...Rodney Varner; THEO 201-B11_201240 September 15, 2012 Short Essay # 2 Short Essay on Christology As I was going home from work, two well-dressed gentlemen accost me, handing me some literature explaining what they believe. As I glanced over it, one sentence stood out stating that Jesus was a man and could not be God. I then told them that Christology in its most basic definition means the study of Christ. Christology focuses on Jesus’ nature and the person he was, as well as the details of his life and teachings. It also focuses on the relationship between Christ and God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Enwall explains Christology, “In the New Testament the writers indicate who Jesus is by describing the significance of the work He came to do and the office He came to fulfill” (Enwall 2001, 239). In this essay we will focus on some of the significant issues of Christology, such as Jesus’ humanity and deity, the Hypostatic Union, and the Biblical basis for such issues. Many people get confused and have a hard time with the concept of Jesus being both man and God at the same time. It is a hard concept to take in and understand, but we have to trust in the authority of the Bible. A few Biblical examples of the Humanity of Christ would be from the Books of Matthew and Mark. In Matthew 4:1-2, we read about Jesus being tested in the wilderness. He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights and after He was hungry, a very human trait. Again in Mark 4:38-41, we read the story...
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...Samuel Nelms THEO 201-B22LUO Short Essay #2 Christology September 15, 2012 As I was walking two men approached me, handing me some literature on why Jesus was a man and not also God. The gentlemen asked me, what do you think of our claim? I responded, If Jesus is just a man, were all doomed, because his humanity and deity are inseparable”. I explained to them, that the biblical basis for Jesus humanity was that he came as sacrifice for our sins and to identify with his creation. I told them,” it’s important to remember that his humanity is different from ours”. Jesus had no sin that permeates the rest of us. Jesus is what God intended for us to be. It’s through Jesus that our humanity can be purely and truly expressed. He always did the right thing and never sinned. None of us can say the same thing (Romans 5:12-19). The Biblical basis for Jesus humanity is just as important as his biblical basis for his deity. In 1Corithians15:3-8 Jesus deity is stated. That, for what I received I passed on to you as of first importance. That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to scripture, and he appeared to Peter, than to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same place, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, than to all apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. For Jesus...
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...BIBL323 “I Am” Paper The Gospel of John states seven statements that Jesus proclaimed, which we today know as “I am….” statements. These seven statements relate to the seven objects described and placed in the Israelite tabernacle during the Exodus. Dr. Elmer Towns, author of The Gospel of John: Believe and Live, states that the “I am…” statement is identification with the Old Testament deity; therefore he is claiming to be there, the Jews, God. Jesus makes a prophetic statement about His Deity and resurrection Leon Morris correctly states, When Jesus used the "I AM" construction he was speaking in the style of deity." And, "There is general agreement among John scholars that this kind of language is a significant pointer to what John is telling us about the person of Jesus." The first time Jesus made this self-existent claim without explanation or without the use of a metaphor was in John 4:26. While speaking to the Samaritan women at the well in this scripture verse, Jesus told her things about herself that no one knew before displaying his deity. The woman questions who Jesus truly is.; The Deity of Christ is examined by the woman when she states to Jesus in John 4:25, “The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, He who is called the Christ (the Anointed One); and when He arrives, He will tell us everything we need to know and make it clear to us.” The woman is making reference to two Old Testament scriptures found in Isaiah. The first one is Isaiah 45:22...
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...states, which are readily known as the “I am…” statements. There is an eighth claim that was also made by Jesus about Himself; when He simply states, “I am.” Theologian Elmer Towns states in his textbook, (Elmer Towns) “This is a statement of identification with Old Testament deity. Christ is implying, “I am…I am,” the self-existent One. He is claiming to be their God. The Old Testament is pointing to the coming One. Many scriptures tell that someone is coming. Who is coming? Could it be the Messiah? The people of John’s time were looking, searching, hoping for the One to come. Ray Stedman states in his commentary (Ray Stedman) “In John's day, people were stirred by the fact that John the Baptist had appeared. They asked him, "Are you the Christ?" He said, "No, but he is coming after me," and when Jesus began to preach up and down the hills of Judea and Galilee, men were saying everywhere, "Is this the One? Is this the Messiah?" The first time Jesus made this self-existent claim without explanation or without the use of a metaphor is found in John 4:26. Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well in this scripture verse. Jesus being Deity had been telling her things about herself that no one knew. The exchange between the woman and Jesus is very telling. The Deity of Christ is examined by the woman when she states to Jesus in John 4:2, “The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, He who is called the Christ (the Anointed One); and when He arrives...
