Why Jesus Christ is God
and not Just the Son of God
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There are some who
do not believe Jesus is God, but only the Son of God. This article is not to
demean those who do not believe Jesus is God. It is to prove to that Jesus is
God. If Jesus was not God, there has been no atonement for sin. Why would
this be so? Because only God could atone for a breach in His law? Why?
Because He was the Testator of the Everlasting covenant and the Bible says
that the Testator had to die. On Mt. Sinai, Moses saw the backside of God
Almighty. He is the Testator of the Everlasting Covenant. His is the Covenant
giver.
The Testator is the
one who makes a covenant as is evinced by the definition of testator in Hebrews 9:16 and
17, to wit: Number 1303
Transliteration: diatithemai {dee-at-ith'-em-ahee} Word Origin: middle voice from 1223 and 5087 TDNT: 2:104,157 Part of Speech: verb Usage in the KJV: make 3, testator 2, appoint 2 Definition: 1. to arrange, dispose of, one's own affairs A. of something that belongs to one B. to dispose of by will, make a testament 2. to make a covenant, enter into a covenant,
with one TDNT - Theological Dictionary of the New
Testament Scripture says that
God is a Spirit and that there is ONE SPIRIT. It is THAT ONE SPIRIT that
makes ONE GOD. Both the Father and the Son possess that ONE SPIRIT essence
and substance. When Jesus was “brought forth” into humanity, He laid aside
His “Spirit” attributes and that is why He said things that makes Him
“appear” to be lesser than God. But as Ellen White and Scripture say, He is
God, the Lord of the Everlasting Covenant. (Everlasting AND
Covenant) 16 verses in the KJV (Gen 9:16 - Hbr
13:20) Gen 9:16 And the bow
shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting
covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that [is]
upon the earth. Gen 17:7 And I will
establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their
generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy
seed after thee. Gen 17:13 He that is
born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be
circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting
covenant. Gen 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy
wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I
will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, [and]
with his seed after him. Lev 24:8 Every
sabbath he shall set it in order before the LORD continually, [being taken]
from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. Num 25:13 And he
shall have it, and his seed after him, [even] the covenant of an everlasting
priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the
children of Israel. 2Sa 23:5 Although my
house [be] not so with God; yet he hath made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all [things], and sure: for [this
is] all my salvation, and all [my] desire, although he make [it] not to
grow. 1Ch 16:17 And hath
confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, [and] to Israel [for] an everlasting
covenant, Psa 105:10 And
confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, [and] to Israel [for] an everlasting
covenant: Isa 24:5 The earth
also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed
the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting
covenant. Isa 55:3 Incline
your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, [even] the sure
mercies of David. Isa 61:8 For I the
LORD love judgment, I hate robbery for burnt offering; and I will direct
their work in truth, and I will make an
everlasting covenant with them. Jer 32:40 And I will
make an everlasting covenant
with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them
good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from
me. Eze 16:60
Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth,
and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant. Eze 37:26 Moreover I
will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I
will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of
them for evermore. Hbr 13:20 Now the
God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, The article below
appears at the following link: http://www.seekgod.org/bible/jesusisgod.html Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and vain deceit,
according to the tradition of men, and not according to Christ. For in Jesus
Christ dwells all the fullness of God Jesus
Christ is God There is only one God as the Holy Bible says. Hear, O Israel: The
LORD our God, the LORD is one! (Deuteronomy 6:4) We also know that the Bible gives
attributes of deity to God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son of God, and the
Holy Spirit of God. We also know that there are not three God’s, they are One. Trying to explain God with human
understanding is very limited, because we are limited. We can only know about
God by what He has revealed to us in His written Word, the Holy Bible. The
Bible gives us enough information to know that we can trust God with our
lives and believe that His word is truth. But we cannot understand all that
there is to know about God from our human perspective. Man is created in the image of God so
we can understand some things about God by looking at ourselves. There are
three parts to humans we have a spirit, and a soul, and they are contained in
a physical body, but they are one person. Now may the God of peace Himself
sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be
preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1STThessalonians
5:23) The following is a crude
human analogy of God but it seems to fit with what we are taught in the Bible
about God. The soul would relate to God the Father. The body would be Jesus
the Christ, and the spirit of God would be the Holy Spirit. The soul is a spiritual being, it is
the mind, the heart, the control center of a person, the personality, it is
the person. God the Father is Spirit. "God is Spirit, and those who
worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:24) Jesus the Christ represents the body
of God; He is God in physical form. For in Him all the fullness of Deity
dwells in bodily form, (Colossians 2:9). Just as the body receives and
obeys commands from the soul, or mind, Jesus receives and obeyed commands
from the Father. Jesus said that He only did what He saw the Father do and He
only said what He heard the Father say. Then Jesus said to them,
"When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and
that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these
things. (John 8:28) Jesus was a
sinless example of how we are supposed to be, in total obedience to the
Father. The body is subject to the mind or soul. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of love.
