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Good evening, everyone. Well, this is Certainly our smallest class yet. We've had several folks out. So it is my hope that there are more more who are who are with us online. So if you're online, hello but Want to encourage you always don't ever use the online as a reason not to be here if you can.
If you can be here, it's much better off. You can ask questions. We can engage we can go back and forth. Also want to take a moment for a slain shameless plug. If you don't currently listen to coffee with a Calvinist my daily program I would encourage you to listen to today's program and tomorrow's program.
On today's program and tomorrow's program. I am answering questions from a non Calvinist. Someone who is who doesn't hold the same theological views that I hold and he's a good friend of mine he is a believer, but he's not a Calvinist and so I asked him to come on the program and essentially Engage with me on that subject and he did a really good job.
And I think I did a good job answering his questions, but I'll let you be the judge of that. But it was today's program was an hour long tomorrow's program is a half hour. So we we talked for an hour and a half and about the the deeper things of God's determination free will and those things so this goes right along with what we're studying in this class and Deals with some of the things that we honestly just don't have time to dig too deep into so consider that an extra class consider that an hour and a half of Additional time in study so tonight we're going to move into the doctrine of Christology one of my favorite subjects to both study and teach but before we do that, we're going to Have our pop quiz and I asked you before class to go ahead and write your answers down.
Hopefully you have done that the pop quiz this week is defined the following Criatio ex nihilo is the first one. The second one is sin and the third one is Covenant, so let's first what is the definition of Criatio ex nihilo?
Yes, sir. Means creation out of nothing. That's right. Ex nihilo means out of nothing and Criatio is just the Latin for creation. So it means to create out of nothing that was part of what we discussed last week the doctrine of creation.
Begins with the idea that God didn't form out of pre-existing matter. But that all things matter energy and all things come from him and extra credit. By what did he create by the divine? Fiat the word the spoken word.
He spoke the world into existence. Good job Ed. All right number two. What's the definition of sin? Yes. That's right in the simplest form sin is defined by God's standard his law and the the more elaborate definition in the confession is sin is any one of conformity unto or Trans.
See now I can't even remember sin is any one of conformity unto or transgression of the law of God, but yes, that's right. It's breaking the law of God. Yep. All right. Yes, sir. Wait for number three.
Well dive right in Ed. What's number three? That yes, that's that is the a covenant that he makes through Christ. A covenant though is simply an agreement. Covenants a promise or an agreement between two parties, but you're right and the agreement that God makes to save us is the covenant.
With through in and through Christ. Yeah, very good. All right, so did we get those? All right. So that was what I'm doing basically each week is just creating three simple questions that kind of Remind us of what we talked about last time and moves us into the new week.
Well tonight I'd like for you to take out your books if you have them your textbook and turn to page 127 we're just going to read the first paragraph of the chapter 23 to introduce us to the subject of Christology now I have it for me.
It's page 127. I see some of you have the softback edition. Is that still the case that this is still chapter 23 same page. Okay, so make sure the page numbers are the same. All right. The title is the Christ of the Bible this section of systematic theology.
Christology is perhaps the most intimidating and I would add an amen to that. Yet it is one of the richest Sections of our study here. We focus on the person and work of Christ himself. It is significant that our faith is called Christianity for our attention is rightly focused on the one who has redeemed us.
Any study of the person of Christ can only scratch the surface? Because the portrait of Jesus in Scripture is so deep that it defies human ability to grasp it exhaustively. This morning at set free. I was teaching on Christology their version of this same class.
I'm giving to you guys and I mentioned or one of the guys asked me he said well Why is it that God only gave us three years of Christ's life out of 33 years on the earth? Why do we really only have three years of information and my response was well first.
We don't know all we do know is that we are given the information We are supposed to have we are given the information we need but further than that We have a lifetime of study in just those three years.
More than we could ever really Comprehend and contained in our minds is is is wrapped up in that three years of ministry. You remember what John said at the end of his gospel if all the things that Jesus ever did were were written down.
There wouldn't be enough books to contain them. You know, so the idea that we have so much to draw from even in just a short Biography of Christ and really not even a full biography, but a three-year biography of his ministry.
