We're going to read John 24-31. It's going to be more of a launching pad verse, if you will, to explore the stuff of Christology over the next number of weeks or however many weeks that you have me for. We'll look at the doctrine of Christ from various portions of the Holy Scriptures and, of course, the testimony of the Scriptures as a cohesive whole. This is John 20 beginning in verse 24.

Now Thomas called the twin. One of the 12 was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said to him, we have seen the Lord. So he said to them, unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days, his disciples were again inside and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut and stood in the midst and said, Peace to you. Then he said to Thomas, Reach your finger here and look at my hands and reach your hand here and put it into my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. And truly, Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

But these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in his name. Amen.

Scripture Reading: John 20:24–31

Well, certainly one of the things that we have here is the identification of Christ by Thomas, this blessed declaration from the one that demanded, if you will, certain evidential proofs that Jesus was the Christ, that this one reported to be resurrected was certainly Jesus Christ, the Lord. We have this blessed confession in verse 28 and Thomas answered and said to him my Lord and my God Christ in his graciousness the risen Christ in his graciousness had did or had demonstrated or had gone through the exercise as Thomas had demanded allowing him to look upon his pierced hands to touch his hands and to reach his hand into his side and to be not unbelieving, but believing. We have this summary statement in verses 30 and 31 where we read, and truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples which are not written in this book, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. It's interesting, you see, the Bible is not a detailed history.

It has and it contains perfect, infallible, detailed history. But the Bible, by and large, is charismatic. It carries the character and the flavor of a proclamation from on high. concerning the saving verities and perfections of God for His chosen elect through the Lord Jesus Christ. There were many things that Jesus did in the presence of His disciples, but they're not all recorded.

It's because the purpose of the written word is verse 31. These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. It brings into view the importance of Christology. And so we're going to do tonight, or engage in tonight, in an introduction to Christology.

And hopefully over the next couple weeks, if we have that many weeks before Jim comes back for an exposition in 2 Samuel, we'll look more at this topic of Christology. But first off, what does that mean? Hopefully you've been here long enough in this church to know what Christology means. It simply means a study of Christ, the study of or the doctrine of Christ.

Specifically, and maybe to summarize that, when we study Christ, we study his person and his work. That's what Christology is. It's a study of the person of Christ, and it's a study of the work of Christ, his person. In Christology, we study his person, and so we ask and answer many questions.

Who is he? It's a question that we ask. Was he a man born of ordinary generation? Or was he a man born from on high, the Holy Spirit overpowering and overshadowing the Virgin Mary?

Is he God? Is he man? Is he fully God and is he fully man? Or is he only partially God and partially man, as the heretics of old and some heretics of our present day might argue? with respect to his person?

Has he become some sort of new being, the fusing of divinity and humanity? Or is his divinity, do his divinity and his humanity remain intact, separate? Are they confused? Are they intermingled?

All of these questions that are necessary and important for us to come to a full and a proper appreciation of biblical Christology, His work. We ask and answer questions. What did He do? Why did He do it?

Who did He do it for? Is it a full, complete, and perfect work of salvation? Or is it only partially complete, required for its fullness to have additional supplementation by human contribution? So, Christology.

And we may say that all of theologies converge in Christ. Or all of theologies converge in Christology. Theology. The Word or Son is the second person of the Triune God.

So, a study of Christology necessarily lands us in a study of theology proper. Because, as we just said, the Word or Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the second person of the Triune God. of His Father's glory, the express image of His person, the one who upholds all things by the word of His power. Soteriology. Christ came into this world sinners to save.

He is the author and the finisher of our faith. A study of Christology is again a study of His person and His work. And so we land upon that blessed and high topic of soteriology when we study the doctrine of Christ. Anthropology.

He is, this anthropology is the study of man. When we study Christology, we necessarily land upon or touch upon that otherology of anthropology. He is the second Adam who came into this world to reverse the curse or to redeem us who were cursed by virtue of our association to Adam the first. and we are conformed unto the image of Adam the second, by Adam the second, risen and exalted on high, sanctifying us by the spirit. Ecclesiology, he's the Lord of the church.

You see a study of Christ necessarily lands us as well on ecclesiology, the doctrine of the church, because he is Lord of the church. He is the one who walks among the lampstands, which are his churches. When we come into the Lord's Day Sabbath, remember Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath. Christ is the worship leader.

There's a great article by Don Lindblad in the new book published by Arbat, by Common Confession, Essays in Honor of James M. Renahan, where he argues from Hebrews 2, with regards to Christ being, in essence, the worship leader of the church. We come in on the Lord's Day, and Christ is our worship leader. He is the Lord of the church.

