Isaiah 9:6, John 6:22, 23; 8:24,58
For many people, the name of Jesus elicits a warm response.
Some Hindus, for example, say that Jesus is very dear to them, and they claim that they love Jesus for His purity and spiritual insight. However, Hindus ignore Jesus whenever His teachings contradict their own beliefs. One would think that if Jesus were really so dear to them, they would believe what He taught while He was here on earth.
'Jehovah's Witnesses' and people in 'The Way' also profess a love for Jesus, yet they deny that Jesus is one of the persons in the Triune Godhead. They claim to know Jesus, but they refuse to accept this simple, yet profound truth about Him. Even among liberal theologians and ministers, Jesus is given high praise. But what these men teach about who Jesus was, and what He accomplished here on earth, is different from what is taught in the Bible. They preach Jesus as our example of how to live, not as our Savior from sin. All of these people have one thing in common: They create in their imaginations the kind of Jesus that they would like, then they attach their affections to 'Him', even when their 'Jesus' is nothing like the real Jesus of Nazareth who is described in the Bible.
Since Christ Jesus will be the one before whom all men will stand on Judgment Day (see John 5:22-23), we want to be sure that we know who Jesus is and what He is like. We do not want to create our own 'Jesus' now, only to be told by Christ on Judgment Day, "I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Matt. 7:21-23).
JOHN 1:1-2,14,17 - John describes and identifies One whom he calls "The Word".
The Word:
1) "was with God" (vs. 1). There are two distinct Persons present: the Word and God, yet,
2) "the Word was God" (vs. 1). Being God, the Word is co-equal (equal in nature, power, and glory) with God. Also,
3) "He was in the beginning with God" (vs. 2). As long as God has existed, the Word has existed. In other words, the Word is co-eternal with God. This is so, seeing that the Word was with God in the beginning.
4) The Word "was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth." (vs. 14). There were eyewitnesses to the Word. His coming was an event in world history, not a primitive myth or a philisophical speculation. He was unique in His glory, grace, and truth. Who is this incredible person?
5) "grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (vs. 17). This wonderful Person is none other than Jesus Christ of Nazareth, of whom John writes for the rest of his gospel account.
It may seem strange at first that Jesus can be described as a person distinct from God and yet to be God. Remember, however, what was taught about the Triune nature of God. There is only one being who can properly be called God. Yet that being is made up of three distinct Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) who harmoniously work to accomplish their corporate will (remember the corporation analogy).
Jesus is the second Person of the Trinity - God the Son. As such, He is co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20
The harmonious work of the three Persons of the Trinity in the life of the believer is taught here by Jesus Himself. Notice also that the Person of the Son is listed among the three Persons of the Triune Godhead (see also 2 Cor. 13:14 Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:14-15).
Jesus' part in the harmonious work of the Trinity involved His taking on the position of the Son. Being of the same nature as the other two members of the Triune Godhead, the Second Person assumed the role of an obedient Son to the First Person, who is the Father. Please keep in mind that the taking on of different positions by the members of the Godhead is not a superficial sort of play-acting; rather each member genuinely fulfills the functions and responsibilities involved in His position. In the eternal counsels of the Godhead, it was seen that this division of duties would be the wisest way to save us from the just penalty of our rebellion, and to deliver us from our own corruption.
While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; hear Him."
Matthew 17:5
Here at Jesus' Transfiguration God the Father calls Jesus His Son.
I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:
He said to Me, Thou art my Son, today I have begotten Thee.
Psalm 2:7
The Lord says to the one addressed by Him that he is the Lord's Son and that the Lord has begotten him.
And we preach to you the good news of the promise made to the fathers, that God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised up Jesus, as it is written in the Second Psalm, "Thou art My Son; Today I have begotten Thee."
Acts 13:32-33
Two important facts are revealed in this verse:
1) The One addressed in Ps. 2:7 is Jesus. The Lord is therefore calling Jesus His Son.
2) It is at Jesus' Resurrection that He is said to be begotten by the Lord in Ps.2:7 (see context, verses 30-37). In saying that Jesus was begotten, the Lord does not mean that He brought Jesus into existence, but that He raised up Jesus from the dead.
But He answered them, "My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working." For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because
He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them,"Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.
John 5:17-19
Jesus' defense against the Jews' charge of His breaking the Sabbath is that the Father and He are both working.
If they are going to accuse Him of Sabbath-breaking, then they must also accuse the Father. The inspired commentary in verse 18 states clearly that in calling God His Father, Jesus was making Himself equal with God. The full impact of Jesus' claim was unmistakable to anyone in the Hebrew culture.
In our culture, we tend to think of sons as inferior to their fathers. On the human level, this is true in that sons are brought into existence by their fathers. But in the Jewish culture, a son was thought to be equal to his father - of equal importance and standing before others. Certainly it is true that a son has the same human nature as his father.
