We are here to continue our systematic theology class. We are working on the subject of Christology. We have already discussed that Jesus is the Messiah, and in this class we will talk about Jesus as Lord and as the Son of Man.
And if possible, we will also address the issue of Jesus as God. But I think we will focus on Jesus as Lord and as the Son of Man in this class. And I want to begin precisely with this definition.
Jesus often refers to himself as the Son of Man in the Gospels, including at a very important moment when he is being judged by the Jewish Sanhedrin. The biblical text says that when questioned about his messiahship, Jesus answers the leader of the Sanhedrin, Caiaphas, saying that yes, he is the Messiah and you will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory. And the question is, the high priest, because of this statement, tears his clothes and blasphemes, and he condemns Jesus to death because of this statement.
The question is: why was the high priest so, you know, enraged, so angry that Jesus called himself the Son of Man? When we look at the context of the Old Testament, the word "Son of Man," as you can see in your presentation, in your slide, is the Hebrew word Benadan, right? And in Aramaic it's the word barnaha, which both mean "Son of Man" in our translation.
And how was this title used in the context of the Old Testament? We see the first appearance of this title in the context of the Old Testament in the book of Ezekiel, when God refers to the prophet. There's that very well-known text, Ezekiel chapter 37, which is the valley of dry bones.
The biblical text says that the Lord took the prophet to a valley full of very dry bones. And the Lord asked him: "Son of man, can these bones live again? " And then the biblical text says that the prophet responds: "Lord, only you know," right?
Another translation could be God. If this is possible, only the Lord can do it. But why does the Lord call him son of man?
To show precisely the prophet's fragility in the face of that impossible situation, beyond his capacity. That is, excuse me, folks, it would be impossible for the prophet Ezekiel, in his own strength, to try to resolve that situation. It was necessary for God to intervene through the work of his Holy Spirit so that the prophet could then be the answer.
And the biblical text says that the Lord then says to him, prophesy, speak the word of the Lord. And then the power of God, which is linked there, of course, to the operation of his word, then comes into action through the work of the Spirit, and that valley of very dry bones then comes back to life. Another way we see that the title Son of Man is used in the context of the Old Testament is precisely to highlight this fragility, this contrast between humanity and the fragility of human nature and the elevated position of God and the angels.
It is very clear in Psalm number eight. You, who, you know, want to open your Bible, but Psalm 8 says: "Lord, Lord, our God, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You, whose glory is sung in the heavens, from the lips of babes and children, have raised up praise to silence my enemies, your enemies who seek revenge.
" And then the psalmist says: "When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which the Lord has set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? " And the answer is: you made them a little lower than the angels. The word here in the original is the Hebrew word Elohim.
And Elohim in the context of the Old Testament is a name given to God. Some translations already show this. You made him a little lower than God and crowned him with glory and honor, and subjected everything under his dominion.
And this is making a direct reference to the text. From Genesis on the creation of man. Genesis 1:26.
And of course, it also refers to the Messiah. It's a messianic psalm here. But notice, the question that is echoed is how God, or why God, cares so much for man?
What is man that the Lord should remember him? What is the son of man that the Lord should visit him? And this is contrasted here with the greatness of God, The grandeur of God's creation.
I contemplate the heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, the stars— what are we before the vastness of this universe? And the psalmist asks: "What is man? " This is a psalm of David, but some interpreters say that it's as if David were writing the psalm from the perspective of someone who was watching the development of creation.
So, it's as if David were composing these psalms from the perspective of an angel, as if he were an angel watching God create all things. And then this angel, seeing the development of God's creation, says: "But why does the Lord care so much about man? Why does the Lord care so much about the son of man?
" And the answer is: because God made us in his image and likeness, or because God made us a little lower than himself, right? You made us a little lower than God. So Psalm 8 highlights this contrast that exists between the greatness of God and our smallness, our insufficiency.
But there is a text in the context of the Old Testament, this text is very important to us, a text that is often forgotten, and which Jesus intentionally, when he used the title Son of Man for himself, was certainly thinking of. I can affirm this 100%, but because of the expectation of what the text proposes to us, it is very clear to me that Jesus had this text in mind when he uttered this title, this self-proclaimed title, which is the title Son of Man. And I'm going to invite you to open your Bible with me, please.
I need to open this text with you in Daniel chapter seven. Daniel chapter 7. Let me open it here.
