CHRIST IS GOD!
WHO SAYS SO: The Word of God says so and if you do not believe, please correct me
Prepared and researched by Sam Martino
Prepared and researched by; Sam Martino
A Biblical perspective on Bible topics and subjects from a position of Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth,
King James Bible - God's Word in the English Speaking language.
SANCTIFY THEM THROUGH THY TRUTH
THY WORD IS TRUTH [ JOHN, 17:17 KJB ]
THY WORD IS TRUE FROM THE BEGINNING [PSALMS 119,:160
THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH EVEN IF NO ONE BELIEVES IT
AND A LIE IS A LIE EVEN IF ANYONE DOESN'T BELIEVE IT
THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH EVEN IF NO ONE ACCEPTS IT
THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH EVEN IF NO ONE UNDERSTANDS IT
THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH EVEN IF YOU HIDE IT
BELIEVING EVERYBODY IS DANGEROUS
BUT BELIEVING NOBODY IS MORE DANGEROUS
800 PROPHECIES TOTAL 300 HAVE BEEN FULFILLED JUST REFERRING TO HIS FIRST COMMING TO THE DETAIL AND LETTER
500 MORE WILL BE FULFILLED LITERALLY IN THE FUTURE YET TO COME IMPOSSIBLE ODDS FOR SURE BUT LETS JUST SEE WHAT JUST 15 MATHAMATICALLY COMPARE TO
I HIDE AND PAINT ONE GRAIN OF SAND BLUE IN ALL THE BEACHES IN ALL THE WORLD AND YOU HAVE BUT ONE JUST ONE CHANCE TO PICK THAT BLUE GRAIN UP
THIS IS WHAT JESUS CHRIST WAS UP AGAINST AND ONLY IN THE BIBLE KING JAMES , AS ALL NEW AGE BIBLE VERSIONS CANNOT MATHAMATCAILLY DO.
15 DETAILS ABOUT A MANS LIFE, WRITTEN HUNDREDS OF YEARS BEFORE HE WAS BORN, REPRESENTING THOSE ODDS ABOVE
1, NUMBERS 24:17-19 HE WOULD COME OUT OF ISRAEL
2 HE WOULD BE THE SEED OF ABRAHAM ISAC AND JACOB GEN 3,4,5,6,7,
3 FROM THE FAMILY OF DAVID GENESIS 49 , ISAIHA 11
4 BORN IN BETHELHEM MICHA 5
5 BORN OF A VIRGIN ISAIHA 7
6 TIMING OF HIS COMING SPECIFIED DANAIEL 9
7 HIS COMING WILL BE DELCARED BY A FORUNNER ISAIHA 40
8. HE WOULD BE MANEFESTED IN THE FLESH ISAIHA 9:6
9. HE CHILD WOULD BE SPENT IN EGYPT HOSEA 1
10. HIS ENTRANCE IN JERUSALEM WOULD BE ON A COLT OF AN ASS ZECHERAHIA
11 HIS RIDE ON A COLT ZECH 9:9
12 NOT A BONE OF HIS BONES BE BROKEN PSALM 34:20
13 CAST LOTS FOR HIS GARMENTS PSALM 22:18
14 GIVEN VINEGAR IN HIS AGONY PSALM 69:21
15 HIS SPOKEN WORDS IN HIS AGONY PSALM 22:1
WE HAVE 15 PROPHECIES AND DETAILS RECORDED IN THE BIBLE ALL WRITTEN BEFORE HIS BIRTH 400 -1000 YEARS PRIOR NOW EXPALIN THAT IF YOU WILL
NO LITERATURE ANYWHERE AT ANYTIME UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES WOUDL DARE MAKE A PROPHETIC UTTERANCE FOR FAILURE TO FULFILL YET THE BIBLE THE KING JAMES BIBLE WRITTEN BY GOD THE FATHER DID EXACTLY THAT. 1000% TRUE AND PERFERCT. PRAISE HIS HOLY PRECIOUS NAME , THE LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.
There is not a more important subject in all the world other than is Jesus Christ God in the incarnated flesh. A subject know amongst Theologians and Bible scholars as the study of Christology, the attributes and personalities of God our Savior.
There has been mush written in the world regarding the Divinity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that there are not enough books and material written in the world all thru time that could contain all there is about him, as stated in the Gospels. Yet mathematicians all over the world still wrestle with the probabilities of chances.
