(Jesus is) God

​

Does Jesus actually

SAY

he is God?

What did Jesus say about Himself?

• Jesus does not make overt statements about being God
• He DOES make implicit statements, speaking in metaphors or parables
• If he does not overtly claim to be God, how do we know that Jesus was God?
• He makes a number of claims which would be inappropriate by someone who was less than God

​

​

C.S. Lewis

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him:

I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.

​

You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

​

​

The New Testament consistently presents Jesus as sharing in God’s identity, actions, and glory

Jesus shares God’s divine name and attributes

• John 1:1–3 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
• John 8:58 — Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I AM,” echoing God’s self-revelation in Exodus 3:14 (“I AM WHO I AM”).
• Colossians 1:15–17 — Paul calls Christ “the image of the invisible God” and says that all things were created through him and for him.
• Hebrews 1:3 — “He is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.”

​

Jesus receives worship of himself as God

• Thomas addresses Him directly as “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), and Jesus accepts it.
• Matthew 8:2 The leper worshiped him after being healed
• Matthew 14:33 The disciples worship him after he calms the storm
• John 9:38 The blind man worshiped him
• Matthew 28:9 The women at the resurrection worshiped him�

Jesus does divine works

• He forgives sins (Mark 2:5–7) — something only God could do.
• He commands nature (Mark 4:39) and raises the dead (John 11:43–44).
• He sends the Holy Spirit (John 16:7) — an act belonging to God alone.

He may not actually SAY he is God… BUT…

What did Jesus say about Himself?

In the Synoptic Gospels

• Matt. 13:41: Jesus talks about “sending his angels throughout the Kingdom”�
• Mark 2:5: When Jesus sees the faith of the paralytic and those who lowered him through the roof, his first thought was not necessarily about healing him, but that “his sins were forgiven.”
• What was the first thought of the Pharisees? “Only God can forgive sin.”
• Then Jesus says, “The Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then, he heals the man�
• Matt. 25:31-46: Jesus has the power to judge, and will do so, separating the sheep from the goats

​

What did Jesus say about Himself?

In the Synoptic Gospels

• Matt. 26:63-64: Probably the clearest and most overt statement that Jesus makes about himself
• Matthew reports the high priest as asking: “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
• “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
• “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One (Psalm 110:1) and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Dan. 7:13, Rev. 1:7).

​

(Jesus knew his scripture!)

​

What did Jesus say about Himself?

Gospel of John

• John 3:13: Only Jesus has seen heaven, “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” (Mark 14:62, Rev. 1:7, Dan. 7:13)
• John 8:58: Jesus says, “before Abraham was, I Am.” He is probably alluding to the “I AM” formula by which the Lord identifies himself in Exodus 3:14-15, when Moses asks “Who should I say sent me?”
• John 10:30: Jesus claims to be one with the Father
• John 14:7-9: Jesus claims that to see and know him is to see and know the Father
• John 20:28: Not only did Jesus not dispute the charge that he claimed to be God, he also accepted his disciples’ attribution of deity to him, for example when Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!”
• John 5:21: Jesus claims power over life and death, when he says “For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”
• John 11:25: Jesus tells Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies.”

​

Divinity of Jesus in the NT

Philippians 2:5-11 (the Hymn of Christ)

• Speaks of Christ’s preexistence
• It is a clear assertion of the deity of Jesus since it speaks of him as being in the “Form” (morphe) of God

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he existed in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be grasped,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

assuming human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a human,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death -

even death on a cross.

He may not actually SAY he is God… BUT…

• Hebrews: is also most emphatic regarding Jesus’ divinity
• 1:3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being
• The Son, through whom God created the world, upholds all things by his powerful word
• In 1:8, the author quotes Psalm 45:6, and addresses the Son as “God”
• The incarnate Son is superior to angels, to Moses, and to the high priests, because he is God.

He may not actually SAY he is God… BUT…

Colossians 1:15-20

• Paul writes that the Son is the image (eikon) of the invisible God (v.15)
• He is the creator (v.16)
• He is the in whom and through whom all things hold together (v. 17)
• He is the one whom God was pleased to have his fullness dwell (v.19)

​

Heretical Views of “who Jesus was” in History

Arianism: Jesus as a created creature

Arianism was founded by Arius, a 3rd-4th century Christian priest from Alexandria, Egypt. He taught that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was not co-eternal with God the Father but was instead a created being.

This belief was considered a major heresy by the mainstream Christian church and was officially condemned at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD.

Nicene Creed created in 325CE�(primarily to combat Arianism)

Nicene Creed

Apostles Creed

The Nicene Creed was created in the 4th century to resolve major theological disputes, primarily Arianism, which claimed Jesus was a created being, not divine like God the Father. Convened by Emperor Constantine, the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and later the Council of Constantinople (381 AD) formulated the creed to establish a unified statement of core Christian beliefs, affirming Jesus's full divinity.

The Apostles Creed - originally known as the Old Roman Creed (referenced as early as 2nd century AD)

Nicene Creed created in 325CE�(primarily to combat Arianism)

Nicene Creed

Apostles Creed

The Nicene Creed was created in the 4th century to resolve major theological disputes, primarily Arianism, which claimed Jesus was a created being, not divine like God the Father. Convened by Emperor Constantine, the Council of Nicaea (325 AD) and later the Council of Constantinople (381 AD) formulated the creed to establish a unified statement of core Christian beliefs, affirming Jesus's full divinity.

