Why I Believe the Trinity (Part 2)

Perennial Questions

Christians have asked questions about Jesus for the past 2,000 years. What is the history of Christ? What about faith in Christ? What is Christ’s Work? What about Christ’s person? How was he God incarnate?

The Historical Jesus

How do we discuss Jesus? Christians have viewed the discussion in three major ways. Using the Hegelian model, one is the antithesis of the other and the third harmonizes the first two. What are they and are they helpful?

• Thesis – viewing Jesus from “above” – if we try to imagine how Jesus fits into the picture from the perspective of heaven, then we are speaking of a matter that involves faith alone and nothing from any historical sources. The Bible refers to faith as evidence, though it is not fashionable, tangible evidence. A theologian who discussed this matter was Søren Kirkegaard.
• Antithesis – viewing Jesus from “below” – if we try to discuss Jesus only from earthly sources such as historical records or human reasoning without putting God into the picture then we may be a modern liberal. It is the natural human tendency to want “evidence” meaning tangible, physical evidence rather than spiritual evidence of faith. There is a weakness with this because historic evidence alone did not help Pharisees or Judas, who were eye witnesses to the events of Christianity’s foundation. A theologian who discussed this approach was Thomas Aquinas.
• Synthesis – Augustine suggested that the two views could be harmonized or combined. He suggested that we start with faith (Matthew 16:15-17), but that the complete picture must include reason (Luke 7:19-22).

Christ’s Deity (John 14:9)

A major topic when discussing Jesus Christ, Jesus the Messiah, is his deity. Is Jesus God? Let’s look at the testimony of several New Testament personalities.

1. Jesus’ own testimony

• In Matthew 13:41 Jesus calls God’s angels his angels. We see in Luke 12:8-9, 15:10 that they are God’s angels
• Matthew 25:31-46 judges the world
• John 14:7-9 to know him is to know the Father
• Matthew 26:63-66 Pharisees accused him of saying he was the Son of God, he spoke of his future power and did not correct them
• John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life
• John 5:18 making himself equal with God

3. John’s testimony

• John 1:1 “Divine (i.e. God) was the Word”

4. The book of Hebrews

• Hebrews 1:2-3, 8 the Son is an exact representation of God’s nature

5. Paul’s testimony

• Colossians 1:15-20 the image of the invisible God
• Colossians 2:9 in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily
• 2 Timothy 4:1; 2 Corinthians 5:10 judge
• Philippians 2:5-11 form of God – quote from ancient hymn perhaps

6. The word “Lord” (kyrios)

• The Greek version of the Old Testament that Jesus often quoted was the Septuagint. It uses the Greek word kyrios for the words YHWH & Adonai, which mean God.
• Often the New Testament word Lord is a quote of an Old Testament reference to God (Acts 2:20-21; Romans 10:13; 1 Peter 3:15)
• The New Testament uses the word Lord for both the Father and Jesus.

So what if Jesus is God?

• We can now know the Father
• God died not a mere man
• God & man are reunited
• We can worship Jesus

Christ’s Humanity (John 1:14)

• He was born like any other human
• His mother’s pregnancy was a normal gestation
• His birth was also a normal birth
• That means that he lived a normal life like any other human
• He faced the same temptations that we all do
• He ate the same food that we all do
• He also died which all humans do
• Jesus also experienced normal human emotions – sorrow, anger, joy, etc.
• He was unlike us in some areas too
• He had remarkable knowledge
• knew the past, present & future in ways that we do not
• Jesus also discerned the thoughts of others
• However, Jesus, while on earth did not know everything (Mark 13:32)
• He was resurrected with a glorified body like we will be (Luke 24:39; Philippians 3:21)
• He remains to this day as the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5)

So What if Jesus is also Human?

• It means that a real man who died for us
• that he can sympathize with us
• He also revealed a perfect humanity as God intended from the beginning
• As such, he is our example
• As created, human nature was good not evil
• In Christ, God is not totally transcendent
• In Christ, humanity ascended to heaven

Jesus: Fully God and Fully Human

• The Incarnation, the conception of Jesus was not the addition of humanity to Jesus
• It was the giving up of some divine attributes (Philippians 2:6-7)
• Jesus is divinity-humanity, or as some put it, the God-man
• Both divinity and humanity are most fully known in Jesus
• We did not ascend to divinity, God condescended to take on a human frame
• God values our humanity

The Virgin Birth

• Matthew 1:18-25 & Luke 1:26-38
• Ignatius confessed to it in about 117 AD

So what if Jesus was born of a virgin?