The Bible I will refer to is the King James Authorized Bible, as the mathematical probabilities are only found in the English King James Text .
The following is a mathematical analysis done by some of the top mathematicians in the world, demonstrating the odds of One Man [ Jesus Christ ] incarnated of course fully God Fully man , fulfilling just 48 prophecies regarding his first coming . Let Go!
There are as some have some estimated, a total 800 prophecies regarding his first and second coming, 300 have literally been all fulfilled to the letter up and including his birth death and resurrection, in every fine detail, by those who wrote under inspiration of the Holy spirit ,400 to 1000 years before the first one ever came true.
To demonstrate what odds would need to be over come, would be this . just 48 out of the 300 mathematically speaking, is like 1 in 10 to the 895 power the is 10 with 895 0s after it!!!
Of course this is impossible but to demonstrate consider all the electrons in all the atoms in all the universe 25 trillion per sq inch [ your thumb]. would take 150 billion light years yet you could never have reached that number as there are not enough Electrons in the entire universe, to represent the 48 prophecies he fulfilled out of 300 ... to try to mathematically use 300 is infinitively impossible as no such numbers known in math can be used to demonstrate it.
ECCLESIASTES 8 : 4 WHERE THE WORD OF A { KING } IS THERE IS POWER. YES GOD CHOSE A KING FOR HIS TRANSMISSION OF HIS WORD IN ENGLISH NOT GREEK NOT HEBREW IN ENGLISH FOR THE GENERATIONS WE LIVE IN NOT SOME PERVERTED TWISTED TRANSLATION NOT WORTHY TO BE CALLED A BIBLE . THERE IS NO KING IN ANY OF THOSE VERSIONS INCLUDING THE CORRUPT NKJV BIBLE THE GREAT IMPOSTER, AS IT IS MORE DEADLY MASQUERADING AS THE TRUE WORD OF GOD THERE IS NOTHING NEW IN IT.
IT CONTAINS THE SERPENTS SAME OLD LIES GENESIS , YEA HATH GOD SAID,....
PONDER THIS THE NUMBER 9 IN THE BIBLE HAS TO DO WITH FRUIT DOES IT NOT , KING JAMES ...9 LETTERS......1611= 9 , JUST A COINCINDENCE I DONT THINK SO AS THERE ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF THEM FOUND ONLY IN TEH KING JAMES BIBLE.. YES THE ORIGINALS ARE LONG GONE BOTH GREEK AND HEBREW ... WHEN SOMONE SAYS TO YOU THE GREEK SAYS THIS THE HEBREW SAYS THAT, NO ONE HAS THE ORIGINALS THEY ARE ALL COPIES OF COPIES. KING JAMES IN MANY PLACES IN SCRIPTURES ARE MORE SUPERIOR THAN THE GREEK AND HEBREW... DONT TAKE THIS WRONG, HEBREW WAS USED BY GOD AS HE USED GREEK TO TRANSLATE HEBREW, BUT IT IS THE ENGLISH TEXT NOT THE ORIGINALS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US . AND TO KEEP IT AND CHERISH IT AS ONE DAY IT WILL BE HOUNDED AND CHASED DOWN AS IT WAS DURING THE REFORMATION.
LETS NOW SEE WHO IN THE BIBLE ACTUALLY SAID SO AND BELIEVED SO
A leper says so, by worshipping Jesus in MAT8:2. Only God is to be worshipped (EX :4,5).
Jesus Himself claimed so, in MAT 9:2, when He forgave a man's sins, "Son...thy sins be forgiven thee." MARK 2:7 plainly states that ONLY God can forgive sin.
A certain ruler says so, by worshipping Jesus in MAT 9:18.
The Apostles say so, by worshipping Jesus in MAT 14:33.
A Canaanite woman says so, by worshipping Jesus in MAT 15:25.
A mother and her sons say so, by worshipping Jesus in MAT 20:20.
The disciples say so, by worshipping Jesus in MAT 28:9.
MARK
A man afflicted by a demon says so, by worshipping Jesus in MARK 5:6.
Jesus Himself claimed so, in MARK 2:5, when He forgave a man's sins, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." MRK 2:7 plainly states that ONLY God can forgive sin.
LUKE
John the Baptist says so, in JHN 1:15, by stating "He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me." John said that Jesus came BEFORE him; but LK 1:24-27 tell us that Jesus was born several months AFTER John. John was clearly referring to Jesus as God incarnate.