The Apostles Creed - originally known as the Old Roman Creed (referenced as early as 2nd century AD)

and in the Holy Spirit,

the holy Church,

the remission of sins,

the resurrection of the flesh,

[life everlasting].

The ending in the Old Roman Creed

Heretical Views of the Deity of Jesus in History

Arianism: Jesus as a created creature

• Since God cannot be divided, the Son must be a perfect (created) creature
• So, Jesus must have had a beginning, although he came into existence before time. In fact, he is the creator of time itself, and everything in the world. Arius’ famous phrase: “there was when he was not”
• However, the Son can have no communion with, and no direct knowledge of his Father since they are not of the same substance. He is a creature pure and simple.
• The Son must be liable to change and even sin. He could have fallen as Satan had, but he remained virtuous through “steadfast resolution”

​

​

Development of the Doctrine of the Trinity

• 2nd Century: Early church fathers like Theophilus began to develop the concept of the Trinity, applying the term to express the relationship between God, His Word (Son), and His Wisdom (Spirit). �
• Early 3rd Century: Tertullian used the term Trinitas and the related terms "person" and "substance" to define the unity and distinction within the Godhead. �
• 4th Century: The concept was formally established as official church doctrine at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE, which adopted the Nicene Creed, affirming Christ's full divinity.

Nicene Creed (325 AD)

(Constantine called the council together to deal with conflicts within the Church, specifically the Arian heresy)

​

“I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made. Who, for us men for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the virgin Mary, and was made man. . ”

Nicene Creed is a Christian statement of faith that is the only ecumenical creed because it is accepted as authoritative by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and major Protestant churches.

Interesting reading on the Nicene Creed

​

“God is one substance [essence] - WHAT� and three co-equal and co-eternal persons” - WHO

We are human beings (that is WHAT we are)

We are Marsha, and Matt, and Blake - �that is WHO we are

God is one substance or essence - the WHAT

The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit are the persons - that is WHO they are

ONE GOD - Deuteronomy 6:4 (Shema)

Confirms we are monotheists

The Trinity

(2nd Century)

“Begotten” Son?

• “Begotten,” is a term used both by Paul and John pointing to the pretemporal (before the beginning of time) relation of Son to the Father.
• The Son is monogenes (the only one of its kind) “only begotten”, eternal, uncreated Son.
• “Son” indicates an eternal relationship, not a temporal beginning point.

• Doesn’t this mean that Jesus is subordinate to God the Father?

​

NO!

Deuteronomy 6:4 - Confirms we are Monotheists

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

​

For a Jew, The Shema is the centerpiece of the daily morning and evening prayer services and is considered by some the most essential prayer in all of Judaism. It affirms God’s singularity and kingship and is recited daily by traditionally observant Jews as a biblical commandment. It is one of only two prayers that are specifically commanded in Torah. It is the oldest fixed daily prayer in Judaism, recited morning and night since ancient times.

The first verse of the Shema is among the best-known in all of Jewish liturgy. It is recited at the climactic moment of the final prayer of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year, and traditionally as the last words before death. Traditionally, it is recited with one hand placed over the eyes to ensure nothing disturbs your concentration.

שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְיָ אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ יְיָ אֶחָד

Sh'ma Yisra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.

Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

Shema - Taken from Three Biblical Sources

Deuteronomy 6:5-9 Deuteronomy 11:13-21 Numbers 15:37-41

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day. Impress them upon your children. Recite them when you stay at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up. Bind them as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead, inscribe them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

​

Mezuzah

How can a person be both human and God?

6th Century Pantocrator

How can a person be both human and God?

• When God the Son descended to earth, he took on human form (was enfleshed), also called the incarnation.
• The incarnation was more an addition of human attributes than a loss of divine attributes.
• The union of the two natures meant that they did not function independently. He didn’t exercise deity at some times and humanity at others. His actions were always those of divinity-humanity.

​

6th Century Pantocrator

Circumstance-induced limitation?

• He was still *omnipresent, but as an incarnate being he was limited in the exercise of that power by possession of a human body for the time he was on earth
• Yet this should not be considered a reduction of the power and capacities of the Second Person of the Trinity, but rather a circumstance-induced limitation on the exercise of his power and capacities, of his own doing (Phil 2:6-8).

3-Legged Race Analogy

*omnipresent - God is present everywhere at all times, not limited by space or time

Yes, he was human - Jesus was MORE human than we are!

• In thinking about the Incarnation, we should begin with the recognition that the two natures are most fully known in Jesus Christ
• Our understanding of humanity is flawed because we are “post-fall”. None of us is humanity as God intended it to be or as it came from his hand.
• Jesus is not merely human as we are, he was MORE HUMAN than we are! (Think Son of Man!)
• Jesus was, spiritually, the type of humanity we were meant to be and the type we will possess when we are glorified.

We know God because we know Jesus

• Since the union of humanity and deity is possible only through Jesus, he becomes our best source for the true knowledge of deity, because as one who is fully God…He is deity.
• Also, the very fact that Jesus chose to become human, is in fact God’s invitation to us.

Rembrandt - 1640s