The Diety of the Son Lesson 6 Part 1
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“For the propechy came not at any time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” I Peter 1:21
This is Part 1 of Lesson 1 of Basic Bible Truths written by Cecil Argetsinger and distributed by mail as a free Bible study resource many years ago.
This lesson is entitled Who Wrote the Bible? Subtitle: The Bible is a Revelation of God
Enjoy and meditate on this word about the Holy Word of God!
Who is Jesus Christ?
Just who is Jesus Christ? What kind of a Person is He? These are very important questions and there are a lot of different answers around. Some people think He was only a man, a very exceptional and good man, but still only a man. Others would say He is more than just a man, that He was some kind of an angel or special being God created. Christians, however, believe that He is not a created being at all, that He never had a beginning, but that He always existed as an equal with God the Father. Who is right?
Of course there is only one place to go for answers to questions like this, that is the Bible. In it is the truth; it has the final and correct answer. By reading and studying what it has to say about Christ we learn what is true and what is false. It separates for us the right from the wrong. It gives us God’s view of the matter.
Jesus Christ is God
When all of the facts in the Bible are gathered together it can be clearly seen that, though He is truly a man, Jesus Christ is also God. That Christ is equal with the Father, that He is the same kind of a Person as the Father, is the plain teaching of God’s Word. Teaching about the Diety of Christ is simply teaching about His God-nature and God-character. The Diety of Christ means the Godhood of Christ.
In following lessons we will look into what the Bible teaches about Christ’s humanity, for His was a real human-nature. In this first lesson about Christ we will consider what it teaches about His Diety, that is, His God-nature. Not all of the Scriptures relating to the truth that Christ is God can be noted, there are too many for that. But we will take some time to consider several of the different ways by which that truth is presented.
Direct Statements
It is clearly and directly stated in Scripture that Jesus Christ is God. In Paul’s letter to Titus he wrote, “Looking for that blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13 NASV). Peter wrote, “Simon Peter, a bond servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (II Peter 1:1 NASV). Speaking directly to Christ, Thomas calls Him “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).
In his farewell words to the elders of the church at Ephesus, Paul exhorts them to “…feed the church of God which He hath purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). He here calls the blood of Christ “the blood of God.” Nor can there be any question that in speaking of the risen and glorified Lord Jesus Christ as “…the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; Whom no man hath seen nor can see: to Whom be honor and power everlasting” (I Timothy 6:14-16). Paul is equating Christ with God.
Along with His other names, Jesus Christ is sometimes called “The Word of God.” Using language that could not possibly refer to someone other than Christ, John says, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father…” (John 1:14). Again, when he pictures Christ in His future return to earth to reign in power and glory, John also speaks of Him as “the Word of God” (Revelation 19:13 cf vss. 11-16). And using that same name, “the Word,” in the first verse of his gospel, he clearly marks out Jesus Christ as God. “In the beginning was the Word (Jesus Christ), and the Word (Jesus Christ) was with God, and the Word (Jesus Christ) was God.”
Hebrews 1:8 is a quotation from Old Testament Scripture. In that verse God speaks to and of the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Listen to what He says: “Thy throne, O God (Jesus Christ), is forever and ever…” God the Father speaks to the Son and calls Him God. This whole passage, Hebrews 1:1-11, disproves the idea that Christ is an angel. Rather than classifying Him with the angels, these Scriptures set Him apart from the angels and declare Him to be far greater and higher than any such created beings.
How much more plain can words be? Clearly Jesus Christ is made equal with God in the Scriptures. Men may deny that Christ is God, but they cannot deny that this is precisely what the Scriptures teach.
Jehovah is the Great and Holy God of the Old Testament
The Old Testament was first written in the Hebrew language. In that language God was given many names. Each name had its own particular meaning and, whenever used, pointed to something significant about God. But one name stood out above all others, the name Jehovah. It was God’s most holy name and the name most often used when speaking of Him as the Redeemer and Savior of men.
Indicated in the King James Bible (also in the New American Standard Version and the New International Version) by the spelling LORD and GOD, all capitals, the name Jehovah belongs solely to God. His other names have sometimes been applied to men and to angels, a few times even to idols, but never the name Jehovah; that was His alone. “That men may know that Thou, Whose name alone is Jehovah, art the most high over all the earth” (Psalm 83:18). (Read again Lesson 5, Part 1-The Names of God.)
