Christology Test Flashcards
Jesus was virgin-born
Isaiah 7:14
Jesus was fully human
Luke 2:52
Jesus (“the Word”) is God in the flesh
John 1:1, 14
Jesus claimed to be God
John 8:58
Jesus is the only way to Heaven
John 14:6
Christ will physically return to earth one day
Acts 1:11
Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection are the essence of the Gospel message
1 Corinthians 15:1-4
as God-incarnate, Jesus humbled Himself as the sacrifice for mankind and God the Father has exalted Him as Lord of all
Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus is the Creator God
Colossians 1:16-17
Believers are complete in Christ, the eternal God
Colossians 2:9-10
human and divine natures in one indivisible Personality; Jesus is 100% God and 100% man at the same time
hypostatic union
refers to the miraculous conception of Christ, so that He was born of a virgin mother
virgin birth
the Son of God becoming a man / taking on human flesh
incarnation
Jesus possessed incorruptible character, i.e., He did not sin and could not sin
impeccability
the suffering and death of Christ
the passion
Christ’s suffering & dying in our place, i.e., as our substitute
vicarious death
the act of God the Father by which the Father gives the Son the honor due Him; begins with His resurrection and continues beyond His ascension
exaltation
views involving intentional deception (wrong tomb theory; theft theory)
fraud theories
swoon theory and hallucination theory
fallacies
how is Jesus God?
- He is called God in the Bible
- He claimed to be the God of the Old Testament
- Jesus is referred to by other O.T. names for God
- He is credited with the works of God
- He is prayed to as God
- He received worship
- He raised Himself from the dead
how did Jesus claim to be the God of the Old Testament?
- John 8:58-59
- “I am the Self-Existent God” (referencing the burning bush in Exodus
- most powerful
what are the O.T. names for God that Jesus was referred to by?
- “the First and the Last” (Rev. 1:17)
- “the Holy One” (Acts 3:14)
- “the King/Lord of Glory” (1 Cor. 2:8)
what works of God was Jesus credited with?
- created (Jn. 1:3)
- forgave sin (Mark 2:5-11)
- gives life (Jn. 5:21)
- will judge mankind (Jn. 5:22)
what are implication of Christ’s deity?
- has been debated for centuries
- NOT an optional doctrine
- essential and integral to the gospel message
- anyone who denies Christ’s deity is an antichrist
what does the title “Son of God” imply?
- states His primary identity
- a unique relationship with God
- oneness with God
- equality with God
how does “Son of God” state His primary identity?
- Jewish figure of speech; idiomatic expression
- dominant characteristic of the person
how does “Son of God” imply a unique relationship with God?
- “Son of man” (Mt. 16:13)
- “only begotten” Son of God (Heb. 11:17)
what does monogenes mean?
- “one of a kind”
- does not point to the origin of a relationship, but rather to the quality of that relationship
how does “Son of God” imply equality with God (Jn. 5)? (essay)
equal in works (5:19-21) - Jesus does what God does - “greater works than these”
equal in judgement (5:22, 26-30) - Jesus has God’s right to judge the world (1 Pet. 4:5)
equal in honor (5:23) - Jesus deserves the honor God deserves (Phil. 2:9-11)
equal in ability (5:24) - He, as God, gives eternal life (1 Jn. 4:9-15)
how is the incarnation foretold?
- the Protoevangelium (Gen. 3:15)
- the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:1-3)
- the Davidic Covenant (2 Sam. 7:12-16)
- the promise of a virgin birth (Isa. 7:14)
who’s curse did the virgin birth allow for Jesus to avoid?
curse of Jeconiah
who is Jesus physically only related to?
Mary (“her seed”), a descendent of David’s son Nathan (Lk. 3:31)
who is Jesus legally related to?
Joseph, a descendant of David’s son Solomon (Mt. 1:6)
what was the historical fulfillment of the incarnation?
- N.T. accounts of His birth to fulfill O.T. Prophecies (Lk. 1:26-56)
- God “was made flesh to be with us (Isa. 7:14)
what was the significance of the incarnation?
- it reveals God (Jn. 1:18)
- it provides an example for out lives (1 Pet. 2:21)
- it destroys the power of death and Satan (Heb. 2:14-16)
- it provides an effective sacrifice for sin – the God-Man
- it gives us a sympathetic High Priest (Heb. 4:14-16)
what is the continuing of the incarnation?
