Lesson for February 8, 2023
The Doctrine of Christology
Lesson 1
Christology is defined as the study of the Person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the second Person of the Trinity, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit being the other two members. In studying the Person and work of Christ, we will examine His life, as recorded in Scripture, from eternity-past until the end of human history and beyond. A logical chronology will be followed during this study as follows: Christ in eternity-past, Christ in the Old Testament, Christ’s birth and life on earth, Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, Christ in Heaven, Christ’s return, and Christ in the rest of eternity.
We begin with establishing the fact that Jesus Christ is co-equal and co-eternal with the other members of the Trinity and is therefore deity. Jesus Christ is co-equal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, according to John 5:18, 10:33, 19:7; Philippians 2:5-11. Jesus is called God in Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23; and John 1:1, 2, 14. Jesus Christ possesses the attributes of God and is therefore co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit, according to Matthew 9:4 (omniscience), 28:18 (omnipotence), 20 (omnipresence); John 1:1,4 (eternal life), 13:1 (love), 14:6-11 (truth); Hebrews 7:26 (holiness), 13:8 (immutability). The works of God are attributed to Christ in John 1:3 and Colossians 1:15-16 (creation); Hebrews 1:1-4 and Colossians 1:17 (holds the universe together). Christ receives worship as God, according to Matthew 28:9, 16-18; John 20:28; Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:12-14.
Jesus Christ existed in eternity-past which implies that He has no beginning and no end, He is eternal. This truth is stated in John 1:1-2 and Micah 5:2. The fact that Jesus came from Heaven to become a man means He preexisted mankind and is therefore eternal. (John 3:13, 6:32, 33, 38, 41, 51) Jesus existed in eternity-past because He is the creator of the universe, according to John 1:3 and Colossians 1:15-16.
Jesus Christ appeared many times in the Old Testament as the “angel of the Lord” or the “angel of God.” In theology, these appearances are called theophanies, which is an appearance of Jesus Christ before He came to earth as a human being (pre-incarnate). Jesus Christ (Jehovah) and two angels (Genesis 19:1) appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18:1-33.
Jesus Christ is recognized as Jehovah by Hagar in Genesis 16:7-12. Jesus Christ is recognized as God by Abraham in Genesis 22:9-19. Jacob is recognized the angel of God as Jehovah in Genesis 31:11-13. The angel of the Lord (Jehovah) is recognized as deity in Judges 2:1-5. Jesus Christ is the only Person of the Godhead Who has appeared in either angelic or human form. (John 1414:8-11)
In the Old Testament, we have certain men who are types of Christ. For example, Joshua was a type of Christ in that his name means Jehovah-Savior (deliverer) and is equivalent to the name Jesus. Joshua succeeded Moses as the leader of the nation of Israel and led them into the Land of Promise. Christ is the head of the Church and leads us into Heaven at the Rapture, the promised land for all believers of the Church Age. (Romans 8:37II Corinthians 1:10, 2:14)
Boaz is also a type of Christ, described in detail in the Book of Ruth as the kinsman redeemer of Ruth. The kinsman redeemer had to meet certain requirements by Jewish law in order to redeem or buy back a relative from slavery or servitude. The requirements for this kinsman redeemer were: he had to be a relative, he had to be able monetarily to pay the price of redemption, and he had to be willing to pay the ransom price. Boaz fulfilled all of these requirements and redeemed Ruth. Boaz is the perfect type of Christ, our Kinsman Redeemer. It is Christ Who has met the purchase price for our salvation, as a willing sacrifice for our sin. In His humanity, Christ is related to mankind, and the only Person Who could meet the price for our ransom, and He willingly sacrificed Himself on our behalf. Therefore, Jesus Christ met all the requirements of a kinsman redeemer and purchased us from the “slave market of sin.” (Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; I Timothy 2:6)
Levitical Offerings Portray the Person and Work of Christ:
The Burnt Offering portrayed the work of Christ – the doctrine of Propitiation (complete satisfaction). This offering demonstrated the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, as our substitute (the guiltless for the guilty). It portrayed the spiritual death of Christ on the Cross as the full payment for man’s sin, and God’s satisfaction with Christ’s sacrifice. Just as the sacrificial lamb that was brought as the offering was innocent, Jesus Christ was innocent (sinless). Therefore, a person was to bring a lamb without spot or blemish to represent Christ’s perfection. The priest would lay one hand on the individual and one hand on the lamb, symbolizing the transfer of sin from the person to the lamb. (Leviticus 1:2-17; Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 26:39-42; John 1:29; Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:14; 10:1-14; I John 2:2)
The Meal Offering portrayed the person of Christ or the doctrine of Impeccability (sinlessness). The substitutionary spiritual death of Christ is still in view here, though the emphasis is on His Person. The fact that Christ was uniquely qualified to go to the Cross and make the payment for mankind’s sin is demonstrated by the fine flour used to make this meal offering. Fine flour represented the sinless character of Christ. Oil and frankincense were poured on the meal offering – the oil representing the work of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s life and the frankincense representing Christ’s impeccability. There was to be no honey used in the preparation; the absence of honey representing the bitterness of Christ’s death. The fine flour had no leaven (leaven represents sin); Christ was sinless. And salt was added for flavor and preservation, representing the quality of Christ’s sacrifice. Finally, the meal offering was put into fire, representing judgment. (Leviticus 2:1-16; II Corinthians 5:21; Mark 9:49; Colossians 4:6)
The Peace Offering portrayed the work of Christ in reconciliation. The doctrine of Reconciliation is the removal of the barrier of sin by Christ that separates God and people. God doesn’t need to be reconciled to us, but we need to be reconciled to Him. This offering spoke of a permanent relationship with God, which can never be broken. (Leviticus 3:1-17; Romans 5:1-8; II Corinthians 5:17-20; Ephesians 2:14-17; Colossians 1:20)
The furniture in the Tabernacle, which later became the Temple, was all symbolic of the Person and work of Jesus Christ. God used the structure of the Tabernacle/Temple, the material used to build it, the furniture inside it, the altar, the priestly garments, the offerings, and the feasts as teaching aids for the nation of Israel to teach them about the coming Messiah, Jesus Christ and His sacrifice for sin.