Jesus Himself claimed so, in LUKE 5:20, when He forgave a man's sins, "Man, thy sins are forgiven thee." LUKE 5:21 plainly states that ONLY God can forgive sin.
The Apostles say so, by worshipping Jesus in LK 24:52.
JOHN
John says so, in JHN 1:1... "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
John says so, by stating in JHN1:3 that Jesus is the Divine Creator of all things. See COL 1:16; 2nd PTR 3:5. GEN 1:1 plainly states that GOD created the universe and all things in it.
John says so, in JHN 1:10... "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not."
John says so, in JHN3:16, by calling Jesus God's "only begotten Son." To be God's literal Son makes Jesus deity.
Jesus Himself claimed so, in JHN 14:1, by asking those who believe in God to also believe on Him.
Jesus Himself claimed so, in JHN 8:24, "...for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." The pronoun "he" is in italics in the King James Bible, meaning it was added by the translators for clarity, and isn't in the Greek. Thus, it literally says, "...for if ye believe not that I AM, ye shall die in your sins." See EX 3:14.
Jesus Himself claimed so, in JHN 8:58, "Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." This is the I AM of EX 3:14. The people understood what Jesus was claiming, because they tried to kill him in JHN8:59.
Jesus Himself claimed so, in JHN 10:30, "I and my Father are one."
Jesus Himself claimed so, in JHN10:33, "The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."
Jesus Himself claimed so, in JHN 14:1, "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me." Clearly, Jesus was claiming equality with God the Father. See PHILLIPIANS 2:6 (King James Bible).
ACTS
Peter says so, in ACT 4:10-12, by stating that salvation can ONLY be found in the name of JESUS. ISA 43:11,12 tell us that God is the ONLY Savior. In JHN 14:6, Jesus claimed to be the ONLY way to Heaven.
Paul says so, in ACTS 20:28, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves...to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Paul states that God paid for our sins with His own blood. 1st PETER 1:18,19 clearly states that Jesus is the Lamb of God which shed His blood for our sins. Hence, Jesus is Almighty God!
ROMANS
Paul says so, The Resurrection of Jesus Christ proves His Deity ( RM 1:1-4)
Nature says so, giving understanding and clarity to the fact that Jesus Christ is God. "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (RM 1:18-20; JHN 1:1-3; COL 1:16).
Lost sinners know so, who knowing the judgment of God..." (RMS 1:18, 24-32). Only Jesus Christ Himself judges sin! (JHN 5:22). The unsaved realize that someday they will stand before Jesus Christ to be judged.
Abraham says so, by believing God. GEN15:6 states Abraham believed the LORD! JAMES 2:19 says believing in God is not enough to be saved. JHN 3:16 says believing in Jesus Christ is enough, so we must conclude that
Abraham believed on Jesus Christ as God because he was justified in ROMANS 4:3 (ROM 4:1-5)
Paul says so, by declaring that Jesus Christ is Eternal and Immortal! (RM 6:9,10).
Paul says so, by declaring that Jesus is risen! (RM 8:34).
Isaiah says so, by prophesying about the coming Messiah who would die on the cross (RM 9:25-33. Verse 33 states... "Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed." This is a quote from ISA 28:16. Paul said that the "LORD" of ISA 10:23 is the same "LORD" that died on the cross (RM 10:11).
Paul says so by quoting PSALM 40:17, 14:7, ISA 27:9. Jesus Christ as our Deliverer is God. All will confess Jesus as God at the Judgment Seat! (RM 14:11).
1ST CORINTHIANS
Paul says so! 1st COR Greeks say Jesus is God! I COR 1:24, "Christ the power of God." Christ comes from Greek Christos meaning "Messiah." COL 3 :24 refers to the same Messiah as "LORD," meaning "supreme in Authority." Jesus is Almighty God.
The brethren say Jesus is God! 1st COR 9:5, "Brethren of the Lord." "LORD" comes from Greek "KURIOS" meaning" Supreme in Authority."
Paul says so, by referring to Jesus Christ as Lord! We know this verse speaks of Jesus because JHN 5:22 says only Jesus will judge sin (also, see 1st CORs 4:4).
Paul says so, by referring to Jesus Christ as Lord! "LORD" meaning "Supreme in Authority" (1st COR :4).
Paul says so, by declaring Jesus Christ as the Creator of all things! (1st COR 8:6; also see JHN 1:1-4)
Paul says so, by declaring Jesus Christ has risen and spoken to him! (1st COR 11:24-26). Paul in verse 26 expects the LORD Jesus Christ to return again! He speaks of Jesus as the Eternal One.