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...been a long day at work. While I just wanted to get home and relax, I was stopped from doing so by two gentlemen handing me literature. I know that sometimes being a Christian is not always about convenience, so I started talking to them and put my relaxation on hold for just a little while longer. As I glanced over the paper they had handed me, I realized that our views on Jesus being a man and not God was completely contradictory. I must have had an expression on my face that allowed them to see my emotional thinking, because one of the men questioned what I was contemplating. I then told them that if Jesus was just a man, then we are all condemned and were going to Hell. My faith has taught me that because of Jesus’ humanity and deity he is not just a mere man. We must remember that our humanness is vastly different than his, and his divine being of love is what saves us from ourselves. “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) I then, asked them a question for their question and said, Do you know any mere human being that would truly “lay down their life” (John 15:13) or want to die to save another person and actually go through the action of it being totally selfless? After hearing my thoughts, the other gentleman asks me “What is the biblical basis for Jesus’ humanity?” I then asked the two of them to hold on for a moment while I put my groceries in the car...
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...Short Essay on Christology John 3: 16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in his shall not perish but have ever lasting life.” We see the humanity of Jesus so perfectly in this scripture. Jesus was given to the world to live a sinless, perfect life so that the world would see in flesh the Devine Authority of God. In Elwells article of Christology he points out that the virgin birth and resurrection are obvious signs of his humanity because just as humans, he was born and he died. There are many verses that explain the deity of God but the most basic and important in my opinion is Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The question of God’s deity rests in the very first verse of the Bible. He created the world for us to be sinless and blameless and we messed it up. So He gave us His only son to die on the cross for OUR sins so that we could have eternal life in heaven. We are so undeserving of his love and forgiveness but He gives it to us anyway. In the scenario above a man claims “Jesus was a man and as such could not also be God.” However, 1 Corinthians 3:23 simply states, “and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.” First off, I would like to say that God is the almighty, powerful, sovereign, Eternal Father. He can be both God and Man because he is all-powerful. The Hypostatic Union explains the union of the divine nature and the human nature in the incarnation of the Son...
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...you, handing you some literature explaining what they believe. You glance over it and are drawn to this sentence: "Jesus was a man and as such could not also be God." Seeing the puzzled look on your face, one of the men asks you what you think of this claim. Keeping this scenario in mind, answer the following questions in your essay: * What is the biblical basis for Jesus' humanity? In the Synoptic gospels, he was seen born of a woman, found lying in a cradle, growing, learning, subject to hunger, anxiety, doubt disappointment and surprise. Mark 2:15, 14:33; 15:34; Luke 2:40; 7:9, and finally to death and burial. Elwell. R.S WALLACE AND G.L. GREEN Pg 239 * What is the biblical basis for Jesus' deity? He claimed to forgive sin, thus assuming a prerogative that belong to God. Mark 2:5 – 7. He allows people to worship him, thus asserting himself as deity. Matthew 14:33, 28:9, John 20:28, 29 claimed any comparative attributes of omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence. He claimed to be in heaven John 3:13 and then nature would obey his words Mark 4:39. See towns 156 Explain how Jesus can be both God and Man at the same time (Hypostatic Union). “In the incarnation of the son of God, a human nature was inseparably united forever with the divine nature into one person of Jesus Christ, yet with the two natures remain distinct, whole, and unchanged, without mixture or confusion, so that the one person, Jesus Christ, is truly God and truly.” Elwell C.BLAISING Pg 584...
