The Deity of Christ
The deity of Christ, Jesus Christ is the Lord and Savior of Christians.
Jesus Christ is described in Titus 2:13 as having the same nature as God and being equal to God. The terms “God” and “Savior” describe the character of Jesus Christ. God is Jesus Christ. The phrase “the great God and our Savior” is the sole article in the Greek language.
The sole article that uses the terms “God” and “Savior” must be understood in this way. Jesus Christ is referred to as “the great God and Savior.” What a great person He is, for He is God manifest in the flesh, John Gill observed.
According to John 20:31, the author of the Gospel wrote it so that his readers would understand that Jesus Christ is God and that they could have eternal life by placing their faith in Him. The “signs” that John selected to discuss in this book were meant to demonstrate Jesus’ deity. Jesus is the Son of God and the Christ.
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Jesus works miracles and leads a blameless life in front of an onlooking world in the Gospel of John. Sinners who trust in Him are transformed. Why? He is God, so that’s exactly why.
Jesus declared that He was and still is the Son of God, God in the flesh, and the Savior of everyone who will put their faith in Him. John the Baptist offers a further testimony to Jesus’ divinity in the Gospel of John (John 1:34);
Jesus (John 5:25; John 10:36); Peter 6:69; the blind man who was healed (John 9:35); Martha (John 11:27); Thomas (John 20:28); and John the apostle himself (John 20:30-31). There were many others that he could have included in his book, but he only picked these.
Thomas’ account of seeing Jesus alive after the crucifixion is found in John 20:28. Jesus acknowledged His disciple’s testimony when he said, “My Lord and my God!” You are my Lord and my God! or “You are my Lord, even my God!” are possible translations.
The truth is that my Lord and my God are one and the same. He is not comparing two distinct people.
The declaration that Jesus is God is the most prominent use of the word “Lord” (kurios) in the Gospel of John. It represents the deepest expression of faith in Jesus Christ.
John quotes passages from the Old Testament and uses the Greek word kurios, which is the usual translation of the Hebrew term for God, Yahweh or Jehovah (LORD).
The strongest admission of Jesus’ deity is found in this. To be rescued, we must all admit the same thing (Romans 10:9-10, 13; 1:4; Acts 2:36).
God manifested in the flesh is Jesus (John 1:1-3, 14, 18; 8:58; cf. 2 Cor. 8:9; Phil. 2:5-9; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:2f; John 17:5). The already-existing Logos “took on flesh.” The Logos was God in all eternity. Christ is the God-Man.
His behavior and words are therefore those of the God-Man. God’s eternal Logos, who is Christ, took on human form and lived among us.
Jesus’ sonship is exceptional since He is everlasting and shares “the Father’s” essence.
Jesus is identified as our God and Savior in 2 Peter 1:1 as “the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” The syntax of Greek here makes it quite obvious that “God and Savior” refers to one Person, not two.
Jesus Christ is equal in nature to God the Father, according to one Greek article with two substantives (John 1:1; 20:28; Titus 2:13; Matthew 16:16). The Greek text’s structure requires that we interpret it as “our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
The word “the” (tou) with the words “God” and “Savior” calls for precisely one individual, not two as in the phrase “our Lord and Savior” in 2 Peter 1:11, 2:20, and 3:2, respectively. One person, not two, is referred to as “the God and Father” in 1 Peter 1:3. “The grammar is predictable and consistent” (A. T. Robertson). Grammar requires that only one person be intended. The God and Savior of Christians is Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12).
The author describes the Son as “the exact counterpart of God” in Hebrews 1:1–2. (Moffatt). The “Son” of God is, in the strictest sense, Jesus Christ. He reveals the Father since he is God’s Son (John 1:18). The disclosure concerned a son, Jesus Christ has always been the Son of God.
When He was conceived in the flesh, He did not become the Son of God. He lowered himself to become Man (Phil. 2:5-6). Now Father, grant Me the glory I shared with You before the world was created, along with Yourself (John 17:5).
“And now, Father, honor me with the glory I had with you before the world was made,” the NET Bible says (John 17:5). Jesus regained His eternit splendor in His resurrection and ascension. Jesus’ resurrection made clear to the onlookers that he is the only Son of God.
Jesus Christ, our Lord, “who by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, was pronounced the Son of God with power” (Romans 1:4).
Apostle John Declaration
In the book of Revelation, where we can see God’s qualities and prerogatives being exercised over creation, the apostle John proclaimed Jesus Christ to be fully God.
“Worthy is the Lamb that was killed to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing,” are depicted in the image together with other living things.
To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever, I overheard every created thing that is in heaven and on earth, beneath the earth, on the sea, and all things in them, saying. The four creatures kept repeating “Amen.”
The elders then kneeled and worshiped (Revelation 5:12-14).
