the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST

TABLE OF CONTENTS
I.Introduction. . . 3
II. The Preexistence of Jesus Christ as God. 3
III. The Old Testament Ministry of Jesus Christ. 5
IV. The Virgin Birth incarnation (in the flesh) of Jesus Christ. 6
V. The Biblical Names and Titles of Jesus Christ. 10
VI. The Humanity of Jesus Christ. . . 12
VII. The Deity of Jesus Christ. 14
VIII. The Impeccability of Jesus Christ. 17
IX. The Earthly Ministry of Jesus Christ. 18
X. The Character of Jesus Christ. 19
XI. The Biographers of Jesus Christ. 20
XII. The Kenosis (divine emptying) of Jesus Christ. 21
XIII. The Office of Jesus Christ. 23
XIV. The Death of Jesus Christ. . . 24
XV. The Heart of the Earth Descent of Jesus Christ 29
XVI. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 29
XVII. The Ascension and Present Ministry of Jesus Christ. 35
XVIII. The Twofold Future Coming of Jesus Christ. 37
XIX. The Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. . . 38
XX. The Old Testament Witnesses of Jesus Christ. . . 38
Study Questions 39
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
I. INTRODUCTION.
It has been estimated that some forty billion
individuals have lived upon this earth since Adam.
What a contrast can be seen in this vast multitude of
humanity. It includes black men, white men, brown, and
yellow men. These men have explored and settled every
corner of their earth. They speak dozens of
languages, practice multitudes of religions, and have
formulated numerous cultures.
But every single human being shares one vital thing. His
purpose of life down here and his eternal destiny
afterward depends completely upon his
personal relationship with the subject of this study, the
Lord Jesus Christ. It is, therefore, absolutely
impossible to overemphasize the importance of his life.
The key question of the universe continues to be: 'What
think ye of Christ?" (Mt. 22:42).
"The close kinship of Christ with Christianity is one of
the distinctive features of the Christian religion. If you
take away the name of Buddha from Buddhism
and remove the personal revealer entirely from his
system; if you take away the personality of
Mohammed from Islam, or the personality of
Zoroaster from the religion of the Parsees, the entire
doctrine of these religions would still be left intact.
There practical value, such as it is, would not be
imperiled or lessened. But take away from
Christianity the name and person of Jesus Christ and
what have you left? Nothing! The whole substance
and strength of the Christian faith centers in Jesus
Christ. Without Him there is absolutely nothing."
--Sinclair Patterson
"From beginning to end, in all its various phases and
aspects and elements, the Christian faith and life is
determined by the person and work of Jesus Christ.
It owes it's life and character at every point to Him. Its
convictions are convictions about Him. Its hopes are
hopes which He has inspired and which it is for
Him to fulfill. Its ideals are born of His teaching and His life.
Its strength is the strength of His spirit."
--James Denney
1
Note the following:
To the artist he is the One altogether lovely
(Song of Sol. 5:16).
To the architect he is the chief Cornerstone
(1 Pet. 2:6).
To the astronomer he is the Sun of righteousness
(Mal. 4:2).
To the baker he is the Bread of life
(Jn. 6:35).
To the banker he is the hidden treasure
(Mt. 13:44).
To the builder he is the sure foundation
(Isa. 28:16).
To the carpenter he is the door
(Jn. 10:7).
To the doctor he is the great Physician
(Jer. 8:22).
To the educator he is the new and living way
(Heb. 10:20).
To the farmer he is the sower and the Lord of
harvest (Lk. 10:2).
II. THE PREEXISTENCE OF
JESUS CHRIST AS GOD.
It is possible (as some have done) to hold to Jesus'
preexistence without believing in his deity. For
example, the Jehovah's Witnesses cult brazenly
declares that Christ preexisted as Michael the
archangel prior to Bethlehem. But the Bible
dogmatically declares both his preexistence and his
deity.
A. The fact of his divine existence.
1. As taught by John the Baptist.
"John bare witness of him, and cried, saying,
This was he of whom I spake, He that
cometh after me is preferred before me: for
he was before me" (Jn. 1:15).
(See also Jn. 1:27, 30.)
According to Luke 1:36, John's birth
occurred six months prior to Christ's birth,
but John declares that "he was before me," a
reference to Jesus' preexistence.
2. As taught by the Apostle John.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was
God" (Jn. 1:1).
"(For the life was manifested, and we have
seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
that eternal life, which was with the Father,
and was manifested unto us)" (1 Jn. 1:2).
Here the Apostle John connects Jesus'
preexistence to his deity.
3. As taught by the Apostle Paul.
"Who, being in the form of God, thought it
not robbery to be equal with God: but made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him
the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: and being found in fashion as
a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the
cross" (Phil. 2:6-8).
4. As taught by the Apostle Peter.
"Who verily was foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but was manifest in
these last times for you" (1 Pet. 1:20).
5. As taught by Christ himself.
Note the following:
"For I came down from heaven, not to do
mine own will but the will of him that sent
me" (Jn. 6:38).
"I am the living bread which came down from
heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live
for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh,
which I will give for the life of the world. When
Jesus knew in himself
that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto
them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye
shall see the Son of man ascend up where he
was before?" (Jn. 6:51, 61, 62).
"Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily I say
unto you, Before Abraham was, I am"
(Jn. 8:58).
"And now, O Father, glorify thou me with
thine own self with the glory which I had
with thee before the world was" (Jn. 17:5).
Here Christ requests that the Father share his
glory with the Son. But note the Father's
previous statement about his glory in Isaiah: "I
am the LORD: that is my name; and my glory
will I not give to another..." (Isa. 42:8). One is
thus forced to conclude that either Christ was
God indeed and had rightful claim to this glory, or
he was an arrogant
2
imposter demanding something the Father
would never give him!
B. The activities of the divine preexistent
Christ. What was the Savior doing prior to
his Bethlehem appearance? The Scriptures
make it plain that he was busy indeed.
1. He was creating the universe.
"All things were made by him; and without
him was not any thing made that was made"
(Jn. 1:3).
"For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all
things were created by him, and for him"
(Col. 1:16).
"Hath in these last days spoken unto us by
his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all
things, by whom also he made the world...
And, thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid
the foundation of the earth; and the heavens
are the works of thine hands" (Heb. 1:2, 10).
This creation included everything, from
electrons to galaxies, and from angels to
Adam.
2. He was controlling this created universe.
"Who being the brightness of his glory, and
the express image of his person, and
upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our
sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3).
"And he is before all things, and by him all
things consist" (hold together) (Col. 1:17).
Our Lord Jesus not only put all things
together, but he continues to keep all things
together.
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
3. He was communing with the Father.
"I in them, and thou in me, that they may be
made perfect in one; and that the world may
know that thou hast loved me"
(Jn. 17:23).
"Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast
given me, be with me where I am; that they
may behold my glory, which thou hast given
me: for thou lovedst me before the
foundation of the world" (Jn. 17:24).
III. THE OLD TESTAMENT
MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST.
The Old Testament records a number of
theophanies. A theophany is a pre-Bethlehem
appearance of Christ. Most Bible theologians hold that
the recurring angel of the Lord episode in the Old
Testament is to be identified with Christ himself. This
theological position is strongly suggested by two key
passages.
The first is found in Genesis 48:16 where the dying
patriarch, Jacob, is blessing his two grandchildren. The old
founder of Israel prays:
"The angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless
these lads. . ." (Gen. 48:16).
As no regular angel can redeem men, it is assumed the
angel here is actually Christ.
The second passage is found in Judges 13 where a
barren couple has just learned from the angel of the
Lord about the future birth of Samson. In gratitude,
Manoah (the father), requests the name of the angel that he
might call the babe after him. Note the answer, however:
"And the angel of the Lord said unto him, why
askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?"
(Jdg. 13:18).
This word, "secret," is from the same Hebrew root
word found in Isaiah 9:6, where it is translated
"wonderful."
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace" (Isa. 9:6).
Inasmuch as we know the "wonderful" in this verse
refers to Christ, it is highly probable that
Judges 13:18 does as well.
3 captain of the Lord's host.
Let us now examine some of these Old Testament
theophanies. (appearances of Christ)
A. He appeared to Hagar, Abraham's Egyptian
wife (Gen. 16:7-14).
The first biblical reference to the angel of the
Lord occurs here as he tenderly ministers to a
pagan and pregnant Egyptian girl.
B. He appeared to Abraham
(Gen. 18:1; 22:11-13).
These two appearances came at critical times in
Abraham's life. One (Gen. 18) concerned itself
with the destruction of Sodom, and the other
(Gen. 22) with the last minute salvation of
Isaac.
C. He appeared to Jacob
(Gen. 28:13; 32:24-32; 48:16).
It will be remembered that Christ not only
appeared to Jacob, but actually wrestled with
him. (See Gen. 32.) This was doubtless that
same divine One he had seen standing atop a
ladder some twenty years before. (See Gen. 28.)
D. He appeared to Moses
(Ex. 3:2; 23:20; 33:18-23).
These three occasions were all connected with
Mt. Sinai.
The first was near the mountain.
"And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to
see, God called unto him out of the midst of the
bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said,
Here am I. And he said, Draw not near here: put
off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place
whereon thou standest is holy ground"
(Ex. 3:4, 5).
The second occasion was on the mountain.
"Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep
thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place
which I have prepared (Ex. 23:20).
The final occasion was in the mountain.
"And it shall come to pass, while my glory
passeth by, that I will put thee in a cleft of the
rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I
pass by" (Ex. 33:22).
E. He appeared to Joshua (Josh. 5:13-15).
He appears to Joshua on the eve of the battle
against Jericho and introduces himself as the
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
F. He appeared to Gideon (Jdg. 6:11-24).
The angel of the Lord finds a very discouraged
Gideon threshing wheat beside a wine press to
hide it from the oppressing Midianites.
G. He appeared to Samson's parents (Jdg. 13). H. He
appeared to Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-13).
Isaiah is allowed to see more of the glory of the
pre-incarnate Christ than any other Old
Testament prophet.
I. He appeared to three young Hebrews in the
fiery furnace (Dan. 3:25).
How thrilling are the astonished words of pagan IV. THE VIRGIN BIRTH
king Nebuchadnezzar which accompanied this
appearance:
"Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was
astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake,
and said unto his counselors, Did not we cast
three men bound into the midst of the fire?
They answered and said unto the king, True,
O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four
men loose, walking in the midst of the fire,
and they have no hurt; and the form of the
fourth is like the Son of God"
(Dan. 3:24, 25).
J. He appeared to Daniel (Dan. 6:22; 7:9-14).
The first of these appearances was
in a lion's den. "Then said Daniel
unto the king, O king, live forever.
My God hath sent his angel, and
hath shut the lion's mouth, that they
have not hurt me . . ."
(Dan. 6:21, 22).
The second appearance was in a vision.
"I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and
the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment
was white as snow, and the hair of his head
like the pure wool: his throne was like the
fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A
fiery stream issued and came forth from
before him: thousand thousands ministered
unto him,. . . I saw in the night visions, and,
behold, one like the Son of man came with
the clouds of heaven, and came to the
Ancient of days, and they brought him
near before him. And there was given him
dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that
all people, nations, and languages, should
serve him: his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed"
(Dan. 7:9-14).
K. He appeared to Zechariah
(Zech. 1:8-13; 2:8-11; 3:10; 6:12-15).
In this book, Zechariah describes Christ as
protecting Jerusalem (1:8-13), measuring
Jerusalem (2:8-11), cleansing Jerusalem (3:10),
and building Jerusalem (6:12-15).
INCARNATION (IN THE FLESH)
OF JESUS CHRIST.
A. False views concerning the incarnation.
1. The Ebionites.
They denied the reality of Jesus' divine
nature. The Ebionite error is refuted by John
the Apostle in the first verse of his Gospel
account.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was
God" (Jn. 1:1).
2. The Gnostics.
They denied the reality of Jesus' human
nature. The Gnostic error is refuted by John
the apostle in the first verse of his first
epistle.
"'That which was from the beginning, which
we have heard, which we have seen with our
eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled, of the Word of life"
(1 Jn. 1:1).
3. The Arians.
They affirmed Jesus' pre-existence, but
denied his deity.
This is the position of the present-day
Jehovah's Witnesses.
4. The Nestorians.
They believed two persons actually indwelt
the body of Christ, the human person and the
divine.
5. The Eutychians.
They went to the opposite extreme and said
4 both natures (the human and the divine)
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
mingled to make up a third and totally
different nature from the original two
natures.
B. The true view of the incarnation.
"In the one person, Jesus Christ, there are two
natures, a human nature and a divine nature, each in
its completeness and integrity, (soundness) and
these two natures are organically (interrelated)
and indissolubly (cannot be broken) united, yet so
that no third nature is formed thereby."
(A. H. Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 673)
"He always says, I, me, mine. He is always
addressed as thou, thee, thine. He is always
spoken of as He, His, Him. It was the same person to
whom it was said, 'Thou Lord, in the beginning hast
laid the foundations of the earth, and the
heavens are the works of thine hands."' (Charles
Hodge, as quoted by Charles Baker, A
Dispensational Theology, p. 300)
Thus, in the Old Testament we have man made in
the image of God and in the New Testament we see
God made in the image of man.
C. The miracles involved in the incarnation.
1. That God the Son could take upon himself
the full nature of man and yet retain the full
nature of God.
The Bible declares that he was as much God
as if he had never been man, and as much
man as if he had never been God. This is
known as the hypostatic union. There is no
earthly analogy that can be used even to
remotely illustrate this. The following
examples have been unsuccessfully offered:
a. the relationship between man's body and
soul
b. that between the Father and the Son
c. that between husband and wife
d. that between the believer and the Holy
Spirit
e. that between a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
f. that between oxygen and hydrogen which
produces water
5
2. That a human body could be conceived
within a mother's womb without an earthly
father.
The miracle of the virgin birth was not the
actual birth, but the conception of Christ's
earthly body.
Furthermore, this conception was not only
supernatural, but unique also, for God had
already performed supernatural births for
Sarah, Hannah, Elisabeth, and others.
D. The perpetuity (lasting forever) of the
incarnation (in the flesh).
When the Son of God joined himself to a body
at Bethlehem it was an eternal arrangement. He
will continue to manifest (show) himself in this
body (in its resurrected state, of course)
throughout the ages.
E. The prophecies concerning the incarnation.
Old Testament.
1. By Isaiah the prophet.
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a
sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear
a son, and shall call his name Immanuel"
(Isa. 7:14).
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there shall be no end, upon the throne of
David, and upon his kingdom, to order it,
and to establish it with judgment and with
justice henceforth even for ever. The zeal of
the Lord of hosts will perform this"
Isa. 9:6,7).
2. By Micah the prophet.
"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou
be little among the thousands of Judah, yet
out of thee shall he come forth unto me that
is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting"
(Micah 5:2).
New Testament. Heavenly announcements
were given to at least eight individuals or
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
groups concerning the incarnation in the
New Testament.
3. To Zacharias.
"And he shall go before him in the spirit and
power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the disobedient to
the wisdom of the just; to make ready a
people prepared for the Lord. . . And thou,
child, shalt be called the prophet of the
Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of
the Lord to prepare his ways" (Lk. 1:17, 76).
4. To Mary.
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call