The Brazen Altar was made of wood and brass, symbolizing the Hypostatic Union (the deity and humanity of Christ in one person). (Exodus 27:1-8; 38:1-7) The sacrifice upon this altar represented Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross. There are four doctrines illustrated here: Atonement (Hebrews 9:22), Redemption (Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14; Titus 2:14), Justification (Romans 3:24-26; 5:1-2), Positional Sanctification (Hebrews 10:10,14; I Corinthians1:30)
The Laver was a wooden vessel, overlaid with the polished brass “mirrors” donated by the women of Israel. Its purpose was for the priests to wash their hands and feet before attending the Altar or entering the Holy Place. (Exodus 30:17) It is interesting that a mirror was used in the making of the Laver, which illustrated the Rebound Technique (I John 1:9) based on Christ’s payment for sin. (Exodus 38:8; II Corinthians 3:18; Ephesians 5:25-27; II Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:22-25)
The Lampstand was located in the Holy Place and was the only source of light in the Tabernacle. (Exodus 25:31-39; 37:17-24) The lampstand was made of a solid piece of gold and consisted of seven branches. The lampstand pictured Christ as the Light of the World. Olive oil was burned in the lamp stand, a type of the Holy Spirit who indwelt and filled Christ from birth.
The Table of Shewbread was wood overlaid with brass to picture the Hypostatic Union of Christ. (Exodus 25:23-29; 37:10-16) The table held twelve loaves of bread to symbolize the tribes of Israel. The eating of the bread pictured fellowship, as the priests would be allowed to eat the leftover bread together. The loaves were to be made of fine flour without leaven, typifying the sinless nature of Christ. Christ calls Himself the Bread of Life and tells us to eat this bread so that that we can live forever. (John 6:35, 51-58)
The Altar of Incense was made of wood overlaid with pure gold, with four gold rings through which poles were inserted to carry it. (Exodus 30:1-10, 34-38) This altar was used to burn incense made of spices. The incense was used only in worship to God. The incense altar was to burn continually and was checked twice a day by the high priest. The sweet aroma that filled the room pictured the prayers on behalf of the people of Israel. In the same manner, Christ our High Priest, prays for us and makes intercession for us as our Mediator. (John 17:9; Hebrew 7:25; I John 1:2; Romans 8:34; Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4)
The Veil was the “door” leading into the Holy of Holies. The priest entered only once a year. Before the priest could enter, he was required to make a sacrifice for his sins and wash his hands and feet, illustrating I John 1:9 (the Rebound Technique). No one except the high priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies until the Veil was torn in half when Christ died on the Cross. The removal of the Veil symbolized the fact that the sin barrier between God and man had been removed once and for all. (Matthew 27:51; Hebrews 6:19-20; 10:19-22; John 10:7-10)
The Ark of the Covenant was a wooden box overlaid with pure gold, which measured about three and three-fourths feet long by two and one-fourth feet wide. (Exodus 25:10-22) It contained three items that were sacred to the nation of Israel: 1) The tablets of the Ten Commandments 2) A pot of manna 3) Aaron’s rod. The tablets represented the entire law of God, the pot of manna represented God’s daily provision, and Aaron’s rod represented God’s protection. The Ark of the Covenant was always carried ahead of the Israelites as they traveled, just as Christ went before us to pioneer the Christian Way of Life through the power of the Holy Spirit. (John 10:4; 15:1-27; Matthew 5:17; Hebrews 4:14-16)
The Mercy Seat was made of solid gold and was the lid or covering for the Ark of the Covenant. Two figures of cherubim (angels with wings) guarded each end of the Mercy Seat, symbolizing God’s presence and judgment against any sinful approach to Him. This was symbolically God’s throne and pictured His grace and mercy toward His people. The one time a year that the high priest was allowed into the Holy of Holies, where the Mercy Seat was located, he was to sprinkle blood on it to signify that an atonement had been made for the nation of Israel. It was above the Mercy Seat that the Shekinah Glory of God resided. The Greek word for mercy seat and propitiation are the same, “hilasterion,” referring to Christ’s payment for sin. Therefore, Christ is our “Mercy Seat.” (Romans 3:25)