3.   Many of Jesus’ claims would be inappropriate if made by someone who is less than God.

·       Matt.13:41 “his angels” and “his kingdom” (Lk.12:8-9, 15:10 “angels of God”)

·       Mk.2:5-7 “My son, your sins are forgiven” “who can forgive sins but God alone?”

·       Matt.25:31-46 Jesus judges the world.

·       Mk.2:27-28 “so the Son of man is lord even of the Sabbath”

·       Jn.10:30 “I and the Father are one”

·       Jn.14:7-9 “he who has seen me has seen the father”

·       Jn.8:58 “before Abraham was, I am”

·       Jn.3:13 “he who descended from heaven, the Son of man”

·       Jn.14:23 “we (Father and Son) will come to him and make our home with him”

·       Jn.20:28 “My Lord and my God”

·       Matt.5:21-22, 27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ... but I say to you ...”

·       The resurrection from the dead.

4.   To what extent did Jesus know who he was?

a.   Jesus thought of himself as the Son of God in a unique way, that he was set apart from all other men in that he shared a oneness with God impossible to ordinary men.

1.   Matt.11:27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

2.   Mk.13:32 “But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”

b.   Jesus had a messianic consciousness.

1.   He accepted the designation “Messiah” when it was applied to him. Lk.9:19-27

2.   He affirmed his messiahship when challenged by the Sanhedrin. Mk.14:61-62

B.  Other Scriptures that bear witness to the deity of Christ.

·       Jn.1:1 “and the Word was God”

·       Jn.1:18 “the only begotten God”

·       Jn.20:28 “my Lord and my God”

·       Titus 2:13 “of our God and Savior Jesus Christ”

·       Heb.1:4-9 “the Son is superior to angels”

·       Heb.1:8 “Thy throne O God is forever”

·       II Pet.1:1 “of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ”

·       I Jn.5:20 “in His Son Jesus Christ, this is the true God”

·       I Tim.3:16 “God was manifest in the flesh”

·       Col.1:15 “the visible form of the invisible God”

·       Phil.2:5-11 “existing in the form of God”

·       Rom.1:4 “declared to be the son of God by the resurrection from the dead.”

C.  There are other powerful testimonies to Jesus’ divine character.

1.   NAMES:

a.   God Heb.1:8 “But about the Son he (king David) says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever,”

b.   Son of Man

1.   This is the most common phrase used by Jesus of himself and probably is to be equated with his messianic ministry as one who takes on the form of man and yet is a superhuman figure. (Matt.10:32 with Mk.8:28)

2.   The phrase is used to describe one who is the link between God and man.

a.   Jn.1:51 “You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

b.   Jn.3:13 “No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven – the Son of Man.”

3.   This name is found in Dan.7:13-14 where it refers to a human figure in contrast to animal figures in Daniel’s vision of the future.

4.   In the synoptic gospels this term refers to three aspects of Jesus life.

a.   The earthly person - Matt.11:19 “has come eating and drinking.”

b.   The suffering servant - Mk.10:45 “came to serve and give his life.”

c.   The apocalyptic figure - Mk.8:38 “when he comes in the glory of his Father”

c.      Son of God Matt. 16:16-17 “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.”

1.     A distinction must be made between the one son (by nature) and the many (by grace).

2.     All believers are adopted sons and daughters.

3.     The sonship of Jesus is eternal. Rom.8:3; Jn 1:1-10; I Jn.4:9-14

4.     The divine sonship theme appeared prominently at the most crucial moments of Jesus’ ministry: his baptism, temptation, transfiguration, crucifixion, and resurrection (Mk.1:11; 9:2-8; Matt.3:13-17; 17:1-8; 27:40).

5.     It should be noted that this expression is used in many different ways in the Bible.

·       Of Israel – Ex.4:22, Hos.11:1

·       Of Kings – II Sam.7:14

·       Of Messiah – Ps.2:7, Matt.16:16, Mk.14:61

6.   The Jews understood Jesus’ use of this title as a blasphemous claim to deity. – Jn.10:33,36

d.   Lord Matt. 22:43-45 NOTE: In the Septuagint this word is the usual translation of the name “Jehovah.” In the NT the word is used of both the Father (Matt.1:20, 9:38,11:25, Acts 17:24, Rev.4:11) and the Son. It is also a general designation for gods (I Cor.8:5).

1.   Jesus is Lord over the universe – Rom.10:9

2.   Jesus is Lord of lords – I Tim.6:15

e.   Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19:16

2.  The Jehovah of the OT = Jesus (This is one of the most powerful witnesses to the deity of Jesus in that it repeatedly equates the Jehovah of the Old Testament with Jesus.)