Paul says so, by calling Jesus "LORD," meaning "Supreme in Authority "(1st COR 11:32; JHN 5:22)
The HOLY GHOST says so, (1 COR 12:1-3). It is the HOLY GHOST Himself who gives mankind the knowledge that Jesus is God! He may do this through nature (RM 1:18-20).
Paul says so, (1st COR 12:18) by claiming God as the Creator. JHN1:3 teaches us that Jesus Christ made all things. Also see COL 1:14.
Paul says so, by claiming God as the Builder of the Church! (1st COR 12:28). MAT 16:18 says Jesus is the Builder!
Paul says so, by claiming Christ has risen! (1st COR 15:4). See JOB19:25.
2ND CORINTHIANS
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus as the Christ (2nd COR 1:1). ACTS 9:5 --God calls Himself "Jesus."
Paul says so, by claiming that he 's trusting is God for salvation (2nd COR 1:9,10). ISA 45:22 clearly states that Jesus Christ is the one who saves. Also JHN 3:16; RoM5:8; ACTS 4:10-12.
Paul says so, by claiming that Jesus is the Holy Spirit (2nd COR 3:17). Also see JHN 4:24... "God is a spirit"; JHN 14:16,47.
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus as the Eternal Judge (2nd COR 5:10). Also see JHN 5:22, JUDGES 11:27, RM1:32.
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus as the light (2nd COR 4:6). PSLAM 27:1; JHN 3:19-21; JHN 12:36
Paul say so, by claiming Jesus Christ has risen, (2nd COR 5:15 ) JOB19:25; RM 6:11
Paul says so, by claiming that Jesus was once rich in Heaven, but became poor that we might be made rich. Paul claims Jesus Christ is Eternal (2nd COR 8:9)
Paul says so, by quoting PSLAM 112:9, claiming Jesus as the One who gives grace (2nd COR 9:8,9)
Paul says so, by claiming power of thought Jesus Christ (2nd COR 10:4 & PHILIPIANS 4:13)
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus as the LORD (2nd COR 12:8,9)
Paul says so, by claiming Christ has risen (2nd COR 13:4)
GALATIANS
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus is God! (GAL 1:4, "God and our Father")
Paul says so, by claiming to have received his doctrine from the risen Christ Jesus (GAL 1:12)
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus Christ as the Justifier (GAL3:6; RM 4:5; JHN 5:22)
Paul says so, by claiming that Jesus Christ lives in him, declaring his resurrection and power (GAL 2:20)
Paul says so, by claiming that God gave the promises to Abraham (GAL 3:18; GEN 18:25: JHN 5:22). This was Jesus.
EPHESIANS
Paul says so, claiming Christ has risen by quoting PSLAM 68:18 (EPH 4:8)
Paul says so, by declaring Christ as a present help for life, because of His Resurrection (EPH 5:14)
Paul says so, by calling Jesus God! (EPH 5:20)
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus as the savior (EPH 5:23)
PHILIPPIANS
Paul says so, by claiming Christ is risen ( PhHILIPIANS 1:21). "To live is Christ!"
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus Christ as equal with God (PHILIPIANS 2:6).
Paul says so, and all people someday will, by confessing with their tongue that Jesus Christ is LORD! (PHILIPIANS 2:10,11). Every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus is Lord.
Paul says so, by claiming power to do all things through Christ (PHILIPIANS 4:13)
Paul says so, by calling Jesus is God! (PHILIPIANS 4:20)
COLOSSIANS
Paul says so, by calling Jesus God (COL 1:3)
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus as the Divine Creator (COL 1:16). See, ISA 44:24
Paul says so, by declaring that God is pleased to give all fulness to the Son (COL 1:19)
Paul says so, by claiming all the fulness of the Godhead bodily in Christ (PHILIPIANS 2:9)
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus Christ is the head of all principality and power (PHILIPIANS 2:10)
Paul says so, by claiming Christ is risen and is powerful to make us live also (COL 2:13)
Paul says so, by declaring Christ as risen (COL 3:1) and is seated on the right hand of the Father (vs. 1).
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus Christ as our life (POWER). Only God can give life (ISA 44:24; JHN 14:6; COL 3:4).
