Jesus and the God of Classical Theism: Biblical Christology in Light of the Doctrine of God

In both biblical studies and systematic theology, modern treatments of the person of Christ have cast doubt on whether earlier Christian descriptions of God--in which God is immutable, impassible, eternal, and simple--can fit together with the revelation of God in Christ. In addition, such treatments have called into question whether these concepts and categories still enable insight into the Bible's portrayal of Christ's life and work.

This book explains how the Jesus revealed in Scripture comports with earlier Christian descriptions of God. Steven Duby argues that the Bible's Christology coheres with and even requires the affirmation of divine attributes like immutability, impassibility, eternity, and simplicity. Duby offers a constructive treatment of the person of Christ, illuminating his relationship to the Father and the Spirit, the unity of his person, and the genuineness of his human life and suffering.

464 pages.

Contents

Introduction
1. Biblical Christology and "Classical Theism"
I. Introduction
II. Christological Challenges to "Classical Theism"
III. Opposition to "Metaphysics"
IV. Revisiting God's Perfections
V. Revisiting the Role of Metaphysical Concepts
VI. Conclusion
2. "The Word Was with God": The Son's Eternal Relation to the Father
I. Introduction
II. Biblical Description
III. The Unity and Simplicity of God
IV. Essence, Persons, and Relations
V. Two Challenges
VI. Conclusion
3. "Foreknown before the Foundation of the World": The Son's Election and Mission
I. Introduction
II. Biblical Description
III. Eternal Actuality and the Divine Decree
IV. Election, Immutability, and the Pactum Salutis
V. Procession, Mission, and Historical Assumption
VI. Conclusion
4. "And the Word Became Flesh": The Son's Relationship to His Human Nature
I. Introduction
II. Biblical Description
III. Dogmatic Elaboration
IV. Concerns about the Communicatio Idiomatum and the Extra Calvinisticum
V. Response to Concerns
VI. Conclusion
5. "The Spirit of the LORD Is upon Me": The Son's Dependence on the Holy Spirit
Introduction
II. Biblical Description
III. Concerns regarding the Unity of God's Operations
IV. Unity and Diversity in God's Operations
V. The Gifts of the Spirit and the Human Experience of the Son
VI. Conclusion
6. "I Have Come to Do Your Will, O God": The Son's Obedience
I. Introduction
II. Biblical Description
III. Faith, Weakness, and Growth in the Obedience of Christ
IV. Questions about Christ's Sinlessness and Spiritual Exertion
V. The Logic of Christ's Spiritual Exertion
VI. Conclusion
7. "A Man of Sorrows": The Son's Suffering
I. Introduction
II. Biblical Description
III. Impassibility and the Nature of Passions
IV. Impassibility and Metaphorical Attribution of Passions to God
V. Impassibility and Reduplicative Predication in Christology
VI. Conclusion
Conclusion
Indexes