Pointing us to Jesus

by Johnny Galloway (’23)

Scott Adair is evidence that the farther you advance in the faith, the simpler it all becomes. 

I only had Dr. Adair for one class, but it was the best one I took at Harding: Seminar in Christology — that is, the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Isn’t every Bible course at Harding about Jesus? Well yes, but this one went deeper and higher than the others.

On the first day of class, Dr. Adair drew a V on the board. He explained that this was the path Jesus took: a downward, then upward trajectory. Jesus existed eternally with God the Father and then lowered himself, taking on the form of a human and dying a shameful death on the cross. For this faithfulness, God raised Jesus from the dead and highly exalted him, giving him the name above every name and seating him at his right hand. 

Simple enough. But Dr. Adair challenged us to see this self-outpouring as the very essence of what it means that Jesus is God. Yes, Jesus’s descent into the very worst of the human condition is a stark contrast to his glory. Although he is God, Jesus took on the form of a servant. But Jesus’s death on our behalf is also the fullest revelation of divinity that we will witness until he returns. Because he is God, Jesus took on the form of a servant. Dr. Adair drove us to see that Jesus bore our sorrow and shame not in spite of his divinity but because of it. Jesus calls us to follow him and take this path of humbling and exaltation, with him. Taking up a cross and following Jesus on this divine path is what it means to be like him and become more like him, a living sacrifice. 

As we went through the class, working through the Apostle Paul’s doctrine, atonement theory, the Nicene creed and more, always in the background was the V with a cross at its lowest point. Dr. Adair challenged us to see how we might pour ourselves out for others in our lives: in our friendships, our marriages, in our callings and vocations, and even for our enemies. 

Dr. Adair is also known for his seven-point summary of the gospel, the simple message that makes sinners into disciples and gave birth to the church. Whether it’s a V on the board or a sketch of the gospel, Dr. Adair has a gift for clarifying what lies at the heart of our faith and letting that steady and guide us even as we venture out into deeper waters. The Christology seminar is one of the most advanced Bible classes students at Harding can take, and it is also one of the simplest. 

All Christology students write a term paper. Mine was later published, and I dedicated it to my fellow students in that class. Part of the footnote was cut for the publication, but I think the language is appropriate here: “Dedicated to those students who enrolled in a course unassumingly entitled ‘Seminar in Doctrine: Christology’ and walked away from that Harding University upper room transformed by a semester-long encounter with the risen Christ.” Thank you, Dr. Adair, for pointing us to Jesus.