Christology: The Person and Work of Christ
Christology examines the fundamental questions about Jesus Christ's identity and mission: How can one person be both fully God and fully human? Why was it necessary for our Savior to possess both natures? These questions form the cornerstone of Christian faith and salvation.
(Christology- Lesson 1, 0:03) As we study Christology, we're exploring how Christ's dual nature works and why Jesus being "truly man and truly God, 100% man 100% God" is absolutely necessary for salvation and for Him to be the accepted sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sin.
Martin Luther emphasized in the Large Catechism that "the entire gospel which we preach is based on this that we properly understand this article... upon which our salvation and all our happiness rest and which is so rich and comprehensive that we never can learn it fully." (Christology- Lesson 1, 2:35)
The Foundation: Church Creeds
(Christology- Lesson 1, 3:04) As we study Christ's two natures, we use the Creeds of the church as our foundation—a rule that helps explain and express in a concise manner what we confess as Christians concerning Christ's humanity and deity.
Why Creeds Matter
The Lutheran Church recognizes three primary creeds as valid expressions of biblical truth:
The Apostles' Creed serves as our weekly confession of faith. (Christology- Lesson 1, 4:04) Creeds teach the basics of Christian faith—they're a written summary of what Scripture teaches about God and His continuing work for us. They also warn against false beliefs and unite the entire Christian Church in common confession.
When we recite "one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church," (Christology- Lesson 1, 4:55) we use "Catholic" with a lowercase 'c', meaning universal or entire—we're professing faith in the universal Christian Church, not the Roman Catholic denomination.
The Three Foundational Creeds
The Apostles' Creed developed as a basic faith statement based on apostolic teachings for those preparing for baptism. As Acts 2:42 describes, new believers "devoted themselves to the Apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
(Christology- Lesson 1, 11:20) For a long time, the Apostles' Creed was memorized rather than written, and explained right before catechumens were baptized. It served as a "rule of faith"—like a straightedge that provides guidance and keeps us aligned with truth.
The Nicene Creed emerged from the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, (Christology- Lesson 1, 13:32) developed to articulate faith in the face of rejection of false teachings. Constantine called this council to bring unity to the Christian Church amid various fractures and different teachings.
(Christology- Lesson 1, 15:07) At the heart of the Council of Nicaea was controversy over Christ's deity—whether He was actually God or not. This derived from Arianism, a heresy that denied Jesus Christ's deity, claiming He was among God's created beings rather than equal with the Father.
(Christology- Lesson 1, 16:09) The debate centered on one crucial distinction: homoousios (same substance) versus homoiousios (similar substance). The difference of one Greek letter—iota—determined whether Jesus was of the same substance as God or merely similar. The Council affirmed that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are of the same substance. This is where we get the idiom "doesn't make one iota of difference."
The Athanasian Creed delves into the mystery of the Trinity like no other creed. (Christology- Lesson 1, 19:06) Written for pastoral instruction and testing rather than liturgical purposes, it provides detailed description of the relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Christ's Dual Nature in the Creeds
Each creed progressively reveals more about Christ's nature:
From the Apostles' Creed: (Christology- Lesson 1, 21:17) "I believe in Jesus Christ, His only son... conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary..." In just these phrases, we proclaim Christ to be both man and God.
From the Nicene Creed: "God of God, light of light, very God of very God, begotten not made... of one substance with the Father... and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man."
From the Athanasian Creed: (Christology- Lesson 1, 25:26) "Our Lord Jesus Christ, God's Son, is both God and man. He is God begotten before all worlds from the beginning of the Father and He is man born in the world from the being of His mother, existing fully as God and fully as man with a rational soul and a human body, equal to the Father in divinity, subordinate to the Father in humanity."
(Christology- Lesson 1, 26:06) The creed emphasizes that Christ "does not transform deity into humanity" and that "as the rational soul and body are one person, so the one Christ is God and man." This holds the two natures together—the crux of Christology.
(Christology- Lesson 1, 26:17) Jesus does not abandon His deity because He was man, nor does He abandon His humanity once ascended. He is always, at all times, both fully man and fully God.
The Necessity of Both Natures
(Christology- Lesson 1, 27:48) Understanding why Christ had to be fully man examines His role as the accepted sacrifice. Understanding why He had to be fully God reveals the divine power necessary for salvation.
(Christology- Lesson 1, 30:50) Jesus has never been anything other than fully man and fully God—before His earthly ministry, during His incarnation, and continuing today.
Creeds as Tools for Faith and Witness
(Christology- Lesson 1, 12:50) When we recite these creeds, we're stating our beliefs and professing our faith in a concise manner. Someone noted that "attacking this Creed is tantamount to attacking Scripture"—not that creeds are Scripture themselves, but everything in them is based on Scripture and ties directly back to God's Word.
(Christology- Lesson 1, 29:36) The creeds serve as wonderful tools for witnessing opportunities. They provide a foundation for explaining biblical truth and correcting misconceptions while pointing others back to Scripture.
These ancient statements of faith continue to guide Christians today, providing a "straightedge" against which we can measure our beliefs and ensuring we remain aligned with the apostolic teachings about Jesus Christ—true God and true man, our Savior and Lord.