Pastor-teacher Don Hargrove

Faith Bible Church

Wed.,  June 3, 2009      

http://fbcweb.org/Audio.html   

 

2 Peter 3:18

 

GOD’S PROBLEM SOLVING DEVICE #10:

OCCUPATION WITH JESUS CHRIST

Part 43:  CHRISTOLOGICAL HERESIES AND LESSONS OF SUFFERING

(Messiah & A.C. #224)

 

A.   Philip 2:5-8 & the Hypostatic Union of Jesus Christ. 

            1.    Philip 2:5-8:   Foundational passage on Person of Jesus Christ. 

            2.    Philip 2:5-8 exposes all Christological heresies.

            3.    Philip 2:5-8 & an overview of 2,000 years of Christological heresies.

                        a)  Gnostic Christological heresy:   denial of the true humanity of JC                                              

                        b)  Ebionite Christological heresy (100-300 A.D.): ejection of deity of JC.

                        c)  Alexandrian Christological heresy (200-400 A.D.):  JC =mind of Logos.                                   

                        d)  Modalistic Christological heresy (215 A.D.): 

                        e)  Arian Christological heresy (Arius c. 250):

                        f)   Heresy of Apollonarianism (310-390): 

                        g)  Heresy of Nestorianism (428): 

                        h)  Heresy of Eutychianism (448):

                        i)   Heresy of Monophysitism (circa 400s):

                        j)   Heresy of Adoptionism (8th century).

                        k)  Heresy of Kenotic Christology (19th century).

                        l)   Heresy of Existential Christology (Kierkegaard, 19th century).                                      

                       m) Heresy of Liberation Christology (1950). 

                        n)  Heresy of Black Christology (James Cone, 1950).

                        o)  Heresy of Feminist Christology (Mary Daly).

                        p)  Heresy of  Process Christology (1960)

                        q)  Heresy of  Universalist Christology (John Hick). 

                        r)   Heresy of Postmodern Christology (Deconstruction, Jacques Derrida).                         

                        s)  Heresy of the Emergent Church (21st century).

 

            4.   A look at the Chalcedonian Creed (451 A.D.) – the gold standard:  Therefore, following the holy fathers, we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body; of one substance with the Father as regards his Godhead, and at the same time of one substance with us as regards his manhood; like us in all respects, apart from sin; as regards his Godhead, begotten of the Father before the ages, but yet as regards his manhood begotten, for us men and for our salvation, of Mary the Virgin, the God-bearer; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, recognized in two natures, without confusion, without change, without division, without separation; the distinction of natures being in no way annulled by the union, but rather the characteristics of each nature being preserved and coming together to form one person and subsistence, not as parted or separated into two persons, but one and the same Son and Only-begotten God the Word, Lord Jesus Christ; even as the prophets from earliest times spoke of him, and our Lord Jesus Christ himself taught us, and the creed of the fathers has handed down to us.

                        a)   Chalcedonian Creed is an excellent distillation of Scripture on the Person of JC.

                        b)   While Chalcedon did a grand job of setting down the boundaries of orthodoxy, it did not go far enough in explaining just how you can have the mind of undiminished deity & the mind of true humanity of Jesus Christ in just one person (one self-consciousness).

                        c)   The solution is found in modified form of Apollonarianism.  

                        d)   Scripture presents Jesus Christ as One Person (Philip 2:5-8) who displayed undiminished divine attributes (Jn 1:44-50) & true human attributes (Mk 5:9). 

 

B.   PHILIP 2:5-8:   OBEDIENCE AND SUFFERING OF CHRIST.

            1.  Jesus Christ learned obedience through suffering, Heb 5:8;  Isa 50:5; Lk 2:51-52.

            2.  God the Father matured (perfected) Christ through suffering, Heb 2:10.

            3.   Just as Christ’s obedient suffering matured Him, it is also the means of maturing us, Js 1:2-4.

            4.  Christ’s obedience in the Garden of Gethsemane, Mt 26:39.

            5.  Christ’s obedient suffering throughout the Jewish and Roman trials.

 

C.   SUFFERING AND THE BELIEVER. 

            1.   We have all been grace out with the privilege of believing in Jesus Christ as well as suffering for His sake, Philip 1:29.

            2.    All suffering is designed to teach us something, Psa 32:8-9; 2 Cor 12:7-10.

            3.    There are two separate and distinct categories of suffering each with very different lessons.

                        a.   Deserved suffering.   Corrective suffering (for wrong thoughts, motivations, and decisions): designed to get the believer back to doctrine and the POG, Psa 32; 38; 51; 119:67, 71, 75; 1 Cor 11:30-32; Dt 8:5; Prov 3:11-12; Heb 12:5-11; Rev 3:19.

