CHRISTOLOGY WK 1

Structure of class 3 weeks. March 4, 11, 18. Two quizzes. No final. Book: Jesus Christ Our Lord, John F. Walvoord Grade: combination of quiz grades and reading. Contact:

Why Theology? When you hear the terms “theology” and “theologian,” what do you automatically envision? Every person is a theologian, whether they know it or not. We all have some sort of notion or belief about God, Jesus, the Bible and life. Theology is the “study of God.” What we believe about God affects: –How we interact with Him. –How we live our lives. The question is, will you be a good theologian or a bad one?

Why Christology? Jesus is our ultimate reality. –Colossians 1:16-18 –Philippians 2:10-11 –Mark 14:61-62 –Revelation 1:17-18 –Revelation 5:9-14 Because Jesus is our ultimate reality, our life’s purpose is to live to magnify Christ. –Philippians 1:20-21

Why Christology? “You and I are on this planet for a few years, all for the same ultimate reason but in various forms. This reason is that we would live and die to make Christ look valuable as he really is. When Paul says that to die is gain, he means that Christ is more valuable than anything this world can offer. It’s like what the psalmist said in Psalm 63:3, ‘Your steadfast love is better than life.’ ” —John Piper

Why Christology? To magnify Christ, we must first know Him. –Philippians 3:7-8 –Intimate knowledge of Christ is the most valuable treasure you could ever gain. –He is so valuable that to die with nothing but Christ is gain.

Why Christology? The reason why magnifying Jesus as the ultimate reality of the universe is the purpose of our lives is because Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God. –John 1:1, 14; 14:6-9 –Hebrews 1:2-3

The Pre-Incarnate Christ If Jesus is the ultimate reality then He must be eternal. Pre-incarnate: before Jesus became a man. Since the New Testament testifies to the incarnate Christ, we must look to the Old Testament to learn about the pre-incarnate Christ.

Jesus of the Old Testament In seeking to learn about Christ, most make the mistake of ignoring the Old Testament. –Ignoring the Old Testament is ignoring a significant portion of Scripture about Christ. Jesus is the theme of the whole Old Testament. –Luke 24:25-27, 44 –Matthew 5:17 –John 5:39 –Hebrews 10:7

Jesus in the Old Testament The Eternal Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. –He did not just become the Son but always has been the Son. John 3:16-17 –He has been eternally submissive to the Father’s will. Hebrews 10:7, quoting Psalm 40:6-8 “As Son, He is eternally submissive to the Father, which is evident in eternity past from His willingness to submit to the will of the Father to be the Redeemer of humankind.” —Norman Geisler

Jesus in the Old testament The Eternal Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. –The Trinity in the Old Testament. Genesis 1:1, 26; 3:22

Jesus in the Old Testament The Creator. –Colossians 1:16-17 –John 1:1-3 “through”: preposition indicating that Christ is the agent or mediating Cause of “all things.” –1 Corinthians 8:6 –Hebrews 1:1-3

Appearances of Jesus in the OT No one has or even can see God. –John 1:18 –Exodus 33:20 –This is because: God is spirit (not a physical being); John 4:24 Mankind is sinful and was expelled from God’s presence; Genesis 3; Isaiah 59:2 Yet, the Bible says the Lord appeared to people. –Genesis 18:1 –Isaiah 6:1

Appearances of Jesus in the OT These God-sightings were actually christophanies. –Christophany: an appearance of Christ –This does not contradict the incarnation or the Old Testament. –Jesus’ main mission has always been about making God known. John 1:1, 14, –He is and always has been the ultimate revelation of God, even in the Old Testament.

Christophanies in the OT The Angel of the L ORD –Angel = messenger. –L ORD = Yahweh. God’s personal, covenant name. Nowhere and no one else is designated with the name Yahweh. –Serves the same purpose as Jesus. –Receives worship, like Jesus. Typical angels pointed to God and never received worship.

Christophanies in the OT –Genesis 16:7-14 –Genesis 18:1-33 –Exodus 3:2, 4, 6, 14 –Joshua 5:13-15 –Judges 2:1 –Judges 6:11-27 –Isaiah 6:1-8 John 12:41 –Isaiah 63:7-10

Christological Heresies Modalism –God is a single person who, throughout biblical history, has revealed Himself in three modes, or manifestations. –These modes are consecutive and not simultaneous. They never exist at the same time. OT: The Father NT: Jesus Post ascension: The Holy Spirit

Christological Heresies Modalism –Denies Jesus as Creator. –Denies the pre-existence of Jesus as the Eternal Son. –And so much more…

Quiz Questions Write out word-for-word Psalm 22:16-18 Write out word-for-word John 1:1 Give two verse references of christophanies in the Old Testament (only ones discussed in class).