the person of Jesus Christ Flashcards
(12 cards)
1
Q
what is scholarly support for Jesus being the son of God?
A
- BARTH:
- everything we know about God is revealed through Jesus as he is the direct revelation of God
- with specific reference to the miracles; he states how its not the actual miracles that should be focused on but Jesus’ words surrounding them - MCGRATH:
- argues that its impossible to talk about God, salvation or worship without bringing Jesus into the discussion
- with reference to the miracles, he believes that Jesus performed extraordinary miracles that cant be explained by modern science, which makes it all the more remarkable
2
Q
what are scholarly refutes against Jesus being the son of God?
A
- DAWKINS:
- he doesnt reject the existence of Jesus but completely rejects the divine nature of his existence as he is just a good moral teacher - HUME:
- no evidence for the divine element of Jesus’ life
- “a wise man proportions his belief to the evidence”
3
Q
what is some scriptural support for Jesus being the son of God?
A
- MARK 6:47 [Jesus calming the storm]
- shows that He is the son of God as he was able to control nature which is impossible for mere humans to do
- Jesus had knowledge of his ability; “ take courage, it is I! Dont be afraid”
4
Q
what is some scholarly refute against Jesus being more than a teacher of wisdom?
A
- DAWKINS:
- rejects the divine element of Jesus stating that He is simply just a good moral teacher - FLETCHER:
- his situation ethics can be used to argue that Jesus is merely a teacher of wisdom as his normative ethics is inspired by Jesus, and the concept of agape.
- Fletcher himself rejected christianity later in life which shows how even when we reject his divine nature, we can still uphold his moral teachings
5
Q
what are scholarly support for Jesus being more than just a teacher of wisdom?
A
- BARTH:
- Jesus did teach wisdom but his authority came from him being “true God and true man”
- the divine knowledge that Jesus has, through being God, was therefore his source of wisdom
- this divine knowledge from Jesus is particularly important given that we are living at a postlapsarian state and at an epistemic distance from God, so revelation from christ allows us to understand the will of God - C.S. LEWIS:
- Jesus cannot be just a moral teacher/teacher of wisdom as no other teacher claimed to be God like Jesus did
- based on the claims that Jesus made after the incarnation, He must either be “the Lord, a lunatic or a liar” - MCGRATH:
- Jesus was so much more than a teacher of wisdom as his moral teachings hold authority because they are revealing the will of God to us, since Jesus is divine
6
Q
what is some scriptural support for Jesus being more than just a teacher of wisdom?
A
- MATTHEW 5:17 [sermon on the mount]
- the instructions from Jesus on the sermon of the mount comes from a place of divine authority; proving that he has an insight of the will of God which is something humans dont have due to being at epistemic distance
- his instructions speak to inner purity and moral motivation behind your actions - LUKE 15:11 [parable of the lost son]
- the symbolism in the parable of the lost son shows that jesus provides us with insight into the will of God that he would not be able to do if he was merely a teacher of wisdom like the other human guides
- Jesus’ moral guidance is not just about human relationships but also divine ones which only God would be able to understand
7
Q
what is some scholarly refute against Jesus being more than just a political liberator?
A
- ASLAN:
- we dont have historical evidence that he was divine but we dont have evidence that he liberated others; so its more reasonable to conclude him to be a political liberator - HUME:
- “a wise man proportions his belief to the evidence”
8
Q
what is some scholarly support for Jesus being more than a political liberator?
A
- BARTH:
- while it is true that Jesus politically liberated people, it would be wrong to conclude that this was just the extent of his work on earth
- as Jesus is “true man and true God”, he is the direct revelation of God and so his political/religious liberation on earth communicates the will of God to us, so is therefore so much more than liberation - MCGRATH:
- God is revealed supremely through christ, so political liberation was one of the many ways that Jesus communicated the will of God to humans
- although Jesus was a political liberator; it wasnt in the mortal sense
9
Q
what is some scriptural support for Jesus being more than a political liberator?
A
- MARK 5:24 [healing the bleeding woman]
- while the act did religiously liberate the woman due to her now being able to access the synagogue again; the means in which Jesus liberated her was miraculous - LUKE 10:25 [parable of the good samaritan]
- Jesus challenged religious leaders who were too concerned with religious rituals to help those in need
- showed Jesus had divine into the will of God as he was able to recognise that in cases like this, helping someone in need is more important than just prioritising worshiping God and ignoring them
10
Q
what is scholarly overcoming for Jesus still being the son of God?
A
- rahner:
- Jesus is divine but his knowledge of God developed through prayer and meditating on the word
- onion analogy - Jesus’ divinity through resurrection
11
Q
what is scholarly overcoming for Jesus still being more than just a teacher of wisdom?
A
- example on the cross, “father forgive them as they know not what they do”
2.
12
Q
what is scholarly overcoming for Jesus being more than just a political liberator?
A
- wright:
- Jesus reunited the socially excluded through miracles which shows a greater authority than just liberator - gurtierrez:
- “we take it for granted that Jesus was not interested in political life and his mission was solely religious”
