Theological term
God-Man
5 sermons · All terms
The Anointing at Bethany
Sandwiched between the conspiracy of the religious leaders and the betrayal of Judas, the anointing at Bethany (Matthew 26:6–13) presents an act of extravagant devotion that Christ himself defends, interprets, and immortalizes. The sermon works through three movements: the act itself, the disciples' indignant complaint, and Christ's authoritative response, showing that what pragmatic men call a waste Christ calls a good work. Against the tendency toward either-or Christianity, the passage enforces both fervent worship of Christ and genuine care for the poor as inseparable obligations. The abiding lesson is that no expenditure of time, wealth, or devotion directed to the Lord of glory can ever constitute a waste, because he is chief among ten thousand and altogether lovely.
The Incarnation and True Humanity of Christ
Philippians 2:5–11 anchors a study of the incarnation and true humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Drawing on the Nicene, Constantinopolitan, Chalcedonian, and Athanasian creeds together with the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, the study traces three aspects of the incarnation — assumption of human nature, the virgin birth, and the union of two natures in one person — before marshalling seven biblical proofs of Christ's full humanity. The central argument throughout is soteriological: the Son of God must be truly and perfectly man, body and soul, yet without sin, because only such a mediator can make propitiation for guilty sinners and be their faithful high priest.
The Deity of Christ
Who is Jesus Christ, and what does Scripture mean when it confesses that He is God? This Bible study on John 1:14–18 opens a series on Christology by examining the deity of Christ from three angles: its precise meaning, the breadth of its biblical testimony, and the doctrinal affirmations necessary for confessing it rightly. The study moves from definitional clarity—ruling out Arian, adoptionist, and Mormon distortions—through exegetical survey of Christ's self-identification, apostolic statements, Old Testament Yahweh texts applied to Christ, and divine attributes predicated of Him, before concluding with four essential affirmations: His essential identity with the Father, His personal eternal distinction as the eternally begotten Son, His unchanging post-incarnation deity, and the specific role His divine nature plays in assuming, personalizing, and sustaining His human nature.
Christ and the Storm
Matthew 8:23–27 presents Christ stilling the storm on the Sea of Galilee as a revelation of his divine identity and unrivaled authority over creation. The sermon traces three movements: the real danger confronting the disciples on the sea, Christ's rebuke of their little faith and his sovereign command over the wind and waves, and the disciples' resulting awe. While discipleship themes run through the passage — the inevitability of trial, the displacement of fear by faith, and the call to pray 'increase our faith' rather than simply 'make this stop' — the primary burden is Christological: Matthew is unveiling the God-man, Israel's Messiah, whose word over the sea echoes the divine prerogative of Yahweh throughout the Psalms and Prophets. The sermon closes with a direct appeal to flee to this Christ, the only one able to address the far greater crisis of sin.
The Superiority of Christ Over the Angels
Hebrews 1:4–14 opens the epistle's sustained argument for the superiority of Christ over the angels — an argument the apostle grounds not in assertion but in seven quotations from the Old Testament. The passage addresses Jewish Christians tempted to abandon Christ and return to old covenant rites, demonstrating from their own scriptures that the Messiah, as God-man and mediator, possesses a dignity and dominion infinitely exceeding that of the angels. The sermon traces two of four sections in the confirmation passage: Christ's unique filial relationship to the Father (Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:14), shown to be fulfilled in his resurrection and exaltation, and his relationship to the angels, who worship him and serve as his ministers. Throughout, the recurring motif of 'better' in Hebrews is shown to be the epistle's controlling theme: Christ and the new covenant are not merely different from the old, but surpassingly superior to it in every respect.