Also notice in our in our textbook. It says our faith is called Christianity. When was it that? The followers of Jesus were first called Christians. Good evening, gentlemen. Good evening. No, you're fine now you're are you new to tonight?
Hi, what's your name? Hi, Don. I'd come shake your hand. I'll shake it during the break. Come on in have a seat. All right, so we have Christianity is what we call the faith. When was the or where rather were the followers of Christ first called Christians?
How do you know that Bobby? But how else do you know? Same way I do Patsy Hoffman's Bible studies that she used to do we had the same Sunday school teacher growing up. Bobby's my brother by the way, and she that was one of her famous Patsy Hoffman questions.
Where were the Christians first called Christians? They were called Christians at Antioch. And if you read the narrative of that particular study what you find is it was actually derogatory term. The title Christians was not a positive thing.
It was it was a way for the for the opposition to sort of Use that as sort of a striking plate against them. They're little Christ's is what the term Christian would have meant and they're there. It was a it was a negative term, but the Christians would later use it as a positive.
We are followers of Christos they they were. No, that was what they refer to themselves as followers of the way and That would have been based on John 14 when Jesus said I am the way. Alright, so they they identified themselves as followers of The way so again tonight.
We are beginning our study of Christology. We just read a portion of our textbook and now we're going to outline our lesson for the evening. Our lesson for the evening is going to be broken into three parts number one the incarnation and hypostatic Union number two the offices of Christ and Number three the covenants.
I'm sorry. That's wrong. Number three should be the atonement my notes. I I messed up and That's a typo on my notes. I apologize so number one is the incarnation and hypostatic Union number two is the offices of Christ and number three is the atonement.
All right. So let's begin by the way for those of you who came in we did have a pop quiz tonight. This was our pop quiz, I'll leave it on the board. I'll just flip the board around if you want to take the pop quiz after Class I would like for you to have it in your notes, please.
All right, so let's begin first with definition of terms. I'm going to talk about two primary terms in our first portion Incarnation and hypostatic Union by show of hands. What does the word incarnation mean?
Good means in the flesh carne meaning flesh. Incarnate means to take on flesh and What particular Bible verse would we go to to to reference the incarnation? Let somebody else have a try. No, no, I'm just kidding.
Mr. Jones. No, no, go ahead Bobby. What is it? Well, I would say John 1 1 references the divinity of Christ, but not specifically the incarnation. John 1 1 says in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
That would refer to his pre-existence and his relationship within the Trinity with the Father. What'd you say brother? That's verse 14. That's a verse specifically that I was looking for John 1 and verse 14 says the word became flesh and dwelt among us and We beheld his glory the glory of the only begotten of the Father full of grace and truth.
When it says the word became flesh. This is a very important theological statement because what it is reminding us is that the word was not always flesh. Jesus Has always existed in the form of the second person of the Trinity The Divine Son of God or the what we would say God the Son has always existed in the form of divinity but by Referencing his humanity.
We say his humanity came into existence in Bethlehem. He was not always human. He was always divine therefore we have a taking on of Flesh that is what it means to be Incarnate now we have Old Testament Appearances of Christ.
We would say that There are times where Jesus comes on the scene in the Old Testament. When is the what would be probably the most explicit reference to Jesus's appearance in the Old Testament? They may know it's okay.
Don't don't be afraid jump right in no nails. Go ahead. Okay, you thinking of the the Lord of or the the the armies the Worded but yeah, yeah, that's one. I think that's a reference to Christ but You talk about Daniel and the and the it says one like the Son of God.
Yeah. Yeah, I Just preached on that a few weeks ago I think that that was Christ. But I think proving it from the text is difficult because the text doesn't say the Son of God it says a son of God.
So yeah. Commentary says that yeah. Sure, brother.
Okay. Yep, Abraham ate with the Lord under the trees at Mamre and Adam of course walked with the Lord in the cool of day. So you had a done you had Abraham okay. The one that comes to my mind just to add none of none of what you said necessarily is wrong.
But the one that comes to my mind specifically is I in Isaiah 6 When the Bible says that Isaiah saw the Lord seated on his throne in the robe of his the train of his robe filled the temple later in the Gospel of John it says Isaiah saw his glory and in the in the in the Antecedent of the pronoun which his when it says Isaiah saw his glory.
