God the Son, Student Workbook, SW10

/ 7 3

G O D T H E S O N

7. How did Jesus announce his identity in his public announcement in his hometown Nazareth? With whom did he identify himself? Why is this significant for understanding Jesus’ role as Messiah? 8. How does the OT (e.g., Isaiah 53) outline the ministry of the Servant of Yahweh as a substitutionary sacrifice for the sins of the people ? How did the death of Jesus fulfill this important prophecy? 9. Why can we be confident that if Jesus is truly the Suffering Servant of Yahweh that he will return and finish the work that he began through his Incarnation, his death and resurrection?

The Importance of the Nicene Creed in Christological Controversy

The Nicene Creed, which is used in worship today, is dated from the Council of Constantinople in 381. All creeds that use the phrase “of the same substance (reality, being, essence) as the Father” were regarded as Nicene. The Council of Constantinople also eliminated the anathemas from the Creed of 325 and added a statement affirming the deity of the Holy Spirit as well as the one holy catholic Church, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection of the dead. The Council of Nicea, in affirming that Jesus Christ was truly God, raised the question of the humanity of Christ, and therefore of the doctrine of the person of Christ. The Church of the 5th century, in an amazingly catholic theological endeavor, defined its understanding of the person of Jesus Christ at the Council of Chalcedon (431) in which it affirmed that Jesus Christ is truly God and truly man in one person (one acting subject). ~ John H. Leith. “Creeds.” The Anchor Bible Dictionary . D. N. Freedman, ed. (Vol. 1). (electronic ed.). New York: Doubleday Publishers, 1996. p. 1205.

2

This lesson focuses upon the important lessons of Christ’s person in his humanity as well as the richness of his life and ministry as the promised Messiah demonstrated in his baptism, kingdom ministry, and identification with the image of the Suffering Servant of Yahweh. The critical concepts associated with this lesson are important for urban leaders to understand and apply as they not only follow the Lord in their

Summary of Key Concepts