his name Jesus. . . And the angel answered
and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee, and the power of the
Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also
that holy thing which shall be born of thee
shall be called the Son of God"
(Lk. 1:31, 35).
5. To Elisabeth.
"And she spake out with a loud voice, and
said, Blessed art thou among women, and
blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Lk. 1:42).
6. To Joseph.
"But while he thought on these things,
behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him
in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David,
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people
from their sins"
(Mt. 1:20, 21).
7. To the shepherds.
"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for,
behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to all people. For unto you is
born this day in the city of David, a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a
sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a
manger" (Lk. 2:10-12).
6
8. To the wise men.
"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold,
there came wise men from the east to
Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born
King of the Jews? for we have seen his star
in the east, and are come to worship him"
(Mt. 2:1,2).
9. To Simeon.
"And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem,
whose name was Simeon; and the same man
was just and devout, waiting for the
consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost
was upon him. And it was revealed unto him
by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see
death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came by the Spirit into the temple:
and when the parents brought in the child
Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the
law. Then took he him up in his arms, and
blessed God, and said, Lord, now lettest
thou thy servant depart in peace, according
to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy
salvation, which thou hast prepared before
the face of all people; a light to lighten the
Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel"
(Lk. 2:25-32).
10. To Anna.
"'And she coming in that instant gave thanks
likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to
all them that looked for redemption in
Jerusalem` (Lk. 2:38).
F. The reasons for the incarnation.
Why the virgin birth incarnation? God never does
anything without a good reason, and in this case,
there were some fourteen excellent
reasons for the incarnation.
1. To reveal the invisible God.
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, he hath declared him." "Jesus saith
unto him, Have I been so long time with you,
and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he
that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?"
(Jn. 1:18; 14:9).
2. To fulfill prophecy.
"And I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed;
it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel" (Gen. 3:15).
3. To guarantee the Davidic covenant.
The Davidic covenant assured David that
someday an heir from his own seed would
rule over Israel on his throne forever.
"Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my
servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I
took thee from the sheep-cote, from
following the sheep, to be ruler over my
people, over Israel: and I was with thee
whithersoever thou wentest, ... Also the
Lord telleth thee that he will make thee a
house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and
thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up
thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out
of thy bowels, and I will establish his
kingdom. He shall build an house for my
name, and I will stablish the throne of his
kingdom for ever. I will be his father and he
shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will
chasten him with the rod of men, and with
the stripes of the children of men: but my
mercy shall not depart away from him, as I
took it from Saul, whom I put away before
thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall
be established for ever before thee: thy
throne shall be established for ever.
According to all these words, and according to
all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto
David" (2 Sam. 7:8-17).
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his
name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be
called the Son of the Highest: and the
Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for
ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end"
(Lk. 1:31-33).
7
4. To make a sacrifice for our sins.
"But we see Jesus, who was
made a little lower than the
angels for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honour;
that he by the grace of God
should taste death for every
man" (Heb. 2:9).
"For it is not possible that the blood of bulls
and of goats should take away sins.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world,
he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest
not, but a body hast thou prepared me: By
the which will we are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all. But this man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the
right hand of God" (Heb. 10:4, 5, 10, 12).
"And ye know that he was manifested to take
away our sins; and in him is no sin"
(1 Jn. 3:5).
"For even the Son of man came not to be
ministered unto, but to minister, and to give
his life a ransom for many" (Mk. 10:45).
5. To reconcile (to win over, bring into
harmony) man to God.
"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing (to charge to
one's account) their trespasses unto them; and
hath committed unto us the word of
reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:19).
"Wherefore in all things it behoved (was
needful, fitting) him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to God,
to make reconciliation for the sins of the
people" (Heb. 2:17).
"For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
who gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time" (1 Tim. 2:5, 6).
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
6. To provide an example for believers.
"For even hereunto were ye called: because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that ye should follow his steps"
(1 Pet. 2:21).
"He that saith he abideth in him ought
himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (1 Jn.
2:6).
7. To provide the believer with a high priest.
"Wherefore in all things it behoved (was
needful, fitting) him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and
faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God, to make reconciliation (bring into
harmony) for the sins of the people"
(Heb. 2:17).
"Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the
heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and
High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus"
(Heb. 3:1).
8. To destroy the devil and his works.
"Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is the devil"
(Heb. 2:14).
"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the
devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested,
(shown) that he might destroy the works of the
devil" (1 Jn. 3:8).
9. To escape the historical curse.
a. Upon Adam's seed.
"Wherefore as by one man sin entered
into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all
have sinned" (Rom. 5:12).
b. Upon King Jehoiakim and his son,
Jehoiachin.
Both these wicked rulers, Jehoiakim
(Jer. 36:30) and Jehoiachin (Jer. 22:30)
were judged by God and warned that
their physical seed would never
prosper upon the throne of David.
8
(These were Joseph's ancestors, giving
Christ legal right to rule. Only Mary's
blood flowed through Jesus' veins and
her line had no such curse.)
10. To heal the brokenhearted.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because
he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to
the poor; he hath sent me to heal the
brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty them that are bruised"
(Lk. 4:18).
11. To set at liberty the bruised (Lk. 4:18).
12. To proclaim the acceptable year of the
Lord (Lk. 4:18).
13. To give life-abundant life.
"He that believeth on the Son hath
everlasting life: and he that believeth not the
Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God
abideth on him" (Jn. 3:36).
"The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and
to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they
might have life, and that they might have it
more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10).
14. To glorify the Father
(Jn. 13:31; 14:13; 17:4).
"Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus
said, Now is the Son of man glorified, and
God is glorified in him" (Jn. 13:31).
"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,
that will I do, that the Father may be
glorified in the Son" (Jn. 14:13).
"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have
finished the work which thou gavest me to
do" (Jn. 17:4).
V. THE BIBLICAL NAMES AND
TITLES OF JESUS CHRIST.
It may be true that a rose by any other name would
smell as sweet. But not so concerning Bible names,
which often give keen insight into the lives of those
who bear the titles. This is especially true concerning
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
Christ. A wealth of information concerning his person Governor (Mt. 2:6)
and work can be obtained from studying the names and Guide (Ps. 48:14)
titles ascribed to him. Note some of these: Head of Church (Col. 1:18)
Adam (1 Cor. 15:45) Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2)
Advocate (1 Jn. 2:1) High Priest (Heb. 3:1; 7:1)
Almighty (Rev. 1:8) Holy Child (Acts 4:30)
Amen (Rev. 3:14) Holy One of God (Mk. 1:24)
Angel of the Lord (Gen. 16:9-14; Jdg. 6:11-14) Holy One of Israel (Isa. 41:14)
Anointed (Ps. 2:2) Horn of salvation (Ps. 18:2)
Apostle (Heb. 3:1) I AM: He calls himself this name seven times
Author (Heb. 12:2) in John's Gospel:
Alpha (Rev. 1:8; 21:6) I am the Bread of Life (6:35).
Babe (Lk. 2:16) I am the Light of the World (9:5).
Beginning of creation (Rev. 3:14) I am the Good Shepherd (10:11).
Begotten of Father (Jn. 1:14) I am the Door (10:9).
Beloved (Eph. 1:6) I am the Resurrection (11:25).
Bishop (1 Pet. 2:25) I am the true Vine (15:1).
Blessed (1 Tim. 6:15) I am the Way (14:6).
Branch (Zech. 3:8)
Brazen Serpent (Jn. 3:14) Jehovah (Isa. 26:4; 40:3)
Bridegroom (Mt. 9:15) Jesus (Mt. 1:21)
Judge (Micah 5:1; Acts 10:42)
Bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16)
King:
Captain (Josh. 5:4)
Carpenter (Mt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3) King of Israel (Mt. 27:42; Jn. 1:49)
Child (Isa. 9:6) King of kings (Rev. 17:14; 19:16)
Christ (Mt. 1:16; 2:4) Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29, 36)
Commander (Isa. 55:4) Lawgiver (Isa. 33:22)
Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)
Consolation of Israel (Lk. 2:25)
Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20) Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16)
Dayspring from on high (Lk. 1:78) Man (Acts 17:31; 1 Tim. 2:5)
Day Star (2 Pet. 1:19) Master (Mt. 8:19)
Deliverer (Rom. 11:26) Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5)
Desire of nations (Hag. 2:7) Messiah (Dan. 9:25; Jn. 1:41)
Mighty God (Isa. 9:6; 63:1)
Door of the sheepfold (Jn. 10:7)
Emmanuel (Mt. 1:23) Minister (Heb. 8:2)
Express image of God (Heb. 1:3) Nazarene (Mk. 1:24)
Faithful witness (Rev. 1:5; 3:14; 19:11) Only begotten Son (Jn. 1:18)
Father of eternity (Isa. 9:6) Passover (1 Cor. 5:7)
First Fruits (1 Cor. 15:23) Physician (Mt. 9:12)
Potentate (1 Tim. 6:15)
Foundation (Isa. 28:16)
Prince (Acts 3:15; 5:31)
Fountain (Zech. 13:1)
Forerunner (Heb. 6:20) Prophet (Acts 3:22)
Friend of sinners (Mt. 11:19) Propitiation (1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10)
Power of God (1 Cor. 1:24)
Gift of God (2 Cor. 9:15)
Glory of God (Isa. 60:1) Purifier (Mal. 3:3)
Priest (Heb. 4:14)
God (Jn. 1:1; Rom. 9:5; 1 Tim. 3:16) 9
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
Rabbi-On three well-known occasions he was
called by this name:
by Nicodemus (Jn. 3:2)
by Judas (Mt. 26:25)
by Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:16).
Ransom (1 Tim. 2:6)
Reaper (Rev. 14:15)
Redeemer (Isa. 59:20; 60:16)
Refiner (Mal. 3:3)
Refuge (Isa. 25:4)
Righteousness (Jer. 23:6; 33:16)
Rock (Deut. 32:15)
Rod (Isa. 11:1)
Root of David (Rev. 22:16)
Rose of Sharon (Song of Sol. 2:1)
Sacrifice (Eph. 5:2)
Samaritan (Good) (Lk. 10:33)
Savior, he was called Savior by:
his mother (Lk. 1:47)
the angels (Lk. 2:11)
the men of Samaria (Jn. 4:42)
Second Man (1 Cor. 15:47)
Seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16, 19)
Seed of David (2 Tim. 2:8)
Seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15)
Servant (Isa. 42:1; 49:57)
Shepherd:
The Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4)
The Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:11, 14)
The Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20)
My Shepherd (Ps. 23:1)
Shiloh (Gen. 49:10)
Son of David, he was called by this name by the
following:
two blind men in Capernaum (Mt. 9:27)
the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mt. 15:22)
two blind men in Jericho (one named
Bartimaeus; Mt. 20:30; Mk. 10:46, 47)
the Psalm Sunday crowd (Mt. 21:9)
Son of God, Christ refers to himself by this name on
only two occasions: John 9:35; 10:36. But many in
the Gospels call him this:
Satan (Mt. 4:3, 6)
Gabriel (Lk. 1:35)
a demon (Mt. 8:29; Lk. 4:41)
a disciple (Mt. 14:33)
Peter (Mt. 16:16)
Martha (Jn. 11:27)
Nathanael (Jn. 1:49)
a centurion (Mt. 27:54)
Son of man: his favorite name for himself.
According to his own testimony, the Son of
man: Came not to be ministered to (Mt. 20:28).
Came to seek and save that which was lost
(Mt. 18:11).
Can alone forgive sin (Mt. 9:6).
Had not where to lay his head (Mt. 8:20).
Is Lord of the Sabbath (Lk. 6:5).
Would be betrayed (Mt. 17:22).
Should suffer (Mt. 17:12).
Would be lifted up (Jn. 3:14).
Would be three days in the heart of the earth
(Mt. 12:40).
Would be raised from the dead (Mt. 17:9).
Will come again in the glory of his Father
(Mt. 16:27; 24:30).
Will send forth his angels (Mt. 13:41).
Shall sit upon the throne of his glory
(Mt. 19:28).
Son of Mary (Mk. 6:3).
Son of the Most High (Lk. 1:32)
Stone (Mt. 21:42; Mk. 12:10; Acts 4:11;
Rom. 9:32,33; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6, 7)
Sun of Righteousness (Mal. 4:2)
Teacher (Master) (Mt. 26:18; Jn. 3:2; 11:28)
Wonderful (Isa. 9:6)
Word, the Apostle John's favorite name for Christ
(Jn. 1:1; Rev. 19:13)
VI. THE HUMANITY OF JESUS CHRIST.
A. He had a human parentage
(Lk. 1:31; Gal. 4:4).
B. He had a human body, soul, and spirit.
1. Body.
"For in that she hath poured this ointment on
my body, she did it for my burial"
(Mt. 26:12).
2. Soul.
"Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I
say? Father, save me from this hour: but for
this cause came I unto this hour"' (Jn. 12:27).
10
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
"Then said he unto them, My soul is
exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry
ye here, and watch with me" (Mt. 26:38).
3. Spirit.
"And immediately when Jesus perceived in
his spirit that they so reasoned within
themselves, he said unto them, Why reason
ye these things in your hearts?" (Mk. 2:8).
"And when Jesus had cried with a loud
voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit: and having said thus, he
gave up the ghost" (Lk. 23:46).
C. He looked like a man.
1. To a Samaritan woman.
"Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him,
How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink
of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for
the Jews have no dealings with the
Samaritans" (Jn. 4:9).
2. To the Jews.
"Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not
yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen
Abraham?" (Jn. 8:57).
3. To Mary.
"Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest
thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing
him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if
thou have borne him hence, tell me where
thou hast laid him, and I will take him away"
(Jn. 20:15).
4. He possessed flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14). 5. He
grew (Lk. 2:40).
6. He asked questions (Lk. 2:46).
7. He increased in wisdom (Lk. 2:52). 8. He
was limited in knowledge.
Here it should be pointed out that this
limitation was self-imposed. According to
Philippians 2:5-8 (a passage we will examine
in great detail in a later part of the study),
Christ voluntarily abstained from using (yet
always retained) certain divine attributes
while here on earth, that he might totally
depend upon the power and wisdom of the
Holy Spirit. This fact helps explain the
following passages:
"And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself
that virtue had gone out of him, turned him
about in the press, and said, Who touched my
clothes?" (Mk. 5:30).
"And said, Where have ye laid him? They
said unto him, Lord, come and see"
(Jn. 11:34).
"And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he
came, if haply he might find any thing thereon:
and when he came to it, he found nothing but
leaves; for the time of figs was not yet" (Mk.
11:13).
"But of that day and that hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels which are in heaven,
neither the Son, but the Father" (Mk. 13:32).
9. He prayed (Mk. 1:35; Lk. 11:1).
10. He was tempted
(Mt. 4:1; Heb. 2:18; 4:15).
11. He learned obedience (Heb. 5:8).
12. He hungered.
"And when he had fasted forty days and forty
nights, he was afterward ahungered"
(Mt. 4:2).
"Now in the morning as he returned into the
city, he hungered" (Mt. 21:18).
13. He thirsted.
"There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw
water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to
drink" (Jn. 4:7).
"After this, Jesus knowing that all things
were now accomplished, that the scripture
might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst"' (Jn. 19:28).
14. He was weary (Jn. 4:6).
15. He slept.
"And, behold, there arose a great tempest in
the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered
with the waves: but he was asleep"
(Mt. 8:24).
16. He loved.
"Then Jesus beholding him loved him and said
unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way,
sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor,
and thou shalt have treasure in
heaven: and come take up the cross, and
11 follow me" (Mark 10:21).
