Much of Christology (the study of Christ) centers around the events of Holy Week. Several of the main doctrines of Christianity hinge on things leading up to his ultimate suffering, the crucifixion, and his ultimate triumph, his resurrection.

Stay tuned this week for a few blurbs concerning particular doctrines of the faith, especially related to Christology!

Sunday: The Doctrine of Impeccability = Not only was Christ sinless, He was impeccable, that is, incapable of sinning (1 Peter 1:18-19; 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 4:15).

Was it Possible for Jesus to Sin? https://youtu.be/4RBMTnWgjTA

Monday: The Hypostatic Union* = Jesus is both fully God and fully human. His divinity and humanity are undivided. Christ had to be human in order for him to pay for our sin because we (humans) committed the sin. He had to be fully God because only a perfect sinless sacrifice could accomplish our salvation. Only God is perfect. Jesus is God. In Christian doctrine Jesus is referred to as the second member of the Trinity, but all members of the Trinity are co-equal. The Athanasian Creed states, “He is God from the essence of the Father, begotten before time; and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time; completely God, completely human, with a rational soul and human flesh; equal to the Father as regards divinity, less than the Father as regards humanity. Although he is God and human, yet Christ is not two, but one. He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh, but by God’s taking humanity to himself. He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence, but by the unity of his person. For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh, so too the one Christ is both God and human.”

Tuesday: The Doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement = Jesus Christ, the Son of God, by offering Himself as a sacrifice, by substituting Himself in our place, paying in full the penalty of our sin and actually bearing the punishment which should have been ours, satisfied the Father, effected a reconciliation between God and man, and became our justification by imputing His righteousness to us through faith in His perfect work of atonement.* 1 John 2:1-2, “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.” (Also see: Romans 3:21-31; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21; Galatians 3:10-14; Hebrews 7-10; 1 John 2:1-2; 4:10; 1 Peter 1:18-21; Revelation 1:5-6; 5:6-14; 12:11).

Wednesday: The Doctrine of Imputation* = The doctrine of imputation teaches that while Adam’s sin is imputed to us because he is our natural federal head, God imputes (ascribes) or accredits the righteousness and suffering of Jesus to those who are in him and, conversely, imputes the sins of those redeemed to Christ. Key verse: 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Thursday: The Doctrine of Justification = “Justification (dikaiosis) is connected linguistically with righteousness (dikaiosune) in the first century it is clear that all the words with this root were concerned with conformity to a standard of right. And in Scripture it is not too much to say that righteousness is basically a legal term. The law that mattered was, of course, the law of God, so that righteousness signified conformity to the law of God…It is plain from the New Testament teaching throughout that justification comes to the sinner by the atoning work of Jesus and that this is applied to the individual sinner by faith. That God pardons and accepts believing sinners is the truth that is enshrined in the doctrine of justification by faith.” Leon Morris

Friday: Soteriology = “Soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, must be the grandest theme in the Scriptures. It embraces all of time as well as eternity past and future. It relates in one way or another to all of mankind, without exception. It even has ramifications in the sphere of the angels. It is the theme of both the Old and New Testaments. It is personal, national, and cosmic. And it centers on the greatest Person, our Lord Jesus Christ” (From Bible.org: https://bible.org/article/soteriology-doctrine-salvation)

*Click here to here the Hypostatic Union explained in artistic form: https://youtu.be/NdGMXWSkR1A

*Information borrowed from an article written by Danny Akin. For more detailed information on atonement visit: http://www.danielakin.com/wp-content/uploads/old/Resource_580/10%20Jesus%20Christ.%20What%20Did%20He%20Do%20The%20Doctrine%20Of%20The%20Atonement.pdf

*Information borrowed from The Gospel Coalition. For more detailed information on atonement visit: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-doctrine-of-imputation/

*Watch Dr. William Lane Craig explain the Imputed Righteouness of Christ: https://youtu.be/mxszu2I3eAs

What is the “essence” of Christianity? Video by John Piper: https://youtu.be/yzOAQI84g38