The Deity of Jesus Christ

Note: At this site, we do not discuss doctrinal issues usually, because that is not our job to do. We believe that all who have experienced the new birth in Christ should unite to reach the lost of this world. However, there are those who have not experienced the new birth in Christ because they have been led astray by occultist doctrines. These doctrines we intend to expose, so that the believers in those doctrines might receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST

By Keith York

The doctrine of the Trinity states that there are three Persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in one God. It is incorrect to say that there are three Gods, each independent of the other. On the other hand, it is incorrect to say that there is only one God who manifested Himself to men in three different identities. In some mysterious way God is both Three and One. One God, in which there are three persons. Jehovah, or the LORD God, consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The LORD God revealed Himself to Israel in the Old Testament as one God [1], but it was only in the New Testament that Jehovah fully revealed His nature as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The Old Testament makes it clear that there are no gods besides the LORD God Jehovah. The false gods worshiped by the pagan nations were not gods at all. "To you it was shown that you might know that the LORD, He is God; there is no other besides Him." (Deuteronomy 4:35). [2] "Know therefore today, and take it to your heart, that the LORD, He is God in heaven above and on the earth below; there is no other." (Deuteronomy 4:39). "Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD; and there is no savior besides Me." (Isaiah 43:10,11). "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and His Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and the last, and there is no God besides Me.' " (Isaiah 44:6). "Is there any God besides Me, or is there any other Rock? I know of none." (Isaiah 44:8). "For I am God, and there is no other." (Isaiah 45:23). "For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens." (Psalms 96:5). "But the LORD is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King." (Jeremiah 10:10).

Since there are no gods besides Jehovah God, then Jesus cannot be just a god. He is either the LORD God or He is not, but Jesus cannot be a lesser deity, for the LORD God has stated often in Scripture that He is the only God. What then does the New Testament say?

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God." (John 1:1,2). Since the Scripture says that the LORD is the only God, this verse cannot be faithfully translated as "the Word was a god". [3] Thus Jesus is God, the same God who revealed Himself in the Old Testament. Jesus said to some Jewish leaders that "before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58). Since this is the name that Jehovah gave to Moses in Exodus 3:14, Jesus is identifying Himself as the same God Who spoke to Moses. That the Jews understood this to be Jesus' meaning is indicated by their trying to stone Him in the next verse. After Jesus' resurrection, He presented Himself to Thomas. "Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God!' " (John 20:28). Note that Thomas' use of the word 'God' is directed to Jesus. If Jesus had not been God, He would have given a reproof to Thomas, for He had reminded Satan that "it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and serve Him only.' " (Matthew 4:10). Since Jesus did not rebuke Thomas, He must have agreed with Thomas' calling Him God. Hebrews chapter 1 teaches of Jesus' superiority to the angels. "But of the Son He says, 'Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever' " (Hebrews 1:8). Here is a quote from the Old Testament where the Father is calling the Son God. If Jesus was just an inferior deity, why would the LORD call Jesus God?

Not only is Jesus referred to as God in these and other New Testament passages, but He is described as having attributes or characteristics that the Old Testament says that only the LORD God has. The LORD God made the heavens and the earth (Genesis 2:4; Exodus 20:11; Psalms 96:5; Jeremiah 10:10-12). The New Testament speaks of Jesus having made all things. "All things came into being by Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being" (John 1:4). "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth" (Colossians 1:16). The implication is that Jesus is the Jehovah of the Old Testament, the God of creation.

The LORD God has existed from eternity past. "Before the mountains were born, or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God." (Psalms 90:2). Jesus likewise has existed from eternity past. "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity." (Micah 5:2). "In the beginning was the Word." (John 1:1).

Since sin is disobedience to God, only God has the power to forgive sins. "And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, 'My son, your sins are forgiven.' But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 'Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?' " (Mark 2:5-7). To prove to them that He did indeed have the power to forgive sins (and thus that He was God), Jesus healed the paralytic as well.

The LORD God is "Judge of all the earth" (Genesis 18:25). "For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:14). Jesus Christ is also Judge. "For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son." (John 5:21). "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:10). However, this judgment seat of Christ must be the judgment seat of God. "For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God." (Romans 14:10). If the Father does not judge, but only the Son will judge, then Christ must be God for His judgment seat to be the "judgment seat of God" and must be the LORD God for Him to be "Judge of all the earth".

The LORD God commands that only He is to be worshiped (Exodus 20:3-5). However, He commands His angels to worship Jesus. "And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him.' " (Hebrews 1:6). After Jesus had healed a man blind from birth, it is recorded that "he worshiped Him" (John 9:38). When the women saw the resurrected Jesus at the tomb, "they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him" (Matthew 28:9). After Jesus had calmed the storm, His disciples, "those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying 'You are certainly God's Son!' " (Matthew 14:33). If being God's Son meant that Jesus was a god, but not the LORD God, then the disciples would have been disobedient to the LORD God's command in worshiping Jesus, as would have the healed man and the women at the tomb. In none of these cases, though, does Jesus rebuke His followers for worshiping Him. If Jesus were only a created being, an angel, then it would not be proper to worship Him. While receiving the Revelation, John fell at an angel's feet to worship him and was strongly rebuked. "And he said to me, 'Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God.' " (Revelation 19:10).