Daniel 7, verses 13 onwards. Daniel chapter 7 verse 3. What's happening here, folks?
Daniel is having a vision, right? He's having a prophetic anticipation of what is to come. God is giving him a dream.
And if we consider Daniel's vision in chapter 2 of the great statue that Nebuchadnezzar saw and the ramifications, the separations of that statue, what we are seeing here is the transition of the same empires, right? When Nebuchadnezzar saw the statue, the head of gold represented the Babylonian empire, the lower part represented the Medo-Pesanian empire, the torso, right? The chest represented the Medo-Pesanian empire, the two sides, Medes and Pekahs.
The legs represented Greece and the feet represented the Roman Empire, this empire mixed with clay and iron. Daniel is having the same vision here, folks, the same vision. And the biblical text says in verse 13 of chapter 7: "In my vision at night I saw someone like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven.
Do you see? I saw someone like a son of man. " That is, I saw someone of a fragile human aspect, that is, someone whose appearance is like the appearance of a human being.
Before I continue, I just want to highlight what the text says, right? Daniel's vision begins with a winged lion, a lion with wings. The winged lion represents the Babylonian empire .
Then the lion's wings were torn off, and a human heart was given to it. This makes a direct reference to the book of Daniel itself, if I'm not mistaken, in chapter 4, when Nebuchadnezzar prostrates himself and, after spending time there like a beast, acknowledges that only the God of heaven, the God of Daniel, deserves to be worshipped. Then we have a bear that is larger on one side than the other and has three ribs in its mouth.
This crooked bear represents the Median and Persia empires. It is crooked because Persia becomes larger than average, devours, right? Swallows, conquers the Medes.
Three ribs because they represent three parts of the Median empire that were conquered by Persia. Later, Daniel sees a leopard with four heads and wings on its back. This leopard represents the empire of Alexander the Great, the fastest animal.
Remember that Alexander's conquest of the entire world was so rapid, in just 12 years he conquered the whole world, but he died very young, at 33 years old. And his empire was divided into four parts: the Celudae, the Ptolemies, and the Cassandra Elysimaca dynasty. And after that we have a bestial animal that is completely different, with iron teeth, it devours all things, and this animal then.
. . This represents the Roman Empire.
And Daniel says that after this vision, he sees someone who looks like a frail man, right? Someone who looks like a son of man. The text says that he approaches the Ancient of Days, the one who sits on the throne, and he is led into his presence.
The text says that this son of man receives authority, glory, the kingdom, and peoples and nations, and men of every language worship him. And his dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not end, and his kingdom will never be destroyed. This is very interesting.
Why? Because despite this man, despite this figure having a human appearance, frail like a human being, the biblical text says that he receives divine attributes. He receives authority, glory, the kingdom.
And look, peoples and nations of every language bow down to worship him. We know that biblically speaking, anyone who bows down before the image of a man is committing idolatry. And in relation to the throne of God, this would be impossible.
But it is God himself who is guiding, who is yielding, who is conferring upon him this divine honor. And the nations prostrate themselves to worship because they recognize what God has done for this son of man. The text says that his government is eternal and his kingdom will never be destroyed.
People, it is obvious that for us this text makes direct reference to the person of the Lord Jesus. When Jesus is saying to the high priest Annas, to Caiaphas, that you will see the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with great power and glory, he is quoting the text of Daniel chapter 7. And in fact, people, I could tell you that we have already seen this scene.
If you open with me to Revelation chapter five, you will see the same scene that Daniel saw. The difference is that here we have some additional elements, that is, the revelation is progressive, this revelation has grown, Christ has manifested himself, John now has the Holy Spirit. He can then see details of the scene that were restricted for Daniel.
And folks, see if it isn't the same scene, just with a few elements. Revelation 5, the biblical text here, starting from verse 1, says: "Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. " Remember that the scene in chapter 4 is the scene of God's throne.
We just saw God's throne. Chapters 1, 2, and 3. John has a vision of the churches.
He sees the Lamb, and now he will be taken up to contemplate God's throne. He sees God himself seated on the throne, 24 elders prostrate before him, 12 on each side, and four living creatures. God's throne is at the center of history, at the center of the universe, all the reality of creation revolving around God's throne.
And the text says that he sees in the hand of the one seated on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. It's generally agreed in theology that this book refers to God's plans for history. And why do I say this?
