THEO 530
RESEARCH PAPER: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND TOPIC SELECTION
TEMPLATE
LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
Submitted to Dr. Christopher Moody,
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
THEO 530-B01
Systematic Theology II
by
Mark Marlow
May 31, 2021
THEO 530
THEO 530
RESEARCH PAPER: ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY AND TOPIC SELECTION
TEMPLATE
Statement of Topic:
In this paper, I will be discussing the sinlessness of Jesus Christ.
Bibliography Information for Resource #1:
Crisp, Oliver D. "On the Vicarious Humanity of Christ." International Journal of Systematic
Theology : IJST 21, no. 3 (2019): 235-250.
Brief statement regarding the author and his or her credentials as an authority:
Oliver Crisp is a professor of analytic theology as a member of the Institute for Analytic and
Exegetical Theology in the School of Divinity at the University of St. Andrews. He is the author
of nine books and co-founder of Theology conferences.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for your topic:
The author, Oliver Crisp deals with the topic of Christ’s sinlessness. The argument being
discussed and ultimately defended is the view that Christ was born in a sinful world, therefore,
needing to be cleansed of his “sins”. Crisp spends ample time using ample resources in defense
of this claim. His final point Crisp is defending is that although Christ was born into a sinful
world, He was “out of this world” and not needing to be cleansed of His “sins”. I hope to use this
in my paper in order to learn a good defense in my apologetics.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic:
Quote: “The idea is that God assumes human nature so as to act vicariously on behalf of fallen
and sinful human beings. His assumption of a fallen but not sinful human nature is an important
constituent of this view because, in assuming a fallen human nature, God the Son seeks to heal
not just the particular human nature of Christ, but also, through it, the whole of fallen and sinful
humanity”1
Bibliography Information for Resource #2
Pelser, Adam C. (2019) "Temptation, Virtue, and the Character of Christ," Faith and Philosophy:
Journal of the Society of Christian Philosophers: Vol. 36 : Iss. 1 , Article 5.
1 Crisp, Oliver D. "On the Vicarious Humanity of Christ." International Journal of Systematic Theology :
IJST 21, no. 3 (2019): 235-250.
THEO 530
Brief statement regarding the author and his or her credentials as an authority:
Adam Pesler is a philosopher, author and speak. He holds a Master’s degrees in both religion and
philosophy and earned his Ph.D. in philosophy from Baylor University. He is associate professor
of philosophy at the U.S. Air Force Academy.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for your topic:
The author spends a great deal and goes into extreme detail regarding the concept of the actually
sinlessness of Jesus Christ. He pulls from other theologians, Chalcedonian Christology, and the
like to strengthen his assertions. I hope to use this in my paper to give insight to the former
beliefs for Christ, how He was seen by the people in His day, and how we can explain that in
today’s society.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic:
Quote: “Sinlessness is a negative concept in that it expresses the absence of something, as
opposed to the presence of something. When we say that Jesus was perfectly sinless, we mean
that he was completely free from sinful inclinations and desires and that he was never guilty of
any sinful action, thought, attitude, emotion, etc.”2
Bibliography Information for Resource #3:
Clarke, William Newton. II. The Person of Christ. An Outline of Christian Theology /.
Piscataway, New Jersey :: Gorgias Press,, 2019.
Brief statement regarding the author and his or her credentials as an authority:
Clarke was a Baptist minister and soon became a Professor at the Baptist Theological School in
Toronto. From there he moved to J.J. Joslin Professor of Christian Theology. Finally, he finished
his time of teaching at Yale University as a lecturer.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for your topic:
This work proves to be very theologically sound as it discusses the topic of the divinity of Christ
being fully God and fully Man. It discusses the divinity of Christ, Him being incapable of
sinning and leans on the Bible for support.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic:
Quote: “The Synoptics show him living in closest devotional fellowship with God, and
representing God among men as no one else has done before.”3
2 Pelser, Adam C. (2019) "Temptation, Virtue, and the Character of Christ," Faith and Philosophy: Journal
of the Society of Christian Philosophers: Vol. 36 : Iss. 1 , Article 5.
