CHRISTOLOGY: THE DOCTRINE OF JESUS CHRIST

Christology is the branch of Christian systematic theology that focuses on the person and work of Jesus Christ. While focusing primarily on the person of Jesus Christ, Christology also considers the work of Christ to some extent because who Christ is will determine what He is able to do. Christology seeks to answer the following questions:

Who is Jesus Christ?
What does the Bible say about Jesus Christ?
What does history say about Jesus Christ?
What do other religions say about Jesus Christ?
Why is the Christian view of Jesus the correct view?
How important is Jesus Christ to the individual and to the world?

There are a number of 1st Century philosophers and historians who wrote about Jesus, including Flavius Josephus. However, most of the detailed information about Jesus is recorded in the New Testament of the Bible, especially in the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. According to the Bible, Jesus Christ is Almighty God incarnated into human flesh. Before the incarnation, Jesus Christ existed from eternity past in Heaven as the Word of God, possessing the full nature of God (John 1:1). The Word (Greek λόγος = logos) worked together with the other two Persons of the Holy Trinity to create all things in heaven and in earth (Genesis 1:26, 27; John 1:3; Colossians 1:15-17). He was the chief messenger of God during Old Testament times as He was called the Angel of the Lord (Genesis 22:11-18; Exodus 3:2; 23:20, 21; Judges 13:18), who spoke to Abraham, Jacob, Moses and others. Though He was of the nature of God, the Word emptied Himself of His divine prerogatives and took on a human nature, but He never ceased to be fully God as He dwelt among humanity (John 1:14; Philippians 2:5-9). Jesus was born of a virgin woman named Mary, after the Holy Spirit conceived Him inside the virgin's womb (Matthew 1:18-21; Luke 1:31-35). While on earth, Jesus was born in the Judean town of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1) and was called by the Hebrew name Yeshua Ha'Mashiach (ישוע המשיח). He was also called Jesus the Nazarene or Jesus of Nazareth, because He was raised in the Galilean town of Nazareth (Matthew 2:23). From the time of His birth to the time of His death, Jesus was perfect, sinless and holy in all His ways and in every aspect of His being, and now Jesus remains perfect forever (John 8:29; Hebrews 4:15; 9:28; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 2:22, 23; 1 John 3:5). Jesus was baptized and received the Holy Spirit at about thirty years old, and He began His great ministry at that time (Luke 3:21-23). Jesus began His ministry His ministry in Galilee, and He traveled throughout Palestine into Judea, Samaria, and even non-Jewish regions like Tyre and Sidon. He purposefully chose at least twelve apostles to help Him in the ministry. Many miracles and supernatural signs were performed by Jesus, including the expulsion of demons, healing various sickness like leprosy, restoring sight to the blind, restoring hearing to the deaf, raising dead people back to life, and multiplying a small amount of food to feed thousands of people. Even as Jesus performed miracles, He preached the Gospel of salvation to everyone around Him, without caving in to criticism from His enemies. Jesus' message of salvation and His parables were unpopular among His fellow Jews, plus He courageously exposed the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders. Though some accepted Jesus' message and believed on Him, the Jewish nation as a whole rejected Jesus as their Messiah and called for the Romans to crucify Him on a cross. This set the stage for the ultimate reason why Jesus came into the world, and that is to give His life as a ransom and a propitiation for the sins of humanity (Matthew 20:28; Romans 5:6-11, Galatians 3:13, 14; Colossians 2:13-15; 1 Peter 2:24, 25; 1 John 4:9, 10). Jesus was bodily resurrected from the dead with a glorified body three days after His crucifixion (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). He ascended to Heaven forty days after His resurrection, an He now sits at God's right hand (Acts 1:9-11; Hebrews 1:3; 10:12). Jesus' twelve apostles picked up where He left off in His ministry, and, after they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they spread Jesus' Gospel from Jerusalem to the surrounding regions, and then to Gentiles all over the world (Acts 1:8). Jesus promises to return to earth in the future to rapture the Church, and to deliver the Jews of the nation of Israel, and to render judgment on unrepentant sinners (Romans 11:25-27; 1 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 4:16-18). Jesus fulfilled more than 330 Bible prophecies during His 33 1/2 years of life on earth, and more prophecies will be fulfilled by Him in the future.

Christology is perhaps the most important theological focus of the Word of God, since Jesus Christ is the centerpiece and executor of God's plan of redemption from sin. Jesus is the only Mediator between God and man (1 Timothy 2:5). Everything that God has ever done for humanity, is currently doing for humanity, or will ever do for humanity is through Jesus Christ, by Jesus Christ, and for Jesus Christ. Paul gives the sweeping assertion of Christ being the Sum Total of humanity's redemption and the focus of all of God's dealings with humanity in Colossians 1:13-19. All of these facts place Jesus far above the miniature position which so much of modern false religion places Him, and sets Him forever apart and infinitely higher than the so-called religious leaders of the world. Jesus is not merely another religious leader or Ascended Master; He is not merely one of many ways to God and salvation; instead, Jesus is the ONLY WAY. Jesus is not merely another expounder of truth; instead, He is THE TRUTH. Jesus Himself gives full meaning to the worship of God the Father with the statement, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. No man comes to the Father except through ME." (John 14:6). Jesus emphasizes the error and futility of all the other man-made approaches to God by man-made religions in trying to sneak up some other way as "Liars and Thieves;" (John 10:1-9).

Christology is not only among the most important areas of Christian theology, it is also one of the most debated. This is because Jesus the Son of God is the most attacked of all the three Persons of the Trinity. Jews and Muslims reject the deity of Jesus Christ, plus Pseudo-Christian cults like Mormons, Christadelphians, Jehovah's Witnesses, and the UPCI reject the full deity of Jesus Christ and the Trinity as well. Virtually everyone who reads the Bible would agree that the Father is God, but so many people question whether or not the Son, Jesus Christ, is God. Jesus foretold that many false prophets and antichrists would come pretending to be Jesus Christ (Matthew 24:5). The apostles also foretold that Satan would deceive people by using preachers that preach a false Jesus and deny the Christ as truly come in the flesh (2 Corinthians 11:3, 4; 1 John 4:1-3).

Among those who accept the deity of Jesus Christ, there are at least two views that dominate: Chalcedonian and Miaphysitism. The Chalcedonian view is the most commonly held view in the Christian churches, and it is derived from the Creed of Chalcedon. The Chalcedonian view holds that Jesus is a "hypostatic union" of two distinct natures: 100% God and 100% human, not half God and half human. Jesus' humanity and divinity are not mixed or dissolved into each other; instead, the two natures are united without loss of separate identity. Jesus sometimes operated within the limitations of His humanity, while at other times He operated in the unlimited powers of His deity. In both natures, Jesus' actions were from His one Person. Jesus had two natures, but only one personality that was in control of all His actions. However, miaphysitism holds that Jesus has only one nature that is a fusion of God and humanity. Miaphysitism holds that, in the one person of Jesus Christ, the nature of God and the human nature are united in one single nature, the divine and the human are united without separation, without confusion, and without alteration, like a solution of salt and water. The one nature is God incarnate. In this way, all the attributes of God and humanity are displayed in the one person of Jesus Christ.  It should be noted that miaphysitism is not the same as monophysitism, which teaches that Jesus had only one nature in which Jesus' humanity was completely overtaken by the divine nature. Miaphysitism is embraced by Oriental Orthodox Churches in parts of Asia and Africa. The Chalcedonian view is preferred by most Christians because it maintains that God remained infinite and completely unchanged at the incarnation, despite clothing Himself with a human nature. The Chalcedonians believe that miaphystism would render Jesus unable to act as Mediator and unable to truly atone for our sins.

Radically heretical views about the person of Jesus Christ include arianism and modalism. Arianism is a heresy teaching that Jesus is not of the same nature as God the Father, but is instead a created being exalted above all other creatures. Some arians teach that Jesus is Michael the Archangel, while other arians teach that Jesus was a human who was eventually adopted as the Son of God and granted a certain amount of deity. Modalism (Sabellianism) is a heresy teaching that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are just modes of the single person who is God; that is Jesus. In other words, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not coexistent and distinct Persons but consecutive modes of the one person Jesus Christ.

STRONG PROOF TEXTS FOR THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST

The deity of Jesus Christ within the Holy Trinity is perhaps the central doctrine of Christianity. Many false teachers use the scriptures John 17:3 and 1 Corinthians 8:6 to prove their idea that Jesus Christ is a created being instead of eternal God.

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." --- John 17:3

"Yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." --- 1 Corinthians 8:6

The very juxtaposition of Jesus Christ with the Father, as shown in the verses of John 17:3 and 1 Corinthians 8:6, is actually a proof, by implication, of our Lord's Godhead. The knowledge of GOD and a mere CREATURE could NOT be eternal life. God alone is the source of life, both temporal life and eternal life. Also, GOD and a mere CREATURE just CANNOT be responsible for the existence of ALL things, since all creatures are things. God alone has the unique position of Creator, as an integral part of the glory that makes Him unique, and God said He will NOT give away His glory to someone else (Isaiah 42:8; 48:9-13). Therefore, such an association of eternal, Almighty God with a mere creature would be absolutely preposterous and inconceivable.

In Matthew 28:19, Jesus tells his disciples "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Why would the disciples be instructed to baptize people in the name of anything or anyone who is not God? Would it not be false worship, idolatry, and blasphemy to baptize people in the name of anything or anyone who is not God, the only true Lord, Savior, King, Life-Giver, and God? Remember, the Lord God Almighty said at Exodus 20:2-6 that He is a Jealous God who demands exclusive worship and divine service, that we should not follow any other gods.

In order to properly interpret the Bible, you must compare scripture with scripture, and compare spiritual things with spiritual with the help of God's Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:13; Isaiah 28:9, 10). This is a practice that many false teachers either fail or refuse to do, as they take verses (or fragments of verses) out of context to give an eisegetical interpretation instead of an exegetical interpretation. They also add to, or subtract from, the actual Bible text to make the Bible appear to agree with their theology.

Colossians 1:15-18, Jesus is the "firstborn" of all creation and that all things were created through Him and for Him. The word "firstborn" (Greek πρωτότοκος --- prototokos) is used instead of "first-created" (Greek πρωτοκτισις --- protoktisis) in Colossians 1:15-18. In some Bible passages, the word "firstborn" means the first to be born among a group of offspring, however, in Colossians 1:15-18, the word firstborn refers to PREEMINENCE, as it does in a number of other Bible passages (Exodus 4:22, 23; Jeremiah 31:9; Psalm 89:27; Hebrews 10:23). Colossians 1:18 actually explains the meaning of firstborn when it says "And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence." The mystery of the God-man is this: as a man, Jesus is the preeminent firstborn of all Creation, but as God the Son Almighty, Jesus is the sovereign Creator of all things. The word "firstborn" is used in plural form (Greek πρωτοτόκων --- prōtotokōn) at Hebrews 12:23 with reference to all born again Christians destined for heaven, since they are preeminent among the human race. John 1:3 totally distinguishes Jesus Christ the Word (Greek λόγος --- Logos) from all created things, thus setting Him apart. Revelation 21:6 uses the word "beginning" (Greek ἀρχή --- arche) to describe the preeminence and sovereignty of God the Father Almighty, likewise Revelation 3:14 uses exactly the same word to describe the preeminence and sovereignty of Jesus Christ the Son. God the Father Almighty did not have a literal beginning (Psalm 90:2), nor did Jesus Christ the Son have a literal beginning; they are both uncreated. Micah 5:2 describes Jesus, the promised Messiah, as having existed in the everlasting past, and Jesus identified Himself as the Great "I AM" before Abraham was born (John 8:58).

Plus, with reference to Colossians 1:16, one must ask the question "Would Almighty God really allow a mere creature to create an entire universal, diverse creation for himself?" Isaiah 43:7 says that Almighty God created people for His own glory, not for a creature's glory. The Lord God said at Isaiah 44:24 that He created the heavens and the earth all by Himself, which excludes the involvement of a junior creaturely partner in the designing of Creation. Jesus Christ, as the power and wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24), is sometimes portrayed as the Master Craftsman that worked with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit in creating all things (Proverbs 8:22-31). At Genesis 1:26, 27, God the Father said to the Trinitarian Council, "Let us make man in OUR image, after OUR likeness" then it goes on to say in the next verse, "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." The fact that the Lord God Almighty created everything all by Himself is also supported by the words of Psalm 102:25-27, which are quoted at Hebrews 1:10-12 with direct reference to Jesus Christ as Creator. If Jesus Christ were a created being, and He is the wisdom and power of God, then there would have been a time in eternity past when the immutable, unchanging God was without wisdom and power, which is ludicrous and nonsensical.

Hebrews 1:3 says Jesus sustains all things by the word of His power. Someone having less than ALL MIGHT cannot sustain ALL THINGS; only and ALMIGHTY being can sustain ALL THINGS. Furthermore, God said He will NOT give away His glory to someone else (Isaiah 42:8; 48:9-13), yet Jesus has divine glory, praise, and worship alongside God the Father (John 17:5; Philippians 2:10, 11; Revelation 5:11-14). Only God alone is to be worshiped (Exodus 20:2-6; Matthew 4:10). This further proves Jesus Christ is in fact God, possessing the same divine nature as God the Father.

Not only did Jesus create and sustain all things, but He also has the power to do the following operations, just like God the Father:

1.) - Jesus pronounces judgment (John 5:22; Romans 14:10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:9-11),
2.) - Jesus forgives sins (Luke 5:20-26), --- God alone forgives sins (Psalm 32:5; Psalm 86:5)
3.) - Jesus reads and examines hearts (John 2:24; Revelation 2:23), --- God alone reads and examines hearts (2 Chronicles 6:30; Acts 15:8)
4.) - Jesus inflicts divine chastening on believers (Revelation 3:19), --- God alone chastens believers (Proverbs 3:11, 12; Hebrews 12:5-11)
5.) - Jesus gives rest to one's soul (Matthew 11:28-30). --- God gives rest to one's soul (Exodus 33:14)
6.) - People can pray to Jesus (Acts 7:59, 60; 1 Corinthians 1:2), --- God is prayed to everywhere in scripture (Daniel 9:3-19)
7.) - Jesus has the power to answer one's prayers (John 14:13, 14). --- God answers prayers (Psalm 18:6; Jonah 2:2)

8.) - Jesus allowed Himself to be worshiped (Matthew 2:2, 11; Matthew 14:33; Matthew 28:9; John 9:35-38; Hebrews 1:6) without accusing His worshipers of idolatry or blasphemy, unlike Peter, Paul, and angels (Acts 10:25, 26; 14:8-18; Revelation 19:10; 22:8, 9)
9.) - Jesus is called Lord and God by Thomas and by God the Father (John 20:28, 29; Hebrews 1:8-12)
10.) - Jesus' name is above every name (Philippians 2:10; Ephesians 1:21; Revelation 19:11, 12, 16)
11.) - Jesus is Almighty (Revelation 1:8) --- God is Almighty (Exodus 6:3; Revelation11:17)
12.) - Jesus is Omnipresent (Matthew 18:20; 28:20; Ephesians 4:10) --- God is Omnipresent (Jeremiah 23:23, 24; Proverbs 15:3; Hebrews 4:13)
13.) - Jesus is Omnipotent (Matthew 28:18; Philippians 3:20, 21; Hebrews 1:3) --- God is Omnipotent (Deuteronomy 32:39; Isaiah 46:10, 11)
14.) - Jesus is Omniscient (John 16:30; 21:17) --- God is Omniscient (Psalm 147:5; 1 John 3:20)
15.) - Jesus is Immutable (Hebrews 1:10-12; Hebrews 13:8) --- God is Immutable (Malachi 3:6; James 1:17)
16.) - Like God the Father, Jesus' voice is the sound of many waters, and the earth is illuminated with His glory (Ezekiel 43:2; Hebrews 1:3; Revelation 1:16; 18:1)
17.) - Jesus is the Source of Life (John 1:4) --- God is the Source of Life (Psalm 36:9)
18.) - Jesus is the Truth (John 14:6) --- God is the Truth (Psalm 31:5)

All inconsistencies are explained by the fact that Jesus Christ is a "God-man," a Hypostatic Union of 100% God and 100% human simultaneously (Colossians 2:9). Jesus temporarily emptied Himself of certain divine prerogatives at His incarnation and He remained a humble servant during His time on earth (Philippians 2:5-9; 2 Corinthians 8:9). Also keep in mind that, when it comes down to Jesus humbly serving the Father, it is because the Son submits Himself to the Father, and this signifies an assumed chain of command that exists within the Godhead, just as assumed chains of command exist within a human family (father & son), between husband and wife, between boss and employee, among government officials, among military personnel, etc. Jesus is repeatedly referred to as the "angel of the LORD" or the "Shekinah Glory" throughout the Old Testament. Although Jesus is not an angel by nature, He did take on the occupation of an angel as He worked as God's chief messenger that attended to God's chosen people, while simultaneously manifesting Himself as a "theophany" of Almighty God (Genesis 16:7-12; 21:17-18; 22:11-18; Exodus 3:2-15; 23:20, 21; Judges 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24; 13:3-22; 2 Samuel 24:16; Isaiah 43:8, 9; Zechariah 1:12; 3:1; 12:8; Malachi 3:1; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4).

Philippians 2:5-7 says that our Lord Jesus Christ existed in "the form of God" before the incarnation. These verses mention two "forms," and only two forms, namely "the form of God" and the "form of a servant." The Almighty omnipotent God is servant of nothing, but all creatures (things) are servants of God in the functional sense (Deuteronomy 32:39). If Jesus were already a created being, such as an angel or a human, there would have been no need for Him to take on the "form of a servant" at the incarnation because He would have already been a servant as a created being, already inferior and subordinate to God. Instead, Jesus existed in "the form of God", with Almighty power and glory, prior to the incarnation, and was not a creaturely servant of anyone or anything.

In addition, God's law demands that everything reproduce after its own kind (read Genesis Ch. 1), and God's invisible qualities and attributes are visible in His Creation (Romans 1:20). The Jews understood very well the words of Jesus when He claimed to be the Son of God; they understood that He was declaring Himself to be equal with God and of one nature with the Heavenly Father, but, instead of accepting Jesus for who He revealed Himself to be, they saw Jesus as a blasphemer and sought to kill Him (John 5:18; John 10:30-39). Jesus CANNOT be the definitive "Son of God" without also possessing the same unique nature as God the Father. For example, you have a human nature because your parents, who begot you, had a human nature. Your parents reproduced you after their own kind, which is human. Olive trees reproduce more olive trees; grape vines reproduce more grape vines; horses reproduce more horses; and dogs reproduce more dogs. Likewise, Jesus has God's exact nature because He was begotten directly of God the Father. Jesus therefore MUST possess the same nature as His own Father who begot Him. Jesus, as God the Son, is eternal (without beginning and without end), omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient, transcendent, incomprehensible, and immutable exactly like God the Father. The same attributes would also apply to the God the Holy Spirit, who proceeds forth from the God the Father and God the Son. Of course all of this is a divine mystery because it is impossible for the finite minds of humans to comprehend the full nature of the transcendent God and how He functions.

There are many more proofs in the Holy Bible that give irrefutable proof of the deity of Jesus Christ, but I will not discuss all of them in this one note because there are so many of them. One thing for certain is that Jesus NEVER ceased to be God after His taking on a human nature, because if Jesus were ONLY a created being (angel or human) at the time of His crucifixion on the Cross of Calvary, His ransom sacrifice would NOT have been sufficient enough to pay for the many sins of everyone seeking salvation. The ransom for sin had to be infinite because the eternal punishment for sin is infinite, and God is the only one qualified to pay an infinite price without being totally consumed and defeated in the process.