Christology: Jesus as God and as Man

In the book Simply Jesus, N.T. Wright makes three different claims throughout. N.T. Wright's first claim is about the “perfect storm”. The “perfect storm” takes up a large section of the first few chapters, and in those chapters N.T. Wright writes about that to enter the “perfect storm” you must step out of your own storm that is happening in your life, you must jump back into the “perfect storm” just as Jesus did in his own life. N.T. Wright fails to fully support the idea of the “perfect storm” throughout the book. Wright writes about the two myths that create the “storms”, the first is “… the high-pressure system of conservative Christianity” and the second is “... the new classic modernist myth…”. N.T. Wright loses his credibility to his claims by never giving evidence that disproves they myths. N.T. Wright states that the stories in the bible “...’really did happen’. And there the matter ends…. Facts or no facts”. N.T. Wrights claims are never fully

Some scholars argue that evidence of Jesus of Nazareth 's existence can only be found within the writings of the New Testament. They believe that the New Testament is a biased and unreliable source for the existence of Jesus. They therefore claim that Jesus did not exist. The historical existence of Jesus is necessary to demonstrate the truth of Christianity. While Christian scholars do not discount the reliability of the New Testament as a historical document, they are also able to point to other historical documents and consider non-Christian writings which support the existence of Jesus. In this paper I will argue that Jesus the Nazarene was an actual, historical person and that this can be demonstrated through extra-Biblical resources.

he is definitely not seen by Christians as having any human characteristics, like the gods of the

Jesus is known by many titles, perhaps most importantly the Savior of the world. Jesus Christ was sent to this earth to pay the price for all of humanities’ sins. According to Merrick, (2015). Scriptures primarily focus on His ministry as an adult however, there is an account of Jesus reading scriptures in the synagogue. Jesus was also known as the Messiah, or anointed one. This title gives further explanation to His divinity and supreme rule. Jesus was also known to be both man and God. This truth is significant because as (Merrick, 2015a) states “one beholds what all human life should look like.” (Section The Image of the Invisible God, para. 1). Bowen, (2014) gave a great explanation of Jesus when he said “This Jesus holds together the atoms in our bodies, keeps the laws of physics constant. Those individuals who believe the earth’s existence and beginning is a scientific occurrence can learn a bit more about the role Jesus played in the

“Who do people say that I am?” (Mark 8:27) is one of the most fundamental questions that Jesus asked his disciples. It is a question, from my personal viewpoint, that has a simple answer. Jesus is Lord! Needless to say, there is more to the identity of Jesus, but it is my belief that Jesus is the Messiah, the second person of the Holy Trinity. He is the promised Savior foretold in the Old Testament by the prophets. There is an endless list that gives Jesus titles such as Ruler and King, Master and Teacher, Savior and Christ, but in Acts 2:36 Luke writes, “God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Jesus is the one who went to the Cross to bring humankind forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.

Jesus is God they will pray to him as God and worship him as God.

The word LORD, spelled with all captial letters is the name of God, Jehovah. For more information about God's name go to the article titled "LORD, Hebrew Tetragrammaton." In prophecy, John the baptist was to prepare the world to receive God Almighty. In reality, John prepared the world for Jesus, preaching the message of repentance. John did not make a mistake, he knew that Jesus was Jehovah God joining the human race.

Jesus is not a mere man. He is so much more than a man; we can see

Jesus of Nazareth is believed by Christians to be one of the Holy Trinity, defined as being comprised of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As such, Jesus as the Son, is regarded as

The name Jesus Christ spawns multiple feelings throughout cultures. Jesus Christ is also a name that has impacted everyone in a monumental way and is impacting all aspects of society. No matter how you feel about Jesus Christ, it is insurmountable to deny the fact that he is not an impactful figure in the world we live in today. The question that is frequently asked about this ponderous figure is “who is Jesus”. This question does not hold only one individual answer, but withholds multiple answers. Depending on the culture, country, time, place, and especially who you ask, you will receive answers that all hold uniqueness. In less of an opinionated stance, the Holy Bible holds the answer to who exactly he is and why is such a conspicuous figure. To understand Jesus Christ and formulate an opinion on him, we must interpret the Holy Bible and construe his impact in not only today’s society, but history. There is no denying that the upbringing of a religious figure has caused mountainous affects in history; both positively and negatively. The destruction and saving of man has inevitably been a result of multiple religions throughout the world. Whether you fathom a mindset of acceptance or denial, Jesus Christ is one of the world’s most notable figures.

When exploring the concept of ‘God the Son’, the incarnation and attributes of God as seen in Christ enter the picture. In order for human sin to be covered, a human sacrifice is all that could meet the requirement ordained by God, yet, they had to be sinless. Only the incarnate God could fulfill this role, exhibiting qualities of God Himself, such as selflessness, unconditional love, and purity. Another core trait was humbleness, although Jesus held the highest status in all the world, which shone brightly in His ministry, as He also served the children of God. Paul captured the essence of Jesus as God and the reality of the incarnation in these verses, “let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God…made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:5-7, NKJV).

Christ is His official title (Bere128). The name Christ shows Jesus as a prophet, priest, and a king. (Bere 128) He also called Himself the Son of God. This name indicates Jesus’ position in the trinity. It also emphasizes His deity. The Gospel of John clarifies that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. (Bere 129) Son of Man is another name given to Jesus. He used this name when He was talking about Himself. Because He was born to a man, He was fully a man. Luke uses this name for Jesus many time in his Gospel. The Son of Man emphasizes the humiliation Christ suffered while living on the earth, and ultimately dying. To show His position as the Master and King, another name of Jesus is LORD. This name depicts that Jesus should be given utmost respect and obedience. It is equal to the Old Testament name “God”. It means “Savior” or “Salvation”. (Bere 129) Other names given to Jesus were Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, the Word, the Way, the Truth, the Life. All of these names reflect the power, sovereignty, and sacrifice of Jesus

In the view of His deity, Christ is God. Not only is he Christ, but the Son of God, and called God in the New Testament.

In previous chapters, the real identity of Jesus is unknown- the crowds wonder if he is the Son of David (Matt 12:23), the disciples previously said that he was “the Son of God (Matt 8:29, 14:33) and Jesus himself identifies himself as “the Son of Man” (Matt 10: 23; 2:8; 12:40) and even likening himself to a Prophet (Matt 13:57).

With the knowledge that the human form was fit for Jesus, now the focus can shift to the evidence that he was human and his human form was humanizing. Jesus lived a life on earth and suffered like every other person does. As mentioned previously, Jesus experienced temptation by the Devil as seen in Matthew 4. He experienced hunger as seen in Mark 11:12. He experienced weariness as seen in John 4:6, “So Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well” (). He experienced sorrow many times as seen when Lazarus died in John 11 and several other places. He also experience pain and suffering on the cross and he died just as everyone on earth does as well. By every standard Jesus was a human being. He lived and died as everyone else on this planet does. His humanity was humanizing. He was a human being and demonstrated all the characteristics of being one. The only difference is that he was able to live a life without sin. So Jesus’ human nature was in no way dehumanizing; he exhibited every characteristic that humans face and conquered every struggle.