Paul says so, by calling Jesus God: (COL 3:17)
1ST THESSALONIANS
Paul says so, by claiming Christ's return (1st THESS 3:13)
Paul says so, by claiming the resurrection of Jesus (1st THESS 4:14)
Paul says so, by claiming the return of Jesus Christ (1st THESS 4:16)
Paul says so, by claiming God died for us, and that we will live together with Him! (1st THESS 5:9,10)
2ND THESSALONIANS
Paul says so, by declaring God as judge! (2nd THESS 1:5; JHN 5:22)
Paul says so by claiming the return of Christ (2nd THESSs 2:1)
1ST TIMOTHY
Paul says so, by claiming the Savior as God (1st TIM 1:1)
Paul says so, by claiming Christ as the LORD (Supreme in Authority). This can only mean God (1st TIM 1:12)
Paul says so, by claiming the King as God (1st TIM 1:17 ). Jesus is the King according to MAT 2:2; 5:35
Paul says so, by claiming the Savior as God (1st TIM 2:3; TITUS1:4)
Paul says so, in 1st TIM 3:16, by sating that "GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH."
Paul says so, by claiming the Savior as God (1st TIM 4:10; TITUS 1:4)
Paul says so, by claiming Christ as the only Great Authority (1st TIM 6:15 ). The word "Potentate" means "Great Authority) "--obviously Paul is referring to Jesus Christ as God.
2ND TIMOTHY
Paul says so, by claiming life through Christ Jesus (2nd TIM 1:1 ). GEN 1:1 teaches that God gives life!
Paul says so, by claiming Christ is risen (2nd TIM 2:8)
Paul says so, by claiming Jesus Christ is the Judge (2nd TiM4:1). See JUDGES 11:27; JHN 5:22
TITUS
Paul says so, by claiming God is the Savior (TITUS 1:3,4 )
Paul says so, by claiming God is the Savior (TITUS 2:10,13; 1:4)
PHILEMON
Paul says so, by claiming power through Christ (PHIL 1:8). Obviously he bases this on the fact that Christ has risen.
HEBREWS
HEB 1:3 says so, by claiming Jesus is the Son of God. In JHN14:1, Jesus claimed deity by asking those who believed on God to also believe on Him.
HEB 3:4 says so, by claiming God as the Creator. COL 1:16 and JHN 1:3 say Jesus is the Creator.
HEB 10:30 says so, by claiming God as the Judge--JHN5:22 says this is Jesus.
HEB 12:2 says so, by claiming Jesus is alive and seated on the right hand of God the Father.
2ND PETER
Peter says so, in 2nd PTR 3:5... "For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old." JHN 1:3 says Jesus created all things. 2nd PTR 3:5 says that God did.
1ST JOHN
John says so, in 1st JHN 2:23, "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also." You cannot come to God, except through Jesus Christ--because Jesus came as the manifestation of the Godhead, i.e., the Godhead incarnate (2nd TIM 3:16; COL 2:9).
REVELATION
Jesus Himself claimed to be Almighty God in REV 1:8... "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."
JHN says so, in REV 19:13, "...and his name is called The Word of God." See JHN1:1.
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4). If a Hebrew child, from young Moses or Miriam to one of their twentieth-century descendants, knows nothing else about their religion, they have learned this: there is but one God./ “Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears” (II Samuel 7:22). Other passages of Scripture, notably in Isaiah 41-45, echo this
God’s oneness, therefore, is firmly established as the absolute doctrine of the SCRIPTURES. Jehovah, as He is known in the SCRIPTURES, possesses every attribute and office of deity. Here is a representative list from the abundant evidence of the Scriptures that testify of His Godhead. Any one of these appellations would qualify Him for worship as the Almighty:
He is omnipresent (I Kings 8:27).
He is omnipotent (Jeremiah 32:17).
He is omniscient (Psalm 147:5).
He is self-existent (Exodus 3:14).
He is the pardoner of sins (Psalm 78:38).
He is absolute in truth (Psalm 33:4).
He is the giver and source of life (Isaiah 44:24).
He is the seat of authority (Psalm 119:89).
He is the Creator (Genesis 1:1; Isaiah 45:12).
He is the King (Isaiah 44:6).
He is the Savior (Isaiah 45:21).
He is the Redeemer (Psalm 130:8).
He is the Judge (Psalm 50:6).
