 Okay, good morning everyone and good to see all of you join class this morning. So we'll begin our class, Christology class. Can one of you please unmute your mics and lead us in prayer please, anyone? Anyone can unmute your mics and lead us in prayer? Nikhil, would you like to lead us in prayer? I don't want to hear you. Yes, Sean, I can hear you. Okay, I'll start the phone. Okay. Heavenly Father, thank you very much for guiding us on your first class, Heavenly Father. This is the house of the Heavenly Father. He is my Heavenly Father and I appreciate his new things to man and Heavenly Father. And he is my first step-in-step step-in-step step-in-step step-in-step, Heavenly Father. In Jesus' name, amen. Irmin, thank you, Sean. Good to hear your voice. Thank you. Were you there last class? I think we're not there yet. I don't think so. You were not there last class, okay. Anyway, welcome to the spring semester. Good to have you back in class. Okay. So last week we looked at the introduction to Christology. We looked at what Christology is, what theology is. And we also looked at what we will be studying in, and we also looked at what Christian theology is and how Christology is a field of study within Christian theology. So what are we going to be basically studying in Christian theology, or what are we going to be basically studying in Christology? We learned this last week. So what are we going to be studying in Christology? Can I have some answers please? The deity of Christ. Okay, thank you Rin. We're going to be studying about the deity of Christ. Okay, that is what we're going to be studying in Christology, but what is Christology all about? Basic. It would be good if you go through your notes and come so that, you know, there's continuity. If you have any questions, you can ask. There's a better understanding. Okay, Chira says we'll be studying about Christ. Nina says about the pre-existence of Jesus. Okay, that is what we studied. The first lesson was about a pre-existence of Jesus. But why did we study about the pre-existence of Jesus? And Chira says we'll be studying about Christ. What about Christ will we study? The humanity and the divinity that existed in Jesus. Thank you Rin. So Rin says how humanity in deity or divinity coexisted in the person of Jesus Christ. So how can a person, you know, be 100% God, 100% man, fully God, fully man. How can deity and humanity coexist in a person that is in the person of Jesus Christ? So Jack in says we'll be studying about the nature of God, basically man and God. No, we won't be looking at the nature of God or we're not just looking at man and God that you'll be studying more in detail in the doctrines, the doctrine of man, doctrine of God. That you'll be studying in systematic theology. But in Christology we will be studying about basically the core thing that we will be looking at is how humanity and deity coexisted in the person of Jesus Christ. And we said that we will be basically answering this question which Jesus asked his disciples which we read about in Matthew chapter 16 verse 13, you know, who do men say that I the son of God or son of man am? So Jesus questioned to his disciples, who do men say that I the son of man am? And we know that, you know, Peter gave the right answers. The other said some say that you are Elijah, some say that you're Jeremiah, some say that you're John the Baptist or one of the prophets. But it was, you know, God who revealed the spirit of God who revealed to Peter and Peter says thou art the Christ the son of the living God. So he received this through divine revelation. So in Christology we're just, we're not going to be answering or we dare not attempt to answer the how of incarnation. How did God become man? But we'll just try to understand what the Bible talks about the person of Jesus Christ that he is divine, you know, that he is God, he is divine, he's deity, and he also is a human. So in Christology we'll be basically studying to understand how divinity and humanity coexisted in the person of Jesus Christ. So we will study his deity, we'll study his humanity. So we began studying Christ or Jesus' deity last week and for that we began looking at how can we say that Jesus is God? How can we say that he is divine? We look at his pre-existence, that he existed before all things and how are we trying to prove that Jesus is fully God and fully man? How are we going to do that? How are we going to prove that Jesus is fully God and fully man? What are we going to use to prove that Jesus is fully God and fully man? The Word of God. Yes, thank you Rin, we're going to use the Word of God to prove that Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. So last week we looked at various scripture passages and we basically dwelt on the most important pitches. So if somebody asks you how can you prove from scripture or how can you say that Jesus is God, which other scripture passages will you use? Can we have some responses, some answers? How will you show them or prove to them that Jesus is deity, he is God? Colossians 1.17 Okay, thank you. What else? Can we have other students? Sorry, Prince. Genesis 1.23 Genesis 1.26 Okay, John 1.1 Jack in says John 1.18 Anina says John 1.1 Yes, John chapter 1 verses 1 to 4 very important scripture passages another very important scripture passage John 5.26 John 5.26 Okay. Philippians 2 verses 5 to 7 Yes, Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 to 7 even John chapter 5 verses 26 is a good one to show also and