II Toward a Definition of Christ

Same Christ, varieties of Christian experiences
"Whatever roles he plays in the varieties of Christian experience, it is the same Christ who exercises these various offices."
"impossibility of stating adequately by means of concepts and propositions a principle which presents itself in the form of a person." "impossibility of saying anything about this person which is not also relative to the particular standpoint in church, history, and culture of the one who undertakes to describe him." "All descriptions fall short of His fullness"

Love
Focal point Center is Love God at forefront of Christ’s devotion love of God and of the neighbor -this virtue in him is disproportionate only in the polytheistic-monotheistic sense, not in the sense that it is unaccompanied by other virtues perhaps equally great, -when God is loved it is the principle of fatherhood that is loved Though mentions love to God and man he does not but them on the same level…God is to be loved with all and neighbor as self Does not speak of worth apart from God Love of God (gratefullness is no possessive Eros, love of man pure Agape love of passion, compassion Jesus…not love but God whom filled his soul…love man as God would love Him

Hope, obedience, faith, humility
HOPE…escatology..”not escatology ut sonship to God that is the key to Jesus’ ethics (“escatologists, of whom Albert Schweitzer is the best known spokesmen, have attempted to describe Jesus as uniquely characterized by expectancy rather than love. )
Obedience p.22 Obediance Bultman Something lacking in existentialist portrait of obedient Christ
Faith & Humility Jesus puts no faith in enduring institutions and traditions of his society. Shows little confidence in his disciples, Humility before God, but “he neither exhibited nor commended and communicated the humility of inferiority-feeling before other men…Before Pharisees, high priest, Pilate and….he showed a confidence that had no trace to self=abnegation. -defers to God alone..no one good but God alone “his humility is of the sort that raises to a new sense of dignity and worth those who have been humiliated by the defenseive pretensions of the “good” and the “righteous.” “the secret of the meekness and gentleness of Christ lies in his relaition to God” p.27 The humility of Christ in that of absolute dependance on God and absolute trust in Him….

Theocentric
“Thus any one of the virtues of Jesus may be taken as the key to understanding of his character and teaching; but each is intelligible in its apparent radicalism only as a relation to God. Points away from the many values of man’s social life to the one who alone is good
Because he loves the Father with perfection of human eros, therefore he loves men in the perfection of divine agape “For they are forever being challenged to abandon all things for the sake of God; and forever being sent back into the world to teach and practice all the things that have commanded them.




II Toward a Definition of Christ Same Christ, varieties of Christian experiences "All descriptions fall short of His fullness" Love Focal point Center is Love God at forefront of Christ?s devotion love of God and of the neighbor -this virtue in him is disproportionate only in the polytheistic-monotheistic sense, not in the sense that it is unaccompanied by other virtues perhaps equally great, -when God is loved it is the principle of fatherhood that is loved Though mentions love to God and man he does not but them on the same level?God is to be loved with all and neighbor as self Does not speak of worth apart from God Love of God (gratefullness is no possessive Eros, love of man pure Agape love of passion, compassion Jesus?not love but God whom filled his soul?love man as God would love Him Hope, obedience, faith, humility "not escatology ut sonship to God that is the key to Jesus? ethics" Jesus shows humility before God (in absolute dependance & trust), but ?he neither exhibited nor commended and communicated the humility of inferiority-feeling before other men" amd He puts no faith in the institutions and traditions of his society nor his disciples. ?his humility is of the sort that raises to a new sense of dignity and worth those who have been humiliated by the defenseive pretensions of the ?good? and the ?righteous.? Theocentric Points away from the many values of man?s social life to the one who alone is good Because he loves the Father with perfection of human eros, therefore he loves men in the perfection of divine agape ?For they are forever being challenged to abandon all things for the sake of God; and forever being sent back into the world to teach and practice all the things that have commanded them.