Who is Jesus?The Person of Christ

I. Modern Struggles with the Person of Jesus

The Jesus Seminar

Albert Sweitzer-1875-1965—Quest for the Historical Jesus

II. Traditional treatments of the person of Jesus

1. Humanity of Jesusa. Virgin Conception—Matt. 1:18ff, Lk. 1:26, Is. 7:14

1. Fulfills the seed of the woman promise—Gen. 3:15

15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

2. Allows for full humanity and deity—traduceanism

3. No inherited sin—Lk. 1:35 35And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit

will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God.

Shows that Salvation is supernatural, grace is great and Jesus is unique

b. Human limitations--Matt. 8:2424And behold, there arose a great storm on the

sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep.

c. Sinlessness/temptability—Heb. 4:15

15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one

who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin

• 1. Not able to sin or able not to sin?• 2. Defeated temptations in the flesh• 3. Felt the full brunt of temptation—carried it

to the end

d. Necessity of humanity

• 1. Representative (active) obedience-Rom. 5:18

• 18Therefore, as one trespass (trespass of one) led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men.

• 2. Substitutionary sacrifice--Rom. 5:8

8but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• 3. Mediator—I Tim. 2:5

• 5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

• 4. Sympathize as high priest—Heb. 2:16-17

• 16For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people

• 5. Shows human nature was created good.

b. Deity of Christ

• 1. Scripture—Jn. 1:1

εν αρχη ην ο λογος και ο λογος ην προς τον θεον και θεος ην ο λογος

In beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God

2. Kenosis (“made himself nothing”, “emptied himself”)

• ESV, NIV, NET, NASV- made himself nothing• King James Version- made himself of no

reputation• New Living Translation- he gave up his divine

privileges.

• A. Not lose his deity• B. Took on flesh—humility—gave up status

but did not lose nature of Godhead.

3. Necessity of deity

1. To pay the full price for sin--"You shall be holy, for I am holy." 17And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot

2. Mediator5For there is one God, and there is one mediator

between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

3. Reveals God—Jn. 14:99Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so

long, and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

• 4. To have union with God—John 3:24

24 Whoever keeps his commandments abides in God, and God in him. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.

C. Incarnation—deity and humanity in one

1. Chalcedonian creed—AD 451

2. One nature does some things the other does not

--Hunger, sleep, died, learned—human--Miracles

3. Christ person is one with 2 natures