Because when you read the rest of Revelation, you'll realize that after Jesus receives this book and breaks its seals, God's plans for humanity will be revealed. The seals are opened, right? When the seals are opened, you then have seven bowls, then you have the seven cups of God's wrath.
So you have God's plans unfolding for all of humanity. So God's plans are sealed, they are restricted. Why?
Because there is no one worthy to execute them. There is no one worthy to open the seals, to break the seals, to shatter the seals and open the book. There is no one worthy to put God's plans into action.
The biblical text says that I, John, uh, pardon me, verse 3. However, no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the book or even look inside it. Verse 4.
And I, John, wept much, because no one was found worthy to open the book or even to look into it. Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. ” And why should I not weep?
He will say, because behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, people, Genesis 39, the prophecy of Jacob, which we saw there, Jesus as the Messiah, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, second Samuel, Chapter 7:1, the promise that God would raise up a descendant of David to reign forever. He conquered to open the book and loose its seals. Then the angel said to John, "Do not weep, John, for the lion has prevailed.
The lion of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed. He is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals. " And when John looked to see this lion, this Root of David, what did he see?
In the center of the throne, surrounded by the four living creatures and the elders, he saw a lamb. He didn't see a lion, he saw a lamb standing as if it had been slain. And the text says that it had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the spirits of God sent throughout the earth.
It has all knowledge, all discernment, and the fullness of the Spirit. The text says that it approaches the one who sits on the throne. And the text says that upon receiving all the creatures in heaven, the four living creatures, the 24 elders, prostrate themselves before the Lamb, each of them having harps full of golden bowls and full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints, and they sang the new covenant.
Song. That is, instead of Jesus being described here as a fragile figure, as the son of man, as Daniel in chapter 7, the fragile figure here appears in the text as that of a lamb. Although he is the lion who comes from David, he is fragile.
He is seen as a lamb that has just been sacrificed. It's perceptible. You can see it.
You can look at him and realize that he was a lamb as if it had been killed. The marks, the blood of the covenant were still present there. Living blood.
It was possible to perceive this because he is the son of man, right? He receives all power, authority, the nations, the peoples prostrate themselves to recognize his rule, because he is the son of man, because he is the Word of God who became flesh, dwelt among us, seen in fragility so that he could receive all power and authority now in heaven and on earth. Jesus is the son of man.
Amen. People, I really like this title because Son of Man is a title that easily reconciles divinity and humanity in the same title. You have divinity because despite being a man you receive the prerogatives He is divine and receives adoration, he receives the attributes that are given to God, that is given to this Son of Man, but at the same time he is fragile.
He is the Lamb. He is the Son of Man who presents himself before God with all power and majesty. Hallelujah.
And we also have here for this lesson the title of Jesus as Lord, Jesus as the Krios. And I put for you that the recognition that Jesus Christ is Lord is in his presentation, it's there in Romans 10:9-10, right? If you confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. So, Jesus Christ being Lord seems to have become one of the first confessions of the Christian faith, serving to distinguish between those who do not believe and those who believe in Jesus. So, remember, when Israel is Freed and taught by God, Israel is taught to confess.
God's people are a confessing people, right? Israel confesses. It's there in Deuteronomy chapter 6: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one.
He is wrong. The Lord your God is wrong. He is unique.
He is a composite unity. " And then it says: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. " And now God's people continue walking, confessing.
But the faith of God's people, now confessed, is that Jesus is the Kirios. We cry out, we confess that Jesus is the Kirios. The interesting thing, folks, and I want to make this very clear to you, is that the word kirios used in the Greek text.
. . So, when you read in your Bible in the New Testament, always in Philippians, Philippians chapter 2, starting from verse five, it says that we should have the same attitude as Christ, who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! of the cross. Therefore God highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that he is the Lord.
The word Lord here in Greek, folks, is the word kyrios. And it's worth remembering that when the Old Testament was translated into Greek—so you have to remember, right? Maybe you've already seen this in some class, because the Old Testament was written predominantly in Hebrew and Aramaic, right?
Mostly in Hebrew, some points, some parts in Aramaic, but with the domination of Alexander and with many Jews living in Alexandria, they decided to translate the Old Testament into the Greek language. And then there's that story of the 70, right? 70 scribes who were separated, placed one in each place for a long period of days.