We have already seen that the Father did not bring the Son, Jesus, into existence. Jesus was in the beginning with God. So in saying to the Jews that God is His Father, Jesus was saying to them that He is of the same Divine nature, importance, and standing before others as God Himself. For this the Jews sought to stone Him for blasphemy.
We also see Jesus' obedience and subjection to the will of the Father. Having taken on the position of the Son, Jesus will only do those things which are proper to that position. But observe that these obedient works are the prerogatives of God:
1) Jesus gives life to whom He wishes: John 5:21 cf. Isa. 43:11.
2) Jesus has all judgement committed to Him: John 5:22 cf. Heb. 12:23.
3) All must honor the Son, even as they honor the Father: John 5:23 cf. Isa. 42:8.
God says to the Son - "Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever."
Hebrews 1:8
God Himself calls the Son "God," which literally in the Greek is "the God." God Himself equates Jesus' being the Son to Jesus' being God.
John 1:41 - Here we see two ideas:
1) Jesus is the Christ.
2) The Christ is the same person as the Messiah who God promised would come to earth in the First Testament.
Matt. 16:15-16 - In this verse we see that the Christ is the Son of the living God (i.e. the Christ is equal to God).
Acts 3:19-20 - Here we see not only that Jesus is the Christ, but that God will send Jesus again for those who repent and return to the Lord.
1. All things were made by Him.
JOHN 1:3 - The Greek here is emphatic. It says literally, "WITHOUT Him was not one thing made that has been made." If you were to put all created things in a circularly fenced-in area, would you put Jesus in that circle with created things or outside of the circle a being not created? Unless you are going to say that Jesus created Himself, you would have to put Him outside of the circle of created things, because apart from Jesus, nothing was made that has been made. If Jesus didn't make it, it wasn't made.
2. All things were made for Him.
Col. 1:16 - Jesus created all things for Himself. By His rights as the creator, Jesus has a claim on every created being, because He made them for Himself and for His own pleasure.
3. All things are held together by Him.
Col. 1:17 - Physicists can describe the forces that hold us to the ground, the forces that hold opposite electrical charges together, and the forces that hold nuclear particles together, but they do not know what makes these forces work or what their source is. Col. 1:17 tells us that these forces are a manifestation of Jesus' power, as He holds all things together cf Revelation 4:11. Without His moment by moment sustenance, all things would disintegrate.
John 1:14 - We are told that the Word who was God became flesh (Notice that it doesn't say that He merely put on flesh, like a garment). Flesh became to Him part of His essential nature.
Col. 2:9 - For in Him (Jesus) all the fullness of deity (the state of being God) dwells in bodily form.
Phil. 2:5-8 - We are told (vs. 6) that Jesus "existed in the form of God," yet (vs. 7) He was "made in the likeness of men." When vs. 7 tells us that Jesus "emptied Himself" we know from Col. 2:9 that He didn't cease to become God. He did, however, lay aside His equality of position with the Father.
Luke 2:52 - We see that Luke noticed something about the development of the boy Jesus. He increased in wisdom and stature as He grew. Jesus limited Himself, for the most part, to the powers and knowledge of men so that He could know by experience (and not only by omniscience) what men go through as they grow up and live.
Yet Jesus did draw on His powers as God from time to time as He saw it was fitting and right to do. Examples:
John 1:50 - Jesus draws on His omniscience to tell Nathaniel where he was standing before Jesus had ever met him as a man.
Luke 11:38-39, 43-45 - Jesus draws on His divine power to raise Lazarus from the dead.
1. A position to be held for eternity.
Jesus took on a more humble position than His nature required, even humbling Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death (Phil. 2:8). Jesus' humbling of Himself will last forever, and was not only while He was here on earth:
1 Cor. 15:28 - At a time future to Jesus' return (when all things are subjected to Him) Jesus will continue to be subject to the One who subjected all things to Him (the Father).
When Jesus gave up the privileges of the position of equality with God so that He could save us, He took on an eternal position of humility before the Father. "Hallelujah. What a Savior."
2. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary.
Luke 1:31-34 - When Mary is told that she will bear a son, she says she is a virgin (literally, she said that she knew no man, i.e. she had relations with no man).
Matt. 1:22, 23 - The virgin birth of Jesus had been foretold to the Jews as far back as the prophet Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 7:14).
The birth of Jesus took place to uphold the prophecy that Isaiah had spoken from the Lord (Matt. 1:22).
3. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 1:35 - Although she knew no man, Mary was told that she would bear a son because the Holy Spirit would come upon her, and the power of the Most High would overshadow her.
