God the Son, Student Workbook, SW10

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G O D T H E S O N

Our objective for this segment, Prolegomena for the Study of Christ , is to enable you to see that: • The Nicene Creed has great significance for us as we investigate what the Scriptures teach regarding Christ, formally called “Christology.” • The doctrine of Christology has great importance in our training as leaders in the Church, especially in the way it serves to ground our entire understanding of the Christian story and faith. • The Nicene Creed frames our thinking about the person and work of Jesus, especially in its shaping of our view of Christ’s work as two interrelated movements : his humiliation (i.e., his becoming human and dying on the cross for our sakes) and his exaltation (his resurrection, ascension, and the hope of his return in power). • A fresh new study of Christology can empower urban Christian workers and ministers to better communicate God’s love to humankind, and give a more compelling witness to his glorious kingdom promise.

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I. Significance of the Nicene Creed for Christological Study

Video Segment 1 Outline

A. Definition of Christology

1. Christos =Messiah, Christ, anointed One; logos = study of, knowledge of

2. The person of Christ is central to the Christian faith in a manner unique from that of other religions. The close kinship of Christ with Christianity is one of the distinctive features of the Christian religion. If you take away the name of Buddha from Buddhism and remove the personal revealer entirely from his system; if you take away the personality of Muhammad from Islam, or the personality of Zoraster from the religion of the Parsees, the entire doctrine of these religions would still be left intact. Their practical value, such as it is, would not be