So each one translated the Old Testament from the original languages into Greek, and then they combined the versions to make a comparison, you know, to verify. And they realized that the 70 were exactly the same, right? That's how the legend of the Septuagint, the version of the 70, came about.
The word used in the Greek text for the name of God. So you know that the name of God in the context of the Old Testament is Yahé, right? Or YHWH, Jehovah.
Some say Jehovah, Yahweh. We don't know the correct pronunciation of God's name. The Jews say Adonai or the Eternal, because God's name was lost.
Some people think that this loss of God's name happened during the Babylonian captivity so that God's name would not be mocked among the nations. So, the pronunciation was lost because the vowels were removed from the Hebrew alphabet. I really don't know.
What I do know is that God's name was lost. We don't know the exact pronunciation because the vowels were indeed removed. From Hebrew, but we usually say, right, that YHWH, the I AM, Yahweh, Yahveh, that's the name of God.
The name of God, the holy name of God, when it was translated from Hebrew to Greek, the word used is the word kyrios. So, folks, look at what we confess. And sometimes you may not have realized this when we say that before Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, we are saying that Jesus is Yahweh.
Jesus is God. Before Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Yahweh. Jesus is God.
Can you understand, everyone? And I want to show you this in the biblical text. I want to show you that in fact, when Paul makes this confession in Philippians, Paul is singing a hymn, right?
This passage from Philippians that I just mentioned to you, Philippians 2:5-11. This passage was a hymn that the early church sang, folks. But this hymn, of course, couldn't have come from anywhere else but the Holy Scriptures.
If you open with me to Isaiah 45, open it quickly, Isaiah 45, starting from verse 23, Isaiah 45. Actually, I think we're going to read a little earlier here. Let's read here, uh, let's read here from verse 20.
God is speaking here to his people. Amen. To the people of Israel.
Isaiah 45:20. "Assemble yourselves and come," says the Lord, "gather together, you fugitives from the nations. If you are ignorant, you who carry around a wooden image and pray to these gods seeking salvation, you are ignorant.
" Do you see? Look what God is saying. You who are out there, fleeing through the nations, seeking God to try to save yourselves, you are fools.
Verse 21. Declare what must be. Present evidence so that they may counsel one another.
And then God asks: "Who long ago foretold this? Who declared the distant past? It was not I, the Lord.
That is, declare what must be. Speak, present evidence. Come on, counsel one another.
But who, who has this ability to say what is, from the most remote past, who has this ability? It is not I, the Lord. And then God will say: "There is no other.
" In truth, who can say from the most remote past what will happen, right? Who has this knowledge of the entire span of time, if not I, the Lord. And then God says: "There is no other besides me, a just and saving God.
There is no other besides me. " Verse 22. Turn to Me and you will be saved.
So, understand what's at stake here. People are seeking in idols what only God can give. And God is saying, it's no use, you'll be searching in vain, because only I can save.
And the proof of this is that I announce the future from ancient times. You can talk, you can seek advice, but you will end up stumbling upon me, because I am the only God who can save. Turn to me and you will be saved from all the ends of the earth, because I am God and there is no other.
And then we have the text Isaiah 45:23. Pay attention. By myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, and my mouth has uttered a decree in all integrity, a word that will not be revoked.
People, look at this. Before me every knee will bow. At me every tongue will judge.
They will speak about me. Only in the Lord is righteousness and strength. I just want to remind you that the word justice in the context of the Old Testament is not the same thing as judgment.
Justice is God's ability to organize what is in chaos. Justice is every act of God to transform the world from chaos into an ordered world. That is, salvation.
Only in the Lord is salvation and the ability to save. All who hate will be put to shame by Him. But in Yahé, right?
So you see that God's name is in uppercase and all capital letters, because it is God's name. In Yahé, all the descendants of Israel will be considered righteous and will rejoice. Folks, I just need you to open with me to Paul's text in Philippians, because Paul is echoing this prophecy in this song that the early church sang .
But Paul is basically saying here that the God who saves us, the God who proves His faithfulness and has the ability to save us is Jesus. Jesus is Yahé. Before Jesus, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess: "The God who saves us has a name.
Jesus is Yahweh. " And then things change, right? Because it's not just saying Jesus is the Lord, Jesus is Yahweh.
He is God. Let's read Philippians 2 from verse 5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.
