Christocentric Theology

A theology shaped by faith in the person, teachings, and work of Jesus Christ.

Drew Dixon May 8, 2012

Introduction
Theology is an intellectual reflection on faith. This concise definition has profound implications. It means that faith precedes theology; theology is a servant to faith. This reverses the usual order of theological development. We typically begin with an intellectual question and then the answer shapes our faith. Instead of this, the questions of our faith should shape our intellect. The story of God should guide the way we think. My faith is in Jesus. Therefore, my theology is shaped by his teachings and his work. I prefer, what some may call, a Christocentric theology. The following will briefly explore the six areas of theology in light of the teachings and work of Jesus Christ.

Theology
Many may be concerned that a Christocentric theology falls short of the full picture of God. It seems that a Christocentric theology would rely too heavily on the New Testament and the gospel and too easily forget the story of God in the Old Testament and amidst the nation of Israel. However, if someone is truly shaped by the teachings and the work of Jesus, then he or she cannot miss the story of God, for it is from this grand history that Jesus emerges. It is to this God that Jesus testifies. LORD. The Old Testament reveals God as LORD. This has many meanings associated with it. First, a lord is a master, someone to be obeyed. This is seen in the law that the nation of Israel submitted to and followed. Second, LORD is the personal name of God which means I AM. This is the name that Abraham called on and the name that God revealed to Moses. This name represents the covenant which God made with Israel and has kept. This is the LORD that Jesus teaches people to obey and whose covenant Jesus ultimately fulfills.

Father. In the Old Testament there are many references to God. Most are LORD, as discussed. Jesus highlights a different picture of God. The picture of Father is used a few times throughout the Old Testament, but used very rarely considering its volume and length. In the teachings of Jesus, God is referred to almost exclusively as Father. This is seen in his well-known Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and in his prayers (Matthew 26:26-46; John 17). Jesus recasts the primary picture of God as lord to God as father. A father is still to be obeyed and submitted to, but is far more personal. We are no longer servants, but children! God is not only master, but he also cares for us and loves us! This is who God is according to Jesus. Trinity. You can't have a Christian theological discussion of God without asking the question of the trinity. Someone whose theology is shaped by faith in Jesus will see the multiplicity of God in his life and teachings. At Jesus' baptism he rises from the water, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Father speaks from heaven (Mark 1:9-11). This is an interaction of the triune God. Another example of this is after Jesus' disciples return from there missions and share the stories of what happened. It says that Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and gave thanks to the Father (Luke 10:11). This is another interaction within the triune God. The relationship between the triune God is seen not only in Jesus' life, but also his teachings. In John, Jesus has many I am statements. It becomes clear that Jesus is not only speaking of himself, but associating himself with the LORD. The cry of the gospel of John is that Jesus is not only a lord worthy to be submitted to, but actually the LORD worthy to be worshipped! In addition to this, Jesus speaks much of the Holy Spirit. It is clear that the Holy Spirit is not only an impersonal force in the world or some expression of God, but that the Spirit has a personality along with and is in union with the Father and the Son (John 16:12-15). Perhaps we can 3

understand each of them in this way: Father (God is.), Son (God is with us.), Spirit (God is in us.).

Christology
A certain amount of Christology will be found all throughout a Christocentric theology, but in this section we will look at the teachings, work, and ultimate identity of Jesus. What did Jesus teach? At the core of Jesus' teaching is the Kingdom of God. He began his ministry with the words, Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand (Mark 1:15). Throughout his teachings Jesus insists that the Kingdom is utterly different than anything else, that it is incredibly contagious, and freely accessible to all. Jesus' message of the Kingdom paints a picture of how the world could be and invites all people to join! What did Jesus do? Jesus ministry was not all words, but actions. As he taught about the Kingdom he demonstrated it. He did not only say that the Kingdom of God belonged to the poor in spirit, but he invited the outcasts into his circle by eating with prostitutes and tax collectors. He did not only say that God answers those who ask, seek, and knock, but Jesus healed lepers who sought him out! Jesus demonstrated the Kingdom with signs and miracles, but his ultimate demonstration was none of these. The purpose of his ministry and the key to opening the doors of heaven was the cross. It is the cross that made the kingdom accessible. Jesus himself said that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed (Mark 8:31). This was the place where Jesus had to go. This was where the teaching and work of Jesus would meet to complete the tapestry of the gospel and tear down that old curtain. Who was Jesus? Jesus taught the Kingdom and went to the cross, but who is this man? Many hold fast to his teachings about the Kingdom but stumble over his death on the cross, while others preach the cross and forget the Kingdom. Paul's letters wrestle with this tension. Paul is dear 4

to the Church because he is, perhaps, the first to interpret Jesus' teachings through his work on the cross. The Kingdom is only accessible because of his blood on the cross (Colossians 1:13-14, 22). Central to the identity of Jesus is the understanding of him as both God and man. Paul writes about this in his letter to the Philippians. He was in the form of God, but did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself...by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8). From this passage we can see that Jesus was clearly God (as discussed in the theology section), but that while he walked on the earth he emptied himself of that. This will have profound implications for our anthropology. It is important, though, that we do not err by leaning toward either the divinity or humanity of Jesus, but hold both of these equally at tension with each other.