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
17. He had compassion.
"But when he saw the multitudes, he was
moved with compassion on them because
they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as
sheep having no shepherd" (Mt. 9:36).
18. He was angered and grieved.
"And when he had looked round about on
VII. THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST.
them with anger, being grieved for the
hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the
man, Stretch forth thine hand And he
stretched it out: and his hand was restored
whole as the other" (Mk 3:5).
19. He wept.
"Jesus wept" (Jn. 11:35).
"And when he was come near, he be- held the
city, and wept over it" (Lk 19:41).
20. He experienced joy.
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set
before him endured the cross despising the
shame, and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God (Heb. 12:2).
"In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I
thank thee, O Father, Lord heaven and
earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise
and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes:
even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight"
(Lk. 10:21).
21. He was troubled.
"When Jesus therefore saw her weeping and the
Jews also weeping which came with her, he
groaned in the spirit, and was troubled"
(Jn. 11:33).
"Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I
say? Father, save me from this hour: but for
this cause came I unto this hour" (Jn. 12:27).
"When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in
spirit, and testified, and said Verily, verily, I say
unto you, that one of you shall betray
me" (Jn. 13:21).
"And he taketh with him Peter and James and
John, and began to be sore amazed, and to
be very heavy; and saith unto them, My soul
is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye
here and watch" (Mk. 14:33, 34). 12
22. He sweat drops as of blood (Lk. 22:44).
23. He suffered (1 Pet. 4:1).
24. He bled (Jn. 19:34).
25. He died (Mt 27:50; 1 Cor. 15:3).
26. He was buried (Mt. 27:59, 60).
A. Shown by the Old Testament.
1. The witness of David.
"Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the
scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter.
Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest
wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath
anointed thee with the oil of gladness above
thy fellows" (Ps. 45:6, 7).
"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my
right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool" (Ps. 110:1).
2. The witness of Isaiah.
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6).
3. The witness of Daniel.
"I saw in the night visions, and,
behold, one like the Son of man
came with the clouds of heaven,
and came to the Ancient of days, and they
brought him near before him. And there was
given him dominion, and glory, and a
kingdom, that all people, nations, and
languages, should serve him: his dominion is
an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and his kingdom that which shall not
be destroyed" (Dan. 7:13, 14).
B. Shown by the Gospels.
1. He is omnipotent (all-powerful) (Mt. 28:18).
a. over disease (Mat. 8:1-4; Lk. 4:39)
b. over demons (Mt. 8:16, 17; 28-32; Lk.4:35)
c. over men (Mt. 9:9; Jn. 17:2)
d. over nature (Mt. 8:26)
e. over sin (Mt. 9:1-8)
f. over traditions (Mt. 9:10-17)
g. over death (Lk. 7:14, 15; 8:54, 56; Jn.11:4)
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
2. He is omniscient (all knowing)
(Jn. 2:24; 16:30).
a. He knew the whereabouts of Nathanael
(Jn. 1:48).
b. He knew the plot of Judas (Jn. 6:70; 13:11). c. He
knew the hearts of the Pharisees
(Mt. 12:25; Lk. 5:22; 6:8; 7:39, 40).
d. He knew the thoughts of the scribes
(Mt. 9:3, 4).
e. He knew the sincerity of one scribe
(Mk. 12:34).
f. He knew the history of the Samaritan woman
(Jn. 4:29).
g. He knew the problems of his disciples
(Lk. 9:46, 47).
If rightly understood, there is no contradiction
here between his omniscience and his being
limited in knowledge (as we have already
discussed). He retained every whit of his deity
while on earth (thus his omniscience) but
voluntarily abstained from using it, that he might be
totally dependent upon the Holy Spirit (thus his
limited knowledge in certain areas).
"Our Lord always leaves the impression that
He knew all things in detail, both past and future,
and that this knowledge comes from His original
perception (awareness) of the events. He does
not learn them by acquisition (something gained).
He simply knows them by immediate perception.
Such utterances as Matt. 24 and Luke 21 carry in
them a subtle difference from the utterances of
the prophets. The latter spoke as men who were
quite remote in point of time from their
declaration of unfolding events. Jesus spoke as one
who is present in the midst of the events which He
depicts. He does not refer to events in the past as if He
were quoting from the historic narrative in the Old
Testament... This is an omniscience
nevertheless, which in its
manifestation to men is under something of
human limitation."--Wood.
"This limitation of knowledge is no argument
against the infallibility (without error) of those
things which Jesus did teach: for example, the
Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch. That
argument, says Liddon, involves a confusion
between limitation of knowledge and liability 13
(able) to error; whereas, plainly enough, a
limitation of knowledge is one thing, and
fallibility (able to err) is another. St. Paul says,
'We know in part,' and 'We see through a glass
darkly.' Yet Paul is so certain of the truth of that
which he teaches, as to exclaim, 'But though we,
or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel
unto you than that which we have preached unto
you, let him be accursed. Paul clearly believed in
his own infallibility (unable to err) as a teacher of
religious truth, and the Church of Christ has ever
since regarded his epistles as part of an infallible
literature. But it is equally clear that Paul
believed his knowledge of truth to be limited.
Infallibility does not imply omniscience (all
knowledge), any more than limited knowledge
implies error. If a human teacher were to decline
to speak upon a given subject, by saying that he
did not know enough about it, this would not be
a reason for disbelieving him when he proceeded
to speak confidently upon a totally different
subject, thereby at least implying that he did
know enough to warrant his speaking. On the
contrary, his silence in the one case would be a
reason for trusting his statements in the other...
Why stumble over the limitation of this attribute
and not over the others? Did He not hunger and
thirst, for example? As God He is omnipresent
(present everywhere at once), yet as man He is
present only in one place. As God He is
omnipotent (all powerful); yet, on one occasion
at least, He could do no mighty works because
of the unbelief of men." (William Evans: The
Great Doctrines of the Bible; pp. 63-65)
3. He is omnipresent (Mt. 18:20; 28:20;
Jn. 3:13; 14:20).
4. He is worshipped as God (cf. Mt. 4:9, 10).
a. by the angels (Heb. 1:6).
b. by the shepherds (Lk. 2:15)
c. by the wise men (Mt. 2:2, 11)
d. by a leper (Mt. 8:2)
e. by a ruler (Mt. 9:18)
f. by a SyroPhoenician woman
(Mt. 15:25)
g. by a mother (Mt. 20:20)
h. by a maniac (Mk. 5:6)
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
i. by a man born blind (Jn. 9:38)
j. by Thomas (Jn. 20:28)
k. by some Greeks (Jn. 12:20, 21)
l. by his apostles (Mt. 14:33; 28:9)
5. He forgives sins (Mk. 2:5, 10, 11).
6. He judges.
"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath
committed all judgment unto the Son"
(Jn. 5:22).
7. He saves (Mt. 18:11; Jn. 10:28).
C. Shown by the Acts.
1. The testimony of Stephen.
"And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God,
and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"
(Acts 7:59).
2. The testimony of a eunuch.
"And Philip said, If thou believest with all
thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered
and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the
Son of God" (Acts 8:37).
D. Shown by the epistles.
1. In the writings of Paul.
Note the language of just a few of these
great Pauline verses on the deity of Christ.
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I
live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the
life which I now live in the flesh I live by the
faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and
gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
"Who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of every creature: For by him were
all things created, that are in heaven, and that
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether
they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were
created by him, and for him: And he is before
all things, and by him all things consist"
(Col. 1:15-17).
"For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).
"And without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifest in
the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of
angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
14
on in the world, received up into glory,"
(1 Tim. 3:16).
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the
glorious appearing of the great God and our
Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13).
2. In the writings of Peter.
Consider also a sampling of Peter's testimony
concerning Christ's deity.
"Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God; angels and authorities and
powers being made subject unto him"
(1 Pet. 3:22).
"For he received from God the Father honor
and glory, when there came such a voice to
him from the excellent glory, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (2
Pet. 1:17).
3. In the writings of Jude.
"To the only wise God our Savior, be glory
and majesty, dominion and power, both now
and ever. Amen" (Jude 1:25).
4. In the writings of James.
'My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of
persons" (Jas. 2:1).
5. In the writings of John.
"And we know that the Son of God is come,
and hath given us an understanding, that we
may know him that is true, and we are in him
that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is
the true God, and eternal life" (1 Jn. 5:20). "I
am he that liveth, and was dead; and,
behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and
have the keys of hell and of death"
(Rev. 1:18).
"And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a
name written, KING OF KINGS, AND
LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:16).
Dr. John Walvoord quotes the following
from Charles Hodge:
"All divine names and titles are applied to
Him. He is called God, the mighty God, the
great God, God over all; Jehovah; Lord; the
Lord of lords and King of kings. All divine
attributes are ascribed to Him. He is declared
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
to be omnipresent, omniscient, almighty, and
immutable, the same yesterday, today, and
forever. He is set forth as the creator and
upholder and ruler of the universe. All things
were created by Him and for Him; and by
Him all things consist. He is the object of
worship to all intelligent creatures, even the
highest; all the angels (i.e., all creatures
between man and God) are commanded to
prostrate themselves before Him. He is the
object of all the religious sentiments; of
reverence, love, faith, and devotion. To Him
men and angels are responsible for their
character and conduct. He required that man
should honour Him as they honoured the
Father; that they should exercise the same
faith in Him that they do in God. He declares
that He and the Father are one, that those
who had seen Him had seen the Father also.
He calls all men unto him; promises to
forgive their sins; to send them the Holy
Spirit; to give them rest and peace; to raise
them up at the last day; and to give them
eternal life. God is not more, and cannot
promise more, or do more than Christ is said
to be, to promise, and to do. He has,
therefore, been the Christian's God from the
beginning, in all ages and in all places."
(Jesus Christ, Our Lord, p. 31)
VIII. THE IMPECCABILITY OF
JESUS CHRIST.
This subject deals with sinlessness. Here two facts
should be stated:
A. Christ did not sin. We are informed that:
1. He knew no sin.
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him," (2 Cor. 5:21).
2. He did no sin.
"Who did no sin, neither was guile found in
his mouth" (1 Pet. 2:22).
"For we have not an high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15).
3. He had no sin.
"And ye know that he was manifested to take
away our sins; and in him is no sin"
(1 Jn. 3:5).
"Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for
the prince of this world cometh, and hath
nothing in me" (Jn. 14:30).
B. These facts concerning the sinlessness of
Christ while upon the earth are attested by
many individuals, some of whom were his
enemies:
1. Pilate.
"Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith
unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you,
that ye may know that I find no fault in him"
(Jn. 19:4).
2. Pilate's wife.
"When he was set down on the judgment
seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have
thou nothing to do with that just man: for I
have suffered many things this day in a dream
because of him" (Mt. 27:19).
3. Judas.
"Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed
the innocent blood. And they said, What is
that to us? see thou to that" (Mt. 27:4).
4. The dying thief.
"And we indeed justly; for we receive the
due reward of our deeds: but this man hath
done nothing amiss" (Lk. 23:41).
5. The Roman centurion.
"Now when the centurion saw what was
done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this
was a righteous man" (Lk. 23:47).
C. Christ could not sin.
There is no question concerning the fact that
Jesus did not sin while on this earth, but could he
have done so? Author W. E. Best writes:
"The point of view that Christ could sin is
designated by the idea of peccability (able to
sin), and the fact that He could not sin is
expressed by the term impeccability. To
suggest the capability or possibility of
sinning would disqualify Christ as Saviour,
15 for a peccable Christ would mean a peccable
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
God. Holiness is far more than the absence
of sin; it is positive virtue. The advocates of
peccability say,
'Christ could have sinned, but He did not.'
To say that He could have sinned is to deny
positive holiness. To deny positive holiness,
therefore, is to deny the holy character of
God. Holiness is positive virtue which has
neither room for nor interest in sin. The
Lord Jesus could not sin because the days of
His flesh meant only addition of experience,
not variation of character. Holy humanity
was united to Deity in one indivisible
person, the impeccable Christ. Jesus Christ
cannot have more holiness because He is
perfectly holy; He cannot have less holiness
because He is unchangingly holy." (Studies
in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ,
p. 3)
The question is asked, however: If Christ
could not have sinned, then what was the
purpose of the temptations in the wilderness?
Here it should be observed that these trials
were not to see if Christ would sin, but to
prove he would not.
IX. THE EARTHLY MINISTRY OF
JESUS CHRIST.
A. It has been rightly said that the first three
Gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke)
offer the presentation of Christ's earthly
ministry, while the fourth account (John)
gives us the interpretation of that life.
B. The following is but a brief outline of the
most important events in his life down here.
1. his birth (Lk. 2:7)
2. his circumcision (Lk. 2:21)
3. the trip to Egypt (Mt. 2:14)
4. early life in Nazareth (Lk. 2:39)
5. the visit to the Temple when he was twelve
(Lk. 2:42)
6. the baptism (Mt. 3:16)
7. the temptation (Mt. 4:1)
8. his first miracle in Cana (Jn. 2:7-9)
9. the first Temple cleansing (Jn. 2:15)
10. conversation with Nicodemus (Jn. 3:1-21)
11. conversation with the Samaritan woman
(Jn. 4:1-42)
12. his sermon on Isaiah 61 in Nazareth
(Lk. 4:16-30)
13. the choosing of the twelve (Mt. 10:2-4)
14. Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) 15.
parable of the sower (Mt. 13)
16. feeding the 5,000 (Jn. 6:1-18)
17. walking on the water (Jn. 6:19)
18. forgiving an adulterous woman
(Jn. 8:1-11)
19. healing a man born blind (Jn. 9:1-38)
20. sermon on the Good Shepherd
(Jn. 10:1-18)
21. hearing Peter's confession (Mt. 16:16)
22. transfiguration (Mt. 17:1-23)
23. parable of the Good Samaritan
(Lk. 10:25-37)
24. parable of the rich fool (Lk. 12:16-21) 25.
parable of the prodigal son (Lk. 15:1-32) 27.
raising of Lazarus (Jn. 11:1-44)
28. speaking to the rich young ruler
(Mt.19:16-26)
29. conversion of Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10) 30.
anointing by Mary of Bethany (Jn. 12:1-8) 31.
his triumphal entry (Mt. 21:9-11)
32. the cursing of the fig tree (Mt. 21:19) 33.
indicting Israel's leaders (Mt. 23)
34. weeping over Jerusalem (Mt. 23:37-39;
Lk. 19:41)
35. Mount Olivet discourse (Mt. 24-25)
36. the Last Supper (Jn. 13-14)
37. Gethsemane (Jn. 18:1-11)
38. trial and condemnation by Pilate
(Jn. 19:1-16)
39. crucifixion (Jn. 19:17-37)
40. conversion of the dying thief
(Lk. 23:39-43)
41. his glorious resurrection (Mt. 28; Mk. 16;
16 Lk. 24; Jn. 20)
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
42. appearance to Mary Magdalene
(Jn. 20:1-18)
43. appearance on the Emmaus Road
(Lk. 24:13-32)
44. appearance to his disciples (Lk. 24:33-48)
45. restoration of Peter (Jn. 21)
46. ascension (Lk. 24:51)
X. THE CHARACTER OF
JESUS CHRIST.
What kind of man was our Lord? What were some of
his characteristics? Consider:
A. His zeal (Jn. 2:17).
1. His zeal forced him to remain behind in
Jerusalem as a boy (Lk. 2:49).
2. His zeal led him to become the first circuit
preacher (Lk. 4:42-44; 8:1).
3. His zeal caused his friends to think him
mad.
" And when his friends heard of it, they went
out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is
beside himself" (Mk. 3:21). The words "He
is beside himself' may be paraphrased, "He
has gone crazy over religion."
4. His zeal prompted him to risk his life in
purifying the Temple (Jn. 2:15-17).
5. His zeal gave him no rest until he
accomplished his mission.
"I am come to send fire on the earth; and
what will I, if it be already kindled? But I
have a baptism to be baptized with; and
how am I straitened till it be accomplished"
(Lk. 12:49, 50).
