Christology is the study of the nature and person of Jesus Christ. It asks: who is Jesus? What is he? How is he related to God? How is he related to humanity? The answers have divided the church. They have produced councils. They have produced creeds. They have produced heresies. Christology is the heart of Christian theology.

The early church debated Christology. Arius said Jesus was a created being. Athanasius said Jesus was fully divine. The Council of Nicaea in 325 sided with Athanasius. It declared Jesus is homoousios, of the same substance as the Father. Nestorius said Christ had two persons. Cyril said he had one person. The Council of Ephesus in 431 sided with Cyril. Eutyches said Christ had one nature. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 said he had two natures, divine and human, in one person. That is the orthodox view.

Key Christological questions

• Is Jesus fully God?
• Is Jesus fully human?
• How are the two natures related?
• Is Jesus one person or two?
• What does it mean that God became flesh?

Christology matters. It determines who Jesus is. It determines what he did. It determines how we are saved. If Jesus is not God, he cannot save us. If Jesus is not human, he cannot represent us. He must be both. He is the God-man. He is the mediator. He is the bridge between heaven and earth. Christology is not just an academic exercise. It is the foundation of faith. It is the reason for hope. It is the mystery of the incarnation. God became man. The Word became flesh. That is the scandal. That is the glory. That is Christology.