Our confession says he is the prophet and priest, the head of the, prophet, priest, and king, the head of the church, the judge of the world. And not to exhaust all theologies, but eschatology. The doctrine of last things. Christ is the center of that study of last things.

He is the judge of the quick and the dead. He will come at the last in great power and glory to judge the living and the dead and to bring his chosen home. So when we study Christology, we may say that we're not to sort of sever an ology from a study of the biblical presentation of God's truth. and just examine it, but rather all of the other ologies, if you will, converge upon this one ology. I'm going to stop saying ology in a little while.

But all of the other blessed studies in doctrine, in theology, converge, if you will, upon this one, the doctrine of Christ. The Christological enterprise, that is, the undertaking of the study of the great subject of Christ, is not an insignificant thing. You know, it's of the utmost importance. If we come to the Bible and we see time and again the question being asked, for example, in the book of Acts, sirs, what must I do to be saved?

The answer always comes, and it is Christo-centric and Christo-exclusive in its nature. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved is the answer. And so it is of the utmost importance. It's not simply lower discipline.

It's not a branch upon the tree of discovery, but it is the highest science. It is the tree of discovery itself. It is that blessed subject, that blessed study, that one where we come in and we examine our blessed Savior. And it's not a casual discipline.

Christ is not, you know, Christology is not a doctrine. Hopefully no doctrine of the Bible is a doctrine where we put our hands in our pockets and we just examine something in some sort of cold or casual manner. The study of Christ is a blessed study. Again, we don't come with our monocles or our microscopes and our beakers and examine something with the flavor of cold speculation, but rather we come with warm, joyful Christian hearts to a topic of study that God in his grace has brought us from death to life to examine, to glory in, to revel in, and to Keep on learning until Christ our Savior brings us home.

Importance of Christology Overview

So before we get in to look at five things with regards to the importance of Christology, let's start with this quote from Spurgeon that many of you have heard to set our bearings, if you will, as we seek to go about this blessed enterprise in studying our blessed Savior. I would propose that the subject of the ministry of this house, as long as this platform shall stand, and as long as this house shall be frequented by worshippers, shall be the person of Jesus Christ. I am never ashamed to avow myself a Calvinist. I do not hesitate to take the name of Baptist.

But if I am asked, what is my creed, I think I must reply, it is Jesus Christ. The body of divinity to which I would pin and bind myself forever, God helping me, is Christ Jesus, who is the sum and substance of the gospel, who is in himself all theology, the incarnation of every precious truth, the all-glorious personal embodiment of the way, the truth, and the life. No doubt Charles Spurgeon understood the importance of Christology. And so what is?

Or wherein do we see the importance of Christology in the Bible? Before we get to those things, very briefly, the importance of Christology is demonstrated as well in the history of the church, isn't it? For anyone familiar with a little bit of church history, The first eight centuries really were a battle for the proper and pristine doctrine of the person of Christ. The first five centuries were probably the most heated, but the battle raged on after that.

Not to say the battle stopped, but the first eight centuries of the church are marked by Christological controversy. Who is this Christ? Who is this one who came and who died and who rose again and who ascended on high? Is he a created being or is he God of God, light of light, true God from true God, begotten not made, one in being with the Father?

Is he truly God and truly man? All of these questions, Christological questions, were asked and answered. And not necessarily asked like, oh, who is this Christ? Let us examine.

But defended by those who had defended against, or the doctrine of Christ, the pristine biblical doctrine of the person and the work of Christ, defended against those who were deviating, against those who were seeking to propagate error and heresy. And so the church, century upon century, comes together and they hammer out these creeds through controversy. They come together in councils by virtue of controversy And they write down confessions of faith with regards to Christ, ensuring that the people of Christ are hedged in against error and heresy. And we'll look at some of that in future sessions, some of the language.

But the importance of Christology, no doubt, is demonstrated by church history. But we want to look at the Bible tonight and look at what it says with regards to the importance of Christology, the study of Christ.

Christ as Scope of Scripture

The first thing that we want to note is that the importance of Christology is seen in that He, Christ, is the scope of Scripture. That is, that Christ is the one to whom all Scripture points. We may say that all the types and shadows and washings, all of the ceremonies and sacrifices, all of the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament all have their glorious intended terminus in Christ Jesus the Lord. It's the scope of scripture, the canonical trajectory.

Barcelos, I think, uses this term. He'll probably say that he got it from someone else. The canonical trajectory, the overall canonical trajectory of scripture is Christ-ward. The Bible is Christ-ward in its trajectory.

