Jesus
Christ in The Bible
Throughout the centuries, the person of Christ has been one of the most
widely debated issues among scholars and lay people alike. The arguments range
from Jesus being no more than a Jewish Rabbi to him being a prophet and
finally to being the very Son of God and God-incarnate.
It is the aim of this study to present the biblical picture of Christ.
We will allow the Bible to speak for itself on the person of Jesus. We will
quote God the Father, Jesus Christ, the prophets, and the companions of Christ
and in this way search out the truth. We will examine the trail of evidence to
seek where it leads us on the question of the person of Jesus. Was Jesus a
great prophet or a Rabbi, or do the statements of the Bible indicate that
Christ was God Almighty in human form?
God
the Father
The Bible quotes God the Father as confirming the fact that Jesus Christ
is not only a prophet, but God Himself, the Son of his love:
“... and a voice came
from heaven, ‘Thou art my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”
Luke 3:22 RSV
“He
was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice
from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased;
Listen to him.” Matthew 17:5 RSV
“For
to what angel did God ever say, ‘Thou art my Son, today I have begotten
thee?’ Or again, ‘I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a
Son?’ And again, when He brings the first-born into the world, He says,
‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’ Hebrews 1:5-6 RSV
And,
“But
of the Son he (God) says, ‘Thy throne O
God, is for ever and ever, the righteous scepter is the scepter of thy
kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy
comrades.’” Hebrews 1:8-9 RSV
God is inspiring the prophet through His Holy Spirit
to refer to Jesus Christ as God. If the Father calls Christ God, should we beg
to differ?
Jesus
Christ-
Throughout the New Testament, we find Christ applying to himself titles
and attributes of God that are used in the Holy Bible.
This fact strongly indicates that Christ believed he was God.
In the following sections we will examine these claims:
God
Luke 8:1-37 records Jesus casting demons out of a man living in tombs.
After healing the man Luke states,
“The
man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent
him away, saying, ‘Return home and tell how
much God has done for you.’
So the man went away and told all over town how
much Jesus had done for him.”
Luke 8:38-39
The man correctly understood that the God who had done great things for
him was the very Jesus who stood before him.
Hence, Jesus equates himself with God, a fact understood by the
individual to whom Jesus’ words were addressed and confirmed by Luke to be
correct.
Almighty
Look,
he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even
those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because
of him. So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the
Lord God, “who is, and who was, and
who is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:7-8
The One coming is the Pierced One, Jesus Christ.
Thus, we have Jesus himself testifying to the fact that He is the
Almighty One.
The impact of this passage has left anti-Trinitarians desperately
searching for a refutation of the notion that the speaker in verse 8 is
Christ. One such response is to suggest that the speaker is God the Father
since in Revelation 1:4b-5 he is addressed as the one “who was, is, and is
to come”:
“...
Grace and peace to you from
him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the Seven
Spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the
firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth....”
In this passage Jesus is seen as one who is distinct from the one “who
was, is, and is to come”. Hence, Jesus cannot be the one speaking in 1:8.
We
offer three responses to this assertion:
·
It should be pointed out that scripture often uses titles
interchangeably for both Father and Son. An example of such can be found in 1
Timothy 6:15-16 and Revelation 17:14 where both the Father and Son are called
“King of kings and Lord of lords”. Therefore the title of “who was, is,
and is to come,” presents no particular difficulty for the Trinitarian since
this is one of the many titles used for both.
·
The context of 1:4-5 ends at verse 6:
“...
and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father- to
him be glory and power forever and ever! Amen.”
This establishes that Revelation 1:7-8 has no
connection to the previous verses, and therefore opens up a new context
altogether. The context of this particular passage deals specifically with the
identity of the One who is to come, namely the One that was pierced. Based on
this fact, verse 8 can only be referring to that “One” spoken of in the
previous verse.
·
Finally, scripture itself is clear that the Father always reveals his
invisible qualities through the visible manifestation of his Son, Jesus
Christ:
“Then
Jesus cried out, ‘When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only,
but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he
sees the one that sent me.’ “ John 12:44, 45
“He is the image of the invisible God...”
Colossians 1:15
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his
being, sustaining all things by his powerful word...” Hebrews
1:3
In light of these passages, the notion of
“the one who is to come” can only be referring to Jesus Christ, and the
Father’s revelation of himself through him alone. These preceding factors
present a irrefutable case that Revelation 1:8 refers to Jesus Christ as the
Almighty.
