There isn't any better want for the church today than to believe rightly about Jesus, biblically and theologically. The existence and fitness of the church depends upon an accurate Christology, rooted and grounded in an accurate theology suitable—yet no longer simply a Christology confessed but one which leads us to religion, have faith, and confidence in our Lord Jesus and to a complete existence lived in adoration, praise, and obedience to the triune God.
The reason why this should be is obtrusive if we have understood what Scripture teaches regarding our triune God within the face of the incarnate Son. on the grounds that Jesus is the divine Son, the eternal "observe made flesh" (cf. John 1:1, 14), in him by myself is existence and existence everlasting (John 17:three). time and again, Scripture reminds us that in Christ on my own, all God's sovereign applications discover their fulfillment (Heb. 1:1–three). As Paul superbly reminds us, in Christ on my own, God's eternal plan is to carry "all issues," "issues in heaven and things on this planet," below Christ's headship (Eph. 1:9–10), which has already begun in his first coming and which might be consummated in his return. Jesus, the incarnate divine Son, is valuable to God's eternal plan and new introduction work. indeed, as Paul once again reminds us in his famous Christological hymn, no longer only is the everlasting Son the one via whom the daddy has cr eated, but additionally, the very goal of creation is sooner or later "for him" (Col. 1:sixteen).
Given the centrality of Christ in Scripture and theology, it's now not excellent that to misidentify him is so serious. in fact, as Jeremy Jackson rightly reminds us, at the heart of all heresy and false understandings of the gospel and Christian theology is a distortion or denial of Christ.1 in many techniques, one's Christology is a test case for one's entire theology. The more our Christology is off, mainly when it comes to the Son's interesting, exclusive identification and all-enough work, the extra our theology will be wrong in different areas. "ideas have consequences," and essentially the most primary "concept" to get right is who Jesus is vis-à-vis the triune God. there are many beliefs that distinguish Christianity from other worldviews however none as valuable and demanding as who Jesus is.
Stephen J. Wellumduring this addition to the short reviews in Systematic Theology, Stephen J. Wellum examines the divinity and humanity of Christ, specializing in who Jesus is from Scripture and old theology, displaying readers why Jesus is unique and the way they should suppose in regards to the incarnation.
considering through all that Scripture says about Jesus and wrestling with the church as she has sought to faithfully confess Christ is not an easy project, but it surely's fully necessary, peculiarly if we're going to consider rightly about God, the gospel, and the entire Christian faith. The look at of Christology isn't reserved for academic theologians; it's the privilege, responsibility, and glory of each Christian. The Christian lifestyles and the Christian ministry are about figuring out God in actuality, believing and obeying God's note in our lives, and being vigilant for the actuality of the gospel with the aid of "destroy[ing] arguments and every lofty opinion raised in opposition t the skills of God, and tak[ing] every concept captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5).
To Christ Be the GloryYet besides the fact that children Scripture and theology remind us about the centrality of Christ in everything, the evangelical church, unluckily, is in danger of neglecting this truth. evidence for this problem is found in the 2018 State of Theology document, which exhibits a serious lack of biblical-theological talents and constancy.2 but further evidence is present in whatever appears to be the newest discussion on social media. The evangelical church appears extra inclined to "combat" and "divide" over concerns that are entailments of the gospel than to stand faithfully for truths which are central to the gospel, specifically, Christology and theology suitable, as evidenced within the State of Theology ballot.
The church first exists to understand and proclaim the glory of the triune God within the face of Christ.
My purpose is to name the church back to what is central: the glory of Christ. My hope is to equip the church to understand better the basic scriptural records related to Christ and the church's theological confession of him. My prayer is that in spending time pondering throughout the glory and majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ, [you] could be led, in some small way, to a renewed pleasure to understand and proclaim Christ and him alone (Col. 1:28). indeed, the church first exists to know and proclaim the glory of the triune God in the face of Christ, and a stream away from this core will lead the church away from existence and fitness.
considered one of Scripture's culminating visions is Revelation four–5. it's a panoramic imaginative and prescient wherein the triune God is considered in all his glory, holiness, authority, sovereignty, and self-sufficiency. in this imaginative and prescient, we're reminded about what is in reality imperative and critical: the Lord on his throne and the Lamb who was slain. In each technology, Christians need this imaginative and prescient to renew them. We deserve to be reminded about who is imperative, who is invaluable, who's to be obeyed, and who is our only hope and salvation. on account of pondering through the glory of our Lord Jesus in Scripture and theology, can also we be ended in confess with the angelic hosts:
To him who sits on the throne and to the Lambbe blessing and honor and glory and could continuously and ever!" (Rev. 5:13)
Notes:
this article is tailored from The grownup of Christ: An Introduction via Stephen J. Wellum.
Stephen J. Wellum (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity faculty) is professor of Christian theology on the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky, and editor of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. Stephen and his spouse, Karen, have five adult infants.
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