most importantly is John chapter 1 verses 1 to 4 and Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 to 7 very important scripture passages so you can kind of keep that in your mind remember that. And John chapter 1 verses 1 to 4 very clearly gives us, you know, proofs to us that Jesus is God. Okay, why does John use, introduce Jesus as the word, the logos in the Greek word for word is logos? Why do you think Jesus is using the Greek word logos? So why is he using the word word there instead of saying in the beginning was Jesus Christ? Why does he use logos? So why does he use the word word instead of using just simply writing in the beginning was Jesus Christ? Any answers? There was a huge significance attached to the word logos as it means like eternal principle and the one who guides and gives a reason to live between God and man. Okay, thank you Rin. So yes, he tries to prove that logos is God but why does he use the word logos? So what if somebody tells you, hey, you're trying to prove to me that Jesus is God you're using John chapter one verses one to four to prove that and they say, where is Jesus here? You know, Jesus's name is not mentioned. There is something called a word, can be God is the word. So how can you prove that this word is Jesus? Like for Jews are they considered logos as a powerful guiding, like they consider word as something to guide them. Okay, thank you, Prince. Yeah, I agree that it signifies Christ's pre-existence through logos, Jesus was also with God, all that. But why does he use the word logos? We said that this word logos had a rich significance or meaning in the Jewish historical Jewish setting. Like Rin pointed out is the eternal principle who gives order to the universe. Some Greek philosophers trying to understand who God is said this logos is the eternal principle which gives order to the universe. It is also, you know, another Greek philosopher said that it's a purposeful guiding reason. And, you know, other philosophers said that, you know, it is a rational principle. And, you know, Philo was, who was one of the Jewish interpreters said that he's an intermediary between God and the universe. So, Apostle John writing to the Jewish audience knew that they had this, you know, understanding of the logos and also like, you know, Prince pointed out the Jews for the Jews, logos is a powerful word of God, you know, the creative power of God in the Old Testament by which the heavens and the earth were created. And so he uses this to introduce to his readers, to his audience that the logos who we are trying to understand who this logos is by saying that he is a purposeful and guiding reason or he is a rational principle in the mind which we express no speech, you know, or he is an eternal principle, you know, but this logos is actually God. Now, if you look at, you know, the Old Testament, they had, they did not have a very good understanding of the clarity of Trinity. They knew God and in one or two passages, it was addressed that, you know, God is like a father, God is like a shepherd. So this kind of basic understanding they had of God, they also knew that God is spirit because he's a spirit being, he doesn't have a form and a shape. So this kind of basic understanding that they had, but only we people are more privileged because we have the Old Testament. We had a New Testament, you know, to see that, you know, that God, you know, exists in, you know, in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and all of them are co-equal. They have the same nature of God, the same characteristics, the same attributes, all three are God. They are co-equal, they work in perfect unity and in oneness, but this kind of understanding was not there in the Old Testament. So the apostles are kind of writing with the Old Testament background and so they, you know, they're introducing the other person in the Trinity that is, you know, that God, God the Son and, you know, for the readers to receive that, you know, they are, he, Apostle John is using this word, Lobos, which was something very familiar in the Old Testament scriptures or in the Torah and he's trying to draw out from that. This is not something new I'm saying, but this is something that we see in the Old Testament. This word that was there in the beginning to who we, you know, God the Father spoke, you know, and this is a word that, you know, spoke, brought things into existence. The Holy Spirit moved and, you know, created everything. So all of them are, you know, bringing about the whole concept of Trinity, which is a very vague understanding or they couldn't even comprehend it or they even overlooked it because they couldn't just understand. But here is, you know, the Apostle John trying to introduce Jesus as God as one of the persons in the Trinity or one of the persons in the Godhead and so he's using this word, Lobos, which is kind of familiar to bring, introduce the second person in the Trinity saying that, hey, this is not just a messiah, it was a political messiah who was just going to come and give us freedom, which is what they tried to understand, messiah, which was given in the Old Testament. But here he's saying, you know, he's introducing this messiah whom they're looking forward as the second person in the Trinity. Okay. So that is why he uses the word Lobos and we looked at various scripture passages. We studied a little more in detail about John chapter one verses one to four. I'm not in a hurry to rush through this whole Christology course