3 Clarke, William Newton. II. The Person of Christ. An Outline of Christian Theology /. Piscataway, New
Jersey :: Gorgias Press,, 2019.
THEO 530
Bibliography Information for Resource #4:
Ullmann, Carl and Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The Sinlessness of Jesus: An Evidence for
Christianity. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1870.
Brief statement regarding the author and his or her credentials as an authority:
Karl Ullmann was a Calvinist theologian who spent the majority of his life teaching theology at
Heidelberg. He became an author and speaker and a second class associate member of the Royal
Institute of the Netherlands.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for your topic:
This work includes many topics pertaining to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He uses
examples from eyewitness testimonies as well as from Jesus Himself and the claims of His
divinity and sinlessness. The aim in using this resource in my paper will be to give an synopsis
of Jesus’ claims from Jesus Himself.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic:
Quote: “Jesus calls Himself the Light of the World, and the King who is come into the world to
bear witness to the truth; therefore not merely a light among other lights, but the light which
lighteth every man; and not merely one among many witnesses to truth, but the King of Truth,
who can be but One. He designates Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life;”4
Bibliography Information for Resource #5:
Siker, Jeffrey S. Jesus, Sin, and Perfection in Early Christianity. New York: Cambridge
University Press, 2015.
Brief statement regarding the author and his or her credentials as an authority:
Jeffrey Siker is a Theological Studies professor at Loyola Marymount University. He teaches in
the area of New Testament. He earned his B.A. in Music and Religious Studies and Master’s of
Arts in Religious Studies at Indiana University. Continued his education, earning a M. Div., in
Graduate Studies from Yale University Divinity School. Finally, he finished his schooling by
earning a Ph. D., in New Testament Studies.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for your topic:
This work spends a great deal of time discussing where the idea of Jesus living a sinless life
originated. It takes into account all the early Judaism customs, sacrifices, and laws that prevented
anyone from sinning.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic:
4 Ullmann, Carl and Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The Sinlessness of Jesus: An Evidence for
Christianity. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1870.
THEO 530
Quote: “The author of Hebrews has sought to find a way to preserve the fullness of Jesus’ dual
humanity and divinity, but at the end of the day Hebrews joins the dominant Christian tradition
of sacrificing the humanity of Jesus on the altar of his divinity, made possible by theologizing
about Jesus as the perfect sinless sacrifice who atones for human sin”.5
Bibliography Information for Resource #6:
Sproul, R. C. -. (Robert Charles). Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Carol Stream, Ill. ::
Tyndale House Publishers,, 2011.
Brief statement regarding the author and his or her credentials as an authority:
R.C. Sproul was an American Presbyterian pastor, theologian, author, apologist, and Bible
teacher. He became the founder of Ligonier Valley Study Center in 1971, a place where
Christians can immerse themselves in biblical, theological, and philosophical study He served on
the boards of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, Evangelism Explosion, and Prison
Fellowship.
A crisp statement regarding the relevance of this article for your topic:
The author, Oliver Crisp deals with the topic of Christ’s sinlessness. The argument being
discussed and ultimately defended is the view that Christ was born in a sinful world, therefore,
needing to be cleansed of his “sins”. Crisp spends ample time using ample resources in defense
of this claim. His final point Crisp is defending is that although Christ was born into a sinful
world, He was “out of this world” and not needing to be cleansed of His “sins”. I hope to use this
in my paper in order to learn a good defense in my apologetics.
A salient or meaningful quote from the article that you would likely cite if you were to write
an essay on this topic:
Quote: “It was not only necessary for Jesus to be our substitute and receive the punishment due
for our sins, He had to fulfill the law of God perfectly to secure the merit necessary for us to
receive the blessings of God’s covenant.”6
5 Siker, Jeffrey S. Jesus, Sin, and Perfection in Early Christianity. New York: Cambridge University Press,
2015.
6Sproul, R. C. -. (Robert Charles). Essential Truths of the Christian Faith. Carol Stream, Ill. :: Tyndale
House Publishers,, 2011