I believe that the Holy Spirit unites the Father and Son as One; One in love,
One in will, One in personality. The spirit that God has given man is what
the world calls our conscience. Then the dust will return to the earth as
it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)
The spirit that God has given man is our source of life, (John 6:63). The
moment that the spirit that God has given us departs from our body we are
dead, (James 2:26). Our spirit gives us understanding of
truth from God. But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty,
that gives him understanding. (Job 32:8)
Our spirit is always trying to unite us with God through Jesus Christ,
who is the only way to God. "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor
have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for
those who love Him." But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.
For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man
knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even
so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. (1 Corinthians
2:9-11) Our spirit is the only part of our being that we can trust. Our
spirit reveals truth to us in the way that God sees truth. The spirit of
man is the lamp of the LORD, Searching all the innermost parts of his being.
(Proverbs 20:27) Human souls have inherited corruption
from Adam’s sin, (Romans 5:12). Because a person is born a sinner he cannot trust
his own soul, which is his heart. The natural tendency of our soul is to sin.
Sin is disobedience to God and comes from rejecting God as God and trying to
be our own god. The natural tendency of a corrupted human soul is to be his
own god, which appeals to his pride and selfishness. "The heart is
deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? I, the
LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to
his ways, According to the fruit of his doings. (Jeremiah 17:9-10) Before a person accepts Jesus Christ
as Lord they are more sensitive to their body and corrupted soul rather than
to their spirit. When a person truly believes in Jesus Christ as the only
begotten Son of God their life is transformed by the Holy Spirit. Believers
receive the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, in them. A person who has the
Holy Spirit in them becomes more sensitive to their spirit because God’s Holy
Spirit communicates with us through our spirit. For if you live according
to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit
of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a
slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we
cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit
that we are God's children. (Romans 8:13-16)
People who try to come to God without
accepting Jesus Christ as the way to God are deceiving themselves and they
often try to deceive others also. Now the Spirit expressly says that in
latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving
spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own
conscience seared with a hot iron, (1st Timothy 4:1-2) These
people are insensitive to their spirit, or conscience, that God has given
them. Some of these people think that they have found a higher consciousness
in themselves but they are deceived by their own corrupt soul. "For God so loved the world that
He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life. "For God did not send His Son into the world
to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. "He
who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is
condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God. (John 3:16-18) Jesus Christ is not a created being. People are created and we can be
adopted by God to be His children. But Jesus the Christ is the only begotten
Son of the Father. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent
forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were
under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you
are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying
out, "Abba, Father!" (Galatians 4:4-6) Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He is
the very communication of God, and the revelation of God to man. In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He
was in the beginning with God. All things came into being by Him, and apart
from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:1-3)
Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe and the only begotten Son of the
Father. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in
the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. (John 1:18) Jesus Christ issues out of the Father.
Just as a solar flare, as part of the sun, issues out of the sun. "for the Father Himself loves you,
because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from God.
"I came forth from the Father and have come into the world.
Again, I leave the world and go to the Father." (John 16:27-28) The word “forth” above is the Greek
word exerchomai, it means to issue out of. The same word translated as
“came” is used in (John 19:34) But one of the soldiers with a spear
pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. Jesus
came out of the Father, just as blood comes out of a person. The issue of the deity of Christ is
the line in the sand that God has given to man to separate truth from error,
because Jesus Christ is Truth. “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had
known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him
and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and
it is sufficient for us." Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so
long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the
Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own
authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” (John
14:6-10) People that deny the deity of Jesus
Christ seek to bring Him down to their level; this is the spirit of
antichrist. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits,
whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the
world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that
Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not
confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is
the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now
already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome
them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They
are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears
them. We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not
hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves
is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God
is love. In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent
His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this
is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be
the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:1-10) The issue of the deity of Christ as
the only begotten Son of the Father is what separates true Christians from
every cult, even those that may accept some of the Bible. It is also the
issue that separates every other religion from true Christianity. That is the
line that God has given us to test the spirits to see if they are from the
true God or from the god of this world. Who is a liar but he who denies
that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges
the Son has the Father also. (1 John 2:22-23) People that are offended when Jesus is
called God do not know Him or His Father. If they think that they are
honoring the Father by belittling His Son they are mistaken. Whoever honors
the Son honors His Father also. For just as the Father raises the dead and
gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.
Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the
Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does
not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him. (John 5:21-23) We
are to honor Jesus in the same way that we honor His Father. We can give no greater honor to Jesus
Christ than to call Him God. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and
given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those
under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11) The word
“Lord” is the Greek word kurios, it means supreme in authority, God, master.
Every person will admit that Jesus Christ is Lord (God) sooner or later. The true church is made up of
believers in Jesus Christ. The church is called the “body of Christ” we are
now Christ body on earth. Now you are the body of Christ, and members
individually (1 Corinthians 12:27). Jesus Christ is our head (Colossians
1:18), our mind, and we are to obey Him just as He obeys His Father.
"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have
kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:10) We are
in Jesus Christ and He is in the Father and His Holy Spirit, the Spirit of
love, unites us all. "At that day you will know that I am in My
Father, and you in Me, and I in you. (John 14:20) When a person gets a revelation of who
Jesus is they will be like Thomas when he declared to Jesus “My Lord and my
God”. Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My
hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be
unbelieving, but believing." And Thomas answered and said to Him,
"My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you
have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet
have believed." (John 20:27-29) David also spiritually discerned that
Jesus is His God. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked
them, saying, "What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is
He?" They said to Him, "The Son of David." He said to them,
"How then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 'The LORD
said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your
footstool"'? "If David then calls Him 'Lord,' how is He his
Son?" (John 20:27-29) The deity of Jesus Christ is known by
His followers and can only be understood by His followers. And we know
that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may
know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.
This is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20) People that can only see with their
soul or mind are very short sighted and easily deceived. We have not
received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may
understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words
taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing
spiritual truths in spiritual words. The man without the Spirit does not
accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness
to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually
discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:12-14)
But even if our gospel is veiled, it
is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has
blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of
Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. (2 Corinthians
4:3-4) Beware lest anyone cheat you through
philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to
the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him
dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him,
who is the head of all principality and power. (Colossians 2:8-10) Below are some other scriptures that
point to Jesus Christ being God. Old Testament Passages Isaiah 7:14-"Therefore the
Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear
a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Immanuel literally means
"God with us"). Isaiah 9:6-"For unto us a
child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his
shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his
government and peace there shall be no end...." Jeremiah 23:5-6-"Behold, the
days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch,
and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in
the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely:
and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS." Christ's name in Hebrew is YHWH Tsidkenu, Jehovah Our
Righteousness. Micah 5:2-"But thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee
shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting." Christ has always existed
because He is not a created being; He is God Almighty who has existed from
everlasting. Malachi 3:1-2-"Behold, I will
send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom
ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the
covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he
appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap."
God's temple is Christ's temple. Christ comes as an all-powerful judge. Psalm 45:1, 6-7-"I speak of
the things which I have made touching the king.... Thy throne, O God, is for
ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest
righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed
thee...." The Hebrew word translated "anointed" is the verb
form of the noun "Messiah." Psalm 110:1-3-"The LORD said
unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool. The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou
in the midst of thine enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy
power...." The LORD (Jehovah) will subdue all Christ's enemies. Yet
Christ's rod and Christ's power will subdue all enemies. Christ's rule and
power are clearly equal to God's. See Psalm 2 where a similar theme is
discussed: "Serve the LORD [Jehovah] with fear, and rejoice with
trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the
way..." (vv. 11-12). Note how "the Son" is set poetically in
parallel with "Jehovah." New Testament Passages Matthew 1:23-"Behold, a virgin
shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his
name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us." John 1:1-3, 14-"In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The
same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without
him was not any thing made that was made.... And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father,) full of grace and truth." "The late New Testament Greek
scholar Colwell formulated a rule which clearly states that a definite
predicate nominative (in this case theos meaning 'God') never takes an
article when it precedes the verb ('was') as we find in John 1:1. It is
therefore easy to see that no article is needed for theos (God), and to
translate it 'a god' is both incorrect grammar and poor Greek, since theos is
a predicate nominative of 'was' in the third sentence-clause of the verse and
must refer back to the subject, 'Word' (logos). Christ, then, if He is the
Word "made flesh" (Jn. 1:14), can be no one else except God, unless
the Greek text, and consequently God's Word, be denied." [2] John 1:18-"No man hath seen
God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father,
he hath declared him." John 20:27-28-"Then saith he