B. His compassion (Heb. 5:2).
1. Upon the shepherdless multitudes.
"But when he saw the multitudes, he was
moved with compassion on them, because
they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as
sheep having no shepherd" (Mt. 9:36).
2. Upon the sick multitudes.
"And Jesus went forth, and saw a great
multitude, and was moved with compassion
toward them, and he healed their sick"
(Mt. 14:14).
17
3. Upon the hungry multitudes.
"Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and
said, I have compassion on the multitude,
because they continue with me now three
days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not
send them away fasting, lest they faint in the
way" (Mt. 15:32).
4. Upon a widow (Lk. 7:13).
5. Upon a leper (Mk. 1:41).
6. Upon a father (Mk. 9:22, 23).
7. Upon a demoniac (Mk. 5:19).
C. His meekness and gentleness
(2 Cor. 10:1; 1 Pet. 2:21,22).
1. In dealing with our infirmities.
"Behold my servant, whom I have chosen;
my beloved, in whom my soul is well
pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, and
he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He
shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man
hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed
shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he
not quench, till he send forth judgment unto
victory. And in his name shall the Gentiles
trust" (Mt. 12:18-21).
2. In washing the feet of the disciples
(Jn. 13:4,5).
3. In his own words.
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take
my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am
meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find
rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy,
and my burden is light" (Mt. 11:28-30).
4. In his sufferings and death.
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet
he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before
her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his
mouth" (Isa. 53:7).
D. His courage.
1. As seen in his hometown proclamation
(Lk. 4:16-30).
During this, his first recorded sermon in
Nazareth, he boldly pointed out Israel's
historical unbelief which prompted God even
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
back in Old Testament times to bypass, on
occasion, the chosen people and bless
believing Gentiles instead. A murderous
attempt was made on his life at the end of the
message.
2. As seen in his two cleansings of the Temple
(Jn. 2:13-17; Mt. 21:12-16).
The first of these took place at the beginning
of his ministry and the second during the
final week. Both took great personal
courage.
3. As seen in his fearless ministry to a madman
(Mk. 5:19).
No coward would have dared confront (as
did our Lord) this raging lunatic who
doubtless possessed superhuman and satanic
strength.
4. As seen in risking his life to raise Lazarus
(Jn. 11:7, 8, 16, 53).
He was fully aware (as were his frightened
disciples) that a trip to Bethany at this time
would simply invite the enraged Jews to
attempt to stone him again. (See Jn. 11:8.)
But he went anyway.
5. As seen in denouncing the wicked Pharisees
(Mt. 23).
Never in written history was a group of
religious hypocrites so soundly and severely
rebuked as were the wicked Pharisees by the
Savior here in Matthew 23. Furthermore,
he condemned this powerful and perverted
group to their face.
6. As seen in his approach to Calvary.
"And they were in the way going up to
Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and
they were amazed; and as they followed, they
were afraid. And he took again the twelve,
and began to tell them what things should
happen unto him saying, Behold, we go up to
Jerusalem and the Son of man shall be
delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the
scribes; and they shall condemn him death,
and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And
they shall mock him, shall scourge him, and
shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and
18
the third day he shall rise again"
(Mk. 10:32-34).
"And it came to pass, when the time was
come that he should be received up he
steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem "
(Lk. 9:51).
E. His love (Jn. 15:13).
As a member of the Trinity, Christ naturally
loves that which his Father loves. However,
while he was on earth, he especially loved:
1. his Father (Jn. 14:31; 15:10)
2. his disciples
(Jn. 13:34; 17:2, 9, 12; 19:25)
3. little children (Mk. 10:13-16)
4. certain close friends (Jn. 11:1-3; 13:23)
5. the city of Jerusalem
(Mt. 23:37; Lk. 19:41).
XI. THE BIOGRAPHERS OF
JESUS CHRIST.
There were, of course, four human authors used by
the Holy Spirit to describe Jesus' ministry. Each
pictures him in a different light. Note:
Matthew: the prophesied King; lion-like;
prophetic; written to the Jew; the Davidic King;
David's righteous Branch.
Mark: the obedient Servant; ox-like; practical;
written to the Roman; the Servant of the Lord; my
Servant, the Branch.
Luke: the perfect Man; manlike; historical;
written to the Greek; the Son of man; the Man, the
Branch.
John: the mighty God; eagle-like; spiritual;
written to all the world; the Word of God; the
Branch of the Lord (see Isa. 4:2; Jer. 23:5, 6;
Zech. 3:8; 6:12).
XII. THE KENOSIS (DIVINE EMPTYING)
OF JESUS CHRIST.
Perhaps the most profound theological passage in
the entire Bible is found in Philippians 2:5-11,
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in
Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God
thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took
upon him the form of a servant, and was made
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
in the likeness of men: And being found in
fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and
became obedient, unto death, even the death of
the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is
above every name: That at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and
things in earth, and things under the earth; And
that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father"
(Phil. 2:5-11).
These verses impart the following information
A. He left heaven's glory (Jn. 17:5; 2 Cor. 8:9). B.
He made himself of no reputation.
The Greek word here in Philippians 2:7 is kenoo and
means "to empty." Just what did Christ empty
himself of?
1. Negative--he did not lay aside, in any sense
of the word, his deity.
He was, is, and ever shall be the total Son of
God. (See Jn. 1:1; 2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15; 2:9;
Heb. 1:3).
2. Positive--he did, for awhile, hide his
heavenly fame in an earthly frame.
Even though he retained every single
attribute of deity while on earth, he did,
nevertheless, surrender the independent
exercise of those divine characteristics.
There is a common false view of the kenosis
which teaches that he emptied himself of his
relative attributes (omniscience,
omnipotence, omnipresence), while retaining
his immanent attributes (his holiness, love,
and truth). But this is in error. He did, it is
true, abstain for awhile from using some of
these relative attributes, but he never gave
them up.
a. He abstained from his omnipresence for a
period.
"Then said Jesus unto them plainly,
Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your
sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye
may believe; nevertheless let us go unto
him" (Jn. 11:14, 15).
19
b. He abstained from his omniscience for a
period.
"And Jesus said, Who touched me? When
all denied, Peter and they that were with
him said, Master, the multitude throng thee
and press thee, and sayest thou, Who
touched me? And Jesus said, Somebody
hath touched me: for I perceive that virtue
is gone out of me" (Lk. 8:45, 46).
"But of that day and that hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels which are in
heaven, neither the Son, but the Father"
(Mk. 13:32).
c. He abstained from his omnipotence for a
period.
"Then answered Jesus and said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can
do nothing of himself, but what he seeth
the Father do: for what things soever he
doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
For the Father loveth the Son, and
showeth him all things that himself doeth:
and he will show him greater works than
these, that ye may marvel" (Jn. 5:19, 20).
Two phrases found in Philippians 2 need to
be examined at this point.
The form of God: This does not mean that
Christ had a physical shape prior to the
incarnation. It refers to that inner,
essential, and abiding nature of a person or
thing. As an example, we might say, "The
tennis player was in rare form today."
Robbery to be equal with God: That is, he
did not hold or consider the outer
manifestation of his deity in heaven as a
treasure to be grasped and retained at all
costs. Christ in his incarnation did not
concern himself with retaining all this.
C. He was made in the likeness of men
(See Jn. 1:14; Rom. 13; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:14, 17).
This simple but absolutely staggering fact
cannot be even remotely grasped by human
minds. The infinite holy Creator suddenly
becomes in the likeness of his finite and sinful
creatures (yet without sin). It is as if a mighty
and magnificent earthly king would determine to
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
lay aside for awhile his storehouse of wealth,
and, leaving behind an adoring and amazed
court, take upon himself the body of a lowly
ant. The "Son of man" was, by the way, our
Lord's favorite name for himself while on earth.
He took upon himself the form of a servant. He did
not come as a mighty human Caesar or
some world-renowned human philosopher. Even
this would have been a condescension of colossal
proportions. He came, rather, as a lowly servant.
J. Vernon McGee writes:
"'He could have been born in the palace in
Rome. He could have been born a Caesar. But
God had already promised He would be in the
line of David.... Have you ever noticed what
Isaiah said concerning Him:
"And there shall come forth a rod out of the
stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his
roots" (Isa. 11:1).
For years that bothered me. I felt like saying,
'Isaiah, you should have said out of the stem of
David.' I think if Isaiah could have spoken to me,
he would have said, 'Oh, how you fellows miss it.
The stem comes out of Jesse!' When Jesus was
born, Israel was under the heel of Rome; the royal
line of David was no longer on the throne, but
had returned to peasantry. You see, Jesse, the
father of King David, was a peasant, a farmer in
Bethlehem. And when Jesus was born, the royal
line was again in the peasant class. Jesus was born
into a poor family. Though He was the Son of
David, the stem came out of Jesse. He took upon
Himself the form of a servant"
(Probing Through Philippians, p. 36).
D. He humbled himself. That is, he submitted
to authority.
"For even hereunto were ye called: because
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that ye should follow his steps: Who
did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again;
when he suffered, he threatened not; but
committed himself to him that judgeth
righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in
his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to
20
sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose
stripes ye were healed" (1 Pet. 2:21-24).
He agreed to talk our language, to wear our
clothes, to eat our food, to breathe our air, and to
endure our vile and vicious treatment.
Contrast his statement in the garden with
Lucifer's statement.
"And he went a little farther, and fell on his
face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless
not as I will, but as thou wilt. He went away the
second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if
this cup may not pass away from me, except I
drink it, thy will be done"' (Mt. 26:39, 42).
"For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend
into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the
stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of
the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be
like the most High" (Isa. 14:13, 14).
E. He Became obedient unto death
(see Mt. 26:39; Jn. 10:18;
Heb. 5:8; 12:2).
F. He died on a cross.
He did not just die, but suffered the
worst kind of death both physically
and judicially. (See Ps. 22; Isa. 53; Gal. 3:13.) We
have examined the humiliation of Christ, and
now let us notice his exaltation.
G. He has been highly exalted by the Father
himself.
"Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall
be exalted and extolled, and be very high" Isa.
52:13).
"These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to
heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify
thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify
thee" (Jn. 17:1).
"Therefore being by the right hand of God
exalted, and having received of the Father the
promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth
this which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33). "But
we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than
the angels for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honor; that he by the
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
grace of God should taste death for every man"
(Heb. 2:9).
H. He has been given a name (position and
place of authority) above all other names
(Eph. 1:20, 21; Heb. 1:4).
I. He will be universally acknowledged as Lord
of all.
1. The methods of this acknowledgment:
By the bowing of the knee and the
confession of the tongue.
2. The creatures of this acknowledgment:
a. Those in heaven: the world of angels.
b. Those on earth: the world of saints and
sinners.
c. Those under the earth: the world of
demons. (See Isa. 45:23; Rom. 10:9, 10;
Rev. 5:13; 7:9-12; 14:6, 7).
Note: To confess him in this life as Lord
means salvation, but to wait until the next
life will result in damnation. Thus, the
supreme question is not when a human
being will do this, but rather where.
XIII. THE OFFICE OF JESUS CHRIST.
In the Old Testament three great offices were created by
God to meet the spiritual and material needs of his chosen
people. These offices are:
A. The prophet, an individual who represented
God before man.
A prophet thus exercised:
1. Hindsight. He knew the secrets of the past
Moses wrote of man's creation, his fall, the
universal flood, and other early event which
transpired centuries before he himself was
born in Egypt.
2. Insight. He knew the problems and need of
the present. Prophets like Isaiah, Amos Joel,
Jeremiah, and others thundered out God's
wrath against the sin and decay of their
times.
3. Foresight. He knew the secrets of the future.
Daniel writes of the coming tribulation, and
Ezekiel describes the glorious millennium.
21
B. The priest, an individual who represented
man before God.
Qualifications for the priesthood:
1. He must be taken from among men, a man
with compassion for other men
(Heb. 5:1, 2).
2. He must be chosen by God
(Num. 16:5; Heb. 5:4).
3. He must be consecrated to God
(Lev. 21:6, 7).
C. The king, an individual who ruled for God.
1. He was to come from the tribe of Judah
(Gen. 49:10).
2. He was to come from the seed of David
(2 Sam. 7:8-17; Ps. 89:3, 4).
As fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament:
D. He fulfilled the office of the prophet.
1. This office was predicted for him by Moses
in Deuteronomy 18:18, 19 (cf. Jn. 1:21).
2. It began at the River Jordan and ended at
Calvary.
3. He was recognized as being a prophet.
See Jn. 4:19 (Samaritan woman), Luke 7:
(people of Galilee), Matthew 21:11,
John 7:40 (people of Jerusalem), Luke 22:64
(his enemies), Luke 24:19 (disciples on
Emmas Road). This is his past ministry. E.
He fulfills the office of the priest.
1. This began at the cross and will end at the
Second Coming.
2. He met the qualifications for the priest's
office
a. He was taken from among men
(Heb. 2:16; 4:15).
b. He was chosen by God
(Heb. 5:4-6; 3:16, 17; 17:5).
c. He was consecrated to God
(Lk. 1:35; Heb. 7:26).
3. He performed the responsibilities of priest's
office.
a. He offered himself upon Calvary
(Heb. 2:9).
b. He prayed (and prays) for his people
(Jn. 17; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25).
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
c. He blesses his people (Eph. 1:3; 2:11-22).
This is his present ministry.
F. He will fulfill the office of the king.
1. He comes from the tribe of Judah.
2. He comes from the seed of David.
"And one of the elders saith unto
Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe
of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed
to open the book, and to loose the seven
seals thereof" (Rev. 5:5).
This is His future ministry.
XIV. THE DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST.
A. The awesomeness of it -- the murder of
Israel's Messiah, the killing of the Creator.
1. As pondered by the Old Testament prophets.
"Of which salvation the prophets have
inquired and searched diligently, who
prophesied of the grace that should come
unto you: searching what, or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which
was in them did signify, when it testified
beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and
the glory that should follow"
(1 Pet. 1:10, 11).
"Then he said unto them, O fools, and
slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken: Ought not
Christ to have suffered these things, and
to enter into his glory? And beginning at
Moses and all the prophets, he
expounded unto them in all the scriptures
the things concerning himself"
(Lk. 24:25-27).
"I gave my back to the smiters, and my
cheeks to them that plucked off the hair:
I hid not my face from shame and
spitting" (Isa. 50:6).
"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and
carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem
him stricken, smitten of God, and
afflicted. But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace
was upon him; and with his stripes we
are healed. All we like sheep have gone
astray; we have turned every one to his
own way; and the Lord hath laid on him
the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed,
and he was afflicted, yet he opened not
his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her
shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his
mouth"' (Isa. 53:4-7).
"My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me? why art thou so far from
helping me, and from the words of my
roaring?" (Ps. 22:1).
"But I am a worm, and no man; a
reproach of men, and despised of the
people. All they that see me laugh me to
scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake
the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord
that he would deliver him: let him deliver
him, seeing he delighted in him"
(Ps. 22:6-8).
"For dogs have compassed me: the
assembly of the wicked have inclosed
me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I
may tell all my bones: they look and stare
upon me. They part my garments among
them, and cast lots upon my vesture"
(Ps. 22:16-18).
"They gave me also gall for my meat;
and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to
drink" (Ps. 69:21).
"And after threescore and two weeks
shall Messiah be cut off" (Dan. 9:26).
"Awake, O sword, against my
shepherd, and against the man who is my
fellow [equal], saith the Lord of hosts;
smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall
be scattered" (Zech. 13:7).
2. As pondered by the New Testament apostles.
"And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said
unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed
into the hands of men: and they shall kill him,
and the third day he shall be raised again.
22
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
And they were exceeding sorry"
(Mt. 17:22, 23).
"A little while, and ye shall not see me and
again, a little while, and ye shall see me,
because I go to the Father. Then said some
of his disciples among themselves, What is
this that he saith unto us, A little while, and
ye shall not see me: and again a little while,
and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the
Father?" (Jn. 16:16, 17).
3. As pondered by the heavenly angels
(1 Pet. 1:12; Eph. 3:10).
We are told that angels desire to look into
the things of salvation (1 Pet. 1:12). Surely
some of these accompanying things which
transpired during the earthly life of our Lord
must have filled them with joy and pride.
They marveled at his birth. They were
inspired by his sermons and thrilled by his
miracles. But how did those holy heavenly
creatures react when they watched their
beloved celestial Creator being systematically
slaughtered by brutal mortal sinners? We
cannot tell, but surely astonishment and
outrage must have flooded their beings.
B. The scope of it. For whom did Christ die?
In general, it may be said that he died for the
world, for the elect, and for each man.
1. His death for the world.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave
his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have
everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16).
"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto
him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God,
which taketh away the sin of the world"
(Jn. 1:29).
"And he is the propitiation (payment) for our
sins: and not for ours only, but also for the
sins of the whole world" (1 Jn. 2:2).
"For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11).
"But there were false prophets also among
the people, even as there shall be false
teachers among you, who privily shall bring
in damnable heresies, even denying the
Lord that brought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction" (2 Pet. 2:1). "The
Lord is not slack concerning his
promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to usward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to
repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).
"Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time" (1 Tim. 2:6).
"For therefore we both labor and suffer
reproach, because we trust in the living God,
who is the Savior of all men, specially of those
that believe" (1 Tim. 4:10).
2. His death for the elect.
"But ye believe not, because ye are not of my
sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
and I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my Father's hand"
(Jn. 10:26-28).
"I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but
for them which thou hast given me, for they
are thine" (Jn. 17:9).
"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people
from their sins" (Mt. 1:21).
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to
all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost
hath made you overseers, to feed the church
of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood" (Acts 20:28).
"Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy
calling, not according to our works, but
according to his own purpose and grace,
which was given us in Christ Jesus before the
world began, but is now made manifest by the
appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ,
who hath abolished death, and hath brought
life and immortality to light through the
gospel" (2 Tim. 1:9, 10).
"According as he hath chosen us in him
before the foundation of the world, that we
should be holy and without blame before him in
love," (Eph. 1:4)
23
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ
also loved the church, and gave himself for
it" (Eph. 5:25).
"And all that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in
the book of life of the Lamb slain from the
foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8).
3. His death for each man.
"But we see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of
death, crowned with glory and honor; that he
by the grace of God should taste death for
every man" (Heb. 2:9).
C. Old Testament examples of it.
During that first Easter Sunday afternoon the
resurrected Christ appeared unrecognized to
two disciples on their way to Emmaus. After
listening to their despair over the recent
crucifixion of Israel's Messiah, our Lord
admonished them as follows:
"Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow
of heart to believe all that the prophets
have spoken: Ought not Christ to
have suffered these things, and to enter into
his glory? And beginning at Moses and all
the prophets, he expounded unto them in
all the scriptures the things concerning
himself," (Lk. 24:25-27).
The following Old Testament events which speak of
Jesus' death were no doubt referred to by our Lord
to those disciples during that
afternoon conversation.
1. the coats of skin (Gen. 3:21)
2. the Passover lamb (Ex. 12)
3. the Levitical offerings (Lev. 1-5)
4. the ordinance of the red heifer (Num. 19) 5. the
sacrifice on the day of atonement
(Lev.16)
6. the ark (1 Pet. 3:18-22)
7. the passage through the Red Sea
(I Cor. 10:1, 2)
8. the two memorials (Josh. 3-4)
9. the branch cast into the waters of Marah
(Ex. 15:23-26)
24
10. the smitten rock (1 Cor. 10:4)
11. the brazen serpent (Jn. 3:14)
D. The importance of it.
Henry Thiessen writes: "The death of Christ has
a prominent place in the New Testament. The
last three days of our Lord's earthly life occupy
about one-fifth of the narratives in the four
Gospels. If all the three and a half years of His
public ministry had been written out as fully as
the last three days, we would have a 'Life of
Christ' of some 8400 pages! . . . Torrey claims
that the death of Christ is mentioned directly in
the New Testament more than 175 times. Since
there are 7,959 verses in the New Testament,
this would mean that one out of every 53 verses
refers to this theme."
(Lectures in Systematic Theology, p. 313)
Thiessen also writes:
"The death of Christ is the essential thing in
Christianity. Other religions base their claim to
recognition on the teaching of their founders;
Christianity is distinguished from all of them by the
importance it assigns to the death of its
Founder. Take away the death of Christ as
interpreted by the Scriptures, and you reduce
Christianity to the level of the ethnic religions.
Though we would still have a higher system of
ethics, were we to take away the cross of Christ, we
would have no more salvation than these
other religions. Napoleon said when banished to St.
Helena, that Alexander, Caesar,
Charlemagne, and he had founded mighty
kingdoms on force, but that Jesus Christ had
founded His on love. This is true, if we mean
love expressed in His substitutionary death.
"It is of Supreme Interest in Heaven. The death
of Christ is the subject of supreme interest in
heaven. We may expect those who have gone to
heaven to have a fuller and truer conception of
life's values than those who are still limited in
their vision by their existence in the body. We are
told that when Moses and Elijah appeared on the
Mount of Transfiguration, they conversed with
Christ 'about the decease which he was about to
accomplish at Jerusalem' (Lk. 9:30, 31). We also
find that the four living creatures and the
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
twenty-four elders sang the song of redemption
through the death of Christ (Rev. 5:8-10). Even
the multitude of angels around the
throne, though not in need of
redemption themselves, joined in
the song of the Lamb that was
slain (Rev. 5:11, 12). Since those
who have the veil of human
limitations completely removed from their
eyes-those who have entered into the fuller fruits
of redemption through the blood of Christ-extol
Christ's death above everything else, we mortals
ought to study into the true meaning of that
death." (Lectures in Systematic Theology,
pp. 313, 314)
In fact, our Lord himself spoke of his death
often. See the following:
"Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy
this temple, and in three days I will raise it up"
(Jn. 2:19).
"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of man be
lifted up" (Jn. 3:14).
"Saying, the Son of man must suffer many
things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief
priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised
the third day" (Lk. 9:22).
"And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said
unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed
into the hands of men: and they shall kill him,
and the third day he shall be raised again.
And they were exceeding sorry"
(Mt. 17:22, 23).
"'Therefore doth my Father love me, because I
lay down my life, that I might take it again" (Jn.
10:17).
"Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and
the Son of man shall be delivered unto the
chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they
shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver
him to the Gentiles: and they shall mock him,
and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon
him, and shall kill him: and the third day he
shall rise again" (Mk. 10:33-34).
"She hath done what she could: she is come
aforehand to anoint my body to the 25
burying" (Mk. 14:8).
"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will
draw all men unto me"' (Jn. 12:32).
"Then saith Jesus unto them, All ye shall be
offended because of me this night: for it is
written, I will smite the shepherd, and the
sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad"
(Mt. 26:31).
"Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand
that doth betray me" (Mt. 26:46).
"'Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is
expedient for you that I go away: for if I go
not away, the Comforter will not come unto
you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you"
(Jn. 16:7).
E. The false theories concerning it.
1. The payment to Satan theory.
This says man had sold his immortal soul to
Satan through sin and that Christ's death was
the devil's "pound of flesh" ransom note.
This is wholly untrue, for Christ's death
assured the final and eternal damnation of the
devil. The only thing God owes Satan is a
place in Gehenna hell forever.
2. The moral influence theory.
Here we are told God allowed Christ to die
to show that he can enter into man's
sufferings. By this act God thus may
stimulate man's sympathy for Christ. This too
is false, for (among other reasons) the very
ones who put him to death continued to hate
him and his followers the most. Furthermore,
God's eternal plan is not to "share man's
sufferings with him;" but rather to save him,
that man might someday share the riches of
Christ.
3. The example theory.
Christ's death simply showed how one man
can give his life for others. But what would
this single act accomplish? Soldiers, law
officers, mothers, and other individuals had
done this very thing thousands of times prior
to and following Christ's death. What could
Calvary add to all this?
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
4. The satisfaction theory.
This teaches that Jesus died
to appease God's offended
honor. It acted somewhat
like a pistol duel at dawn
where an insulated man takes revenge for
prior insult and injury. While this theory is
closer to the truth than the former ones, it
still smacks of error. There was absolutely no
revenge involved in the death of Christ.
F. The substitutional (and orthodox) theory.
This alone is the correct view.
Dr. John Walvoord writes: "Christ in His death
fully satisfied the demands of a righteous God for
judgment upon sinners and, as their infinite
sacrifice, provided a ground not only for the
believer's forgiveness, but for his justification and
sanctification."
(Jesus Christ Our Lord, p. 162)
G. The need for it.
Henry Thiessen writes: "At first God and man
stood face to face with each other. In sinning,
Adam turned his back upon God. Then God
turned His back upon Adam. Christ's death
has satisfied the demands of God and now God
has again turned His face toward man. It
remains for man to turn round about and face
God. Since God has been reconciled by the
death of His Son, man is now entreated to be
reconciled to God."
(Lecture 2, Systematic Theology, pp. 327, 328)
The need, therefore, for Christ's death was
twofold:
1. It was necessary because of God's holiness
(Lev. 11:44; Prov. 15:9).
2. It was necessary because of man's sinfulness
(Rom. 3:10-20).
H. The results from it.
1. In relation to sinners--redemption.
"In whom we have redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to
the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7).
"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of
the law, being made a curse for us: for it is
26
written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on
a tree" (Gal. 3:13).
"And when he had taken the book, the four
beasts and four and twenty elders fell down
before the Lamb, having every one of them
harps, and golden vials full of odors, which
are the prayers of saints. And they sung a
new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take
the book, and to open the seals thereof: for
thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to
God by thy blood out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation; and hast
made us unto our God kings and priests: and
we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and
I heard the voice of many angels round about
the throne and the beasts and the elders: and
the number of them was ten thousand times
ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb
that was slain to receive power, and riches,
and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and
glory, and blessing" (Rev. 5:8-12).
2. In relation to saints--sanctification.
"Who gave himself for our sins, that he might
deliver us from this present evil world,
according to the will of God and our Father"
(Gal. 1:4).
"By the which will we are sanctified through
the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once
for all" (Heb. 10:10).
"Having therefore, brethren, boldness to
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a
new and living way, which he hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to
say, his flesh" (Heb. 10:19, 20).
3. In relation to Satan--destruction.
"Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself
likewise took part of the same; that through
death he might destroy him that had the power of
death, that is, the devil"
(Heb. 2:14).
"And having spoiled principalities and
powers, he made a show of them openly,
triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15).
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for
the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this
purpose the Son of God was manifested, that
he might destroy the works of the devil"
(1 Jn. 3:8).
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old
serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which
deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out
into the earth, and the angels were cast out
with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in
heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom of our God, and the power
of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren
is cast down, which accused them before our
God day and night. And they overcame him
by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word
of their testimony; and they loved not their
lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:9-11)
XV. THE HEART OF THE EARTH
DESCENT OF JESUS CHRIST
"For as Jonas was three days and three nights
in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be
three days and three nights in the heart of the
earth" (Mt. 12:40).
"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us to
God, being put to death in the flesh, but
quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went
and preached unto the spirits in prison; which
some time were disobedient, when once the
long-suffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein
few, that is eight souls were saved by water"
(1 Pet. 3:18-20).
"Now that he ascended, what is it but that He
also descended first into the lower parts of the
earth?" (Eph. 4:9).
On the strength of these verses, the following
events are suggested. Between his death and
resurrection, our Lord descended into the lower parts
of this earth to perform a twofold ministry:
A. To depopulate the "saved" compartment of
Hades (Lk. 16:19-31).
The final debt on the salvation of these believers
was now paid, thus allowing them to enter the
third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). 27
B. To preach judgment upon the fallen angels
who had attempted to corrupt human flesh
and thus prevent the promised incarnation
of Christ (See Gen. 3:15; 6:1-4).
The theme of Christ's message therefore was,
"It didn't work" (See also 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6.).
XVI. THE RESURRECTION OF
JESUS CHRIST.
"Christianity is the only religion that bases its claim to
acceptance upon the resurrection of its founder. For any
other religion to base its claim on such a doctrine would
be to court failure. Test all other religions by this claim
and see." (The Great Doctrines of the Bible; William
Evans; p. 84)
A. The resurrection--denied by some.
There is surely no other single doctrine in all the
Bible so hated by Satan as the resurrection of
Christ. He has attempted (always
