Classic Heresies (Christology)
This heresy taught that Jesus was born merely human and later elevated to divine status at his baptism or resurrection.
What is Adoptionism?
The Council of Chalcedon (451) affirmed this core Christological doctrine.
That Christ is one person in two natures (fully divine and fully human) without confusion, change, division, or separation.
An outward and visible sign of inward and spiritual grace
What is a sacrament?
The belief that Christ is truly present in the Eucharist, though various traditions explain the mode differently.
What is real presence?
God’s gracious act of declaring sinners righteous through faith in Christ.
What is justification?
If you were introducing the Joint Declaration to a church class, how would you briefly state its basic claim about how we are justified before God?
That we are justified by God’s grace alone, through faith in Christ, and not because of our own merit.
Which atonement model teaches that Christ defeats the powers of sin, death, and evil?
Christus Victor
How does Christ's full humanity support compassionate pastoral ministry?
It shows that Christ truly understands human suffering and walks alongside us.
A heresy claiming Jesus only appeared to be human, undermining the reality of the incarnation.
What is Docetism?
Why does the “hypostatic union” matter for atonement theology & Christology?
Because only one who is truly God can save, and only one who is truly human can represent humanity.
A term used in some Protestant traditions for practices commanded by Christ but not understood to convey grace ex opere operato
What is an ordinance?
The Roman Catholic doctrine that the substance of bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ while the accidents remain.
What is transubstantiation?
The process by which believers are transformed by the Spirit into Christ’s likeness.
What is sanctification?
Sections 4.1–4.6 of the JDDJ have titles like “Human Powerlessness and Sin in Relation to Justification,” “Justification as Forgiveness of Sins and Making Righteous,” “Justification by Faith and through Grace,” “The Justified as Sinner,” “Law and Gospel,” and “Assurance of Salvation.” Taken together, name one kind of question about justification that these subthemes are trying to answer, and why is that question so important?
How helpless are we without grace? (4.1)
Does justification only forgive, or also make us new? (4.2)
How do faith, grace, and good works relate? (4.3)
How can a justified person still be called a sinner? (4.4)
What is the place of God’s law and gospel? (4.5)
Can believers have real assurance of salvation? (4.6)
Which atonement model, associated with Anselm, argues that Christ restores God's honor and satisfies divine justice?
Satisfaction theory
How do sacraments strengthen Christian community?
By embodying grace, forming identity, and grounding the church in shared practices.
This heresy denied Jesus a human rational soul, suggesting the divine Logos replaced his human mind.
What is Apollinarianism?
How does affirming Christ’s full humanity shape the church’s understanding of suffering, solidarity, and pastoral care today?
It assures people that Christ genuinely shares human suffering and truly identifies with human experience.
Why does the distinction between “sacrament” and “ordinance” matter for theology today?
Because it shapes how communities understand grace, divine action, and the church’s role in spiritual formation.
The view, often associated with Zwingli, that the Eucharist is primarily a symbolic remembrance.
What is memorialism?
According to many traditions (including Wesleyan), justification and sanctification are related in this way.
What is distinct but inseparable?
JDDJ §4.4 is titled “The Justified as Sinner.” What central issue is this subtheme trying to address, and why is that issue pastorally and theologically important?
It tackles the question of how someone who is truly justified and renewed by God’s grace can still struggle with sin. The JDDJ says that believers are genuinely made new, yet they do not become sinless; they continually depend on God’s justifying grace. Lutherans describe remaining sin as still present but “ruled,” while Catholics speak of concupiscence that is not sin “in the proper sense.”
This issue matters because it protects both assurance (we really are accepted by God) and humility and vigilance (we still need ongoing repentance and growth), and it helps pastors speak honestly about Christian life without despair or perfectionism.
Which atonement view teaches that Christ's self-giving love transforms human hearts and inspires moral change?
Moral influence theory
How does Christian teaching on salvation shape ethical living?
It calls believers into a life marked by justice, mercy, love, and reconciliation
Rejected by the church for denying original sin and teaching that humans can choose the good without divine grace.
What is Pelagianism?
How does affirming Christ’s full divinity shape Christian worship?
It grounds worship in the belief that Christ is truly God and therefore worthy of devotion and praise.
Name one theological meaning traditionally associated with Christian baptism
What is forgiveness, incorporation into Christ, new birth, or initiation into the church?
Why is the question of Christ’s presence in the Eucharist theologically significant today?
It affects worship, sacramental theology, ecumenical relations, and understandings of divine grace
How does justification provide assurance for believers?
It grounds their confidence in God’s grace rather than in their own achievements
What is the main purpose of the JDDJ’s subthemes in §§4.1–4.6 under “Explicating the Common Understanding of Justification”?
They unpack key aspects of justification, such as human inability, forgiveness and renewal, the relation of faith and works, the ongoing presence of sin, law and gospel, and assurance, to show where Lutherans and Catholics now share a common confession and where differences remain, so that their shared understanding of justification can be expressed clearly and responsibly.
According to Athanasius and others, how does Christ heal humanity?
By restoring human nature and overcoming the corruption brought by sin
How do agreements like the JDDJ support the church’s mission today?
By strengthening unity, credibility, and collective witness to the gospel.
Why does studying early Christological heresies matter for theology and ministry today?
Because they clarify why Jesus must be fully divine and fully human for salvation and help the church avoid repeating theological errors.
What theological principle expresses why Christ must assume full humanity in order to heal it?
What is not assumed is not redeemed.
(Classic patristic maxim: “What is not assumed is not healed.”; links to assumption soteriology)
What does a sacramental worldview affirm about how God interacts with creation?
That God uses ordinary, material things to communicate divine grace.
What is one major theological implication of affirming the real presence rather than a purely symbolic view of the Eucharist?
It emphasizes deeper participation in Christ and reinforces the church’s sacramental identity.
Why does sanctification matter for the church’s mission today?
Because transformed lives witness to God’s renewing work and embody the gospel.
Why is it important for pastors and teachers today to understand the way JDDJ §§4.1–4.6 hold together agreement and difference when explaining justification to a congregation?
Because it helps them present salvation as a coherent, grace-centered reality, avoid old caricatures of “the other side,” and show that real consensus on the heart of the gospel is possible even when nuances differ, strengthening both local teaching about grace and the wider witness of a more united church.
Why do many theologians describe atonement as a "kaleidoscope"?
Because no single atonement model fully captures the richness of Christ’s saving work
How do Christology, soteriology, and sacramental theology work together to form a unified vision of salvation?
Christ’s identity makes salvation possible, justification and sanctification describe how we receive it, and sacraments embody and sustain it in the life of the church.