The Divinity of "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Mt.16:16).
This work, which is not exhaustive, documents the Divinity of Christ (that He is God, having the same nature of the Father, who is the Head), possessing certain Attributes, Titles, and Glory that are specific to God. As it was God's purpose to veil Himself in human form, rather than the Lord Jesus personally going around directly proclaiming by word, “I am God” (which explicit statements the Holy Spirit does make in Scripture), then in revealing God to the world Jesus did things and said things that left no other conclusion than that He was God “manifested in the flesh” (1Tim. 3:16; Jn. 1:1, 14). The Pharisees of old largely understood these claims to Deity but in their hardness of heart failed to recognize that God was in their midst, unlike the more child-like and humble disciples (Lk. 10:21 – 23; Jn. 20:28).
But in examining the Deity of Christ, a word should first be said about the Divine revelation of the Bible. The One True and Living God reveals Himself in the Bible, in His own God – breathed (inspired) words and Sovereign actions. Though He is also revealed to a certain extent in His physical creation (Ps.19: Rm.1:18-20; Acts 14:17), His most precise and comprehensive revelation is found in His Word. The Bible itself stands above all other claimants to Divine revelation in every regard, from it's historical comprehensiveness, to practical and eternal wisdom conveyed in both literal and figurative genres, to the revelation of both man and God and of the eternal realities of both Heaven and Hell. And while far more ancient manuscript evidence exists for the Bible than for any other literature of like antiquity, and with the archaeologist's spade also often testifying to it's veracity, the reality of God and the resurrection power of Christ are also transcendently manifested experientially in the lives of “living stones” who know Him. Those whose lives the Bible records and those who have trusted and obeyed Him since, have realized (insomuch as they did) positive effects that correspond to the promises of the Object of their faith, and are contingent upon faith and obedience to Him. Both the quality of Scripture and such realized effects, if critically examined, are not explained as having been caused by merely natural forces, and such effects help reveal why the God of the Bible has been and is the object of personal heartfelt devotion in prayer and in song in a unique manner and scope. Empirical proofs are also seen in negative realizations by souls who spurned the sacrificial grace of God to their own unnecessary hurt, and who were warned of such. The history of Israel manifests much of both realizations.
Why is this study necessary?
God – and to our own benefit – commands us to love Him supremely, and to do all to the glory of God, and and to have no other god's before Him (Ex. 20:1-3). Idolatry is not simply bowing down to an image, but it is also presenting a distorted image of God in making something more to the natural man's own liking, which the Biblical Christ is decidedly not. By making the Creator, which Scripture attests Christ is (Col. 1:16) and who took upon flesh into a mere (albeit perfect and powerful) creature, those who deny Him His Deity fashion a Jesus that is decidedly different than the Almighty One to whom universal worship with be given, along with and under, the Father (Rv. 1:8; 5:13, 14).
Therefore, if Almighty God is going to be glorified, and souls saved to live lives that glorify Him, then it is imperative that we let God be God as manifested in the Scriptures, and most supremely in the person of “Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16). A true revelation of Christ is makes for true regenerated disciples, and it should be said at the outset here that a false Jesus is what is behind most every false “Christian” (so-called) gospel, which usually robs Christ of His Deity or full salvific work and or allows man to find justification before God on the basis of some merit of his own. Thus to varying degrees it debases God and exalts man. While disagreement may be tolerated to a degree in peripheral areas of doctrine, if there is one person that is accursed, it is those who preach a gospel contrary to that which the Biblical apostles preached: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8). God gets all the glory for man's salvation in accordance with the Bible, as man is utterly destitute of any merit or sacrifices whereby he may gain Heaven nor escape Hell, and thus must look to the Only Begotten Son sent by the Father to be “the propitiation [perfect and final sacrifice] for our sins” and “the Savior of the world” (1Jn. 4:10, 14). “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rm. 3:25, 26). That on the basis of faith in Him – and not ourselves or a church but in His shed sinless blood and righteousness – then ”By Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39). The Bible not only reveals Christ as possessing the same Divine nature as the Father, but the New Testament expressly teaches that it is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rm. 4:4; cf. Gn. 15:6;). It is the imputed righteousness of Christ that gives one a right standing before God, and which justification is appropriated by whole hearted repentant faith from the contrite in heart (Rm. 8:37 Ps. 34:8). And which faith is itself justified as “saving faith” by Spirit – led works and obedience to His Word (Rm. 8:14; Ja. 2). And when a properly convicted soul looks directly to Christ in faith for salvation from their sins then he/she is implicitly imputing Divinity to Him, and only such a Lord can save (see Joel 2:32 with Rm. 10:13). Though they may not intellectually understand the depth or scope of this at conversion, as they continue in His word they will come to realize the Divinity of Jesus, that like Thomas, He is their Lord and their God (Jn. 20:28), to the glorify of God the Father.
