Who is Christ?
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life. Jh5:39-40
Is the Lord Jesus Christ Divine? Many deny that He is and NOT just the like of Jehovah’s Witness Cults. Others some would consider Sound in their understanding of Repentance and Faith, Deeds and Obedience are in a State of denial on this Subject believing they are in opposition of the Trinitarians. But they do so in the most deceptive of manner by refuting the obvious. Neither will they engage in an honest discussion of the matter but always cast dispersions on others with canned responses and false accusations of neglect. Some will out-right deny Christ’s Divinity, others will remain vague about it and focus on trinity issues
from the past to muddle the discussion into a debate of doctrinal creeds.
To begin this discussion: ‘I am Not a Trinitarian in the strict sense of sighting creeds that must be adhered to on pain of death!’ I DO however believe that the Scriptures reveal Christ as existing from all eternity as God (the Word, logos) creating all things, sustaining them and possessing every attribute of the Godhead:
Omniscience, Omnipresence, and Omnipotence. (Godhead: ‘theotes’, state of being God. Synonym of divinity ‘theiotes’, divine nature) (Col1:15-18)
The first Commandment: ‘I AM the Lord thy God, thou shall have no other Gods before Me’
Man is commanded to Worship GOD only. In the Hebrews Bible God is: YHWH, There is no letter J in Hebrew so instead of transliterating it Jehovah, we say YAHWEH. In the time of Christ no Orthodox Jew would bow in Worship to any God but Yahweh. (unless they were blasphemous heretics) Given this ultimate truth the Prophet Isaiah pronounced the Birth of ‘Emmanuel’ meaning ‘God with us!’
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isa9:6-7
Upon this event in Israel Matthew proclaimed: So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, God with us. Mt1:22-23
That established lets move on the FACT that Christ was WORSHIPPED at Birth by the Shepherds who were told of His birth by an angel and rushed to Bethlehem found the babe laying in the manger and paid homage in worship. (Lk2:8-20) Sometime later He was worshipped again by the Magi who had followed the Bright and shining star believing the prophecy of King born in Israel. (Matt2:1-12) His Disciples also were fully aware of His Deity they Worshipped Him on several occasions: Matt18:33, 28:17, Lk24:52.
The leper worshipped Him in Matt8:2, the Ruler in Mt9:18, the woman in Mt15:25, the Servant in Mt18:26 and the blind man healed in Jh9:38. (who told the Jewish rulers that ONLY God could do such things)
On NONE of these occasions of Worship did Jesus rebuke anyone for bowing to Him instead of God. Had He not been fully Divine (as God in the flesh) He would have been receiving this worship as a false god.
The MAIN reason the Jewish leaders wanted Him dead was His claim of Divinity. Such was utter blasphemy in their eyes worthy of stoning. In John10:30 He proclaimed to be ONE with the Father and the Jews immediately picked up stones to kill Him. When He answered their reaction, using the title ‘Son of God’ in verse 36, they were NOT deterred and tried again to lay hand on Him. THEY KNEW that ONLY God could forgive sins & perform miracles such as Jesus performed and say: ‘Before Abraham I AM!’
(Mk2:5-10, Jh8:58) If that alone is NOT PROOF enough to convince someone beyond any shadow of a doubt that JESUS CHRIST is GOD come in the flesh, I have to doubt the sincerity of their professed Faith in Jesus. Look again at the Words of Beloved Saint John the Divine:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Jh1:1-5
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. Jh1:14
Can you agree that Jesus Christ is the WORD? What is the WORD? ‘Logos’ the expression of God. John says it Became FLESH and dwelt among us ---- WHO became Flesh, WHO was born of a Virgin, begotten not made, full of Grace and Truth? WHO does it say Created all things and without Him nothing was made that was made? HOW can anyone DENY this is CHRIST, God (Divinity) Manifest in the flesh, appearing to us as the Son of God in the Great Mystery of godliness revealed to man!
‘Great is the Mystery of godliness GOD was manifested in the flesh!’ 1Tim3:16. Dispute the use of God in this passage if you will and insert ‘Which was manifested in the flesh’ and it Changes NOTHING! That Which was manifest was GOD, the Scribes (who copied ancient manuscripts) understood this and copied the word GOD qv into the Codex. Omit 1Jh5:7 and nothing changes, Jesus is still God in the flesh. The same holds true of every passage you may dispute to reduce the office of Christ. His Son-ship is an expression of His humanity, God is Spirit, No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. Jh1:18 This Divine Nature has existed from all eternity as GOD, ‘the Word was with God and the Word was God’, admittedly it’s not easy to understand, called a ‘great mystery’ by the Apostle, but it is a Truth that was undeniable to the early Saints (long before Nicaea) testified in their own writings that they considered Christ --- GOD in the flesh.
BRETHREN, it is fitting that you should think of Jesus Christ as of God,--as the Judge of the living and the dead. And it does not become us to think lightly of our salvation; for if we think little of Him, we shall also hope but to obtain little [from Him]. 2nd Clement 130 AD
Israel missed their visitation, but they understood that when their King did come He would in the form of YHWY their deliverer. But like many today, they couldn’t put two and two together and discern their own Prophets that the 70 weeks decreed would be interrupted at 62 weeks for the Messiah to make atonement for the sins of the people. (Dan9:24-26) GOD could NOT DIE! His triumph would be a restored never ending Kingdom of Israel where He would Reign over Zion. God coming in human form DID NOT Compute to in their minds and sadly we are seeing history repeat itself in our time as well.
A ‘sin offering’ had to be provided, ‘Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, BUT A BODY You have prepared for ME!’ (Ps40:6-8, Heb10:5) But this offering had to be ONE Sacrifice for Sin FOREVER for Reconciliation to be made between God and man once and for all. (Heb10:12, 2Cor5:19) Thus the great mystery of godliness; GOD manifested in the Flesh as Christ Jesus (the Son of God) to take on human form (flesh and blood Heb2:14) be Born, develop into full manhood be tempted as a man, suffer and die and RISE again PROVING to all Creation that Christ exists from all eternity as the fullness of the Godhead bodily! (Col2:6)
To this Day the unmistakable Divinity of our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus2:11) is under attack from His own Creation He Came to Save. They still Deny Him from every angle and by doing so they have DENIED THE FAITH!
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last. Rev22:12-13