Although he was God, equal to the Father, of the same nature, of the same kind, worthy of honor and glory, equal to the Father, although distinct in person, Jesus did not consider his equality with God something to be used to his advantage. No, he emptied himself, he took the form of a servant, he became like men. And the text says that being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
For this reason, therefore God the Father exalted him to the highest position and gave him the name that is above every name. For what purpose? So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Kirios, is Yahweh, to the glory of God the Father.
Before me, every knee will bow and every tongue confess. Only in the Lord is justice and strength. Those who turn against him will be put to shame.
But in Yahweh, God's people will find salvation and rejoice. Jesus is Yahweh. And then you can understand why Christians refused to call the Roman emperor Kirios.
Why were Christians so persecuted and undermined the foundations of the Roman structure through this confession? Because when the Roman confessed that the emperor was Kirios, that was the title the Roman emperor had arrogated to himself. The Roman emperor called himself Lord of the world and son of God.
What madness! So, by saying Caesar is Krios, people were saying Caesar is the very son of the gods, the very son of God, the very son of Jupiter and Lord of the world. People, Christians would never do that.
Never, because for them there was only one who was the true son of God and the Lord of the world. And that person was the Lord Jesus Christ. And that's why they were persecuted, that's why they were tortured, that's why they were expelled from the commercial associations.
They were expelled from the, I forgot the name here, the commercial syndicates within Rome. They couldn't buy or sell because they didn't worship false gods, they didn't confess Caesar. Like the Lord, they did not render devotion to the Holy City of Rome as an immaculate goddess.
And so the Christians were persecuted. Why, people? They didn't want to confess.
There is only one Lord, and He is the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. People, there's time here.
So, I want to finish this lesson by showing you that Jesus is not only the Son of God, right? Actually, Son of God, we'll talk about that in the next lesson, sorry. Not only that Jesus is the Son of Man, not only that Jesus is the Lord, but also that Jesus is God.
Jesus is God. And there are three, your slide has this statement, there are three clear occasions in the New Testament where Jesus is presented, sorry, is presented as divine. People, the first very clear occasion, right, in the New Testament where Jesus is presented as divine, is in the introductory note of the Gospel of John.
In the beginning, right, it says there, John, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. So the text says that the Word was with God, the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The Word is God. And then in John 14 it says that the Word of God became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. The second moment in which Jesus is clearly seen as divine in the Gospels, in the New Testament, is in Thomas' confession.
In John 20:28, you know the story, the biblical text says that Jesus is resurrected, appears to the women, then appears to the disciples, they are behind locked doors, but Thomas was not with him. And the disciples then testify to Thomas, "We saw the Master, he was here with us. " But the biblical text says that Thomas responds with disbelief, saying that he saw the Master, but nothing.
"You saw a ghost. Unless I see him and touch his hands and put my hand into his side, I will not believe. " The text says that a few days later, a week later, they were still there locked up, right?
Doors closed for fear of the Jews. And suddenly Jesus appears in their midst and says, "Peace be with you. " Imagine that scene.
Peace be with you, everyone. How can you have peace? You're there afraid of dying, and suddenly Jesus appears on foot.
I imagine that scene, but the biblical text says that Jesus says, "Peace be with you. " Immediately he turns to Thomas. I imagine Thomas in that scene.
Jesus turns to Thomas and says, "Thomas, are you alright? How are you doing, Thomas? " Well, you doubted here, look.
Put your finger in my hand. Put your finger in my side. Don't be unbelieving, Thomas, but believe.
Then the biblical text says that Thomas prostrates himself and confesses. Look at this. My Lord, my Christ, and my God.
Thomas confesses that Jesus is his Lord and he is his God. He is the true God, his Lord. And then you'll get to know it, right?
You know the text. Jesus turns to Thomas and says, "Because you have seen, you have believed? " Wonderful, but blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed, right?
They have much more joy. So, the second, the second moment in which clearly, folks, I'm not saying these are the only ones, okay? But of course, the second moment in which Jesus is clearly seen as God in the New Testament is in Thomas' confession.
We have moments when Jesus is worshipped, we have the miracles that Jesus performs, but here the confession is very explicit: he is God. And we also have it in the letter to the Hebrews, folks, in the opening of the letter to the Hebrews, in chapter 1, verse 8, you also have that introductory note. Long ago God spoke in various ways to our ancestors through the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
The text says that the Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. He sustains all things by the word of his power. The text says that after he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, becoming far superior to the angels, because the name he received is far more excellent.