                        b.   Undeserved suffering.   Refining suffering:  suffering for blessing; always designed to advance the believer in the POG and epignosis doctrine, 2 Cor 12:7-10; 1 Pet 1:6-7; Isa 48:10; Zech 13:9; Psa 66:10; Jn 15:1-8. 

            4.   The promise of 1 Cor 10:13 is always available to all believers regardless of the circumstances and what type of suffering they might be experiencing.  

            5.  Under deserved suffering, none of the suffering can be parlayed into blessing until the believer returns to the POG and BD.

            6.   The single greatest area of suffering among Christians has always been because of carnal spiritual immaturity as it reaps what it sows (wrong thoughts, decisions, and actions) according to the law of volitional responsibility, Gal 6:7; Hos 8:7.

            7.   Understanding undeserved suffering for blessing.

                        a)  Psa 23:  God’s perfect plan for our lives includes blessings and sufferings only to be followed by maximum blessings for all of eternity. 

                        b)   Only in the Christ-centered life does the believer have the capacity for death and for life, Philip 1:21-24; 4:4, 11-13.

                        c)   Much of undeserved suffering is designed to keep us from becoming more arrogant than we already are, 2 Cor 12:7-10.

                        d)  Undeserved suffering enables us to have capacity to empathize with others, 2 Cor 1:3-10; Heb 2:17-18.

                        e)  Undeserved suffering refines our faith and provides spiritual momentum, 1 Pt 1:7; Js 1:2-4.

                        f)    Undeserved suffering is designed to demonstrate to the angelic realm our true love for the Lord and the POG (rather than simply using God for our own blessing), Job. 

            8.  The issue in all suffering is obedience to Bible doctrine, Dt 8:3; Heb 5:8.

            9.  Only through BD and the SL can all suffering be turned into fantastic blessings, Js 1:2-4; 2 Cor 12:7-10.

 

D.  Christology through the ages:   Understanding the Uniqueness of JC.

            1.  Christology in Eternity past, Rev 13:8; 17:8; Acts 2:23; Eph 1:4; Titus 1:2; 1 Pet 1:20; Isa 9:6; Micah 5:2.

            2.  Christology in Old Testament: both God and man, Isa 9:6; Zech 13:9; Isa 50.

            3.  Christology reflected in OT Jewish commentaries,

            4.  Christology reflected in the hymns of pre-canon Church

            5.  Christology in the NT:  God-man, Philip 2:5-11; Heb 1:8; 2:14; Jn 1:1, 20:28.

            6.   Gnostic Christological heresy:   denial of the true humanity of Christ, 2 Jn 1:7.

            7.   Ebionite Christological heresy (100-300 A.D.):  rejection of the deity of JC.

            8.   Alexandrian Christological heresy (200-400 A.D.): Mind/Logos from God.

            9.   Modalistic Christological heresy (215 A.D.):  God is one in Person who just manifests Himself in different ways.    

            10.   Arian Christological heresy (Arius c. 250):  Christ is a created/lesser god        

            11.   Apostle’s Christological Creed (125-200 AD): early witness to beliefs

            12.   Christology of Council of Nicea (325 A.D):  Christ is of same eternal essence as God; eternally begotten of God – rejection of Arianism.

            13.   Council of Constantinople’s Christology (381):  3 Persons in One Godhead

            14.   Heresy of Apollonarianism (310-390):  divine logos took place of the rational soul of Jesus. 

            15.   Heresy of Nestorianism (428):  Two persons in Christ.

            16.   Heresy of Eutychianism (448):  Blend of humanity & deity of Christ in one nature. 

            17.   Doctrinal stand:  The Council of Chalcedon (451): set the guidelines.             

            18.   Heresy of Monophysitism: Christ has only one nature; God was completely changed into a man, rejected by Chalcedon in 451 A.D.

            19.   Christology of dyophysitism:  Christ assumed entire human nature and thus has two natures.   

            20.   Christology of Diothelitism (620-683):  two wills in God-man.  

            21.   Christology of Monothelitism (620-683): one will in the God-man. 

            22.   Heresy of Adoptionism (8th century).

            23.   Heresy of Kenotic Christology (19th century).

            24.   Heresy of Existential Christology (Kiergegaard, Schliermacher).  Christology that begins with experience.

            25.   Heresy of Liberation Christology (1950).  Christology that begins with the poor.

            26.   Heresy of Black Christology (James Cone, 1950). Christology that begins with the black man.

            27.   Heresy of Feminist Christology. Christology that begins with the female.  

            28.   Heresy of  Process Christology.

            29.   Heresy of  Universalist Christology. 

            30.   Heresy of Postmodern Christology.

            31.   Heresy of the Emergent Church (Laodecian, doctrineless “functional” Christology:  nondescript atheological moralistic therapeutic “Jesus;”  doing “theology from the bottom up.”