The antecedent is Christ so that tells us that the glory that Isaiah saw was Christ and So I think that the Isaiah 6 vision was a pre incarnate appearance of Jesus. I think that's the I think that's the one where we have the most Explicit reference in the New Testament to point back to.
I don't think any of the other ones are wrong necessarily. But I would say that's the one that we have the the best evidence here is Christ Glory being displayed in the Old Testament in the in the reference to Isaiah chapter 6 with the Son of Man.
Absolutely, absolutely because Jesus that was his favorite Description of himself. I am the Son of Man. He referred to you know one like the Son of Man and that's referring of course to Daniel's The latter half of Daniel and referencing to the Son of Man.
Absolutely. So Christ certainly pre-existed the Incarnation but in his pre-existence he was not incarnate if you read your text this week Then you should remember that part because it talked about the distinction between that which happened before Bethlehem would have been a Christophany you already used the term a Christophany or an appearance of Christ, but not an in-the-flesh Visitation it's it's not the same thing because in the incarnation Christ not only takes on the appearance of humanity.
He takes on humanity. He not only becomes like a man. He becomes a man. That is the key and that's what ties it to the hypostatic union because the hypostatic union is the doctrine of the dual Nature of Christ that he is both God and man.
He is as the Latin fathers would say vera homo vera deus vera homo meaning truly man and vera deus truly God sometimes you might hear it described as A hundred percent God hundred percent man. And while I understand the Use of that language. I've often had a little issue with the with with trying to ascribe percentages as if God could be 50 or 90
Because God is not Calculable in the idea of percentages and parts. One of the things we affirm as Christians is that God is not parts. God doesn't have parts. He doesn't have hands and feet like we do the Bible is when the Bible talks about his hands or his feet or his eyes.
Those are what are known as Anthropomorphism or a description to God of something that is not truly an Expression of how he is in his nature, but rather a way for us to understand. We talked about the hand of God.
Usually that's his strength or his work if we talk about the eyes of God that talks about his ability to see. But none of those things truly describe him as he is because the Bible says he doesn't have a body like man.
He is spirit and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. Therefore when we describe when we talk about God in his nature We have to stay within the category of God being spirit and so When we are discussing the hypostatic union when we're talking about the incarnation the incarnation is necessary for the hypostatic union to take place.
Because it is in the incarnation where that Person who is very God Jesus the the Son of God takes on flesh and becomes truly man. So these two go together the incarnation and the hypostatic union. Couple of verses to consider.
The Bible says Jesus had a true body of flesh and blood first. John 4 2 says that in fact It says if you deny that he came in the flesh. You've denied the faith. Why do you think that is why do you think denying Christ coming in the flesh was such a big deal for John.
Okay, I Would agree but but that point that he makes he says if you. Anyone who does not affirm that Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. Why would he make such a big deal about coming in the flesh?
Okay coming as a man having to represent men. Bobby certainly would take away from the resurrection. That he came back spiritually, but not physically. Yeah, absolutely. A man of sorrows he felt. Yeah.
One thing to also consider though from first John is is John is writing at a time when there were already false teachings about Jesus that were going around and one of the false teachings was is that Jesus was not truly flesh that he was merely a appearance of flesh.
The dualists believed that all matter was evil and all spirit was good. And therefore if Christ took on matter flesh, then he would be taking on an evil nature and that would be wrong. That was the argument of the later would become the Gnostics.
The Gnostics believed in a in a dualistic universe where spirit is good and matter is bad. Therefore the idea that Christ could take on flesh was inherently wrong to them. John comes along and says no if you don't believe Jesus took on flesh.
Then you've you've missed the point. So First John 4 2 he had a true body of flesh and blood. He also developed. Luke chapter 2 verse 52 Tells us he grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men.
What is what does this tell us. This tells us that Jesus was truly a man. He was also truly a child. He was truly a baby. He came and submitted to the limitations of Infancy and if he didn't he was faking all those diaper changes.
Because you know, yeah, that's Mark Lowry. Yeah, that's a joke Bobby and I've talked about before Jesus. Jesus didn't come on the scene as a full-grown man. He came on the scene as an infant whose mother had to nurse him.