This work of the Holy Spirit to conceive the holy child Jesus in Mary is a far cry from god-human offspring in other religions. In these pagan religions, the god takes on a physical form and has sexual relations with the woman. In Matt. 1:25 we are told that Mary was a virgin even after she gave birth to Jesus, until Joseph had relations with her.
4. Jesus was sinless in birth and life.
1 Pet. 1:18-19 - That Christ was sinless is very important, as is seen here. We were redeemed with the blood of Christ "...as of a lamb unblemished and spotless...". Just as a sin offering in Israel had to be without defect (Lev.9:3), so the real sacrifice for all sin (Christ) had to be without defect or sin, so as to satisfy the Holiness of God in paying the just penalty for our sin on the cross.
Heb. 4:15 Because Jesus suffered and was subject to all kinds of problems and temptations as we are, He can sympathize with our weaknesses. Yet we are told that Jesus never sinned. Who better to help us in our weaknesses than one who knows what we are going through, yet who Himself successfully endured it? Having that kind of a high priest (Christ, vs.16) we should come to the Lord for help with confidence "that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need." This is God's idea: we should do it.
5. Jesus was not glorious (like a great king dressed in royal garments) in appearance.
Isaiah 53:2 Even though Jesus had "no stately form...nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him," because of His submission and obedience to God, He was able to powerfully touch the lives of so many around Him with the truth that He taught. This can be an encouragement to the true Christian whose gifts are few or whose appearance is humble.
This has already been discussed in earlier sections of these notes. A few more points should be made, however.
1. John 8:23-24,58 - When Jesus says that you must believe "that I am," and "Before Abraham was, I AM," He is claiming to be Jehovah God.
Exodus 3:14 - When God is asked by Moses for His name, He gave a name that means "I AM WHO I AM," or "I AM." It is from this name that we get the name Jehovah. Note how important Jesus says this doctrine of His Deity is. ". . . unless you believe that I am, you shall die in your sins" (John 8:23-24). The refusal to revere Jesus as God reveals an unregenerate heart.
2. Col. 2:9 "For in Him (Christ) all the fulness of Deity dwells in bodily form." The Greek word translated "Deity" means "the actual state of being God." It does not merely mean "having Divine attributes."
1. Jesus died voluntarily on the cross.
John 10:17-18 - Jesus was not a pitiful fellow who tried His best to turn Israel back to God and failed. He planned purposefully and willfully to give His life for those who would put their trust in Him. (Read Phil. 2:5-8 again. Jesus humbled
Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death).
2. Jesus rose again in victory over sin and death.
READ 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-17.
Just as Jesus taught in John 10:17-18 that He had authority to take His life up again, so He did. The resurrected Jesus was seen by 500 witnesses, not only a few cohorts.
This passage emphatically teaches that Christ's physical resurrection is absolutely crucial.
If Christ was not raised:
a) "You are still in your sins"(vs. 17).
Our confidence that Christ's blood really does pay for sin is based on the historical, physical fact that He lived again.
b) "We are of all men most miserable."
Unless Christianity has solid evidence behind it, it is a real waste of time. Note the importance of evidence. Many people living on "religious experience" will say, to prove their "faith", that even if Jesus did not rise from the dead, they would still believe. Such people are unreasonable, and we should be wary of such truly blind faith.
c) Throughout the whole of 1 Corinthians 15, Christ's resurrection is the focal point of Paul's inspired argument that all true believers in Christ will also be raised from the dead (more on this in our future lesson "The Resurrection of the Dead").
John 14:6 - Jesus Himself taught, "...no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
Acts 4:12 - Again, Peter (filled with the Holy Spirit) teaches, "And there is salvation in no one else...."
1 Tim. 2:5 - Here is the explicit statement that Jesus is the one mediator between God and man. No priest, no dead ancestor, no dead believer (saint), no angel, not Mary, nor anyone else can mediate between God and us. When Jesus taught (Mt. 11:28) "Come unto Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest," He invited us to seek His help, His comfort, His intercession. And Jesus needs no one to help Him in this task of mediation. The one who created and sustains the universe can certainly care for His sheep.
Phil. 2:8-11 - The exalted position to which Jesus was raised is described. Jesus, it is taught, has the claim of Lordship over everyone. Certainly those who claim to be redeemed by the blood of Christ should yield to His Lordship. The Lordship of Christ is to the glory of the Father.
John 20:24-28 - Here we see the story of a skeptic. Thomas was not present when the Lord appeared to the rest of the apostles, and unless he could feel Jesus' hands and side for himself, he simply would not believe. The Lord allowed Thomas to remain in this skepticism for about a week, then the Lord appeared to the disciples while Thomas was there. Note that the Lord did not castigate Thomas for his unbelief, but made Thomas put his finger into the nail prints in His hands and put his fist into the sword wound in His side. Otherwise ten years later, Thomas might think back on his failure to take the opportunity to examine Jesus' body and conclude that he had only seen a vision of Jesus. But Jesus insisted on Thomas' thorough examination of the evidence, exhorting him to "be not unbelieving, but believing." Jesus had Thomas satisfy his doubt, and by his testimony the doubts of future skeptics.
