The Opposing Jesus’: Christological heresies of history vs the Christ of Scripture.

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Introduction

Hello Ladies! Welcome to another episode of Thoroughly Equipped, I am your host MelbaToast. So thankful that you have joined me, I pray this episode blesses you and brings glory to God.

Today we are going to dive into a little history, a little theology, and a lot of Christology. 

Just Who is Jesus?  

The popular teachers in the American evangelical women’s ministries of today, want to encourage you with what God has to say about you. But what God says about us will not cause us to trust Christ. It will, however, cause us to trust ourselves. Who these women preach will be who we put our faith, trust and love in. Words that God has to say about us may assure us of His love but even that assurance is made stronger the more we know Jesus.

Here’s an analogy that might help. I’ve used this analogy before with friends and family. 

(Argument: why we need to get know Christ- because it builds our trust which produces good works)

The analogy goes like this:

You like to write but never thought you were one to become an author.

A stranger gets hold of your writing and tells you that you should produce a book.

You take the compliment but move on. As time goes on you become friends with the stranger. The stranger. You find out they love to read. You find out later they write themselves. Then you find out more that they are an author as well. And even more, that they are a best selling author. Time goes on and you come to learn later they have been a best selling author for months and multiple books at that. Then over time you find out they own and operate a publishing company, etc.

Ok, so, in the beginning, based on your knowledge of that stranger you merely see their suggestion as a compliment. There is no trust there. But as your knowledge of that stranger grows from acquaintance to friend, your trust grows. The more information you gather about this person, the more your faith grows in what they say in regards to you and your writing ability. The more you find out about their knowledge and authority on the issue, the more you are likely to take their advice and become an author trusting in their word.

This is how our faith is built. It is built on the knowledge of Jesus Christ. The person of Jesus Christ. The more we come to know Him the more we trust what He says, and what He has done and will do, then the more we will act in faith producing the good works His word tells us to do.

For us women, knowing Jesus, trusting in Him and walking in His word affects our homes. And all of it starts with the Gospel, with our salvation. If we are not clear on the Gospel, the good news that Christ has paid the penalty for our sins(Luke 24:46-47), gives us His righteousness (2Corin.5:21), and make us heirs with Christ (Gal.3:29), all this received by faith, then what we do in our homes apart from this Gospel is vanity (Eccles.)

So let’s look at Jesus, the Son of God, given to us in Scripture. 

(Getting Jesus right)

There are 5 things about Christ that we must confront and come to acknowledge about Christ that are essential to salvation. I will discuss WHY they are essential in this episode but want to quickly lay them out here for you.

1. That Jesus is fully/truly God (John 1*)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. ⁴ In him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

⁶ There was a man sent from God, whose name was  John. ⁷ He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. ⁸ He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

⁹ The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. ¹¹ He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. ¹² But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. ¹⁵ (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) ¹⁶ For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ¹⁷ For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.(John 1:1-18)

In Christ the fullness of deity dwells (Col.2:9)

Christ, Himself, claimed to be God. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.  I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

³¹ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” ³³ The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:27-33)

2. That Jesus is fully/truly human 

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:5-8).

The apostles lived with Christ. They ate with Him, walked with Him, listened to Him, touched Him. They saw and knew Him as a human. That which was  from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life (1John 1:1)

3. That Jesus is sinless.

Christ committed no sin, nor had deceit in His mouth (1Pet 2:22). He knew no sin (2Corin.5:21) and is our High Priest who has been tempted in all things like we are, yet He is without sin (Heb.4:15), ALWAYS doing that which pleased the Father (John 8:29)

4. That Jesus died bodily on the cross and endured separation from God the Father.

Christ suffered on the cross, was for a time forsaken by the Father (Mark 15:34), gave up His spirit and died (Matt 27:50; John 19:30).

5. That Jesus rose bodily from the dead (Matt. 28)

Jesus was clear that the temple of His body would be destroyed but that He would raise it up in 3 days (John 2:18-21). He describes Himself as having a physical body that can be seen, can be touched,  and receives food. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” ³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ³⁹ See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” ⁴⁰ And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. ⁴¹ And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate before them. (Luke 24:36-43)

These 5 teachings describe the person and work of Christ. There is so much more from Scripture that we can come to know about Christ. Such things as His character, how He is all knowing, how He is love, how he is Holy, and much more. All of these, though, will relate to these 5 basic truths about Christ and His work.

But, why do these things matter? How did the church come to realize that these were important necessary truths that one has to hold to for salvation?

(Christological heresies in the early church)

The devil is by no means slow to deceive. Neither do we humans hold firm to truth apart from God’s grace in His keeping us from deception. And that is exactly what we see happen so early in the formation of the church. Not long after Christ’s ascension and the giving of the Holy Spirit do we see Satan disguising himself as an angel of light (2Corin.11:14), sneaking in his lies and teachings through wolves in sheeps clothing (Matt.7:15).