Whose mother and father had to raise him and Who had to be reared in the faith? This demonstrates again that he was truly man. See the problem is a lot of people want to deny Christ's divinity and that's bad, but there's just as many on the other side who will deny Christ's full humanity and.
A right understanding of the hypostatic Union is an understanding that he is both truly God and Truly man, and that's where the term vera vera homo vera Deus comes from the word Veritas means truth. He is truly this he is fully this.
Not percentage as I said before I don't really get like that term not that it's wrong. Some people say 100 God. I'm sent man. That's not to me. The issue the issue is he is this in its fullness? He is this and it's true sense.
What is the book of Colossians say all the fullness of the day of the Godhead? Resided in him bodily right. He was fully man with all the constituted parts of the man body soul and spirit. John 12 27 if you want to write that verse down in fact, I'll Look that one up real quick.
John 12 27 Says This is Jesus speaking. He says now my soul is greatly distressed. And what should I say father deliver me from this hour? No, but for this very hour or for this very reason I have come to this hour again.
He references his own soul there. Some people believe the monophysites believed that Jesus was fully human body but not a man's soul or spirit that Christ lacked the the Spirit of a man or the soul of a man.
He was just basically God and a man's suit as if it were like if you imagine someone putting on someone else's clothes. And the idea of the monophysites was the word fusses means Spirit or nature that he was only that he only had the one divine nature that took on flesh.
But the Bible indicates that he had fully a full human nature along with a fully Divine nature and. And I think John 12 27 speaking of his soul references that The fourth thing he experienced human limit limitation.
This is kind of what you said ed hungry Matthew 4 2 tired John 4 6 thirsty John 4 7 and Of course, I don't have the verses for this but he was certainly Experienced the the pain and suffering of death.
You know, he was beaten and took on The all of that which was which was fully fully human. Now for a moment, let's talk a little bit about the hypostatic Union and What does this answer what does this do for us?
Why does this matter for us as Christians because I will say this I Think that within Christian Churches within teaching. This is one of the this is one of the areas that is often is Often misunderstood and even when it's expressed it's not expressed in the most helpful of language.
For instance somebody will say Jesus is God okay, I Don't usually say it that way. Because while it is true that Jesus is God I will almost always clarify By say Jesus is God incarnate. Because if you don't say that Jesus is God incarnate and you simply say Jesus is God.
Then a lot of questions begin to arise about well, who was he talking to when he prayed? All right, that would be a question that I'm sure you've probably heard people say. Well, if Jesus is God who is he.
Is he just talking to himself is he schizophrenic? You know is that that's a question, right? Or if Jesus is God How does he not know when he's going to return doesn't he say very clearly? No one knows the day of the hour not even the Sun referring to himself and so the hypostatic Union this understanding of fully God and fully man the two natures has to be clarified and understood and I think proclaimed.
When brother Mike and I go Preach which we haven't done in a long time. I wish we would Find a time to go again. But we would go do open-air preaching together and brother Mike Normally does the preaching and I just hand out tracks and talk to people but he will often in His preaching say we are here to proclaim to you Jesus Christ the God man.
And he makes that point and he says it just that way Jesus Christ the God man. And I think that's more helpful in describing who we're referring to than to simply say Jesus is God. Is it true? Yes, but is it the clearest way to express the truth?
I don't necessarily think so and sometimes something can be true without being altogether clear and We want to be clear and how we describe. Especially when we're talking about Jesus. When we talk about the hypostatic union, it's important to realize that we are not just exercising theological hair-splitting.
But that there is something exceedingly necessary in Christ being both God and man somebody. I think it was was it you John who said it was necessary for him to save. To be was it you or was it Ed one of y 'all?
Flash paper. Okay, Paul ends and his and his book the the Moody handbook of theology says this. He says both natures are necessary for redemption because as a man Christ could represent man and die as a man.
But as God the death of Christ could have infinite value sufficient to provide redemption for the sins of the world. Therefore infinite value because he is an infinite God. So in his in his sacrifice He God cannot die.
But the man Christ Jesus can die and in that death he provides for us a sacrifice. This is told this is not something we just come up with this is told to us in Hebrews. Remember Hebrews 7 Verse 23 it says this the former priests were many a number because they were prevented by death from continuing in office.