For to which of the angels did God say, “You are my Son, and today I have begotten you”? Or to which of the angels did God say, “Sit at my right hand until I place the Son in my presence until I set you above the Son of Man? ” "Your enemies will be a footstool for your feet.
" But about the Son it is said: "Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. Your throne, O God.
" "Your throne, O God. " And we also have the functions, right, that the New Testament shows us, which makes it very explicit that Jesus is God. Not only the clear titles, right?
The confessions, the introduction to the Gospel of John, the confession of Thomas, the opening of Hebrews, but we have here clearly, right, the actions of Jesus that confirm that he is our Savior. So, the Old Testament affirms that Jesus is the Savior, pardon me, the New Testament affirms that Jesus is the savior of humanity, right, folks? The Old Testament affirms that only God can save.
So, there is this full awareness that if only God is the Savior, only God could save humanity. The first Christians openly confessed that Jesus is the Savior, thus confessing that Jesus is divine. And the Christians began to use a symbol for this confession.
And what symbol was that? It's a fish, right? Some people think that Christians use the fish as a symbol because the fish multiplies, right?
And here the church multiplied, folks, it has nothing to do with that. Christians use fish because The word for fish in Greek is "ictus," okay? And "ictus" became an acrostic for Christians, which is "Christos theos sotter.
" Theo, the Soter, which is Jesus Christ, son of God, Savior. So this inscription is "Christos theos theos sotter theos soter," right? The word for son is "os" in Greek.
So, Christ theos sotter, Jesus Christ, son of God, Savior. That's what this word "ic" means. The acrostic, the motto.
Jesus Christ is the son of God. He is our savior. That's why the little fish.
OK. The New Testament affirms that Jesus saves people from their sins, as Matthew 1:21 says, there is no other name given among men by which we must be saved, as Acts 4:12 says, Jesus is the author of our salvation, as Hebrews 2:10 says, Christ is the Savior and the Lord, folks. So, among others, right, among these and In addition to numerous other statements, it is understood that Jesus is acting as God, doing things that God himself can do.
So, if Jesus is performing God's function, who is he? He is God. Amen, everyone?
He is God. This is very important because, for some segments of Christian theology, as we discussed in our first lesson, the confession that Jesus is divine came later, after death. There is no resurrection, in this theological perspective.
Or Jesus is resurrected in a way, in our hearts, but not literally in body. So, people say: "Oh, no, that came later. The confession that Jesus is God came later, right?
" But that was an addition by the church to preserve the memory of Christ, so that the movement he had started would not be lost. But for us, the church has always confessed, because the people of God are a confessing people, that Jesus is the Christ, Jesus is the Lord. Okay?
We also see here, folks, that Jesus is God because he is worshipped. He is worshipped. And, folks, this is very important.
Within the Jewish context, in which the first Christians lived, only God was worshipped. Only God was worshipped. You must remember that the first commandment, right, in the Decalogue of Moses, the first commandment, right, after the introduction there, "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
" The first thing God says is: "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not profane the name of the Lord your God.
Keep the Sabbath day holy. " So, we have this clear commandment here, folks. In fact, all the suffering that Israel experienced in the context of the Old Testament was to learn to be monotheistic, right?
I remembered the word here, remember I had forgotten? Monotheistic. Israel began as, right, enotheistic or monolatrous.
They worshipped God as the greatest God, but recognized other gods. That is why they indulged in idolatry. But after the suffering of captivity, Israel returned confessing: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one.
There is no other; there is none else. He is the only God, and there is no other. " And Israel, after the In exile, he learned to be monotheistic.
Only God and no other. So this was very serious, folks. In fact, this isn't only serious in the context of Old Testament teachings.
In the introduction to Paul's letter to the Romans, Paul begins by saying that the wrath of God, Romans 1:18, is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. For what can be known about God—his invisible attributes and his eternal power—can be seen in the things God has created. But the Bible says that men prefer to suppress the truth in unrighteousness and transform the truth of God into nothing.
And they exchange the worship of the true God for the worship of images of birds, quadrupeds, and reptiles. That is, placing anything from creation before God and prostrating themselves before this creature as if it were the creator. We call this idolatry.
Idolatry. But the early church worshipped Jesus. We have many accounts in the New Testament of women prostrating themselves, worshipping, kissing, and anointing his feet, and at no point does Jesus say, "No, don't do that.