because this is very, very important, a very foundational for our beliefs, for our truth, for our teaching, for apologetics. So it's very important, you know, at least in this course, if all of you can spend some time, please, reading through, you know, the notes, it's just like one or two pages, max for each lesson, they're very short but has a lot of theological truths which I would like you all to look at scripture passages, understand what is being said there and, you know, so that you can teach and preach and because this is very foundational to our truth. You know, if people want to receive salvation, then they need to know how can God become man? You know, how divinity and humanity coexisted in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was not just intermediary between God and man. He was not a lesser being. He was not, he's not just a demigod which some people try to say. He's not a prophet like some other, you know, scriptures say or, you know, books say, but he is God. He had the nature, the essence, the characteristic of God. And so to prove that, you know, this course is very, very important even for our understanding. So please take time to read. If you have any questions, you can come back in the class. I'm going to go very slow so that, you know, you all have, take a hold of what is being taught and at least get time to read through and understand so that it's not just a course that you go by, but it's something that, you know, is deeply ingrained in your thought process, in your understanding so that you can, you know, preach, teach and also be able to exegete correctly, interpret correctly and also defend the faith because this is an important area where we need to defend our faith that Jesus is fully God and fully man. Okay. So there are deeper theological truths especially when we looked at 1 John 1 versus 1 to 4 when we studied about Philippians 2 versus 5 to 7 which we study in depth later on but important for you to, you know, go through the scripture passages. Okay. So the Jesus himself proved that he is or declared that he is deity. We studied this last week. Yes. No. Yes. Okay. So how did, how can we say from scripture that Jesus himself who, you know, declared that he is God which is the scripture, one scripture passage that we looked at. John 1 verse 18. Okay. What is just John chapter 1 verse 18 say. John has seen God at any time the only begotten son who is the bosom of the Father he has declared him. Okay. John 8 58. Okay. What does John 8 58 say? And somebody read that. Very important. Very truly, I tell you Jesus answered before Abraham was born. I am. Yes. This is a very important passage of scripture. Thank you so much Nina. John for, you know, pointing us to John 8 58. We studied this last week. Jesus himself, you know, says, I say to you before Abraham was I am, you know. So how do we prove from scripture that Jesus is pre-existent that he existed even before time began is John chapter 8 verse 58 where Jesus says before Abraham was I am. So what is the significance of what he said here in John chapter 8 verse 58? Exodus 3 18 where God read his name as I am. Yes. But what is the significance of what Jesus is saying here? And Jesus is saying before Abraham was I am. What's the significance? I don't know, but Exodus the Lord also, I mean God, the Father also says that I am that I am. So then when Jesus also says that I am. So then it proves that Jesus also is God. Is that it? Yes. Yes. Right. Thank you Nina. John. That Jesus knew that the Jews knew Yahweh as a God who would reveal himself as I am who I am. In Exodus chapter 3 verse 14 he revealed himself as I am to Moses and that is the first name of God that they heard from Moses' lips when he comes and meets them in Egypt. Otherwise they knew him as the God of their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but here as I am. So what does it mean? This title that God ascribes to himself or claims for himself and Jesus also claims, you know, as I am he's, you know what does it mean? What does I am mean? When God says I am who I am in the Old Testament, Jesus says I am what does it basically mean? I am something that signifies that he is God. So he says that he is God. So he's, I am who I am he stresses the fact that he's God and this is then he's equating it with he's equalling himself with Jesus. So Jesus was declaring he's equal with God. Yes. Thank you, Jack. So Jesus is saying that just like God is revealing the Old Testament as I am, you know, he's saying that I am the same God who is there who revealed myself as I am that he is God. So he's equalling himself to that understanding of the God of the Old Testament, you know, Yahweh God the Father who they understood as in the Old Testament God. So he's saying that you know, I am that, you know, I am God. So when we this word I am means that, you know, when God says declares himself or claims himself to be I am, he's basically saying, you know, I am self-sufficient. I am self-existent. I am all in all. I don't need to depend on anything or I don't depend on anything for my existence, for my my self-sufficiency. I'm self-existent, self-sufficient. I am supreme. I am sovereign of the very core nature of who God is. So when Jesus is saying I am, you know, he's saying that, you know, basically saying that I am God. So this is a very important scripture passage of words that we can prove that, you know, that Jesus is God, that he existed even before Abraham existed even before time, even in