The Person of Christ with Dr. Stephen Wellum
We are so excited to share our conversation with Dr. Steve Wellum on the person of Christ. Dr. Wellum is a father of five, a professor of theology at Southern Seminary, and editor of The Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. His new book, The Person of Christ: An Introduction, is a part of the Short Studies in Systematic Theology series by Crossway. This episode has been such an encouragement to the Journeywomen team, and we pray that it moves you to know your Savior more and to love him for who he is.
INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Can you tell us a little about who you are and what you do?
Why is it important for all people, especially the contemporary evangelical church, to consider who Jesus is?
What are the building blocks that help us understand Christ’s identity and why he has come?
Who, then, is able to establish God’s rule, to undo what Adam did by rendering perfect covenant obedience, and to pay for our sins before God?
Who is Jesus? What claims does Jesus make about himself? What does Scripture say about him?
Where should we look to learn more about who Jesus is? History? Scripture? Both?
Why is it important to know Jesus from the entire Bible?
Is the Bible’s presentation of Christ the end of Christological reflection? Why or why not?
Why do we need a Christology that is from above, not from below?
How is Jesus fully God and fully man, yet one person?
If Christ is fully God and omniscient, why does he say he doesn’t know certain things?
What does it mean to look to Jesus in faith and trust? How might our listeners do that even now?
What does a life that is characterized by looking to Jesus look like?
If it is important to know and understand Jesus in the context of the big story of Scripture, how ought we go about sharing the Good News about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection with those who do not have the building blocks in place that help us understand Christ’s identity?
NOTEWORTHY QUOTES
“The reason Jesus must be thought through and believed and trusted is because of who he is. He is the eternal son of God who has taken on our humanity. There is only one Lord and one Savior, and that’s him. So, given who he is, given our need for salvation, given that he is our only hope, it’s absolutely essential to know him correctly, according to Scripture.”
“Jesus does not come to us in a vacuum, he doesn’t come to us brand new in the New Testament. It’s built on the Old Testament. You need all of Scripture to explain who he is. Jesus comes to us within a larger Biblical, theological framework - the whole teaching of Scripture.”
“You’ll never understand Christ apart from the God of Scripture.”
“We have to know something about us as image bearers to make sense of even why and how the Son of God could take on our humanity. He didn’t become an angel, he became an image bearer.”
“You cannot understand the Jesus of the New Testament apart from the Old Testament.”
“In his inauguration, his bringing in the kingdom, his forgiveness of sins, his doing of miracles, he displays that he is not only the Messiah from the Old Testament but he is the eternal Son who brings the very rule and reign of God. He is God in himself, God the Son.”
“[Knowing Jesus] is more than a knowing of facts; you’re knowing a real person.”
“He is the living Lord, the eternal Son who’s become flesh… And the way we come to know him is through his Word.”
“To grow in the knowledge of Christ, we have to know the Scripture.”
“To know Christ as a person, we know him through his Word.”
“We don’t seek Jesus independent of Scripture and his Word. And we don’t just seek the book and not fellowship with the real person. The very communication is living and active and it leads us to a living relationship with the Lord Jesus.”
“Theology in its best understanding is faith seeking understanding.”
“Christology is simply the study both of who Jesus is and what he does - or his work.”
“A theology from above is simply saying that we come to know Jesus by his revelation of himself, by the Scripture as fully authoritative and true, and from a Christian theology that is consistent and holds together.”
“In his humanity Christ now acts as our Redeemer. The learning obedience is the only hope we have in life and in death, that he obeys for us and ultimately goes to the cross as a substitute for us.”
“All of his promises, all that he says, we take that and we believe that, and then we put it into practice.”
“Our time in prayer and devotion and gathering with the people of God, that’s how we grow in trust and how we continue to grow moreso.”
“Gazing upon Christ, receiving him by faith, reflecting upon who he is, putting it into practice, turning it into worship and obedience, that’s what brings, by God’s grace, our transformation. Simply by taking him at his word and living it out, that will change our habits and our affections.”
“How do we overcome temptation? We look to Christ, we are living for his name, we know that he is with us.”
“Commit yourself to the Word of God and gather with a faithful local church.”
HYMN
Bonus Song: The Beautiful Name of Jesus, by Katie Cobbs (co-written by Hunter)
RESOURCES
God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ (Foundations of Evangelical Theology series)
Christ from Beginning to End: How the Full Story of Scripture Reveals the Full Glory of Christ, by Trent Hunter and Steve Wellum
The Person of Christ: An Introduction, by Steve Wellum (forthcoming as part of the Short Studies in Systematic Theology series by Crossway)
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Who is Jesus? Take a moment to share or write who you believe Jesus to be based on what Scripture says about him.
What is the importance of Jesus being both fully God and fully man?
What verses or passages in the Bible show you Christ’s character most clearly? Consider memorizing one of these passages.
What does it mean to look to Jesus in faith and trust? How can you do that today?
What are you going to do or implement as a result of what you’ve learned this week?
IMPORTANT NOTE
Journeywomen interviews are intended to serve as a springboard for continued study in the context of your local church. While we carefully select guests each week, interviews do not imply Journeywomen's endorsement of all writings and positions of the interviewee or any other resources mentioned.
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