"Thy word is truth” John 17:17.
"Thy word is truth” John 17:17.
THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST.
The Deity of Christ is revealed in many ways in the Scriptures.
1.) His Deity was revealed in His birth. Christ was born of a woman, as all men are; but He came into the world in a very unique way. Luke 1:26-38 tells of the angel Gabriel's appearance to a virgin named Mary. He told her she would bear a son; but the son would be conceived by God Himself, the Holy Spirit, and the child would be called the Son of God. Compare that with Micah 5:2 where the prophet foretold of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. "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." According to the prophecy, the child to be born had no beginning. His human birth was not His beginning, but the Logos was simply taking on human flesh.
2.) His Deity is revealed in His appellations—His names and titles. The application of divine names and titles to Christ could not be explained unless He was considered to be God. He is called God in many places: "In the beginning was the Word [the Logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Jesus is called God in Hebrews 1:8; Titus 2:13; and 1 John 5:20. To call Him God would be meaningless if He were not God.
Jesus is called the Son of God in many passages, such as John 3:16 and Matthew 17:1-5. The phrase, son of God, is also used of angels in Job 38:7, and it is used of Adam in Luke 3:38, speaking of his having been created by God. Believers are called sons of God in many passages, for example, Romans 8:14 and 1 John 3:2. When the phrase, "sons of God," is used of angels or men, it speaks of origin or beginning; but when the phrase is used of Christ, it is always used in a unique way—it designates His equality with God and His oneness of essence with God. This may be seen in John 1:1 where Jesus is said to be equal with God because He was with God and was God Himself. Hebrews 1:2-3 shows that the Son was of the same essence as God. "Son of God" also speaks of His relationship to God. Jesus said, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30).
Another term which speaks of Jesus is only begotten Son (John 3:16). This does not refer to His origin, however, because He was the Son of God from all eternity. The term only begotten suggests that Jesus had a beginning; but that is a mistranslation in the King James Version. The term in the Greek is "monogenes," which was incorrectly translated from the verb "gennao," meaning "to beget." It should have been translated from the Greek word "genos," which means "kind." Thus, "mono" (one) "genes" (kind) means that He is the only one of His kind; that is, He is unique. The French Bible correctly reads, "His unique Son." John 3:16 should be translated, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son—his unique Son."
The meaning of "monogenes" is seen from its use in Hebrews 11:17 which says, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son." Obviously, Isaac was not his only son, because Abraham had other sons. Ishmael was his first son—not Isaac; therefore, Isaac could not have been his only begotten son in the sense that he was either the first or his only son. Isaac was "monogenes" in that he was the son of the promise, Abraham's unique son, the only one of his kind. His uniqueness lies in the fact that he was the one God promised to Abraham through Sarah (Genesis 17:15-19; Romans 9:7-9), and also because it was a miracle that a one hundred year old man and a ninety year old woman could bear a child.
Jesus is called Lord in Romans 10:9; the image of God in Colossians 1:15; and Emmanuel in Matthew 1:23 and Isaiah 7:14. He is designated mighty God and the Father of eternity in Isaiah 9:6. Christ is referred to as the Holy One in several passages, and so on.
3.) His deity is confirmed in the fact that Jesus received worship, which belongs only to God. There are several instances in the Scriptures where men and angels were worshiped, but they invariably rejected such honor from men. When the heathen heard the gospel and saw the miracles, they would occasionally try to worship the apostles as if they were gods. However, the apostles refused the worship (Acts 10 and 14). In Revelation 22:8-9 when John bowed down before the feet of the angel to worship, the angel said, "See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant." However, Christ expected, encouraged, and received worship from men. He said of Himself in John 5:23, "All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." In John 9:35-38, after Jesus had healed the blind man, the man said, "Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him." Jesus also received worship from the disciples (Matthew 14:31-33 and 28:9,17).
4.) The apostolic testimony of Christ's deity is seen in many passages, such as Philippians 2:6, where Paul said that Jesus was equal with God. Paul also cited the Old Testament and said, "Let all the angels of God worship him" (Hebrews 1:6). This is also seen in other passages.
5.) The deity of Christ was revealed in His resurrection and ascension. Paul said in Romans 1:4 that Jesus' resurrection proved that He was the Son of God. His deity is further proven by His ascension to an exalted position at the right hand of God, as declared by Peter in Acts 2:33.
6.) The deity of Christ is revealed in the heart of every believer. This is something that must be experienced, because no one can argue another into the knowledge that Christ is God. This truth must be verified in every Christian's personal experience with Him. It is not by rational proof that those who have received Christ bear this knowledge, but it is evidenced within by His Spirit. According to 1 Corinthians 12:3, no man can confess that Jesus is the Son of God except by the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that a sinner could not say the words, but he cannot make a saving confession except by revelation of this fact by the Spirit of God. Jesus told Peter the same thing in Matthew 16 when Peter confessed, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
The deity of Christ is also revealed in the following ways:
7.) In His creative and providential works. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made" (John 1:3; cf. Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3).
8.) In His authority to forgive sins. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:5).
9.) In His righteous and sinless life. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15; cf. II Corinthians 5:21).
10.) By His miracles. "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" (John 10:37-38; cf. Acts 2:22).
11.) In His own claims of having authority over the law (Matthew 5); as Savior (Matthew 18:11); as Messiah (Matthew 16:16-17); and as the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
12.) In the claims of others. "John [the Baptist] answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose; he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:16; cf. Mark 3:11; 5:7; 15:9). Edited. Shared.
God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.
The Deity of Christ is revealed in many ways in the Scriptures.