“My
sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and
they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no
one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand; I and the Father are one.”
John 10:27-30
Christ is claiming to have
the same power that God the Father has, indicating that Jesus possesses within
Himself infinite power. Just as no man can pluck anything from the awesome
hand of God, so it is with the Son, showing that both Father and Son share the
same essence and nature equally.
Lord
“You
call me Teacher and Lord; and you
are right, for so I am.” John
13:13
Christ
affirms his divine Lordship to his disciples in this verse. In an attempt to
deny the implications of Jesus’ words, anti-Trinitarians argue that
“Lord” does not refer to deity but to a respectful form of address such as
“Teacher” or “Master.” This
argument is nullified by the fact that Christ is both “Teacher” and
“Lord”, indicating that “Lord” is used by Jesus to denote divinity,
hence distinguishing it from the title “Teacher.”
This refutes the assumption that Jesus uses the term Lord simply to
show his role as a master of his disciples.
First
and Last
God:
“Listen
to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am he; I
am the First and I am the Last.”
Isaiah 48:12
Jesus:
When
I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.
Then he placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the
Last, I am the Living One; I was
dead, and behold I am alive forever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelation 1:17-18
The title First and Last,
as well as Alpha and Omega, implies that God is the cause of all existence and
will be the cause for all things to come into completion.
Jesus Christ, the one who died, states that it is He, as the very First
and Last, who brought all things into being and will also be the cause for all
things to come to a desired end. Hence,
you begin and end with Christ, making Him the Eternal Creator God.
Alpha
and Omega
God:
He
said to me: “It is done. I am
the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.
To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring
of the water of life. He who
overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my
son.” Revelation 21:6-7
Jesus:
“Behold,
I am coming soon!
My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he
has done. I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End...
I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the
churches. I am the Root and the
Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star... He who testifies to these
things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. Revelation
22:12-13, 16, 20
Omniscient
(All-knowing)
God:
“I the LORD search the heart and examine the
mind, to reward a man according to his conduct, according to what his deeds
deserve.” Jeremiah 17:10
Jesus:
“Now
we are sure that You know all things,
and have no need that anyone should question You. By this we believe that You
came forth from God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Do
you now believe?’” John 16:30-31
“He
said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ And he
said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all
things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed My
sheep.” John 21:17
“Then
all the churches will know that I am he who
searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your
deeds.” Revelation 2:23b
Omnipresent
God:
Where
can I go from your Spirit? Where
can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I
make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me,
your right hand will hold me fast. Psalm 139:7-10
Jesus:
“For
where two or three come together in my name, there
am I with them.” Matthew 18:20
“Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Matthew 28:19-20
“Whoever
has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me
will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and
show myself to him... If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching, my
Father will love him, and we will come
to him and make our home with him.”
John 14:21, 23
There are
millions of Christians around the world who love Christ and gather in his
name. This means that Christ is
at every one of these places, something impossible if he were but man, but
quite possible if he were indeed God.
Lord
of Sabbath
God:
“’There are six days when you may work,
but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, a day of sacred assembly.
You are not to do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the
Lord.’” Leviticus 23:3
Jesus:
“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” Matthew 12:8
Jesus Christ as the Son of
Man, is the Lord of the Sabbath, a claim no one but God alone could make.
Noting that the Sabbath was instituted by and for Yahweh, indicates that Jesus
and Yahweh are One and the same.
The
True Light
God:
The Lord is my light and my salvation- whom shall I fear? Psalm 27:1
The
sun will no more be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on
you, for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your
glory. Isaiah 60:19
Jesus:
When
Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I
am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.” John 8:12
“While
I am in the world, I am the light of the
world.” John 9:5
The
Shepherd
God:
Then
he blessed Joseph and said, “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and
Isaac walked, the God who has been my
shepherd all my life to this day...” Genesis 48:15
The
LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be
in want. Psalm 23:1
“Hear
us, O Shepherd of Israel, you who
lead Joseph like a flock; you who sit enthroned between the cherubim...”