A great quote by Nehemiah Cox, one of the 17th century particular Baptists, he wrote this, the great interest of man's present peace and eternal happiness is most closely concerned in religion. And all true religion since the fall of man must be taught by divine revelation, which God by diverse parts and after a diverse manner has given out to his church. He caused this light gradually to increase until the whole mystery of his grace was perfectly revealed in and by Jesus Christ, in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. God, whose works were all known by Him from the beginning, has in all ages disposed and ordered the revelation of His will to men, His transactions with them, and all the works of the Holy Providence toward them, with reference to the fullness of time and the gathering of all things to a head in Christ Jesus.

So in all our search after the mind of God in the Holy Scriptures, we are to manage our inquiries with reference to Christ. That last statement is very important. So in all our search after the mind of God in the Holy Scriptures, we're to manage our inquiries after Christ. That is the point of the Lord Jesus Christ on His resurrection day.

You can turn to Luke 24. This is a passage that we probably come to very often, and it is for good reason. It's one of those places in Holy Scripture that help us to understand the meaning of the giving of revelation, helps us to understand the purpose of the Bible. Notice the Lord Jesus Christ in two places here.

One, before those disciples in despair on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, 25 and then before his disciples largely in verse 44, but notice Luke 24 25 Then he said to the most foolish ones and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken Ought not the Christ who have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and beginning at Moses and all the prophets He expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself you see Christ is opening up the Bible to these disciples. And he's not just going to Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 and that's it because those are the only places that sort of speak explicitly of Jesus Christ. No, he's beginning at Moses and all the prophets. He expounded to them in all the scriptures. the things concerning himself.

He would have started at Genesis. Probably, he might have even gone to Genesis 1 and following, talking about the creation of the world, and he might have said, you know, that's me there. You see where God spoke in the beginning. I am the Word of God.

He would have definitely gone, well definitely, we don't know if he did. We don't have that data in Luke 24. But it's wholesome to assume that Christ would have gone to Genesis 3.15. and said that he is the hero born of woman who would crush the serpent with his heel. Verse 44, we have the same thing going on now before all his disciples.

We read, Then he said to them, These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms concerning me. And he opened their understanding that they might comprehend the scriptures. Remember that prior to his crucifixion and resurrection, There was some doubt on the part of the disciples. They didn't have it all together as sort of a cohesive theology of Christ and his work, necessarily.

Were they saved? Yes. But they did not have a full-orb theology of Christ and what it meant and what he was to do. those sorts of things. He opens their understanding so that they might understand that in all of the Old Covenant, in all of the Old Testament, the revelation from on high concerned Him.

This three-fold summary of the books of the Old Testament, the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. That's a three-fold idiomatic summary, if you will, of the entirety of the Old Covenant Scriptures. And so Christ is saying that He is the scope of Scripture. We could go to places like Acts 3, but we won't, to see, and you can make a note of that, the end of Acts 3, where Peter is preaching after he and John go into the temple, they heal the man outside of the temple gates, and then they preach to an audience there.

And he says that all the prophets since the beginning spoke about Christ, that he would die, that he would rise again, and that he would bring salvation to his people. The apostolic kerygma in the New Testament, in the early church, that is, the pattern of apostolic preaching sets forth this very thing, the importance of Christology and the scope of Scripture.

Christ as Chief Topic of Proclamation

And in fact, that's the second point. So the first was the importance of Christology is seen in that He, Christ, is the scope of Scripture. Secondly, the importance of Christology is seen in that He, Christ, is the chief topic of the church's proclamation. I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it?

If He is the scope of Scripture, if He is the glorious intended terminus of all that came before Him, then no doubt He is the chief topic of the church's proclamation. And that's what we see when we get to places like Acts 5. You can turn there with me in Acts 5. He is the chief topic of the church's proclamation.

In Acts 5, Notice what we have when we move forward to verse 40. This is a report, a summary report of the religious leaders, the unbelieving religious leaders agreeing with Gamaliel, his advice with regards to the release of the disciples. Notice in verse 40, and they agreed with him. And when they had called for the apostles and beaten them, they commanded that they should not speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.

So they departed from the presence of the council rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name. And daily in the temple and in every house they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. You see that is the chief topic of the church's proclamation going from house to house in this case and proclaiming teaching and preaching that Jesus is the Christ. We look at the book of Acts and that's what we see, don't we?

We see the disciples, the apostles of Christ going out and not proclaiming how to have your best life now, Not giving 17 illustrations on how we can apply golf to our Christian walk. They go out and they proclaim Jesus as the Christ. They go out and they proclaim that the old covenant scriptures prophesied and promised that this Jesus would come. This Jesus has come to the Jews.

They would say, you by wicked hands have delivered him up to death. You crucified the Lord of glory by hanging him on a tree. The kerygma, the preaching, would also include that this one though has been raised by God, he's been ascended to the right hand of the majesty on high, and all who believe in him will have everlasting life. The importance of Christology is seen in that he is the chief topic of the church's proclamation.

