Christology is the doctrinal study
of the person and work of
Jesus Christ.
The term comes from
the Greek words Christos (“Christ” or “Anointed One”)
and logos (“study” or “word”).
It addresses who Jesus is
—
fully God and fully man
—
and what He has done for
the salvation of sinners.
Christology stands at the center of Christian theology
because Jesus Himself is
the center of God’s revelation
and redemptive plan.
Christology seeks to set forth clearly what Scripture teaches about the identity and mission of Jesus. The Bible presents Him as the eternal Son of God who became truly human, lived a sinless life, died as a substitute for sinners, rose bodily from the dead, ascended to heaven, and will return in glory. Right thinking about Christ is essential because the gospel itself depends on both His person and His work. Throughout church history, careful Christological reflection has guarded the church against errors that diminish either His full deity or His full humanity.
- Jesus Christ is one Person with two natures — fully God and fully man — united without confusion, change, division, or separation.
- His deity is affirmed by explicit statements, divine names, divine attributes, divine works, and divine worship given to Him in Scripture.
- His humanity is equally real: He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of a woman, grew in wisdom and stature, experienced hunger, thirst, weariness, sorrow, and death.
- The two natures are essential for His saving work: as man He could represent us and die; as God His sacrifice has infinite value and His victory is complete.
- Christ’s work includes His perfect obedience, substitutionary death, bodily resurrection, ascension, present intercession, and future return.
- All of Scripture points to Him — the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings find their fulfillment in His person and ministry.
- Errors in Christology (denying His deity, denying His humanity, or confusing the natures) distort the gospel itself.
- Preexistence – The Son exists eternally with the Father before the incarnation.
- Incarnation – The eternal Son took on full human nature in the womb of the virgin Mary.
- Hypostatic Union – The union of the divine and human natures in the one Person of Jesus Christ.
- Deity of Christ – Jesus is truly and fully God.
- Humanity of Christ – Jesus is truly and fully man, yet without sin.
- Atonement – His sacrificial death for the sins of His people.
- Resurrection – His bodily rising from the dead on the third day.
- Ascension and Session – His return to heaven and present reign at the right hand of the Father.
- Return – His future personal and visible coming in glory.
- John 1:1, 14 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
- John 8:58 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
- John 20:28 – Thomas answers Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
- Colossians 1:15-20 – Christ is the image of the invisible God; by Him all things were created; in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
- Colossians 2:9 – “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.”
- Philippians 2:5-11 – Though He was in the form of God, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant; therefore God has highly exalted Him.
- Hebrews 1:1-3 – The Son is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature; He upholds the universe by the word of His power.
- Hebrews 2:14-17 – He partook of flesh and blood so that He might deliver those who were subject to death and become a merciful and faithful High Priest.
- Hebrews 4:15 – He has been tempted in every respect as we are, yet without sin.
- 1 Timothy 2:5 – “There is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”
- Revelation 1:17-18 – “I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore.”
Christology is not an abstract exercise; it is the study of the One who is our Savior, Lord, and hope. Scripture presents Jesus Christ as fully God and fully man in one Person — the only Mediator between God and humanity. Every aspect of His person and work is essential to the gospel: His eternal deity, His true humanity, His sinless life, His atoning death, His victorious resurrection, and His present reign. To know Him rightly is life eternal, and to confess Him as both Lord and God is the heart of Christian faith.
Entry compiled for the JESUSaves.com Bible Glossary. Optimized for wiki.js Visual Editor.