THE DOCTRINE OF CHRIST

The Doctrine of Christ consists of what the Bible tells us about Christ, to the exclusion of opinion and conjecture. One aspect of this doctrine deals with the fact that He is both true God and true man, another with His states of humiliation and exaltation, and the third with His threefold office as our Prophet, Priest, and King.

CHRIST IS TRUE GOD

1John 5:20, We are in him who is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

John 20:28, Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

John 1:1,14, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.

1Timothy 4: 10, We trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those that believe.

Titus 1: 3, According to the commandment of God our Savior.

Matthew 1:23, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Isaiah 9:6, For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

[Comment: Since a true son will be made of the same substance as his father, while a created son (puppet/statue) will not, the ancient creeds speak of Christ as being "God of the substance of the Father," in order to highlight the fact that He is true God.]

AS GOD HE HAS ALWAYS EXISTED

Isaiah 63:16, You, O LORD, are our father, our redeemer; your name is from everlasting.

Micah 5:2, You, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you will He come forth to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

John 8:58, Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

CHRIST IS ALSO TRUE MAN

1Timothy 2:5, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

Romans 5:15, The gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded to many.

2Timothy 2:8, Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel.

Hebrews 2:16, For truly he did not take on the nature of angels; but He took on the seed of Abraham.

John 7:42, Has not the scripture said, That Christ comes of the seed of David?

Romans 1:3, Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh.

BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY

Matthew 1:23, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they will call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Luke 1:27, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin‘s name was Mary.

Luke 1:34-35, Then Mary said to the angel, How will this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you: therefore also that holy thing that will be born of you will be called the Son of God.

AS GOD CHRIST IS EQUAL TO THE FATHER

John 5:18, Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but also said that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Philippians 2:6, Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.

John 14:9, Jesus said to him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet you have not known me, Philip? he who has seen me has seen the Father?

YET AS MAN HE IS INFERIOR TO THE FATHER

1Corinthians 15:28, And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

John 14:28, My Father is greater than I.

AT THE SAME TIME THERE IS ONLY ONE CHRIST, NOT TWO

1Corinthians 8:6, But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1Timothy 2:5, For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

[To these verses we could add every passage that speaks of Christ in the singular.]

SOME ERRORS THAT CHRISTIANS REJECT

Since there is only one God, Bible believers reject the idea that Christ is half man and half God. Such a being would not be truly God or truly man, therefore, that idea contradicts the passages that tell us that Christ is God, as well as the passages that tell us that He is man. Furthermore, since God said, "I change not" we reject the idea that He changed into man (during the time Christ was on earth) and then changed back (Malachi 3:6). Instead the words "He took on him the seed of Abraham" tell us that Christ took the nature of man into His divine nature through the virgin birth (Hebrews 2:16 and Philippians 2:7).

CHRIST'S HUMILIATION AND EXALTATION

While Christ has always been true God, during the time He was on earth he humbled Himself in that He did not make full use of the divine knowledge and power that were at His disposal. As it is written, "Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8).

Since His humiliation ended, all of the attributes of deity are His, even according to His human nature. As it is written, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Matthew 28:18). [See also Philippians 2:9-10.]

CHRIST, AS PROPHET, PRIEST, AND KING

The following passages reveal Christ as our Prophet, Priest, and King. The Doctrine of His Vicarious atonement deals with what he accomplished as our High Priest.

Acts 7:37, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall you hear.

Hebrews 10:14, By one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified.

Hebrews 1:8, But unto the Son he says, Your throne, O God, is forever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom.

CONCLUSION

While I could add many other passages, they would only repeat and enlarge upon what has been said. However, I do want to stress the fact that the true church of Jesus Christ accepts everything that the Bible says about Christ, without trying to make it conform to the mind of man (John 10:27). In contrast, cults will interpret some Bible passages to contradict others, while rejecting and explaining away any that do not conform to their own ideas (1John 4:6).

Gary Ray Branscome