Stephen Charnock says, with regards to Paul, the Apostle Paul, a verse we'll look at next, Christ crucified is the sum of the gospel and contains all the riches of it. Paul was so much taken with Christ that nothing sweeter than Jesus could drop from his pen and lips. Isn't that what you get when you read the Apostle Paul? Nothing sweeter than Jesus could fall from his pen or lips.

When he proclaimed, he proclaimed Christ. Yes, he would proclaim with great power. and with great vigor against the sins of particular cities and churches that he's writing to, but he always brings it back to that Christocentric center. He always plants the cross right in the middle before his hearers so that they might understand and realize that Christ is all in all. And so, Charnock is exactly right.

The church's proclamation, the chief topic is that of Christ. And we see that in the Apostle Paul in many places, obviously, but one of them that we can turn to is 1 Corinthians. 1 Corinthians chapter 2. There's so much, in fact, in 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and 2, chapters 1 and 2, that we could read. But notice the language of 1 Corinthians 2 beginning in verse 1.

And I, brethren, when I came to you did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom, declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified." You see, this is why it is a preaching crime. It's a pulpit crime, to use the title of James White's book. It's a pulpit crime to have a Christless church, Christless proclamation, a Christless worship service.

Because he is the scope of Scripture, and secondly, he's the chief topic of the church's proclamation. Wherever a preacher finds himself, it is always to be brought back to a Christocentric close. Christ is to enter into pulpit proclamation, or else it is no real valuable proclamation at all. Now that's not to say, the pastor's preaching through the genealogy of, well, actually, no, that is to say, if he is preaching through a genealogy from 1st or 2nd Chronicles, there is, I'm trying to remember the Isaac Abrams or something like that, he talked, talking about the scope of Scripture, he lists, I think it's eight things that mark the scope of Scripture being Christ, and one of them is the genealogies of the Old Testament.

One of them, the genealogical data that we have in the Old Testament, you might just think it's only genealogical data. No, it's not. It is Christo-centric in its thrust, or Christ-ward in its trajectory, but we don't have time to flesh that out necessarily. So we have here the Apostle Paul writing these words, for I determine not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

Paul would say in Colossians 1.28, and perhaps that is a place where we can see the weight of knowing who Jesus is in His person. Notice in Colossians 1.28, we read, Him we preach. warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom. That's Colossians 1.28. Him we preach.

Now, who is He talking about when He says, Him we preach? Who does He mean? Well, the Christ that He had just opened up in the book of Colossians. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth. visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created through Him and for Him, and He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross, Him we preach. That Christ we preach.

That Christ we confess. That Christ we study. That Christ we glory in to know. That is the Christ that we rejoice in. point in the book of Colossians itself.

I can hear Karl Truman saying now the burden of the Pauline letters. The burden of the letters to Paul, this specific letter of Colossians, is to set forth the supremacy of Christ. His divinity. His perfect divinity.

His perfect and full divinity. His perfect humanity. His full humanity. His perfect salvation, having made peace through the blood of the cross, and that he is true wisdom, and that he is the only redemption.

And so we have the reality that Christ is the chief topic of the church's proclamation. That demonstrates quite clearly the importance of Christology, the knowing of, the doctrine of, the studying of Christ. To close off that reality, this is Spurgeon again, on the importance of preaching Christ, noting some things concerning the Apostle Paul. Paul did not budge before the sharp and practical reply of the conquerors of the world.

He did not tremble before Nero and his palace. Whether to Greek or Jew, Roman or barbarian, bond or free, he was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, but gloried in the cross. Though the testimony that the one all-sufficient atonement was provided on the cross stirs the enmity of man and provokes opposition, Yet Paul was so far from attempting to mitigate that opposition that he determined to know nothing save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. His motto was, we preach Christ crucified.

He had the cross for his philosophy, the cross for his tradition, the cross for his gospel, the cross for his glory, and nothing else. It's a wonderful testimony with regards to Paul and the reality that Paul understood the importance of Christology. It was, the cross was, His philosophy, His wisdom, His everything. And so, we see, again, the importance of Christology and the fact that Christ is the scope of Scripture, that He is the chief topic of the Church's proclamation.

Christ as Only Way of Salvation

And then now, thirdly, we see the importance of Christology, or the importance of Christology is seen in that He, Christ, is the only way of salvation. He's the only way of salvation. That is wherein we see the importance of Christology. Because by Christ, or Christ is the only one by whom we are saved.

We see this clearly in many passages in Scripture. And hopefully these ones you might have memorized if you come up against anyone who is one of those people that might say something like, well, what's true for you is true for you, but what's true for me is true for me. All religions lead to heaven. Some sort of religious pluralism like that.