Psalm 80:1
Jesus:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the
sheep... I am the good shepherd; I
know my sheep and my
sheep know me.” John 10:11, 14
The
Great I Am
God:
Moses
said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them. ‘The God of
your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’
Then what shall I tell them?” God
said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM? This
is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
Exodus 3:13-14
“Listen
to me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I
am he; I am the first and I am the last.” Isaiah 48:12
Jesus:
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham
was born, I AM!” John 8:58
“I
told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I AM (Gr. Ego Eimi), you
will indeed die in your sins.” John 8:24
Jesus,
knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who
is it you want?” “Jesus of
Nazareth,” they replied. “I
am he,” Jesus said. (And
Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)
When Jesus said, “I am he,” they
drew back and fell to the ground. John 18:4-6
The reason
that the men surrounding Christ fell becomes obvious when we realize that
Christ is declaring the divine name of God.
The power that came forth from Jesus’ claim to divinity drove the men
to their knees, showing quite clearly that Jesus is Yahweh God.
This also demonstrates what will eventually transpire at the second-
coming of Christ, namely, that “at the name of Jesus every knee should
bend.” (Cf. Philippians 2:9-11)
In an attempt to circumvent this point,
anti-Trinitarians argue that the Greek version of Exodus 3:14, known as the
Septuagint (LXX), renders the Hebrew text as Ego Eimi Ho On, “I Am the One.”
Yet, Jesus is said to only be Ego
Eimi (“I Am”), never Ho On.
It is quite irrelevant to argue the fact that
the Septuagint rendering HO ON is
different from Jesus’ use of the term Ego
Eimi, since in these cases both usage’s point to timeless existence.
The point of Exodus 3:14 is in demonstrating God’s eternality, his
self-existence, having no beginning or ending since he always is.
Likewise, Jesus could only “be” before Abraham if he had always
existed, being the Eternal One in human form.
This fact is clearly demonstrated in John 18:4-6 by the soldiers
falling down to the ground after Jesus uttered the phrase I
AM.
Furthermore, it is simply not true that Jesus
is never called Ho On since we find
this phrase used in reference to the Lord in John 19:37, 1 John 5:18 and Rev.
1:8:
“And,
as another scripture says, ‘They will look on THE
ONE (Ho On) they have pierced.’ ” John 19:37
“I Am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “The
One (Ho On) who is and the One
(implied) who was and the One
(implied) who is coming, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:8
Finally, Ego
Eimi is used in the Septuagint to translate the Hebrew Ani Hu, i.e., I (AM) HE
passages found in Isaiah:
“Who
has wrought and done these things? He has called it who called it from the
generations of old; I God, the first and to all
futurity, I
AM (Ego Eimi).” Isaiah 41:4 LXX
“Be
ye my witnesses, and I too am a
witness, saith the Lord God, and my servant whom I have chosen: that
ye may know, and believe, and
understand that I AM: before me there was no other God, and after me there shall
be none.” Isaiah 43:10 LXX
This passage is particularly interesting in
that God is contrasting the inability of the gods of the nations to foretell
the future with his ability to do so:
“All
the nations gather together and the peoples assemble.
Which of them foretold this
and proclaimed to us the former things? Let
them bring in their witness to prove they were right, so that others may hear
and say, ‘It is true.’” Isaiah
43:9
This statement is strikingly similar to what
Jesus tells his disciples:
“Now
I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you
may believe that I AM.” John
13:19
Christ’s ability to foretell future events
is an indication of the fact that Jesus is Yahweh God. In precisely the same way Yahweh’s ability to foretell
future events is seen in the Old Testament as a clear sign of his supremacy
over the false gods, proving that he alone is God.
To make the link between the passages clearer,
note the similar Greek words used in the italicized portions above as we
outline them below:
Isaiah
43:10: “that (hina)... and believe (pisteusete)...
that I AM (hoti Ego Eimi)”
John 13:19:
“that (hina)...you may
believe (pisteusete)... that I AM (hoti
Ego Eimi)”
“I AM he (Ego Eimi); and until ye shall have grown old I
AM he (Ego Eimi): I bear
you, I have made, and I will relieve, I will take up and save you.” Isaiah 46:4 LXX
Another time Ego Eimi is used in a theological context is Deuteronomy 32:39:
“Behold,
behold that I
AM, and there is no God
beside me: I kill, and I will make to live: I will smite and I will heal; and
there is none who shall deliver out of my hands.”
These examples clearly demonstrate that the
phrase “I AM” when used of Yahweh, is indicative of the fact that God
alone is eternal and sovereign; all other gods are false and temporal.
