JESUS CHRIST

About God the Son

THE DOCTRINE OF JESUS CHRIST

What We Believe and Teach About God the Son, Jesus Christ

Ike Ozuome

1/2/2023

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ: His preexistence, incarnation, and virgin birth; that He came into the world, became man in order that He might reveal God the Father and redeem sinful man; that He was the brightness of God's glory and the express image of His person.​ We believe and teach that Christ is truly God and truly man, for in Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. We further believe that Christ was the Creator of all things, for by Him the worlds were made. We believe and teach that He lived a perfect, sinless life and that all His teachings are true (See Isaiah 14; Matthew 1:21, 23; Luke 1:31, 35; John 1:1-4, 14, 18; Acts 7:37-38; Colossians 1:15-23; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22).

We also believe in His miracles (Acts 1:22; 10:38), in His vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice or death (Isaiah 53:5-6; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21), in His bodily resurrection and ascension in His glorified body into heaven, and in His everlasting Kingdom and dominion (Daniel 7:14; Acts 1:11; 3:19-21; Revelation 20:4). We believe He is now seated at the right hand of God as our High Priest and Advocate (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25) and shall one day personally return in power and glory and great joy.

We believe Jesus died on the cross for all mankind (1 John 2:2) and that His death is efficacious for all who believe (John 1:12; Acts 16:31), and our justification is grounded in the shedding of His blood (Romans 5:9). This is attested by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead (Matthew 28:6; Luke 24:39; 1 Corinthians 15:4; 1 Peter 1:3).

We also acknowledge His Lordship–that Jesus Christ is Lord over all things in Heaven and in the earth, and under the earth (Philippians 2:9-11). We believe that He is the Living Word, that He lives His life in and through us as we walk in dependence upon Him (John 1:11, 12; 10:10; 15:4, 5; Galatians 2:20).

We must always remember that in Christ, God personally revealed Himself in human flesh. Therefore, to see Jesus is to see God (John 12:45; 14:9). To know Him is to know God (John 8:19). To receive Him is to receive God (Mark 9:37). To honor Him is to honor God (John 5:23). To reject Him is to reject God (Luke 10:16).

Jesus Christ is the vine and the source of life. We are the branches and the channels of life. It is only as we draw our life from Him that we bear lasting fruit (John 15:1-10). To what extent are you looking to Him as the true source of your security, significance, and fulfillment?