We would want to take them to places such as John 14, 6. John 14, 6, one of those texts that speak to the glory of Christ and also to the exclusivity of salvation by Him. John 14, 6, Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

And we might say that there is a fourfold hammering of the exclusivity of Christ for salvation. He is the way, the truth, and the life. If that isn't enough language of exclusivity, then he drives it home by saying, no one comes to the Father except through me. Christ is the blessed way, the blessed truth, and the blessed life.

And He is the only way, the only truth, and the only life. And no one comes to the Father except through that blessed One, the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples no doubt heard Him, and understood Him, and repeated those words of Christ before their audiences throughout the book of Acts. In Acts 4.12, there's another verse that is clear with its exclusivity with regards to Christ being the only way of salvation.

In Acts 4.12, we read, Nor is there salvation in any other. He's just finished preaching concerning Christ. For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Christ is the only way of salvation.

And again, when we see this brought out in the narratives of God-saving sinners in the book of Acts, in Acts 16, remember that occasion with the Philippian jailer. He's about to impale himself on his own sword because of the dishonor prisoners escaping. No prisoners left. They remind him of that, Paul and Silas.

And then he says, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And again the answer, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. There is only one way. They didn't say believe, you know, in the, you know, the Proverbs of Buddha.

They didn't say if you follow after Vishnu or one of the Hindu gods. They didn't say just follow your own, you know, the dictates of your own conscience. And as long as you help ladies with their groceries and mow their lawns, then all will be well. He says, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved.

The Christological and Christocentric imperative of our religion is clear in the Bible. It is only by the Lord Jesus Christ, it is only by the blessed Savior that men will be saved. if the clarion call of the Bible is believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved, then man is absolutely well served by a knowledge of Him. You see, we are to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. That doesn't mean some sort of esoteric, ethereal, you know, informationless attachment to the Savior.

It's not some sort of simple, sincere feeling of religious attachment to Christ. that is in view when the apostles say, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved. It's not some sort of mystical and ethereal sincere emotional attachment to Christ that is in view, but it is to believe the right things concerning him. And so if it is to believe the right things concerning him, then we are well served to know who this Christ is and what He has done. Now that's not to say that we are to be emotionless Christians.

We could flesh out what emotion is, but we're to love, we're to rejoice, we're to have our souls, our hearts absolutely warmed by the knowledge of Christ. But you see, being a Christian doesn't mean first and foremost to have sincere feelings concerning this fellow Jesus. It is to know who this Jesus is to believe in him and to rejoice in him. We're to know this Christ, we're to understand who he is, and we are to by faith lay hold of the only one who saves and the only one who brings us to the Father.

It's interesting when we look at, for example, John's epistles, not his gospel, but 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, when he's combating Antichrist, the Antichrist, I don't want to step on any eschatological toes, but the Antichrist isn't one single individual in history, and it's not one single individual in our future.

Christology and the Johannine Epistles

When John is railing against Antichrist, he's railing against first century Christological heretics who were denying the humanity of Jesus Christ. Are there people to be worried about? Yes. Are there bad guys out there?

Yes. But we aren't to fear some bad man antichrist in our eschatological future. There may be bad men, but it won't be the antichrist of the Johannine epistles. They were first century heretics who were denying the humanity of Christ.

He is antichrist who denies that Jesus came in the flesh, he says. And so the importance of Christology is brought into view by those epistles of John. You read 1 John, or John 1 in his gospel, and there some of the fathers, Cyril of Alexandria for example, in his commentary says, we believe that people came to John instructing him concerning what these people were saying about Christ, the denial of his humanity. And so John was excited, if you will, to write in his prologue certain Christological truths in order to combat first century heretics.

In other words, he is fully divine. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He is fully human, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He is begotten eternally by the Father, the only begotten Son.

There are certain truths brought out by John, and then when we get to his epistles, we find that this Antichrist movement are those, you know, incipient Gnostics, perhaps, who were propagating this idea that Jesus Christ had not come in the flesh. And so John calls them Antichrist, because they're denying the reality that Christ truly took on humanity. an absolutely vital doctrine. The fathers of the early church used to say, whatever is not assumed is not healed. In other words, if Christ did not assume our humanity, then humanity cannot be healed from their sin.

If Christ did not take on man's nature with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, yet without sin, If he didn't do that, then those who have man's nature, us, with all the essential properties and common infirmities thereof, with sin, will not be healed from the sinless one who came into this world, sinners to save. He needs to assume that which is to be healed, and he did so by taking upon himself man's nature. And so all of that coming back to Christ is the only way of salvation, and the Bible clearly brings that out.

Christ to Be Properly Identified

Fourthly, the importance of Christology. The importance of Christology is seen in that He, Christ, is to be properly identified. He is to be properly identified. What do we mean by that?