And so as it is the Lord Jesus Christ that must be the Object of faith for salvation, then it is important that we see Him as revealed by the Holy Spirit in the Scriptures, and in studying the Divinity of Christ, we will see that His Divine nature is declared both explicitly and implicitly.
In regard to this, it is manifest that the Lord Jesus possesses qualities that uniquely belong to the Being identified as God in the Scriptures. That is, the Bible reveals that the Creator of all possesses and manifests a unique nature and character in both power and perfection which no one else may lay claim to without being a blasphemer. Specifically, we will see that the living and true God lays claims to certain Attributes, Titles, and Glory that no one else has, or in the case of “communicable virtues” such as mercy, grace etc., are only found in perfection in God.
May the readers of this not be like the the Pharisees of old who perceived the import of the words and deeds of Christ, but were not willing to humble themselves and forsake their own vain glory and submit to Him, and so hardened their heart and went about to kill “the Lord of glory”, “because He made Himself the Son of God” (Jn. 19:7; cf. Mt. 12:14; Mk. 11:18; Lk. 19:37; 1Cor. 2:8)! “God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him (Heb. 11:6; Mk. 4:11, 12; Jn. 12:34 – 50), and to those not only is the Deity of Christ revealed, but only they can receive him as their Lord and Savior.
All Scripture texts here are from the time – tested Authorized Version (AV).
Claims to Deity
Unique Attributes and Functions of God's exclusive Being and Power
“..before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me” (Is. 43:10).
“Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any” (Is. 44:8).
Is 46:5 To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me” (Is. 46:9).
We will begin first by noting certain unique Attributes and Functions that the Bible ascribed only to God in the Old Testament, but which are possessed by Christ in the promised (Jer. 31:31-33) New Testament by the same Holy Spirit who inspired both (2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21).
Primary among God's attributes is pre-existence. Under the the Old Testament (Covenant) we see that the person referred to as God is declared to be God from from everlasting to everlasting – He always existed as God and always will be. This is a primary attribute of Divinity, and immediately sets God part from that which is created. God ever has been God (and did not begin as a man as Mormon's blasphemously teach). Likewise the person of Christ, and before He took on a body (Heb. 10:5), He is declared to be “from everlasting” and thus like the Father He had no real beginning as regards His essential nature (contrary to what the Watchtower Society blasphemously teaches). There are other attributes and functions that set God apart from the rest of creation, such as we find no created being sharing as Christ does which shall also be manifest here. That the Holy Spirit would also abundantly ascribe Scriptures to Christ that apply to the person called God should seem to a defender of Arianism to overall run quite contrary to the LORD's very own claims about His own unshared uniqueness.
The tables below are separated into 3 sections: the first lists Scriptures belonging to the person called God, usually in the Old Testament, while the second gives those which belong to Christ in the New (or in the case of prophecy, sometimes Old Testament texts which speak of Him), while the 3rd column are merely comments by me.