But Christ holds his priesthood permanently because he continues forever. Consequently he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him since he always lives to make intercession for them you see Jesus continues to be our priest even now.
This is why we don't need a priest to take our confession. Interestingly enough during during the height of kovat the the Pope Made a proclamation. That since people were not able to go and gather in churches anymore.
The Pope made a proclamation that it was okay for Roman Catholics to take their petitions for forgiveness directly to Christ. And we were like and all the Protestants said. Yeah, well, well all the Protestants were like, yeah, we know it's like.
What thank you for giving us something. We've always had. You know, it's you know, but that's a misunderstanding you see the Roman Catholic understands. That we are believes that we still need a mediator with Christ.
In fact, some even go as far as to believe that Mary is a mediator between us and Christ.
They cross out the verse in the Bible that says there's one mediator. How do they explain that?
They would say that well some would go as far as to say Mary is co-mediatrix with Christ. Well, that's a that's an entirely different conversation in fact going back to the subject of the Incarnation the way Roman Catholics explain the Incarnation is quite different than the way Protestants would You see the Roman Catholics believe that Mary was a virgin after Her after Jesus was born and that she was a virgin forever.
That's called the perpetual virginity of Mary. They even believe that Jesus's birth did not affect the integrity of her virginal Position meaning it Jesus was not born naturally, but Jesus was born supernaturally so as to not affect the integrity of her of her virginity.
They believe in somewhat of a translation position where Jesus was essentially translated from the womb to the room rather than being virgin vaginally delivered as a normal baby would and so that's of course a unbiblical Expression, but they also believe in something called the immaculate conception.
See a lot of people believe the immaculate conception is the doctrine that Jesus is born without sin. That's not true. The immaculate conception is the belief that Mary was born without sin. That Mary was born without sin so that she could be the sinless God-bearer.
That she could be in fact the mother of God. Because God could not come through the womb of a sinner according to Roman Catholic theology therefore she had to have a sinless womb and She was not a sinner and Roman Catholics also believe Mary did not die, but that she was assumed into heaven like Elijah and Enoch that Mary was Ascended into heaven rather than that.
She died. So again if you want to get into the deep recesses of bad Roman Catholic theology we can but suffice it to say a lot of it has to do with Mary and her position as a much more Important figure in our redemption than the Bible would let on.
Mary becomes again almost as it were a co-savior or One who's functioning along with the Savior to do the work. And again, there's a Greek word for all that what is it. Baloney, that's right. It's just what it is.
It's not true. All right. Saying that Jesus Christ is both God and man is what we mean when we proclaim the hypostatic Union so that is. That has been the historic position of the church. It was very early on that that began to be expressed in Confessions and creeds the very first Creed that was solidified through what was known as the ecumenical process for bringing together bishops from different areas and Affirming something was known as the Council of Nicaea and the Nicene Creed which affirms that Jesus is Fully God and fully man.
But later at the Council of Chalcedon, which was about a hundred and twenty five years later. And oh, there's Frank let him know the front that he's going the wrong way. Somebody wants to open the door or go open the front door for him and 451 the Council of Chalcedon in an attempt to Clarify any errors that had arisen out of the Council of Nicaea.
Because the Council of Nicaea essentially was addressing its own errors, which were the Aryans Wrote this and I want to read it for you. This is a portion of the Chalcedonian Creed on the person and nature of Jesus Christ in regard to the hypostatic Union.
It says following the Holy Fathers. We all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one in the same Son our Lord Jesus Christ. At once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood truly God and truly man consisting also of a reasonable soul and body of One substance with the Father as regards his Godhead and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood.
Notice the point being made there. He is in every way like God in referring to his divinity and he is in every way like us and referring to his humanity. Very God and very man fully God fully man and he goes on to say like us in all respects except apart from sin as Regards his Godhead begotten of the Father before all ages.
But yet as regards his manhood begotten for the for us men and for our salvation of the Virgin Mary important they're saying just what I said earlier the affirmation is his divinity always has been but his Humanity came into existence through Mary through the incarnation.
