Theology Notes

Dogmatic Christ

Torrance says it means that Jesus is only understood through the eyes of forgiven sinners as one who lives and work among us

-Jesus was thus seen and understood from perspective of his own resurrection from the dead.

  • Adoptionism, Arianism, Modalism

  • Monophysitism- The Belief that Christ exist in a single diving nature, which is a fusion of both divine and human elements rather than being fully human and fully divine

Chapter 1 Introduction to Christology Notes

-Explains how we know who Jesus Christ is and where the knowledge comes from

  • “We do not discover Jesus by our own thinking, logic, or experience. We only know Christ because God reveals Christ to us.

Argues that we only know Jesus because God choose to show Jesus to us. We didn’t figure Jesus out ourselves. Knowing Jesus is a gift from God, not something we earn. And when we know him there are parts of him that we still do not understand

Feb 2, 2026

Faith and History>

Torrance did not let it go at that

He insists that if the object of faith is merely a historical figure than faith is simply a form of moral perception or inception

Torrance mentions> faith does not spring out of historical observation

  • Enormously important point missed by apologetic theologians who try and find a basis in history, psychology or anthropology for believing in Jesus Christ

  • If faith springs from historical observation, the truth of Jesus identity would be grounded in our historical observation

Synoptics/John and Paul

Torrance thinks in a trinitarian way that does not play off the spirit and word against each other.

Torrance is saying God is Jesus

What is the Basis Faith in Jesus?

Torrance insists all along the line that is only God who enabled the disciples and anyone who acknowledges Jesus in faith to do so

  • So, Christ alone is the basis of faith in him

John Hicks View

John Hicks (1922-2012) understands the incarnation as a myth

  • to him this means it is a story that is not true.

  • Thinks calling Jesus “God the son” is symbolic language used to show Jesus’ importance and closeness to God, not a factual claim about God becoming human.

Torrance explains that grasping the revelations of God in Christ is not a human possibility.

  • says it can only occur through an act of and somehow coming to in his risen life

Speaking of Christ in Faith

Torrance insists that the NT witnesses spoke of Christ in faith since in light of his resurrection, they came to know him for who has was as their savior and redeemer

  • He says is “already a vie that is dogmatic. It is a presentation of Christ from within the belief in the resurrection.”

Feb 4, 2026

  • Christology cannot begin from a purely historical or “neutral” approach

  • a purely natural or historical methods reduces Jesus to a mere human figure, which is obituary assumptions that already excludes faith.

Therefore, Christology must begin with the NEW TESTAMENT

  • New Testament didn’t give a neutral biography of Jesus, it gives a faith- witness to Christ as redeemer, lord and God.

Historical Jesus Vs Risen Christ

Difference between Jesus outside the Resurrection (Historical Reconstruction) & Jesus inside the Resurrection (Apostolic Faith)

Historical Reconstruction focuses on the historical context and evidence of Jesus life death and resurrections as recorded in the gospels and other non-Christian sources.

Apostolic Faith emphasizes the belief of the resurrection of Jesus as a central part of Christianity and interprets Jesus’ life and teachings through the lens of his resurrection

Goal of Christology is not to create faith, but to clarify and order the faith already received

.

Faith comes from encounter, not neutral study.

Faith arises through a real encounter with the living Christ.

  • Happens through the word of God, scripture and the holy spirit

Jesus is not merely a teacher about God

-He is God present among humanity. There is no God behind Jesus. Jesus is the temple of the living god, the mediator who is God himself.

God comes personally in Christ.

“In Jesus, God has become his own mediator.

The Dangers of Value Judgement.

Faith became a value Judgement

“Christ reduced to human values, which leads to a merely human Jesus.

  • This makes theology anthropocentric (man centered) and dependent on human moral categories.

Problem- Man becomes the judge of Christ, he then becomes reduced to human values which leads to a merely human Jesus.

Faith is not our judgement, Christ guides us. Faith does not arise from us examining Christ. It arises because Christ examines us.

