Christological Controversies (1) I. Introduction A. 2 John 1:9-11 B. The nature of Jesus of Nazareth has always been controversial 1. Is He God? 2. How is he both God and man? 3. What is His relationship with His Father? C. These and many other questions were hotly debated in the first centuries after Jesus' death D. Why is this important? Why study these matters? 1. Many question why we should study these things 2. After all, there's not much in the way of application 3. Furthermore, we are not God, and are dependent on His revelation to understand anything about Him (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9) 4. On the other hand, we do not want to fall into heresies (cf. Galatians 5:19-21)! 5. Many times our thoughts about the way God "must be" are not properly conditioned by Scripture, and that must not be! 6. Since there is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), it is good to consider these ancient controversies so we do not fall into the trap that others fell into! E. Let us study three such controversies 1. Adoptionism 2. Docetism 3. Arianism II. Adoptionism/Adoptianism A. Adoptionism is also called dynamistic monarchianism 1. Dynamistic monarchianism distinct from modalistic monarchianism, i.e. modalism, the heresy positing that God really one Person manifested in three ways 2. Modalism involves all three Persons in the Trinity, discussed in other lessons 3. Early heresy: late first, second centuries B. Adoptionism: Jesus was a regular person until God "adopted" Him 1. An attempt to reconcile God as one Person with claims of Jesus as God 2. Belief that Jesus given divine power when He proved Himself holy at baptism: in eyes of some, past sin as man cleansed at baptism, allowing this (cf. Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22) 3. Spirit then works powers (Greek dunamis) in Him (cf. Luke 4, etc.) 4. After resurrection, fully God C. Adoptianism: from eighth century Spain, belief that Jesus not really Son of God, but adopted as Son of God D. Challenges with Adoptionism/Adoptianism 1. Luke 1-2: Jesus declared Son of Most High from birth, astounding ability to teach at 12 2. John 1:14: the Word became flesh and dwelt among mankind 3. Matthew 17:24-27: Jesus the fully legitimate Son 4. Ephesians 1:5: how could we be "adopted" as sons through Christ if He also had been "adopted"? E. Adoptionism, therefore, to be rejected 1. The way to reconcile God as one yet in three Persons is not by stripping the Christ child of His divinity! 2. The Scriptures attest that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of man and Son of God from birth 3. The Scriptures do not indicate that Jesus is God's "adopted" Son in any way, shape, or form, but speak of Jesus in a figure as His "begotten" (Hebrews 1:5) F. Jesus of Nazareth, therefore, is the Word made flesh, Son of man, Son of God, God the Son, and was so from birth (John 1:1, 14) III. Docetism A. Docetism a very ancient heresy (even in first century: cf. 2 John 1:7-11) B. Docetism: belief that Jesus of Nazareth was not really God in the flesh: He was God, seemed to be flesh, but not really flesh 1. From Greek dokeo, "to seem" 2. View of almost all the Gnostic sects regarding the nature of the Logos (Word; John 1:1, 14) 3. Docetism the view of Islam in regards to Jesus (Qu'ran Sura 4:156) C. In the docetic view, all Scriptures relating to Jesus' humanity and being human are to be interpreted metaphorically 1. Jesus never really did anything in the flesh: He just seemed to 2. He was not really crucified: many docetists posited that Simon of Cyrene really the one on the cross 3. The resurrection of the flesh, therefore, remained impossible! D. Challenges with Docetism 1. 2 John 1:7-11: John emphasizes the need to confess that Jesus came in the flesh 2. Those who do not confess it as "antichrists" and "deceivers" 3. The concept of the resurrection is reduced to utter foolishness if Jesus never really was in the flesh, and without Jesus' resurrection, we are lost in our sins (1 Corinthians 15) 4. Likewise, story of Virgin Birth rather irrelevant if Jesus was never really flesh (Matthew 1, Luke 1-2) E. One cannot believe in docetism and accept the Scriptures as written! F. Docetism, therefore, to be rejected G. Jesus of Nazareth is the Word made flesh and really was flesh (John 1:1, 14, 2 John 1:7-11)! IV. Arianism A. Arianism: a late third and early fourth century heresy that led to the Council of Nicaea, perhaps one of the most popular heresies of the day 