Thursday, February 27, 2014

Does the Bible Say Jesus Is God?

Yusha Evans claims that the Bible never explicitly says that Jesus is God. Sam and I quote a few passages to show that it does, but there are plenty more. What are your favorite Bible passages on the deity of Christ?

7 comments:

Paijo Budi said...

It is interesting to note the mantra of 'no explicit biblical text says blah blah' from muslims, as if valid deductions from biblical propositions are not to be trusted. If so, the not so glorious Quran never explicitly says that certain muslim man or women now alive are human beings. Are we to conclude that none of the muslims are human beings because it is not explicitly stated in the Bible?

Paijo Budi said...

The last sentence should read:

Are we to conclude that none of the muslims are human beings because it is not explicitly stated in the Quran?

Anonymous said...

“What are your favorite Bible passages on the deity of Christ?”

How about,

For by him [the Son] all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth… And he is before all things, and in him all things consist. Colossians 1:16, 17

Jesus, the Son, is also speaking the words of Exodus 20:8 (Ten Commandments) concerning the Sabbath.

“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy…”

The Son of Man is also the Lord of the Sabbath. Luke 5:28

All the miracles that were performed by Jesus confirmed that he was indeed the Creator in the flesh, and he had no problem in demonstrating his creative power, which was witnessed by many, like feeding 5000 people, turning water into wine, restoring sight to the blind, healing the sick and raising the dead – all creative acts.

His body, after dying on the cross, returned back to life after three days.

Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” John 2:19 (His body was killed and resurrected after three days).

Notice “…and in three days I will raise it up”? Jesus HIMSELF will raise up His OWN body.

Obviously a normal created man who dies cannot raise up his own body again.

“…I lay down my life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” John 10:17, 18. Only God has this power.

Jesus also accepted worship and forgave sins which only God has the authority to do since he is the one we have sinned against.

“That all should honour the Son just as they honour the Father. He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father who sent him.” John 5:23

Satan himself was one of the best witness’s that Jesus was God the Creator, when, at the end of forty days of being tempted by the devil, during which time Jesus ate nothing and was hungry, the devil said to him,

“If [since] you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.’” Luke 4:3, 4

This would have been a pointless temptation if Jesus was not the Creator but just an ordinary man who could not turn stones into bread.

In fact, all the devils/demons/evil spirits were subject to his authority and feared him greatly.

…there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with you, Jesus of Nazareth? Did you come to destroy us? I know you, who you are – the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” Luke 4:33-35.

The Holy One, Christ, the Son, is spoken of throughout Scripture and can be found in 2Kings 19:22; Job 6:10; Psalm 71:22, 78:41; Isaiah 1:4 (about 30 times throughout Isaiah); Jeremiah 50:29, 51:5; Ezekiel 39:7; Hosea 11:9; Habakkuk 1:12, 3:3; Mark 1:24; Luke 4:34 and 1John 2:20.

Jesus’ pre-existence:

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Matthew 23:37

How precious is your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings. Psalm 36:7

Jesus existed as the Son BEFORE the incarnation e.g. Daniel 3:25

"Look!" he answered, "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God."

The verses in the Gospels that are commonly used by some (Matthew 24:36 and the Temptation of Christ etc.) to claim that Jesus was not God in the flesh actually refer to his temporary earthly servitude (Philippians 2:6-11) in the service of the Father and mankind...

“Yet I am among you as the one who serves.” Luke 22:27

...(Including the example set by him for us to follow), for the purpose of rescuing us from sin and Satan’s hold over us.

Anonymous said...

Jesus, the Creator, manifested himself in the flesh (God was manifested in the flesh. 1Timothy 3:16) in order to become an unblemished and perfect sacrifice on our behalf, as foretold all throughout the Old Testament. He was both the Sacrifice and the High Priest who offered it up. He willingly sacrificed his body in order to make atonement for the world’s sins/crimes.

While on earth God the Son left everything in God the Father’s hands including the where and when of certain events (“which the Father has put in His own authority” Acts 1:7) such as the crucifixion. He submitted his will to the Father’s will.

“…I do not seek my own will but the will of the Father who sent me” John 5:3

“O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will” Mathew 26:39

This does not mean that He is not God...

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:10-11 (as prophesied in Isaiah 45:23)

..but that He has simply agreed/consented to temporarily or permanently (Acts 1:7) leave certain things in the hands of the Father.

But to the Son He (God the Father) says:

"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever..."

And:

"You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands." Hebrews 1:8, 10 (also as per John 1:1-14)

And as Jesus Himself says,

"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "Who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

In other words, Jesus is none other than the "Lord your God" of the Old Testament.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit, while all being God, still perform unique functions and have unique individual positions within the Godhead. They have individual positions on the throne of heaven and each has an individual office/function within that overall rulership.

Anonymous said...

The name of the Son:

The reason that the Son is called the ‘Son’ throughout the Bible is pointed out in Luke 1:35…

And the angel answered and said to her [Mary], “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; THEREFORE, ALSO, that Holy One who is to be born WILL BE CALLED the Son of God.”