unsuccessfully) to ridicule it, downplay it, deny
it, or simply explain it away. Here are but a few
theories the devil has inspired his children
(ungodly men) to promote concerning this
precious doctrine.
1. The fraud theory.
This says that Jesus or his disciples (or both)
simply invented the entire thing. It would
have us believe that Christ was simply a
clever crook who read the prophecies
regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament
and set about arranging for them to be
fulfilled by himself. However, it would have
been somewhat difficult for an imposter to
arrange the place where he was to be born (it
had to be Bethlehem), or for some soldiers to
cooperate by not breaking
His bones on the cross.
2. The swoon theory.
We are informed here that
Christ merely fainted on the
cross and was later revived
by the cool, dark air of the tomb. But how
did he get out of that tomb? What bright
light did he use to blind and terrify the
Roman soldiers who stood guard outside?
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
3. The vision theory.
This would advocate that the early disciples
were guilty of using some kind of primitive
LSD. If this be true, then the practice was
certainly widespread, for on one occasion
alone over 500 claimed to have seen him.
There is not one speck of biblical or secular
evidence to support such an empty theory.
4. The spirit theory.
This holds that only Jesus' spirit arose. But
Jesus is said to have eaten while in his
resurrected body. The very nail-prints were
still there. This view, like the above, cannot
for one second stand the logic of reason.
5. The heart theory.
Here we are to believe that he was only
resurrected in the heart of his friends. The
trouble here, however, is that none of those
friends actually believed he would literally
rise from the dead until they saw him with
their own eyes, and heard his words with
their ears.
B. The resurrection--declared by many.
1. David predicted it.
"For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell;
neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption" (Ps. 16:10).
2. Isaiah predicted it.
"And he made his grave with the wicked, and
with the rich in his death; because he had
done no violence, neither was any deceit in
his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise
him; he hath put him to grief: when thou
shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he
shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days,
and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in
his hand. He shall see of the travail of his
soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge
shall my righteous servant justify many; for
he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I
divide him a portion with the great, and he
shall divide the spoil with the strong; because
he hath poured out his soul unto death: and
he was numbered with the transgressors; and
he bare the sin of many, and made
28
intercession for the transgressors"
(Isa. 53:9-12).
3. Jesus himself predicted it many times.
"Then certain of the scribes, and of the
Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we
would see a sign from thee. But he answered
and said unto them, An evil and adulterous
generation seeketh after a sign; and there
shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of
the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three
days and three nights in the whale's belly; so
shall the Son of man be three days and three
nights in the heart of the earth"
(Mt. 12:38-40).
"From that time forth began Jesus to shew
unto his disciples, how that he must go unto
Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be
killed, and be raised again the third day" (Mt.
16:21).
"Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and
said, Why could not we cast him out? And
while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto
them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the
hands of men: and they shall kill him, and the
third day he shall be raised again. And
they were exceeding sorry"
(Mt. 17:19, 22,23).
"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of
man shall be betrayed unto the chief
priests and unto the scribes, and they shall
condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to
the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to
crucify him: and the third day he shall rise
again" (Mt. 20:18, 19).
"But after I am risen again, I will go before
you into Galilee" (Mt. 26:32).
"Saying, The Son of man must suffer many
things, and be rejected of the elders and chief
priests and scribes, and be slain, and be
raised the third day" (Lk. 9:22).
"Then answered the Jews and said unto him,
What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that
thou doest these things? Jesus answered and
said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in
three days I will raise it up. Then said the
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in
building, and wilt thou rear it up in three
days? But he spake of the temple of his body.
When therefore he was risen from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this
unto them; and they believed the scripture,
and the word which Jesus had said"
(Jn. 2:18-22).
C. The resurrection--doubted by most.
It is ironic and sad that the predicted
resurrection of Christ was remembered only by
his enemies, the Pharisees, and not by his
friends.
"Now the next day, that followed the day of the
preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came
together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember
that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive,
After three days I will rise again. Command
therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until
the third day, lest his disciples come by night,
and steal him away, and say unto the people,
He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be
worse than the first," (Mt. 27:62-64).
So much for his enemies. But what about his
friends?
1. The women did not remember (Mk. 16:13). 2.
Mary Magdalene did not remember
(Jn. 20:13).
3. Peter and John did not remember
(Lk. 24:12; Jn. 20:9).
4. The apostles did not remember
(Lk. 24:9-11).
5. The two disciples on the Emmaus Road did
not remember (Lk. 24:13-31).
6. Thomas did not remember (Jn. 20:24-29).
D. The resurrection--described by one
(Paul; see 1 Cor. 15).
1. The proofs of the resurrection.
a. The empty tomb.
b. The tremendous change in the lives of the
disciples.
c. The silence from both the Romans and
Pharisees.
Not once did either of these enemy groups
ever attempt to deny Christ's 29
resurrection. They hated it and tried to
suppress it, but could not refute it.
d. The change from Saturday to Sunday as the
main day of worship.
As ingrained as the Sabbath was in the hearts
and history of the apostles, it would have
taken some fantastic event to change their
thinking here.
e. The existence of the church.
In the less than fifty years after Christ's
death, the Christian church had become a
mighty power, causing the Roman
government to view with growing concern
its influence upon men and women.
Legends and religions simply do not
develop this quickly.
2. The appearances after the resurrection.
Our Lord appeared no less than seventeen
times after his resurrection. Five of these
occurred during the first Easter Sunday, and
six more took place between that time and
his ascension. The remaining six happened
between Pentecost and the completion of the
Bible. Dr. John Walvoord in his book Jesus
Christ Our Lord (pp. 193-195) describes
these appearances:
a. The first appearance of Christ was to
Mary Magdalene as she remained at the
site of the tomb after Peter and John had
left. Here she saw Christ and first mistook
him for the gardener, but immediately
recognized him when he spoke to her
(Jn. 20:11-17; cf. Mk. 16:9-11). After she
had seen the risen Lord, Mary Magdalene
returned to report the appearance of
Christ to her friends (Mk. 16:10-11;
Jn. 20:18).
b. The second appearance of Christ was to
the other women who were also returning
to the tomb and saw Christ on the way
(Mt. 28:9-10). The best texts seem to
indicate that the phrase "'as they went to
tell his disciples" is an interpolation (to
insert between), and they were actually
returning after telling the disciples.
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
The record of the guards concerning the
angel's rolling away the stone is another
testimony to the resurrection of Christ
from unwilling witnesses (Mt. 28:11-15).
c. The third appearance was to Peter in the
afternoon of the resurrection day.
Concerning this there are no details, but it is
most significant that Christ first sought
Peter, the denier, of all the twelve
(Lk. 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5).
d. The fourth appearance of Christ was to
the disciples as they walked on the road
to Emmaus. By supernatural delay at
recognition, Christ was able to expound
to them the Old Testament scriptures
concerning his death and resurrection. His
identity was not known to them until he
broke bread (Mk. 16:12,13;
Luke 24:13-35).
e. The fifth appearance of the resurrected
Christ was to the ten disciples
(Mk. 16:14; Lk. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:19-23).
Mark's account refers to them as the
eleven, but it is obvious from the context
that only ten were there, as Thomas was
absent. After the departure of Judas, the
remaining disciples were often referred
to as the "eleven" even if all were not
actually present. In a similar way, Paul
refers to the "twelve" as witnesses of the
resurrection (1 Cor. 15:5), but actually,
Judas Iscariot was already dead.
f. The sixth appearance was to the eleven
disciples a week after his resurrection. At
this time Thomas was present.
(Jn. 20:26-29).
g. The seventh appearance was to seven
disciples by the Sea of Galilee 21:1-23).
On this occasion he talked significantly to
Simon Peter following the miraculous
catch of fish.
h. The eighth appearance was to five
hundred and is recited by Paul as an
outstanding proof of his resurrection.
(1 Cor. 15:6).
30
i. The ninth appearance was to
James, the Lord's brother
(1 Cor. 15:7). There is some
evidence that James was not a
believer prior to the
resurrection
(Jn. 7:3-5), but immediately after the
resurrection he is numbered among the
believers (Acts 1:14; Gal. 1:19). He later
became one of the outstanding leaders in
the apostolic church.
j. The tenth appearance was to eleven
disciples on the mountain in Galilee. On
that occasion he gave them the Great
Commission to preach the gospel
(Mt. 28:16-20). A similar commission
was given in Mark 16:15-18, which may
have been the same instance or an earlier
appearance.
k. The eleventh appearance occurred at the
time of his ascension from the Mount of
Olives (Lk. 24:44-53; Acts 1:3-9). This is
the last appearance of Christ to his
disciples prior to his glorification in
heaven.
1. The twelfth appearance of the
resurrected Christ was to Stephen just
prior to his martyrdom (Acts 7:55, 56).
Subsequent appearances, while different
in character, confirm the fact of his
resurrection.
m. The thirteenth appearance of Christ was
to Paul on the road to Damascus as he
was about to continue his work of
persecuting Christians (Acts 9:3-6;
cf. 22:6-11; 26:13-18). On this occasion
Paul was converted.
n. The fourteenth appearance seems to have
been to Paul in Arabia (Acts 26:17;
Gal. 1:12, 17). The appearance is not
clearly stated but may be inferred from
Galatians 1:12. Some believe that the
instructions to Paul, which he mentions in
Acts 26:17, were given to him in Arabia,
not at the original appearance on the road
to Damascus. There is no record of the
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
precise revelation given to Paul in Acts 9
or Acts 22. In Acts 22:10 he is promised a
later revelation which would give him the
necessary instruction.
o. The fifteenth appearance of Christ was to
Paul in the Temple when Paul was
warned concerning the persecution which
was to come (Acts 22:17-21; cf. 9:26-30;
Gal. 1:18).
p. The sixteenth appearance of Christ was
to Paul while he was in prison in
Caesarea, when it is recorded that "the
Lord stood by him" and told him that he
would bear witness in Rome
(Acts 23:11).
q. The seventeenth appearance of Christ
was to the Apostle John at the beginning
of the revelation given to him
(Rev. 1:12-20).
Taken as a whole the appearances are of
such various character and to so many
people under so many different
circumstances that the proof of the
resurrection of Christ is as solid as any
historical fact that could be cited in the
first century.
3. The importance of the resurrection
(1 Cor. 5:12-19).
The resurrection of Christ is the
Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of
Independence of the Christian faith. The sign of
Christianity is really not the cross, but an empty
tomb. If one denies the
resurrection, he is forced to six horrible
conclusions:
a. All gospel preaching has been, is now, and
always will be, utterly and completely
useless.
b. All past, present, and future faith is futile. c. All
preachers become notorious liars. d. All living
Christians are still in their sins. e. All
departed Christians are in hell.
f. All reason and purpose for life itself is
destroyed.
31
4. The order of the resurrection
(1 Cor. 15:20-24).
The resurrection of Christ is represented here
as being the first of its kind thus
indicating that previous miracles, such as the
raising of Lazarus, were more on the order of
restoring a dead mortal body to a living mortal
body. True resurrection carries with it
glorification. There are three such
resurrections:
a. The resurrection of Christ (Mt. 28:5-8;
Mk. 16:2-8; Lk. 24:1-8).
b. The rapture resurrection.
"For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality"
(1 Cor. 15:53).
"For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first"
(1 Thess. 4:16).
c. The premillennial resurrection of Old
Testament and tribulation saints.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
heareth my word, and believeth on him that
sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not
come into condemnation; but is passed from
death unto life" (Jn. 5:24).
"And many of them that sleep in the dust of
the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and
everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2).
"But the rest of the dead lived not again
until the thousand years were finished.
This is the first resurrection. Blessed and
holy is he that hath part in the first
resurrection: on such the second death hath
no power, but they shall be priests of God and
of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand
years" (Rev. 20:5, 6).
5. The nature of the resurrection.
What kind of body did Jesus have after his
resurrection? This is of great importance to
the believer, for we someday will have a
similar body. (See 1 Jn. 3:1-3.)
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
a. His new body had flesh and bone.
"Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I
myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit
hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me
have. And when he had thus spoken, he
showed them his hands and his feet"
(Lk. 24:39, 40).
b. He ate food in this new body
(see Lk. 24:41-43; Jn. 21:12, 13).
c. His new body still bore the marks of his
crucifixion.
"Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither
thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach
hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be
not faithless, but believing" )
Jn. 20:27).
"And when he had thus spoke, he showed
them his hands and his feet" (Lk. 24:40).
"And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the
throne and of the four beasts, and in the
midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had
been slain, having seven horns and seven
eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God
sent forth into all the earth" (Rev. 5:6).
d. His new body was not subjected to
material laws.
"Then the same day at evening, being the
first day of the week, when the doors were
shut where the disciples were assembled
for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in
the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto
you"
(Jn. 20:19).
"And their eyes were opened, and they
knew him; and he vanished out of their
sight. And as they thus spake, Jesus
himself stood in the midst of them, and
saith unto them, Peace be unto you"
(Lk. 24:31, 36).
6. The example of the resurrection: a grain of
wheat (Jn. 12:24; 1 Cor. 15:35-38).
7. The superiority of the resurrection
(1 Cor. 15:39-41).
The new body is as superior to the old body as:
a. Man is to beast.
32
b. Heaven is to the earth.
c. The sun is to the moon.
8. The results of the resurrection
(1 Cor. 15:42-58).
a. In relation to the believer: immediate
blessings.
(1) A Guarantee Of Our Justification.
"Who was delivered for our offenses,
and was raised again for our
justification" (Rom. 4:25).
(2) A Guarantee Of Present-Day Power
And Strength (Eph. 1:18-2:10).
(3) A Guarantee Of Fruitful Labor.
"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye
steadfast, unmovable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord,
forasmuch as ye know that your labour
is not in vain in the Lord
(1 Cor. 15:58).
(4) A Guarantee Of Our Own
Resurrection.
"Knowing that he which raised up the
Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by
Jesus, and shall present us with you"
(2 Cor. 4:14).
Future blessings.
(5) Exchanging Corruption For
Incorruption (1 Cor. 15:42).
(6) Exchanging Dishonor For Glory
(1 Cor. 15:43).
(7) Exchanging Weakness For Power
(1 Cor. 15:43).
(8) Exchanging A Material Body For A
Spiritual Body (1 Cor. 15:44).
b. In relation to the Savior:
(1) It Is The Mark Of His Deity.
"And declared to be the Son of God
with power, according to the spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the
dead" (Rom. 1:4).
"Him God raised up the third day, and
showed him openly" (Acts 10:40).
(2) It Is The Springboard Of His
Exaltation.
"The God of our fathers raised up
Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
tree. Him hath God exalted with his
right hand to be a Prince and a
Saviour, for to give repentence to
Israel, and forgiveness of sins"
(Acts 5:30-31).
"Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name
which is above every name: that at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of things in heaven, and things in earth,
and things under the earth; and that