Colossians chapter 1 verse 17, he says, he's before all things and in him all things consist. So there was never a point when he was there, he always existed. Okay. He was also present in, you know, during creation in the very beginning he was present. He is not from which we can say from, there is a true date. A from date says that he is, you know, he began to exist at such a period of time. But when we're saying that he was there means he existed even before creation. So all of these scripture passages prove to us Jesus's pre-existence that he is God himself. Any of you have any questions? Nina John says, the gospel of John has a lot more I ams which Christ Jesus attributes to himself. Yes. Seven I ams sings of Jesus. I am the good shepherd. I am the door. I am the way to truth and life. I am the bread of heaven. I am the resurrection and the life. I am I am the, did I finish the door? I am the door and the gate. Yeah. So there's seven I am sings of Jesus. I am the light of the world. And I am the good shepherd. The seven I am sings in John's gospel. Yes. Qualifying who he is as God, because he understood God as light, as a shepherd as you know the one who gives life. That's why John even says in one John chapter one where he says you know talks about the life where he says the word you know in him was life, was four in him was life and the life was the light of men. So we looked at this life the life here the Greek word is the way which when we look at in several scripture passages in the New Testament is talking about it has a spiritual relation in terms of eternal life but also in certain places this word Zoe means the fullness of life the God kind of life. That means God has life in himself he is life himself and here you know which is which the Jewish audience knew that you know God gives life he's the giver of life he has life in himself and so he's introducing the slow boss as the one who has life in himself in him was Zoe so he's trying to prove that Jesus is God and you know that Jesus is not just the one who has life in himself he says that he is the life which also proves when Jesus says I am you know the resurrection and the life I am the resurrection and the Zoe you know he just does not have the God kind of life and we can prove that hey even we you know once we become believers we have the fullness of God we have the God kind of life in us but Jesus is going on to prove that you know he is the life just like you know the Old Testament God has life in himself he gives life and Jesus is proving that he is life okay yes so good you know review of last week's lesson anyone has any questions from last week's question from last week's class no questions okay there are no questions and we move on to again consolidate or prove from scripture you know that Jesus is is God so we try to prove in the first chapter we try to prove that Jesus is God by looking at his pre-existence and for that we look at various scripture passages in lesson 2 we are going to prove again that Jesus is God and another way that we can prove that Jesus is God that he is deity we prove it by you know looking at various scripture passages that talk about his equality with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit so we'll be looking at again various scripture passages because scripture passages get only proved to us that he is you know equal or co-equal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit so you know when we're trying to prove that Jesus is equal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit we need to establish this fact that he is not an intermediary being that means he is a mediator yes he mediated he came to one of his roles is to mediate between God and man but because he is a mediator it does not mean that he is an intermediary being that means he is a lesser being lesser in importance to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit okay yes people can pull on various scripture passages and saying hey what do you say you know when Jesus is saying the Father is greater than I you know when Jesus himself himself says that the Father is greater than I then we can say they can say from scripture hey Jesus is clearly proving that the Father is greater than him which means the Father is a greater being than Jesus and Jesus is the lesser being but we need to understand all of scripture interpret scripture in the light on the context of what it is written so we look at that passage towards the end of this chapter but you know we just begin by saying that you know Jesus is not a lesser being lesser in importance to God the Father you know God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit are co-dependent but they are co-equal and you know they have different roles but all of them all three of them work in perfect unity even though they have different roles but the important thing is all of them have the same nature the attributes the essence that makes them God so all three are God and we need to base this all the scripture passages what we read and interpret on this that yes Jesus can say that the Father is greater than I but there he is talking about in terms of whole but the foundation truth is that all three God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit have the same nature that makes God God they have the same characteristics they have the same attributes that make God God so God the Father is eternal is sovereign he is omnipotent he is omnipresent he is omniscient God the Son that is Jesus Christ is also eternal he is sovereign he is omnipotent omnipresent omniscient but you know we say that you know if Jesus lives on the earth he was fully God he is fully man then why did he give up why was he not omnipotent why was he not omnipresent why did he depend on the Holy Spirit to do all his miracles why was he not present at all times places that was because you know you can point out to Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 to 7 where Jesus says he billingly laid you know gave up you know everything that his very nature you know although he was in the form of God you know you know he did not consider it to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation and becoming like a man so he gave up his nature of being God and took on the nature of being man but it says who being in the form of God did not consider it to be equal with God so he you know gave up his equality means in the sense of you know he gave up his very nature of being God and took on the nature of being man okay so that is another important thing that we need to keep in mind but you know Jesus is God in nature in attributes in his very essence all three of them even though they have different roles and they are three distinct persons in the Trinity we have the distinct person of God the Father, distinct person of God the Son, distinct person of God the Holy Spirit different roles but they have the same nature, same essence the same attributes that make them God which is a very important truth that needs to be you know ingrained in our minds and foundational for our understanding of theology of understanding who God is and understanding who Christ is okay so having said that you know that Jesus is not of lesser importance he's not an intermediary being he is God we look at proving how he is God by looking at his equality with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit okay so we'll go back to looking at a few scripture passages that we looked at in the last class last Wednesday that is John chapter 1 verses 1 to 3 so can one of you read that please it's good to keep reading that even to know it in memory so can one of you please read John chapter 1 verses 1 to 3 in the beginning was a word and the word was with God and the word was God he was in the beginning with God all things were made through him and without him nothing was made that was made thank you so here you know the apostle John is presenting Jesus as the word who was in the beginning that means you know eternity past you know a dateless past he's from eternity past to eternity future okay was in the beginning that's not to say he was from the beginning which means you know that means there was a time when he was not there there was a time when he came into existence he was in the beginning which means it talks about his dateless past and also John is saying that he was not just there in the beginning but you know he was also with God and he is God which proves to us that he is co-equal with the father which proves to us that he is God because he has you know he is from eternity past dateless past he was there in the beginning he was with God and he is co-equal with the father okay now all this is you know for our understanding because we understand God as God the father God the son God the Holy Spirit it can be a little confusing for us we try to comprehend it with our human understanding which we find it very difficult with our logical understanding but for God the Trinity the God they have no confusion about it they are not grappling with it they are not trying to prove themselves because you know for them there is total clarity in their mind they work in perfect unity in oneness which we can't comprehend we can't understand but for them it's not an issue it's just for us to try to understand who God is so when we say God in the Old Testament we also mean Yahweh is God the Father God the Son God the Holy Spirit as well he is just God okay so he was Jesus is there in the beginning dateless past he was with God which proves that he is co-equal with the father another scripture passage that we looked at last week was Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 to 7 so again one of you read again read Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 to 7 please let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men Amen thank you Jack in so here we see that Jesus is saying that he is co-equal with God means he is he had the form of God and also here it says he is equal with God and yet he did not think it as something to be held on to or to hold on to he was willing to give it up to take on human likeness to becoming like a human being but here it tells us very clearly that he is equal with God and this himself Jesus had this in his mind that he is in the form of God he is equal with God but was willing to give it up so it tells us that Jesus is equal with God he shared in all of the glory of the dating the glory that the God had shared got the father got the son got the Holy Spirit shared or have the same glory Jesus himself has within himself or he has the glory of the dating another reference that we looked at was John chapter 8 was 58 which Nina read out Jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was I am and the same scripture passage is given in the Old Testament where God reveals himself he reveals himself to Moses at the burning bush when Moses asked God in Exodus chapter 3 verses 13 to 14 can one of you read that please Exodus chapter 3 verses 