Christology
Many theologians would immediately place a discussion of creation and providence following their delineation of the doctrine of God. Obviously, I have failed to follow in that path. It is essential that great care be taken in our expression of God. If we are fully committed to God as Triune, then we can only continue with a discussion of Christ. To not do so entails the danger of explicating a systematized theology that is not wholly God centered.
Christ’s Nature:
After talking with the disciples regarding what the community was saying about him, Jesus asks them directly, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matt. 16:13-15). Perhaps no question has demanded more of the Church’s time and energy than this one. Countless councils and theologians have worked at hammering out an answer to this question. While space does not permit a full delineation of the arguments proposed by such early Church leaders as Tertullian, Athanasius, Cyril of Alexandria, Nestorius and others, it is important to note that their contributions to the process were significant. The questions that these early leaders raised and the responses that they debated birthed the most definitive and best explicated understandings of the nature of Christ; that understanding is the definition that came out of Chalcedon affirming that Jesus is “complete in his deity and complete—the very same—in his humanity…” (R. Norris, 159). This definition accepts the best thinking provided by both the schools of Antioch and Alexandria as it affirms Christ as one hypostasis in two natures. Embracing Christ’s nature this way forces us to always see Jesus as fully human and as fully God acting in our midst. Neither of the two natures can be viewed independently.
To recognize the full humanity of Jesus is to appreciate the awesome truth of how radically God draws near to us and how perfectly God draws us near to him. Without the full humanity and divinity of Jesus, the work that he was sent to complete would be impossible. Additionally, the recognition of the full divinity of Jesus means that everything we attribute to God must also be attributed to the Son. To say that God the Father is eternal, just, loving, powerful, and so on is to say that Jesus is also these very same things. Jesus is the full self-revelation of God to humanity.
More will be said in Parts II and III about The Work of Jesus Christ and Our Lives in Christ respectively.
For now, what are your thoughts regarding the nature of Christ that has been delineated here?
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2 comments:
I have seen so many people stumble on this concept of fully divine and fully human. "Impossible!" they say (and usually it is someone who one might describe as an intellect). It is so humorously and ridiculously human to proclaim in full confidence, "If I cannot understand it, it cannot be." Yeah, that's a good one. I like trying to wrap my mind around this dual-quality of Jesus and taking my understanding to a new limit. However, I know that I can never truly get it and I'm ok with that. How can one man say, "I and the Father are one" and then "My God, why have you forsaken me?" ONLY if he is both fully divine and fully human could these two sentiments reside in the same fleshly tent. Frankly, the incarnation is THE coolest reality of all time, in my opinion.
Well said!
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