 

References to Jehovah

NT References to Jesus

Ps. 45:6 Isa. 40:3 Joel 2:32 Isa. 8:13-14 Isa. 44:6, 48:12 Ps. 97:9 Ps. 24:7, 29:3 Isa. 8:13 Deut. 10:17 Isa. 45:22-23 II Chron. 7:14 Isa. 49:26 Isa. 45:18 Isa. 45:22; Ps. 83:18

Heb. 1:8   “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.” Matt. 3:3   “Make ready the way of the Lord.” Acts 2:21   “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” I Pet. 2:6-8; Rom. 9:33   “The Lord of hosts is “a rock to stumble over” Rev. 1:17-18, 22:12-13    “the first and the last” Jn. 3:31   “He is above all” Jas. 2:1; I Cor. 2:8   “Lord of glory” I Pet. 3:15    The Lord of hosts is sacred. I Tim. 6:15-16   “the bessed and only Sovereign, the King of Kings ...” Phil. 2:10-11  “at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.” Mk. 2:5-7  forgiving sins as only God can. Jn. 4:24   Jehovah is Savior and Redeemer Rev. 4:11; Jn. 1:3    Creator Heb. 10:7; Jn. 5:39   “In the roll of the Book it is written of Me”

3.   ATTRIBUTES:

a.   Omnipotence Matt.28:18 “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth;”

b.   Omniscience Jn.1:48 “Before Philip called you, whine you were under the fig tree. I saw you.”

c.   Life Jn.14:6 “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”

d.     Immutability Heb.13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.”

e.      Sinlessness I Pet.2:22 “who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth” Isa.53:9 (LXX) “for he practised no iniquity, nor craft with his mouth” (MT) “although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth” Comments:  The NT and the LXX agree, though the NT author has replaced the LXX’s “lawlessness” with the synonymous concept, “sin.”  The MT employs “violence” instead.  Since this is in Isaiah’s description of the suffering servant, ascribing sinlessness to him is significant theologically.  The fact that the Septuagint translators translated the passage in this way indicates that, in their time, the suffering servant was not identified with the nation of Israel, which all would agree was not sinless.

4.   ACTIONS

a.   Creation Jn.1:3 “All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

b.   Sustains Col.1:17 “And He is before all thing, and in Him all things hold together.”

c.   Forgives Lk.7:48 “Your sins have been forgiven.”

d.   Raises from the dead Jn.5:25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”

e.   Judges Souls Jn.5:27 “and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.”

f.    Sends Spirit Jn.15:26 “When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me.”

 

5.   Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ

 

Prophecy	Subject of Prophecy	Fulfillment
Genesis 3:15	Born of the seed of a woman	Galatians 4:4
Genesis 12:2-3	Born of the seed of Abraham	Matthew 1:1
Genesis 17:19	Born of the seed of Isaac	Matthew 1:2
Numbers 24:17	Born of the seed of Jacob	Matthew 1:2
Genesis 49:10	Descended from the tribe of Judah	Luke 3:33
Isaiah 9:7	Heir to the throne of David	Luke 1:32-33
Daniel 9:25	Time for Jesus’ birth	Luke 2:1-2
Isaiah 7:14	Born of a virgin	Luke 1:26-27, 30-31
Micah 5:2	Born in Bethlehem	Luke 2:4-7
Jeremiah 31:15	Slaughter of the innocents	Matthew 2:16-18
Hosea 11:1	Flight to Egypt	Matthew 2:14-15
Isaiah 40:3-5; Malachi 3:1	Preceded by a forerunner	Luke 7:24, 27
Psalm 2:7	Declared the Son of God	Matthew 3:16-17
Isaiah 9:1-2	Galilean ministry	Matthew 4:13-17
Deuteronomy 18:15	The prophet to come	Acts 3:20, 22
Isaiah 61:1-2	Came to heal the brokenhearted	Luke 4:18-19
Isaiah 53:3	Rejected by his own (the Jews)	John 1:11
Psalm 110:4	A priest after the order of Melchizedek	Hebrews 5:5-6
Zechariah 9:9	Triumphal entry	Mark 11:7, 9, 11
Psalm 41:9	Betrayed by a friend	Luke 22:47, 48
Zechariah 11:12-13	Sold for thirty pieces of silver	Matt. 26:15; 27:5-7
Psalm 35:11	Accused by false witnesses	Mark 14:57-58
Isaiah 53:7	Silent to accusations	Mark 15:4, 5
Isaiah 50:6	Spat upon and smitten	Matthew 26:67
Psalm 35:19	Hated without reason	John 15:24, 25
Isaiah 53:5	Vicarious sacrifice	Romans 5:6, 8
Isaiah 53:12	Crucified with transgressors	Mark 15:27, 28
Zechariah 12:10	Hands pierced	John 20:27
Psalm 22:7-8	Scorned and mocked	Luke 23:35
Psalm 69:21	Given vinegar and gall	Matthew 27:34
Psalm 109:4	Prayer for his enemies	Luke 23:34
Psalm 22:18	Soldiers gambled for his coat	Matthew 27:35
Psalm 34:20	No bones broken	John 19:32-33, 36
Zechariah 12:10	Side pierced	John 19:34
Isaiah 53:9	Buried with the rich	Matthew 27:57-60
Psalm 16:10; 49:15	Would rise from the dead	Mark 16:6-7
Psalm 68:18	Would ascend to God’s right hand	Mark 16:19

 

D.  Alternative views to the deity of Christ.

1.   Historic heresies.

a.   Edionism - meaning “poor” came from a sect of heretical Jewish Christians in the first century who were strongly monotheistic.

