Conceptions Of Jesus Christ
Lesson - 3A


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The following are questions with answers taken from various Wikipedia articles. This is to highlight some relevant points on the subject—"Conceptions of Jesus Christ"—people should understand before continuing the bible study. The answers are excerpts taken from the full articles written on the subject. You can readily study the full articles by clicking on the source link after each answer.
Note:
The answers to the following religious questions are taken from various Wikipedia articles due to their neutral point of view principle.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view  However, we still highly recommend that you search the internet for more information on the subject.

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The controversy as to who Jesus Christ really is, that is, how He should be correctly known regarding His person and nature traces its roots in the first century and continues to this day. For at present, there exist many so-called Christian religions, all professing belief in Jesus Christ but with conflicting beliefs on who Jesus truly is.

Who is Jesus Christ

3A.1   Who is Jesus Christ?

From the Wikipedia articles on Jesus and Christ, these are written:

Jesus of Nazareth (c. 5 BC/BCE – c. 30 AD/CE),[3] also known as Jesus Christ or simply Jesus, is the central figure of Christianity, which views him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, with most Christian denominations believing him to be the Son of God and God incarnate who was raised from the dead.[6] Islam considers Jesus a prophet and also the Messiah.[7] Several other religions revere him in some way. He is one of the most influential figures in human history.
Source:  Wikipedia, Jesus, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus (as of Apr. 14, 2010, 21:30 GMT).

Christ is the English term for the Greek Χριστός (Khristós) meaning "the anointed one".[1] It is a translation of the Hebrew מָשִׁיחַ (Māšîaḥ), usually transliterated into English as Messiah. The word is often misunderstood to be the surname of Jesus due to the numerous mentions of Jesus Christ in the Christian Bible. The word is in fact used as a title, hence its common reciprocal use Christ Jesus, meaning "Jesus The Anointed One", or "Jesus The Messiah". Followers of Jesus became known as Christians because they believed that Jesus was the Christ, or Messiah, prophesied about in the Tanakh (which Christians term the Old Testament). The majority of Jews reject this claim and are still waiting for Christ to come (see Jewish Messiah). Most Christians now wait for the Second Coming of Christ when they believe he will fulfill the rest of the Messianic prophecy.
Source:  Wikipedia, Christ, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ (as of Apr. 14, 2010, 21:35 GMT).

Jesus Christ is known as follows:

  • Jesus of Nazareth (c. 5 BC/BCE – c. 30 AD/CE), also known as Jesus Christ or simply Jesus.
  • Christ is the English term for the Greek Khristós meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew (Māšîa), usually transliterated into English as Messiah.  The word is in fact used as a title, hence its common reciprocal use Christ Jesus, meaning "Jesus The Anointed One", or "Jesus The Messiah".
  • Jesus Christ is the central figure of Christianity, which views him as the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament.  Islam considers Jesus a prophet and also the Messiah. The majority of Jews rejects this claim and are still waiting for the Jewish Messiah to come.


Christian Views of Jesus Christ

3A.2   How do various Christians view Jesus Christ?

A.  Trinitarian Views Of Jesus Christ:

While there have been theological disputes over the nature of Jesus, Trinitarian Christians generally believe that Jesus is God incarnate, God the Son, and "true God and true man" (or both fully divine and fully human). Jesus, having become  fully human in all respects, suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, yet he did not sin. As fully God, he defeated death and rose to life again. According to the Bible, God raised him from the dead.[3] He ascended to heaven, to the "right hand of God,"[4] and he will return again[5] to fulfill the rest of Messianic prophecy such as the Resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment and establishment of the physical Kingdom of God.
Source:  Wikipedia, Jesus in Christianity, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus_in_Christianity (as of Apr. 15, 2010, 03:48 GMT).

B.  Non-trinitarian Views Of Jesus Christ

Nontrinitarianism (or Antitrinitarianism) includes all Christian belief systems that reject as unscriptural, wholly or partly, the doctrine of the Trinity—the belief that God in the Bible is three distinct persons in one being, and that these three persons are eternal and equal in nature, authority, and knowledge.
Source:  Wikipedia, Nontrinitarianism, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontrinitarianism (as of Apr. 15, 2010, 03:59 GMT).

1.  Binitarian view of Jesus Christ:

Binitarianism is a Christian theology of two personae, two individuals, or two aspects in one Godhead (or God). Classically, binitarianism is understood as strict monotheism — that is, that God is an absolutely single being; and yet with binitarianism there is a "twoness" in God. The other common forms of monotheism are "unitarianism", a belief in a single God with one aspect, and "trinitarianism", a belief in a single God with three aspects.
Source:  Wikipedia, Binitarianism, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Binitarianism (as of Apr. 15, 2010, 04:10 GMT).

2.  Unitarian view of Jesus Christ:

Unitarianism is a Nontrinitarian Christian theology which teaches belief in the single personality of God, in contrast to the doctrine of the Trinity (God as three persons).[1] According to its proponents, Unitarianism reflects the original God-concept of Christianity.

Beliefs
Unitarians believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the New Testament and other Early Christian writings. Adhering to strict monotheism, they maintain that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself. They believe Jesus did not claim to be God, nor did his teachings hint at the existence of a triune God. Unitarians believe in the moral authority, but not necessarily the divinity, of Jesus. Their theology is thus distinguishable from the trinitarian theology of most Christian denominations, which hold the idea of a triune God as a core belief.

Source:  Wikipedia, Unitarianism, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unitarianism (as of Apr. 15, 2010, 05:24 GMT).

Comparing Various Beliefs of Jesus Christ, based on the above references:

A.  Trinitarians generally believe that Jesus Christ is. . . . . .

  • Jesus is God the Son
  • Jesus is God incarnate
  • Jesus is a "true God and true man"  (or both fully divine and fully human).

B.  Nontrinitarianism includes all Christian belief systems that reject as unscriptural, wholly or partly, the doctrine of the Trinity

1. Binitarians generally believe that . . . . . . .

  • Jesus is one of the "two personae, two individuals, or two aspects in one Godhead (or God)"
  • That God is an absolutely single being; and yet there is a "twoness" in God. (composed of the Father and the Son)

2. Unitarians, adhering to strict monotheism, generally believe that . . . .

  • Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God himself.
  • Jesus did not claim to be God, nor did his teachings hint at the existence of a Triune God. Unitarians believe in the moral authority, but not necessarily the divinity, of Jesus.

Thus, the basic difference between the Trinitarian and Unitarian views revolves around the belief in the divinity of Jesus.

  • Trinitarians believe that Jesus is "God the Son". He is God incarnate, a true God and a true man, that is fully divine and fully human.

  • Unitarians believe that Jesus was a great man and a prophet of God, perhaps even a supernatural being, but not God Himself. Unitarians believe in the moral authority, but not necessarily the divinity of Jesus.

Note: The use of the terms, trinitarian, binitarian, or unitarian in this website are not intended to refer to any religious organization but only to denote religious orientation in order to simplify the way of presenting the different concepts of Jesus.

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