The Claims of Christ: What Jesus Had to Say About Himself
Apologetics: The Deity of Jesus Christ
By Dr. Barry L. Davis
The Scriptures unanimously teach that Jesus is the only way to get to God. Yet the Scripture goes further than this. The reason why Jesus is the only way in which a human being can know God is because of His identity - He is God in human flesh. This testimony is found throughout the New Testament. We find this to be true in both direct and indirect statements about Him.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.
John 5:18 For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
John 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Romans 9:5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.
Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Philippians 2:5-6 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
Colossians 1:15-17 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 2:9 For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
1 Timothy 3:16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
Titus 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope -- the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
Hebrews 1:8 But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.
2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:
1 John 5:20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true -- even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form (Col. 2:9).
The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep (John 21:17).
Then they prayed, "Lord, you know everyone's heart. Show us which of these two you have chosen (Acts 1:24).
He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe (Eph. 4:10).
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (Heb. 13:8).
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began (John 17:5).
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe (Heb. 1:2).
Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him (John 12:41).
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple. {2} Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. {3} And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isa. 6:1-3).
The God who reveals Himself in the Bible has made it clear that He is the only One deserving worship. In the Ten Commandments He said:
You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3).
When Satan wanted Jesus to worship him, Jesus refused by saying:
Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve' (Matthew 4:10).
Jesus testified that worship is something that is reserved for God alone. Yet, Jesus allowed Himself to be worshiped.
And as they went to tell His disciples, behold Jesus met them, saying, 'Rejoice!' And they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him (Matthew 28:9).
On another occasion, Scripture records someone saying to Jesus:
'Lord, I believe!' And he worshiped Him (John 9:38).
Jesus allowed Himself to be worshipped on this occasion. If only God is to be worshiped, as the Bible testifies, and Jesus allowed Himself to be worshiped, then the natural conclusion is that Jesus believed Himself to be God.
The first chapter of Hebrews tells us that God commanded the angels to worship Jesus.
For to which of the angels did He ever say, "You are My Son, Today I have begotten You"? And again, "I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me"? And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, "And let all the angels of God worship Him" (Hebrews 1:5,6).
Jesus was also addressed in prayer:
Stephen, the first recorded martyr of the church, prayed to Jesus as he was being killed.
And they went on stoning Stephen as he called upon the Lord and said, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit!" And falling on his knees, he cried out with a loud voice, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them!" And having said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:59,60).
Another indirect testimony to Jesus being God is His forgiving sins. In the presence of the religious leaders, Jesus told a sinful woman:
Your sins are forgiven (Luke 7:48).
On another occasion he said to a paralyzed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven you" (Mark 2:5).
The religious rulers on both occasions were indignant. They demanded an explanation asking the question, "Why does this man speak blasphemies like this?" (Mark 2:7).
No doubt the rulers were remembering when God said:
I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake (Isaiah 43:25).
If only God has the ability to forgive sins, and Jesus claimed the ability to forgive sins, then Jesus is claiming to be God.
Judgment of the world is something that only God can do:
Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice before the Lord. For He is coming . . . to judge the earth. He shall judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples with His truth (Psalm 96:12,13).
Jesus claimed that He would judge the world.
For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son (John 5:22).
Only God has the right to judge the world, and Jesus claimed that He would be that judge. This is more indirect evidence that Jesus is God.
Among the many deeds attributed to Jesus is the creation of the universe. The Scripture expressly states that Jesus was involved as Creator. The Gospel of John, in speaking of Jesus, said:
All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made (John 1:3).
Here we have the statement that everything was created by Jesus. Not one thing has been created apart from Him. The Apostle Paul also testified to Jesus being the Creator:
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him (Colossians 1:16).
This statement makes it abundantly clear that Jesus created all things in the universe.
Though Jesus was the Creator of all things, this world did not recognize Him as such. One of the saddest verses in the Bible testifies to that fact:
He was in the world, and the world was made by Him, and the world did not know Him (John 1:10).
Jesus created the world but when He visited His creation the people did not receive Him for whom He truly was.
Not only did Jesus create everything in the beginning, He also sustains His creation. The Apostle Paul, after testifying to the creative work of Jesus, wrote:
And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:17).
Jesus is the one who holds the universe together - the person who keeps it running in an orderly fashion.
The Book of Hebrews takes this a step further. It teaches that Christ is "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Hebrews 1:3). The idea is that Jesus is keeping all things together by His spoken word. Thus, it is the spoken word of Jesus that now upholds the universe.
The Apostle Paul testified that Christ is "the head over all rule and authority" (Colossians 2:10). The universe, and all that is in it, is ruled by Jesus - the One who created the universe.
From the description of Jesus as recorded in Scripture, we find that He is the eternal God. The direct evidence makes that clear - fifteen separate passages testify directly to the Deity of Christ. We also have indirect testimony that Jesus is God.
Jesus possesses the attributes of Deity.
Jesus has existed from all eternity.
Jesus is equal to God in certain names.
He also allowed Himself to be worshiped.
Jesus was addressed in prayer.
Jesus is the One who would forgive sins.
Jesus claimed to be the judge of the world.
The Bible also says that He is the Creator of the universe.
He sustains the universe by His spoken word.
Jesus also presently rules the universe.
All of these abilities belong only to God. Therefore, from both indirect and direct testimony, we conclude that Jesus is God.
The great truth revealed in the New Testament is that the eternal God became one of us; He became a human being.
And the Word became 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 (John 1:14).
The Apostle Paul echoes John's thoughts:
Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men (Philippians 2:6,7).
In becoming a man Jesus laid aside His heavenly glory to live among us. The question is, why did He do it?
The Scriptures give us several reasons Jesus came to earth. The first and foremost reason was to reveal God to mankind. If you wish to know what God is like you need go no further than to look at Jesus.
No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known (John 1:18).
This verse teaches that Jesus explained God to humanity. We need no longer wonder what God is like; Jesus shows us.
Another reason for Christ's coming was to die on the cross for the sins of the world.
Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28).
His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sins. He died in our place so that we do not have to suffer eternally for our misdeeds.
The Bible says:
God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the ministry of reconciliation
. . . God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, that we may be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:19,21).
His coming also was to destroy the works of the devil and the hold he has had over mankind.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).
Jesus' death on the cross frees us from the power of sin. The devil no longer has any right to control us because Christ has given us the freedom to choose not to sin.
Jesus also came to provide an example for the believer on how to live one's life. When a person puts his faith in Christ he has an example to follow. Jesus lived the perfect life as the perfect man with faith in His Father. Hence we are told "to walk just as He walked" (1 John 2:6).
It is for these reasons that Jesus left heaven's glory to live as one of us.
Scripture teaches that Jesus is mankind's only hope the only way to reach God. It also teaches us that He was more than a mere man - Jesus was God in human flesh.
Therefore, the united testimony of Scripture is that Jesus is almighty God who became a man. The reasons He became a man are as follows:
Jesus came to reveal God to mankind.
He came to die for the sins of the world.
Jesus' coming was also to destroy the works of the devil.
Finally, His coming was to provide an example to believers.
Since these are the clear claims that the New Testament makes about Jesus we now are in a position to examine these claims and discover whether or not they are true.