1. Christology 101

2. Name some First Testament passages that speak of Jesus the Messiah2

3. NAMES OF GOD IN THE OT
YHWH: Yahweh; translated Jehovah; LORD in your Bible; used when interacting with Israel; 6,220x
Elohim: Plural noun meaning “God”; also means “gods”; from “El”; 2,600x
Adonai: Word meaning “God”; used when interacting with Gentiles; 450x 3

4. “Christ” is the Greek form of the Hebrew concept of Messiah; it literally means “anointed one”; thus Jesus can be called Jesus Messiah or Jesus, the Anointed One 4

5. NAMES OF CHRIST Jesus Son of God Son of Man Son of David Lord
Firstborn
Alpha/Omega 5

6. JESUS Yehoshua / Joshua – Iesous / Jesus (HEBREW) (GREEK)
It means “YHWH saves,” directly connecting Jesus with the Father
Matt 1:20-25, Lk 1:30-33, Acts 4:11-12 6

7. SON OF GOD
Non-literal; a name given based on rank and status; descriptive of relationship rather than definitive
Μονογενής: Transl. “only begotten”; means “one and only,” “unique”; used only five times of Christ (all John)
Ps 2:7/Heb 1:5
John 1:14, 3:16, 1 John 4:9 7

8. SON OF MAN
Denotes the humanity of Christ; His favorite self-designation
Though this term does imply deity, it was generally not offensive to others
Dan 7:13-14; Mk 10:45; Lk 17:26-30 8

9. SON OF DAVID
Jesus is an earthly Son of David: Joseph was a part of David’s lineage
Theologically, this has huge implications for Israel
2 Sam 7:8-17, 1 Kin 9:4-5,
Jer 33:14-18, Matt 1:1 9

10. LORD Κύριος: Means “master”; one who possesses power and authority
If Christ is not Lord, He is nothing; as C.S. Lewis has said, He is either Lord, liar, or lunatic
Lk 2:11, Ac 4:33, Phil 2:9-11, Rev 19:16 10

11. FIRSTBORN
Like “begotten son,” firstborn denotes status/position (authority)
Some will try to argue that firstborn means “created first,” that is not the biblical definition of the term
Ps 89:27, Rom 8:29, Col 1:15-16, Heb 1:6 11

12. ALPHA AND OMEGA
These are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet; Jesus is the first and He is the last
This name signifies His eternality; Christ is before all and remains
John 1:1, Rev 1:8, 21:6, 22:13 12

13. Jesus is all over the Hebrew Scriptures in the form of…
Christophanies
Types
Prophecies 13

14. CHRISTOPHANY
A non-physical, pre-incarnate appearance of Christ in the OT (Layman’s terms: Jesus showing up before He was born to Mary)
These are important because they reveal preexistence, consistency 14

15. CHRISTOPHANIES Genesis 16:7-13, 22:15-18 Numbers 22:22-35
2 Samuel 14:17-20
1 Kings 19:5-7
Isaiah 37:36
Daniel 3:28, 6:22
Zechariah 1:9-21 15

16. TYPE
Also called “shadow” (Heb 8:5, 10:1); means an imprint or a mold that will be fulfilled in the future
Many of the types in the OT were ambiguous to those living through them 16

17. Boaz (kinsman redeemer) Moses (prophet) Genesis 22:1-18 Exodus events
TYPES
Aaron (priesthood)
Adam (Rom 5)
David (kingship)
Boaz (kinsman redeemer)
Moses (prophet)
Genesis 22:1-18
Exodus events
Leviticus 16 (atonement) 17

18. PROPHECY
A foretold truth about the coming Messiah; God spoke through prophets to give details of Christ
Scholars debate the number of Messianic prophecies in Scripture; as low as 40, as high as 365 18

19. PROPHECIES Genesis 3:15-16 Deuteronomy 18:15 Psalm 2, 16, 22
Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, 53
Jeremiah 31:15 (Matt 2)
Hosea 11:1
Micah 5:2
Zechariah 12-14 19

20. A quick note There is a difference between preexistence and eternality
Preexistence: Christ existed before other things (ie, He existed before all of creation)
Eternality: Christ has always been and always will be (ie, no beginning) 20

21. Now what?
How can you explain the importance of the Old Testament to someone who doesn’t understand why they should read it?
What position should Jesus hold in your life? In what areas?
How do you answer the question, “Who is Jesus Christ?” 21