PERSON OF JESUS- ESSAY PLAN Flashcards
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW.
INTRODUCTION
- Christians should believe that Jesus did have a unique relationship with God, because the unique relationship they shared was that of a father son relationship
- Therefore, by believing in their unique relationships, this demonstrates that Christians should believe that Jesus was the son of God
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW.
JESUS’ BAPTISM- DUCK
“When all the people were being baptised, Jesus was baptised too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the holy spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son whom I love; with you I am well pleased” (LUKE 3:21-22) - can also be found in Mark’s gospels
- Jesus is seen alongside the other persons of the trinity
- God calls him his son + says he is pleased with him
- This passage is a demonstration of Jesus being the son of God and a showcase of their unique relationship
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW.
JESUS’ BAPTISM : BULLET
REZA ASLAN: Jesus didn’t have the unique relationship with God that Christians believe and instead was a liberator
- Book: Zealot: The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth –> Zealots were a Jewish group determined to achieve violent liberation
- He argues that Jesus was involved in a much more confrontational resistance than is presented in the New Testament
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW.
JESUS’ BAPTISM : BULLET (REASONINGS)
1) MATTHEW 10:34- “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth, I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”
2) His disciples were armed revolutionaries - Peter uses a sword to defend Jesus, Simon was called “Simon the Zealot”, Judas Iscariot (meaning dagger man, another word for Zealots)
3) Jesus was crucified for a civic crime, not a religious crime. This suggests the Romans might have executed him as a possible revolutionary
4) Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem establishes him as a confrontational revolutionary: his arrival during passover, a time associated with liberation from slavery; his entry mirroring Zechariah 9:9- Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey,
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW.
JESUS’ BAPTISM: VET
Ultimately:
- R.A is a historian and so his arguments are not as relevant to Christians as the Bible- believed to be the word of God.
- Aslan also cherry picks his evidence in order to help shape his argument better- therefore it is selective and mis representative
- There is a lot of evidence in the bible that Jesus actually was a teacher of peace:
1) “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword” Matthew 26:52
2) “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” Matt 5:9
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW.
JESUS: FULLY GOD AND FULLY HUMAN- DUCK
- Only a human could die for human sin
- Only God could cleanse human sin
- therefore Jesus had to have been both
- FIRST COUNCIL OF NICEA: Jesus was of the same substance as the Father- known as homoousios
- COUNCILS OF CHALCEDON: Hypostatic union: acknowledges the two natures within Christ which come together into one person- Jesus was not a mix or blend
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW.
JESUS: FULLY GOD AND FULLY HUMAN- BULLET
No being can be fully God and fully human at the same time
If Jesus wasn’t corrupted with sin, then he can’t have been human.
If he was corrupted with sin then he can’t have been god.
Sin makes people human and cannot be in the presence of the divine.
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW.
JESUS: FULLY GOD AND FULLY HUMAN- VET
-Trying to figure this out is a divine mystery- Gerald O’Collins argues that this is very difficulty to study the inner world of any living being, dead or alive.
-Human sin means we’ll never understand how God work- sin blinds us
-Analogy of snowman- a snowball and snowman can be in different forms and still the same substance- these analogies are good explanations
-John 1: The word was with God in the beginning
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW
JESUS’ MIRACLES: DUCK
-Jesus’ miracles are accounted in the Bible and are further proof that Jesus had a unique relationship with God
eg: Mark 7:37- references to making deaf see and mute speak; Mark 6:47-52- calming the storm
- Jesus’ resurrection is considered his greatest miracle. It acts as proof that Jesus’ atoning sacrifice was enough to pay the debt for human sin, meaning humans can now be with God in the afterlife
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW
JESUS’ MIRACLES- BULLET
EDWARD SCHILLEBEECKX:
-Jesus’ miracles have spiritual or metaphorical meanings rather than literal meanings and should be interpreted as such
- The miracles might represent the power of accepting Jesus over one’s mind
e.g healing miracles might represent healing of past traumas; Jesus calming the storm might represent power of his teachings to calm powerful negative forces like anger and resentment
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW
JESUS’ MIRACLES- VET
- If we take the miracles of Jesus metaphorically, we are simplifying Christianity down to any other worldview, culture or philosophy
-It takes away its uniqueness, which is what makes it what it is
-Jesus’ ability to perform miracles cements his status as son of god- denying that denies the fundamental Christian belief that God and human life have been able to be connected through Jesus
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW
WHOLE POINT OF CHRISTIANITY- DUCK
The whole point of Christianity is that it offers something unique- eternity with God
We have this through Jesus’ teachings and his sacrifice to save humanity by dying on the cross
Only someone with a unique relationship with God could offer this
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW
WHOLE POINT OF CHRISTIANITY- BULLET
JOHN HICK: Jesus’ awareness of God’s will isn’t unique and is in fact seen in many historical, religious figures
- He insists we move past the idea of the incarnation and focus on jesus being another holy person who nurtures the transformation from self centredness to other centredness- this is the real meaning of salvation
- he believes Jesus was close to god, just not his son
JESUS HAD A UNIQUE RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD. CRITICALLY EVALUATE THIS VIEW
WHOLE POINT OF CHRISTIANITY- VET
Jesus’ teachings weren’t just the same as other religious figures- other religions don’t necessarily teach love, forgiveness, or liberation from sin- which is what salvation truly is
