This 13-lecture course is based on a series of systematic theology lectures by Stephen J. Wellum and covers Christology — the doctrine of the person and work of Christ. The lectures were presented at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY. Each section in the course will include lecture videos (30-minute average duration), review questions, and a textbook reading assignment.

​Stephen J. Wellum is professor of Christian theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and editor of the Southern Baptist Journal of Theology. He is the author of God the Son Incarnate: The Doctrine of Christ (Crossway, 2016) and Christ Alone: The Uniqueness of Jesus as Savior (Zondervan, 2017).

Course curated by Phil Thompson

• How much clarity did Peter have when he confessed that Jesus was “the Christ”?
• What is the best way to sum-up what the Bible teaches about Jesus?
• What are the roots of current confusion about who Jesus in the West?
• What does the Deist’s belief shape their Christology?
• What distinction did liberal theologians make in Christology?
• How would you explain the “Quests for the Historical Jesus”?
• What are some implications of the shifts from pre-modern, to modern, to post-modern eras in our Christology?
• What was the significance of John Hick’s The Myth of God Incarnate and the Jesus Seminar? What are some of the conclusions of Robert Funk’s Honest to Jesus that Wellum critiques?
• What applications must Christians make when we consider the influence of Western thought about Christ?
• What is worldview evangelism?

• Why is it important to place Jesus within the framework of the whole of Scripture?
• How should our Christology be more like a tapestry than a bag of marbles?
• What Christological implications should we draw from God’s supernatural character?
• What Christological implications should we draw from the doctrine of God’s moral character? What is retributive justice?
• What Christological implications should we draw from the Bible’s teaching about humanity?
• What Christological implications should we draw from the Bible’s teaching about the Fall?
• What Christological implications should we draw from the promises contained in the biblical covenants?

• How does the promise to Adam and Eve shape our understanding of Christ?
• How do the promises to Noah, Abraham, Israel, and David develop our understanding of Christ?
• What do the “writing prophets” teach us about the Davidic covenant and how do these teachings connect to Christ?
• How does Wellum diagram the perspective of the Old Testament prophets? How do they understand the age to come?
• How does Wellum diagram the perspective of the New Testament writers? How does “inaugurated eschatology” demonstrate a shift from the Old Testament perspective?

• How does the book of Revelation set up Jesus Christ as the only person who can resolve the eschatological longings of the Old and New Testaments?
• How does this understanding of Christ shape the way Matthew opens his Gospel and the Christology of the remainder of the New Testament?

God the Son Incarnate, introduction and chapters 1–3.

• What do we learn about Jesus from Colossians 2:9?
• How does it connect with the broader context of the book of Colossians?
• What do we learn about Jesus from the hymn in Colossians 1:15–20?
• How does the orthodox view of “firstborn” differ from the view of the Jehovah’s witnesses?
• Did Jesus remain human after his ascension? How does Colossians 1:17 speak to this?

• What do we learn about Jesus from Philippians 2?
• How does the Kenotic Theory understand this emptying? What do the Kenotic Theorists see as the difference between what is accidental and what is essential?
• What did Jesus “empty himself” of? How do the two participles in the text help us understand the meaning of the text?
• What is the significance of Jesus being called “Lord”? Why does Philippians indicate that Jesus becomes Lord?
• How does the Kenotic Theory deny key biblical teachings about Christ?
• What theological issue was John addressing in 1 John 4? How does that theological issue differ from the theological issues in our day?

• Why does Wellum suggest the phrase “virginal conception” is better than “virgin birth”?
• How is the virginal conception tied to Christ’s human nature?
• What implications does Wellum draw from Matthew’s account of the birth of Christ?
• Why does an angel need to appear to Joseph?
• What implications does Wellum draw from Luke’s account of the birth of Christ?
• How does Mary’s question differ from that of Zechariah?
• Where else does the imagery of “overshadowing” also occur in Scripture?
• Why is it important to believe in the virginal conception of Christ?
• What is the Roman Catholic doctrine of the immaculate conception?
• How is Jesus not connected to the original sin of Adam?
• How does the Bible emphasize the humanity of Jesus? What are the theological implications of his humanity?

God the Son Incarnate, chapters 4–6, 10–12.

• What were some of the tensions and questions inside and outside the early church?
• What was the significance of the First Council of Nicea (325) and the First Council of Constantinople (381)?
• What was the significance of the Council of Ephesus (431) and the Council of Chalcedon (451)?
• What was Docetism and Arianism and Gnosticism? What was the response of Irenaeus and Ignatius? Which councils addressed Arianism?
• What language did Nicea develop in order to address the Arian challenge? What was the language being used by Arians and semi-Arians?
• What shift in language happened in 362?
• What is the difference between a person and a nature?
• What is the second building block of trinitarian thought?

• Why did the church tend to use the language of “man” instead of “flesh”?
• What is the third building block of trinitarian thought?
• What was Apollinarianism? How was this view wrong?
• What was Nestorianism? How was this view wrong?
• What is meant by the Hypostatic Union? How does this doctrine connect to what was taught in Nestorianism?
• What was Eutychianism/Monophysitism? How was this view wrong?
• How did the Chalcedonian Definition (see below) oppose the three heretical views?
• What developments occur to the Chalcedonian Definition occur over time?
• How can we speak of the Son of God dying? How could Jesus speak of himself existing before Abraham?

• How does our language about “persons” differ from the Chalcedonian language?
• How do the Christological debates relate to our understanding of the Lord’s Supper?
• What is meant by extra calvinisticum?
• Why does Jesus say that he doesn’t know certain things?
• What is the peccability/impeccability debate? What has been the dominant position through the history of the church? How does this relate to the temptation of Jesus? What position do you take and why?

God the Son Incarnate, chapters 7–9.

• What are some parallels between how we understand the person of Christ and the work of Christ?
• Why is “office” in “threefold office” singular rather than plural? Who first developed this teaching? What does it mean? What benefits do we gain from understanding this teaching?
• How was Christ more than a mere prophet?
• What does Hebrews 5:1 teach us about Christ’s priestly work?
• How was Christ more than a mere priest?

• What is the recapitulation theory of the cross?
• What is the ransom theory of the cross?
• What is the realistic theory of the cross?
• How do different segments of the church emphasize each of these throughout history?
• What is the satisfaction theory of the cross?
• How did Calvin talk about the work of Christ?
• What is the penal substitutionary theory of the cross? How is it developed in the post-Reformation?
• What is the governmental theory of the cross? Who was it associated with and why?
• What is the moral influence/example theory of the cross?
• What is the Christus victor theory of the cross?
• How can one who holds to the penal substitutionary theory appreciate the truth that is included in the other theories?

• How is the extent of the atonement connected to the penal substitution view of the atonement?
• What is meant by the extent of the atonement?
• What is meant by “universal” and “particular” and “definite”?
• What are the two variants of the “universal” view?
• Why are “limited” and “unlimited” not helpful?
• How do all the views agree?
• What is the main point of contention?
• How would you define the various views of the extent of the atonement?
• What does Wellum mean when he say that this doctrine is a “secondary fundamental doctrine”?
• What are some of the conversation points that Wellum provides for those discussing this doctrine?

God the Son Incarnate, chapters 13–14 and conclusion.