Remember the occasion in Matthew's Gospel. This comes up a lot too from the pulpit and from the table. In Matthew 16, when Christ asks that question of man, he asks his disciples two questions, in fact. The first one is, who do men say that I, the son of man, am?

And they answer, some say Jeremiah, some say Elijah, some say John the Baptist, or some other man. And then Jesus Christ asks them, who do you say that I am? And he says, Peter answering, 4 to 12, says, thou art the Christ. the Son of the Living God. So Christ Himself brings forth in His earthly ministry the importance of a proper identification of Christ.

Again, it's not just, you know, we're not saved by some sort of sincere emotional attachment to, A, Jesus Christ. There is only one Jesus Christ that is to be believed in. And if we have erroneous doctrine concerning Him, then that's a bad place to be. If we deny His deity, That's a bad place to be.

If we deny His humanity, that's a bad place to be. In fact, turn with me to John 8. John 8. Because with regards to this point that the importance of Christology is seen and that He, Christ, is to be properly identified, we have first that His full deity is to be confessed.

His full deity is to be confessed.

Confessing Christ's Full Deity

Notice in John 8, beginning in verse 23, and he said to them, you are far from beneath, or excuse me, you are from beneath, I am from above. You are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins, for if you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. You see the weight of what Jesus is saying there.

If you do not believe that I am, you will die in your sins. You see the importance of Christology here at the point of an identification of Christ, specifically here at His full deity. He is using the language of that Exodus 3.14 proclamation, that Isaianic proclamation of the covenant God, I am that I am. Here, you may have an italicized he, or you might have something like that in your Bibles, but the language is repeated by Christ on many occasions.

He's identifying himself with the Father. He's saying that he is God. Remember, later on in this discourse, he will say, before Abraham was, I am. He didn't say, before Abraham was, I was, as if he's affirming Arian Christology, that he was just a created being from before the foundation of the world or something silly like that.

He didn't say, before Abraham was, I was. He said, before Abraham was, I am. In other words, I eternally existed as God, as deity. I have the fullness of deity.

And so Jesus himself demands that a proper identification of himself is necessary in order to enter everlasting life. Now, we must say and we must confess that we are not saved by our theological precision. Let's just say that we're not saved by our theological precision. However, the saved are to be theologically precise.

We're saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But you see, that doesn't mean then that we're just skipping through a mystical universe of sincerity and emotionalism with no propositional truth. This Bible is given to us so that we might know that Jesus is the Christ, that we might know, that we might engage in intellection and cognition, feed ourselves with the Bible, take it in, sit under preaching that we might learn and know this Christ. You look at Ephesians 1, 15 and following to the beginning of chapter 2, what does the Apostle Paul pray? that God would increase us in knowledge and understanding and wisdom so that we might know the fullness of our Savior, the glorious one who has conquered principalities and powers by his blessed and perfect saving work.

We are to know, with respect to his person, in identifying him properly, we are to know that he is full deity. We could go to many other passages, we won't, but 1 John 1.1, Romans 9, 5 and 6, many other places, John 20, 28 that we already read tonight, my Lord and my God, Christ is fully God. But we're going to explore that in future sessions and flesh that out to be sure.

Confessing Christ's Full Humanity

Secondly, we need to, of course, with respect to his person, confess his full humanity. His full humanity. John in his first epistle writes, every spirit that does not confess that Jesus has come in the flesh is not of God. For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.

This is a deceiver and an antichrist." See, we are to confess. We must confess Christ's full humanity. This is why we said at the outset that Christology touches upon soteriology. In fact, we might even say Christology is soteriology in a sense.

You see, Christ comes and he is the mediator between God and man. He isn't mediator because he intercedes, but rather he intercedes because he is mediator. Soteriology is intimately linked to Christology. And the confession of his full humanity must be made because if he is not truly man, then man is not truly saved.

I know I'm preaching to the choir. I don't think we have any Dosetics in here. Is there anybody that follows in the long line of Dosetics from the first sentence? There are some who would still deny his humanity somewhere out there.

But this is something that we need. It's good to fill our minds with Christology so that we can have our hearts inoculated against those errorists out there who would seek to steal away the joy that we have in Christ Jesus the Lord. We are to fill our minds with the knowledge of God so that we might have a hedge around our souls, so that when wicked men dressed sharply in their suits and ties come to our doors and rap on them and want us to talk about watchtower doctrine, we can adequately respond that, no, you're wrong. The Bible clearly teaches his full deity, his full humanity, and the perfection of his saving grace, his saving work. with respect to his person, then we need to confess and we'll get to this point later.