13 and 14 Moses said to God indeed when I come to the children of Israel and say to them that God of your fathers has sent me to you and they say to me what is his name what shall I say to them and God said to Moses I am who I am and he said thus you shall say to the children of Israel I am has sent me to you Eman thank you Rin so here the word I am in Hebrew is to be basically reveals the nature of God his attributes I am means he is self-existent he is self-sufficient he is all-sufficient he is eternal he is unchangeable he is unchanging so when Jesus attributes himself with this title that he is I am Jesus was making himself equal or saying that he is co-equal with God the father that is he is co-equal with Yahweh or who they call as Jehovah or a Lord who then identified God as Yahweh Jehovah Lord and also knew him by this name I am that he had revealed himself and hence Jesus is saying that I am God which means I have the nature or the attributes of God I am self-sufficient all-sufficient, eternal sovereign and unchangeable another interesting scripture passage that we will look at is in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 which is a very familiar scripture passage during Christmas time where Isaiah is talking about the coming of the Messiah so we just look at the names of God that is mentioned here and see how it attributes that to Jesus Christ because he is talking here about the Messiah who is coming he is talking about Jesus the Messiah who is going to be born and so what is who is he Isaiah reveals this to the people to a prophecy and so we will just read that in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 can one of you read that please the child is born and that is given and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God of the Prince of Peace Amen thank you so just look at this scripture passage it says unto us a child is born unto us a son is given so even though this this scripture passage prophecy of Isaiah says that you know a son is given so revealing the second person the Trinity you know God the son you know it was so that you know the Jewish people had a vague understanding but they were not able to comprehend understand so they kind of left it out and so you know Jesus speaks on it when he comes here on this earth and he reveals himself as the son of man you know and talks about it in you know in John chapter 5 which we will look at in detail he says you know the son has come from the father the son does what he sees the father doing he only says what the father says so Jesus is saying hey you know Isaiah what he talked about he prophesied that unto us a child is born unto us a son is given I am that son so I have come from the father you know I am that son that Isaiah refers to but you know these people were not willing to look at it or they couldn't comprehend it or they failed to understand it or they overlooked it because they were not basically you know the Jews were not able to understand how about God the father God the son but we are able to because we have both the Old Testament and the New Testament we can see from we can look at the Old New Testament and look back at the Old Testament where it is written we can look at the Old Testament and look forward to see the New Testament and hence we have a greater clarity and in their you know basic revelation at that time what was revealed to them you know how much they could understand they just understood but us looking now you know we can see here from Isaiah's prophecy it says unto us a son is given and the son again is not a small s it's a capital s which is talking about God it's talking about the second person the Trinity and then Isaiah and his prophecy is basically saying how this or who this son is and look at the names that he's ascribing to the son what are the names given there what are the names ascribed to the son our lacking father yes it's he's prophesying and revealing that the son you know who's going to come as a messiah is the wonderful he will be called wonderful counselor mighty God everlasting father and the prince of peace now how can we use this verse to show his equality between God the father and also God the Holy Spirit how can we use this verse to prove that Jesus is equal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit counselor is Holy Spirit so he comes Holy Spirit counsels us everlasting father is God yes thank you jack in good answer so yes when you look at counselor we are reminded about the Holy Spirit as a counselor which Jesus reveals to us in John chapter 16 John chapter 14 14 he is a counselor and here too talking about his equality with God the Father in two names that Isaiah through his prophecy ascribes to the son is that he is the mighty God and the everlasting father so the Jews basically understood their God as a mighty God basically a powerful God an all powerful God sovereign almighty all powerful who does great wonders so they knew God as a mighty God and they also here again as the everlasting father so they had this whole concept that Jesus is I mean sorry that God that they worship is a father but of course Jesus comes and reveals in a deeper way who this father is that he is not just a father in terms of his role as a father but he is above father he is an intimate father so these are the two names we will come back after our break and we study in detail these titles of these names of God as ascribed to the son who is Jesus Christ so we meet after the break thank you everyone