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GOD'S and CHRIST'S Eternality (eternal existence) |
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Ps. 90:2: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." Psalm 93:2: “Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting” |
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. |
It should be obvious that Micah's prophecy is that of the Messiah Christ who was born in Bethlehem, and that the same eternal existence that is ascribed to God is likewise ascribed to Jesus. That “from everlasting” is descriptive of eternality should also be Theologically clear in the light of the rest of God's revelation, such as in the quoted texts from the Psalms in which we see that God is “from everlasting,” having no beginning, and having no end. Only in rare instances dealing with earthly man does everlasting mean anything less than eternity, whereas Micah 5:2 describes the eternal existence of the Messiah.
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Question: How far back are both God and the prophesied Messiah said to exist
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Creative Power |
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Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Psalm 33:66 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. Isiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself. Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Jeremiah 51:15 He hath made the earth by His power, he hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding. Nehemiah 9:6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. |
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Ephesians. 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Colossians. 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for him: Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; |
"In the beginning" need not denote a beginning for the Word, and Jesus and Himself stated that He was with the Father before the world was: Jn. 17:5), but that the Word was present in the beginning, and that by, or through Him all things were made that were made (See under titles regarding "the Word was God"). This of course excludes that the Word Himself could have been created, as the Watchtower Tract Society (so-called Jehovah's Witnesses, herein referred to as the WTS) erroneously teaches. Seeing as this is not what the Bible taught, the WTS had to make their very own Bible* (the "New World Translation"), in which they deliberately insert the non-existent (in the original language texts) word "other" in Col. 1:16, so that it reads "by him were all other things created... However, "other" is not in the Greek text nor is that what the Bible teaches, and no creative activity was ever attributed to angles, but both Jn. 1:1-3, Eph. 3:9; Col. 3:16 and Heb. 1:1, 2 clearly teach that all things were made through Christ "who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.!" (Rm. 9:5). *Along with a consensus of multitude other scholars, after doing a well documented and thorough critical analysis of their New World Translation, Dr. Robert Countess concluded, "(It) must be viewed as a radically biased piece of work. At some points it is actually dishonest. At others it is neither modern nor scholarly" (The Jehovah's Witnesses' New Testament, p. 93). Unlike most other translations of the Bible (above all the KJV), the official WTS translation of the Bible had only 5 translators, and only one of them made himself known, and when examined in court he lied about his ability to read Hebrew! See HERE for more |
Question: Is any creative activity (of the universe) ever attributed to any created being?
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Creative Power Continued |
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Ps. 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: 27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. |
Heb. 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. |
Further declaration of Jesus Divinity is seen in another attribution to Him of Old Testament texts which refer to God. In Heb. 1:10 + 11 we see a direct quote from Ps. 102:25-27 which reveals that the One of whom these verses spoke of – and who created the Heavens – was in fact Jesus Christ! |
Question: Who according to these verses created the earth, and the heavens, changes not and will be forever?
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Omnipotence |
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Genesis 17:1: And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come. |
Revelation 1:7: Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. 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. |
We see that only God can claim to be All-mighty, which likewise is said of Christ. Acts 1:11 makes it clear that Rev. 1:8 is speaking of Christ, who was pierced, and it is He who went up into the clouds and so “shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Also, under Unique Titles we will see that Jesus is called Alpha and Omega. That the Father reserved some revelation for Himself (Acts 1:7) need not negate the Deity of Christ, as it is also said that “the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1Cor. 2:10). |
Question: Who is coming with clouds, and what Divine title is He called by?
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Immutable |
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Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. |
Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. |
God does not change, but we need to. This refers to His essential being, character, and attributes, etc., and not what manner He may chose to reveal Himself or function. |
Question: What Being has never and will never change in these essentially ways?
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Almighty Power to give and preserve life |
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Deuteronomy 32:39: See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever. |
John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. |
The parallel here is no mistake or coincidence: No mere man dared ever made such a claim in the Bible, and no one can, as only God can give eternal life and claim Almighty power over all! This verse also shows how the Father and the Son work together, with the Son being the One through whom the Father does His work. While God does work through believers as well, the power to give eternal life is a unique Divine attribute, and this verse must be taken with others which show that Jesus Christ is not a mere worker but possesses the same Divine nature as God the Father. |
Question: What should our reaction be to anyone less than God claiming to have the power to give eternal life by believing in him?