But you see, when we confess his full deity and when we confess his full humanity, we also must confess his uncompounded, undivided, unconfused person.

The Undivided, Unconfused Person of Christ

We cannot say that the deity divinizes the humanity, that the humanity humanizes the divinity. There is no intermingling of the natures in the one person, but rather, as our confession says, two whole perfect and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person without conversion, composition, or confusion, which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and man. You see, if we somehow confuse the two natures, saying that Christ is now one a composite, confused being that has saved his people from their sins, well then we say that the divine nature is immutable, or that it is mutable, that it is passable, that it is changeable. If we say that as well, then we ascribe things to his humanity that we never should, and we create a savior that cannot save because he's not truly man, he's not truly God anymore, he's not truly man anymore, he's some what they would call a theanthropic tertium quid, a God-man third thing, something that isn't fully God, something that isn't fully man, but is now some new thing that is going about the work of salvation in an earthly ministry.

No, we confess his full deity, his full humanity, that these are now inseparably united in one person, but not confused, not mixed, not compounded, and not intermingled. Well then, lastly, if there's any questions afterwards, you can ask away. Lastly, the importance of Christology is seen in that he, Christ, oh excuse me, we didn't look at this, with regards to his work. So with respect to his person, his proper identification, the importance of Christology is seen in that Christ is to be properly identified And then the importance of Christology is seen in that Christ's work is to be properly known and preached.

Christ's Work Properly Known

His work is to be properly known and preached. The first thing we would want to note is its complete historicity. The story of Christ and specifically his work is perfect in its historical representation in the Bible. The Bible does not give us error.

Christ truly did come into this world, sinners to save. One of the places where we find that clearly argued by the Apostle Paul is in 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1 through 7. Remember what we see there. He wants to remind the Corinthians of the gospel of Jesus Christ that they believed in, unless they believed in vain, unless they're entertaining this idea that there is no resurrection from the dead.

But then he reminds them of what the gospel is. He says that Christ Jesus died for our sins according to the scriptures. And in fact, the language that he uses in 1 Corinthians 1 isn't necessarily the rendering in the New King James might not properly bring this forth. It's, of course, a fine translation, the one I prefer.

But notice the language in 1 Corinthians 15, if you have the New King James or the King James, I believe, is the same. It reads in verse 3, For I deliver to you first of all that which I also receive. The language is probably more bringing forth the thrust of, For I deliver to you of first importance that which I also receive. There is a deliverance of a message or the The important message that is delivered and that should be received is this, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.

And notice the addition of an argument for the historical veracity of the resurrection of Christ. that he was seen by Cephas, then by the Twelve. After that, he was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all, he was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time." The historicity, the complete historicity of the work of Christ.

He really did come into the world. He really did do what the Bible said he did. We're not to take the words of the scriptures as just some cute story to set forth an idea of what all men must attain to. We should all strive for our own Christ event and be heroes that would go to a cross and have the power of some weird...

There are people out there, the Jesus Seminar and other strange religious groups that would you know, preach some sort of nonsense like that. The story of Christ isn't really true. It's just a story that's been given to sort of give us a kick in the socks as we, you know, seek to change society for the better. No, Christ came into this world, sinners to save.

The Bible, infallible, inerrant, inspired, comes to us and presents us a true history of the savior of men's souls, and we are to believe it. It's complete historicity. It's certain efficacy. is under his work still. It's certain efficacy.

When we read the Bible, we read that his work is not a work of maybe, it's not a work of perhaps, but it has certain efficacy. Christ comes and he accomplishes that which he was sent to do. He doesn't inaugurate some system of salvation that now needs to be actualized by men in their free will, but rather he came and he perfectly executed the work of salvation And that is a work that is perfectly applied. We think of a text like Matthew 121.

Simple words, but it speaks to full indefinite atonement. You will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. It's clear language. It's not no language of perhaps and maybe.

He will save his people from their sins. That truth is reflected in that Pauline saying in 1 Timothy 1.15. This is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into this world, sinners to save, of whom I am chief, he says. There is a certainty to its efficacy. 1 Peter 1, 3 to 5 as well, we have that blessed doxology by Peter there.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled that does not fade away reserved in heaven for you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last day. It's certain efficacy is clear from the pages of Holy Scripture. It's necessary exclusivity, we've already noted that, John 14, 6. It's glorious application, the glorious application of the benefits of Christ's work.

We are to realize that Christ from on high applies the benefits of His saving work through His Spirit. All of that simply to say that Christ's work is a perfect work of salvation. Salvation from first to last, midst and throughout, is of a triune God who saves without a helper through the perfect work of the Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. All those given to him by the Father are by him saved and are by him in time brought forth from darkness to light, brought forth from deadness to life, brought forth by amazing and victorious grace, and are preserved unto that great and final day.