• In the virgin birth God & man are unified
• Jesus was sinless
• Salvation is supernatural
• Salvation is a gift of grace
• Jesus is unique
• God is sovereign over nature

The Work of Christ

• Revealer – Prophet
• Prophet (Matthew 21:11)
• Revealed the Father
• Revealed Truth
• Ruler – King
• King now and forever
• Reconciler – Priest
• Atonement

Stages

• Humbled himself
• Incarnation
• Death
• Descent to Hades
• Resurrection
• Ascension
• Second Coming

The Atonement

• Makes salvation possible
• Makes the Church possible
• Makes eternity possible for us
• Unless we have Atonement nothing else matters
• All theology points to it

1. Theories of the Atonement

• Socinian Theory (1 Peter 2:21)
• example of the sacrifice we are to make
• Pelagian = humans capable of righteousness
• God does not demand justice for our sins
• Jesus came to demonstrate the height of human love
• Moral-Influence Theory (Luke 19:10)
• Jesus came to demonstrate the height of divine love
• Sin is a sickness from which we must be healed
• Man needs openness to God
• Man needs repentance
• Man needs inspiration
• Governmental Theory (Isaiah 42:21)
• Law is the basis of God’s government
• Sin violates God’s law
• God is not above his own law
• Jesus’ death satisfied the moral requirements of God’s government
• Ransom Theory (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45)
• Victory over the forces of sin and evil
• Origen saw a drama where man was captive to Satan
• Satan demanded Christ’s blood to set man free
• Satisfaction Theory
• Jesus’ death paid God the Father back personally
• God is seen as a feudal overlord who demands personal compensation
• God cannot merely forgive sin there must also be punishment
• Man cannot possibly repay enough, so Jesus paid it for him

2. What Does Atonement Mean?

• Sacrifice (Isaiah 53; Hebrews 9-10)
• Propitiation – conciliate or appease God (Leviticus 4:35)
• Substitution (1 Peter 2:24)
• Reconciliation (Romans 11:15)

3. Background to the Atonement

• God is perfect
• The law expresses God
• Man is unable to save himself
• Jesus atoned for our sins
• OT Atonement = to cover
• NT Atonement = ransom, substitute, sacrifice

4. Atonement for Whom?

• Particular Atonement (Calvinism)
• Supralapsarianism
• Decree to save the elect and reprobate the rest
• Decree to create the elect and the reprobate
• Decree to permit the fall of both
• Decree to save only the elect
• Infralapsarianism
• Decree to create humans
• Decree to permit them to fall
• Decree to elect some and reprobate the rest
• Decree to save only the elect
• Sublapsarianism
• Decree to create humans
• Decree to permit the fall
• Decree to provide salvation for all
• Decree to save some and reprobate others
• Universal Atonement (All Arminians and Sublapsarian Calvinists)
• Salvation was possible for all (Hebrews 2:9)
• Some of those for whom Christ died will perish (Hebrews 10:29)
• All are commanded to repent (Matthew 17:30)
• Balanced Views: Calvinists believe the decree of election is God’s choice alone, whereas Arminians believe it is also partly based upon merit and faith in us. Most Protestant theologians today are somewhere in the middle, taking a more balanced point of view.
• The Riddle of Matthew 8:17 and Isaiah 53:4
• What does this refer to? Did Jesus really bear our sicknesses? There are several views:
• Jesus vicariously bore our sicknesses by being born human and dying on the cross?
• Jesus bore both our spiritual sickness (sin) and healed our physical diseases?
• This refers only to his empathy with our sicknesses by his death on the cross?
• The context in both Greek and Hebrew is most likely referring to 1. Jesus certainly does heal us. However, caution is in order because some abuse this passage. It cannot be misused as a guarantee of physical healing in the same way as salvation is.