Person of Christ

Question 1

What are some of the names of Christ given in Scripture?

Answer 1

Matthew 1:16, Luke 2:11 - Messiah / Christ

Matthew 2:23 - Emmanuel - God with us

Luke 2:11, Titus 2:13 - Savior / God

Luke 2:11, Romans 10:9 - Lord

Luke 1:35 - Son of God (angel speaking to Mary)

Matthew 12:8 - Son of Man (Lord of Sabbath)

John 1:1 - The Word

John 1:49 - Teacher / Rabbi (calling of Nathanael)

Isaiah 9:6 - Wonderful Counselor / Mighty God

Question 2

Is Christ eternal?

Answer 2

YES, Christ is eternal.

John 1:1, Colossians 1:18, John 17:5
He was at the beginning with God before creation

Colossians 1:15, Psalm 89:27
He is the firstborn of all creation

John 1:3, Colossians 1:16, Hebrews 1:10
He existed before creation

John 8:58
He existed before Abraham: “before Abraham was, I am.”

Question 3

Give examples of the Person of Christ in the Old Testament.

Answer 3

MAJESTIC PLURALS:
God speaks of Himself in the plural

• Genesis 1:26 - Let us make man in our image
• Genesis 3:22 - Man has become like us, knowing good and evil
• Genesis 11:7 - Let us go down and confound their language
• Isaiah 6:8 - Who will go for us?
• Matthew 3:15 - it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness

PROMISE OF THE COMING MESSIAH
Genesis 3:15 - Seed of the woman
Genesis 12:3 - Jesus claims to be the seed of Abraham
Deuteronomy 18:15 - promised prophet if Moses
Isaiah 7:14 - Virgin birth
Isaiah 9:6 - Wonderful Counselor
Isaiah 53 - Suffering Servant

THEOPHANIES
Appearances of the “Angel of The Lord”. Some claim that these are Christophonies or pre-incarnate appearances of Jesus.

Genesis 16:7 - Hagar in the wilderness

Genesis 18- Angels headed toward Sodom

Daniel 3:25 - fiery furnace

Question 4

What Biblical evidence is there that Christ was conscious of His divinity?

Answer 4

Luke 2:41-49
Twelve-year-old Jesus is in “His Father’s house”.

Matthew 9:1-7
Jesus heals a paralytic claiming it was as easy for Him to forgive sins as it is to heal.

John 8:58
Pharisees saying Abraham was their father. Jesus rebukes them saying, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”

John 10:30
Jesus is the Good Shepherd who loses none that the Father gives him because “I and the Father are one.”

John 14:6,9-10
I am the way, the truth, and the life… if you know me, you know the Father… He who has seen me has seen the Father

John 17:5
Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer: “glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”

Question 5

What is the scriptural foundation for believing that Christ had both a divine nature and a human nature?

Answer 5

DIVINE NATURE: 
Matthew 1:23, 3:17, 9:17
John 1:1,14,18, 8:58, 10:30, 14:9-10, 17:5
Romans 9:5 (Christ, God over all)
Colossians 1:15-17
2 Peter 1:1

HUMAN NATURE:
Matthew 1 -genealogy, born of a woman
Luke 2 - grew physically
Mark 4 - slept during the storm
Matt 4 and Luke 4 - got hungry
John 11 - had emotions, cried
John 19 - died

Question 6

Why are both natures essential to the person of Christ?

Answer 6

Luke 1:35, Galatians 4:4
The virgin birth allowed the unity of full humanity and full deity.

Hebrews 2:16-18
His diety was necessary for a perfect sacrifice; his humanity was needed to be a sacrifice for us.

Romans 5:18
He was a perfect sacrifice, having fully obeyed God in his humanity.

1 Peter 2:24
To appease God’s wrath, Jesus took our sin upon himself.

Galatians 4:4-5
This humanity with deity provided satisfactory propitiation.

I Timothy 2:5
By His perfect life and substitutionary death, He becomes the one and perfect mediation between God and humankind.