DEFENDING THE DEITY OF CHRIST — Part 2

WHY JESUS IS TRULY GOD - BIBLICALLY, HISTORICALLY, AND THEOLOGICALLY

2. JESUS SHARES THE NAMES OF GOD

In African culture, a name is not just a label — it carries identity, authority, and essence.
A son of a chief carries the weight of his father’s name.
When he speaks, the father’s authority follows him.

The same truth appears in Scripture: Jesus bears the very names of God.

THE NAME “I AM” (YAHWEH)

Exodus 3:14 — God told Moses His eternal name: “I AM WHO I AM.”
This name (Yahweh) was so holy that Jews feared to pronounce it.

John 8:58 — Jesus boldly declares: “Before Abraham was born, I AM!”
He did not say “I was.”
He used God’s own eternal name. The Jews understood this as a claim to be God — that’s why they tried to stone Him.

Other Divine Titles

THE FIRST AND THE LAST (ALPHA AND OMEGA)

God says this of Himself in Isaiah 44:6.

Jesus uses the same title in Revelation 1:17-18:
“I am the First and the Last… I am the Living One.”

LORD OF GLORY

Psalm 24:10 calls God the “King of glory.”

1 Corinthians 2:8 says the rulers crucified the “Lord of glory.” — Jesus Himself.

Picture a stranger walking into a village palace and announcing, “I am the Chief!”
He would be chased out — because he has no right to that name.

But when the true chief’s son arrives, people bow.
Why? Because he carries his father’s name, authority, and nature.

Jesus did not force God’s name or borrow it.
He carries it by right. He is the Son who shares the Father’s very essence.

3. JESUS POSSESSES THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD

What makes God “God”?
His divine qualities — eternal, all-knowing, all-powerful, unchanging.

Scripture shows that Jesus possesses every one of these.

A. ETERNAL — NO BEGINNING

John 1:1–2: “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word was God.”
Before creation existed, Jesus already existed.

Colossians 1:17: “He is before all things.”

Jesus is not a created being — He is the eternal Word.

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B. ALL-KNOWING (OMNISCIENT)

John 2:24-25 — Jesus knew what was in every person’s heart.

John 16:30 — The disciples said, “Now we see that you know all things.”

No prophet or angel knows all things. But Jesus does.

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C. ALL-POWERFUL (OMNIPOTENT)

Matthew 8:26-27 — Jesus rebuked the storm, and the wind and waves obeyed.
Only the Creator commands creation.

In Revelation 1, the titles of God are placed directly on Jesus —
demonstrating shared divine authority.

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D. UNCHANGING (IMMUTABLE)

Hebrews 13:8 — “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”

Kings change, cultures change, nations rise and fall —
But Jesus remains forever constant.

In the next article, we will examine how Jesus Christ received worship and how He performed the works of God as evidence to defend His deity.

To be continued....

DEFENDING THE DEITY OF CHRIST – PART 1

WHY JESUS IS TRULY GOD — BIBLICALLY, HISTORICALLY & THEOLOGICALLY

The Deity of Christ is not a new idea. It is not “Western theology,” and it was not invented by the Church. It is the oldest Christian belief—held by the apostles, defended by early believers, and confirmed by Scripture.

It was defended by African church fathers like Athanasius of Alexandria and Augustine of Hippo. For over 2,000 years, Christians across cultures have proclaimed the same truth because it is the clear teaching of Holy Scripture:

JESUS CHRIST IS FULLY GOD AND FULLY MAN.

So in this article series, we will take a simple, clear, and accessible journey into this subject—defending the deity of Christ, the humanity of Christ, and why this doctrine matters for our salvation and daily Christian life.

Let’s dive in.

1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: THE FIRST ATTACKS ON JESUS’ DEITY

A. THE JEWISH REACTION – "There is Only One God!" (1st Century)

For the Jews, the confession of God’s oneness was non-negotiable:

"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4).

So, when Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), the reaction was immediate and severe. They picked up stones to stone him, explaining,

“It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33).

They understood Him clearly. Jesus wasn’t claiming to be another prophet—He was claiming equality with God.

B. THE ROMAN & GREEK REACTION – "This is Foolishness!" (1st to 2nd Century)

The Greco-Roman world had a completely different concept of the divine.

Greeks believed gods never took real human form. Romans believed their emperors could be “sons of gods,” but not equal to the one and only God. So early Christians were mocked for believing a crucified Jew was God.

The Apostle Paul summarized their view perfectly: "We preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles" (1 Corinthians 1:23).

The idea of a suffering God was simply nonsense in their culture.

C. THE INTERNAL FIGHT – Was Jesus Created? (2nd to 4th Century)

The confusion wasn't only external. Inside the church, a teacher named Arius began spreading a compelling but dangerous idea: that Jesus was the first and greatest creation of God, but not truly the eternal God.

This threatened the core of salvation, because if Jesus is not fully God, His sacrifice cannot save us. To settle this, the first major church council was held in Nicaea in A.D. 325. An African man named Athanasius defended the biblical truth, leading the council to affirm the words of Scripture like "The Word was God" (John 1:1) and "In him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19).

They codified this in the Nicene Creed, declaring Jesus to be "true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father." This was the church protecting the apostolic faith. Significantly, Athanasius was from North Africa, proving this is not a "Western" doctrine but a universal Christian truth.

The deity of Jesus was a central and controversial claim from day one:

· Jews rejected it as a violation of monotheism(only one God)
· Greeks and Romans dismissed it as foolishness.
· Heretics like Arius distorted it from within.

Yet, the early church, grounded in Scripture, consistently defended the magnificent mystery:

That Jesus Christ is not merely a good teacher or a high-ranking angel, but "our great God and Savior" (Titus 2:13), who became man to offer us eternal life. This truth, though challenged, has stood firm for centuries.

In the next article, we will look at how Jesus shared the names, titles, and identity of God Himself.

To be continued...

Theologian. Author. Apologist

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