In the will of the Lord, we will take up the grandest of all subjects: the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Although it is true that no matter how much we say concerning Him, we could never say enough, or how well we speak of Him, we could always speak better, we must try.

If we consider the life of Christ and the attributes of His person in a chronological manner from the scriptures, we are enabled to accumulate a list of “things” that are true about Him. These “things” are the “truths” of Christ and are commonly referred to as the “doctrines of Christ.” This type of study, where the doctrines of Christ are identified and explored is referred to by theologians as “Christology.”

Why Consider The Doctrines of Christ

Why would we undertake an eight week study of the doctrines and truths related to the Lord Jesus Christ? The list of scriptural reasons for this would stretch ever long and we haven’t time or space here to numerate them all. Allow me to quote two verses from the epistle to the Hebrews:

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.” Hebrews 12:2-3 (NKJV)

The believers were exhorted to (1) “look unto Jesus,” and (2) "consider Him.” It is our prayer and desire that each one of us will be able to “fix our eyes upon” Him and “consider” Him anew. The truths and doctrines concerning Christ have been the key area of attack by the enemy of our souls from the beginning of time. It is of upmost importance that we each have a good grasp and understanding of these truths. The purpose of this teaching series then, apart from the fact that fixing our eyes on Him is always good for us, is twofold:

To teach those among us that are “younger” in the faith the basic doctrines of Christ from the scriptures, that they might be grounded in these most important truths.
To equip those among us that are “more mature” in the faith with a consecutive list of scripture references/passages which support each of the doctrines of Christ.

I have found for myself, that there are many scriptural doctrines and truths, with which I am well acquainted, but might not be able at a moments notice, to prove from the scriptures. I believe it will do us all well, as believers, to be familiar with the scriptural “proofs” of the “things concerning Himself.”

Numerated below is a list of the eight subjects (doctrines of Christ) which we plan to take up over the course of the next eight weeks.

Series Outline

His Underived Eternal Sonship - Christ eternally existed in a unique relationship with God the Father .
His Unnatural Virgin Birth - Christ came into this world in a manner unique to Himself alone, by way of birth from a virgin.
His Undiminished Deity - Christ always has been (eternity past / time in this world), is (presently in heaven), and always will be (eternity to come) God.
His Untainted Humanity - Christ took complete humanity upon Himself, apart from sin, when He came into the world.
His Unfailing Impeccable Walk - Christ lived a holy and perfect life all the while He was in the world.
His Unequaled Death - Christ died a death unlike any other death before or after in that it was for all human beings.
His Undefeated Burial & Resurrection - Christ rose from death and the grave three days after He died, they had no power over Him.
His Unlimited Glorious Reign - Christ will rightfully reign in glory as “King of kings and Lord of lords” for all eternity.

Listen to the Audio Series

WHAT IS AN ATTRIBUTE OF GOD?

We are going to, in the will of the Lord, take up the grand topic of "The Attributes of God." What is an "attribute" of God? An attribute of God is something that is true about God. We could think about it, in human terms, as "characteristics." We have to realize though, that God is infinitely greater and higher than any number of "characteristics" could ever describe. Being that as it may, God has chosen to reveal many things about Himself, His character, and His ways of dealing with mankind to us through His holy word. For example, we learn of the eternity of God, the sovereignty of God, the holiness of God, and the love of God. These a just a few of the "attributes" of God.

Now we have to pose the question: "why would we take this topic up in ministry spanning several weeks?" It is of upmost importance that we, as believers, be continually seeking to know our God and Saviour in a deeper and closer way. Since our God has chosen to reveal Himself to us through His attributes, then it is in our best interest to learn and better acquaint ourselves with each of these attributes. As we come into a deeper understanding of God's attributes, we will be coming into a deeper understanding of our blessed God and Saviour.

RECOMMENDED READING

An excellent work on this great subject is A. W. Tozer’s “Knowledge of the Holy” (recommended reading). Here are several quotes from his introduction to the subject:

"Without doubt, the mightiest thought the mind can entertain is the thought of God, and the weightiest word in any language is its word for God."

“That our idea of God correspond as nearly was possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us.”

“The man who comes to a right belief about God is relieved of ten thousand temporal problems, for he sees at once that these have to do with matters which at the most cannot concern him for very long…”

“The heaviest obligation lying upon the Christian Church today is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him - and of her. In all her prayers and labor this should have first place.”

- A. W. Tozer

OUR GREAT AND WONDERFUL GOD

It is our prayer and desire that, through this summer ministry series, each of us will come into a deeper appreciation and understanding of our great and wonderful God. This will undoubtedly affect our labours and service for Him in a positive way. Also on a practical note, it would be good for each of us to, through this series, to take down and keep handy a list of scripture references which proves/explains each of God’s attributes. In this way, when the need arrises, we can easily find the scripture(s) relating to any one attribute.