to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy
hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And
Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God." Romans 9:6-"Christ came, who
is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen" (NKJV). Philippians 2:5-8-"Let this
mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no
reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the
likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." "'Who was in the form of God'
are his [the Apostle Paul's] words: and they are words than which no others
could be chosen which would more explicitly or with more directness assert
the deity of...Jesus Christ.... Let us remember that the phraseology which
Paul here employs was the popular usage of his day, though first given
general vogue by the Aristotelian philosophy: and that it was accordingly the
most natural language for strongly asserting the deity of Christ which could
suggest itself to him.... 'Form,' in a word, is equivalent to our phrase
'specific character.'... With God...the 'form' is that body of qualities
which distinguish Him from all other spiritual beings, which constitute Him
God, and without which He would not be God. What Paul asserts, then, when he
says that Christ Jesus existed in the 'form of God,' is that He had all those
characterizing qualities which make God God, the presence of which constitutes
God, and in the absence of which God does not exist. He who is 'in the form
of God' is God." Colossians 1:15-16-"Who is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were
all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and
invisible...." When the Apostle Paul says that
Christ is the firstborn over all creation, he does not mean that Christ is
the first created being. For he goes on to explain that Jesus Christ created
everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Jesus Christ could
not create Himself. The idea among various cults that Christ is the first
created being is an impossible absurdity. Colossians 2:8-10-"Beware lest
any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of
men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him
dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him,
which is the head of all principality and power." 1 Timothy 1:16-17-"Howbeit for
this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth
all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on
him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the
only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy 2:3-4-"For this is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to
be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 1 Timothy 3:16-"And without
controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory." 1 Timothy 6:14-16-"...the
appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall show, who is
the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who
only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;
whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting.
Amen." Titus 1:3-"But hath in due
times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me
according to the commandment of God our Saviour." Titus 2:10-"...showing all
good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all
things." Titus 2:13-"Looking for the
blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus
Christ" (NKJV). Hebrews 1:1-3-"God, who at
sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the
prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath
appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the
brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding
all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins,
sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." Hebrews 1:8-"But unto the Son
he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness
is the sceptre of thy kingdom." Jude 25-"To the only wise God
our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and for ever.
Amen." Jesus Christ Clearly Taught His Own Divinity Revelation 21:6-7-"And he
[Jesus Christ] said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and
the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of
life freely. He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his
God, and he shall be my son." John 8:57-59-"Then the Jews
said to Him, 'You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?'
Jesus said to them, 'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.'
Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out
of the temple..." (NKJV). John 5:17-26-"But Jesus
answered them, 'My Father has been working until now, and I have been
working.' Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not
only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself
equal with God. Then Jesus answered and said to them,... 'For as the Father
raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He
will.... For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to
have life in Himself'" (NKJV). John 10:28-39-"And I give unto
them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck
them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and
no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are
one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them,
Many good works have I showed you from my Father; for which of those works do
ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee
not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself
God. Jesus answered them,... If I do not the works of my Father, believe me
not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may
know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him. Therefore they
sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand." Mark 2:5-11-"When Jesus saw
their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven
thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in
their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins
but God only?... [Jesus] said unto them, But that ye may know that the Son of
man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine
house" (cf. Lk. 5:20-24). The scribes' theology was correct:
"Who can forgive sins but God only?" Jesus didn't disagree with
their conclusion; rather, through the miraculous healing He proved that He in
fact was God and had the authority to forgive sins. The Spirit-inspired writers of the
New Testament applied Old Testament passages which specifically refer
God-Jehovah to Jesus Christ; therefore, Jesus must be God-Jehovah.
The Bible Ascribes Attributes to Jesus Christ, Which Can Only be
Predicated of God 1.
Jesus Christ is all-knowing (omniscient) Matthew 12:25-"Jesus knew
their thoughts." Matthew 27:18-"For [Jesus]
knew that for envy they had delivered Him." Luke 6:8-"He knew their
thoughts." John 2:24-25-"But Jesus did
not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any
should testify of man: for he knew what was in man." John 21:17-"And [Peter] said
unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee." Revelation 2:23-"All the
churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I
will give to each of you according to your works" (NKJV). 2.