The distinct natures. This is an important phrase. It says he is one of the same Christ Son Lord only begotten recognized in two natures that being the divine and human nature without confusion without change without division without Separation the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the Union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being Preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence not as parted or separated into two persons.
But one in the same Son and only begotten God the Word Lord Jesus Christ even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us and the Creed of the Fathers is handed down to us.
The key to this is that though he was fully God and fully man He those two natures were distinct in the one person of Christ. It isn't as if there's a mixing that he becomes sort of a mongrel God man.
He was fully God fully man to Distinct natures united but not confused United but not mixed in the one person of Christ and if we understand that then we begin to See moments in the life of Christ where we can begin to see Areas that touched his divine nature and areas that touched on his human nature.
For instance when Jesus said No man knows the day of the hour Except the Father not even the Son. In what sense is he speaking from his human nature? Because in his human nature there were limitations.
But when he says to Philip I saw you under the tree. Or was it Nathanael? I saw you and and and and and and he says how could you see me? Nobody saw me. Yeah, but I I knew it was you remember he speaks of the woman at the well.
You know you have was it was it five husbands and this man you're with now is not your husband and she says I perceive You're a prophet. Ah, but more than a prophet. He's the Son of God. All right. This is we see areas that touch upon his humanity areas that touch upon his divinity.
I'll say this the death of Christ Exposes us to both. Because in his death it is certainly an aspect of his humanity. But what did Jesus say about his death? No man takes my life from me, but I lay it down on my own accord.
You can't do that. You can't just lay down and say Lord into thy hand. I commit my spirit and die. You can lay down and say it. But nothing's gonna happen. Unless it just happens to be the coincidence.
That's the moment that you pass. I Mean Stephen said it when he was about to be stoned Lord. I commit myself to your sir into your hands. I commit my spirit. But Christ it says he bowed his head and did what?
Gave up the ghost. He bowed his head and gave up his life. So there is an important distinction that must be made God man. But it cannot be separated. It's united in the one person of Christ. Why would you call them weird.
Teasing it. Oh, yes. Well Jehovah Witnesses are. Okay, well. Different different Aryans whole different areas. Well. That's not the same. The Aryan regarding racial discrimination and things like that is not has nothing to do with areas in the 4th century.
It's not the same thing. It's not has. No, no. No, I understand. I can I can see how you made the connection. It was it was. Mormonism has a history of seeing the black race as being the cursed ones and therefore it was very long time before a black person Could become a Mormon.
Yes, sir. Yes. Yes, that's what I know we talked about that before he came in areas and areas in the 4th century was a we call him the arch heretic Arius. I like that term. Because he was a heretic beyond reason he believed that Christ was not fully divine, but rather was a creature created by the father and that Even though he believed Christ pre-existed Bethlehem.
He did not believe Christ was eternal. He did not believe Christ shared one nature nature with the father. He did not believe in the Trinity and by that was condemned as a heretic. Now I would say Jehovah Witnesses are the best modern example of areas as heresies.
But they would deny that they would say they're not Aryans but again if it walks like a duck Talk it's this it's the same heresy. It's the denial of Christ as being fully divine and. So, yeah, it's just but but the but the other ends different whole different areas.
Okay. So that takes us through the incarnation and the hypostatic Union. Is there any questions? Great. Let us look now at the offices of Christ and you'll see hopefully why I chose because I we the book certainly contains more Than this but I've jumped Specifically to certain things because I want to tie some things together tonight when we talk about the incarnation and the hypostatic Union.
We're talking about Christ as fully God and fully man. Now. We are going to talk about Christ in his offices because when we talk about this this actually refers to Christ in his state. And by state I don't mean like, Florida.
I mean we talk about Christ in his pre-incarnate state and Now Christ is in his incarnate state by the way, he's still incarnate today. Christ is still in the flesh today. He forever lives to make intercession for his people he ascended into heaven not as a ghost but as a Man in a glorified body and that glorified body will last forever in the same way your glorified body will last forever.
So when he took on flesh, he never divested himself of flesh. He is still flesh today. He is still the God-man today. He still exists to make intercession for us today as the God-man so his state is the pre-incarnate state prior to Bethlehem and Then the incarnation brings about the hypostatic Union and he is now forever the God-man.