There are numerous other verses in the Bible that make it abundantly apparent that Jesus Christ is God in the flesh, the Second Person of the Trinity, and that He alone is deserving of our worship. Immanuel is here and with us now.
An good overview of the biblical proof for Jesus Christ’s deity is provided by Charles Hodge:
He is known by all names and designations of God. He is referred to as God, the all-powerful, supreme God known as Jehovah, the Lord, the Lord of lords, and the King of kings.
He is credited with possessing all the qualities of God. He is proclaimed to be eternally the same, omniscient, all-powerful, and immutable.
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He is shown as the universe’s creator, defender, and king. All things are made up of Him because they were made by and for Him. All intelligent beings, even the highest, are commanded to worship Him. All angels, or the beings between man and God, are also told to kneel before Him.
He is referred to by all of God’s titles and names. He is referred to as God, the supreme, all-powerful God who goes by the names Jehovah, the Lord, and the King of Kings.
He is said to have all the attributes of God. He is described as being unchanging, omniscient, all-powerful, and forever the same.
He is portrayed as the universe’s creator, king, and protector. Because everything was created by and for Him, He is the source of everything. Even the highest intelligent beings are required to adore Him. Additionally, God commands all angels—the entities standing between humans and Him—to bow before Him.
All religious feelings—reverence, love, faith, and devotion—are directed toward him. He holds both angels and men accountable for their behavior and character. He commanded them to reverence Him as they revered the Father and to have the same faith in Him as they have in God.
He claims that the Father and He are one, and anybody who has seen Him has also seen the Father. He invites everyone to come to Him and makes promises to pardon their sins, send the Holy Spirit, grant them rest and peace, raise them at the last day, and grant them eternal life.
God cannot be more than what Christ is supposed to be, promise, or do, nor can he do more than what Christ is said to be. He has consequently been the God of Christians from the very beginning, throughout all eras, and everywhere.
Father and Jesus
Given this, Jesus’ repeated references to God as his Father—implying that he is the Son—were shocking and unprecedented. In the Old Testament, the phrase “Son of God” was only ever used to refer to the Messiah and infrequently to Israel.
Jesus referred to the Father personally rather than as a metaphor or a description of God.
2 The fact that God has revealed himself as the Parent does not mean that he is the general father of all his creatures, but rather that there are interpersonal relationships between God and his creatures. The temple is referred to by Jesus as “my Father’s dwelling” (Luke 2:49, John 2:16). The Father identifies Jesus as his Son during his baptism (Matthew 3:17).
In John 5:30, 36, 6:38–40, 8:16–18, 26, and 29, Jesus claims that the Father sent him. He also claims that the Father and he both participate in raising the dead and passing judgment on the world in John 5:24–29. (John 5:27). Everyone will reverence him as they reverence the Father (John 5:23).
In John 6:37–65, the Father gives him his followers and brings them to him. While he is carrying out the Father’s instructions, the Father knows him and loves him (John 10:15–18).
Jesus then addresses the Father in prayer (Matthew 6:9, John 17:1–26). In Matthew 16:17, Mark 13:32, and Luke 22:29–30, he refers to God as “Abba,” the common Aramaic word meaning father. 3 Jesus makes desperate requests to the Father at Gethsemane and on the cross (Matthew 26:39–42, Luke 23:34).
Jesus, having finished the task the Father gave him, describes the splendor he enjoyed with the Father before creation, looking forward to its rebirth (John 17:5, 22–24). (v.4). He considers his relationship and shared indwelling with the Father (vv. 20ff). In order for his own word to be the standard the Father uses in judgment, he had previously defended his equality and identity with the Father (John 10:30, 14:6-11, 20), an undivided oneness (John 5:22–24, 12:44–50). He assures Mary Magdalene that he will reach his Father (John 20:17, cf. 16:10, 17, 28, 14:1–3).
In contrast, Jesus likewise asserts that he is inferior to the Father (John 14:28), but he does so in reference to his incarnation state, in which he united with human nature and was constrained by human limits. Thus, he only acts in accordance with what he observes the Father doing (John 5:19).
The Son grants life to whoever he pleases, just as the Father raises the dead (John 5:21). The Son has been given the ability to have life in himself and to exercise judgment just as the Father has life in himself (John 5:26–29).
He tells Thomas that knowing him means knowing the Father, and he tells Philip that “whoever sees me has seen the Father” (John 14:6–9). This is due to the fact that, according to John 10:30, he and the Father are one and that they are the subjects of the disciples’ faith (John 14:1).
No other way but through Jesus can anybody approach the Father. Jesus makes references to himself in regard to the Father and the Holy Spirit throughout John 14–16. He makes reference of the three of them living together.
Jesus will ask the Father to send the Spirit, and the Father will do so (John 14:16, 26, 15:26). The disciples are instructed to pray to the Father in Jesus’ name (John 15:16).