Thomas felt Jesus' hands and side and properly responded, "My Lord and my God." What clearer testimony that Jesus was his own personal Lord and his own personal God. Here 'Jehovah's Witnesses' would claim that Thomas did not really mean "My God", but "My Son of God". They would say that, since Jesus is not God, and since Jesus did not correct him, that Thomas could not have meant "My God"; for if he had, Jesus would have corrected him. It is true that Jesus doesn't correct Thomas. Jesus agreed with Thomas that He was Thomas' Lord and Thomas' God. Further, if anyone should say that Thomas did not really mean what he said, then words have lost their meaning, and no statement in the Bible can be taken at face value. Clearly, Jesus was Thomas' Lord and God, and if Thomas', then ours as well. And what a glorious Lord and God is ours.
As has been seen in the notes on JESUS CHRIST OF NAZARETH, there is abundant Scriptural testimony to Jesus' equality with God. Jesus can be seen to be co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father. As such He is worthy of our trust and worship. To hold to this doctrine is crucial. As Jesus taught, a person does not honor the Father if he does not honor the Son even as he honors the Father (Jn. 5:23). Just as seriously, unless a person believes that Jesus is Jehovah God, he shall die in his sins (Jn. 8:24). A refusal to honor Jesus as God is a sure sign of an unregenerate heart.
Unfortunately, there are many who do not believe that Jesus is God. These lost people are generally well trained in presenting arguments against this crucial doctrine. A discussion of of the Deity of Christ would be a challenging excersize to such a person, but would probably not lead him to a knowledge of God or a partaking in His salvation. There are more fruitful approaches to leading a unitarian to Christ. However, true believers should be at least briefly knowledgable in the attacks made against Christ's Deity and in valid responses to them, both for the defense of the true Faith and for the protection of the believer's own precious faith. Most of the arguments presented and answered here are those used by Jehovah's Witnesses, who deny Christ's Deity. One argument has been taken from The Way, another unitarian group.
JOHN 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Later in this same passage (vss. 14, 17) the Word is clearly identified to be Jesus Christ. Here is found a clear testimony to the Deity of Christ.
RESPONSE:
Part of the above argument is correct. In the rules of greek grammar, when the definite article is missing, there is the technical grammatical possibility of using an indefinite article. This translation of John 1:1, however, leads to two consequences.
1) Polytheism - If you are going to say that Jesus is a lesser god, you believe in more that one god. To a Jehovah's Witness, this is abhorant. A verse often used by Jehovah's Witnesses is Deut. 4:35 - "...the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him." Yet to say that Jesus is a lesser god is to have more than one god.
2) Inconsistent Translation of Jn.1:1-18 - There are a number of times in this passage where the word god is used without a "the" before it, and the Jehovah's Witnesses translate it God (Jehovah), not god. These are:
Jn.1:6 - "a man, sent from God" - There is no definite article before "god" yet it is translated God. Jn.1:12 - "power to become children of God"
Jn.1:13 - "...nor of the will of man, but of God."
Jn.1:18 - "No man has seen God at any time..."
Another point to be made about this translation shows how J.W.'s use only those facts which suit their own purposes. When they introduce the grammatical possibility of "the Word was a god," they quote from a greek grammar book written by Dana and Mante. When Mante found out that his book was used by the Jehovah's Witnesses in this way, he wrote a rebuttal to their translation. He wrote that a specific reason for leaving out a definite article is to emphasize the quality, character, nature or essence of a thing or person. These are some verses in which the definite article has been ommited for just this purpose:
1Jn. 4:16 - God is love - Here the definite article is omitted to emphasize this quality of God.
1Jn. 1:5 - God is light - Again the definite article is left out to emphasize the Divine quality of light.
Jn.4:24 - God is spirit - Once again, the quality of spirit is emphasized by the ommission of the definite article.
Jn. 1:1 - "the Word was God" - Here the ommission of thedefinite article serves to emphasize the Divine character, nature, and essence of the Word. The Word, Jesus, by Hisessence and very nature, is God.
JN. 1:3 - APART FROM HIM WAS NOT ANYTHING MADE THAT WAS MADE
But the Bible says that Jesus was created. Rev. 3:14 - Jesus is called "the Beginning of the creation of God." It is taught here that God made Jesus first. Then, as is taught in Jn. 1:3 Jesus made all other things. So if Jesus was created by God, how can He be God?