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...Shirley Lee-Perez Posted to: 201320 Spring 2013 THEO 201-D 10 LUO Professor Christopher Burroughs Short Essay #2 [Christology] As I was on my way home from work, two well-dressed gentlemen accosted me, handing me some literature which explained what they believed. As I glanced over it and was drawn to one sentence: “Jesus was a man and as such could not also be God.” Seeing the puzzled look on my face, one of the men asked me what I thought about the claim. The Biblical basis for Jesus humanity can be illustrated in scripture. John 1:14 states: “So the Word became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory of the only Son of the Father.” When Jesus was born, God became a man. He was not part man and part God, he was completely human and completely divine. Jesus Christ is the perfect expression of God in human form. Another important doctrine of Christianity is that of Jesus deity. In John 10:30 it reads: “The Father and I are one.” This is the clearest statement of Jesus divinity he ever made. Jesus and his father is not the same person but are triune in the nature of the Godhead. On page 158, Towns explains that, “The Biblical basis for Jesus deity is His pre-existence and eternity. Jesus has always existed as stated, John 8:58: “Jesus answered, “The truth is, I existed before Abraham was even born!” This is one of the most powerful statements uttered by Jesus. When he said that he existed before...
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...has been revealed. Today with the influence of the media and the outcry for a cure is heard around the world just as the day of old. The Gospel of John reveals the true deity of Jesus through eight amazing truths if one but listen, more importantly believe. Is not faith to see without seeing, believe without seeing? Thank God, for omnipresence, omnipotent, and omniscient Savior that took the opportunity...
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...Introduction The purpose of the paper is to analyze Jehovah’s Witnesses as a false religion. The history of Jehovah’s Witnesses will be discussed as well as the flaws in their religion. There will be a step by step method on how to approach Jehovah’s Witnesses with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Summary of Jehovah’s Witnesses Jehovah’s Witnesses are a modern-day religious sect that is Gnostic in its belief and legalistic in its religious practice . They were founded by Charles Taze Russell. As a young boy, Russell was brought up in a Presbyterian home. At age 16, he moved his membership to a Congregational church and was heavily influence by an Adventist Christian preacher by the name of Jonas Wendell. Russell had a difficult time believing in eternal punishment, the Trinity, the deity of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. With these disbeliefs, he organized his own bible class in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. In 1872, this class became known as the International Bible Students Association. Shortly afterwards in 1879, Russell help co-publish The Herald of the Morning magazine with his financial help in which he renamed it The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah's Kingdom. In 1884, Russell founded the Zion's Watch Tower Tract Society. Today it is known as the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society where over two million pieces of literature are printed yearly. It was not until 1931 the name “Jehovah’s Witnesses” became the official name of the Watch Tower Tract Society under the leadership...
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...Journal Critique – “Why God Became Man” The journal article “Why God Became Man”, provides an in-depth analysis on the incarnate birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus, born of the Father and of the Virgin Birth, Jesus truly was God. In Jesus Christ was the nature of God and because of the Virgin Birth, He truly was of God. God is the one unquestionable Deity, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit. For those unaware of God, His love and his selfless act of sending His Son to save us, the article contained seven clear distinct truisms about Jesus. The facts brought forth about Jesus: God brought himself to our lowly level through Jesus Christ, born as a servant, made in the likeness of man, he faced the sins of the world as do we, He portrayed the true example of being humble, He remained obedient to God, and he willingly died for us. Jesus was born into a simple human existence, though He remained God incarnate. Strauss brought to light in the article that we, as humans, regardless of our belief in God cannot truly comprehend the love and sacrifice God brought in the giving of Jesus Christ. Only God can understand the love felt for us in the sending of Jesus Christ. Jesus brought us salvation and redemption. Jesus came to reveal himself to us and to rescue all of humankind. We are also equally unable to understand the perfection of God, as found in the Deity. Throughout the article, Strauss used Scripture to back up and illustrate every point made. Strauss...