every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father" (Phil. 2:9-11).
(3) It Marks The Beginning Of His
Headship Over The Church.
"And what is the exceeding greatness
of his power to usward who believe,
according to the working of his mighty
power, which he wrought in Christ,
when he raised him from the dead, and
set him at his own right hand in the
heavenly places, far above all
principality, and power, and might, and
dominion, and every name that is
named, not only in this world, but also
in that which is to come: And hath put
all things under his feet, and gave him
to be the head over all things to the
church, which is his body, the fullness
of him that filleth all in all"
(Eph. 1:19-23).
c. In relation to the sinner:
It warns him of a coming judgment day.
"Because he hath appointed a day in the
which he will judge the world in
righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained; whereof he hath given assurance
unto all men in that he hath raised him
from the dead" (Acts 17:31).
d. In relation to the devil:
It seals his doom forever (Heb. 2:14;
Rev. 20:10).
33
e. In relationship to the Sabbath:
It transfers the worship day from Saturday
to Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2;
Heb.7:12).
f. The symbol of the resurrection:
Baptism (Rom. 6:3-11; Col. 2:11-13).
XVII. THE ASCENSION AND PRESENT
MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST.
A. The fact of this ascension and ministry.
1. Scripture regarding his ascension.
"So then after the Lord had spoken unto
them, he was received up into heaven, and
sat on the right hand of God"
(Mk. 16:19).
"And it came to pass, while he blessed them,
he was parted from them, and carried up into
heaven" (Lk. 24:51).
"And when he had spoken these things, while
they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud
received him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9).
2. Scripture regarding his present ministry.
"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ,
that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who
is even at the right hand of God who also
maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:34).
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those
things which are above, where Christ sitteth
on the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1).
"Who being the brightness of his glory, and
the express image of his person, and
upholding all things by the word of his
power, when he had by himself purged our
sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3).
"Now of the things which we have spoken
this is the sum: We have such a high priest,
who is set on the right hand of the throne of
the Majesty in the heavens" (Heb. 8:1).
"But this man, after he had offered one
sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the
right hand of God; from henceforth
expecting till his enemies be made his
footstool" (Heb. 10:12, 13).
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher
of our faith; who for the joy that was set
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
before him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and is set down at the right hand of
the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2).
"Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God; angels and authorities and
powers being made subject unto him"
(1 Pet. 3:22).
B. The purpose of this ascension and ministry.
1. To be our Forerunner.
"Which hope we have as an anchor of the
soul, both sure and steadfast, and which
entereth into that within the veil; whither the
forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus,
made a high priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek (Heb. 6:19, 20).
2. To prepare a place for us.
"In my Father's house are many mansions: if
it were not so, I would have told you. I go to
prepare a place for you" (Jn. 14:2).
3. To give spiritual gifts to his followers
(Eph. 4:10-14).
4. To offer encouragement to his followers.
"Seeing then that we have a great high priest,
that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
For we have not an high priest which cannot
be touched with the feeling of our infirmities;
but was in all points tempted like as we are,
yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need" (Heb 4:14-16).
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed
about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let
us lay aside every weight, and the sin which
doth so easily beset us, and let us run with
patience the race that is set before us,
looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of
our faith; who for the joy that was set before
him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the
throne of God. For consider him that
endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds" (Heb. 12:1-3).
34
5. To make high priestly prayers for us
(Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16; 7:25-27; 8:1;
9:24).
Here he functions in a twofold manner: a.
Acting as our Intercessor
(due to the weakness and
frailties of the believer).
While on earth, our Lord
once told Peter: "Simon,
Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have
you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I
have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not
..." (Lk. 22:31, 32).
According to many New Testament
passages, the Savior continues to perform.
this blessed ministry for his people from
heaven.
"Wherefore he is able to save them to the
uttermost that come unto God by him,
seeing he ever liveth to make intercession
for them"' (Heb. 7:25).
b. Acting as our Advocate (due to the sins of
the believer).
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:9).
"My little children, these things write I
unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 Jn. 2:1).
"For Christ is not entered into the holy
places made with hands, which are the
figures of the true; but into heaven itself,
now to appear in the presence of God for
us" (Heb. 9:24).
"And I heard a loud voice saying in
heaven, Now is come salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and
the power of his Christ: for the accuser of
our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our God day and night"
(Rev. 12:10).
6. To send the promise of the Father
(Holy Spirit) (Jn. 16; Acts 1:4; 2:33).
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
7. To care for his churches (Rev. 1:10-3:22).
In this amazing passage, the Apostle John,
on the Isle of Patmos, sees the resurrected
and glorified Christ standing among seven
golden lampstands, dressed in the garb of a
high priest. He is told that the lampstands
symbolize local churches on earth.
8. To work through his people.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that
believeth on me, the works that I do shall he
do also; and greater works than these shall
he do; because I go unto my Father"
(Jn. 14:12).
9. To wait until his enemies become his
foot-stool (Heb. 10:12, 13).
XVIII. THE TWOFOLD FUTURE
COMING OF JESUS CHRIST.
A. At the rapture-- for his people.
"But I would not have you to be ignorant,
brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that
ye sorrow not, even as others which have no
hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose
again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus
will God bring with him. For this we say unto
you by the word of the Lord, that we which are
alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord
shall not prevent them which are asleep. For
the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ
shall rise first: Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so
shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore
comfort one another with these words"
(1 Thess. 4:13-18).
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for
the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality. So
when this corruptible shall have put on
incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on
35
immortality, then shall be brought to pass the
saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in
victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave,
where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin;
and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to
God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord
Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:51-57).
B. After the tribulation--with his people.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall
not give her light, and the stars shall fall from
heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of
man in heaven and then shall all the
tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the
Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory. And he shall send his
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together his elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other"
(Mt. 24:29-31).
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam,
prophesied of these, saying, Behold the Lord
cometh with ten thousands of his saints"
(Jude 14).
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye
shall see him, and they also which pierced him:
and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because
of him. Even so, Amen." (Rev. 1:7)
"And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white
horse; and he that sat upon him was called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth
judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame
of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and
he had a name written that no man knew, but he
himself. And he was clothed with a vesture
dipped in blood and his name is called The
Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed
in fine linen, white and clean. . . . And I saw the
beast, and the kings of the earth, and their
armies, gathered together to make war against
him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
And the beast was taken, and with him the false
prophet that wrought miracles before him, with
which he deceived them that had received the
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his A. Adam: his headship over a new creation
image. These both were cast alive into a lake of (Gen. 1:28; Rom. 5:17-19; 1 Cor. 15:22, 45,
fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant 47; Heb. 2:79).
were slain with the sword of him that sat upon B. Moses: his prophetical ministry
the horse, which sword proceeded out of his (Deut. 18:15-18; Heb. 3:5, 6).
mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their C. Melchizedek: his priestly ministry
flesh" (Rev. 19:11-21). (Gen. 14:18-20; Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5-8).
XIX. THE MILLENNIAL REIGN OF D. David: his kingly ministry
JESUS CHRIST. (2 Sam. 7:1-17; Mk. 11:10;
"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the Rev. 5:5; 22:16).
government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name E. Jeremiah: his sorrows
shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, (Jer. 3:20; 5:15; 8:20-22; 9:1; 10:19; 11:19).
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The F. Joseph: his sufferings (the most perfect type
Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of Christ in the Old Testament).
peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, 1. Hated without a cause (Gen. 37:4, 8;
and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it Jn. 15:25).
with judgment and with justice from henceforth even 2. Ridiculed (Gen. 37:19; Lk. 22:63). 3.
for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform Plotted against (Gen. 37:20; Jn. 11:53). 4.
this" (Isa. 9:6, 7). Stripped of his robe (Gen. 37:23;
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will Jn. 19:23, 24).
raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King 5. Sold for silver (Gen. 37:28; Mt. 26:14-16).
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment
6. Lied about (Gen. 39:14; Mt. 26:61).
and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be
saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his 7. Placed in captivity with two guilty men
name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD (Gen. 40:13; Lk. 23:32, 33).
OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:5, 6). 8. Unrecognized by his own
"He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of (Gen. 42:8; Jn. 1:11).
the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him G. Isaac: his death
the throne of his father David: And he shall reign (Gen. 22:2, 8, 10; Mt. 26:36, 42, 43).
over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his H. Jonah: his resurrection
kingdom there shall be no end" (Lk. 1:32, 33). (Jonah 1:17; Mt. 12:40; 16:4; Lk. 11:29).
"Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king I. Joshua: his victorious life
then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a (Josh. 1:3, 5, 6, 8, 9; Jn. 10:17, 18; 19:30).
king. To this end was I born, and for this cause J. Noah: his saving life
came I into the world, that I should bear witness (Gen. 6:13, 14, 17, 18; 1 Pet. 3:18-22).
unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth K. Abraham: his father
heareth my voice" (Jn. 18:37). (Gen. 22:7, 8; Mt. 26:36, 42,43).
XX. THE OLD TESTAMENT L. Daniel: his acceptance by the Father
WITNESSES OF JESUS CHRIST. (Dan. 9:23; 10:11, 19; Mt. 3:17; 17:5).
M. Elijah: his forerunner
The Bible is a Christ-centered book. Jesus himself said
(Isa. 40:3, 4; Mt. 17:11, 12).
the Old Testament spoke of him (Jn. 5:39).
Following is a brief panorama of his story in history, as N. Elisha: his miracles:
demonstrated by some Old Testament men and Elisha performs fourteen miracles, nearly double
women. Events in their lives remind us of some aspect in the those of any other Old Testament man, except
Savior's New Testament ministry. Moses (2 Ki. 2:9; Jn. 3:2).
36
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
O. Ezekiel: his parables.
There are sixty-nine parables in the Old
Testament; twenty-three are to be found in
Ezekiel's book alone (Ezek. 17:2; 20:49;
Mt. 13:3).
P. Ruth: his church
(Ruth 2-4; 2 Cor. 11:2).
Q. Boaz: his love for the church
(Ruth 24; Eph. 5:25-27).
R. Ezra: his zeal for the
Scriptures
(Neh. 8; Mt. 21:42; 22:29; Mk. 12:10, 24;
Lk. 4:21; 24:27; Jn. 10:35).
S. Nehemiah: his zeal for the Holy City
(Neh. 12; Mt. 23:37-39; Lk. 19:41).
T. Absalom: his opposition:
1. From Judas. Absalom was a betrayer and
member of David's inner circle, as was
Judas of Jesus' inner circle (2 Sam. 15;
Mt. 26:14).
2. From the coming antichrist. Absalom
plotted against the Davidic throne, as will
the antichrist (2 Sam. 15; Rev. 13).
U. Solomon: his wisdom
(1 Ki. 3:11-13; Lk. 4:22; Jn. 7:46).
V. Lot: his backslidden followers
(Gen. 19; 2 Pet. 2:7).
THE SON OF GOD IN THE WORD OF GOD.
OLD TESTAMENT
GENESIS 3:15; 49:10 Seed of the woman and Shiloh
EXODUS 12:3 Passover Lamb
LEVITICUS 8:7-9 Anointed high Priest
NUMBERS 21:8; 24:17
Star of Jacob and brazen serpent
DEUTERONOMY 18:15; 32:4
Prophet like Moses and great Rock
JOSHUA 5:14 Captain of the Lord's host
JUDGES 2:1 Messenger of Jehovah
RUTH 2:1 Kinsman Redeemer
1 SAMUEL 2:10 Great Judge
2 SAMUEL 7:13 Seed of David
I KINGS 8:15,26 Lord God of Israel
2 KINGS 19:15 God of the cherubim
1 CHRONICLES 16:35 God of our salvation 2
CHRONICLES 20:6 God of our fathers 37
EZRA 1:2 Lord of heaven and earth
NEHEMIAH 1:5 Covenant keeping God
ESTHER The God of providence
JOB 19:25 Risen and returning Redeemer
PSALMS 2:1, 7,12; 16:10;
The anointed Son, the Holy One,
PSALMS 23: 1; 24:7-10 The Good Shepherd, and the
King of Glory
PROVERBS Chapter 8 The wisdom of God
ECCLESIASTES The one above the sun
SONG OF SOLOMON 5:10; 16
Chiefest among 10,000 and altogether lovely
ISAIAH 7:14; 9:6; Virgin-born Immanuel; Child
and Son; Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
52:13; 53:3 Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace;
Righteous Servant, and Man of Sorrows
JEREMIAH: 23:6; 33:16
The Lord our righteousness
LAMENTATIONS 3:22,23, 31-33
The faithful and compassionate God
EZEKIELThe Lord is there
DANIEL 2:34; 3:25; 7:13
Smiting Stone, Son of God, Son of man
HOSEA 13:9,14 King of the resurrection
JOEL 2:28-32; 2:11; 3:2, 9-17
God of the battle and giver of the Spirit
AMOS 4:13; 7:9 God of hosts and of the plumbline
OBADIAH 1:8, 15 Destroyer of the proud JONAH
2:10; 3: 1; 4:9-11
The risen Prophet, God of second choice, The
longsuffering one
MICAH 4:15; 5:2; 7:18,19
God of Jacob, the Bethlehemite, and the pardoning
God
NAHUM 1:2,15 The avenging God and bringer of
good tidings
HABAKKUK 1:12,13; 2:14; 3:13
The everlasting pure, glorious, and anointed one
ZEPHANIAH 3:15 The King of Israel
HAGGAI 2:7 Desire of all nations
ZECHARIAH 3:8; 6:12; 6:13 ;9:9; 12:10; 14:9
Branch, builder of Temple, King of Triumphal
entry pierced one, King of the earth
MALACHI 3:16 Lord of remembrance
 the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST
NEW TESTAMENT REVELATION 1:8; 5:5
MATTHEW 2:2; 27:37 King of the Jews The Alpha and Omega, Lion of Judah,
MARK 9:35; 10:43,44 Servant 5:7; 6:17 The slain and angry Lamb,
LUKE 2:40, 52; 9:22, 56, 58; 22:48 19:16 The King of kings
Perfect man 22:16 The bright and morning Star
JOHN 1:15; 20:28,31 Eternal God
ACTS 1:9 Ascended Lord
ROMANS 10:4 The Lord our righteousness 1
CORINTHIANS 15 Our resurrection 2
CORINTHIANS 1:3 God of all comfort
GALATIANS 4:4, 5 Redeemer from the law
EPHESIANS 1:22; 2:20; 5:23; 4:7, 8
Head of the church and giver of gifts
PHILIPPIANS 1:19; 4:19; 2:5-8
Supplier of every need and obedient Servant
COLOSSIANS 1: 19; 2:9 Fullness of the Godhead 1
THESSALONIANS 4:13-18; 5:2, 23
The coming Christ
2 THESSALONIANS 2:8 The consuming Christ I
TIMOTHY 2:15; 3:16; 1:15
Mediator and Savior of sinners
2 TIMOTHY 4:8; 3:16,17
Righteous and rewarding Judge and author of
Scripture
TITUS 1:3; 2:10,13; 3:4 Our great God and Savior
PHILEMON Payer of our debt
HEBREWS 1:2 Appointed Heir of all things 1:4;
3:3 One better than the prophets and angels 2:10;
5:9; 12:2 Captain of our salvation
2:17; 3:1, 4:14 Merciful and faithful High Priest
7:25-27; 9:24 Great Intercessor
12:24 Mediator of new covenant
13:20 Great Shepherd of the sheep
JAMES 4:6-8; 5:15; 5:7,8
Ever-present God, Great Physician, and the coming
one
1 PETER 1:19; 2:21-24; 5:4; 3:22
Unblemished Lamb, great example, Chief Shepherd,
Lord of Glory
2 PETER 1:17 The beloved Son
1 JOHN 1:11; 2:11; 2:2; 3:8; 4:15; 5:5
Word of life, advocate, propitiation, and Son of God 2
JOHN 1:3 Son of the Father
3 JOHN 1:4,8 The Truth
JUDE 1:1, 25 Preserver and only wise God
38
 Study Questions for the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST

1. What is the key question of the universe? _____________________________________________________

2. Give a verse to prove Christ existed before he was born in Bethlehem (His preexistence). ________________

3. List three (3) activities of the preexistent Christ. 1).______________________________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________

4. What is a theophany? ____________________________________________________________________

5. Who was the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament? ___________________________________________

6. List three (3) people in the Old Testament to whom Christ appeared. 1)._____________________________
2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________

7. Complete this sentence: "Thus, in the O. T. we have _________made in the image of ______ and in the N. T.
we see_______ made in the image of __________.

8. What are the miracles (2) of the incarnation (Christ becoming flesh)? 1).______________________________
2).____________________________________

9. Christ will not have a body in eternity (true)_____ (false) _____

10. List five (5) reasons for the incarnation. 1).______________________________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________
4).____________________________________ 5).____________________________________________

11. List ten (10) Biblical names and titles of Jesus Christ. 1).________________________________________
2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________
4).____________________________________ 5).____________________________________________
6).____________________________________ 7).____________________________________________
8).____________________________________ 9).____________________________________________
10).____________________________________

12. What did Jesus look like? ________________________________________________________________

13. Give five (5) reasons why we know Christ was human? 1).________________________________________
2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________
4).____________________________________ 5).____________________________________________

14. Write out a scripture from the Gospels that proves Christ was deity (God). __________________________

39
 Study Questions for the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST

15. Christ could have sinned while on this earth (true) ____ (false) ___

16. The wilderness temptation of Christ was not to see if Christ _______ sin, but to ________
He ________ _____.

17. Christ retained every single attribute of _________ while on earth, he did, nevertheless surrender
the ______________ exercise of those divine ____________.

18. What three (3) great offices from the Old Testament did Christ fulfill?
1).________________________________________ 2).____________________________________
3).________________________________________

19. List three (3) groups for whom Christ died.

1).________________________________________ 2).____________________________________
3).________________________________________

20. The results of Christ's death. In relation to sinners--________. In relation to saints--______________.

In relation to Satan--__________.

21. Where did Christ go during the three days his body was in the tomb? _______________________________

22. List the five (5) proofs of the resurrection. 1).________________________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________
4).____________________________________ 5).____________________________________________

23. Christ is now in heaven praying for us. He functions as our _______ and as our ____________.

24. There will be a twofold future coming of Jesus Christ. At the ___________ for _____ _________ and
after the __________ with his _____________.

25. I have read ____% of the printed notes.

26. I have looked up _____% of the Scripture references.

40
 Exam Questions for the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST

Student's Name:_________________ Teacher's Name:_____________ Date: / /

1. What is the key question of the universe? _____________________________________________________

2. List three (3) activities of the preexistent Christ. 1).______________________________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________

3. What is a theophany? ____________________________________________________________________

4. List three (3) people in the Old Testament to whom Christ appeared. 1)._____________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________

5. Complete this sentence: "Thus, in the O. T. we have _________made in the image of ______ and in the N. T.
we see_______ made in the image of __________.

6. What are the miracles (2) of the incarnation (Christ becoming flesh)? 1).______________________________

2).____________________________________

7. Christ will not have a body in eternity (true)_____ (false) _____

8. List five (5) reasons for the incarnation. 1).______________________________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________

4).____________________________________ 5).____________________________________________

9. List ten (10) Biblical names and titles of Jesus Christ. 1).________________________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________

4).____________________________________ 5).____________________________________________

6).____________________________________ 7).____________________________________________

8).____________________________________ 9).____________________________________________

10).____________________________________

10. What did Jesus look like? ________________________________________________________________

 Exam Questions for the DOCTRINE of JESUS CHRIST

11. Give five (5) reasons why we know Christ was human? 1).________________________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________

4).____________________________________ 5).____________________________________________

12. Write out a scripture from the Gospels that proves Christ was deity (God). __________________________

13. Christ could have sinned while on this earth (true) ____ (false) ___

14. The wilderness temptation of Christ was not to see if Christ _______ sin, but to ________
He ________ _____.

15. Christ retained every single attribute of _________ while on earth, he did, nevertheless surrender
the ______________ exercise of those divine ____________.

16. What three (3) great offices from the Old Testament did Christ fulfill?

1).________________________________________ 2).____________________________________

3).________________________________________

17. List three (3) groups for whom Christ died.

1).________________________________________ 2).____________________________________

3).________________________________________

18. The results of Christ's death. In relation to sinners--________. In relation to saints--______________.

In relation to Satan--__________.

19. List the five (5) proofs of the resurrection. 1).________________________________________

2).____________________________________ 3).____________________________________________

4).____________________________________ 5).____________________________________________

20. Christ is now in heaven praying for us. He functions as our _______ and as our ____________.

21. There will be a twofold future coming of Jesus Christ. At the ___________ for _____ _________ and
after the __________ with his _____________.

22. I have read ____% of the printed notes.

23. I have looked up _____% of the Scripture references.
 Answer Sheet for the Doctrine of Jesus Christ

For Teacher ONLY

1. The key question is "What think ye of Christ?"

2. Three activities - (1) He was creating the universe (2) He was controlling this created universe
(3) He was communing with the Father.

3. A theophany is a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Christ.

4. Three people in the O. T. to whom Christ appeared: Hagar, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Gideon,
Samson's parents, three young Hebrews in fiery furnace, Daniel, Zechariah.

5. Thus, in the O. T. we have man made in the image of God and in the N. T. we see God made in the image of
man.

6. Miracles of the incarnation: (1) That God the Son could take upon himself the full nature of man and yet
retain the full nature of God. (2) That a human body could be conceived within a mother's womb without an earthly
father.

7. False

8. Five reasons for the incarnation: (1) to reveal the invisible God (2) to fulfill prophecy.
(3) guarantee the Davidic covenant (4) make sacrifice for our sins (5) reconcile man to God
(6) provide an example for believers (7) provide believers with a high priest
(8) destroy the devil and his works (9) escape the historical curse (10) heal the brokenhearted
(11) set at liberty the bruised (12) proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (13) give life-abundant life
(14) glorify the Father

9. List 10 Biblical names and titles of Jesus Christ - see notes

10. Jesus looked like a man - a Jewish man.

11. 5 reasons we know Christ was human: He possessed flesh and blood, grew, asked questions, increased in
wisdom, was limited in knowledge, prayed, was tempted, learned obedience, hungered, thirsted, was weary, slept,
loved, had compassion, angered and grieved, wept, experienced joy, was troubled, sweat, suffered, bled, died, was
buried.

For Teacher ONLY

 Answer Sheet for the Doctrine of Jesus Christ

For Teacher ONLY

12. Any scripture that proves Christ was God.

13. false

14. The temptation of Christ was not to see if Christ would sin, but to prove he would not.

15. Christ retained every single attribute of deity while on earth, he did, nevertheless, surrender the independent
exercise of those divine characteristics.

16. Prophet, priest, king.

17. Christ died for the world, the elect, and for each man.

18. The results of Christ's death: In relation to sinners--redemption. In relation to saints--sanctification.

In relation to Satan--destruction.

19. Proofs of the resurrection - the empty tomb - the tremendous change in the lives of the disciples - the silence
from the Romans and Pharisees - the change from Saturday to Sunday - the existence of the church.

20. Christ functions as our intercessor and advocate.

21. Christ will come at the Rapture for his people and after the tribulation with his people.

22. I have read ___% of the printed notes.

23. I have looked up _____% of the Scripture references.

For Teacher ONLY