Christology 101

Name some First Testament passages that speak of Jesus the Messiah

NAMES OF GOD IN THE OT

YHWH: Yahweh; translated Jehovah; LORD in your Bible; used when interacting with Israel; 6,220xElohim: Plural noun meaning “God”; also means “gods”; from “El”; 2,600xAdonai: Word meaning “God”; used when interacting with Gentiles; 450x

“Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew concept of Messiah; it literally means “anointed one”; thus Jesus can be called Jesus Messiah or Jesus, the Anointed One

NAMES OF CHRIST

• Jesus• Son of God• Son of Man• Son of David• Lord• Firstborn• Alpha/Omega

JESUS

Yehoshua / Joshua – Iesous / Jesus (HEBREW) (GREEK)It means “YHWH saves,” directly connecting Jesus with the Father

Matt 1:20-25, Lk 1:30-33, Acts 4:11-12

SON OF GOD

Non-literal; a name given based on rank and status; descriptive of relationship rather than definitiveΜονογενής: Transl. “only begotten”; means “one and only,” “unique”; used only five times of Christ (all John) Ps 2:7/Heb 1:5

John 1:14, 3:16, 1 John 4:9

SON OF MAN

Denotes the humanity of Christ; His favorite self-designation

Though this term does imply deity, it was generally not offensive to others

Dan 7:13-14; Mk 10:45; Lk 17:26-30

SON OF DAVID

Jesus is an earthly Son of David: Joseph was a part of David’s lineageTheologically, this has huge implications for Israel

2 Sam 7:8-17, 1 Kin 9:4-5, Jer 33:14-18, Matt 1:1

LORD

Κύριος: Means “master”; one who possesses power and authority

If Christ is not Lord, He is nothing; as C.S. Lewis has said, He is either Lord, liar, or lunaticLk 2:11, Ac 4:33, Phil 2:9-11, Rev

19:16

FIRSTBORN

Like “begotten son,” firstborn denotes status/position (authority)

Some will try to argue that firstborn means “created first,” that is not the biblical definition of the term

Ps 89:27, Rom 8:29, Col 1:15-16, Heb 1:6

ALPHA AND OMEGA

These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; Jesus is the first and He is the last This name signifies His eternality; Christ is before all and remains

John 1:1, Rev 1:8, 21:6, 22:13

Jesus is all over the Hebrew Scriptures in the form of…

ChristophaniesTypes

Prophecies

CHRISTOPHANY

A non-physical, pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in the OT (Layman’s terms: Jesus showing up before He was born to Mary) These are important because they reveal preexistence, consistency

CHRISTOPHANIES

• Genesis 16:7-13, 22:15-18• Numbers 22:22-35• 2 Samuel 14:17-20• 1 Kings 19:5-7• Isaiah 37:36• Daniel 3:28, 6:22• Zechariah 1:9-21

TYPE

Also called “shadow” (Heb 8:5, 10:1); means an imprint or a mold that will be fulfilled in the future

Many of the types in the OT were ambiguous to those living through them

TYPES

• Aaron (priesthood)• Adam (Rom 5)• David (kingship)• Boaz (kinsman redeemer)• Moses (prophet)• Genesis 22:1-18• Exodus events• Leviticus 16 (atonement)

PROPHECY

A foretold truth about the coming Messiah; God spoke through prophets to give details of Christ

Scholars debate the number of Messianic prophecies in Scripture; as low as 40, as high as 365

PROPHECIES

• Genesis 3:15-16• Deuteronomy 18:15• Psalm 2, 16, 22• Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, 53• Jeremiah 31:15 (Matt 2)• Hosea 11:1• Micah 5:2• Zechariah 12-14

A quick note

There is a difference between preexistence and eternality

Preexistence: Christ existed before other things (ie, He existed before all of creation)

Eternality: Christ has always been and always will be (ie, no beginning)

Now what?• How can you explain the importance of the Old Testament to someone who doesn’t understand why they should read it?

• What position should Jesus hold in your life? In what areas?

• How do you answer the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?”