1.) His Deity was revealed in His birth. Christ was born of a woman, as all men are; but He came into the world in a very unique way. Luke 1:26-38 tells of the angel Gabriel's appearance to a virgin named Mary. He told her she would bear a son; but the son would be conceived by God Himself, the Holy Spirit, and the child would be called the Son of God. Compare that with Micah 5:2 where the prophet foretold of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. "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." According to the prophecy, the child to be born had no beginning. His human birth was not His beginning, but the Logos was simply taking on human flesh.
2.) His Deity is revealed in His appellations—His names and titles. The application of divine names and titles to Christ could not be explained unless He was considered to be God. He is called God in many places: "In the beginning was the Word [the Logos], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Jesus is called God in Hebrews 1:8; Titus 2:13; and 1 John 5:20. To call Him God would be meaningless if He were not God.
Jesus is called the Son of God in many passages, such as John 3:16 and Matthew 17:1-5. The phrase, son of God, is also used of angels in Job 38:7, and it is used of Adam in Luke 3:38, speaking of his having been created by God. Believers are called sons of God in many passages, for example, Romans 8:14 and 1 John 3:2. When the phrase, "sons of God," is used of angels or men, it speaks of origin or beginning; but when the phrase is used of Christ, it is always used in a unique way—it designates His equality with God and His oneness of essence with God. This may be seen in John 1:1 where Jesus is said to be equal with God because He was with God and was God Himself. Hebrews 1:2-3 shows that the Son was of the same essence as God. "Son of God" also speaks of His relationship to God. Jesus said, "I and my Father are one" (John 10:30).
Another term which speaks of Jesus is only begotten Son (John 3:16). This does not refer to His origin, however, because He was the Son of God from all eternity. The term only begotten suggests that Jesus had a beginning; but that is a mistranslation in the King James Version. The term in the Greek is "monogenes," which was incorrectly translated from the verb "gennao," meaning "to beget." It should have been translated from the Greek word "genos," which means "kind." Thus, "mono" (one) "genes" (kind) means that He is the only one of His kind; that is, He is unique. The French Bible correctly reads, "His unique Son." John 3:16 should be translated, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son—his unique Son."
The meaning of "monogenes" is seen from its use in Hebrews 11:17 which says, "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son." Obviously, Isaac was not his only son, because Abraham had other sons. Ishmael was his first son—not Isaac; therefore, Isaac could not have been his only begotten son in the sense that he was either the first or his only son. Isaac was "monogenes" in that he was the son of the promise, Abraham's unique son, the only one of his kind. His uniqueness lies in the fact that he was the one God promised to Abraham through Sarah (Genesis 17:15-19; Romans 9:7-9), and also because it was a miracle that a one hundred year old man and a ninety year old woman could bear a child.
Jesus is called Lord in Romans 10:9; the image of God in Colossians 1:15; and Emmanuel in Matthew 1:23 and Isaiah 7:14. He is designated mighty God and the Father of eternity in Isaiah 9:6. Christ is referred to as the Holy One in several passages, and so on.
3.) His deity is confirmed in the fact that Jesus received worship, which belongs only to God. There are several instances in the Scriptures where men and angels were worshiped, but they invariably rejected such honor from men. When the heathen heard the gospel and saw the miracles, they would occasionally try to worship the apostles as if they were gods. However, the apostles refused the worship (Acts 10 and 14). In Revelation 22:8-9 when John bowed down before the feet of the angel to worship, the angel said, "See thou do it not: for I am thy fellow servant." However, Christ expected, encouraged, and received worship from men. He said of Himself in John 5:23, "All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father." In John 9:35-38, after Jesus had healed the blind man, the man said, "Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him." Jesus also received worship from the disciples (Matthew 14:31-33 and 28:9,17).
4.) The apostolic testimony of Christ's deity is seen in many passages, such as Philippians 2:6, where Paul said that Jesus was equal with God. Paul also cited the Old Testament and said, "Let all the angels of God worship him" (Hebrews 1:6). This is also seen in other passages.
5.) The deity of Christ was revealed in His resurrection and ascension. Paul said in Romans 1:4 that Jesus' resurrection proved that He was the Son of God. His deity is further proven by His ascension to an exalted position at the right hand of God, as declared by Peter in Acts 2:33.
6.) The deity of Christ is revealed in the heart of every believer. This is something that must be experienced, because no one can argue another into the knowledge that Christ is God. This truth must be verified in every Christian's personal experience with Him. It is not by rational proof that those who have received Christ bear this knowledge, but it is evidenced within by His Spirit. According to 1 Corinthians 12:3, no man can confess that Jesus is the Son of God except by the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that a sinner could not say the words, but he cannot make a saving confession except by revelation of this fact by the Spirit of God. Jesus told Peter the same thing in Matthew 16 when Peter confessed, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven."
The deity of Christ is also revealed in the following ways:
7.) In His creative and providential works. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made" (John 1:3; cf. Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 11:3).
8.) In His authority to forgive sins. "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee" (Mark 2:5).
9.) In His righteous and sinless life. "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15; cf. II Corinthians 5:21).
10.) By His miracles. "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" (John 10:37-38; cf. Acts 2:22).
11.) In His own claims of having authority over the law (Matthew 5); as Savior (Matthew 18:11); as Messiah (Matthew 16:16-17); and as the resurrection and the life (John 11:25).
12.) In the claims of others. "John [the Baptist] answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose; he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire" (Luke 3:16; cf. Mark 3:11; 5:7; 15:9). Edited. Shared.
God willing, more will be posted soon. All glory to Jesus alone.
English
Arabic
French
Spanish
Portuguese
Deutsch
Turkish
Italiano
Russian
Romaian
Portuguese (Brazil)
Greek
हिन्दी