The Person of Christ

July 10, 2010

The Deity of Christ - What did Jesus
Believe about himself?
Jesus did not say "I am God".

Instead we have claims that would only be appropriate if someone

were God.

He said
he would send "his angels" (Matt 13:41)
forgive sins

5
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins
are forgiven." 6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there,
thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's
blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Mark 2)
Jesus' claims about himself
He will Judge the Nations
31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he
will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered
before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats. (Matt 25)

Lord of the Sabbath

23One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as his disciples
walked along, they began to pick some heads of grain. 24The Pharisees said
to him, "Look, why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"25He
answered, "Have you never read what David did when he and his companions
were hungry and in need? 26In the days of Abiathar the high priest, he
entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only
for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions." 27Then he said
to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. 28So the
Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath." (Mark 2)
More of Jesus' Claims

25
Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The
miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, 26but you do not
believe because you are not my sheep. 27My sheep listen to my voice;
I know them, and they follow me. 28I give them eternal life, and they
shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 29My
Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all[d]; no one can
snatch them out of my Father's hand. 30I and the Father are one. (John
10)

58
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I
am!" 59At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid
himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8)
More Evidence from John

28
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have
believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
(John 20)

The pattern "You have heard that it was said, .. but I say to you.."

1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. 2He was with God in the beginning.(John 1)
Hebrews

1
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at
many times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken
to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through
whom he made the universe. 3The Son is the radiance of God's glory
and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his
powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat
down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he became as
much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to
theirs. (Heb 1)
Paul

15
He is the image of the invisible God ... For by him all things were
created (Col 1)

Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God,(Phil 2)

Summary of his Devine Characteristics
a) omnipotence
- stilled the sea

b) eternity
- "Before Abraham was, I am" (Rev 22)

c) Omniscience
- Yet there are some of you who do not believe." For Jesus had
64

known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who
would betray him. (John 6)

d) Omnipresence
- Not during earthly ministry by afterwards:
- where two or three come together in my name, there am I with
them." (Matt 18)
Implications of JC's Deity

1. We can have real knowledge of God through him

- Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14)

2. Redemption is available to us.

3. God and humankind have been united.

4. Worship of Christ is appropriate.

The Humanity of Christ
Physical Human Nature

He was born
- he didn't descend from heaven.
- he had a family tree

he increased "in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and
man" (Luke 2:52)

He had the same physical limitations:

hungered when he fasted
Experienced thirst and fatigue when he traveled
when he died and the spear was thrust into his side blood and
water came forth (John 19:34)
Orazio Lomi
Gentileschi (1563–1639)
The Virgin Birth

20
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as
your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit (Matt 1)

Is it essential?

Why were things done this way?

- Jesus could have descended from heaven.

Implications of The Virgin Birth

1. Made possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity.

4
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5to
redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. (Gal 4)

2. Makes possible Christ's true humanity without inherited sin.

- interrupts the line of descent from Adam. But the genealogy is given ... ?

12
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this
way death came to all men, because all sinned (Rom 5)
The Sinlessness of Jesus

15
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we
have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. (Heb 4)

22
"He committed no sin,
and no deceit was found in his mouth." (1 Peter)

5
But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin. (1
John 3)

4
"I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." (Matt 27)
The Unity of Christ

How to deal with:

- as deity Christ is infinite in knowledge , power and presence.
- if he is human he lacks these things and must learn and be ignorant of
certain facts.

26
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image (Gen 1)

14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us (John 1)

22
I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we
are one: (John 17)
Christ had a human body but not a human mind.

Mind and spirit of a divine nature.

If Christ were to save us then he must be fully human

Two persons in one - but Jesus only
ever refers to himself as one
How to Resolve the Problem?

5
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6
Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness. (Phil 2)

Kenoticism: belief that Jesus was God became human, and then became God again.

9
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, (Col 2)
Chalcedonian Definition

Two distinct natures in Christ that retain their own properties.

See this strikingly with the Boat on the Sea of Galilee:
Without warning, a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat.
24

But Jesus was sleeping. 25The disciples went and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We're
going to drown!"
He replied, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then he got
26

up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
(Matt 8)

Anything either natures does, the person of Christ does:

I am leaving the world (John 15)
I am no more in the world (John 16)
I am with you always (Matt 28)