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Theology II, Online
Module 2 Reading Response
1.
In this module’s chapter from
Bible Doctrine
, Grudem outlines some of the
major themes in Christology.
In particular, Grudem lists several ways in which the Bible explicitly states that
Jesus is divine. List these reasons, and then, in two well-written paragraphs,
pick one to reflect upon further (e.g., what biblical texts support this
statement, plus, what impact does this make on how we understand who
Jesus is?).
Grudem gives us three ways that the Bible explicitly states that Jesus is
divine. This is expressed through the words used for Christ such as God, Lord,
I am, Alpha, and Omega. Jesus’ claim that He is the “I am” is extremely
significant. In the passage of John 8, Jesus encounters a group of
opponents who accuse Him of being possessed by a demon. Jesus
counters this claim by saying that He honors the Father and that, “if anyone
keeps my word, he will never see death (CSB v.51).” The Pharisees then
accuse Jesus of claiming that He is greater than Abraham; to which Jesus
responds, “before Abraham was, I am.” Grudem makes the point that Jesus
very easily could have stated, “Before Abraham was, I was,” which would
have sounded less like a grammatical error. However, Jesus chose His words
very carefully here and two things stand out. First, the phrasing of Jesus’
statement does not make sense at first glance. However, I would argue
that it makes perfect sense in the realm of claiming His deity. Grudem states
that “Jesus combined two assertions whose sequence seemed to make no
sense: ‘Before something in the past happened [Abraham was], something
in the present happened [I am].” To me, this is significant because in this
statement Christ is claiming to be eternal like the Father. Another thing that
stands out about this claim to be “I am”, which may have resonated with
the Pharisees more, is that He used the very same words that God used to
Moses. To the Pharisees, this was a heretical claim, which by law is
punishable by stoning which Jesus, of course, was able to escape. When
He referred to Himself as “I am” this was a direct claim to be God, and the
Pharisees knew that.
This claim to be the “I am” is a very significant moment in the life of Jesus.
Not only did He flirt with death, but He affirmed His deity. This statement that
He makes in John chapter 8 was very intentional, all the way down to the
grammar. In this statement, Jesus claims to not be bound by time and to be
the “I am” that Moses encountered. For us, we can see that Jesus is God,
one with the Father. He has always been and will always be. This is
comforting to us because we know that at the same time He is with us right
now, He is with us ten years in the future and beyond. This concept is hard
to comprehend however, it is comforting to know that whatever is troubling
us right now, He is already there when we come out the other side, and He
is there to walk with us the whole way through.
2.
What are the three “inadequate approaches” to understanding Jesus’s
humanity and divinity that Grudem mentions? For each one, explain why it is
inadequate.
a.
Apollinarianism believed that Christ had a human body, but not a
human mind or spirit. They believed that the mind and spirit were of
divine nature. This approach was rejected because the church leaders
realized that it is not just our physical bodies that need salvation, but our
minds and spirit as well.
b.
Nestorianism believed that there were two separate persons in Christ,
one human and one divine. This approach is inadequate because we
never see a “power struggle” between two persons of Christ in scripture.
If He were to be comprised of two distinct persons, we would see each
personality act differently. Rather, we have ample biblical evidence that
the personality of Christ was unified.
c.
Monophysitism, or Eutychianism, believed that Christ had only one
nature. This one nature was comprised of both the divine and human
natures, however, the divine nature “absorbed” the human nature. This
approach is inadequate because if it were true, then Christ would be
neither fully God nor man.
3.
In at least one well-written paragraph, answer the following question: What is
the “Chalcedonian Definition,” and why is it important? Be specific.
Long ago, there were great controversies regarding the person of Christ.
There were many opposing views of the relationship between manhood
and the Godhood of Christ. In an effort to unite these differing views, a
large church council met in the city of Chalcedon and drafted a
statement concerning these things. This statement is significant because it
denies all of the differing views that we discussed before. Today, this
statement still stands as the confirmation of the person of Christ, with two
distinct natures, in one body.
In regards to Apollinarianism, they stated that Christ was, “truly man, of a
reasonable soul and body…consubstantial with us according to the
Manhood; in all things like unto us.” We know that Apollinarianism believes
that Christ did not have the human spirit, however, the Chalcedonian
Definition confirms that Christ was just like us in His manhood. Against
Nestorianism, they stated that the persons of Christ were, “not parted or
divided into two persons.” They also affirmed that the persons were
indivisible and inseparable. We know that Eutychianism believes that Christ
had one nature, but His human nature was lost in the union with the divine
nature. Countering this claim, they affirmed that Christ had two natures,
human and divine, and these did not get confused or changed when
Christ became man.
4.
In at least two well-written paragraphs, answer the following discussion
question (from p. 247): After reading this chapter, are there specific ways in
which you now think of Jesus as being more like you than you did before?
What are these? How can a clearer understanding of Jesus’ humanity help
you face temptations? How can it help you pray?
After reading this chapter, I became very encouraged by Christ’s humanity.
In the past, I’ve known of the limitations Jesus faced because of his
humanity; however, this text added more depth to my knowledge. I had
never really thought about Jesus as a child going through normal childhood
development. Knowing this, I’m sure that He had His “terrible twos” which is
strange to think about. I find this comforting, that God Himself wrapped in
human flesh probably hated puberty like the rest of us. I do not mean to
make light of His humanity, but I believe that it is important to know that
Jesus is a lot more like us than we realize. This chapter affirms that Jesus had
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physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual limitations due to His humanity.
I
believe there are not many things, if any, that we can say Jesus has not
gone through that we have. He faced fatigue, hunger, thirst, pain, sickness,
temptation, and the list goes on. Reflecting on this makes me very thankful
that my savior understands what it is like to be a human in a sin-filled world.
In the past, at times when I was deep in temptation, I have found it
exceptionally comforting to reflect on Jesus’ encounter with temptation.
Knowing that He understands what it is like to be deep in temptation gives
me the motivation to remain steadfast in Him. Reading the story of Jesus
being tempted in the wilderness proves that temptation comes when we
are vulnerable and it attacks our weaknesses. For instance, Jesus had fasted
for 40 days and I am sure that he was hangry, tired, thirsty, and maybe even
a little sunburnt. Overall, He was not in His best state when the temptation
presented. Yet, Jesus resisted flawlessly, and knowing this gives me the
motivation to act like Him when I am tempted. Knowing that Jesus is like me
in many ways makes it much easier to pray. We’ve all heard big, long, and
fancy prayers before, (which is great, don’t get me wrong) but I am thankful
that I can just talk to Jesus as a friend. Truthfully, I enjoy praying, and I think a
large part of that is due to the fact that I can tell Jesus anything whenever I
want. I don’t have to be a high priest in the Tabernacle to have access to
God. The Holy Spirit lives in me and I have access to the Father through
Christ.