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Power over nature |
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Ps. 89:6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? 7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. 8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? 9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them. Ps. 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. |
Mt. 8:25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! |
Again the parallel here is unmistakable, and answers the apostle's question, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” with a revelation that Jesus was not simply man, but God, revealing His power and love in human flesh. While men like Moses also did some great miracles, none match either the scope or greatness of the manner of Christ. And very critically, to no one does the Holy Spirit make such evident purposeful parallels between declarations of God's unique demonstrations of power and claims, and that of Christ! No one can be so compared to God as Christ is unless He is God by nature, and thus both the likeness of the act here and the reverence given to Christ is manifestly paralleled. |
Question: Who is so manifestly compared to the Almighty here? What manner of person is the Holy Spirit progressively revealing Jesus to be?
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Only Divine Savior |
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Ps. 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. Is 45: 22 Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. |
Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. John 5:40 And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life. Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. |
Nowhere does or can anyone call souls to look directly to Him for spiritual salvation but God. Such attributes, coupled with more explicit declarations of Jesus being God with the Father and Spirit, serve to testify to that fact. |
Question: Who is the only Divine Savior? Compare in both Testaments.
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Giver of the Spirit |
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Psalm 68:18, 19 Thou [the LORD] hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah. Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: |
John 14:16, 17 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. Wherefore he saith, When He [JESUS] ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Eph 4:8). |
This sending forth of the Holy Spirit is another uniquely divine function, which no angel or man can do. |
Who is the only One who can send the Holy Spirit from Heaven?
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Commander of the Spirit |
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Ps. 104:30 Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. |
John 16:12 -14 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. |
While born again souls may speak by the Spirit, we see here that the Spirit speaks by Jesus, and He in turn speaks by the Father. ”For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7 AV). |
How does this help reveal the Oneness of God?
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Dweller of souls |
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2 Samuel 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. 1 Peter 1: 10-11 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. |
John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and my Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him. 1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, |
No man or angel nor any created being can actually dwell in believers hearts as God promises He will and does by His Spirit. That only the Father and Jesus together do this not only reveals the Holy Spirit but that Jesus is One with the Father (and the Holy Spirit) in His inherent nature, a manner and quality of Oneness that man does not share. [Note: the indwelling spoken of in Jn. 14:23 indicates not simply the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which every true convert realizes (Acts 15:7; Eph: 1:13), but an “abiding” as one being at home in the fully surrendered obedient believer, such as Eph. 3:14 speaks of. And which i must seek, by trusting and obeying] |
Who is the only Heavenly Being that can dwell in believers?
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Heavenly Object of Prayer |
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Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah. Psalm 102:1 A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto Thee. |
Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 1Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours: Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Heb 7:25 Wherefore He [JESUS] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them (cf. 1Tim. 2:15).
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Nowhere in Scripture is anyone but god in Heaven addressed in prayer, except by idolaters. Nor is there any evidence of Heavenly intercession made by angels, or departed saints, etc. Here is is clear that not only is Jesus our one and only Heavenly intercessor, but that He is addressed directly in prayer, just as He is in calling upon the Lord for salvation (Joel 2:32; Rm. 10:13). Praise ye the Lord! |
Question: Are we to pray to anyone else but God for salvation and help?
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To Whom we are to witness |
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Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no saviour. 12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. |
Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 10:42 And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. Revelation 11:3 And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. |
Again, no one else called and sent forth witnesses unto themselves but God. While this might not be the strongest testimony to Christ's uniqueness as the Divine Son of God, it is one more in an abundance of examples of Jesus exercising Divine functions and positions that were uniquely claimed by God. |
Question: Whose name are we saved by, and to whom are we to witness? Compare in both Testaments.