Pneumatology
A Christocentric pneumatology is the understanding of the Holy Spirit in light of the life and work of Jesus. The Spirit in the Life of Jesus. If Jesus emptied himself of his God-ness while he was here on the earth, then how did he perform the signs and miracles that demonstrated the Kingdom? Jesus' perfect obedience to the Father and signs and miracles are not attributed to his divinity. Rather, when Jesus walked here on the earth he walked in perfect union with the Holy Sprit. The Work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is that part of God who enables the Kingdom to break into the world. This is what the Holy Spirit did in the life of Jesus and this is what the Holy Spirit still does to this day. The Holy Spirit joins Jesus in his teachings and work. Jesus said that it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you (John 16:7). He clarified this by saying that when the Spirit of truth comes, he 5

will guide you into all the truth (John 16:13). In other words, the Holy Spirit will continue to teach us where Jesus left off. The Spirit also continues Jesus' work on the cross. The cross made the Kingdom accessible and the Spirit makes the Kingdom tangible. Jesus said, If I cast out demons by the Holy Spirit, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (Matthew 12:28). In other words, the Kingdom comes upon us by the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom breaks into our world as the Holy Spirit empowers us with gifts and sanctifies us with fruit (Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; Galatians 5:22-23)

Anthropology
A Christocentric anthropology is the understanding of mankind in light of the life and work of Jesus and the history of humanity. Humanity in Light of the Life of Jesus. Many have an impossible view of humanity. When people make mistakes they appeal to the fact that, I'm only human! The problem with that view of humanity is that Jesus was only human too. He was a man who walked in perfect unity with the Spirit. I think that we often have too low a view of humanity. With the power of the Holy Spirit, mankind can live into his full potential. Humanity in Light of the Fall of Adam. However, while we may often have too low of a view of humanity in light of the Holy Spirit, we also often have too high a view of humanity apart from the Holy Spirit. Though the Holy Spirit empowers and and sanctifies us, apart from him we fall in sin and selfishness. Paul discusses the nature of mankind in Romans 5 in light of both Adam and Jesus. In Adam, humans are wretched, sinful beings. But, in Jesus we are renewed. The cross has unlocked the doors of heaven and the Holy Spirit pours heaven into our hearts. We need only trust the work of Jesus and rest in the work of the Spirit. 6

Ecclesiology
A Christocentric ecclesiology says that the Church's primary role is to proclaim and practice the work and ministry of Jesus. Ecclesiology in a Single Verse. The Church is many things. But, perhaps these words of Jesus best summarize the Church: Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35). This verse gets at the core of the practice and proclamation of the Church. Love One Another. Jesus said that we were to love one another as he loved us. As we look back to the love of Jesus we see a cross looming over every action that he took. This means that we are to be a people who picture the cross. We are to lay our lives down for each other and love each other with self-sacrifice. The Church is meant to picture and point to the cross. We do this in baptism, where we join Christ in his death and resurrection (Romans 6:4), and in communion, when we proclaim the death of Jesus until he returns again (1 Corinthians 11:26). We do this in our fellowship and unity (Acts 2:42-47). The Church is a people whose hearts are set on the cross. A family who loves each other in the same way that Jesus loved and continues to love. All People Will Know. The Church does not only exist as a love-lounge for the people who follow Jesus. The purpose of loving one another is that all people would know Jesus! This is at the core of the Church. We do not only picture and point one another to the cross, but we do the same to the world. Too often the Church forces people to believe certain things before those people are allowed to belong, but according to this verse we are to do the opposite. The Church is to loving invite people to belong, which will usher communities into belief.

Eschatology
A Christocentric eschatology is an understanding of the end according to the promise and person of Jesus Christ. Your Kingdom Come. The end of all things is the establishment of the Kingdom of God. As discussed, this was the primary teaching of Jesus. The Holy Spirit enables the breaking in of God's Kingdom, but the eschaton is the ultimate coming of that Kingdom. Jesus taught his disciples to pray for this. He went to the cross to unlock heaven. He ascended to prepare the heavens and he will return again, this time to bring the Kingdom in its fulness! Jesus Is Coming. Throughout Jesus' ministry, he spoke occasionally of the Son of Man coming in glory. He speaks of his coming in all four gospels (Matthew 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; John 21:22). Throughout the rest of the New Testament, this is understood to be a promise, that Jesus will return someday to complete the work he began and that the Holy Spirit is continuing. It has become a fad of pop-religious culture to try to guess when Jesus will return. This has turned into a disgusting game of prooftexting and neglecting exegesis altogether. There have been multiple occasions of men or movements predicting the judgement day or the return of Christ. No matter what biblical Rubik's cube they play with, I point back to the passage where Jesus speaks of this coming in Matthew. He says, Concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only (Matthew 24:36). Ultimately, Jesus doesn't know when the day of his return will be, so perhaps we ought to be less concerned with figuring out something that Jesus doesn't even know and instead be people who follow him and trust him! The Cross and His Coming. Another problem with the fad of eschatology is that it tends to miss the point. It is essentially a faith whose sole concern is the return of Jesus. It is like a girl

more excited about her wedding day than her husband-to-be. Instead of becoming hyper-concerned with the coming of Jesus we should be people who remember the teachings and work of Jesus. Our primary focus ought to be the cross and not the coming for several reasons. First, we are told, in taking communion, to remember the Lord's until he comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26). We are not to be a people who wait impatiently for Jesus. The thing we set our minds on, remember, and proclaim is the cross of Christ. Second, even in Jesus' return he points back to the cross. The testimony of his coming in Revelation says that he comes like a lamb that was slain (Revelation 5:6) and he comes wearing a robe dipped in blood (Revelation 19:13). Even his second coming points back to the cross which made it possible for the Kingdom to come in its fullness.

Conclusion
As brief and succinct as the paper is, hopefully it sows seeds for the beginnings of a Christocentric theology and shows that a theology shaped by faith in Christ is not incomplete, but rather a genuine intellectual reflection on faith from a mind renewed by Christ (Romans 12:2; Philippians 2:5). I agree with Paul when he said that all things hold together in Christ (Colossians 1:17). I believe this is true of the world and also true of theology. So, may our theology be held together in the loving submission and trust of Jesus Christ!