" In Revelation 21 or 22, I think Revelation 22, when John is finishing receiving the revelation , the Bible says there's an angel near him, an angel with him there helping John to discern the revelations. And the Bible says that John goes to prostrate himself to worship the angel who was communicating with him. The angel tells John, "Rise, man, worship only God," right?
So, if you encounter an angel out there receiving worship, open your eyes. There is only one who is worthy to receive worship. But despite Jesus receiving worship, there is no embarrassment whatsoever, neither in him nor in those who worship him, nor in the community of faith that recognizes that Christ is God.
Look how interesting, in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 2, Paul says, right, that he is writing to those who are holy and sanctified in Christ, together with those who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps this word "call on" isn't very familiar to you, but when you look at the context of the Old Testament, do you discover that the word "call on" appeared in place of the word "worship. " When the patriarchs went to worship God, raising altars of worship, what did they do?
They called on the name of the Lord. This appears in Genesis 4:26, in Genesis 3:4, in Psalm 105 verse 1, in Jeremiah 10:25, in Joel 2:32, right? "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
" To call on here is to worship, to prostrate oneself, to acknowledge authority. So, the text says that the Christians of Corinth are holy and sanctified along with those who call upon, those who worship the Lord Jesus Christ. And this shows that from the very beginnings of Christianity, the church already worshipped, already recognized that Christ is God, that Christ is divine.
It is understood, then, that Jesus acts as God because he is the object of worship. And finally, here to conclude our lesson, the last way we clearly perceive that Jesus is divine. So, besides being worshipped, besides fulfilling the role that God himself is willing to fulfill, and the introductory notes we saw here in John, in Hebrews, and in the confession of Thomas, we also have here the fourth affirmation that Jesus is the one who perfectly reveals who God is.
He reveals the totality of the divine. In John chapter 14, verse 9, Jesus says to Philip, "Philip, whoever has seen me has seen the Father," right? Jesus is talking there with the disciples.
Do you know the text? John 14:1 begins, right? " Your hearts are not self-seeking.
Believe me when I say, 'I believe in you. ' And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and see that you also are with me. " Then the text says that Thomas says, "Lord, we don't know the way, do we?
" Then Jesus says to Thomas, "Thomas, since you don't know the way, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. " And then the text says that Philip turns to the Lord and says, "That's it, Lord.
That's it. Show us the Father, and that's enough for us, right? We want to have a beatific vision.
We want to have a vision of God. If we have seen God, "That's enough. " And then Jesus speaks, speaks to Philip: "Philip, I have been with you so long, and you still do not know me.
Believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Believe at least through the works themselves. The works I do are not my own, Philip.
The works I do are the works of my Father. Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
" So, these remarkable words, folks, from the Gospel of John, so characteristic of the fourth Gospel, emphasize the belief that the Father speaks and acts in the Son. God is revealed in Jesus and through him. Folks, pay attention.
To have seen Jesus is to have seen the Father. In other words, Jesus must be understood once again as the one who acts as God. I always like to tell my students the following, right?
I joke in the classroom, who wants to see God? Then everyone: "Ah, I want to see God, I want to see God. Hallelujah!
I want to see God, I want to see God. " And I tell them, when you arrive in eternity, when you enter through the gates of eternity, you will see God. Then, folks, oh, hallelujah, glory to God.
Then I say: "In the face. " Then it always brings a down feeling, you know? It brings a down feeling.
People say: "Wow, I thought I was going to see God. " Then I say: "People, for God's sake, didn't you understand what I said? Whoever sees the Son sees the Father.
There is nothing of the Father that cannot be revealed in the Son. Whoever sees the Son sees the Father. We will see the face of God in the face of the Son.
Because the Son is the visible God. The image of the invisible God is the God who became visible, incarnate, the Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, we will see the face of God, because whoever looks at the Son sees the Father.
Amen, dear ones? With this wonderful affirmation that fills the heart and even makes you want to spin around and enter the chemanaias here, I will end this lesson with you and I'll see you then at our next meeting to talk about Jesus as the Son of God. This lesson will take up a whole class because it has a lot of content, okay?
And then we will go into Christological heresies and move on to the rest of the content. God bless you. I hope you are enjoying the lesson very much.
See you at our next meeting. Until then.
