Jairos Banda1 Comment

John 1: 1 is so emphatic about the deity of Jesus Christ: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. In 1:14, John continues; “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Later in the book, John records Jesus saying “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Charles Ryrie observes that this was perhaps the clearest and strongest occasion of such a claim. “The neuter form of “one” rules out the meaning that He and the Father were one person. It means that they are in perfect unity in natures and actions, a fact that could only be true if He were as much Deity as the Father.”[1]

Centuries before, Isaiah spoke and wrote concerning Jesus Christ. In 9:6, “he said that a child would be born (a reference to humanity) and that His character would be such that He may be designated as the Mighty God (el gibbor, a reference to Deity). Isaiah uses el only in reference to God (see 31:3); gibbor means hero. Thus, the phrase means a hero whose chief characteristic is that He is God. Thus, in this single verse both the humanity and deity of our Lord are predicted.

The name Immanuel reveals the same truth about the LORD (Isaiah 7:14). This means more than God’s presence with His people in His providential dealings. It means in this text that the very presence of the virgin-born Child brings God to His people.[2]

There is no question in Christian history that Jesus has been considered God among orthodox believers and theologians. The doctrine was denied by both the Ebionites and the Arians. Lewis Sperry Chafer affirmed the accuracy of referring to Jesus as God saying “The Deity of the Son is asserted in the Bible as fully and as clearly in every particular as is the Deity of the Father or the Holy Spirit.” Charles Ryrie has also affirmed it saying “denying the deity of Christ must be accompanied by a denial of the accuracy of Scripture, for there is simply too much evidence in Scripture for His deity to do otherwise.” Some have also denied that it is important to Christianity. Milliard Erickson denies this emphatically “one of the most controversial and yet crucial topics of Christian theology is the deity of Christ. It lies at the heart of our faith. For our faith rests on Jesus’ actually being God in human flesh, and not simply an extraordinary human, even the most unusual person who ever lived.”

Affirmations of Jesus’ deity.

  1. God the father affirms Jesus’ deity: (Hebrews 1:8, Matthew 3:17, 17:5, Mark 1:11)
  1. The Disciples and Apostles affirm Jesus’ deity
  2. Disciple in the boat – Matthew 14:30-33
  3. Peter – Matthew 16:16, John 6:66-69, 2 Peter 1:1
  4. Nathaniel – John 1:49
  5. John – John 1:1, 19:35, 20:30, and 21:24
  6. Thomas – John 20:28
  7. Mark -Mark 1:1
  8. Paul – Philippians 2:6, Colossians 1:19, 2:9, Romans 9:5, and Titus 2:13
  9. Matthew: Mathew 1:23
  1. Affirmations from other followers
  2. Martha – John 11:27
  3. Author of Hebrews – Hebrews 1:8
  1. Old Testament affirmations (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6, Jeremiah 23:5-6, Micah 5:2)
  • Demonic affirmations – Matthew 8:28-29, Mark 3:11-12, 5:6-8, Luke 4:40-41

Jesus’ own deeds and words acclaim his deity.

  1. The seven “I am” sayings In John
  2. I am the bread of life – 6:35-59
  3. I am the light of the world – 8:12, 9:5
  4. I am the eternal one – 8:58
  5. I am the door to the ship – 10:7,9 and 11
  6. I am the resurrection and the life – 11:25
  7. I am the way – 14:6
  8. I am the vine – 15:1
  1. His signs and miracles
  2. Forgiving sins – Luke 5:20, 23; 7:48
  3. Healing the sick, blind and lame – Luke 5:17-25, John 9:1-41,
  4. Changing water into wine – John 2:1-11
  5. Cleansing the Temple – John 2:13-22
  6. Raising the dead – Luke 8: 41-56, John 11:1-44)
  7. He resurrected – 1 Corinthians 15:3-7
  1. His inclusion in the trinitarian statements
  2. Matthew 28:19
  3. 2 Corinthians 13:14

Attributes of God ascribed to Jesus

  1. Eternality – John 1:1, 3:13, 8:58, Isaiah 9:6, Micah 5:2, Colossians 1:16-17, Hebrews 7:3, Revelation1:8
  2. Immutability – Hebrews 1:10-12; 13:8, Psalm 102:25-27, Acts 1:9-11
  3. Omnipresence – Matthew 18:20; 20:28, John1:48, 14:18,20,23, Mark 16:19
  4. Omniscience – John 2:25, 16:30, 21:17, 6:64,13:1;11,18:4
  5. Omnipotence – Matthew 9:6, 20:28, Luke 8:25, John 10:18, 17:2, Mark1:29-34, Philippians 3:21, Hebrews 7:25, Revelation 1:8, 1 Corinthians 15:25

The necessity of Jesus’ deity in salvation

“God’s righteousness not any other is what makes us righteous before God. Just by that statement we affirm that He who saves us is God. Keep this is mind that He who makes us holy is holy by nature (Isaiah 6.cf John 12:42). He who makes us righteous is righteous by nature “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense — Jesus Christ, the Righteous One” (1 John 2:1-2,NIV). He who give is eternal life must be eternal by nature “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning” (John 1:1, NIV) (Quote from the article: Who is Jesus?)

“There is no created thing that can offer anything eternal from within itself. Creatures such as Angels even though they are more powerful than man cannot offer anything eternal from within themselves. Man also cannot offer anything eternal from within himself. The truth is that only God can offer eternal blessings to his creation from the abundance of his blessedness. Our Lord “promises eternal life to all those who believe in Him, and He explicitly claims to be that life: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26, NIV). (Quote from the article: Who is Jesus?)

Implications of Jesus’ deity. Because Jesus is God:

  1. He can be trusted for salvation – He has power to save sinners and forgive sins
  2. He can be relied upon for our daily living – He knows all things and does not change
  3. He is to be relied upon for Christian living – He is ever present with believers everywhere
  4. He will Judge the world – He has all authority and power

[1] Ryrie, C. C. (1999). Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (p. 286). Chicago, IL: Moody Press.

[2] Ryrie, C. C. (1999). Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (p. 277). Chicago, IL: Moody Press.

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