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Lord of angels |
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Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done. |
1 Pet. 3:22 Who [Jesus] is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him. Rev 22:16 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. |
Notice that the person called God has power of angels, which is another unique Divine attribute which Christ exercises. Then, Rev. 22:6 explicitly says that the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel, yet in v. 16 it identifies Jesus as the Lord who sent the angel. |
Question: Who alone sends angels in the Old Testament, and what does that tell us about Jesus who sends them in the New?
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Searcher of Hearts |
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Jer 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings. Ps 7:9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins. |
Rev 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; all the churches shall know that I [Jesus] am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works. |
To no one else, man or angel, is ascribed this function but God. Seeing as this is only one more of a multitude of Divine attributes that are ascribed to Christ, His Deity deniers must propose that God as an absolute singular person did indeed give His glory and unique functions to another apart from Him, or that the Lord who claimed these unique attributes was in fact the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as the Bible manifests. |
Question: Who is the only Divine searcher of hearts? Compare in both Testaments.
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God the Creator |
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Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Is. 44:24 I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself”. Gn. 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said,... |
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. Jn. 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Rev. 19:13 And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. |
The aspect of Jesus as creator has been dealt with under the Attributes category, and here we will focus on His title as God the Creator. As this plainly teaches that the Word was God, and that Jesus Christ is the Word who became flesh (a person and not an simply a abstract metaphysical force), then, like the serpent in the Garden, those who oppose His Deity must attack what God hath said. Souls who sincerely seek to please God should search out a matter as God leads, but the motive of these Christ-deniers is manifested by the means they must and do employ to deny the Lord Jesus His Divinity. As the Watchtower Tract society makes Jesus into an image that is only a created being like an angel they had to make their own perverted translation.* In order to escape the obvious declaration of Jn. 1:1, the WTS came up with a “grammatical rule” by which they make Jn. 1:1 to read, the word was “a god”! They attempted to validate their rendering by distorting a statement by Professor Julias Mantey, and who publicly reproved them for doing so, and classified their translation as “shocking” among other negatives. Another authority invoked was that an occultic German spiritualist, Johannes Greber, who relied on demonic “spirit guides” to translate the Bible! No wonder the WTS referenced him at least 7 time for support in their publications (www.watchman.org/jw/greber.htm). Besides the fact that consistent application of this WTS rule would require verses such as Jn. 1:12, 13, 18, and 3:2 (and others) to also read “a god,” by making the Lord Jesus “a god” they also have in fact made Him out to be a false god! For while one can can be called “a god” in the sense of occupying a god-like position as did Israel's judges (Is. 82:6) and to which the Lord contrasts Himself (Jn. 10:34), no one can claim to be a god in the spiritual sense and possess attributes unique to God without competing with the one true and living God: “Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. (Is. 44:8).” Jesus Christ, the Word, is not “a god”, but He is God, uniquely possessing the same nature as His Father, and as the incarnated Word He is the visible expression of the invisible God, “..the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3a). Praise ye the Lord! |
Question: How can the Scriptures ascribe attributes, titles and glory that belong uniquely to God without being blaspheming, unless He is God?
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O God |
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Psalm 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. |
Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. |
Continuing the theme last seen in Hebrews 1:10+11, here again we see an Old Testament text which referred to God being interpreted in the New, attributing this to Christ. This one in particular confirms Jn. 1:1, and instead of Jesus being “a god”, God Himself calls Jesus God (as does Jn. 1:1), attributing Ps. 45:6 to Him. This is not merely in a positional sense, as the following verses attribute creative activity to Christ. |
Considering that this chapter declares Jesus to be the Creator through whom God made the worlds – which He says He made alone – and is worshiped and called God, why do some souls reduce Him to be just a part of creation?
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Mighty God |
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Deu 7:21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a Mighty God and terrible. Psalm 50:1 A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. |
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. |
Another Divine title, never given to man nor angel, is again ascribed to Christ, prophetically in this case. The WTS here seeks to rob Christ of Divinity by asserting that Jesus is the “mighty God” (as in “a god”), while only Jehovah is Almighty, but that too is a uniquely Divine title, while Rev. 1:8 also ascribes that title also to Christ, while Jehovah is also called mighty. |
Question: What created being was ever called both the Mighty God and Almighty?