- post-resurrection appearances
- appearance in Heaven
- physical return to earth
how is the humanity of Jesus shown?
- humiliation
- human titles
- human ancestry
- sinless human nature
explain the Kenosis passage? (essay)
“being in the form of God” = morph - existing in the shape of God
“robbery” = to plunder; seize property belonging to another
- Christ did not regard it necessary to take equality with God by force, because He already possessed it
“made himself of no reputation”
He voluntarily humbled Himself (Jn. 10:18)
- “took upon him the form of a servant”
what are the two false theories of the Kenosis passage and their objections? (essay)
the Son gave up all of His divine attributes to become a human
- objection: God is immutable and unable to “empty” Himself of His attributes (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8)
- to presume that the Son gave up all of His divine attributes in becoming human is the equivalent of stripping Him of His deity
the Son gave up is relative (non-moral) attributes only
- objection: God cannot be fragmented into “essential attributes” and “relative attributes”
- to take one or more away from Christ is to take away Christ’s deity. if He emptied Himself of any attribute, He made Himself less than God
why is it translated “no reputation”?
- Christ, who possesses all the attributes of God, and who deserves all glory and reputation, lowered Himself to “no reputation” by becoming man and dying the death of a wrongly convicted criminal
- it best conveys the truth of Christ’s self humiliation, of the passage’s context on self-abasement, and what Christians ought to work toward
what is the human title of Christ?
“Son of man”
- full identification with all that man is
- ALSO a reference to His deity
what is the human ancestry of Christ?
Luke 3 - generally of Mary
Matthew 1 - genealogy of Joseph
what is the sinless human nature of Christ?
Jesus experienced the physical - yet sinless - limitation of mankind
- experience human growth (Lk. 2:52)
- experienced human characteristics
describe hypostatic union (essay)
human and divine natures in one indivisible personality
hupostatis = a setting under (support); KJV: person, substance (Heb. 1:3)
“that which lies beneath as a foundation or basis”
in reference to Christ, it describes His fundamental nature, the realty of His existence (1 Jn. 5:20)
Jesus is, at the same time, 100% God and 100% man
how?
- Jesus suppressed within Himself the independent exercise of His divine, non-moral attributes
- He never stopped being God but did not always use His deity
Jesus could have sinned (but did not)
peccability
was the temptation of Christ legitimate?
- the man Jesus was tempted (Heb. 4:15), BUT God cannot be tempted to do evil (James 1:13-14)
- human nature was temptable; divine nature was not temptable
- provided a model for us
what was the importance of His death?
- it is prominent in Scripture - mentioned over 175x in N.T.
- it was the purpose of His incarnation (Heb. 2:14)
- it was the study of the prophets (1 Pet. 1:10)
- it is the interest of the angels (1 Pet. 1:12)
- it is the theme of the church (1 Cor. 2:2; 15:1-4)
- it will be our song in heaven (Rev. 5:9-12)
what was the necessity of His death?
- Jesus paid the penalty for sin
- Jesus appeased God’s wrath
what is sin’s penalty?
death = separation
- spiritual death
- physical death
- eternal death
how did Jesus appease God’s wrath?
- Christ’s death was the only acceptable offering for sin (Isa. 53:10; 1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10)
- God’s holiness demands that every violation of His law be punished (Exod. 34:6-7)
- Jesus made the infinite, eternal payment due for our sin (Heb. 10:10-12)
what are the results for His death?
- forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7)
- justification = to declare someone righteous (Rom. 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:20)
- freedom from condemnation (Rom. 8:1, 33-34)
- cleansed conscience (Heb. 9:14)
- access to God’s presence (Heb. 10:19-20)
what is the importance of His resurrection?
- essential to the gospel message
- guarantees our physical resurrection and immortality
what are the various false theories with the resurrection?
the theft theory
- disciples stole body in order to gain power, fame, and finance
the swoon theory
- Jesus didn’t die but just passed out and was “woken up” in the tomb
The hallucination theory
- people who saw Him were hallucinating
The wrong tomb theory
- everyone went to the wrong tomb
why did Christ physically ascend into heaven?
- to prepare a place for us (Jn. 14:1-6)
- to intercede for us (1 Jn. 2:1)
why is Christ seated at the right hand of the Father?
- shows Christ’s true nature (Rev. 5:6, 12-14)
- illustrates His supremacy (1 Pet. 3:22)
- allows Him to represent us to God (Heb. 4:14-16)
