Jesus is Jehovah (Deity of Christ)
To
fathom the Person and work of Jesus Christ is impossible. I could no sooner
swallow the universe. Who He is delves deeper than any mind can plumb. In
short, He is unfathomable. He is unfathomable because He is Divine. So, of
course, a study of His Divine nature cannot be exhaustive. But that is not my
intention here. My main intent is to show that the Bible clearly teaches that
Jesus is Jehovah. Or, to put it another way, that the person of the Son of God,
Jesus of Nazareth, is the God of Abraham
Isaac and Jacob. Although I cannot be exhaustive in all that Scripture
teaches of Jesus, I can bring to your attention the many times that Scripture
teaches this principle.
While
several cults (alarmingly several in our community!) teach against the deity of
Christ, it is interesting to note that in those immediate years following
Jesus’ resurrection, people were more quick to doubt Jesus’ humanity than to
doubt His deity. John contradicts this false view of Jesus in scathing words.
To deny Jesus’ complete humanity is to deny Him.
“Beloved,
do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from
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 from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from
God; this is the spirit of the antichrist (1 John 1:1-4).”
This
is a very important topic that we must delve into and come to agree about in
order to be Christians. There must
be unity on our understanding of the Person of Jesus, both His humanity and
deity. Please use the following references as a self-study or guide to build
your faith in the power and person of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
To
begin with, consider the many clear statements of Scripture that state that
Jesus is God. Below we will also see that there are actions that only God could
perform which Jesus performs, and there are qualities that only God possesses
that Jesus possesses. Each one of these is extremely weighty! But taken
together, there is no way to accept any other conclusion than the orthodox
Christian teaching of Christ’s divine nature. He is fully God and fully man.
John 1:1 and 17-18 - “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth
were realized through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom
of the Father, He has
explained Him.
John 8:57-59 - John also recounts in this Gospel that Jesus claimed
to be I Am – (The translation of the name Yahweh). The Jewish leaders knew that
He was claiming to be God because they picked up stones to throw at Him. “So the Jews said to Him, ‘You are not yet
fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?’ 58 Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.’ 59 Therefore
they picked up stones to throw at Him,but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the
temple.”
John 14:8 – “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
John 20:27-29 - John recounts as well without
clarification or critique that one of the disciples, Thomas professed that
Jesus is God following Jesus’ resurrection. Of course, John also warned not to
worship idols. He knew that worship of Jesus is not idolatry because Jesus is
God. “Then He said to Thomas, ‘Reach here
with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My
side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.’ 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ 29 Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me,
have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.”
1 John 5:20 -
John continues to claim Jesus’
deity throughout His book and His epistles.
Let’s consider another
clear reference in John’s letter.
“And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us
understanding so 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.”
Paul continues this teaching in several clear and direct statements in
His letters to the churches. The deity of Christ was a common theme throughout
the NT. Consider Paul’s clear statements below.
Romans 9:4-5 who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service
and the promises, 5 whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ
according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Titus 2:13 “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our
great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.”
Hebrews 1:8 - The author of Hebrews leaves us
no doubt as he shows throughout chapter 1 (the whole book is devoted to Jesus’
superiority) how Jesus is superior to angels. Not only does he share how the
angels worship Jesus, but he clearly states that Jesus is God. “But of the Son He says, ‘YOUR THRONE, O GOD,
IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.’”
2 Peter 1.1 - Peter also gives the same
conclusion as each of the other writers of the New Testament. These are not
implied. These are direct statements of Scripture. “Simon
Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus
Christ, To those who
have received a faith of the
same kind as ours, by the righteousness
of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Revelation 1:8 - The final book of the New
Testament opens with a view of Jesus sharing some of His divine nature. See the
description in all of chapter 1 of Revelation. Also, clearly stated in
Revelation 1:8 "I am the Alpha and
the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to
come, the Almighty."
Beyond the clear statements
of Scripture that declare that Jesus is God, His deity is also evidenced in His
actions, abilities and titles (See below). We don’t have space to type out each
one, but look through the following and consider how it would be possible that
these divine attributes could be given to anyone other than God.
•
Jesus demonstrates that He is God because He does what only God can do
(See John 5:17-18. He does the works that the Father does.)
o
He forgives sin (Mark 2:5-7).
o
He creates (John 1:1; Colossians 1:16-18).
o
He preserves everything (holds it together – Colossians 1:17; upholds
it Hebrews 1:3).
o
He controls history in sovereignty (Revelation 5:5; 6:1).
o
He gives eternal life (Mark 2:5; Luke
7:38).
o
He answers prayer (John 14:14; Acts 7:59; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
o
He raises the dead (John 11:25; Also spiritual life – John 5:21: As the
Father, so the Son).
o
He judges the world (Matthew 25:31-46; John 5:22 – All judgment has
been given to the Son).
o
He is worshiped.
§ By angels (Revelation 19:10;
Hebrews 1:6)
§ By king-makers (Matthew 2:11)
§ By everything (Philippians 2:9-11)
§ By heaven (Revelation 5:12-14)
o
God’s angels are His angels and God’s kingdom is His kingdom (Matthew
13:41; Luke 12:8-9; 15:10)
o
He is omniscient – He knows everything (John 21:17; also – Mark 2:8;
John 1:48, John 6:64).
o
He is omnipotent
§ Calms the stormy sea (Matthew
8:26-27).
§ Multiply loaves and fish
(Matthew 14:19).
§ Changed water into wine (John 2:1-11).
o
He is infinite (Limitless – Ephesians 3:8; Colossians 2:3; 9-10; John 10:28).
o
He is glorious (John 17:5 – “Father
glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before
the world was.”)
o
He is eternal.
§ “Before Abraham was I am” (John 8:58).
§ Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13).
o
He is holy (Luke 1:35; Acts 3:14-15; 1 John 3:5).
o
He is omnipresent (in resurrected state).
§ “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of
them” (Matthew 18:20; also Matthew 28:20).
• Jesus is declared to be
God by the way the New Testament quotes
of the Old Testament equate
Him with God (Many
more of these could be used).
There are many
other passages that could be added to the list above. Also, these passages
don’t include the clear Biblical references to a Christ in the Old Testament.
Briefly: (1.) The LORD appears as Angel of the Lord - Genesis 16:13 Ex 3:2-6;
23:20-22; Numb 22:35, 38 Judges 2:1-2; Judges 6:11, 14 (2.) God appears in
human form (Jesus) - Genesis 3:8 Genesis 18:1, 2, 22, 19:1 22, 26:2, 23;
28:10-13; 35:1, 9; 32:24-30; Exodus 24:9 (3.) The coming Messiah is God (Isaiah
7:14; Isaiah 9:16)
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