Jesus Christ is all-powerful (omnipotent) Ephesians 3:20-"Now unto him
[Christ] that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that worketh in us." Philippians 3:20-21-"...the
Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned
like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even
to subdue all things unto himself." Colossians 2:10-"Ye are
complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power." Hebrews 1:3-"[Jesus Christ is]
upholding all things by the word of his power." Revelation 1:8-"I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was,
and which is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 2:26-27-"He who
overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over
the nations-'He shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the potter's vessels
shall be broken to pieces'-as I also have received from My Father"
(NKJV). 3.
Jesus Christ is unchanging (immutable) Hebrews 1:8-12-"But unto the
Son he saith...Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the
earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but
thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a
vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the
same, and thy years shall not fail." Hebrews 13:8-"Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today, and forever" (NKJV). This passage disproves
the idea that Jesus is a created being. For if Jesus was created, He was not
the same yesterday. "Yesterday" (past) is contrasted with
"forever" (future), and obviously refers to eternity past. 4.
Jesus Christ, as to his divine nature, is
everywhere present (omnipresent) Matthew 18:20-"For where two
or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of
them." At any given moment there are literally thousands upon thousands
of Bible studies, prayer meetings and church services being conducted around
the earth. Jesus Christ says that He is present at each gathering. Only God
can be at thousands of different places at the same time. Romans 8:10-"And if Christ be
in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of
righteousness.... [H]e that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken
your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." No created
being, no matter how great, can dwell in the millions of Christians
throughout the world; it is impossible. But it is not impossible for Jesus
Christ who is God. 1 Corinthians 10:4-"And did
all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock
that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." Whenever believers
partake of the Lord's Supper, Jesus Christ is spiritually present. Revelation 2:1-"These things
saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the
midst of the seven golden candlesticks." Jesus Christ is presented in
Revelation as being present in the churches and being totally aware of each
church's deeds in minute detail. Revelation 3:20-"Behold, I
stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I
will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Jesus Christ
will personally fellowship with each repentant believer. This would be
impossible if He were merely human, for there are millions of Christians
spread over the whole globe. 5.
Jesus Christ has eternal existence Isaiah 9:6-"For unto us a child
is born,...and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty
God, The everlasting Father...." John 1:1-3-"In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. All things were made by him...." Jesus Christ
existed with God prior to creation. John 8:58-"Jesus said to them,
'Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM'" (NKJV). Jesus
certainly did not mean He existed as the first created being, because the
Jews wanted to stone Him for claiming to be God. Revelation 1:8-"I am Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was,
and which is to come, the Almighty" (cf. Rev. 22:13). 6.
Jesus Christ is the Creator The Bible teaches that God created
everything that exists, whether spiritual or material. "God that made
the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth,
dwelleth not in temples made with hands" (Ac. 17:24). "Thou art
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created
all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11).
"[Him] that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things
that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the
sea, and the things which are therein..." (Rev. 10:6). Yet the Bible
also teaches that Jesus Christ created everything. This can only mean that
Jesus Christ is God, for only God who is uncreated has the power to create
from nothing. The Bible teaches that creation from nothing was an act of the
God. That explains why Genesis 1:26 says, "Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness." Following are some verses of Scripture which teach
that Christ is the Creator. John 1:2-3-"He [Jesus Christ]
was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him and without
Him nothing was made" (NKJV). John 1:10-"He was in the
world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not." 1 Corinthians 8:6-"But to us
there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and
one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him." Colossians 1:16-17-"For by him
[Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And
he is before all things, and by him all things consist." Hebrews 1:2-3-"...his Son,
whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,
and upholding all things by the word of his power...." Hebrews 2:10-"For it became
him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things...." Hebrews 3:3-4-"For this man
[Jesus Christ] was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he
who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house
is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God." 7.
