Deity of Christ
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am ?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. (Matt 16:13-16)
The subject of the deity of Jesus Christ is not just an intellectual issue. If Jesus Christ is not the Son of God, equal with the Father, then Christianity’s special significance crumbles. The deity of Jesus Christ is vital to all that He did. If He is not the unique Son of God, equal with the Father, then His work at Calvary loses its redemptive significance. “To deny the deity of Jesus demotes the Son of God to the level of ordinary men. He was truly a great Teacher, He performed great miracles, He lived a great life; but He was more than a teacher or miracle-worker; He was God in flesh.”
The doctrine of the deity of Jesus Christ states that Jesus possesses all the divine attributes of God. These special characteristics include His omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence, immutability, and eternality. “The attributes of God the Father are those distinguishing characteristics of the nature of God which are inseparable from the idea of deity and which contribute the basis and ground for His various manifestations to His creatures.” This is why Jesus was able to say, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:9).
Omnipotence is a word which the American Heritage Dictionary defines as “having unlimited power or authority.” John 5:19 states, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.” During Christ’s ministry on earth, He subjected Himself to the will of God, and though done in the power of the Spirit, His miracles are cited as proof of His deity.
Omniscience is having total knowledge, knowing everything.” Jesus knew the history of the Samaritan woman (John 4:29), the thoughts of men (Luke 6:8, 11:17), and the one who would betray him (John 6:70). John 2:24-25 reads, “… because he knew all men, and needed not that any should testify of man; for he knew what was in man.” Jesus knew the secret thoughts and the hearts of men. The Samaritan woman, after her conversation with Jesus, in speaking to the men of the city, related, “Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did. Is not this the Christ?” Jesus had access to all information. But in keeping with His role as Son of Man He denied Himself certain divine prerogatives, exclusive rights and privileges that belong to God alone, which caused Him to rely on the Father during His earthly life. We should not be misled to think Jesus was a mere man because He often stated that the Father revealed things to Him (John 12:49-50). If the Father temporarily withheld information from Him it was so that Jesus could fulfill His role as Savior and friend to His people (John 15:15).
Christ is also omnipresent, as He declared in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them,” and Matthew 28:20, “… and, lo, I am with you always….” “He was in heaven while on earth (John 3:13) and is on earth while he is in heaven (Matthew 18:20, 28:20). He fills all (Ephesians 1:23).”
He is also immutable and eternal. God never changes. Christ’s divine characteristics are eternal. In His Incarnation He added human flesh to become the perfect Savior. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Before He took on flesh He existed eternally, “And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:5).
Not only did Jesus possess the divine attributes, but He also occupied divine offices which only God Himself could fill. “For instance, creation and the preservation of that which is created, the forgiveness of sins, raising the dead, giving eternal life to believers, divine judgment.” Colossians 1:16-17, “For by Him were all things created,” and Hebrews 1:2, “… upholding all things by the word of His power”, speak of His divine office of Creator. Jesus had power to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6): “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” He is the author of eternal life: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28). He is resurrection to life (John 11:25): “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me though he may die, he shall live.” And He is the judge with the divine right to pass judgment on all (2 Timothy 4:1-2): “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom. Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long suffering and teaching.”
The use of divine names for Jesus also proves the deity of Christ. “And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). “Christ is called Wonderful because He is so. God the Father never gave His Son a name which he did not deserve.”
In John 8:58, Jesus takes the name of the Jehovah God of the Old Testament, “Before Abraham was, I Am.” The unbelieving Jewish leaders present understood what He said and regarded it as blasphemy.
The name we most often use, Jesus, means Savior or salvation. Joseph was told in Matthew 1:21, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins.” It was important that the Son be given a divine name at His birth. “Christ” was His kingly title, and “Lord” means master. “Lord” is also the New Testament name for the Old Testament name for “Jehovah”. “The preeminent name during the days of the flesh was Jesus; during His high-priestly ministry, it is Christ, and during His messianic reign, it will be Lord. Hence, his prophetic ministry is suggested by the name Jesus; His high-priestly office is suggested by His divine title, Christ; His kingly office is suggested by his name, or title, Lord.” And in Matthew 1:23 He is called Immanuel: “According to Hebrew usage the name does not represent a title but a characterization, as in Isaiah 1:26 and 9:6. The name “Immanuel” shows that He really was “God with us.” Thus the deity of Christ is stressed at the beginning of Matthew.”
Christ was called the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet. “These names as applied to Christ suggest that He is the first and the last, the Lord Who is and was and is to come, Jehovah’s eternity.” This expression appears in the book of Isaiah.Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. (Isa 44:6) In the Book of Revelation this expression is given to Jesus: 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. (Rev 1:8) Jesus goes on and confirms it: I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send [it] unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. (Rev 1:11) Jesus the Alpha and Omega inserts an interesting statement: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Rev 1:18) When was Jehovah God of the Old Testament ever dead? Unless the Jehovah God of the Old Testament and Christ are one of the same! Furthermore Jesus confirms His signature in chapter 22 of Revelation: I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. (Rev 22:13) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, [and] the bright and morning star. (Rev 22:16)
Many Old Testament statements referring to God are applied to Christ Jesus in the New Testament. We could compare Psalm 102:24-27 with Hebrews 1:10-12; Isaiah 40:3-4 with Matthew 3:3; and Psalm 44:22 with Romans 8:36. As an example, in the Old Testament the name “Lord” refers to Jehovah God, and in the New Testament it refers to Christ Jesus, except when the preceding verses or the context of the passage indicates otherwise. “Jehovah, Lord of the Old Testament, and Jesus, Lord of the New Testament are one God.” And finally, as Lawlor summarized in his book When God Became Man, “The writers of Scripture have used every conceivable form of terminology in setting forth the deity of the One Who came down from heaven to take away our sins. The doctrine of Christ’s deity is diffused throughout all the Scriptures, and we should never think of Him or speak of him without remembering this.”
