God the Son, Student Workbook, SW10

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G O D T H E S O N

3. What do you understand the Nicene Creed to mean when it affirms that Jesus is “of the same essence of the Father?” How does this concept help us understand Jesus’ equality with God in both nature and substance? 4. How does the Creed affirm the biblical teaching of Jesus’ role in creation? What are the implications of this for the way in which God is sustaining the universe today ? 5. List some of the titles and attributes that the Scriptures teach that Jesus shares with God. How does this help us understand the divinity of Christ? 6. Explain the ways in which Jesus of Nazareth fulfills the OT prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah. Why is this important evidence to further support Jesus’ preexistence as the Logos ? 7. How does John’s testimony of Jesus’ Incarnation help us understand the relationship of the “ Word made flesh ?” How are we to best understand and explain the mystery of the divine coming in the form of a human being in the person of Jesus Christ? 8. List out carefully the false teachings of the two historical heresies covered in our last segment, Ebionism and Arianism. How has Functional Christology sought to explain the relationship of the divine and human in Jesus? 9. Give several reasons why is it so important for us to properly understand and affirm the divinity of Christ in our urban churches. Why is it important for your personal discipleship? The hymnic/confessional fragment preserved in Hebrews 1.1–4 describes Jesus as the “radiance of his glory” ( apaugasma tes doxes ) and the “exact representation of his very being” ( charakter tes hypostaseos , Heb. 1.3). The juxtaposition of doxa with hypostasis in the ontological characterization of Jesus clearly articulates Jesus’ status. Jesus is God’s glory, God’s very being. This hymn/confession formed part of the author’s strategy to distinguish between Jesus and angels, as the catena of OT texts and the sustained midrash on these texts proves (see Heb. 1.5 – 2.18). The binatarian shape and content of the hymn/confession—its focus upon Jesus and God and Jesus as God—alleviates potential confusion between Jesus and powerful angelic figures. Jesus is

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