Given the strict monotheism of the SCRIPTURES FROM GENESES TO MALACHI, it is easy to imagine the reaction of the Pharisees, students of the law and prophets who knew only Jehovah , when Jesus advanced the truth of His own deity. Their theology would not allow the Godhead to be pluralized. God’s glory could not be shared. Never could they THINK such an idolatrous blasphemy. There were only two possible alternatives: either Jesus was an imposter– whether mad, crafty, ambitious or ingenious–or He was the visible, personal manifestation of the Lord God Jehovah Himself. He could be no other, else the integrity of the scriptures would collapse.
Jesus is Jehovah
With this in mind, let us venture into the scriptures after Malachi 400 years after to explore the qualities and characteristics of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is both amazing and exciting to discover that the same attributes and offices attributed to Jehovah God also hold true for Jesus Christ! All through the Scriptures, one cannot escape that doctrine.
400 years after Malachi was a period of silence when God set aside Israel and no longer communicated to the Human race, until.... the birth of Jesus Christ , Once Christ is on the seen, the Holy spirit is once again in motion and as we shall see as follows, Glorifying the Son as God in the flesh.
He is omnipresent (Matthew 18:20).
He is omnipotent (Matthew 28:18).
He is omniscient (John 2:24-25).
He is self-existent (John 8:58).
He is the pardoner of sins (Matthew 9:2).
He is absolute in truth (John 14:6).
He is the giver and source of life (John 11:25).
He is the seat of authority (Matthew 5:18).
He is the Creator (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16).
He is the King (I Timothy 6:15).
He is the Savior (Matthew 1:21).
He is the Redeemer (Titus 2:14).
He is the Judge (Acts 17:31).
The inevitable answer to the inescapable question, of Christ’s identity then, is this: Jesus Christ must be the self same Jehovah of the scriptures ! For this reason, Jesus could claim, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30). When Philip said, “Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us, ” Jesus replied, “Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip ? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (John 14:8-9). In an earlier discourse with the Jews, Jesus stated, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).
Perhaps nowhere is the lofty revelation of Christ stated more succinctly than in Colossians 2:9-10: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him which is the head of all principality and power. ” Titus 2:13 ascribes to Christ the title, “The great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
Elsewhere in the scriptures , other writers and references identify Christ as the Supreme Deity. Hebrews 1:8 and I John 5:20 clearly call Him God. Revelation 1:8-13 and 1:17-18 name him as “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending. . .the Almighty. . .the first and the last.” Jesus is worshiped, praised, exalted, and honored throughout the closing book of the Bible. He is crowned “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords ” (Revelation 19:16). The sheer magnitude of such praise reveals His divinity. The Humanity of Christ
Yet, while we acclaim the deity of Jesus, He possessed another dimension that is vital to our understanding of Him. He was also clearly and unquestionably a man. He had a human mother (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18-25). He experienced normal human development (Luke 2:52). He was subject to His mother Mary and foster father Joseph (Luke 2:51). He felt His need of prayer (Matthew 14:23; Luke 6:12). He hungered (Luke 6:1). He grew weary (Luke 8:23). He was tempted (Hebrews 4:15). He needed divine power (Acts 10:38).
No, Jesus did not merely act like a man. He was a man. He had a body (John 2:21); a soul (Acts 2:27); a spirit (Luke 23:46). In His humanity, He had limitations (Mark 13:32). He was not an angel, acting out a charade, but a true man, embroiled in the same inner human conflicts that affect us all. Hebrews 2:9-18 is a classic discourse on His manhood. The only distinction between Christ’s nature and our nature is that He was free from sin. Otherwise, His thoughts, attitudes, feelings, desires, longings and hopes–toward Himself, others around Him, life in general, and even God-were like ours.
God Prepared a Body
Why was Jesus Christ both God and man? He was true man because the entire humanity of Christ was necessary to His mediatorship. I Timothy 2:5 teaches, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. ” God’s requirement for the expiation of sin has always been a blood sacrifice. The overarching lesson of the scriptures is the need of a sacrificial offering to God to atone for sin. The lamb sacrificed had to be the superlative specimen of the flock, perfect and unblemished.
Jesus Christ, in His sinless humanity, became the only acceptable sacrifice for the sins of the world. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. . .By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Hebrews 10:4-5, 10). The man Christ Jesus made God approachable. The man Christ Jesus became the touchstone of mankind’s infirmity. Isaiah 53:4-10 ennobles this role of the Man Christ Jesus in majestic prose. He was “a man of sorrows…. We did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:3-4).
God was in Christ
How could Jesus be both God the Father and the Son of God? How could He claim both deity and humanity? How could He be the Father, and yet maintain a relationship of mutual love, communion, and glorification with the Father? Given the language of the Bible, as well as the traditions of men, such questions are legitimate ones.