Well, lastly, just by summary, and we can continue next time, but lastly, the importance of Christology is seen in that He, Christ, is the reason for and exemplar for our practical Christianity.

Christ as Reason and Exemplar for Christian Living

In the four minutes that we have left, we'll just rehearse some of those things. Again, the importance of Christology, lastly, is seen in that He, Christ, is the reason for and exemplar for our practical Christianity. Firstly, our life of sanctification. Romans 8.29.

We're predestinated unto Christ. We're called, justified, and glorified. We're conformed to the image of Christ. Romans 8.29. those whom he foreknew he predestinated to be conformed to the image of his son.

Our life of sanctification finds that we are conformed unto the image of Christ. The importance of Christology is seen in that he is the reason for our practical Christianity and the exemplar for it. That means the chief example for our, in this case, our sanctification. Our doing of good works.

Ephesians 2, 8-10, which ought to be memorized by every Christian. I'm not going to bind your conscience, but you should memorize Ephesians 2, 8-10. What does it say near the end? His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.

We're created in Christ Jesus. We're new creatures. We're a new creation in Christ Jesus, united to Him by virtue of His saving work for the duty. of good works to brethren and to men. Our humility finds its reason in Christ Jesus and its exemplar in Christ Jesus.

We think of Galatians 6.14, God forbid that I should boast save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. You see we have no boast We are to be humble. Why? Because our only boast is in Christ.

And it's not because we're so holy that we don't boast. It's that there's nothing that we can, as men, boast about save the perfection of the cross of Christ and the glory of our God. There's nothing in ourselves wherein we can boast. Therefore, there is no boasting, Paul says in Romans 4.

There's no glorying in ourselves, only in Christ and in His cross. We have Philippians 2, 5 to 11, which also speaks to Christ as the exemplar for our humility. There Calvin comments, since then the Son of God descended from so great a height, how unreasonable that we who are nothing should be lifted up with pride. Calvin had a way, as others do, have it a way of driving the nail into the coffin of pride, if you will.

Since then, the son of God descended from so great a height, how unreasonable that we who are nothing should be lifted up with pride. We're ever lifted up with pride, we need to have our gaze drawn to a savior. Bloodied on Calvary's tree, one who was once and always is, but one who is the praise of angels, condescended to our lower shame to take upon man's nature and to die upon a cross. How unreasonable are we, or how unreasonable that we should be lifted up with pride, we who are nothing.

Our attitude towards brethren, 2 Corinthians 8, 9, and in fact Philippians 2, 5 to 11 as well. Our attitude towards brethren, we have Christ as the center there who is to be the reason for and the exemplar for our love towards each other. That one who condescended, that one who was rich and who became poor for our sakes so that we might become rich. We are to have that sort of condescending, not condescending attitude, but humble attitude towards our brethren.

We are to have that mind of Christ whereby we are to be marked by an others-mindedness, where we seek not our own good, but we seek the good of others. Well, just a small view then of some of those things that are some of those important elements with regards to Christology. Why is a study of Christ important? Well, we may not have exhausted all things, but hopefully we brought into view those important things.

The scope of Scripture is Christ. The chief topic of the church's proclamation is Christ. The only way of salvation is Christ. Christ is to be properly identified.

His work is to be known, and we are to recognize that He is the reason for and the exemplar for our practical Christianity. Well, in a few future sessions, we'll have a look at more with regards to Christology, some of the more specific points, His person and His work, some of those details, if you will, with regards to the incarnation, with regards to the Holy Spirit's role in the ministry of Christ, and all of these sorts of things. the stuff that we are to know as we grow in the grace and in the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord.

Closing Prayer

Well, let us close in prayer. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time together. We rejoice in our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you that we can study him from your word.

We thank you that we can learn of our blessed Savior by your revelation. And we pray that as we draw breath, that we would find ourselves often with noses in the Bible discovering those blessed gems and treasures of our Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that you would help us to know Him more day after day, and that our hearts would rejoice in our blessed, redeeming King. And it's in His name that we do pray.

Amen.

Scripture References

• Genesis 3:15
• Exodus 3:14
• Matthew 1:21; 16:13-16
• Luke 24:25; 24:44
• John 8:23; 8:58; 14:6; 20:24-31; 20:28; 20:30-31
• Acts 3; 4:12; 5:40; 16:30-31
• Romans 4; 8:29; 9:5-6
• 1 Corinthians 1; 2:1; 15:1-7; 15:3
• 2 Corinthians 8:9
• Galatians 6:14
• Ephesians 1:15; 2:8-10
• Philippians 2:5-11
• Colossians 1:28
• 1 Timothy 1:15
• 1 Peter 1:3-5
• 1 John 1:1