1. Not a few "bishops" were Arian 2. Arian missionaries converted many of the German hordes that overran the western Roman Empire in the middle of the first millennium 3. Orthodox trinitarianism restored in the Empire by end of fourth century, among German tribes by end of seventh century B. Arianism: belief that the Son was created by the Father: granted, the greatest of the Father's creation, but created nonetheless and therefore subordinate to the Father 1. Named for Arius of Alexandria who first presented the idea 2. Based originally in Proverbs 8:23-24, equivalence of "Wisdom" with the Logos 3. Justified also by Jesus' declaration of the Father's superiority in John 14:28 4. John 17:20-26: ability of man to be united with God as God and Christ are united indicates that God not a Trinity but a union of thought and will 5. Declaration that the Word was begotten based on Psalm 2:7, Hebrews 1:5 C. Difficulties with Arianism 1. Arianism is seductive: it would seem to explain how Jesus is "begotten" of God, subordinate to Him 2. Nevertheless, the doctrine presents challenges 3. Arianism must make Jesus God not by being of the same substance but of being like substance, and how can this be without having more than one God? 4. Romans 1:24-25: giving honor to creation due to Creator as sinful: how could Jesus then be honored as God if He was the creation and not the Creator (cf. Matthew 28:20, John 20:28)? 5. "Begotten" can refer to relationship and not actual derivation 6. God the Son can be subordinate to God the Father in the divine hierarchy while being of the same substance! 7. How can there be a time when the Word was not if the Word is God? D. Council of Nicaea (325) 1. Declares Arianism heretical 2. Affirms that the Son is of the same substance (homoousia) as the Father 3. Affirms that the Son is a distinct being in existence/reality (hypostasis), thus able to be subordinate to Father 4. Jesus as God in essence (ousia) 5. Council and its creed affirmed at the time by many, but disputed for years 6. Council of Constantinople (381) re-affirms Nicaea and its creed E. Arianism thus rejected, but these words and definitions would lead to future controversies F. Difficult matters indeed, but the challenges of Arianism justify its rejection G. Therefore, Jesus of Nazareth is the Word made flesh, of the same substance as the Father, the essence of God, distinct in existence, subordinate to the Father (John 1:1, 14, Colossians 2:9, John 14:28) V. Conclusion A. Thus we have seen many of the early Christological controversies B. Disputes over the nature of Jesus as God and as man C. The Scriptures reveal that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of Man and Son of God from birth, the second Person of the Trinity, truly God and truly flesh, of the same substance as the Father, having the essence of God, uncreated and eternal D. Let us hold firm to these truths and serve Christ the Risen Lord! E. Invitation/songbook Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the same hath both the Father and the Son (2 John 1:9). Ever since Jesus came to this earth there have been questions about His nature. There is much we cannot know; nevertheless, we must hold firm to what we can know. If we go beyond what has been revealed about Jesus, we no longer have God! May we abide in the truth of God in Christ! 2: And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Some have claimed that Jesus was not born the Son of God, but born as a regular human and then adopted by God at His baptism. This view is called adoptionism. Yet, as John confesses, the Word became flesh. That does not sound like adoption! Jesus was always fully God; may we confess this truth! 3: Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not Jesus is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it cometh; and now it is in the world already (1 John 4:2-3). Many have claimed that Jesus really did not die on the cross; He only seemed to. This view is called docetism (from Greek word “to seem”). John declared it heretical and antichrist. To deny Jesus’ death also denies His resurrection and thus the entire Christian faith! Jesus was as fully human as He was fully God! 4: For in [Jesus] dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). Arius recognized Jesus’ divinity but denied His full equality with God. Arianism, in various forms, has existed ever since. Paul says that the fullness of God dwelt as Jesus in bodily form. May we affirm Jesus’ full and substantial divinity!