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The True God |
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2 Chron. 15:3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. Jer 10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. |
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20) Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;
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Lest one say this is a wrong translation, every one i checked (ALT, ASV, EMTV, GB, ISV, KJV, KJ21, LITV, NASB, YLT has Christ “this is” or “this one” or “this same” or “He is” the true God and eternal life. That is, the Son of God, who is the immediate antecedent to the relative "this"; he is the true God, with his The Greek is, "The true God and eternal life is this" Jesus Christ, [GILL] x
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If John was not revealing to us that the Father and the Son were the One True God (with the Spirit), why would he be so careless as to write as he did?
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The LORD |
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Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. |
John. 12:34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? 35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. 37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: 38 That the saying of Esaias [Greek form if Isaiah] the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? 39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. 41 These things said Esaias, when he saw His glory, and spake of him. 42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent me. 45 And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me.” |
This is one of the most profound, and yet subtle declarations of the Divinity of Christ in the Bible. Here we see that who Isaiah saw in His glory was Jesus Christ. John 12:34b contains the pertinent question, just “ who is this Son of man?” The Lord, as He often does, replies in an enigmatic way that will manifest the difference between true seekers and false ones, which most of these listeners were, hearing Christ and seeing His mighty miracles but not responding. If they would obeyed what the Lord has shown them, then more light would be given, and they would realized and accepted who Christ was. May the readers of this trust and obey. As they would not obey, Jesus then hides Himself, which hearkens back to Is. 45:15: “Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.” The reason these these Jews could not see is explained by twice referencing to the prophet Isaiah, the first being that of Is. 53:1 in which the prophetic utterance of a people that would reject Christ is seen in the very people of Jn.12 (and would later manifest it more). The second reference to Isaiah declares that the judicial blindness imposed upon them was due to their rejection of truth and was a fulfillment of prophecy, and it is here that the answer to the question of Jn. 12:34b is revealed. Notice from the context that the subject who is being rejected is Christ, “the arm of the Lord” of the first prophecy in Is. 53. The Holy Spirit (the author) then reveals Is. 6:10 in the fulfilled sense (whereas to Isaiah it was a commission) and declares that Isaiah uttered this prophecy WHEN he saw HIS GLORY and spake of HIM, meaning Christ! What the Holy Spirit is revealing here is unmistakable, that Isaiah in fact was looking upon Jesus, whom he called LORD. While some might suppose this to mean Isaiah saw Jesus glory prophetically, there is no indication of that in Is. 6, rather it is clearly manifest that Isaiah saw the LORD in His glory (6:1-14) That this refer to Christ finds more evidence in the ensuing revelation as Jesus, continuing with the prevalent theme in John in which Christ is The Light (Jn. 1:4-9; 3:19-21, 9:5), declares, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. 45 And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. That is to say, when Isaiah saw the “Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple” then He was seeing Jesus! No man could do or claim what Jesus did (and does), and like most Jews in the gospels, those who refuse to “see” who Jesus Christ essentially is will continue in darkness, and find themselves in “outer darkness” for eternity. May the readers of this turn from darkness to light, and receive and follow The Light, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and live forever thru Him! “Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore” (Ps. 113:2). Lk. 10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. 23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them. |
Question: Who did Isaiah see in His glory when he uttered the prophecy that is referred to in John?
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LORD continued |
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Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. |
Luke 1:13b “...thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. Luke 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God 17 And he shall go before Him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; Mt. 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. |
Isaiah speaks prophetically of one who will “go before the face of the Lord,” “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” to call Israel to prepare the way of the Lord, to repent and so be ready for the coming of Him who will offer comfort to a chastened Israel. This “Lord” is clearly Jesus in the gospels, and is God (with the Father and the Spirit) in the Old Testament. And thus is He rightly worshiped. |
Question: Who is the highway prepared for in Isaiah, and who did John prepare the way for in fulfillment of Isaiah?
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Lord and God |
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