It is in this same manner which we find Jesus using the term “I
AM,” as an indication that Christ is eternal and sovereign.
This explains how he could “be” before Abraham (eternality), and
why the soldiers fell down (sovereignty).
Another attempt to misinterpret John 8:58 is
the suggestion that Christ stating that he existed before Abraham simply meant
that Christ, like the rest of humanity, pre-existed in the foreknowledge of
God prior to the creation of the physical universe. This is erroneous since if this is what is really meant,
Christ would not have said, “Before Abraham, I am,” but “I, with Abraham
existed before,” since Abraham also existed in the foreknowledge of God.
Hence, Christ is emphasizing his timeless existence, that he is the
Eternal One in human form.
The
Living One
God:
“This is how you will know that the
living God is among you...” Joshua 3:10
“At
the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my
sanity was restored. Then I
praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him
who lives forever.” Daniel 4:34
Jesus:
“I
am the Living One; I was dead,
and behold I am alive forever and ever!
And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Revelation 1:18
Christ affirms that he is the very same Living
One who lives forever. This could
only be referring to God, since only Yahweh is viewed as the One who lives
forever. No creature is ever
addressed as such.
Power
to Forgive
God:
“I,
even I, am he who blots out your
transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”
Isaiah 43:25
Have
mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great
compassion blot out my transgressions.
Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:1-2
Bless
the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless
His holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits who
forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases. Psalm 103:1-3 NKJV
Jesus:
When
Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are
forgiven.” Now some teachers of
the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why
does this fellow talk like that? He’s
blaspheming! Who can forgive sins
but God alone?” Immediately
Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their
hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? Which is
easier: to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say,
‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? But
that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins...” He said to the paralytic,
“I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have
never seen anything like this!” Mark 2:5-12
Then
Jesus said to her, “Your sins are
forgiven.” The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who
is this who even forgives sin?” Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith
has saved you; go in peace.” Luke 7:48-50
The Jews correctly
understood that God alone forgives the sins of men and for Christ to claim
such would render him God. Yet, not only does he reaffirm his power to do so
but proceeds to heal the paralytic as proof of his abilities to forgive men
their sins. This once more demonstrates clearly that Jesus Christ is Yahweh
God in human form, a fact which the Psalmist affirmed when stating that it is
Yahweh [the LORD] who both forgives men of their sins and heals them of their
diseases.
Christ - Savior from Heaven:
For
the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life
to the world ... I am the living bread which came down from heaven... I am the living
bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will
live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is
my flesh. John 6:33,52 RSV
For I have come down from heaven,
not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. John 6:38 RSV
He
said to them, “You are from below, I
am from above; you are of this world, I
am not of this world. John 8:23 RSV
I came from the Father and have come into the world;
again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.
John 16:28 RSV
Christ is once again affirming his eternal
pre-existence establishing the fact that Christ Jesus is the Divine Savior
sent from heaven.
Resurrection
- Life
God:
“See
now that I myself am He! There is no
God besides me. I put to death and I
bring to life, I have wounded and I
will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.” Deuteronomy 32:39
Jesus:
Jesus
said to her, “I am the resurrection
and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and
whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” John
11:25-26
Jesus
answered them, “Destroy this temple, and
I will raise it again in three days.” The Jews replied, “It has taken
forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three
days?” But the temple he had spoken of was
his body. After
he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then
they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. John 2:19-22
The
reason my Father loves me is that I lay
down my life - only to take it up again.
No one takes it away from me, but
I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority
to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” John
10:17-18
“I
am the Way, the Truth, and
the Life. No one comes to
the Father except through me.” John 14:6
Not only does Christ claim
to have the power to raise both himself and others from the dead, but also
states that he is eternal life itself manifested in human form.
Great
God
God:
For
the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the
Great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no
bribes. Deuteronomy 10:17
Jesus:
“While
we wait for the blessed hope- the glorious appearing of our
Great God and Savior, Jesus
Christ.” Titus 2:13
Lord
of Lords and King of Kings
God:
Give
thanks to the Lord of lords: His
love endures forever. Psalm 136:3
“...God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of
lords, who alone
is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can
see. To him be honor and might forever.” 1 Timothy 6:15b-16
Jesus:
They
will make war against the Lamb, but
the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord
of lords and King of kings –and with him will be his called, chosen and
faithful followers. Revelation 17:14
On
his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING
OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. Revelation 19:16
The
Incomprehensibility of Christ:
All
things have been committed to me by my Father. No
one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the
Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Matthew 11:27
Just as the Father is
incomprehensible, so it is with Christ. This clearly shows that He alone is
the complete manifestation and revelation of the Godhead in human form, and
apart from him nothing of God can be known.
