“In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (Hebrews 1:1-4 NIV).
With the month of November officially upon us, our sights inevitably turn to the coming holiday season and all of the hustle and bustle that comes along with it. First, there is a huge meal that needs to be prepared and eaten with our family. The presents need to be bought and wrapped, decorations need to be put up, parties and get-togethers need to be arranged, and all of the other copious details that go into Christmas. It is easy during this time of year for Christians to forget exactly what it is we are celebrating: and that is the fact that the Son of God, God Himself, descended from His heavenly throne to become man and redeem the world. So, what I thought would be fun, and also beneficial, for these newsletter articles in November and December is to focus specifically and intently on the two most important aspects of Jesus; namely, His divinity and His humanity. So, this month, we will be looking closer at the evidence that Jesus is divine; and, next month, we will look at the evidence that He is human.
Regarding Jesus’ divinity, one of the major heresies of the early church, as highlighted by a group known as the Arians, was the denial that Jesus was really, truly divine; they asserted that, though He was “similar” to God, He was not actually God. However, all it takes is a casual glance at Scripture to realize that this assertion is extremely faulty. Throughout the New Testament, reference is made to the fact that Jesus is not just similar to God, but He is God. In fact, from the very beginning, from the earliest communications among believers (such as the letters from Paul in the New Testament) Jesus is regularly referred to as “Christ” (meaning Messiah), the Son of God, and the Lord whom believers are supposed to worship and obey. There are so many places in Scripture that prove that Jesus is divine, that I can’t include them all in this article; but allow me to give you a couple of examples in order to illustrate.
One of the clearest statements in the entirety of the New Testament comes from the book of Hebrews; the passage listed above. In that passage, we can clearly see that the author of Hebrews is making an unwavering statement of Jesus’ divinity; he doesn’t say that the Son is “similar to God’s being,” but that the Son is “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.” It is in the words “exact representation” that we see the truth of the matter; Christ isn’t like God or similar to God, He is exactly God. This truth is unavoidable given these verses from the book of Hebrews.
Another way that the Bible clearly and explicitly states the fact that Jesus is truly God is through the connection that is made between Jesus and the Old Testament. Bible scholars F.F. Bruce and W.J. Martin outline this connection well when they write, “One of the most remarkable things in our Lord’s ministry is the quiet assurance with which He unhesitatingly applies to Himself titles from the Old Testament that are indisputably used of Jehovah. Moreover, the writers in the New Testament often ascribe such titles to Christ.” It is in these titles for Jehovah (or God) that are both appropriated by Christ and ascribed to Him by others that it becomes plainly apparent that Scripture unabashedly declares that Jesus is God. Allow me to give you some examples of what I am talking about: First, the title “First and Last” is used to describe Jesus in several places in the book of Revelation (1:8, 2:8, 22:13). This title of “First and Last” is used by God for Himself three different times in the book of Isaiah (41:4; 44:6; 48:12). Second, the title “Light” is used by Jesus to describe Himself in verses such as John 8:12 and 9:5 where Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.” This title is used to describe God in Old Testament verses such as Psalm 27:1 (“The Lord is my light and my salvation”) and Isaiah 60:20 (“For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light). Third, the title “Rock” is ascribed to Jesus by Peter in 1 Peter 2:5-8, where Peter directly quotes Isaiah 28:16 and Psalm 118:22, which are both Messianic passages. This title is ascribed to God in verses such as Psalm 18:2 (“The Lord is my rock”), and Psalm 95:1 (“Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation”). Fourth, the title Shepherd is appropriated by Jesus in verses such as John 10:11 (“I am the good shepherd”); and is ascribed to Him in verses such as Hebrews 13:20 (“Now the God of peace, who brought up from the dead the great Shepherd”). This title is ascribed to God in Old Testament verses such as Psalm 23:1 (“The Lord is my shepherd”). Fifth, the title “Forgiver of Sins” is ascribed to Jesus in verses such as Luke 5:21 (“Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”), a clear statement that Jesus is, in fact, God; and in verses such as Acts 5:31 ( He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins”). This title is ascribed to God in Old Testament verses such as Jeremiah 31:34 (“for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more”).
Each of the previous five titles clearly show that the New Testament is portraying Jesus to be divine, to be God. However, there is one more title that deserves a bit of a closer examination because it is quite possibly clearest statement that Jesus is God. In Exodus 3:14, God tells Moses His proper name; the verse reads, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”’” This is the first time that the name Yahweh (or Jehovah) appears in the Bible, and it is significant because it is the only name for God in the Bible that is given to us by God Himself. The significance goes further because Jesus, Himself, appropriates this proper name for God. In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses what are called the seven “I am” statements. In John 6:35, 48, and 51, Jesus says, “I am the bread of life.” In John 8:12 and 9:5, He says, “I am the light of the world.” In John 10:7 and 9, He says, “I am the gate for the sheep.” In John 10:11 and 14, He says, “I am the good shepherd.” In John 11:25, He says, “I am the resurrection and the life.” In John 14:6, He says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” In John 15:1, He says, “I am the true vine.” In these seven statements, Christ is finishing what God began at the burning bush in Exodus 3; God told Moses that He is, “I AM;” Christ then tells us what that “I AM” means. In addition to the seven traditional “I am” statements, in John 8:28, Jesus says, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He.” Also, in John 8:58, Jesus tells the Pharisees, “‘Very truly I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!’” Then, in Matthew 14:62, Jesus responds to the High Priest asking Him if He was the Christ, by saying, “I am.” That’s ten times that Jesus uses the phrase “I am.” Jesus is showing us that He is the ultimate revelation of Yahweh. By using the phrase “I am” so often, Jesus is equating Himself with God.
So, you can see, by using all of these different “titles” for God for Himself, and having them ascribed to Him by other Biblical authors, Jesus is showing us that He is God Incarnate; that He, Jesus Christ, is the God of Moses. He is showing us that He is the true God of the Israelites, the true God of the church, and the true God of our salvation.
May the blessings of the Father and the peace of the Son be with you,
Pastor Keith