…and, the origin of this Sonship being: As on earth (“…on earth as it is in heaven” Luke 11:2), in terms of the relationship being as one between a King (the Father) and his Son, the Prince (Christ, the Prince of peace Isaiah 9:6) and heir to the kingdom (“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18).

Dealing with arguments against Christ’s divinity based on Mark 13:32 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” and similar verses.

The point of Mark 13:32 is that the actual DECISION as to WHEN the event will occur is the Father’s alone, and that it for Him alone to know (“only the Father”).

The same thing applies in Matthew 20:23, in relation to WHOM it will be given to sit on the left and right of Jesus.

“But to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father.”

And Jesus not knowing when these things would occur does not make Him any less God than the Father since this is part of the original, mutually agreed upon plan (involving all three Persons of the Triune God) in and by which Jesus willingly deferred some decisions regarding timing (Mark 13:32) as well as other decisions (e.g. “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” John 6:44) to the Father alone.

It is not that Jesus could not know if He wanted to, but rather, that He chose to leave it in the hands of the Father instead, so His divinity is not in question.

The father and son/King and Prince relationship was decided upon and entered into (hence, ‘begotten’) by mutual agreement between the Two, i.e.

“I [the Son] will declare the [Royal] decree: The Lord [the Father] has said to Me [the Son], ‘You are My Son, today I have begotten You.’” Psalm 2:7

“For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son…” John 3:16

In becoming the only begotten Son (There being only one Son within the Triune God, hence, the “only begotten Son”), He willingly gave up some decisions concerning the ‘who’ and ‘where’ and ‘when’ and ‘what’ over to the Father (“It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His OWN authority” Acts 1:7), and in honour of the Father.

The relationship being as one between a King (the Father) and his Son, the Prince (Christ, the Prince of peace Isaiah 9:6) and heir to the kingdom (“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18), but with the Prince not always having been privy to every decision made by the King.

Anonymous said...

Some might also point to the seeming contradiction between “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” and the verses where the Father calls the shots (e.g. the timing of Judgement Day), but there is nothing which precludes Jesus, by the same overall authority given to Him in Matthew 28:18, from deferring some decisions to the Father, out of and in honour to the Father “…I honour my Father…” John 8:49

Also, the argument of, “if Jesus is God, then He should know the day and the hour” seems to be based on viewing God as simply a lump of omnipotence, omniscience, omnipresence etc.

God is all those things, but He is also a living being, who, against His Holy righteous nature, can also choose to forgive and completely FORGET our sins/crimes.

It would be impossible for Him to have the kind of relationship that He desires with us if He did not forget our sins.

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25

So while He is the Almighty and can remember everything, He can also choose to forget.

In other words, Jesus obviously had the option to know, but decided to forego this knowledge of the exact day and hour (Mark 13:32). Having the option to either know or not to know does not impinge on His overall omniscience since the choice was His to begin with, and because at any time He could have known if He had so desired, His omniscience and therefore his divinity remains intact.

This is in keeping with all Scripture and easily defeats any argument against Christ’s divinity that is based on the plain reading of verses like Mark 13:32 and Mathew 20:23, etc.

Steve Finnell said...

WHOSE CHURCH IS IT? BY STEVE FINNELL

Who owns the church? Do Christians own the church? Did God sell franchises of His church to multiple denominations? If Christians own the church, then lets name it The Christian Church. If God sold franchises, then lets call them, The Lutheran Church, The Roman Catholic Church, The Baptist Church, etc.
If these groups own their churches then they have the right to dictate doctrine. They can write the requirements of entry into their churches.

If God owns the church, then He alone writes the rules for faith and practice. If God owns the church, then He alone declares the requirements for entry into His church. If God owns the church, then He alone gives the terms for pardon from sin. If God owns the church, then He alone declare how men will be saved.

Acts 20:28 ....the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

GOD OWNS THE CHURCH.

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

God has given all authority to Jesus. Jesus is the head of the church.(Ephesians 5:23) Jesus had the authority to give the requirement for salvation.(Mark 16:16) Jesus adds the saved to His church. (Acts 2:47) The body of Christ is all who are saved, that is the church of Christ.(Romans 16:16)

Acts 11:26 .....and the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

The disciples were not called Christians because they established The Christian Church, The Lutheran Church, The Roman Catholic Church, The Baptist Church etc. They were called Christians because they had had their sins washed away by the blood of Christ. The were called Christians because the Lord had added them to His church. The Lord did not add them the The Christian Church, The Lutheran Church, The Roman Catholic Church, The Baptist Church etc. They were called Christians because they were saved followers of Jesus Christ.

Jesus died for His church. It is the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not The Christian Church, The Lutheran Church, The Roman Catholic Church, The Baptist Church, etc.

Christians are members of the body of Christ, which is the church of Christ. HOWEVER, CHRISTIANS DO NOT OWN THE CHURCH. Christian do not get to make the rules for faith and practice in the church. Christians do get to write the requirements for salvation.

GOD HAS GIVEN US THE RULE BOOK . THE BIBLE AND THE BIBLE ALONE.


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