Christ
- The Beholder of The Father’s Glory:
[Jesus
speaking]: No one has seen the Father except the One (Jesus) who is from God; only he has seen the Father. John 6:46
No one can see God the
Father in his essential nature and live, yet Christ has. This makes Christ
more than man, being of the same nature and essence of God, proceeding from
the Father from eternity into time and space that God might be made fully
known to men.
Christ
- The Image of God:
Philip
said, “Lord show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus
answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you
such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show
us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father
is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me who is doing his work.” John
14:8-10
The meaning of this passage
is that Christ is all that the Father is, equally sharing in the Divine
essence and attributes. It does not mean that Christ is the Father, but that
he reveals the fullness of the Father’s essence since he is the exact
representation and reflection of his glory, being God manifested in visible
form. Hence, what the Father is invisibly, Christ is visibly.
Some Unitarians argue that to see is not meant
literally as in actually seeing God, but to see with understanding.
This point is rebutted by the passage itself since Philip asked Jesus
to show him the Father, not to help him understand who the Father is.
Another point rebutted!
The
Supremacy of Christ:
It
has been said, “Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of
divorce.” But I tell you that
anyone who divorces his wife, except for marital unfaithfulness, causes her to
become an adulteress, and anyone who marries the divorced woman commits
adultery... You have heard that it was said, “Eye for eye, and tooth for
tooth.” But I tell you, Do not
resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him
the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him
have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two
miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who
wants to borrow from you. Matthew 5:31-32, 38-42
No man can dare quote the
law and cancel out its authority, or attempt to reinterpret it by saying,
“But I say to you,” since God alone is above the law. Christ could only do so if he were God.
Christ
is the Son of Man and the Eternal King:
Again
the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed
One?” “I
am,” said Jesus. “And you will
see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on
the clouds of heaven.” Mark 14:61b-62
Fulfilling Daniel 7:13-14:
“In
my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like
a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient
of Days and was led into his presence. He
was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men
of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that
will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
And,
The
LORD says to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for
your feet.” Psalm 110:1
When Christ claims to be the Son of Man who
sits at the right hand of the Majesty, He is thus indicating to His enemies
that He is the divine, eternal King whom all nations must and shall worship.
Christ
Receives Glory:
The Bible states that God alone is to be
glorified:
“I
am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I
give to no other, nor my praise to graven images.” Isaiah 42:8
Yet, not only do we find that the Father
glorifies Jesus, but that Christ has existed in glory alongside God before the
world began:
“Jesus
replied, ‘If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing.
My Father, whom you claim as
your God, is the one who glorifies me.’”
John 8:54
“When
he was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now is the
Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.
If God is glorified in him, God
will glorify the Son in himself, and will glorify him at once.’” John 13:31, 32
“Father,
the time has come. Glorify
your son, that your son may glorify you... And now, Father, glorify
me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began...
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and
to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the
creation of the world.” John
17:1, 5, 24
It is blasphemous for any
creature to request that God glorify him claiming to have also coexisted with
God in heavenly glory. Christ doing so only reinforces the fact that he is
fully God, united with the Father in perfect glory.
Christ
is Worshiped:
The Bible makes it clear that only God is to
be worshiped:
“Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan!
For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him
only.”’” Matthew 4:10
The very fact that apostles and angels refused
worship, reinforces this point more:
“As
Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up.
“Stand up,” he said, “I am
only a man myself.” Acts 10:25-26
In
Lystra there sat a man crippled in his feet, who was lame from birth and had
never walked. He listened to Paul
as he was speaking. Paul looked
directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed and called out, “Stand
up on your feet!” At that, the
man jumped up and began to walk. When
the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language,
“The gods have come down to us in human form!”
Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was
the chief speaker. The priest of
Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the
city gates because he and the crows wanted to offer sacrifices to them. But
when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard this, they tore their clothes and
rushed out into the crowd, shouting: “Men, why are you doing this?
