Lecture Notes: Who is the True Christ?

Introduction

• Theme: Understanding who the true Christ is.
• Prayer: Emphasizes humility, submission to God's word, learning from Christian tradition.
• Objective: To worship Christ as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Scripture and the Word of God

• Warnings: Scripture warns against denying, distorting, or diminishing the Word of God.
  • Three Meanings of the Word of God:
    1. Eternal Word: Jesus Christ.
    2. Proclaimed Word: Given to prophets and apostles.
    3. Written Word: Scripture itself.
• Historical Warnings:
  • Serpent distorted God’s Word (Genesis 3).
  • Moses warned against altering the law.
  • Jeremiah rebuked false prophets.
  • Jesus affirmed the written word’s unalterability and warned of false Christs.

Apostolic and Early Church Views

• Apostles: Rebuked heretical teachings about Christ.
• Biblical Canon: Warns against altering divine word; asserts Christ’s return for judgment.

Identifying the True Christ

• Chalcedonian Formula: Basics of true Christology.
• Heresies: Arise to mislead but highlight the importance of defending true teachings.
• Early Church Fathers: Their teachings help discern the true Christ.

Importance of Knowing the True Christ

1. Salvation: Only through the true Christ can one enter God's kingdom.
2. Role as Ambassadors: Christians must speak boldly about Christ without distorting the gospel.
3. Worship: Requires understanding the true Christ to avoid idolatry.
4. Human Limitation: Recognizing that our understanding of God’s nature is limited.

Mystery of Christ

• Cyril of Alexandria: Human attempts fail to capture Christ’s mysterious nature.
• Mystery Defined: Christ himself is the mystery, not philosophical conundrums.

Christ's Divinity and Humanity

• Athanasius of Alexandria: Defended Christ's full divinity against Arianism.
• Partitive Exegesis: Helps understand biblical references to Christ’s divinity and humanity.
• Christology: Christ is fully God and fully man; this must be maintained in orthodox belief.

Early Church Fathers on Logos

• Justin Martyr and Augustine: Explored Christ as the Logos.
  • General Illumination: Logos enlightens all but doesn’t provide saving knowledge.
  • Pagan Philosophies: Some truths recognized but lack the fullness of Christ's revelation.

Athanasius and Cyril

• Athanasius: Emphasized Christ’s divine immutability; scriptural exegesis to affirm Christ’s deity.
• Cyril of Alexandria: Continued defense of orthodox Christology against heresies.

Conclusion

• Goal: Recognize true Christ by understanding historical orthodox consensus and refuting heresies.
• Outline of Study:
  • Logos in early church thought.
  • Orthodox Christology development.
  • Review early church fathers and ecumenical councils.