The God of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament both are called Lord. Jesus shares other titles with the LORD God. "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and His Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I am the first and the last, and there is no God besides Me.' " (Isaiah 44:6). When Jesus appeared to John on the island of Patmos, He said "Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore" (Revelation 1:17,18). "I, even I, am the LORD; and there is no savior besides Me." (Isaiah 43:11). "And all flesh will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." (Isaiah 49:26). Jesus is often referred to as Savior (John 4:42; Philippians 3:20; 2 Timothy 1:10). In the book of Titus, Paul refers to both God as Savior (1:3; 2:10; 3:4) and Jesus as Savior (1:4; 3:6), and to Jesus as "God and Savior" (2:13). The same phrase is found in 2 Peter 1:1.

The Lamb (Jesus) is referred to in Revelation 17:14 as "Lord of lords and King of kings". God is King and God is Lord. If Jesus were a lesser god or a created being, how could He be "Lord of lords and King of kings"? Would not this be usurping authority and glory from the LORD God? The New Testament claims that Jesus will receive the same glory as the LORD God claimed in the Old Testament. "I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance." (Isaiah 46:23). "Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11). Why would this be the case if Jesus were not the LORD God? If Jesus were an inferior god, a created being, why would His name be that "which is above every name"? "I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another" (Isaiah 42:8). However, glory from God is given to Jesus. Speaking of His coming crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus states "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in Him" (John 13:31). Praying to the Father, Jesus said "Father, the hour has come; glorify Thy Son, that the Son may glorify Thee ... And now, glorify Thou Me together with Thyself, Father, with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was." (John 17:1,5). Jesus here claims to have shared in the Father's glory "before the world was". If Jesus was a created being, how could he share in the Father's glory? A final instance of Jesus receiving glory from the Father is found from a vision of Daniel in the Old Testament. (Remember that Jesus often referred to Himself as "Son of man".) "I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed." (Daniel 7:13,14).

The above points are now summarized. Scripture repeatedly tells us that there are no gods besides the LORD God. Thus Jesus cannot be a god, but must either be the LORD God or not a god at all. The New Testament refers to Jesus as God. Jesus refers to Himself as God ("I am"). Jesus does not rebuke Thomas when he calls him God. Even the Father calls the Son God. The LORD God created all things. Jesus created all things. The LORD God has existed from eternity past. Jesus has existed from eternity past. Only the LORD God has the power to forgive sins, but Jesus also claimed that power. The LORD God will judge all the earth. Jesus will judge all the earth. The LORD God commands that only He is to be worshiped. The LORD God commands His angels to worship the Son. Jesus does not rebuke His followers when they worship Him. Jesus and God are both called Lord. They are both called Savior. Jesus is called "Lord of lords and King of kings". Every knee will bow to the LORD God. Every knee will bow to Jesus. Jesus has a "name which is above every name". Jesus shared in the Father's glory "before the world was" but the LORD God said that He will not give His glory to another. There is only one conclusion that fits all of these passages. Jesus Christ the Son is the LORD God, as is the Father.

How then must we act upon this knowledge? "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16). "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:18). "For this is the will of my Father, that every one who beholds the Son, and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." (John 6:40). "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me." (John 14:6). "[F]or all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly." (Galatians 2:21). "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9). There is no other way to God except through Jesus Christ and faith in Him, not as a created being but as God who became man so that men might be reconciled to God. He who rejects Christ as God will not attain salvation. It is Jesus' death that makes this reconciliation between man and God possible, not observance of the Law, not any of our good works, for we cannot atone for our own sin. It is only by faith in God's grace through the death of Jesus Christ that a person can be saved. I would ask you to make this confession, that Jesus is God and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to come into your life as Lord, to follow Him in baptism as He commands, and to seek out a church that confesses Jesus Christ as Lord and God so you can fellowship with other believers and grow in your newfound faith.

Endnotes:

[1] Many English Bibles use the all-capitalized LORD to translate Jehovah or Yahweh, the personal name of God. Throughout this paper, LORD will be used in that manner. 'God' is a translation of Elohim, a Hebrew word that is in plural form. Jews and Christians agree that the plural form is used of God to indicate a plurality of majesty, i.e., that God is so majestic that Scripture uses a plural word to reflect the extent of that majesty. Christians further point out that the plural form is also consistent with the Trinity as revealed in the New Testament.

[3] Jehovah's Witnesses make much of the fact that in the original Greek, the first and third appearance of 'God' is preceded by the definite article, while the second appearance of 'God' is not. Thus they translate, "and the Word was a god". However, this indicates a misunderstanding of the use of the definite article in ancient Greek. The definite article in ancient Greek was used to emphasize a word, not just to point out a particular noun (such as 'the boy' versus 'a boy'). Thus the lack of a definite article would not mean that a word must be translated preceded by 'a' or 'an'. The placement of 'the' or 'a'/'an' in the English translation of a New Testament passage would depend upon context, and in any case could not be used to label Jesus simply 'a god' in violation of the clear teaching of other Scriptural passages. An example can be seen by comparing the phrase "the Son of God" in John 3:18 with Romans 1:4. 'God' is preceded by the definite article in the Greek of John 3:18, but is not preceded by the definite article in Romans 1:4. However, one would not translate Romans 1:4 as Jesus being "the Son of a god". Likewise, neither 'God' nor 'Lord' is preceded by the definite article in Romans 1:7, either, but we would not translate the verse as "To all that be in Rome, beloved of a god, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from a god our Father, and a Lord Jesus Christ." (KJV). An excellent reference work concerning the New Testament and the original Greek is The Complete Word Study New Testament, edited by Spiros Zodhiates, 1991, AMG International, Inc. An excellent reference work detailing the belief systems of several cults and how Christians can share their faith with cultists is Walter Martin's The Kingdom Of The Cults, 1985, Bethany House Publishers.

Back to: Feature Articles