One of the first deceptive teachings that snuck into the church were teachings that attack Jesus, His deity, His humanity, and His resurrection.

I want to look at a few of these heresies so you can identify them if they should ever cross your path.

Before we look at the heresies though, I want to make a case for why this should matter to you. 

(The main problem of presenting a different Jesus)

If we present a different Jesus, undermining His deity, humanity, death and resurrection we attack what God has revealed about Himself in the Godhead and attack the Gospel, the means by which God has chosen to save or the blessings that are given in salvation.

The church over the centuries has combated teachings which we call heresies. I think it’s important to understand that the goal of the church, over a vast amount of time, in combating heresy, was not to reject people or be exclusive. That’s not the main goal of the church. It is an outcome but not a goal. The goal of the church was always to clarify words, especially hold to the words given in Scripture. This being, because words matter. Words have meaning, and we in our sinful finite ways can misrepresent, misunderstand, and get lost in translation, meanings and definitions of words. Yet, words are how we convey knowledge, how we come to understanding and once coming to knowledge and understanding, we walk in them. So knowledge and clarification is the goal in creating creeds and combating heresies. 

(Why getting our savior right is so important)

Scripture is very clear about the importance of getting Jesus right.

Jesus himself warned of people proclaiming a different Jesus. He made very clear that people may do works in his name but will be cast out because they actually did not know him.

Getting Jesus right matters. Jesus, after warning of false prophets (people who claim to speak words given to them by God) informs us in Matthew 7:21-23 that “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ ²³ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

We see Christ informing us that it is those who follow His instructions, those who abide in His words, these are His disciples, these are one’s who are in the truth and are set free (John 8:31). His words are life, His words are the truth, He is THE FINAL PROPHET who speaks for God (Heb.1:2). 

God takes His word very seriously. So seriously that death was the penalty should one be found out to falsely speak for God in the Old Covenant. 

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, ² and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ ³ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. ⁴ You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. ⁵ But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the LORD your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.(Deut 13:1-5)

We have seen from Scripture that Christ claimed to be God, that He and the Father are one. So from this passage we can understand that for one to follow a different Jesus would also be following a different God. Just like the Isrealites were instructed to not follow a prophet who urged the people to follow after a different God, we do not follow teachers who call us to follow a different Jesus.

And there is good reason. For an attack on any of these attributes of Christ not only direct our worship to a false god but undermine the salvific work of the Gospel.

So now that I’ve made the case for the importance of getting Jesus right, let’s look at the main heresies that attack these attributes of Jesus and His work accomplished on the cross.

So let’s look at the attacks on these 5 characteristics/attributes of Christ which undermine the Gospel.

But first I want to make clear the term heresy. What is a heresy? 

Heresy is a teaching that denies the revealed truth as given in Scripture. For Christians, these teachings appear to be Christian in nature but actually deny or contradict it’s essence. The essence of Christian faith and life is Christ and His work, the Gospel. 2 Pet.2:1 explains how there were/are false teachers among us, who secretly bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought us.

The first heresy we will look at is:

A Jesus that is not fully/truly God. This is known as Arianism. It denies the divinity of Christ, describing the Son as created by the Father, that He had a beginning in time. They hold Christ up in high regard by claiming He is similar in substance, making Him higher in being but not consubstantial  meaning the SAME in substance or essence.

Now why is this important and how does it affect the Gospel? 

Besides denying clear Scripture teachings that God Himself would be our savior and redeemer (Isa. 54:5; Hos.13:4), and that Christ was with God and IS God (John 1:1-18), to deny that Christ is God effects Christ’s atoning work on the cross as a mere created being cannot pay the full payment of our sins. 

In short: to sin against a holy infinite God is a terrible and fearful thing. Because God is holy, infinite, and just, to transgress against Him requires infinite payment, a payment a finite being cannot repay. Not only that but also a righteousness that one born of man cannot achieve. It is these two infinite things that are given to us by faith: the infinite payment due to an infinite God and an infinite righteousness given to finite sinful beings. What GOOD news, what a loving God!

The Creator Himself, humbled Himself, took on flesh, and made restitution for us. 

“We tend to focus our attention at Christmas on the infancy of Christ. The greater truth of the holiday is His deity. More astonishing than a baby in the manger is the truth that this promised baby is the omnipotent Creator of the heavens and the earth!” John F. MacArthur.

It is a beautiful thing to meditate on when we grasp the depths God went to to save His people. This part of the Gospel instructs us a s Paul notes to Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than [ourselves]. ⁴ Let each of [us] look not only to [our] own interests, but also to the interests of others. ⁵ Have this mind among [ourselves], which is [ours] in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil.2:3-8)

The 2nd heresy is that:

Jesus is not fully/truly man. This is known as Docetism and is taught in various ways and found distinctly in gnosticism or new age teachings today. It teaches that Jesus seemed to be human but did not truly take on flesh. 