RESPONSE - There are several facts which go against this understanding of Rev. 3:14. The first is that the greek word arche translated "beginning" also has the meaning of ACTIVE CAUSE, ORIGIN, SOURCE or RULER. This greek word has recorded uses of it with these meanings that go back as far as 800 B.C. Jesus is said here to be the Source of the Creation of God. Seeing that this is said to be God's creation and that the source of it is Jesus, it is clear that Jesus is God. The second fact which goes against the Jehovah's Witnesses' use of this verse is the explicitness of the greek in Jn.1:3. "apart from Him was not ONE THING made that was made." This verse is so explicit and unambiguous in its translation that it should be the standard against which Rev. 3:14 is viewed, since the Rev. verse is more ambiguous in its translation and does not have as much context within which to interpret it. A third fact which helps to see how the Revelation verse does not teach that Jesus is created is that it was written by the apostle John, also the writer of the Gospel of John. The Gospel is thought to have been written 85-90 A.D. Revelation is thought to have been written in 95 A.D. It is not reasonable to take the apostle's writings as Divinely inspired truth and then to force a contradiction in his writings. This is especially unreasonable when, in light of the explicitness of Jn. 1:3 and the flexibility of translation of Rev. 3:14, the two passages can be so well harmonized to say that Jesus is uncreated Creator of all things.
RobinsonÕs Word Pictures States about John 1:1: ÒAnd the Word was God (kai yeov hn o logov). By exact and careful language John denied Sabellianism by not saying o yeov hn o logov. That would mean that all of God was expressed in o logov and the terms would be interchangeable, each having the article. The subject is made plain by the article (o logov) and the predicate without it (yeov)Ó
Development of the Doctrine
Every systematic presentation of the doctrine of the Person of Christ must concern itself with (at least) four major issues:
(1) Was Jesus Christ truly divine? Was Christ truly God? Did Jesus have a divine nature? This is the question of the true deity of Christ.
(2) Was Jesus Christ truly human? Was Jesus truly man? Did Christ have a human nature? This is the question of the true humanity of Christ.
(3) Was there a genuine personal union of the divine and the human natures in Jesus Christ? Were the two natures really united in the one Person? This is the question of the hypostatic union of the two natures in Christ.
(4) Was Jesus Christ, although both truly God and truly man, nevertheless one Person? Did the two natures constitute one Person, the God-man? This is the question of the unipersonality of Christ.
a. What does "true deity" mean?
"very God," The term "true deity" includes (at least) the following five ideas:
(1) that Jesus has the nature of God, with all of the divine attributes.
(2) that Jesus possesses all of the rights and powers of deity
(3) that Jesus existed as the Second Person of the Trinity before the incarnation, from eternity past
(4) that Jesus is equal to the Father and to the Spirit is wisdom, power, glory, etc.
(5) that Jesus performed divine works
These scriptures speaks to us of Christ's omnipotence.
Matt. 8:26-27 caused the storm to be still - Psalm 107:28-29
Mark 2:8 - 2 Chron. 6:30 --Thou alone does know the hearts of the sons of men.
John 2:24-25 - Jer. 17:9-10 tells us who alone knows what is in man
John 16:30 -- that you know all things
Colossians 2:3 -- "In whom [Christ] are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's omnipresence manifested in blessing and power.
Matt. 18:2 -- "For where two or three -- there I am in their midst."
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's omnipresence, manifested relationally.
2 Cor. 13:5 -- "Test yourselves -- that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless indeed you fail the test."
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's eternal self-existence.
John 8:57-58 -- before Abraham was born, I am. - Exodus 3:14
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's eternity. --Micah 5:2
This scripture also speaks to us of Christ's eternity, as well as His activity in creation. - Heb. 1:10-12
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's full deity. - Colossians 2:9
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's activity in creation. - John 1:3
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's activity in the preservation of all things. - Heb. 1:3
These scriptures speaks to us of Christ's authority to forgive sins. - Mark 2:5-11, Luke 7:48, Isa 43:25
These scriptures speaks to us of Christ's power to raise the dead. - John 6:39-40, John 11:25,
These scriptures speak to us of Christ's equality with the Father and the Spirit.
