Lesson 3 Flashcards
(6 cards)
What are the OT roots of the “Son of Man,” and what does this reveal about Christ’s mission?
OT names depict something about that person.
Jacob - Deceiver - who deceived his father
Son of Man
1. Designations
A. Human beings (Ezek 2:1)
B. Adam (Ps 8:4)
* The first Adam prefigures or foreshadows the last Adam (Christ)
* The Psalms are a foreshadow of the one to come.
C. One like Adam (Dan 7:12-13)
* Ps 8 is upside down.
* The beasts of the earth have dominion
* The Son of Man - Last Adam - rights the earth and takes dominion
* His dominion is an everlasting dominion.
2. Most common title of Jesus for himself
A. Work of the messiah unlike the common expectation
B. Ultimately, Jesus claims that he is Daniel’s son of man (Mt 24:30; 26:64; Dan 1:7)
C. Jesus is saying “I am one like Adam.” - But different, faithful, restoring creation
How is the title “Son of God” applied to Christ? How is our sonship different than his sonship?
- Applied to Christ in various ways
A. Messianic (Mt 3:17)
B. Trinitarian (Mt 11:27; 16:16; Rom 1:3) - Believers in a theological sense (1 Jn 3:8-10)
A. Image bearing and likeness (Gen 5:1-3; Col 1:15; 2 Cor 4:4) - “Image of God” does not apply to Spirit
A Scripture only applies this title to the Son
* Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3
B. Distinguish the difference between the only begotten Son of God and adopted sons of God
* The second person of the Trinity is eternity of the Son of God
* We are Sons of God by adoption (Rom 8:15)
* By way of Grace, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit
What five titles does Col 1:15-20 ascribe to Christ and how do they detail his divine nature?
Colossians 1:15-20
1. The image of the invisible God (vv. 15-16)
A. Jn 1:18 “the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known”
B. The Son perfectly reveals the Father
2. The firstborn of all creation
A. The Son is preeminent overall (Ex 4:22; Ps 89:27)
B. A term of rank and authority
C. Why the firstborn of all creation?
* He existed before creation
* He was the agent of creation
* Note the prepositions
3. The beginning
A. Inaugurates the new creation
B. Note the sweep from the pre-incarnate existence through the incarnation to eschatology
4. The firstborn from the dead
A. Transition to redemptive work
B. Jesus rules over death and was the first to conquer it
5. The fullness of God
A. Dwells bodily in Christ
B. All of who God is exists perfectly and fully in Christ
Be able to briefly unpack each scripture passage above (Sections II.A-H) and how Christ’s divinity is described
Philippians 2:5-11
1. From pre-incarnational existence to incarnational existence
* 1. Addresses procession, mission, and redemptive history
* 1. Similar movement in Rom 1:2-4
* 1. The sweep of incarnation to exaltation, of p to eschaton
1. “In the form of God” revelation of the Son’s divine nature
* 1. Morphe theou: He bears the divine image (Jn 17:5; Heb 1:3; 2 Cor 4:4; Col 3:15; 2 Cor 3:18)
* 1. This form means that the Son is equal to God
Colossians 1:15-20
1. The image of the invisible God (vv. 15-16)
* 1. Jn 1:18 “the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known”
* 1. The Son perfectly reveals the Father
1. The firstborn of all creation
* 1. The Son is preeminent overall (Ex 4:22; Ps 89:27)
* 1. A term of rank and authority
* 1. Why the firstborn of all creation?
* 1. He existed before creation
* 1. He was the agent of creation
* 1. Note the prepositions
1. The beginning
* 1. Inaugurates the new creation
* 1. Note the sweep from the pre-incarnate existence through the incarnation to eschatology
1. The firstborn from the dead
* 1. Transition to redemptive work
* 1. Jesus rules over death and was the first to conquer it
1. The fullness of God
* 1. Dwells bodily in Christ
* 1. All of who God is exists perfectly and fully in Christ
Hebrews 1:1-4
1. Three contrasts
* 1. The Son’s revelation is superior to all previous revelation
* 1. The Son’s revelation is qualitatively superior
* 1. The Son’s revelation is personally superior
1. Why is the son superior?
* 1. God “appointed [him] heir of all things”
* 1. God created the world through the Son
* 1. The Son is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature”
* 1. Upholds the universe by his power
* 1. Making purification for sins
John 1:1-18
1. Key points
* 1. One of the clearest statements of the Son’s divinity and equality with the Father
* 1. The Word and God are distinct persons
* 1. Each clause has the same subject and verb: “Word” and “was”
1. Dissenting views
1. Rejected for several reasons
* 1. No monotheistic Jew would affirm the real existence of “a god”
* 1. Grammatical considerations for anarthrous preverbal predicate nominatives
* 1. Adding the definite article?
* 1. John’s other uses of the anarthrous theos (Jn 1:6, 12-13)
1. The Word was the agent of creation (Jn 1:3)
John 20:28
1. An inclusio with the beginning of John’s gospel
1. Thomas calls Jesus both Lord and God (theos)
1. Jesus’ I Am Sayings
1. Throughout the gospels (esp. John) Jesus employs the divine name
1. John 8:56-58 (cf. Ex 3:13-14)
1. John 6:20 (cf. Job 9:5-8; Ps 77:16, 19; 107:29-30)
Romans 9:5
1. Paul directly applies theos to Christ
1. Different translations
1. Greek text favors the attribution of the title theos to Christ
On what grounds can we translate John 1:1 as “the Word was God”?
How do we ground the doctrine of eternal generation?