Jesus asserts that He and the Father share mutual understanding and authority in Matthew (Matthew 11:25–27). The fact that this passage discusses “the unqualified correlation of the Father and the Son” makes it “the most important for Christology in the New Testament,” according to H.R. Mackintosh. For Jesus the Son gives praise to the Father for revealing “these things” (the things he accomplished and taught) to infants rather than the wise.
He claims that the Father has the exclusive authority to show himself. But Jesus asserts right away that he, the Son, possesses this dominion as well. Whoever the Son chooses receives the gift of knowing the Father.
The Son reveals the Father – and “all things” the Father has committed to him – to whomever he pleases, just as the Father discloses “these things” concerning the Son to whomever he pleases. Jesus also fully participates in the Father’s all-encompassing wisdom.
Both the Son and the Father are known solely by their respective parents. Jesus has complete access to the Father’s authority as well as the Father’s complete and reciprocal knowledge.
On the other hand, Jesus speaks to the voluntary limitations of his incarnation status in texts like Matthew 24:36, where he claims to be ignorant of the timing of his parousia, which the Father alone knows.
In other words, even though Jesus is the Son and not the Father, they are both one. Jesus is not claiming that he and the Father are one person, according to Bauckham, but rather that they are one God. 5 It sets him apart from the prophets and, according to Paul’s writings, implies that he shares in God’s qualities.
Paul makes a significant distinction between the Son of God who is “designated Son of God with authority by the Holy Spirit since the resurrection of the dead” and the Son of God who is “of the seed of David according to the flesh” in Romans 1:3–4. (my translation). Both statements pertain to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
God’s Son was a descendant of David when he took on human form, and the Spirit raised him from the dead to a brand-new, changed existence as the Son of God with authority. Prior to his crucifixion, as God’s Son, he took on “the shape of a slave” (Philippians 2:7).
After rising from the dead, Jesus is now seated at the right hand of the Father (Acts 2:33–36; Philippians 2:9–11; Ephesians 1:19–23; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 1:3–4) and rules over the entire cosmos (Matthew 28:18).
He will exercise control over everything until all of his foes submit (1Corinthians 15:24–26), at which point death will finally be abolished and he will return the kingdom to (1Corinthians 15:24–28). There are differences and identities.
The Equality and Divinity of Jesus with God
Jesus rejects the Jewish authorities’ accusations of blasphemy by asserting his equality and oneness with God. In John 5:16–47, he is accused of equating himself with God and afterwards of associating himself with God (John 10:25–39). The blasphemy penalty is being threatened by his accusers.
Jesus disputes the accusation in both instances, arguing that he is speaking the truth and citing as evidence the multiplicity of witnesses needed by Jewish law. Jesus identifies both himself and God as the object of trust in John 14:1, saying, “Believe in God; believe also in me.”
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John also refers to him as “God” in John 1:18 at the beginning of his Gospel and has Thomas confess him as “my Lord and my God” in John 20:28 at the conclusion. These references are similar to frames around a picture.
Paul refers to Jesus Christ as “Lord” (kurios), which is a common Greek word for YAHWEH, the Old Testament covenant name of God. Paul demonstrates his belief in Jesus’ deity without qualification by using this example of its extensive application.
He mentions it so casually that it implies that it was common currency among the early Christians, as Hurt Ado observes, but he makes no attempt to defend or explain it.
Paul’s letters attest to the fact that accepting Jesus Christ’s full divinity is not a contentious issue but rather the fundamental tenet of the church. Hurt Ado notes that the Aramaic exclamation marana tha (Lord, come!) in 1Corinthians 16:22 supports this.
Paul addresses Christ in a collective, liturgical prayer, with the reverence shown to God, using this in a Gentile environment without explanation or translation. Furthermore, this prayer’s origins are Palestinian, well known outside of its original context, and most likely Pre-planned.
Paul refers to Christ by the divine name via kurios “without explanation or justification,” according to Bauckham, showing that his readers were already aware with the term and its meaning.
It’s possible that Paul refers to Jesus Christ as Theo’s in Romans 9:5 (God). Because he sees them as being on an equal footing, Withering Ton claims that John is “ready to predicate of Jesus what he predicates of the Lord God.”
The author of Hebrews also uses Psalm 45 to bolster the idea that the incarnate Son has the status of God in his defense of Christ’s supremacy (Hebrews 1:8–9).
The precise representation of the Father’s being, the Son is the radiance of his splendor. All angels must revere him (Hebrews 1:1-14). He is included in the singular identity of the one God since he is greater than the angels, according to Bauckham.
Here, Christ is specifically compared to the universe’s creator in Psalm 102. Christ is “not only a kind of locum tenens, or a type of ‘double’ for God in his absence, but the incarnate presence of Yahweh,” as Torrance puts it.
