Christology: An Introduction

Currently I find myself in the midst of teaching the subject of Christology to a high school Sunday School class. I remember learning from seminary that theologians have labeled four New Testament sections as the “great Christological passages." Those sections are found in John 1, Philippians 2, Colossians 1-2, and Hebrews 1-2. So I thought it best in teaching this subject to examine those four passages one at a time. The next several entries will be an analysis of the lessons that I give concerning each passage.

These studies assume Christ’s full deity and full humanity, so not much effort will be spent attempting to argue for these points. As we go through the texts, the Scriptures will make those assertions for us. Other topics such as his atoning work and his future reign also carry this description.

As an introduction to this topic, let us give some overviews on what Scripture says about who Jesus is and what he has done, both in his deity and in his humanity. First, we will look at the primary offices which Jesus fulfilled, namely prophet, priest, and king. Then we will examine the works of Jesus in eternity past and in the Old Testament. These are not meant to be thorough studies or proofs, but simply a sketch of Biblical evidence.

Jesus was recognized as a prophet by even the most casual observers of his day. As he was entering triumphantly into Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna” less than a week before his death, crowds acknowledged, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee” (Matthew 21:11). Other Scriptures indicate that Jesus was the prophet predicted by Moses who was also said to be like Moses (see Deuteronomy 18:15-19; John 1:21-25, 45; 5:45-47; 12:49; Matthew 16:14; Luke 24:19; Acts 3:19-23; 7:37).

As for his priestly role, it is important to remember that the role of the high priest included the task of being a “go-between” for man and God. Only the high priest had the direct access to the Father by way of the Holy-of-holies. Jesus fulfills this role for us now when we pray to the Father, as evidenced by 1 Timothy 2:5, which states, “There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”

Of course, believers more often think of Jesus as a king than a prophet or priest. The label above his cross which proclaimed him to be “King of the Jews” was more accurate than people of that day realized. But he is more than that. When John sees the vision of Christ returning to he writes, “And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16).

Our next point is to study the role of Christ in his pre-incarnate state. Jesus himself argued for his full deity on multiple occasions, perhaps most clearly when he stated, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). So if there is equality between the Father and Son, what the Scriptures say about the Father in eternity past will also apply to Christ. Psalm 90:2 records, “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” So Christ was God even before creation.

What did the Godhead do in eternity past? Two answers help us understand. First, the saints were elected or chosen, and second, a plan of redemption was formulated. Ephesians 1:4 teaches that God “chose us in Him [Christ] before the foundation of the world.” 1 Peter 1:20 states that Christ “was foreordained before the foundation of the world” to die. And Revelation 13:8 reveals that Jesus is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,” meaning that the crucifixion was as good as done in God’s mind before creation even occurred. For other statements about the work of Christ in eternity past see Matthew 13:35; 25:34; and John 17:4-5, 24.

The last part of this introduction intends to show Christ in the Old Testament. First, we know that he was active in creation (Genesis 1:1, 26; John 1:1-3; Hebrews 1:2). A little detail about Hebrew grammar at this point may offer some assistance also. In Genesis 1:26 where God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” why does he use plural pronouns? Why “our image” and “our likeness” instead of “my image” and “my likeness”? The “easy” answer is because all of the trinity was involved in creation, which is true. But the more technical answer reveals that Hebrew grammar counts possessive pronouns three ways instead of just two.

For example, English possessive pronouns can be either singular or plural. Hebrew’s can be singular (one), dual (two), or plural (three or more). If the pronoun were only dual here (it’s not), then the argument fails. However, they are true plural meaning it must indicate at least three persons, which we know from other Scriptures to be the three members of the Godhead.

Another Old Testament role of Christ is his pre-incarnate appearances to Abraham, Hagar, Jacob, Joshua, and others. And finally, we see Christ in the Old Testament through various Messianic prophecies which correctly predict, among other things, his birth, message, death, resurrection, and ultimate reign. All of these things will be given more attention as we explore the four “great Christological passages" in the coming weeks.