So that being said now we're going to talk about his offices Which is a subcategory here because we're going to talk about Christ's three Offices that the Bible describes to us and they are all based on I had a race.
Sorry. They are all based on the word That we typically use for Jesus the word Christ and the word Christ. Just for I know you know this but just for the sake of a reminder. When people say Jesus Christ We're not referring to his last name.
I Know that sound I know somebody said oh, that's this seminary. We shouldn't be making such simple Statements. Yeah, but it's not so simple for everybody. That's right there. There is a sense in which this is Titular it's his title.
It's it's it's not his it's not identifying. He's Jesus of Nazareth his actual name would have been Jesus bar, Joseph or or Yeshua bar Joseph or Jesus of Nazareth it would have either been tied to his father his earthly father Joseph or would have been tied to his place of Upbringing or his hometown Nazareth.
So he's he's referred to as Jesus Nazareth referred to Would have been referred to as Yeshua bar. Joseph, even though we don't see that in Scripture that that would have been common but Christ is title.
What Old Testament word? Ties to the New Testament concept of Christ Messiah very good. So the idea here is the idea of Messiah. This is the office that Christ assumes for us or is is given for us. He is the Messiah That Israel looked forward to and he is referred to as Christos in Greek which means the anointed one.
Have you ever heard someone in modern? context referred to a political person a Political how he's the anointed one. I Have I've heard it's always almost always mocking right? But the idea is this is the new Savior, right?
Whether it's a president or whether it's a Congressman or whether it's a governor they'll say oh, this is the anointed one in there, you know, usually it's a derogatory term but the term anointed one is where the term Christos comes from the idea of the Messiah and There are three categories in Scripture or three offices if you will that were anointed for service.
The first was the office of prophet. The prophet was the one who brought the message of God to the people of God and that office was an Anointed office now, what does it mean to anoint? Means to pour oil on something to anoint with oil and that was a that was an external right?
That would happen would be the pouring of oil on the head oftentimes we especially if you are if you have background in Churches that anoint for prayer. Like a lot of churches have people come forward and I even have a bottle on my my desk that was given to me.
It's a very pretty little bottle that was because there was a lady here who was sick and she asked me to anoint her and She brought the bottle and she gave it to me as a gift. So I keep it on my desk very nice gift and Ordinarily what we would do is we would take a little bit of oil on the hand and rub it on the head as a Symbol of the work of the Holy Spirit.
That's how we would understand it. At least here I know there's debate about that. But that that would it's not it's not often that we do that here very very rarely. The Bible says person should come and ask and so she came and asked and we did it.
The Old Testament expression of oil much much different. They would break the flask and pour the oil over the person. It was a much more aggressive anointing and Certainly much different, but it's it was also it was not only used to identify it was also An expression of comfort remember Psalm 23 thou anointest my head with oil.
Right. So it was a it was something that was done. It was a comforting thing. It was Remember when Jesus went to the house of the Pharisees you gave me no oil for my head. Right, it was something that in the in the in that particular part of the world was was very common.
So anointing was not only had a religious significance but also had a social and and and even sometimes a medicinal purpose to help people feel better and. So there's a lot that goes into anointing, but the three offices that are anointed are first the Prophet Who who brings the message of God to the people.
The second is the priest now? What does the priest do? He does sacrifices and he represents the people to God. So as the Prophet represents God to the people the priest represents the people to God. Think about the the the Day of Atonement and the old Covenant.
What did the priest do first? He had to make a sacrifice for himself because he was not sinless. So he had to make a sacrifice for himself then he made a sacrifice for the people and he would go into the Holy of Holies which was the inner-room of the Tabernacle later the temple and he would go in to the Ark of the Covenant and he would sprinkle the blood upon.
The seat which was the basically the lid of the was called the mercy seat. It was the lid of the Ark of the Covenant and he would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice. Over that lid for what purpose he was representing the people.
He was going before God one man representing all the people. Right now. I hope you can see how this ties to Christ one man sacrificing on behalf of everyone. That's that's the role of the priest. He represents the people to God.
So the Prophet represents God to the people he's the voice thus saith the Lord he's the mouthpiece and the priest is the is the one who represents people to God and the king the king Represents God's rule and authority over the people.