2 Cor. 13:14, Matt. 28:19, 1 Cor. 12:4-6, Romans 1:7 , James 1:1, John 14:23 , John 14:1, (Note: This should be compared with Jer. 17:5-7 -- "Thus says the Lord, 'Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
These scriptures speaks to us of Christ's preexistence in a state of glory. - 2 Cor. 8:9
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's preexistence in heaven. - John 3:13
These scriptures speak to us of Christ's preexistence in glory with the Father before the world began to be. John 17:5, 18, 23-24
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's preexistence with the Father and of His nature as divine. - John 1:1-2
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's identification by the divine name, "Son of God." This name is given to Christ some 40 times. - Luke 22:70
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's identification as the Son of God, which the Jews during Christ's earthly days understood as equivalent to calling himself God. - John 5:18
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's identity as God; and of the greatest possible intimacy, the closest possible union between Christ and the Father ("who is in the bosom of the Father"). - John 1:18
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's identification as the Lord God. Revelation 1:17, Isaiah 44:6
This scripture speaks to us of Christ's identity as God. Heb. 1:8, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1
In addition to these scriptures, there are numbers of references which speak of worship in connection with Christ. These are significant, in view of the warnings to worship only the Lord. Also there are a few references which speak of the propriety of worshipping Christ. These references follow:
Warnings to Worship Only the Lord
Exodus 20:2-5, Matthew 4:10, Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9, Acts 10:25-26
Instances of Christ being Worshipped
Matthew 2:2, 8, 11, Matthew 8:2, Matthew 9:18, Matthew 14:33, Matthew 15:25, Matthew 28:9; 28:17
The Propriety of Worshipping Christ:Revelation 5:13, 1 Corinthians 1:2, Hebrews 1:6
(1) Jesus Christ is revealed as having the nature of God, as possessing divine attributes, and as being God. He is spoken of as omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, eternal, and self-existent.
(2) Jesus Christ is revealed as possessing the rights and powers of deity. He has the right to receive worship, and the power to forgive sins and to raise the dead.
(3) Jesus Christ is revealed as having existed before the incarnation, from eternity past, with the Father.
(4) Jesus Christ is revealed as being equal to the Father and the Spirit in respect of His divine nature, attributes, rights, powers, and glory.
(5) Jesus Christ is revealed as having performed divine works. He was active in creation, is active in preservation, and is most certainly active in redemption.
a. Meaning of the term
The true humanity of Christ, expressed in the creeds by the words "very man," is the second element of the doctrine of the Person of Christ. what does "true humanity" mean?
The term "true humanity" includes (at least) four ideas:
(1) that Jesus has the nature of humanity, with all of the human faculties and powers
(2) that Jesus has both a true human body and a true human soul-spirit
(3) that Jesus is subject to all the limitations of created, finite humanity
(4) but not that Jesus was guilty of sin, or corrupted by sin, or ever committed an act of sin
Matt. 1:1 -- human lineage
Romans 1:3 physical descendant,
Galatians 4:4 -- conception in and birth from a human mother.
Matt. 1:18-21, 24-25 These scriptures speak to us of the Holy Spirit's supernatural impregnation and fertilization of an egg from Mary, who was yet a virgin; and of the natural development of that embryo through all the normal stages of fetal growth until the time of Jesus' birth.
Luke 1:41-42 This scripture speaks to us of Jesus as a fetus in the womb of Mary.
Matt. 1:16 This scripture speaks to us of Jesus' human birth by Mary.
Luke 2:4-7 This scripture speaks to us of Christ's normal development in the womb of Mary, of His attainment of a sufficient level of fetal development to be born, and of His normal birth.
Luke 2:21This scripture speaks to us of Jesus' circumcision as an eight-day-old infant.
Luke 2:22, 27-29 This scripture speaks to us of Jesus as an infant of 40 days (see Leviticus 12), and as being held in the arms of His parents and of Simeon.
Luke 2:41-43, This scripture speaks to us of Jesus as a boy of twelve.
Luke 3:23 This scripture speaks to us of Jesus as being about thirty years old. Of course, we understand this to speak of his human age, counted from the year of His birth.
John 4:6, This scripture speaks to us of Jesus' physical weariness.
Matt. 8:24 , This scripture speaks to us (in context) of Jesus' extreme weariness, and of His deep sleep in the midst of a storm.
Matt. 4:2 This scripture speaks to us of Christ's physical appetite and need for food.
John 19:28-30, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's genuine thirst nearing the end of His crucifixion; and of His mention of this, both as an expression of need, and as a fulfillment of Old Testament predictive prophecy.
Luke 23:33, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's pain and sufferings through crucifixion.
Luke 23:46 This scripture speaks to us of Christ's physical death on the cross.
John 19:32-34, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's genuine physical death on the cross.
1 John 1:1, This scripture speaks to us of the genuineness of Christ's physical body, which was able to be seen and handled.
John 18:22-23, This scripture speaks to us of the substantial nature of Christ's physical body, which could be struck.
Luke 24:36-39, This scripture speaks to us of the substantial nature of Christ's post-resurrection body, which was still His flesh-and-bones human body, yet transformed.
Luke 24:41-43 , This scripture speaks to us of the substantial nature of Christ's post-resurrection body.
Hebrews 2:14, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's partaking of flesh and blood; that is, of sharing human nature along with the children of God.