The key to understanding the relationship between God the Father and the Son of God, is to recognize the dual nature of Christ. The deity of Christ is well documented as to His attributes, His offices, His self appropriated prerogatives, and His mighty acts. Jesus carefully pointed out the identity of His indwelling deity. “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake” (John 14:10-11). In other words, the flesh, or the Son of God, was not God. But the Spirit that indwelt the flesh was indeed God the Father. Therefore, Jesus was able to say, “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).
The astounding truth of the matter is simply this: To know Jesus is to know the Father! “If ye had known me, ” Jesus said, “ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him” (John 14:7). In His human frame dwelt the Almighty Spirit of God. The Son was the temple; the eternal Father was the occupant enthroned. The Son was the vessel; Jehovah was the indwelling substance. The Son was the visible image; the Supreme God was the invisible power.
In His humanity, Jesus prayed. As God, He answered prayer. In His frailty, Jesus hungered. As God, He multiplied the loaves and fishes. In His weakness, Jesus slept in the hold of a ship. As God, He stood on the bow and commanded the winds and waves to obey Him. In His vulnerability, He suffered and died on the cross. As God, He dispensed with death and rolled away the stone!
Jesus was not half man and half God. He was fully man and fully God! This was His uniqueness. In His full humanity, He loved the Father (the Spirit that indwelt Him), communicated with the Father, submitted His will to the Father, and glorified the Father. In His full-orbed deity, He loved the Son (the sinless, human flesh which He indwelt), communicated with the Son, worked His will through the Son, and glorified the Son with His own self. By analogy, when we as Spirit-filled mortals pray, we understand that God’s Spirit is in us. Similarly, the Father was in the Son. The obvious difference is that the Spirit dwelt in Christ without measure (John 3:34), whereas we are limited as ambassadors for Christ. Jesus was God by nature, identity, and right, whereas we are not deity in any sense.
The Concept Before Bethlehem
Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am, ” yet He received His body of flesh and blood at Bethlehem. In what sense did He pre-exist His body? He pre-existed as God Himself, the eternal Spirit. Moreover, the plan of the Incarnation existed in the mind of God from the beginning. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:1, 14).
From another perspective ponder the evidence
Word is translated from the Greek term Logos and refers to the mind of God, the self-revelation of God. The concept for redemption–the need for a human form and the need for a visible extension of the invisible God into the world of time and humanity–was present in the mind of God before He ever created one atom of physical matter. In fact, Revelation 13:8 shows that Calvary was projected on the screen of time from eternity past: “The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. ”
- Unchangeable Qualities of God: Creator, not creature
- God is not a creature and never had a beginning point, being eternal: Deut 33:27; Isa 9:6; 1 Tim 1:17; Isa 44:6
- Jesus is called the creator in Jn 1:3; Col 1:16; Heb 1:10-12
- Rom 1:25 pagans are condemned because they "worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator". This proves Jesus is not a creature, for Jehovah's Witnesses have Jesus on both sides being a creature himself, as well as being the creator of man. Rom 1:25 refutes this contradictory false doctrine that Jesus is a creature.
- The Father, Son and Holy Spirit share the quality of eternal pre-existence with each other equally.
- No angel, devil, demon or man have ever, or will ever possess this quality. It is absolutely unique to God.