1.   They believed that Jesus was an ordinary man with superhuman gifts.

2.   God worked through the man Jesus to reveal Himself.

3.   Paul’s letters were rejected as authoritative.

b.   Arianism - came from a church elder named Arius in 4th cent.

1.   The teaching was condemned at Nicea in 325.

2.   This is the view of the Jehovah’s Witnesses of today.

3.   This view sees Jesus as the unique expression and creation of God through whom God is revealed to man.

2.   Functional Christology

a.   It places an emphasis upon what Jesus did over who he was.

b.   It takes its cue from the emphasis of the NT gospels.

c.   It suggests that the emphasis on Jesus nature comes from a “Greek” worldview which is not Biblical.

d.   A response.

1.   While it is true that the NT does emphasize Christ’s work, it is not true that his nature is not important to the NT writers. Jn.1:1; I Jn.4:2-3

2.   Much of what Jesus did would not have meaning if he were not who he claimed to be.

3.   So much of his works drew attention to questions of his identity.

4.   The notion that the Biblical mentality is more “Hebrew” than “Greek” is not true.

 

The Point   Jesus’ deity is firmly established in the NT and calls all to respect his authority.

 

Response

 

Head I am to understand that: The strongest witness to the deity of Jesus is the way the NT uses OT references to Jehovah in speaking of Jesus. Heart I am to believe that: Jesus’ deity is firmly established in the NT text. Hands I am to behave by: Respecting the ultimate authority of Jesus as Lord.

Pastoral advice

 

What is the proper way to talk about the deity of Jesus?

  1.  The strongest evidence for the deity of Jesus from the Bible comes from the way the OT references to Jehovah are linked in the NT to Jesus.

  2.  The deity of Jesus is important not only in what it suggests about his authority but also in what it suggests about our nature and God’s ability and willingness to relate to us.

 

Questions that you should be able to answer.

1.  Specific facts you should know.

a.  What is the strongest Biblical witness to the deity of Jesus?

b.  Where and how does Jesus claim to be the messiah? The Son of God?

c.  What is the meaning of “Son of man”?

2.  Issues that you should be able to discuss.

a.  Why is the deity of Jesus important?

b.  Why did Jesus not come right out and proclaim his divinity?

c.  Does a person have to believe in the divinity of Jesus to be a Christian?

 

 

||    Pope Shenouda    ||    Father Matta    ||    Bishop Mattaous    ||    Fr. Tadros Malaty    ||    Bishop Moussa    ||    Bishop Alexander    ||    Habib Gerguis    ||    Bishop Angealos    ||    Metropolitan Bishoy    ||

||    The Orthodox Faith (Dogma)    ||    Family and Youth    ||    Sermons    ||    Bible Study    ||    Devotional    ||    Spirituals    ||    Fasts & Feasts    ||    Coptics    ||    Religious Education    ||    Monasticism    ||    Seasons    ||    Missiology    ||    Ethics    ||    Ecumenical Relations    ||    Church Music    ||    Pentecost    ||    Miscellaneous    ||    Saints    ||    Church History    ||    Pope Shenouda    ||    Patrology    ||    Canon Law    ||    Lent    ||    Pastoral Theology    ||    Father Matta    ||    Bibles    ||    Iconography    ||    Liturgics    ||    Orthodox Biblical topics     ||    Orthodox articles    ||    St Chrysostom    ||   

||    Bible Study    ||    Biblical topics    ||    Bibles    ||    Orthodox Bible Study    ||    Coptic Bible Study    ||    King James Version    ||    New King James Version    ||    Scripture Nuggets    ||    Index of the Parables and Metaphors of Jesus    ||    Index of the Miracles of Jesus    ||    Index of Doctrines    ||    Index of Charts    ||    Index of Maps    ||    Index of Topical Essays    ||    Index of Word Studies    ||    Colored Maps    ||    Index of Biblical names Notes    ||    Old Testament activities for Sunday School kids    ||    New Testament activities for Sunday School kids    ||    Bible Illustrations    ||    Bible short notes

||    Pope Shenouda    ||    Father Matta    ||    Bishop Mattaous    ||    Fr. Tadros Malaty    ||    Bishop Moussa    ||    Bishop Alexander    ||    Habib Gerguis    ||    Bishop Angealos    ||    Metropolitan Bishoy    ||

||    Prayer of the First Hour    ||    Third Hour    ||    Sixth Hour    ||    Ninth Hour    ||    Vespers (Eleventh Hour)    ||    Compline (Twelfth Hour)    ||    The First Watch of the midnight prayers    ||    The Second Watch of the midnight prayers    ||    The Third Watch of the midnight prayers    ||    The Prayer of the Veil    ||    Various Prayers from the Agbia    ||    Synaxarium