CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY OF CHRIST (CHRISTOLOGY)
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The word "Christology" literally means the study of Christ but of course this includes all that He did, is doing, and will do in the future. Christ is the Supreme Revelation of all that is in the heart of His Father. Christ is our Saviour, High Priest, and Example, the Source of every blessing to us. His Cross is the centre of two eternities. Everything before Christ pointed forward to Him, and all present and future blessings flow from Him and look back to His finishes work on Calvary.
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1. THE NAMES OF CHRIST
He is called Lord. This name identifies Christ as the Jehovah (i.e. Lord) of the Old Testament, the Master of all. It emphasizes Christ's deity and authority.
His name is Jesus. This name, meaning "the Lord (or Jehovah) is salvation" or "the salvation of the Lord." Jesus is a human name and emphasizes His saviorhood. Contrary to common belief, it was a popular name for Jewish men in Christ's time (same name as "Joshua," of which "Jesus" is the Greek form).
His title is Christ. This name is simply the New Testament Greek equivalent of the Old Testament Hebrew title "Messiah" meaning "the anointed One" (compare Acts 4:26 and Psalm 2:1, 2). It emphasizes our Lord's offices of Prophet, Priest, and King, as well as His Davidic lineage.
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2. THE DEITY OF CHRIST
The deity of Christ means that Christ is God. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus Christ is God. The same words are used telling us about God and in speaking of Christ in the following ways:
He is eternal. Christ has no beginning (John 17:5; 8:58).
He is omnipresent. He is with His servants everywhere (Matthew 28:20).
Hs is omnipotent. He has all power and authority (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:8).
He is omniscient. He knows all things (John 21:17).
He is unchangeable. He is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).
Christ does the same work that God does.
He created all things (John 1:3).
He upholds the universe (Colossians 1:17).
He raised Himself from the dead (John 2:19, 22).
The same title is given to God and to Christ. He is called God.
God, the Father, speaks of the Son as God (Hebrews 1:8).
Men called Christ God, and He did not refuse their worship (John 20:28).
Demons recognized Him as God (Mark 1:24).
Christ declared that He was God (John 10:30).
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3. HIS INCARNATION
The incarnation of Christ means that He who is God came into the world as a man. The coming of Christ was predicated in the Old Testament. Years before He came the Bible said that He would come (Isaiah 7:14).
There are written records of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ:
His birth was different from all other births.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35).
He was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23). He had no human father.
Yet He was truly man. He had a body (Hebrews 10:5), He has a soul (Matthew 26:38) and He had a spirit (Luke 23:46).
There are three reasons why Christ came in human form:
He came to show us what God the Father is like (John 14:9).
He came to put away sin by becoming the sacrifice for our sins (dying instead of us) (Hebrews 9:26).
He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).
As Jesus Christ is truly God and He came into the world as man by the miracle of the virgin birth, He was completely without sin as a man.
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4. HIS WORK
4.1 His Death
It was necessary for Christ to die (John 3:14). It was part of God's eternal plan (Hebrews 10:7). It was necessary to fulfill Old Testament prophecies (Isaiah 53:5). It was necessary to provide salvation for us (Ephesians 1:7).
Christ died for others. He died in our place (1 Corinthians 15:3).
The death of Christ was fully able to meet God's demands. Christ suffered all of God's judgment against sin. His death completely meets all of our needs because it was the death of a divine person. Therefore it has endless value.
4.2 His Resurrection
It was necessary for Christ to rise from the dead. His resurrection fulfilled prophecy. It completed the work that Christ did for us on the cross (Romans 4:25). His resurrection made it possible for Christ to begin His present work in heaven.
Christ's resurrected body was a real body. It was not a spirit (Luke 24:39). It was the same body that was crucified because it had the mark of the nails and the spear wound (John 20:27). Yet it was a changed body that could do things that our bodies cannot do, such as going through walls (John 20:19).
Christ appeared to some of His followers at least ten times after His resurrection. More than five hundred dependable witnesses saw Him after He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:6).
The resurrection of Christ is very important. If Christ had not risen from the dead there would be no Christian faith (1 Corinthians 15:17).
4.3 His Ascension
When Christ had finished His work on earth He was carried up into heaven (Mark 16:19; Acts 1:9).
Christ ascended to heaven so that He might enter into His reward (John 17:5) and so that He might continue His ministry for His people (Hebrews 7:25).
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5. HIS OFFICES
The Bible presents Christ as a Prophet, as a Priest, and as a King.
As a prophet Christ tells us what God has to say to us, and so He makes God known to us (John 1:18).
As a priest Christ speaks and acts for believers before God (Hebrews 4:14-16).
As a king Christ reigns in the hearts of those who are loyal to Him.
In a coming day He will reign on earth for one thousand years. Psalm 72 describes how He will rule the world.
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6. BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FURTHER STUDY
Tozer, A.W. - The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: Harper and Row).
William MacDonald - What the Bible Teaches (Emmaus Bible College).
R.E. Harlow - Basic Bible Doctrines (Emmaus Bible College).
God News - Moody Bible Institute.
William Baker - Understanding God (Moody Bible Institute).
Henry C. Thiessen - Lectures in Systematic Theology.
J.I. Packer - Knowing God.
J. Oswald Sanders - The Incomparable Christ.
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