It was Jehovah who appeared to Abraham in human form and promised him a son (Genesis 18:1-15). It was Jehovah repeated the promises to Isaac (Genesis 26:1-5) and wrestled with Jacob at Peniel (Genesis 32:24-32). It was Jehovah (also called the Angel of Jehovah) who revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). That same Jehovah went before Israel in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire at night (Exodus 13:21-22). He it was who gave the law on Mt. Sinai in a terrible display of power and might (Exodus 19:10-20). The Shekinah glory in the holy of holies was evidence of the presence of Jehovah (Exodus 40:34-35) and there He received the worship and adoration of the nation Israel. To Him sacrifices were offered and by Him sins were pardoned and forgiven. All the works of creation are assigned to Him (Amos 5:8) and He is honored and worshiped as the Supreme God of all the ages. All blessings, material, spiritual and eternal are sought from His hand and all things are declared to be under the control of His sovereign will and power. To Him is given all honor and glory and the Scriptures array Him in robes that belong to absolute Diety only.
Jesus Christ is Jehovah
Scripture, then, is clear that Jehovah is the great and holy God of the Old Testament. But Scripture is equally clear concerning the truth that the Lord Jesus Chrsit of the New Testament is none other than the Jehovah of the Old Testament, come to us in a body of flesh. Jehovah is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is Jehovah, the same Divine Person, revealing and presenting Himself as the God-man. Scripture to this effect is abundant.
The Bible asserts that Jehovah is the Savior of man. Not only that but the statement is emphatic that He is the only Savior. “For I am the LORD (Jehovah) thy God, the holy One of Israel, thy Savior…” (Isaiah 43:3). And again, “I, even I, am the LORD (Jehovah) and beside Me there is no Savior” (Isaiah 43:11). (See also Isaiah 43:14, 45:15, 21).
But there is no more prominent truth in the whole Bible than that Jesus Christ is the Savior and Redeemer of men. When He came into this world as a Babe in Bethlehem’s manger, angelic messengers announced Him as the Savior. “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior Who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). Paul calls Him “the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior” (Titus 1:4). Philippians 3:20 says that Christians “…look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The two verses quoted earlier, Titus 2:13 and II Peter 1:1 name Christ as “our God and Savior.”
A hundred other verses could be added but these few are enough to make our point. Either there are two Saviors, Jehovah and Jesus Christ, or else there are different names of the same Person. And since Scripture states that “besides Me (Jehovah) there is no Savior” then Jesus Christ must also be Jehovah.
Jehovah says of Himself, “Thus saith…the LORD (Jehovah) of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last, and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6). But, in speaking to the apostle John on the Isle of Patmos, Jesus Christ declares, “Fear not, I am the first and I am the last” (Revelation 1:17).
The Scriptures have made no mistake. There are not two different Persons each claiming to be the “first and the last.” In each passage it is the same exalted member of the Trinity who speaks, but He is called Jehovah in Isaiah and Jesus Christ in the Revelation. It cannot be made more clear: Jehovah is both the great God of the Old Testament and the Lord Jesus Christ of the New.
Further evidence to the truth of the Diety of Jesus Christ will be given in Part 2 of the lesson, but one more passage of Scripture deserves our attention. Chapter 12 of Zechariah is said to be “the burden of the word of the LORD (Jehovah) for Israel” (Zechariah 12:1). The chapter consists of a listing of several events which will take place when Jehovah returns and regatheres a repentant Israel back into their promised land. In verse 10 of that chapter Jehovah declares that when these things take place “they (Israel) will look upon Me Whom they have pierced.”
This one verse should be enough to convince all, doubters and truth-seekers alike. When Israel crucified Jesus Christ it was their great God and Savior Jehovah whose side they pierced. And as the chapter goes on to tell, one day they will realize their sin and bitterly mourn their actions (Zechariah 12:9-14).
Jehovah is Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ is Jehovah. Jesus Christ is indeed God.
Questions for Lesson 6, Part 1
According to the Bible, what kind of Person is Jesus Christ? Just a man, a created being, or God?
What do we mean when we say, the “Diety of Christ”?
Quote a verse that states Jesus Christ is God.
Who is Jehovah?
Give the New Testament name of Jehovah.
Give a verse from the Old Testament and a corresponding one from the New Testament that show that Jesus Christ and Jehovah are one and the same Person.
Answers for Lesson 6, Part 1
According to the Bible, Jesus Christ is God.
The “Diety of Christ” means the Godhood, or God-nature, of Christ.
John 1:1 states that Jesus Christ, who is called the Word, is God. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
Jehovah is the great and holy God of the Old Testament.
Jesus Christ is the New Testament name of Jehovah.
“I, even I, am the LORD (Jehovah); and beside Me there is no Savior” (Isaiah 43:11).
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is “Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11).
These two verses show that Jehovah and Jesus Christ are the same Person.