Jesus Christ is the Judge of all mankind The Bible teaches that on the last
day of this age God will judge all men who ever lived. "Then shall the
trees of the wood sing out at the presence of the LORD, because he cometh to
judge the earth" (1 Chr. 16:33). "And I saw the dead, small and
great, stand before God; and the books were opened...and the dead were judged
out of those things which were written in the books, according to their
works" (Rev. 20:12). Only God is capable of judging all men. God is
all-knowing and therefore knows every act. He is all-powerful, and therefore
can carry out His punishments. He is perfectly holy and therefore can judge
every sin without injustice. Only God who is moral and just in character has
the authority to judge the human race. Yet the Bible teaches that Jesus
Christ will judge the world. Christ Himself claimed the total authority and
jurisdiction over mankind on the final day that can only belong to God. In
fact, the judgment seat of God Almighty and the judgment seat of Jesus Christ
are one and the same seat. Jesus said, "Many will say to me in that day,
Lord, Lord.... And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart
from me, ye that work iniquity" (Mt. 7:22-23). The fate of each and
every person rests upon Christ's decision; He has the power and authority to
render sentence and to cast men into hell-an authority reserved exclusively
to God. Following are some biblical references which unmistakably establish
that Jesus Christ is the Judge of all mankind. Matthew 25:31-33, 41-"When the
Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then
shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered
all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right
hand, but the goats on the left.... Then shall he say also unto them on the
left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
devil and his angels." John 12:48-"He that rejecteth
me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I
have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day." Acts 10:42-"It is He [Jesus
Christ] who was ordained of God to be Judge of the living and the dead"
(NKJV). Acts 17:31-"He hath appointed
a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man
[Jesus Christ] whom he hath ordained." Romans 2:16-"In the day when
God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ...." Romans 14:10-12-"For we shall
stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: 'As I live, says
the LORD [Jehovah], Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall
confess to God.' So then each of us shall give account of himself to
God" (NKJV). This passage of Scripture not only presents Christ as
Judge, but clearly teaches that on the day of judgment everyone will bow to
Christ; that is, everyone will acknowledge that Christ is the LORD God. By
introducing his quotation of Isaiah 45:23 with the familiar prophetic
formula, "As I live, saith the LORD" (cf. Num. 14:28, Isa. 49:18,
Jer. 22:24, Ezek. 5:11, Zeph. 2:9, etc.), and applying it to Christ, the
Apostle Paul self-consciously and deliberately calls Christ Jehovah. Note
also that at the Judgment Seat of Christ, everyone will give account of
himself to God. This passage is a powerful and unmistakable statement of
Christ's deity. 2 Corinthians 5:10-"For we
must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether
it be good or bad." 2 Timothy 4:1, 8-"...the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his
kingdom.... Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me
only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." Hebrews 10:30-"For we know Him
who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, 'The
LORD [Jehovah] will judge His people'" (NKJV). The Bible Teaches That God the Holy Spirit, Proceeds From Both the
Father and the Son (Spiration) Matthew 3:11-"I [John the
Baptist] indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall
baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." Jesus Christ not only
has the authority to baptize believers with the Holy Spirit but also to
baptize unbelievers into hell-fire. While this passage technically does not
deal with spiration, it shows that Christ has the authority of God: only God
can send the Holy Spirit to His church. John 15:26-"But when the
Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit
of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." Romans 8:9-"But ye are not in
the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his." Here
Paul equates the Spirit of God with the Spirit of Christ. Galatians 4:6-"And because ye
are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying,
Abba, Father." Revelation 5:6-"And I beheld,
and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst
of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and
seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the
earth." Seven in Scripture often represents completion and perfection.
The perfect Holy Spirit of God proceeds from Jesus Christ unto the whole
earth. Jesus Christ is Worshiped as God There is probably no sin more
condemned in the Bible than that of idolatry. The Bible teaches that we are
to worship God alone. Why? Because only God is worthy to be worshiped. God's
law says, "Thou shalt have none other gods before me.... Thou shalt not
bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them" (Dt. 5:7-9). When tempted by
Satan, Christ said, "Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou
shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Lk.
4:8). When the Apostle John fell in worship before one of God's mighty
angels, the angel rebuked him and told him to worship God. "And I John
saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down
to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then
saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy
brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book:
worship God" (Rev. 22:8-9). When Cornelius the centurion fell in worship
before the Apostle Peter, Peter clearly rejected the offer of worship:
"And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his
feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself
also am a man" (Ac. 10:25-26). The contrast with the Lord Jesus
Christ is startling: from His birth (Mt. 2:1-2) to His ascension (Lk.
