God the Son, Mentor's Guide, MG10

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G O D T H E S O N

Isa. 46.10 - declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.” Dan. 4.35 - All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, “What have you done?” Amos 4.13 - For behold, he who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man what is his thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights of the earth—the Lord, the God of hosts, is his name! Matt. 28.18 - And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Remind the students that we do not study the doctrine of Christ first of all to refute heretics or debate theological minutia. Rather, our first aim is to grow in the knowledge of Christ in order that we might know him, and through knowing him, love and obey him! Eternal life is knowing the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ (John 17.3). Jesus is our Lord and God–that was the reaction of Thomas to the empirical data Jesus provided that he was in fact alive, and that he had risen from the dead. Thomas did not want to argue theology in the presence of the risen Lord, but rather affirmed the true purpose of all real data about Christ–the unreserved worship and acknowledgment of his primacy, glory, and beauty reflected in obedience to him without qualification. The more we know of him, the more we love him and want to know him. It is in fact a gloriously reinforced circle of knowledge and love and obedience that sustains us in all we are and do. Emphasize the primacy of worship in all Christological study; our work is built upon and is derived from this revelation of Christ as risen Lord, co-mingled with our love and adoration of him.

The citations throughout the module by the early Church fathers is to give your students a sense of the flavor of the kind of reflection the earliest Christian theologians and intellectuals had regarding the person and work of Christ. A book

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