Important Distinction

Value-Judgement> human evaluation

Confession> response to divine authority

Faith is

  1. Not grasping, but being grasped

  2. Not intellectual mastery, but humble obeisance

-A gift of God

Notes on Preface & Chapter 1

Jesus is riven, 3 Rival Interpretations

Radical, Liberal & Traditional

  • Radical View (Rudolf Bultmann & Willii Marxsen) The ressurection wasnt a historical event but the rise of faiths within the disciples (ressurection itself is an event of faith rather than of past history)

  • Liberal View- Sees the ressurections stories as symbols or experiences of Jesus ongoing influence, but they are unsure about the empty tomb or miracles

  • Traditional View- Belief that Jesus really rose from the dead in history and this happened before the disciples believed.

Chapter 1

Barth emphasizes that the ressurectio of Jesus is not just a historical event but a foundational event that imparts meaning to the faith of the disciples and believers today.

  • Work of the holy spirit who makes the ressurection present and powerful in the lives of believer, by enabling faith.

Barth empahsizes the incarnation as a sovereign act of god, where the eternal world freely chose to become flesh.

Divine glory is concelaed beneath the servant form of revelation

Concealment is purposeful, allowing God to remain merciful and unapproachable

  • Barth distinguish between two models of divine revelation in the incarnation

  • Divine Form- The unediated, majestic revelation of Gods transcedence and omnipotence

  • Servant Form- The humbe, concealed revelation where God manifest as a servant in the flesh, prioritizing mercy and solidarity and humanity over glory

Incarnation reveals god primarly in the servant form, emphasizing God’s humanity and mercy rather than overwhelming diving power

Ressurection isnt a miraculous retur to life but the divine act that reveals who Jesus fundamentally is

-His ressurection doesnt mark a transformation from human to divine, but confirms the continous and unbrokem dicinity of christ

  • An expression of the same divine word who became flesh in the incarnation

Rejection of Two stage christology

Barth rejects any notion of two stage christolgy that seperates Jesus humanity and divinity into distinct phrases or persons.

Rejection of the Historical Jesus Christ

Barth was criticsl of theological efforts that attempted to discover Jesus through purely historical or empirical means

Barth argued that revelation cannot be reduced to historical facts or historical method.

Revelation is an event of gods self disclosure, not merely a subject for objectibe historical investigation

The offensive nature of revelation-

Barth hihlighted that gods revelation is inherently provocative and challenges humans presuppositions (offensive)

Revelation as a divine Intervention- Gods words breaks into human existance unexpectedly, demandiing attention & response

  • Revelation confronts Human sinfulness and exposes human pretensions while simultaneosly offering grace

  • Unlike human wisdom or philosophy, revelation can provoke offense and resistance because it challenged our world views and moral status

Concept of Fulfilled Time in Jesus Christ

  • Historical reality of Fulfillment- In Jesus Christ, God has broken into history fulfilling the promise and expectations of Gods covenant.

  • Jesus is the point where “time is fulfilled” meaning that the future hope of God’s kingdom becomes present reality uniquely in Christ.

  • Gods self revelation in Christ shapes all time and history not simply a “past moment”

Page 334 Notes

Barths “resisting” elements inn man takes 3 forms

  1. Indifference

  2. Creation of World views

  3. Apparent acceptance of Grace

Barth insist that the resurrection is a miracle that gives meaning to faith

>says its decisive for theology

>even equates revelation with resurrection

Important because it reveals that Jesus is not the revealer.

For Barth, the resurrections is an objective event in the life of Jesus that guve’s meaning ti faith there and then gives meaning to our faith here and now.

He insist that easter story speaks of “a present without any future, of an eternal prescence of god in time.

According to Haight the resurrection “is an object of faith-hope)

Barth insist that miracles refer to a special act of triune in history. It is a creative act of god and cannot be equating with anything in history including the humanity of christ

Bultman

Bultmann says that there is a mere self manifestation of thee risen Lord and thus “eschatological event of redemption” that is a foundation of faith (claims the resurrection didn’t happen)

Barth vs Bultmann

Barth strong view of the resurrection is tied to his insistence that resurrection is the fulfillment of the incarnation.

>If the objective resurrection of Jesus is equated with faith then “The self declaration of the resurrection is staged in the minds of the disciples and no where else. Nothing happened between him and then

Atonement- to cover

divine act inn which god, through christ takes up human sin and suffering his own being thereby overcoming it and restoring relationships making reconciliation possible (entirely gods work, not human effort)

Theodicy- issue that concerns how a good god that powerful co exist with a world of innocent suffering and death