Matt. 26:38; Luke 23:46, These scriptures speak to us of Christ's having a human soul-spirit.
Luke 2:40, 52, These scriptures speak of the continuous development of Jesus' mental abilities, as well as the development of His physical body.
John 11:33, 35, 38 , These scriptures speak to us of Christ's capability for, and actual exercise of, very deep human emotions.
Heb. 2:10, This scripture speaks to us of Christ in His genuine sufferings as the completer of our salvation.
Heb. 5:7-9, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's exercise of genuine human emotions, His ability to experience death, and His ability experientially to learn obedience, thereby completing the conditions of salvation for His own people.
Luke 22:44 , This scripture speaks to us of Christ's genuine and very deep human emotions.
Mark 13:32 , This scripture [on the crucial point of which there is absolutely no textual question!] speaks to us of Christ's genuine ignorance of the time of an event which is to take place in the Eschaton (the end time). Since Christ in respect of His deity "knows all things" (John 16:30), we must understand this to refer to genuine human ignorance; i.e., ignorance of factual information not available to Him as a human being. It would seem to be a sound inference to say that there are probably other things which He, in respect of His humanity, did not know. In this sense "ignorance" does not imply "lack of mental ability" or "wilful stupidity," but simply lack of knowledge of a fact or facts.
Heb. 2:18, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's suffering and temptation. In connection with suffering, the word translated "tempted" (peirajzw) could mean "put to the test" or simply "tested," instead of "enticed to evil" or "solicited to commit sin."
Heb. 4:15, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's temptations in all respects as we are tempted, yet with one dissimilar respect: He was without sin. In connection with sin, the word translated "tempted" (peirajzw) could mean "enticed to evil" or "solicited to commit sin" instead of "put to the test" or "tested".
John 8:40 , John 1:30 , Acts 2:22 , 1 Cor. 15:21-22, Acts 17:31 These few instances in which Christ is called a man could be augmented by many more.
Luke 1:35, This scripture speaks to us of Christ as holy. This could mean "set apart" or "consecrated" to God, but as the product of the Holy Spirit's conception, Christ is more probably being spoken of as "pure," "sinless," "without sin."
Heb. 4:15, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's sinlessness. Although Christ was enticed to commit sin again and again, yet He never committed sin. He is without sin.
Heb 9:14, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's moral spotlessness and purity, as the Lamb of God without spot or blemish.
John 8:46 , This scripture speaks to us of Christ's moral blamelessness. No man could find sin in His holly character and conduct.
2 Cor. 5:21 , This scripture speaks to us of Christ's complete freedom from the experiential knowledge of personal depravity and the experiential knowledge of personal acquiescence in sinful thoughts, words, and actions. At the same time it speaks to us of the Father's imputation of our guilt to His Son, in order that His righteousness might be imputed to us. Thus, although Christ had experiential knowledge of the guilt of sin (our guilt), He had no experiential knowledge of depravity or of its outworking in Himself. Of course, it should be added that He did have experiential knowledge of personal rejection of sinful thoughts, words, and actions.
1 Peter 2:21-23, This scripture speaks to us of Christ's perfect life of sinlessness and holy obedience.
1 John 3:3, 5, These scriptures speak to us of Christ's moral purity and perfect sinlessness.
(1) Jesus Christ is revealed as having the nature of humanity, as possessing human faculties and powers, and as being a man.
(2) Jesus Christ is revealed as having a human flesh-and-blood body, which was supernaturally conceived of Mary' substance, was born, developed, matured, and experienced fatigue, hunger, thirst, physical well-being, pain, suffering, and death.
(3) Jesus Christ is revealed as having a human soul-spirit, which was created by God (either directly or indirectly), was finite, developed mentally and socially, and experienced strong emotions, the attitude of obedience, various kinds of temptations, sufferings, and death.
(4) Jesus Christ is revealed as being subject to the limitations common to finite human beings. During His earthly ministry, in respect of His human nature, He was not omnipresent, but present only somewhere, and had to move to get from one location to another. With respect to His human nature, He was not omniscient, but was limited in His knowledge to what a man can know by the ordinary use of (uncorrupted) human faculties and/or what a man can know by Special Revelation (uncorruptedly understood). With respect to His human nature He was not omnipotent, but was limited in power to what a human being is able to do in his own strength, or in the strength of the Holy Spirit.
(5) Jesus Christ is revealed as being completely free from depravity; holy, spotless, without moral blemish; as free from personal guilt (even when our guilt was imputed to Him); and as having never committed a sin, whether in thought, desire, intent, purpose, volition, word, or action.
a. In the Scriptures the incarnate Son is presented as one divine Person, who took into union with Himself a human nature and became the God-man.
(1) The one person, the Lord Jesus Christ, is both fully divine and fully human; thus there is a union of natures.