24:51-52), Christ is openly and continuously worshiped by His disciples. Did
Jesus reject this worship, as Peter and the angel did? No, Jesus openly accepted
and even commended such activity. What could this mean except that "That
same person who is known to history as Jesus of Nazareth existed, before He
became man, from all eternity as infinite, eternal and unchangeable God"
? Passages in Which Jesus is Worshiped Matthew 2:1-2-"Now when Jesus
was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there
came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born
King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to
worship him." Matthew 2:10-11-"When they saw
the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come
into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down,
and worshipped him." Matthew 8:2-"And, behold, there
came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make
me clean." Matthew 9:18-"While [Jesus]
spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and
worshipped him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come and lay thy
hand upon her, and she shall live." Matthew 14:33-"Then they that
were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son
of God." Matthew 15:25-"Then came she
and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me." Matthew 28:9-"And as they went
to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they
came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him." Mark 5:6-"But when he saw
Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him." Luke 24:51-52-"And it came to
pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into
heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great
joy." John 9:35-38-"...he said unto
him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he,
Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both
seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe.
And he worshipped him." Hebrews 1:6-"And again, when
he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the
angels of God worship him." Revelation 5:8-14-"And when he
had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down
before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of
odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying,
Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof.... And every
creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such
as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and
unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four
and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and
ever." Revelation 15:3-4-"And they
sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy
ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name?
for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee;
for thy judgments are made manifest." In Revelation 5:8 the living
creatures and elders worship the Lamb (Jesus Christ) and offer Him prayers. In
verse 13 Christ is offered the same worship that is given to the Father. In
Revelation 15:3-4 the worship of the Lord God Almighty and Jesus Christ the
King of the saints are indistinguishable. All nations will come and worship
before Jesus Christ (Ps. 22:27-28). The fact that the apostles, and an angel
of God, totally rejected worship, while Christ openly accepted it, indicates
that the New Testament use of "to worship" (prosekun_san
aut_-"worshiped Him") is not mere homage to a king but the worship
of God Himself. No created being, no matter how great, is allowed to accept
worship. Jesus Christ is the Object of Saving Faith John 14:1-6-"Let not your
heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.... Jesus saith unto
him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me." No angel, prophet or apostle could speak such words; only
God can be the object of saving faith. Christ doesn't just point to God, He
points to Himself. When Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the
life," He declares that He is the foundation of all truth and all life.
He is God, who is absolute Truth personified. There are Instances in the Bible Where the Names "Son of
God" and "Lord" Indicate Christ's Essential Deity 1.
Jesus Christ the Son of God Matthew 11:27-"All things are
delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father;
neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the
Son will reveal him." "Just think about what these words mean, my
friends. They mean that there are mysteries in the person, Jesus, which none
but the infinite and eternal God can know." Matthew 14:26, 33-33-"And when
the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a
spirit; and they cried out for fear.... And when they [Peter and Jesus] were
come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and
worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God." Matthew 16:16-"Simon Peter
answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
"Peter's declaration that Jesus is 'the Son of the living God' can mean
no less than that, in a unique way, a sense not applicable to any mortal,
Jesus is, was and always will be the Son of that God who not only is Himself
the only living One, over against all the dead so-called gods of the pagans
(Isa. 40:18-31) but also is the only source of life for all that lives." Matthew 26:63-65-"But Jesus
held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee
by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of
God. Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you,
Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and
coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes,
saying, He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of witnesses?
behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy." When Jesus ascribed to Himself
the title "Son of Man" and then openly claimed to be the
fulfillment of Daniel 7:13-14-the One who is coming on the clouds of heaven
who will judge the nations and have everlasting dominion-the high priest
accused Him of blasphemy. Why? Because Christ was claiming for Himself things
that the high priest knew could only be attributed to God. Christ claimed to
be the divine Son of God. The high priest refused to accept this claim and
therefore rejected Christ. 2.
The Lord Jesus Christ Luke 2:11-"For unto you is
born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord."
"Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Anointed; he is the Lord, Lord of
all; He is a sovereign prince; nay, He is God, for the Lord, in the Old
Testament, answers to Jehovah. He is a Savior, and He will be a Savior to
those only that accept Him as their Lord." Luke 3:4-6-"The voice of one
crying in the wilderness: 'prepare the way of the LORD [Jehovah], make His
paths straight.... And all flesh shall see the salvation of God'"
(NKJV). 1 Corinthians 12:3-"No man can
say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." Philippians 2:11-"And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father." "Jesus Christ, therefore, is Lord to Christians in the
same sense that Jehovah was Lord to the Hebrews. The usage referred to is
altogether peculiar; no man-not Moses, nor Abraham, nor David, nor any of the
prophets or apostles-is ever thus prevailingly addressed or invoked as Lord.
We have but one Lord; and Jesus Christ is Lord." |
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