Scripture teaches clearly that:

By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.(1 John 4:2-3)

For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. ⁸ Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but  may win a full reward. ⁹ Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. ¹⁰ If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, ¹¹ for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.(2 John 7)

In the same way that an infinite payment must be given to an infinite God, a human payment must be made to redeem humanity. Justice must be satisfied. As we know and understand that an eye must be paid for an eye, and a tooth paid for a tooth, a human life must be paid and a human righteousness must be given as it is humanity that has transgressed and fallen short (Rom.3:23)

We have a savior who knows what it is to be human, knows our struggles, and is our High Priest who was tempted in every way like we were, yet did not sin. The true spotless lamb, the spotless human sacrificed for us. 

If Jesus was not truly human or lacked any human quality, the redemption of our humanity is therefore incomplete.

Why It Matters That Jesus Was Really Human | Core Christianity

Jesus Is Fully Human | Desiring God

There is another teaching that can be found in many charismatic circles today that Jesus was born man and was “adopted”, becoming Christ through the giving of the Holy Spirit in His baptism; even teaching that Jesus was not God until His resurrection. This is known as Adoptionism, denying that Jesus was always God and always human from birth. This, in a way,  claims that Jesus was born of Adam and not of God (Rom. 5:12-21, 1 Corin. 15:45-49) from very conception, negating the justice paid by Christ in His divinity and humanity.

This is heresy number 3. It makes the righteousness Christ had before His baptism, one attainable in the sinful human nature given to us in birth. This is often preached to Christians as Christ was a man made divine in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. A goal that man can achieve when fully surrendered to the Holy Spirit, making us little gods as well.

Implied in these teachings is the idea that Christ is just like us and He too sinned, yet by the power of the Holy Spirit overcame His sin.

An attack on Jesus’ perfect righteousness means He could not be the spotless lamb who takes our sins upon himself (2Corin.5:21; 1John 3:5). If He sinned in any way, His blood cannot cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We are to trust and know that we were… ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1Pet. 1:18-19). It is His sinless human blood that cleanses us from our sins.

The 4th heresy also stems from Docetism- that Christ was not truly human and so did not die bodily on the cross. He was a spirit being that seemed to be man.

Again, an attack on His bodily death undermines the payment due our sins. That if He did not die bodily, nor was separated from the Father then He did not endure the full payment due sin as the wages for sin is physical death and the spiritual separation from God (Isa.59:1-2)

Did God die? If Jesus was God, and Jesus died on the cross, does that mean God died? | GotQuestions.org

And so, if Christ only seemed to be human, seemed to have flesh, did not truly die bodily on the cross, He also would not have been raised bodily from the dead; the 5th heresy regarding  the nature and work of Christ in His resurrection. This attack on Christ’s physical resurrection undermines the glory of Chirst’s redeeming work of human beings, that we will one day have imperishable bodies as Christ has. 

Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. ¹⁵ We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. ¹⁶ For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁷ And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. ¹⁸ Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. ¹⁹ If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

²⁰ But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹ For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. ²² For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.(1Corin.15:12-22)

Did Jesus Rise Physically from the Dead? (str.org)

Conclusion:

So you can see how WHO Jesus is affects the Gospel. It affects what we believe, it affects our faith. And yes, we are flawed and will at times have flaws in our beliefs. And that is why Scripture, God’s very words, are so important. What we believe and what is true can be disconnected. When we align our beliefs to what is taught in God’s word we can unite our faith with that which is true, Christ, the author and perfector of our faith (Heb.12:1-2).

This God/man who died on the cross for our sins, the God/man who gives His infinitely, perfect righteousness to those who trust and call Him Lord, this Gospel that we put our faith in, this hope we have laid up in heaven, this constantly bears fruit and is always increasing. It bears fruit in the world and it bears fruit in us (Col. 1:6).

The more we are filled with the knowledge of Christ’s will  and all wisdom and understanding, the more we will  walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹ being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; ¹² giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. ¹⁹ For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

^{21 z}And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, ²² he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, ²³ if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven…(Col 1:10-23).

This Gospel, this hope of glory, this fruit we bear, Ladies, is Christ in us. This is why it is so important to hear teachers and preachers who proclaim Christ. Those who admonish us and teach us with all wisdom, so we may be complete in Christ (Col.1:27-28). Teachers that desire that our hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, ³ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Col.2:2-3)

And so I’ll end this week’s episode with Col.2:6-3:17

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

¹⁶ Therefore let no one pass judgment on you in questions of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind, ¹⁹ and not holding fast to the Head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

²⁰ If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— ²¹ “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” ²² (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? ²³ These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

3 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

⁵ Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. ⁶ On account of these the wrath of God is coming. ⁷ In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ⁹ Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. ¹¹ Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

¹² Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, ¹³ bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

I pray ladies, that you are in God’s word.