(2) This union is a personal union; i.e., a union which constitutes one person.
He changed by becoming man; He did not change by remaining God. That is, this is a change, not by subtraction of His divine attributes, but by addition of human attributes. Thus, in one sense the Son of God was immutable in His incarnation in that He was fully God; and in another sense the Son of God changed in His incarnation by taking into union with His Person a true human nature.
(3) The two natures are united, but not mingled or changed
(a) This assertion is supported, first of all, by the Creator-creature distinction. Deity and humanity are as distinct as are Creator and creature. This may be more explicitly seen in a series of contrasts:
The Creator is independent; the creature is dependent.
The Creator is infinite; the creature is finite.
The Creator is eternal; the creature is temporal.
The Creator is unchangeable; the creature is changeable.
The Creator is omniscient; the creature is limited in knowledge
The Creator is omnipotent; the creature is limited in power.
The Creator is omnipresent; the creature is present in only one location
(b) This assertion is supported, secondly, by the contrasts between the biblical assertions concerning God and those concerning the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking in respect of His humanity.
God is not a man; Jesus Christ was a man.
God is incorporeal; Jesus Christ had flesh and bones.
God does not grow; Jesus Christ grew.
God's years have no beginning; Jesus Christ was a certain age.
God is not present in only one locality; Jesus Christ was present in only one locality.
God does not increase in knowledge; Jesus Christ increased in knowledge.
God does not learn obedience; Jesus Christ learned obedience.
God is under no authority above Him; Jesus Christ was under the authority of God and His parents
God is not able to be tempted to evil; Jesus Christ was able to be tempted to evil, and was tempted to evil.
God cannot suffer physical pain; Jesus Christ suffered physical pain.
God cannot grow weary; Jesus Christ grew weary.
God does not become hungry; Jesus Christ became hungry.
God does not sleep; Jesus Christ slept.
God cannot die; Jesus Christ died.
The assertion that the divine nature became humanized, or that the human nature became divinized, is totally without scriptural warrant. There is simply no evidence to support it.
b. There are important results which derive from this union
(1) As a result of the hypostatic union, there is a communion of attributes
(2) As a result of the hypostatic union, the natures must be distinguished, but may not be separated.
(3) As a result of the hypostatic union, all of the acts of Christ, whether spoken of in respect of one or the other nature, are the acts of His Person
(4) As a result of the hypostatic union, Christ is the true Mediator between God and man.
(5) As a result of the hypostatic union, Christ can sympathize with His people in a way in which He was not able prior to the incarnation
a. Defining of the question
(1) Negatively
(a) The question is not whether Christ had a sinful nature
(b) The question is not whether Christ actually sinned
(c) The question is not whether Christ could have sinned with respect to His divine nature
(d) The question is not whether Christ could have sinned with respect to the Plan and Purpose of God
(2) Positively
(a) The question is whether Christ had the genuine ability to be tempted, with respect to His human nature
(b) The question is whether Christ had the genuine ability to sin, with respect to His human nature, irrespective of His divine nature and God's Plan and Purpose
(1) Christ's temptability or intemptability (His ability or inability to be tempted)
In the New Testament the same word PEIRAZO (peirajzw) is used for both testing and tempting. What is the difference?
One set of ideas in the word includes the meanings "examine," "assay," "prove," "make trial of," "scrutinize," "test."
Another set of ideas in the word includes the meanings "tempt," "seduce," "solicit," "entice to do evil."
The first set of meanings focuses on the testing of character.
The second set of meanings focuses on enticement to moral evil.
There are a few instances in which both meanings (test and entice to moral evil) appear in the same context. It may be said that in these cases enticements to evil test character.
In Job Satan tempts while God tests!
(b) Toward an understanding of Christ's temptations
[1] Scriptures relevant to Christ's temptations: Luke 4:1-13 (parallel: Matthew 4:1-11 and Mark 1:13, Matthew 26:36-44, John 18:10-11, Hebrews 2:18, 4:15
(2) Christ's Peccability or Impeccability (ability or inability to sin)
If Christ was totally, absolutely unable to sin (non posse peccare), then were His temptations genuine?
[2] The answer to the question, Did Christ have the genuine ability to sin with respect to His human nature only, would seem to be yes. That is, if the temptations were to be genuine, and if they involved real struggle (and not merely the appearance of genuineness and struggle), then it would seem that in some sense, Christ had to have the ability to sin. If our focus must be on Christ's human nature, then we can say that Christ, with respect to His human nature, had the ability to sin (posse peccare) and the ability to keep from sinning (posse non peccare).
When these two natures are united in one theanthropic person, as they are in the incarnation, the divine determines and controls the human, not the human the divine.
[Jesus was committed to and dependant upon the father's will divinely and humanly]