God the Son, Student Workbook, SW10

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G O D T H E S O N

* As a Christian leader, why would the study of the doctrine of Christ be so important to your ongoing equipping for ministry? Explain. * In what ways are current trends in preaching and teaching moving away from or heading toward a more doctrinally focused diet on the Word? Why is teaching the doctrine of Christ so important for our urban churches, especially? * What difference does it make for urban ministry if we fail to emphasize or affirm the divinity of Christ? Explain your answer. * What do we mean when we say that Jesus is “fully human, fully divine” being fully God and fully human? * What is the relationship between a solid understanding of the divinity of Christ and our worship and praise of him as Lord? Explain. * In light of so many current New Age religions and the onslaught of Islamic faith, how ought we to prepare our congregations and students with a biblical knowledge of Christ? * In your opinion, do you believe that we better prepare others in the truth of the doctrine of Christ by studying the biblical truths concerning him, or carefully identifying and refuting the errors and heresies associated with his person today? Defend your answer. * What is the best venue to train and teach others the doctrine of Christ–from the pulpit, in seminars, Sunday School, or some other venue? Who is responsible to teach the body the truths concerning the doctrine of Christ? * What concept, if any, is still troubling for you to understand and explain in regard to the person and work of Christ in the Incarnation? What must you do in order to gain a better grasp of that area in connection to Christ?

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If you had understood what has been written by the prophets, you would not have denied that He was God, Son of the Only, Unbegotten, Unutterable God. ~ Justin Martyr (c. 160, E) 1.262. David W. Bercot, ed. A Dictionary of Early Christian Beliefs . Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1998. p. 96.

He’s the Angel Michael

In an exchange with some local Jehovah’s Witnesses regarding the person of Christ, one of the Witness ministers explains that they do not believe that Jesus was preexistent but the first created being of God. Developing his argument further, he explains that Jesus of Nazareth was actually the angel Michael before his earthly appearance and ministry in Israel. This view that Jesus was actually the firstborn of