This is this threefold office is In Latin the the munis triplex is Described by Eusebius. But then was later developed more fully by John Calvin and expressing what Christ did in these three offices. Now for a moment, I want you to consider that There were in a sense and I want to I want to clarify by saying in a sense in a sense There were other Messiahs in Scripture.
Careful that I'm not saying heresy here follow me for a moment. There is a sense in which Adam functioned as Prophet priest and king in the garden prior to his fall. He was prophet and that God spoke to him and he had the ability to name the animals and he even spoke to Eve and Gave her God's Word and he was there in Relationship with God.
He was also priest in this as it were like a temple the garden was like a temple where there was Worship that was done. We know they met with God in the cool of the day. They had this time that they would come together and worship and he was king.
What was he given? He was told to take dominion over this and an image God to the world and so Adam bears this threefold office in in as it were an imperfect way and certainly in his fall he is Divested of that.
What is Christ called? The second Adam the last Adam so we see Adam in a sense being a prefiguring of Christ in this office, but we also see others. What could we describe? Abraham as if not prophet priest and king.
He was certainly prophet and that he spoke to the people on behalf of God. He was the friend of God. The Bible says he was priest and that he offered, you know Sacrifices to God he went even to offer his own son.
But did not have to and in a sense. He is the king of the As it were all of us. We are all under our father Abraham who had many sons. Moses was prophet priest and king in one sense now again, all of this is not literally.
But my point is all of these are Christ figures. All of these are what we call Christ types. They are types of Christ pointing forward to he who would fully and most Powerfully and purposefully fulfill the role of Christ.
Yes, John I think Noah could be. I think any any of these Old Testament types are all types of Christ and Noah. Specifically, I'm going to be preaching about him over the next few weeks because I'm in Genesis 6 and 7 8 9.
It's all going to be about Noah. Here's the thing about Noah if you if you only read Genesis 6 7 and 8 It's almost as if Noah is the Savior. Because he he's called a righteous man blameless in his generations, right he walks with God.
He is obedient. He builds a big old boat. He brings the animals in he cares for them and then you think All right. This is the guy this is the one this is the serpent slayer, right? This is the Genesis 3 15 promise.
Because Genesis 3 15 says there's going to come one who's going to crush the head of the serpent. This is the guy and When he comes off the ark God says now you go and fill the world and you take dominion, right?
And then what's the first thing he does he gets drunk and he proves this ain't the guy. Almost in a similar way as Adam's fall we see Noah's Failure as a picture of no, he is not yet the Christ. Though he is a Christ figure.
He is not the Christ. He is not the one who will come. I have a handout for you tonight. This is for you to put in your notebook. I'll Pass it around. I'm going to take our break. This is a copy of the Heidelberg Catechism and The Westminster shorter catechism and In the tradition of the churches that do responsive readings.
I'm going to read the questions and you're going to read the answers. Okay so let us. By the way, we do catechisms with my kids at home. So I fully I fully expect you guys to be just as obedient or more so than my children and and give me the answer.
Respond out loud, please. All right. Why is he called Christ meaning anointed? Because you know what I hear a bunch of Baptists. Because y 'all are not used to that. I tell you you go to Anglican Church or you go to a Presbyterian Church man, they stay together like a song.
Yeah. All right. Westminster shorter catechism. What offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer? Stop right there. Humiliation and exaltation are two concepts. We didn't really get to deal with in this Look at Christology, but they are two very important aspects.
Christ in taking on flesh was an act of humiliation. This is why the text would later say God has exalted him and Given him a name that is above all names that at the name of Christ every knee should bow.
Because in his taking on a flesh Philippians 2 says it was an act of humiliation. All right. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest or a prophet. How doth Christ execute the office of a priest?
How doth Christ execute the office of a king? I love that second line ruling and defending us. Remember the King's job was not just to rule But was to protect. Remember David and Saul what did Saul hate so much about David.
Saul has killed his thousands. But David his ten thousands. Well, how did David kill his ten thousands in? Battle in protection of God's people and they celebrated his his warrior Nature his battle. All right that takes us to our break.
We're going to take five minute break and come back and talk about the atonement.