LC3 - Doctrine

Week 5: Who is Jesus?

2008-11-02T01:16:00.000-07:00

"Jesus never claimed to be God." - Jehovah's Witnesses Watchtower Society, "Is God Always Superior to Jesus?"

"Jesus Christ is not God."

- Mary Baker Eddy, founder of Christian Science

"No, I don't. The traditional Christ of whom they speak is not the Christ of whom I speak." - Gordon Hinckley, Church News, 20 June 1998.

JESUS - Fully God (The DEITY of Christ)

1st - attributes

2nd - works

3rd - names

4th - Bible

Colossians 2:9 - For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.

Luke 2:11 - For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

5th - Jesus claims

Mark 14:61-64 - He remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?' And Jesus said, 'I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.' And the high priest tore his garments and said, 'What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?

John 8:58-59 - 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.' So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

John 10:30-33 - "I and the Father are one." Then, "The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, 'I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?' The Jews answered him, 'It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.'"

Matthew 16:13-17 - Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that the Son of Man is?" And they said, "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." And Jesus answered him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Historical Jesus Movement:

Who does the Jesus Seminar really speak for?

http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/edn-t017.html

A Summary Critique: HONEST TO JESUS

http://www.equip.org

The Jesus Seminar, Jesus, and Higher Criticism

http://www.johnankerberg.org

JESUS - Fully Man (The HUMANITY of Christ)

1st - birth

Matthew 1:18 - "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit."

2nd - body

3rd - characteristics

--> Jesus was without sin!

2 Corinthians 5:21 - "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

1 Peter 2:22 - "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

1 John 3:5b - "And in him there was no sin."

Hebrews 4:15 - "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are -- yet without sin."

--> Jesus will be a man forever!

Luke 24:39 - "See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

"Jesus continues to reside in this perfect but human body in heaven." (Wayne Grudem, CHRISTIAN BELIEFS, p.68)

"He continues to have a body, though resurrected." (Charles Ryrie, Basic Theology, p.247)

--> Why is it necessary for Jesus to be fully human?

Romans 5:19 - "As by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."

Hebrews 2:17 - "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."

1 John 2:6 - "He who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked."

JESUS - Fully God & Fully Man

(The HYPOSTATIC Union)

--> Did Jesus give up some of His Divine attributes while on earth?

Philippians 2:5-8 - Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Week 4: The Fall of Man

2008-11-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

"The Fall of Man" {Gen3}
* Disease is real -- so is sin; humans carry both in them naturally
* Without Gen3, rest of Bible almost makes no sense
- Rest of Bible about redemption
- Gen3 about fall
* In the fall, we learn 4 relevant truths
* We learn how subtle temptation can be (v1-5)
- Crafty Tempter (v1)
- Tempter = Satan {Rev12}
- We see fallen serpent; no idea what original serpent like
* Deceptive temptation (v1-5)
- Deceptive by question asked (v1)
- Deceptive by person addressed (v1)
- Deceptive by improper response (v2-3)
- Deceptive by denial of His Word (v4-5)
* We learn steps to sin (v6)
- Transgression by Eve {1Tim2:14}
- Saw, delight to eyes {1John2:16-17}, desirable, sin
- Other examples of pattern Josh7, 2Sam11, Matt4, Luke 4
- Sin by Adam {Rom5}
- Word "with" in v6 stresses fellowship & companionship
- Adam not deceived
* We learn effects of sin
- On humanity: sense of shame {v7, Ps104:1-2}, separated from God (v8-13), separated from Garden (v22-24)
- On serpent (v14-15)
- On woman (v16)
- On man (v17-20)
* We learn God's forgiveness after fall
- Immediate salvation (v21): first sacrifice to atone
- Ultimate salvation promised (v15): also from sacrifice
- Micah7:19, Ps103:12
* Adam & Christ
- Adam (one man) sinned (one act) = condemnation & death (one result)
- Christ (one Man) died in our place (one act) = salvation & eternal life (one result)

Week 3:

2008-11-01T23:29:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon?

Week 2: What is God Like?

2008-10-08T22:52:00.001-07:00

"What is God like?"
* When you deny the inspiration of Scripture, you can make God whatever you want
* Important to know who God is (not what you think He is or want Him to be) {Dan11:32b}
* Attributes of God
- Eternal {Gen21:33; Ps90:2} -- God is free from the limitations of time
- Independent {Isa40:13-14; Acts17:24-25}
- Unchangeable {Num23:19; Mal3:6; Jam1:17} -- God is unchangeable in His being, attributes, purposes, and promises
- Holy {Ps99:9; Isa6:3; Lev19:2; 1Pet1:15-16}
- Righteous & just {Gen18:25; Acts17:31)
- Love {Eph2:4-5; 1John4:8}
- Omniscient {1John3:20} -- God knows all things, both actual and possible
- Omnipresent {Ps139:7-12}
- Sovereign {Eph1:11; Rev19:6}
- Truth, Wisdom, Goodness, Grace, et al
* Tri-unity of God: Eternally existent in three distinct persons, each fully God, yet one God
- Adoptionism wrong (i.e. Christ given powers after baptism)
- Modalism wrong (only one person in three different forms)
- Arianism wrong (denies deity of Son & Spirit)
- JW wrong
- The Shack controversy (See also HERE and HERE)
* OT Intimations {Gen1:1, 26; Gen22:11-16; Isa6:8}
* NT Confirmation
- Father is God {John6:27; Eph4:6}
- Jesus is God {Heb1:8}
- Spirit is God {Acts5:3-4}
* Distinct roles of the Trinity
- Distinction in ways they relate to each other and to Creation {Gen1:2; John1:3}
- Ordinarily we direct prayers to the Father (through His Son, by His Spirit)
- Submission w/o inferiority {1Cor11:3}

Week 1: The Bible: God-Breathed

2008-10-08T22:49:00.000-07:00

* Doctrine = "The teaching/instruction" {Titus2:1}
* Why study doctrine?
- To be more mature {Col2:6-7; Heb6:1}
- To not be led astray {Eph4:13-14}
- To have better judgment {Heb5:11-14}
* What is revelation?
- Disclosure of God's self & message to mankind
- General revelation {Ps19; Rom1:19-21}
- Special revelation {2Tim3:16; Heb1:1-2}
- Living Word = Christ; Written Word = Bible
- Sufficiency of Scripture -- everything we need to know, believe, & live as believers in Word
- Don't add to Scripture
- Nothing is sin unless explicit or implied in Word
* Plenary = "all of them"
* Proofs of Inspiration
- 1Tim3:16
- 2Pet1:21
- Commands to write down His Word {Ex17:14}
- Use of quotation {Matt15:4}
- Jesus' use of Scripture {Matt5:17-18; John10:35}
- NT assertions {1Tim5:18; 2Pet3:16}
- Writers' claims {1Cor2:13; 1Pet1:11-12}
- Historical manuscript sources
- Fulfilled prophecy