallery, we should not be quick to condone such art, and we should be ashamed for when we do. However, this does not mean that if a TV show or movie makes fun of our Lord that the whole series should be condemned or that the production company should be boycotted. Let us encourage what is done correctly, and condemn what is not, but let us do it in love. Just as an artist’s work should not be rejected on the whole because of one painting, we should not be quick to condemn an unbeliever by not inviting them in to our fellowship because they have a false understanding of Jesus Christ. Instead we should fellowship with them as Christ did with the tax collector’s, not compromising our beliefs, but showing them who Christ really is.