A Study of the Person and Work of Christ

THE PRE-EXISTENCE OF CHRIST

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was
born, I am.” (John 8:58)

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. (Col.
1:17)
THE VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His
mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they
came together she was found to be with child by the Holy
Spirit.…“BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD
AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS
NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH
US.”
(Mt. 1:18, 23)
WHY THE VIRGIN
BIRTH IS IMPORTANT
 To deny the virgin birth is to deny the Word of God
 To deny the virgin birth is to deny the deity of Christ
 To deny the virgin birth is virtually to declare that Jesus
inherited a sinful nature
 To deny the virgin birth is to disqualify Jesus from being
Savior
 To be your Savior He must be a man because only a
man could die for a man.
 To be your Savior the One who is to die in your place
must himself be innocent, or else he will bear the
punishment of his own sin.
 The virgin birth of Christ relates to the resurrection of
Christ.
THE HUMANITY OF
CHRIST
 He had a true body of flesh and blood
 He had a normal human development
 He had a human soul and spirit
 He had the characteristics of a human being
 He became hungry (Mt. 4:2), thirsty (Jn. 4:7) and tired
(Jn. 4:6).
 He experienced human emotions
 He had human names
SCRIPTURE’S AFFIRMATION
OF THE DEITY OF CHRIST
 His names
 His attributes
 His works
 He receives worship
CHRIST’S HYPOSTATIC UNION

As the God-man, Jesus Christ is neither diminished as God or

as man.

He is fully God and fully man at all times. To minimize the

importance of either part of this union is to destroy the
significance of God.
CHRIST’S HYPOSTATIC UNION

 Christ had two distinct natures: humanity and deity.

 There was no mixture or intermingling of the two natures
 Although He had two natures, Christ was one Person
CONSEQUENCES OF THE
HYPOSTATIC UNION

 Some actions or attributes are true of the entire person.

 Some statements are true only of His human nature, but
the whole person is the subject.
 Some statements are true only of His deity, but the whole
person is in view.
 Some statements are true of the God-Man, the union of
the two natures.
 “
One of the most complex aspects of the relationship of Christ’s
two natures is that, while the attributes of one nature are never
attributed to the other, the attributes of both natures are properly
attributed to His one person. Thus Christ at the same moment
in time had what seem to be contradictory qualities. He was
finite and yet infinite, weak and yet omnipotent, increasing in
knowledge and yet omniscient, limited to being in one place at
one time and yet omnipresent. In the Incarnation, the person of
Christ is the partaker of the attributes of both natures, so that
whatever may be affirmed of either nature — human or divine —
may be affirmed of the one person.”

Ron Rhodes, “Reasoning from the Scriptures.”

THE KENOSIS AND HYPOSTATIC
UNION
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ
Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did
not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but
emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and
being made in the likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
(Phil. 2:5-8)
THE KENOSIS AND HYPOSTATIC
UNION

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,

who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form
of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming
obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil. 2:5-8)
IMPECCABILITY AND THE
TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has

passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high
priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but
One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet
without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence
to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. (Heb. 4:14-16)
IMPECCABILITY AND THE
TEMPTATION OF CHRIST
 Christ’s peccability could relate only to His human
nature; His divine nature was impeccable.
 Christ was impeccable because —
 The immutability of Christ.
 The omnipotence of Christ.
 The omniscience of Christ.
 The deity of Christ.
 The nature of temptation.
 The will of Christ.
 The authority of Christ.
THE WORDS AND WORKS
OF CHRIST

 The words of Jesus reveal his uniqueness.

 The words of Jesus demonstrate His
omniscience.
 The words of Jesus demonstrate His
authority.
THE DEATH OF CHRIST

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we

might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21)

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we
might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you
were healed. (1 Pt. 2:24)
THE DEATH OF CHRIST

 Substitution
 Redemption
 Propitiation
 Forgiveness
 Justification
 “He came to die as a priest for his enemies.…What
mercy may we not expect from so gracious a
Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) who took our nature upon him
that he might be gracious? He is a physician good at
all diseases, especially at the binding up of a broken
heart. He died that he might heal our souls with a
plaster of his own blood, and by that death save us,
which we were the procurers of ourselves, by our own
sins. And has he not the same heart in heaven?”

Richard Sibbes, The Bruised Reed.

PROOFS OF THE RESURRECTION
OF CHRIST

 The empty tomb.

 The resurrection appearances.
 The transformed disciples.
 Observance of the first day of the week.
 The existence of the church.
THE CHARACTER OF THE
RESURRECTION BODY

 It was the same material body that had lain in the tomb.
 It was a glorified body.
 It was not restricted to space.
 It did not require rest.
 It did not have blood.
THE OFFICES OF CHRIST

 He is the prophet.

 He is the priest.

 He is the king.
THE PRESENT MINISTRY
OF CHRIST

 Formation of the Body

 Direction of the Body
 Cleansing of the Body
 Nurture of the Body
 Giving gifts to the Body
 Praying for the Body
 Christ is preparing heaven for the Body
 Christ Is producing fruit in the Body
 “If you take Christ out of Christianity, Christianity is
dead.…
If you leave out Christ, you have left the sun out of
the day, and the moon out of the night, you have left
the waters out of the sea, and the floods out of the
river; you have left the harvest out of the year, the
soul out of the body; you have left joy out of heaven,
you robbed all of its all. There is no Gospel worth
thinking of, much less worth proclaiming, if Jesus is
forgotten. We must have Jesus as Alpha and
omega…”

Charles Spurgeon.