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Appendix VI |
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In brief, the history of views as to the person of Christ |
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The comments in this appendix are not intended as a substitute for a book on the history of Christian Christology, but are simply a brief commentary on that history. Clearly, the comments must assume that the history on which they are a commentary is itself the true history of what has taken place. While certainty as to all the detail is hardly likely to be possible, I have tried to confine myself to what is generally recognised as being true, and to do this have made use of various writings - from Plymouth Brethren writers to Bertrand Russell the Philosopher. The main books used are as follows:- |
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Millers Church History (A. Miller) |
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The Christian Testimony through the Ages (T. W. Carron) |
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The Lion concise book of Christian Thought (T. Lane) |
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Creeds in the Making (A. Richardson) |
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Dictionary of the Christian Church (J. D. Douglas) |
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A history of Western Philosophy (B. Russell) |
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To begin our history we will speak of what is taught in the New Testament as to the person of Christ. |
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Generally, there is no doubt that the Jews of New Testament times looked for a Messiah - the anointed one - called Christ (John 4:25), who would be the Son of God; or to put it the other way round, they would have accepted that when the Son of God came He would be anointed King. The controversies in the Gospels and the Acts were not over the correctness of this doctrine, but whether Jesus was in fact that person. |
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The doctrine itself was no doubt based primarily on Psalm 2 where we have: " And I have anointed my king upon Zion, the hill of my holiness. I will declare the decree: Jehovah hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; I this day have begotten thee " (verses 6 and 7). This Psalm is referred to in the Acts and other parts of the New Testament in connection with the Messiahship and Sonship of Jesus e.g. Acts 4:25-28; Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5 and 5:5. Further, the fact that his Messiahship and Sonship go together - that He is both Messiah and Son - is borne out by many passages. Christ and Son are sometimes put together and sometimes used interchangeably. Thus we have them put together in passages such as:- |
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" Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God " (Matthew 16:16) |
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" Tell us if thou art the Christ the Son of God " (Matthew 26:63) |
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" Believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God " (John 20:31) |
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(See also John 11:27 and Hebrews 3:6); |
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and used interchangeably in others:- |
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" Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God " (1 John 4:15) |
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" Everyone that believes that Jesus is the Christ " (1 John 5:1) |
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" Who is he that gets the victory over the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God ?" (1 John 5:5) |
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It is clear from all these passages that He who is the Christ is also Son of God and vice versa - it is one person who is both, and so the Jews believed. By way of contrast Scripture says:" Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ ? He is the antichrist who denies the Father and the Son " (1 John 2:22). |
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Further, Christ's anointing and the declaration of his divine Sonship were connected at his baptism, so that we have: " I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and it abode upon him... And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God " (John 1:32-34). Acts 10:38 would bear out that the Holy Spirit coming upon him was his anointing. The other Gospel writers also record the same event. |
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That Christ was anointed for the office of King is clear from Psalm 2:6; hence in the New Testament his office of King is sometimes substituted for the title Christ, so that we have:- |
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"He shall be great, and shall be called Son of the Highest; and the Lord God shall give him the throne of David his father" (Luke 1:32) |
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"Thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel" (John 1:49) |
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The relationship of Son and office of Christ are presented as fundamental doctrines in both the Gospels and the Acts. Of course, his Lordship is also added when He was glorified (Philippians 2:11). His divine Sonship may not always be expressly referred to, but references to his Father (e.g. Revelation 14:1) often imply it. Christ's humanity was not an issue when Christ was here on earth, no doubt, because it was evident. It would only have been those who had never seen Him in the flesh that would have raised doubts as to it. The basic truths as to the person and offices of Christ i.e. divine Sonship, Kingship and Lordship are contained in such passages as Romans 1:3-4 "His Son... Jesus Christ our Lord", and 2 John 3 " The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father ". Finally, it may be pointed out that when Saul was converted he accepted both that Jesus was the Christ and that he was the Son of God, so that we have it said: " he preached Jesus that he is the Son of God " (Acts 9:20), and then " confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this is the Christ " (Acts 9:22). Much more could be quoted on the same line, but it would probably, to anyone acquainted with the Scriptures, be considered as pressing the obvious. However, it is important, because seeing that these things are fundamental to Christianity highlights the falsity of much of what is taught in the Creeds, and is there asserted to be of fundamental importance. |
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The importance of the fundamental doctrines as to Christ lies in the fact that they give us through Christ a link with God. Christ the Son of God, He is Jehovah's anointed (Psalm 2:2), "God has made him, this Jesus... Lord" (Acts 2:36). Other terms are |