Our Catholic Faith
Living What We Believe
CHAPTER 2
Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
 Encouraging Words
 Beliefs about Jesus Christ
 Evidence for Jesus and His Life
 Mysteries of Christ’s Life
 Christ Died for Our Sake
 What We Believe about Jesus
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Encouraging Words
The life of Jesus Christ is “the greatest story
ever told.”
Christ inspired countless of his followers
throughout the ages to love in imitation of
him. One such follower was
Thomas S. VanderWoude.
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Encouraging Words
Gospel
1. “Good News”
2. Jesus’ own preaching
3. the preaching about
Jesus the Savior
4. the four Spirit-inspired
written versions of the
Good News
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Beliefs about Jesus Christ
Yahweh had gradually revealed himself
throughout history, but in Christ, God
himself came to the world in
the person of Son.
In times past, God spoke in partial and
various ways to our ancestors, through
the prophets; in these last days, he
spoke to us through a son, whom he
made heir of all things and through whom
he created the universe.
Hebrews 1:1-2
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Beliefs about Jesus Christ
Why did the Word become flesh?
1. to save us from sin, death, and eternal
separation from God
2. so that thus we might know God’s love
3. to be our model of holiness
4. to make us sharers in his divine nature
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Beliefs about Jesus Christ
Jesus’ threefold office:
 Prophet – one who speaks
for God
 Priest – a mediator between
God and humans
 King – a leader and ruler
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Beliefs about Jesus Christ
Titles and symbols for Jesus
Christ
“anointed
one”
Jesus
“God
saves”
Son of God
Lord
Jesus is
God
Son of Man
Suffering
Servant
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Evidence for Jesus and His Life
… does not contradict…
… is fulfilled in…
… continues in …
… salvation is extended
to all people in …
New Testament
New Covenant
Old Testament
Old Covenant
Sources for the existence of Jesus of Nazareth:
1. ancient historians
2. The New Testament
3. The Gospels – the heart of the Bible
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Evidence for Jesus and His Life
The New Testament
The Revelation to John
Encourages persecuted Christians to remain faithful to Christ
Catholic Letters
Encourages the universal Church to remain faithful to Christ
Letters/Epistles
Highlights the importance of faith in Jesus Christ
Acts of the Apostles
Recounts history of the Church from Pentecost until A.D. 63
The Gospels
Testify to Salvation in Jesus Christ
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Evidence for Jesus and His Life
The Formation of the Gospels
Stage 3
The N.T. Writings
The actual writing of
the four Gospels and
other NT writings
Stage 1
The Historical Jesus
The life of Jesus Christ
Stage 2
Oral Tradition
Four Forms:
1. Kerygma – preaching to unbelievers
2. Didache – catechesis
3. Liturgy – celebration of the Eucharist
4. Diakonia – service to others
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
The Four Evangelists
The Gospel
of Matthew
Written for Jewish Christians
Emphasizes Jesus as the New Lawgiver
The Gospel
of Mark
Written for Gentile Christians
Stresses Jesus as Suffering Servant
The Gospel
of Luke
Written for Gentile Christians
Highlights Jesus as Universal Messiah
The Gospel
of John
Reflects a more developed theology
Presents Jesus as God’s unique Word
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Mysteries of Jesus’ early life:
 Jesus was born into poverty
 He came as one of the lowly and poor
 His circumcision incorporated him into the Chosen
People
 At the Epiphany he manifested himself as the Savior of
all people
 His presentation in the Temple revealed him to be the
firstborn son who belongs to God
 The flight into Egypt and the slaughter of the innocents
show how the forces of evil war against him
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Mysteries of Jesus’ public life:
 As God-made-flesh, everything about Jesus’ life on earth
reveals the Father
 Jesus is the model for human living
 At his baptism, Jesus accepted and launched his mission
to be God’s Suffering Servant
 His temptations by Satan help him identify with humanity
 The heart of his message: God’s kingdom is coming in
Jesus’ very person
 His message requires an immediate response: repentance
and faith in him
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Jesus’ proclamation of the Good News:
1. God’s Kingdom is here: We can see God’s presence
in love, forgiveness, healing, compassion, works of
justice, and goodness.
2. God is a loving Father: We can approach our Gather
with simple, childlike confidence and trust that he will
answer our prayers.
3. Jesus is present in his Church: Jesus remains with
us through his Body, the Church, which he established
through the Apostles.
4. To accept Jesus is to accept his Cross: A Christian
life requires self-denial and sacrifice.
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
Signs of God’s Kingdom:
1. miracles – reveal that God’s Kingdom was
present in his very person and prove that he
is the Messiah, the Son of God
2. transfiguration – a special foretaste of the
Kingdom and revelation of all three persons
of the Blessed Trinity
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Christ Died for Our Sake
The fruits of Christ’s sacrifice:
1. repairs the broken relationship
between God and man
2. bestows God’s blessings, grace,
and life on humankind and adopts us
into God’s family
3. brings forgiveness for our sins and
redeems us from sin, evil, and death
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Mysteries of Christ’s Life
The Resurrection:
1. was a real event
2. the Apostles and disciples
believed when they actually
saw Jesus
3. Christ conquered Satan and
destroyed the power of death
4. is proof of Jesus’ divinity
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
What We Believe about Jesus
Heresies
Monophysitism
Nestorianism
Christ’s divine nature
absorbed his human
nature, effectively
destroying Jesus’ true
humanity
Christ was two persons;
Mary was the mother of
the human Jesus, not the
divine Jesus
Gnostic Docetism
Arianism
God could not have
actually taken on human
flesh; Jesus only
appeared to be a man
God the Father created
Jesus as the greatest of
creatures but Jesus was
not equal to God
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
VOCABULARY
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Gospel (41)
Incarnation (42)
Jesus (43)
Christ (43)
Salvation (43)
Lord (44)
Apostles (43)
Blasphemy (43)
Salvation (43)
Parables (46)
Evangelists (47)
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Catechesis (48)
Mystery (50)
Epiphany (52)
Virgin Birth (52)
The Paschal Mystery
(53)
Kingdom of God (54)
Ransom (57)
Parousia (60)
Pentecost (60)
Heresy (61)
The Jesus Prayer
Chapter 2 Jesus Christ: Lord and Savior
Lord, Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
have mercy on me a sinner.