Christ

Session 2: Christ with Mark Scott

“Jesus Christ is the most inclusive exclusivist that has ever lived.” -Jeff Vines

1. He’s inclusive (Jn. 3:16; Ac. 2:39; 2 Pet. 3:9; 1 Jn. 2:2).

2. He’s exclusive (Jn. 14:6; Ac. 4:12; Matt. 7:13).

Person of Christ:

● How do we see Christ in the Old Testament?

1. Maybe in the name of God—Elohim—plural.

2. Maybe as God’s special messenger (Gen. 18; Dan. 3).

3. Maybe as the messenger of Wisdom (Prov. 8).

4. Maybe in various prophetic titles and texts:

➢ Seed (Gen. 3)

➢ Suffering Servant (Isa. 53)

➢ Desire of nations (Hag. 2)

➢ Son of man (Daniel and Ezekiel).

5. Maybe in typology:

➢ People - Moses or David

➢ Places - tabernacle

➢ Things - sacrifices.

● Dr. Shane Wood gives four myths to dispel about the Messiah:

1. Many OT texts point to a Messiah—yes and no.

2. People were earnestly looking for a Messiah (Cf. Gal. 4:4).

3. That people believed that the Messiah was some kind of God incarnate.

4. There was a clear consensus on the picture and person of the Messiah.

● When we add Judaism (and antiquity scholars to the mix) we find these options for

what the Messiah would be:

1. Political revolutionary

2. Magician

3. Exorcist

4. Charismatic

5. Rabbi

6. Ideal Pharisee

7. Essene

8. Sage

9. Cynic

10. Eschatological Prophet

I suppose there is no unified portrait, rather a plurality of pictures. No one picture exhausts Jesus the Messiah. At the end of the day, I think his person boils down to the famous three: Prophet, Priest, King.

Work of Christ:

● Jesus had many works (miracles, sermons, encounters, etc.) but we primarily mean the work of Christ on the cross. In other words, atonement.

● A few cautions about atonement:

1. The gospels don’t say much about the atonement (Mk. 10:45).

2. The epistles were efforts to explain the life of Christ to the church.

3. The miracles and ministry were previews of the atonement.

4. The New Testament writers didn’t feel obligated to give us a systematic outline of the salvific experience.

5. There may be a progression to salvation, but concepts greatly overlap too.

6. You can’t have everything in a word or concept.

7. The “idolatry” of salvation—if you mean only the forgiveness of sins.

● Vocabulary that drives atonement:

1. Justification (court)

2. Propitiation (temple)

3. Redemption (market)

4. Reconciliation (marriage)

5. Sanctification (temple)

6. Regeneration (cosmos)

7. Adoption, Election, Calling (familial)

8. Deification (theosis)

● Major Atonement Theories:

1. Penal Substitution—Christ is substituted for our judgment.

2. Christus Victor—Christ won the victory over the devil on the cross.

3. Moral exemplar—Christ showed us how to live.

4. Satisfying God’s honor—Christ didn’t die for sin but for restoring God’s honor—Anselm.

5. Recapitulation—Christ recapitulated Adam’s development and gave an example of perfect human righteousness.

So What Can We Say?

● Atonement is rooted in the story of Christ.

● Celebrated in the Lord’s Supper.

● Evident in conversion and baptism.

● Is bigger than going to heaven or “having a relationship with God.”

● Is experiencing new creation, being restored to co-rule with God, and becoming partakers in the divine nature.

Church history often shows evidence of how we tend to make Jesus in our own image instead of the other way around. Just make sure when speaking of the person and work of Christ, you have a biblical Jesus.

Discussion Questions:

1. In what ways is Jesus inclusive and in what ways is Jesus exclusive?

2. What is meant by the “person of Christ” and the “work of Christ?”

3. How and why should we be more sympathetic toward the first-century A.D. listeners as to “missing Jesus?”

4. What are some practical ways that Jesus might be perceived from the Old Testament?

5. What is meant by there being no “unified portrait of Christ” in the Old Testament but a “plurality of pictures” of Christ in the Old Testament?

6. Is there an atonement model that appeals to you most? State why—i.e., what telling power does it have?

7. How do we make Jesus in our image today?