We too are only
men, human like you. We are
bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the
living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and every thing in them. Acts
14:8-15
“At
this I fell at his (angel) feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a
fellow servant with you with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Worship God! For the testimony of
Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10
“I,
John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen
them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing
them to me. But he said to me, “Do not
do it! I am a fellow servant
with you with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this
book. Worship God.” Revelation 22:8-9
Yet, Christ accepted worship:
“On
coming to the house, they (Magi) saw the
child with his mother Mary, and they
bowed down and worshiped him.” Matthew 2:10
“Then
those who were in the boat worshiped him,
saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’” Matthew 14:33
“Suddenly
Jesus met them (the women). ‘Greetings,’ he said.
They came to him, clasped his
feet and worshiped him…“When they (the disciples) saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.” Matthew 28:10, 17
“Jesus
heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you
believe in the Son of Man?’ ‘Who is he, sir?’ the man asked, ‘Tell me
so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in
fact, he is the one speaking with you.’ Then the man said, ‘Lord, I
believe,’ and he worshiped him.”
John 9:35-38
God the Father himself commands the very
angels of heaven to worship Jesus:
“And
again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let
all God’s angels worship him.’”
Hebrews 1:6
To avoid any notions of divinity being
attached to the worship of Christ, Unitarians attempt to counter by saying
that worship here signifies intense love and respect, not the type of worship
given to God which includes offering up prayers and supplications to the
Creator. This assumption is erroneous on the basis that not only did believers
pray to Christ Jesus himself condoned and commanded his followers to do so:
“That
all should honor the Son JUST
as they honor the Father. He
who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” John
5:23 NKJV
Christ is making it clear that we must honor
him, not as a prophet, but in the same manner that we honor the Father. The
way the Father is honored is by worshiping him in spirit and truth through
prayers etc. (cf. John 4:21-24)
This basically indicates that Christ is also
demanding this very type of honor i.e. that believers must worship him also in
spirit and truth.
“Most
assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do
also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And
whatever you ask in My name, that I will
do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If
you ask anything of Me in My name, I
will do it.” John 14:12-14
NKJV
In
Acts 7:59, Stephen the first Christian martyr, during the time he was being
stoned, cried out, “Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit.” God alone receives the spirits of departed men,
indicating the fact that the first Christian community prayed to Jesus as one
would pray to God.
This
becomes more evident in the book of Revelation where John the Apostle was
caught in the spirit and witnessed the inhabitants of heaven worshiping both
God and Christ equally, implying the absolute Deity of both the Father and the
Son:
“Whenever
the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the
throne, who lives forever and ever, the
twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him
who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne,
saying:
‘You are worthy, O Lord.
To receive glory and honor
And power;
For you created
All things, and by your will they
Exist and were created.’”
Revelation 4:9-11 NKJV
Notice
the similar fashion in which the inhabitants of heaven worship Jesus:
“Now
when He had taken the scroll, the four
living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb,
each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of
the saints. And they sang a new song, saying:
‘You are worthy to take the
scroll,
And to open its seals;
For you were slain,
And have redeemed us to God by Your blood
Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
And have made us kings and priests to our God;
And we shall reign on the earth.’
“Then
I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living
creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:
‘Worthy is the Lamb who was
slain
To receive power and riches and
wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory
and blessing!’” Revelation 5:8-12
And
finally,
“And
I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the
sea, and all therein saying, ‘To Him who sits upon the throne and
to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!’ And
the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Revelation
5:13-14
The evidence compels us to conclude that to
worship Jesus is to worship God.
The Praise of Children Proves that Christ is Yahweh
God:
The blind and the lame came to him at the
temple, and he healed them. But when the chief priests and the teachers of the
law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple
area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant. “Do you hear
what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus,
“have you never read, “’From the lips of children and infants you have
ordained praise’? ” Matthew 21:14-16
Christ quotes Psalms 8:2, a reference to
Yahweh, on the praise of infants as finding its fulfillment in him.
The significance of this fact is evident in the manifestation of
Christ’s identification with Yahweh God, since the Psalm states that it is
God who receives the praise of babes.
Here again, Christ is not only receiving such
praise but is indeed condoning it. In effect, Christ is declaring that to
praise him is to actually praise God Himself.
The
All-Encompassing Power of Jesus’ Name: