Christology

WHAT IS CHRISTOLOGY?

  "Christology" comes from two Greek words meaning

"Christ / Messiah" and "word" - which combine to mean "the study of
Christ."
 Christology is the study of the Person and work of Jesus Christ.
 Christology as an historical science has the task of elucidating be reference to the
sources of the following:
a. The Origin and development of the Messianic idea and of the Messianic hope
both inside and outside Israel and Judaism.
b. The Messianic consciousness of Jesus Nazareth
c. The origin and nature of the original apostolic Christ cult and the forms which it
found expression
d. The origin and development of the Christian Doctrine of Jesus Christ.

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

It is generally accepted that Jesus was truly a man who walked on the earth
in Israel 2000 years ago. The Bible tells us that Jesus was infinitely more
than a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly man.

For the Jews, Jesus arrived as the long awaited Messiah. But on His arrival
many did not recognize Him. Others refused to accept Him because He did
not fit their image as a King. Men hated Him so deeply that they sought to
end His life and did crucify Him.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ greatly impacted His devoted
followers. At His death many went into hiding, fearing for their very lives.
But at His resurrection, they finally figured out what He had been trying to
tell them. The words of their testimony and the power of His name continued
to change the lives of many others. 
We know how significant is the question 'Who is Jesus?' because Jesus
himself asked it. In Matthew 16, he asks the disciples who the people think
he is. After they answer, Jesus then poses the much more poignant
question, 'Who do you say I am?' 

Peter’s memorable reply is, 'You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'
(Matt. 16:16). Notice that this answer doesn’t focus on the fact that Jesus is
a man (which was surely obvious), nor does it focus on the fact that he is
God per se. Instead, Peter focuses on two concepts familiar to first-century
Jews—the concept of 'Messiah' (which is 'Christ' in Greek) and the concept of
'Son of God.'
https://www.uniontheology.org/resources/doctrine/who-is-jesus-an-introduction-to-christology
 And as time went on, he began to be called the 'Messiah,' which means
'anointed one.' This promised Messiah was to come from the descendants of
Eve, of Abraham, of Isaac

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God' (John 1:1-2). Here he establishes the eternity of the Word, the
distinction between the Word and God such that they can be 'with' each
other, and the identity of the Word as God. 

 'The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory,
glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth' (John 1:14).
Here John makes clear that the birth of the Word in flesh is not the
beginning of his existence. He has always been with God, and has always
been God. 

 He has always been the unique Son from the Father. But now that he has
become human, we can see him for who he is.

So, who did Jesus claim to be? Who does the Bible say He is? “I and the
Father are one.” “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham
was born, I am!’” Jesus’ announcing His identity as “I am” is a direct
application of the Old Testament name for God (Exodus 3:14)

The New Testament letters further explain the picture of Jesus we receive
from the Gospels, and perhaps Philippians 2 is the clearest passage.

And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient

to the point of death, even death on a cross' (Phil. 2:5-8) This passage
shows the downward movement of God’s Son. He was equal with God, yet
he humbled himself by becoming human

Jesus clearly and undeniably claimed to be God. If He is not God, then He is

a liar, and therefore not a prophet, good teacher, or godly man. 
Why is the question over Jesus’ true identity so important?
Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God? 

 The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not
God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for
the sins of the whole world.
 He proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through me”
 https://www.gotquestions.org/Christology.html

"Why is the Virgin Birth so important?"

 The doctrine of the virgin birth is crucially important. “The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow
you”  Matthew states that the virgin “was found to be with child
through the Holy Spirit” 
 From these passages, it is certainly clear that Jesus’ birth was the result of
the Holy Spirit working within Mary’s body. The immaterial (the Spirit) and
the material (Mary’s womb) were both involved. Only God could perform the
miracle of the Incarnation.
 However, denying a physical connection between Mary and Jesus would
imply that Jesus was not truly human. Scripture teaches that Jesus was fully
human, with a physical body like ours. This He received from Mary. At the
same time, Jesus was fully God, with an eternal, sinless nature.
 Jesus was not born in sin; that is, He had no sin nature (Hebrews 7:26). It
would seem that the sin nature is passed down from generation to
generation through the father. The Virgin Birth circumvented the
transmission of the sin nature and allowed the eternal God to become a
perfect man.
 Who is Jesus? He is God’s eternal, beloved Son who has become human
while remaining who he already was, in order to accomplish our salvation . 

What is the hypostatic union? How can Jesus be both God and
man at the same time?

 The hypostatic union is the term used to describe how God the Son, Jesus Christ, took
on a human nature, yet remained fully God at the same time. Jesus always had been
God. 
 Jesus' two natures, human and divine, are inseparable. Jesus will forever be
the God-man, fully God and fully human, two distinct natures in one Person.

 Jesus' humanity and divinity are not mixed, but are united without loss of
separate identity. In both, Jesus' actions were from His one Person. Jesus
had two natures, but only one personality.

 It is impossible for us to fully understand how God works. We, as human

beings with finite minds, should not expect to totally comprehend an infinite
God. 

 Jesus is both God and man. Jesus has always been God, but He did not
become a human being until He was conceived in Mary. Jesus became a
human being in order to identify with us in our struggles (Hebrews 2:17)
and, more importantly, so that He could die on the cross to pay the penalty
for our sins (Philippians 2:5-11). 
  In summary, the hypostatic union teaches that Jesus is both fully human
and fully divine, that there is no mixture or dilution of either nature, and
that He is one united Person, forever.

https://www.gotquestions.org/Christology.html

The Early Church’s Reflection on Christ

 As great Christian thinkers reflected on these passages and others, their
focus was on the relation between who Christ is and what Christ does to
accomplish our salvation. 

 If salvation were merely a thing, a set of goods or benefits, then such a

thing could be easily transferred. God could entrust it to someone else, and
then that someone could pass along this set of goods or benefits to others

 Following this line of reasoning, the church in the second and third centuries
affirmed the central truth that God the Son, fully equal to the Father, has
personally come down to earth to save us. 

 "What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?"

 Jesus is not God’s Son in the sense of a human father and a son. God did
not get married and have a son. God did not mate with Mary and, together
with her, produce a son. Jesus is God’s Son in the sense that He is God
made manifest in human form.

 To be the Son of God is to be of the same nature as God. The Son of God is
“of God.”

 The claim to be of the same nature as God—to in fact be God—was

blasphemy to the Jewish leaders; therefore, they demanded Jesus’ death, in
keeping with Leviticus 24:15. Hebrews 1:3 expresses this very clearly, “The
Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His
being.” The Son of God is God. Jesus is God made manifest (John
1:1, 14).

IMPORTANCE OF CHRISTOLOGY

 A Biblical understanding of Jesus Christ is crucial to our salvation.

Many cults and world religions claim to believe in Jesus Christ. The
problem is that they do not believe in the Jesus Christ presented in the
Bible. That is why Christology is so important.

  It helps us to understand the significance of the deity of Christ. It

demonstrates why Jesus is the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Christology teaches us that Jesus had to be man so that He could die -
and had to be God so that His death would pay for our sins. It is
perhaps the most important area of theology.
   As we delve into the heart of Jesus, we begin to grasp the amazing
concept that He, being fully Man and fully God, loves each of us with a
never-ending love the extent of which is hard for us to imagine. 

https://www.gotquestions.org/Christology.html

CHRISTOLOGY
Religious
Studies II

ABIFE R. AMATONG
G11-OUR LADY OF FATIMA

MR. RINO MANCILLA

RELIGIOUS STUDIES II TEACHER