- Qualities unique of God:
- God is everywhere (omnipresent): Mk 5:10; Jude 6; Rev 20:1-3; 1 Ki 8:27; 2 Chron 2:6; 6:18; Isa 66:1; Acts 7:49; 17:27-28; Ps 139:7-13
- God is all knowing (omniscient): Ps 139:1-6; Job 42:2; Acts 2:23; 1 Tim 1:17
- God is all powerful (omnipotent): Gen 17:1; 35:11; Rom 13:1; 1 Tim 6:15; Rev 19:6
III. Qualities that God shares with righteous angels and men after resurrection:
- God is a Spirit, without flesh and bones: Luke 24:39; John 4:24; Matthew 16:17
- God is invisible: Ex 33:20; John 1:18; 1 John 4:12; 1 Tim 6:16; Col 1:15; 1 Tim 1:17; Heb 11:27
- God is immutable (unchangeable) in his nature: Mal 3:6; But God can change his mind: Jonah 3:10; Gen 6:6
- God is a person: Rom 9:19; Isa 1:18; Rom 11:33-34; Gen 1:27; Ps 18:19; Ps 103:13; Prov 6:16; Ex 20:5; Ps 103:8; Deut 4:25; Gen 6:6; Ps 103:1
- Moral attribute of love: 1 Jn 4:8,16
- Moral attribute of Light (truth): 1 Jn 1:5; John 17:17
- Moral attribute of holiness: 1 Pet 1:16
- Moral attribute of mercy: Ps 103:8
- Moral attribute of gentleness: Ps 18:35
- Moral attribute of righteousness: Ps 129:4
- Moral attribute of goodness: Rom 2:4
- Moral attribute of perfection: Matthew 5:48
- Moral attribute of justice: Isaiah 45:21
- Moral attribute of faithfulness: 1 Corinthians 10:13
- Moral attribute of grace: Psalm 103:8
- Qualities that Jesus Christ possessed before, during and after incarnation:
Although Jesus Christ was fully divine before and after the incarnation, it is clear that several qualities He possessed before incarnation, were either given up, in order to become a man, or became dormant and were not used. Here are two quotes that give further details to this idea:
"When Jesus came to this earth he did not lose his power, he did not lose his prerogatives, his privileges. He did not cease to be God. He took another role, he didn't use what he had. He came to serve, not to show himself to be God. He came to do the will of the Father, and coming to earth Jesus changed roles. He took on himself the form of a servant. As a servant Jesus did every thing in this role. As a servant, Jesus would not, he did not use his innate power to give himself glory, which he surrendered. He lived in the flesh. He experienced in every way what the human spirit experiences in the body. He imposed upon himself all the limitations necessary or commensurate with this role." ... "(While) we all agree that Jesus laid aside certain rights and abilities that He has as God, so in effect He was without them, we do not agree" ... "we do not agree that He was stripped of them so that He did not possess the characteristics that make him God. To the man, we believe that Jesus retained His deity, as the word is legitimately defined."
"The distinction between "nature" and "conditions" is worth pursuing. What we are saying is that his basic powers were not lost, but only the ability to exercise them. I am reminded of a picnic to which my wife and I were invited when our youngest daughter was in junior high school. Included among the activities was a softball game. There was one unusual feature of the rules that day. The young people were permitted to bat in their normal fashion, but as a means of equalizing the competition, the parents were placed under a handicap. Right-handed batters had to bat left-handed, and vice versa (switch-hitters, of course, had a great day). Now one's ability as a right-handed batter was not diminished, but it could not be exercised because of the requirement to bat from the left-handed-batter's box. Although one was still able to bat right-handed, one was not allowed to in that particular game, and thus could not bat with the usual effectiveness. In a sense, the limitation was not ultimately physical, for it resulted from a moral limitation: conscience compelled us to tell the truth about how we normally batted. This is in some ways roughly parallel to what happened in the incarnation. Jesus did not give up the qualities of God, but gave up the privilege of exercising them. Perhaps, at least for part of his life, he even gave up the consciousness that he had such capabilities and had exercised them with the Father and the Holy Spirit prior to the incarnation."
- So. although Jesus was "everywhere" (omnipresent) before incarnation, he was limited to being in one place at one time, when he was a man. Obviously then, omnipresence is not an absolute condition of being God, because the fullness of deity dwelt in Jesus while he walked the earth. (Col 2:9)
- Although Jesus was "all knowing" (omniscient) before incarnation, he learned things as he grew from a baby to adulthood, when he was a man. (Lk 2:52) Obviously then, being "all knowing" is not an absolute condition of being God, because the fullness of deity dwelt in Jesus while he walked the earth. (Col 2:9)
- Although Jesus was all powerful (omnipotent) before incarnation, he fell beneath the weight of the cross on route to crucifixion. Obviously then, being "all powerful" is not an absolute condition of being God, because the fullness of deity dwelt in Jesus while he walked the earth. (Col 2:9) "How can Jesus have access to all wisdom and at the same time go through the learning process, etc. I don't know. I don't know". (Gene Frost, Frost-Welsh debate)
- Although Jesus was a "spirit" without flesh and bones, before incarnation, he changed and became flesh and bones. Obviously then, being "a spirit" is not an absolute condition of being God, because the fullness of deity dwelt in Jesus while he walked the earth. (Col 2:9)
- Although the Bible says God is immutable (unchangeable) this quality refers not to the presence, knowledge, power or ontological make up of God, but his core moral values.