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...Dr. Daniel B. Wallace’s “The resurrection of christ: Theological implications” A Journal Critique THEO 313-D04 LUO Spring By: James R. Dunn Jr. Section One: Critique Introduction: Dr. Daniel B. Wallace does an excellent job in his article as he takes the discussion of the resurrection of Christ that most have over complicated and he simplifies it. He did an outstanding job at pointing the reader to why the resurrection event that glorifies God still to this day and hereafter and how it changed the course of world history. Strengths: As Dr. Wallace gives different lines of thought on the resurrection of Christ, he remains focused on keeping his thoughts in line with the Word of God. His article captures the deity of Christ as well as the very person of Christ as seen through the resurrection. Dr. Wallace is able to present a complete, clear, and detailed analysis of the resurrection and shares it in nine areas which are; 1. The Ultimate Apologetic: Validation of the Miracles of the Bible. 2. Proof that God is the God of the Living and is a Living God 3. Fulfillment of Jesus’ Predictions and of Scripture 4. An Essential Part of the Gospel 5. Implicit Demonstrations of Christ’s Deity 6. Guarantee of Believers Resurrection 7. Balanced Perspective on the Spiritual Status of the Human Body 8. The Indwelling of the Spirit and Resurrection Power 9. Forgiveness of Sins As Dr. Wallace writes on these nine different sections...
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...JOURNAL ARTICLE CRITIQUE “The Resurrection of Christ: Theological Implications” Critique In the following paragraphs, I will analyze and critique the article “The Resurrection of Christ: Theological Implications” by Daniel B. Wallace. Wallace’s main purpose in writing this article is to stress importance of the Resurrection of Christ and its impact on the Christian faith. Wallace is theologically sound in supporting his views and held a bit of humor to his arguments. Wallace starts off with a little historical background into the Old Testament mind set and of the early Jews. He explains the historical implications of a coming Savior and why the nation needed hope. He use Scripture in context and we can tell that he is well versed in his defense of the inerrancy of the Word of God. He describes the nation of God as needing hope and that they were looking for a Savior. He speaks briefly on the counsel the governed the laws called the Sadducees and uses a humorous sticking point on how to remember their name. Wallace describes the Sadducees as the precursors to modern TV evangelists. Next Wallace shifts to the early Christian preaching and the emphasis on the death of Christ. He explains how the gospel message is foolish to those who are perishing. He then provides a Scriptural reference on how serious the early church took the resurrection of Christ and briefly explains that is was the cornerstone of their sermons in Acts. Wallace’s approach to the resurrection...
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...Study Guide: Module 1 |I. Introduction |Instructions to Student: | | |Write your answers in this column. The cell will expand as you type. | |A. Core Christianity (textbook): “Introduction” | | | |How did the term “Christian” originate? | | | |For whom was this book written? | | | |Why do some have mistaken ideas about Christianity? | | |B. Theology for Today (online excerpt): Prolegomena to Theology | | | |What are the four tools for accurately arranging a systematic | | | |theology? | | | |What four...
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...Why God because man Lehman Strauss demonstrated how the incarnation does not occur in the Bible, but is an important part of God becoming flesh(man). Dr. Strauss use voluntary act of the Son of God, which he assumed into a human body. In this article God became human flesh to comprehend and apprehend the nature of man, to show his deity. Many have their different views of the human in of God; but He suffer and died for own sins. Dr. Strauss was very clear about the view and arguments. [1] Like, John 1:14 " In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God." Other like, Ceranthus was docetism claiming they Lord had only an apparent human body. Meaning He had real flesh" the word became flesh. Dr. Strauss gave us reason to believe that the union of the nature in Christ. Seven nature in His incarnation. "He made Him of no reputation ", " He took upon Him the form of a servant", " He was made in the likeness of man" this was the full reality of his humanity ", "And being found in fashion as a man", " He humble Himself", "He became obedient unto death ", and even the death of the cross did not stop Him from the taking of all our sins to the cross. Self-emptying of Christ meant being with God, taking the forms of a servant, being in the likeness and fashion. Humbling yourself, becoming obedient even unto death. Showing how God became Man form was a clear point that the author had and kept focus on God and his deity and incarnation. Personal conclusion...
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