Jesus showed Himself to be Son of God in the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah and God’s Son. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ fulfilled every detail of the prophecy of the Old Testament Scriptures. There are at least 400 hundred of Old Testament prophecies that speak about the Messiah that were, or will be, fulfilled in Jesus Christ.
The following are only twelve prophecies:
· Isaiah 9:6-7, For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. –With- John 1:1-3; 14. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (v14) The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
· Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. –With- Matthew 1:20-23, But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us."
· Isaiah 37:31, Once more a remnant of the house of Judah will take root below and bear fruit above. –With- Matthew 1:1-2, 16 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, (v16) and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
· Isaiah 11:10, In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. -With- Matthew 1:5-6, 16, “Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. (v16) and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
· Hosea 11:1, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. -With- Matthew 2:14-15, “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."
· Isaiah 53:3, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.” –With- Luke 23:26-41, “As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, 'Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!' Then "'they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" For if men do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?" Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals — one on his right, the other on his left. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself." There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."
· Zechariah 11:12-13, “I told them, "If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it." So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the LORD said to me, "Throw it to the potter"-the handsome price at which they priced me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the LORD to the potter.” -With- Matthew 27:3-10, “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned," he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us?" they replied. "That's your responsibility." So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the coins and said, "It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money." So they decided to use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."
· Psalm 22:16, “Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet.” –With- John 20:25, “So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
· Isaiah 53:5-6, “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.” -With- Romans 4:25 “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”
· Psalm 22:17 “I can count all my bones; people stare and gloat over me. –With- John 19:33-36a, “But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"
· Isaiah 53:9, “He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.” –With- Matthew 27:57-61, “As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.”
· Psalm 22:18, “They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing.” –With- Matthew 27:35, “When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.”
Especially significant are those prophecies that were fulfilled that were beyond Jesus’ possibly manipulative control like: Born of a virgin - Born in Bethlehem - Descended from David - Descended from Jesse - Descended from Judah -virgin - Betrayed by a friend - Be from Nazareth - Come out of Egypt (as a young child) - 30 pieces of silver returned - Betrayed for exactly 30 pieces of silver - Pierced with a spear - No bones broken - pieces used to buy the potter's field Resurrection.
Jesus Himself claimed to be God and allowed men to worship Him. “Had He been a just man, a great teacher, a worker of great miracles, had He not been divine, it would have been blasphemy to allow men to worship Him because God is the only One worthy of worship.” Not once, but many times, Jesus received the worship of men, an act of unspeakable blasphemy if Jesus was not divine, a shocking violation of the first commandment if he was not Son of God as claimed to be.
John 8:58 records Jesus saying, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM,” The phrase I AM is the same name that Jehovah God used when speaking to Moses from the burning bush on Mount Sinai (Ex 3:1-14) “God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” The Jews recognized it (John 8:58-59) "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I AM!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. The major reason the Pharisees (teachers of the law) wanted to Kill Jesus was: (John 10:31-33) “Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me? "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
John 14:6-7, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man 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.”
Jesus claimed His deity in many other passages in Scripture. A few of those passages follow: John 6:47—“He who believes in Me has everlasting life.”
John 8:12—“I am the light of the world He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:19—If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also.”
John 8:23—“You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”
John 8:42—“If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and came from God; nor have I come of Myself, but He sent Me.”
John 10:7—“Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep.”
John 10:30—“I and My Father are one.”
John 10:36—“I am the Son of God.” The gospels are filled with Jesus’ claims to deity. There is no doubt that Jesus claimed equality with God the Father.
The world must know there are only two options. Jesus is the Son of God, equal with the Father, or He is a blasphemer. Scofield frames it well: “Either Jesus was the Son of God or He, the only sinless Being of Whom any record has come down to man, was a conscious imposter, a blasphemous wretch or a deluded enthusiast. That a sinless Being would consciously, deliberately commit the most flagrant of all sins in the violation of the First Commandment, “Thou shall have none other gods before me” (Deuteronomy 5:7), could be explained only on the ground of insanity.”
The deity of Christ is central to Christianity. The witnesses to His deity are many: “History declares His deity. Prophecy accents His deity. Christianity testifies of His deity. Philosophy reasons of His deity. Literature writes about His deity. And music sings of His deity.” And this writer adds that the honest human heart longs for His deity. For without a divine Savior there is no redemption! The Christian’s redemptive hope rests in the personal involvement of God Himself in our salvation. We can rely on the Son of God and His work, we do not have to do it ourselves!