Doctrine of the Person and Work of Christ

Doctrine of the Person and Work of Christ

In The Cross of Christ, Robert Bradshaw states that, “The Jews were looking for the promised Messiah who would destroy their enemies and establish God’s kingdom on this earth (Psalm 2; 110:1; Isaiah 11; Daniel 7:9-14; 9: 25-26). The last thing they expected the Messiah to do was to be crucified, because it is written in the Law that, ‘anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.’ (Deut. 21:23). Paul quotes the same verse in Galatians 3:13 to prove that it was God’s purpose for the Messiah to suffer God’s curse to free men from the curse of the Law (I Peter 2:24).”[1]

Doctrine of the Person of Christ

In The Baptist Faith and Message, it states that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. God the Son was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, and though He was perfect, He suffered for the sins of all humanity. Jesus was crucified for our sins so that through Him we may have eternal life. He died on the cross and was buried but on the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead with a glorified body. After appearing to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion, Jesus ascended into Heaven and He now sits exalted at the right hand of God. He is the One Mediator in whose Person is effected the reconciliation between God and man. Jesus will return in power and glory to judge the world and to finish His redemptive mission. He now dwells in all believers as the living and ever-present Lord. Scriptures referring to Jesus Christ, the Son of God are as follows: Isaiah 7:14; 53; Matthew 1:18-23; 3:17; 8:29; 11:27; Corinthians 1:30; Galatians 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:20; Philippians 2:5-11; Revelation 1:13-16 and 19:16.[2]
According to class notes, the humanity of Jesus is communicated in the Gospel as follows. To begin, the Bible states that Jesus developed mentally. Furthermore, the Gospel reveals that Jesus did get hungry, needed food and that he ate. In addition, Scriptures reveal that Jesus did get tired as well. Still yet, the Bible tells us that Jesus felt emotions and that he paid taxes. We also learned in class that Jesus had human limitations. For instance, he was not omniscient or omnipresent and he did submit to death. Finally, we learned in class that Jesus did experience human temptation, such as recorded in Matt. 16:23.[3]

Doctrine of the Work of Christ

According to The Baptist Faith and Message, salvation involves the redemption of man and is the gift of God to all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, who by his own blood obtained eternal redemption for the believer. Salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification and glorification. There is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus as Lord. Regeneration is a work of God’s grace whereby believers become new creatures in Christ Jesus. This new birth is a change of heart wrought by the Holy Spirit through conviction of sin, to which the sinner responds in repentance toward God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Repentance and faith are experiences of grace. Repentance is a true turning from sin toward God. Faith is the acceptance of Jesus Christ and commitment of your whole being to him as Lord and Savior. Justification is God’s full acquittal upon principles of his righteousness of all sinners who repent and believe in Christ. Justification brings the believer into a favorable relationship with God. Sanctification is the experience by which the believer is set apart to God’s purposes and is enabled to progress toward moral and spiritual maturity through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. Growth in grace should continue throughout the person’s life as they live for Christ. Glorification is the final blessed and abiding state of the redeemed. A few Scripture references for this work of Christ are as follows: Matthew 1:21; Luke 1: 68-69; Acts 2:21; Romans 1:16-18; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:7; Philippians 2:12-13; Hebrews 2:1-3; James 2:14-26; I Peter 1:2-23; I John 1:6-2:11 and Revelation 3:20.[4]
According to Grenz, in Theology for the Community of God, the mission of Jesus involved fulfilling the Old Testament hope, Jesus as the prophet and Messiah, heralding the divine reign and atonement. Grenz also states the significance of Jesus’ death in the New Testament is for our example, our ransom, our expiation and our reconciliation.[5]
In conclusion, John Damascene (c. 675-749) wrote the following, which is an excerpt from Orthodox Faith 4:
By nothing else except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ has death been brought low:
The sin of our first parent destroyed, hell plundered, resurrection bestowed, the power given us to despise the things of this world, even death itself, the road back to the former blessedness made smooth, the gates of paradise opened, our nature seated at the right hand of God, and we made children and heirs of God.
By the cross, all these things have been set aright:
It is a seal that the destroyer may not strike us, a raising up of those who lie fallen, a support for those who stand, a staff for the infirm, a crook for the shepherded, a guide for the wandering, a perfecting of the advanced, salvation for the soul and body, a deflection of all evils, a cause of all goods, a destruction of sin, a plant of resurrection, and a tree of eternal life.[6]

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bradshaw, Robert I. The Cross of Christ. http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article cross.html.
Accessed 12/03/06.

Damascene, John. What Happened on the Cross. http://www.rc.net/wcc/hapeross.htm.
Accessed 12/03/06.

Grenz, Stanley J. Theology for the Community of God. Broadman & Holman Publishers.
Grand Rapids, Michigan. 1994.

Hobbs, Herschel H. The Baptist Faith and Message. Convention Press. Nashville, TN.
1971.

The NIV Rainbow Study Bible: New International Version. Rainbow Studies, Inc. El
Reno, Oklahoma. 1992.

[1] Bradshaw, Robert I, The Cross of Christ, http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/article cross.html, Accessed 12/03/06.
[2] Hobbs, Herschel H., “God”, The Baptist Faith and Message, p. 30.
[3] The NIV Rainbow Study Bible: New International Version, p. 1085.
[4] The Baptist Faith and Message, p. 48.
[5] Grenz, Stanley J., Theology for the Community of God, p. 328-347.
[6] Damascene, John, What Happened on the Cross, http://www.rc.net/wcc/hapeross.htm,
Accessed 12/03/06.