Posted on 12/03/2016 3:46:07 PM PST by metmom
“[Christ] existed in the form of God” (Philippians 2:6).
Scripture makes clear that Christ is God.
The deity of Christ is the heart of the Christian faith. Inevitably when people attack the Christian faith, they attack the deity of Christ. Scripture makes clear, however, that such attacks are unfounded. The apostle John said, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, he began his Gospel by affirming the deity of Christ. John further declared Christ’s deity when he wrote, “All things came into being through [Christ], and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men” (vv. 3-4). In John 8:58 Jesus said, “Before Abraham was born, I AM.” Jesus appropriated to Himself the name of God, who said, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex. 3:14).
In Colossians 1:15-17 the apostle Paul wrote of Christ’s deity: “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Christ is God, the Creator. The writer of Hebrews says, “[Christ] is the radiance of [God’s] glory and the exact representation of His nature” (1:3). Christianity begins with the recognition that Jesus Christ is in essence the eternal God.
Whenever someone confronts you by attacking the deity of Christ, be sure to defend the faith, “holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching” (Titus 1:9).
Suggestions for Prayer
At the core of defending God’s Word is an accurate interpretation of Scripture. Ask Him to help you interpret His Word accurately (see 2 Tim. 2:15).
For Further Study
John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word,” which undoubtedly reminded John’s readers of Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” What do the following verses demonstrate about Christ: 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 3:19; Hebrews 1:1-2?
Studying God’s Word ping
Thank you. Grace to You has been such a wonderful learning resource. Really appreciate you posting this :)
to me this particular issue isn’t relevant.
If Christ was given authority by God to forgiven sins and pronounce judgement, does it really matter if he is God or not? either way our actions needed to be saved are exactly the same.
I used to go round and round with Iglesia ni Cristo (Philippine church of Christ. They deny the deity of Christ) Needless to say, their arguments don’t hold water. Their best claim, is to simply say that Jesus did not claim deity. That, of course, is a false statement.
Well, yes, because it fulfills Scripture. And it’s about more than simply the authority to forgive sin and pronounce judgment.
The deity of Christ is the cornerstone on which redemption rests. No one else could have died and paid for our sins, regardless of whether our actions are the same.
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The simple statement “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30) should suffice for any thinking person.
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God can do whatever he wishes.
If he wished to give Christ the power and authority to pay for our sins with his life, he can do so.
God cannot do whatever He wishes. That’s a false premise.
God cannot lie, He cannot change, He cannot deny Himself.
That said..... He DID give Christ the authority to do all those things.
And He probably could have any way, even if Jesus wasn’t God.
But He Was and Is.
John 1:1-4 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 was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
John 1:14 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.
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
John 10:30 I and the Father are one.”
John 14:8-13 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.
Matthew 1:22-23 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
Colossians 2:9-10 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
1 John 2:22-25 Who is the liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
Miracles Jesus performed = over 40; think 43 if I counted correctly one time
Miracles performed by Mohammed = 0
: )
I would add that the Holy Spirit inspired prophets of God who foretold that the Messiah would be "God with us" (Isaiah 7:14) and that "he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6). If Jesus was not God incarnate, then he wasn't the Messiah/Christ. Jesus also received worship - which would be blasphemy were he not truly God. The Jewish religious leaders sought to put him to death because of this.
Lastly, ONLY God is perfect and without sin distinct from ALL mankind, of whom ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). No mere man could have lived a perfectly sinless life in order to be the spotless sacrifice for the sins of the world. Only God taking on human flesh could do this as God said it would happen. It really is a central core truth of Christianity. To reject the Deity of Jesus is to deny the Christian faith.
I am particularly fond of the passage in John 14. It was a sort of Physics lesson for the disciples. What Jesus said to them was ‘all you can sense of God directly is where God intersects your limits of sensing, for space and time coordinate system ... and that is ME.’ Jesus is I AM with us.
Yes, it's why they say we are idol worshipers and believe in three gods. Many Jews also accuse us of this and reject Jesus as Messiah because they believe worshiping Him would be disobedient to the commandment to have no other gods before the One God, Hashem.
That immediately violates the "First" Commandment (there's a reason it is first). Numerous violations of fundamental Torah teachings (if a dead man who is called god hanging from a cross, or even just the cross, isn't an idol, what is?) abound.
Of the big three, Judaism and Islam *are* monotheistic and don't worship idols or Prophets or men.
The reason Judaism and Christianity are different religions is because they worship DIFFERENT GODS. Res ipsa loquitur.
HaShem created man in the image of God. Man created a god in the image of man - an extreme violation.
Yeshayahu - Chapter 45: 20-23Assemble and come, approach together, you survivors of the nations; those who carry their graven wooden image and pray to a god who does not save, do not know.
Declare and present, let them even take counsel together; who announced this from before, [who] declared it from then? Is it not I, the Lord, and there are no other gods besides Me, a just and saving God there is not besides Me.
Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God, and there is no other.
By Myself I swore, righteousness emanated from My mouth, a word, and it shall not be retracted, that to Me shall every knee kneel, every tongue shall swear."
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He who is eternal cannot be an addition.
Speaking from deliberate ignorance makes you look foolish, and dooms you eternally.
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BTW, Elohim is plural, as I’m sure you know.
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there are many verses that show Jesus praying to God and that refer to him standing at the right hand of God in heaven.
All I am trying to do is proposing an answer to the mystery of the trinity.
Think of it this way... if you got to heaven and found out after getting there.. that Jesus was not God, but instead was literally God’s heavenly son that God created to be with him at the beginning who temporarily gave up his heavenly existence to come to earth as a child and die for our sins... would it matter? would you stomp out of heaven mad?
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The word says plainly that everything that was created was created by the Son.
Why reach for garbage when the cream is in your hand?
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