Christology
A biblical understanding of Jesus Christ is crucial to our salvation. Our understanding of who Christ is sets us apart from many other religions.
Is Jesus God? Many other major religions teach Jesus was a prophet, or just a good man. Critics will say that Jesus never came explicitly said, “I am God.” While Christ may not have said that word for word, Scriptures shows clearly that He is God (John 1:14, 1:1, 10:30, 8:58, 20:58, Titus 2:13, Col. 2:9, 1 Cor. 8:6)
Beliefs of Jesus in other major religions:
Islam- Jesus is a prophet, and wise teacher but not God,
Hinduism- Jesus was a wise teacher, spiritual man, some admit to his divinity but if they do, believe him to be one of many gods and goddesses to worship.
Buddhism-Jesus was an enlightened man, and a holy man but not the son of God
New Age- Jesus was a moral teacher and philosopher.
Judaism- Miracle Worker/Magician whose powers came from Satan
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to. . . . Now it seems to me obvious that He was neither a lunatic nor a fiend: and consequently, however strange or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that He was and is God.” (C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity, 55-56)
The Hypostatic union-the belief that Christ fully took on the form of man, yet remained fully God at the same time. Christ has always been God (John 8:58, 10:30). His two natures, both human and divine are inseparable. His two natures are united without loss of separate identity.
100% God and 100% percent man=200%???
Jesus has two natures — He is God and man.
Christ is God
Titus 2:13 “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Christ Jesus.”
John 20:28- Upon seeing the resurrected Christ. Thomas cried out,” my Lord and my God!”
Christ has the Attributes of God:
-He is all knowing (Matthew 16:21, Luke 11:17, John 4:29)
-All powerful (Matthew 8:26-27, John 11:38-44, Luke 7:14-15)
-Has always existed and always will (John 1:1, 8:58)
-Is our creator (Col. 1:16)
Jesus is not someone like God, He is God. If Christ were not God, His death on the cross would not be sufficient for our sins.
Christ is man
“Remaining what he was, he became what he was not.”
Has Jesus always been a man? No, but through the miracle of the virgin birth through Mary, He was made man.
Christ’s death is evidence of His humanity, for God cannot die.
Christ did not give up any of His Divinity in becoming a man.
Jesus did not trade in or give up any of his divine attributes to be incarnated. He remained in full nature of them. For if He gave up any of His nature, He would cease to be God.
Proof of Jesus’s humanity:
-was born as a baby (Luke 2:7, Galatians 4:4)
-became weary (John 4:6)
-became thirsty and hungry (John 19:28, Matthew 4:2)
-had human emotions (Matthew 8:10, John 11:35)
Truths about Christ
– Each nature is full and complete — He is fully God and fully man.
-Each nature remains distinct.
– Christ is only one Person.
Christ Is fully man and fully God, but these two natures do not alter one another’s essential properties, nor do they mix into some kind of mysterious third kind of nature.
If Christ has two natures doesn’t that mean he is essentially two people? No it does not, Christ has two natures united in one person forever.
John 1:14, “And the word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Here we see the two natures: the Word (his deity) and flesh (humanity).