Chapter 7 | What Has God Done? (Part 1) The Doctrines of Christology, Atonement, and Justification

Key Verse: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were created through him, and apart from him not one thing was created that had been created. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. John 1:1-4

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

For Further Study:*

Books:

Jesus Through the Eyes of Women, by Rebecca McLaughlin

Person of Interest, by J. Warner Wallace

Videos:

“How Jesus Changes Sinners,” Nancy Guthrie

“Who is Jesus?” Tim Barnett, Alan Shelmon, Greg Koukl, and Brett Kunkle, Stand to Reason,

Podcast:

“Who is the Real Jesus?” Tim Keller

Infographic:

“Penal Substitutionary Atonement,” Tim Challies

Theology with Old Friends:

Martin Luther and the life of Christ

Teen Content:

10 Questions Every Teen Should Ask (and Answer) about Christianity, by Rebecca McLaughlin

Kids’ Content:

“What Sort of Redeemer Is Needed to Bring Us Back to God?” The New City CatechismSeeds Kids Worship playlist

Talking with Your Kids about Jesus, by Natasha Crain

The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross, by Carl Laferton

Summary:

Brief Definition: The eternal Son of God was sent by the Father, taking on a human nature, in order to accomplish salvation for sinful humanity in His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

Our salvation is accomplished by the only person who has ever lived who is fully God and fully man.

If you have a view of God that is inconsistent with Jesus, then you do not have a God that should be worshiped but an idol to be destroyed. God is just like Jesus. If we want to know what God is like, we need look no further than Jesus.

Jesus became incarnate to reveal God, but even better, Jesus is God coming to rescue us. The Son was sent not merely for our illumination but for our salvation. And to accomplish that, He had to assume a human nature—a nature in which He became exactly like you and me, with one exception: He did not sin.

The doctrine of atonement means Jesus’s death accomplished the following:

● It was a substitute for a just penalty.

● It satisfied the wrath of God.

● It cleansed our impurity.

● It granted us righteousness.

● It reconciled us to God forever.

● It defeated death on a cosmic level.

The cross is the collision of the justice and mercy of God, saving sinners who could never save themselves.

All who belong to Jesus will one day emerge victorious from their graves taunting Satan, sin and death. Death does not have the final word for Christians—resurrection does.

In Christ, you are forgiven (Acts 5:31).

In Christ, you are saved (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5).

In Christ, you are justified (Galatians 2:16).

In Christ, you are reconciled (Romans 5:11).

In Christ, you are loved (1 John 3:16).

In Christ, you are adopted (Galatians 4:5).

In Christ, you are cleansed (Acts 15:9, Ephesians 5:26).

In Christ, you are healed (1 Peter 2:24).

In Christ, you are redeemed (Hebrews 9:15, Galatians 3:13).

In Christ, you are free (Revelation 1:5).

In Christ, you are rescued (Galatians 1:4).

In Christ, you are triumphant (Colossians 2:15).

In Christ, you have hope (Colossians 1:27).

In Christ, you have an inheritance (1 Peter 1:4).

In Christ, you have peace (Colossians 1:20).

In Christ, you have rest (Hebrews 4:3).

God made everything, including you. He is good and He is King. He made you with divine dignity to reign and rule on His behalf in order to accomplish His purposes in the world. But instead of living as God’s image-bearers, we’ve rebelled against Him—each and every one of us. But God, being rich in mercy, doesn’t abandon us to death and despair. He is the God who, in His deep love for us, came to rescue us—He came to rescue you. He has come to cleanse, forgive, and welcome His children back home. He doesn’t invite us back into His kingdom as a servant. He invites us back into His kingdom as sons and daughters as co-heirs with Christ. We hope you believe that.

Discussion/Reflection Questions:

1. How balanced is your conception of the dual nature of Christ? Which nature do you tend to emphasize over the other—divine or human? Why do you think your emphasis tends to lie in that direction?

2.How does Jesus’s life of perfect obedience help you understand the good news of the gospel better? How does it call you to follow His example? Specifically, what sin do you need to confess and turn from?

3.How should the resurrection of Christ impact the way believers look toward their own deaths? How does it speak to our fears about death and dying?

4.How does the ascension address our anxieties when we feel life is out of control? What current anxiety would be reduced for you if you meditated on the reality of Christ’s current reign and rule of all things?

5.Look back through the list of Christ’s accomplishments on your behalf. Which one is hardest for you to believe is true about you? Memorize the Scripture reference so that you can meditate on the glorious truth(s) about who you are in Christ.

*Disclaimer: Our ultimate authority and resource will always be the Bible, and any other resource should be used as a supplement. While we believe the authors represented here have done excellent work to provide insight and clarity in these topics, we may not endorse every statement or position they hold (past, present, future).