“Doctrinal Statement on Christology”

Pastor John – 2023 

My Doctrinal Statement on Christology

I. Christ’s deity

I believe that Jesus Christ is the Word – God – who became a human being in the incarnation (John 1:1, 14; Col. 2:9) adding human nature to His divine nature. Thus, He is simultaneously human and divine, with two natures (hypostatic union). Jesus is one person. Jesus was and is fully God (Luke 2:11). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born by the virgin Mary (Luke 1:42). Jesus made a divine substitutionary atonement bearing the sins of all mankind – past, present and future, in His body on the cross (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:4-10). He experienced a physical death, in our place (Rom. 6:23; 1 Cor. 15:3; Matt. 27:46). Christ became sin – as living sacrifice, a legal substitution for us (2 Cor.5:21; 1 John 2:2; John 19:30; 1 Pet. 2:24). Thereby, God’s justice was completely fulfilled. Consequentially, Christians, by faith alone, in Christ alone, are ransomed and freed from eternal punishment, no longer having a sin debt, which was fully nullified at the cross (1 Pet. 3:18; Matt. 1:21; 25:46; Rom. 3:28; John 2:2; Col. 2:14). His purpose is to provide justification for anyone who believes in Him (Rom. 3:28).

After dying on our behalf, having been in a tomb for three days, Jesus rose from the dead in the same body, glorified in a physical body (John 10:25-28). Given His divine nature, He never died, yet raised Himself from the dead (John 2:19; 10:17-18; Heb. 7:16). He then ascended in His glorified physical body into heaven, seated at God the Father’s right hand, ruling heaven and earth (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Cor. 15:25; Eph. 1:22). Now, Jesus is a man, having a glorified body, both wholly God and wholly man (Phil. 2:5-11; 1 Tim. 3:16; Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:5-13; John 1:14). He is and will stay a man, interceding for us throughout all eternity, as high priest in the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 6:20; 7:25). Christ’s deity is expressed in His love for us, according to His absolutely reliable and truthful promise, that we as believers will also be raised from the dead in bodily form and being with Him for all eternity (1 Cor. 15:35-45; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; John 12:26). As Christians, He has eternally sealed us, by releasing the Holy Spirit which He promised beforehand, as our guarantee – adopted as His children into His family (2 Cor. 1:22). We are thus eternally secure in Him and cannot lose our salvation (John 6:37-40).

II.  Christ’s humanity

I believe that Jesus is both human and divine, and has a human nature. His human nature began with the virgin birth (Matt. 1:1-17; 1:25; 2:1-23). Like us, Jesus had a human body, with all physical attributes (weaknesses and limitations) (John 4:6; 19:28; Matt. 4:2; 4:11; Luke 23:26; 23:46). Christ had a human mind (Luke 2:52; Mark 13:32) along with a human soul and emotions (John 12:27; 13:21;Matt. 26:38; John 11:35; Heb. 5:8-9). Some people who encountered Him, wrongly thought He was only a man (Matt. 4:23-25; 13:53-58; 13:55; Mark 6:3; John 7:5). In God’s divine and sovereign plan to save us, Jesus had to (also) be human, that He could die in our place, fulfilling His divine purpose atoning for our sins, that we, as believers would not have to suffer the penalty of God’s wrath, in that way, not being eternally separated, but united with Him (John 3:16-21). 

III.  The hypostatic union

I believe that Jesus Christ has both a human and divine nature (hypostatic union) forever and fully being the God-man. This is, not only absolutely unique to Him, but also necessary to redeem us. While now we may not fully understand the meaning of it (given our human limitation) a combination of Scripture helps us gain some insight into this, that we might understand Christ as our Mediator between God and mankind (John 16:28; 17:11; Acts 1:9-11; Matt. 18:20; John 14:23; Luke 3:23; John 1:1-2; 8:58; Mark 8:24; Col. 1:17; Matt. 8:26-27; Heb. 4:15; Luke 2:52; John 21:17; John 8:58; 16:28; Matt. 28:20). 

IV.  The virgin birth

I believe in the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus Christ of the virgin Mary (Luke 1:42) through the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; Matt. 1:18). God used Mary as broken vessel for His divine plan, and she was no longer a virgin following the Messiah’s birth (Matt. 1:25). The person of Mary must not in any way be venerated, exalted or deified. The focus must be only on Jesus Christ and on nobody or anything else but Him. Salvation ultimately comes from the Lord (Gen. 3:15) and only Him (Gal.4:4-5). Jesus is the Son of God (John 3:16), born without a sin nature – unique to Christ – making Him and only Him holy (Luke 1:35). The doctrine of the virgin birth must not be denied in any way.