The fact that Jesus rose from the dead further proves that he is Lord, making his deity “the highest truth of the Gospel… the fundamental point of reference consistent with the entire sequence of events leading up to and beyond the crucifixion.” The unbroken relationship between the Son and the Father lies at the heart of the New Testament’s message.
Jesus, the Creator, the Judge, and the Savior
Works that only God can perform are credited to Jesus Christ. The everlasting Word who created everything, who is with God, and who is God, according to John, is Jesus Christ (John 1:1–18).
Without that Word, nothing else exists today. The Word, who is described as being “in the beginning,” is both God and “with God.”
Pre-existence is implied by this. He is the one and only God (v.18). Paul concurs (Col. 1:15–20). The same is stated in Hebrews 1:1-4, for it was the Son who created the world and guided it toward its purpose.
Paul compares and contrasts the roles played by God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in the creation in 1Corinthians 8:6.
This clarifies instances in the Gospels (Matthew 14:22–36; comp. Psalms 77:19, Job 9:8, Job 26:11–14, Psalms 89:9, 107:23–30) where Jesus exhibits deity-like qualities, ruling over the elements in a sovereign manner.
They indicate God’s rule over the earth as its ruler even though they are advertised as indications of his kingdom.
Jesus refers to himself as the world’s judge in John 5:22–30; only God can fill this role. According to Matthew 25:31–46, Jesus will judge the nations justly as the Son of Man ( Mark 8:38, Daniel 7:14). Paul makes it clear in 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 5:23, and 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10 that everyone must stand before the judgment seat of Christ (2Corinthians 5:10).
The Old Testament emphasizes that only Yahweh, not man, could bring about deliverance (Psalms 146:3–6). The word “savior” is in the name Jesus, which the angel demanded.
He was to atone for the crimes of his people (Matthew 1:21). His miracle cures prove he is the Lord of Life. In addition, Jesus frees people from sin and death.
Paul frequently refers to Jesus as the Savior, and since salvation is God’s work, this is an implicit claim that God exists (Titus 2:11–13, 1:4, 3:6, Philippians 3:20, 2 Timothy 1:10; 2 Peter 1:11).
In the words of Bauckham, “Jesus’ participation in the unique divine sovereignty is not only a matter of what Jesus does, but of who Jesus is in connection to God.”
The once widespread belief that the teachings of the New Testament regarding Christ were purely functional misses the point.
Because of this, “it becomes clearly an issue of regarding Jesus as vital to the distinctive identity of God.
Worshiping Jesus
Jesus Christ is praised in several passages of the New Testament, showing that He is a deity (John 1:1–18, Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:15–20, Philippians 2:5–11, 2Timothy 2:11–13). Jesus needs to be the subject of songs given the way he is described.
The hymns in Revelation appear to have been based on a custom that didn’t require any specific explanation and seemed to be well known in the church. Hurtado believes that “hymn singing in honor of Christ is a practice that dates back to the first stratum of the Christian movement.
Furthermore, there is no indication that the Jewish churches will object. Worshiping Christ is also worshiping the Father because he is the Son of the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). Wainwright enumerates some doxologies from the New Testament that are either directly or most likely addressed to Christ (2Peter 3:18, Rev. 1:5b–6, Romans 9:5, 2Timothy 4:18).
According to Bauckham, the resurrection of Jesus “signifies indisputably his membership in the unique divine identity, acknowledgement of which is precisely what worship in the Jewish monotheistic tradition represents.” Jesus bore the divine name YAHWEH via kurios.
Christ is also the subject of prayer. While being stoned to death, Stephen cries out to the Lord Jesus (Acts 7:59–60), echoing Jesus’ own words (Luke 23:46). Paul asks the risen Christ to remove his flesh-thorn in his prayer (2Corinthians 12:8–9).
He mentions the popular chant “Maranatha” (1Corinthians 16:22, Revelation 22:20; see also 1Thessolonians 3:11–12, Acts 9:14, 21, 22:16). Confession of Jesus Christ as kurios is required for salvation (Romans 10:9–13, 1Corinthians 12:1–3, Philippians 2:9–11).
According to T.F. Torrance, we do not base our acceptance of Christ’s deity on specific accounts from the Gospels or quotes, but rather on the totality of the evidence.
based on the comprehensive evangelically cohesive framework of historically revealed divine revelation provided in the New Testament Scriptures.
We only come to believe in Christ as Lord and God when we dwell upon it, reflect upon it, tune into it, penetrate inside of it, and absorb it into ourselves, finding the very foundations of our life and thought changing under the creative and saving impact of Christ, and when we are personally saved by Christ and reconciled to God in Christ.
As a result, says Torrance, we pray to Jesus as Lord, we worship him, and we shout his praises as God. No surprise Thomas responded “My Lord and my God” when presented with the very real evidence of Jesus’ resurrection (John 20:28).