Jesus Christ Is God the Lord
You
know the message God sent to the people of
In the 2000 years since Jesus
was on this earth, Christians have confessed that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 12:3). In all these
years the truths the devil has attacked the most are our teaching on God, and
salvation by faith in Christ.
Many people deny there is any
God, and many believe there are many gods. Some false teachers promote a god
who is one person only, but that god is not the Lord of the Christian faith
either. The transcendent God of the Bible is a Spirit Who is holy, perfect,
mysterious, and infinite. God is an unchangeable and glorious unity of three equal
Persons. There is nothing in all of creation really like Him, and there never
could be. Nothing and no one is like God. If any Person of the three were
removed, the result would be no God at all. There is only one God, and the
Trinity is what this holy God is. He is Who He is (Exodus 3:14), and only God
can tell us Who He is, whether we understand or not.
We confess that one of the
three, a fully divine Person, became a man and lived among us. Since it is so
hard to deny that there ever was a Jesus of Nazareth, we often hear “experts” admit
that there was a Jesus, but deny that He is God the Lord. That issue is the
subject of this booklet. There are a thousand views of Jesus but only one truth
about Him, the teaching of the Bible.
Truth about Christ is at the
heart of our faith. Eternal life depends on believing in the true God (John
17:3). Whether we recognize anyone as a brother or sister in Christ depends on how
we identify Christ. Who Jesus is, is the key test of orthodoxy or apostasy (1
John 4:1-3). God the Father has set up the
Man Christ Jesus as the only Mediator between Himself and us (1 Timothy 2:5). There
is no other access to God (John 14:6).
This booklet intends to convince
readers that there is great depth to the Bible’s teaching that Jesus is the
Lord God. My approach to this truth uses many Scriptures to show how emphatic,
central, and clear it is. Not many Scriptures state explicitly that Jesus is
God, yet in many ways the Scriptures show that He is. Tracing those connections
within the Bible must include the Old Testament. The Lord told us that the OT
Scriptures testify to Him (John 5:39,46; Luke 24:25,44). In addition, what Jesus
said about Himself in the Gospels deserves very special attention. How can
anyone be a believer in Christ unless he accepts the words of Christ? To all
this, the Lord’s apostles add their testimony.
I have provided many
references, because I hope this booklet will encourage study of those passages.
I have tried to answer only a few denials of our Lord’s deity. Jesus
Christ Is God the Lord emphasizes the massive Biblical testimony that our
Savior is God.
A. Texts that Say
that Jesus is God
From the Apostle John In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God (John 1:1). No one has ever seen God, but God
the Only Begotten, who is at the Father's side, has made him known
(John 1:18). In the opening of his Gospel John called Jesus God two times. At the end of that
Gospel, John reported that Thomas said to Jesus, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John
20:28). This same apostle ended one of his letters with, “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us
understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is
true – even in his Son Jesus Christ. He
is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). So four times John applied
the word God to Jesus.
From the Apostle Paul Paul said
that from the people of
From the Apostle Peter In 2 Peter
1:1 Peter wrote of Christ as “our God and Savior” in a way very
similar to Paul’s words in Titus 2:13.
From the Writer of Hebrews The
Father says to the Son, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever…” (Hebrews 1:8). It is not surprising that Jesus is called God, because only One Who is God can be “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3), and that is what the
Son is.
The Surprise Even
though these verses show that Jesus is called God, this important fact is not the greatest proof. In one place the
devil is called the god of this world
(2 Corinthians 4:4), and humans might be called gods (though rarely) because they were leaders, as in John
10:34,35. The word God is not the Lord’s personal name. When the Bible
says “God” it means the Lord Himself, especially in relation to His exalted position above all others. In a
workplace, people may speak of the boss, the one with that position, but boss is not the boss’s real name. The
Apostle Paul’s usual way to speak of the Father is God, and Jesus as Lord as in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6. Only twice
does Paul use the term God for Jesus.
That brings us to what really is the strongest evidence that Jesus is the Lord
God.
B. New Testament Texts that Apply “Jehovah” to Jesus
The chief reason to believe
that Christ is the Lord of glory (1
Corinthians 2:8) is the way the NT calls Him Lord. Sometimes the Greek word for Lord (kurios) simply means “Sir”.
That is a proper way to address many people in this world, but it does not
imply that they are God! (See Matthew 25:11.) The NT uses kurios to
indicate Sarah’s respect for her husband (1 Peter 3:6). She did not mean that
Abraham was the Lord. However, in
certain places when Lord was used for
Jesus, it meant that He is a Person the OT calls “LORD”. Those
texts are the clearest proof that Jesus Christ is also the Lord God!
We begin by identifying NT
texts that quote OT texts in such a way as to identify Jesus as the LORD God of
LORD or Lord
in the Old Testament In the OT, the Name of God is always given in
English Bibles as LORD [1] in four capital letters.
That is God’s Name (Yahweh),[2] not His title or position.
There are other words used in the OT that mean high position. One of them
(Adonai) is also translated “Lord” (but without four capitals). Psalm 110:1 has
the Name and a title: “The LORD says to my Lord…”
1. The Way
Philippians 2 Quotes Isaiah 45
Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant
past? Was it not I, the LORD? And there is no God apart from me, a righteous
God and a Savior; there is none but me. "Turn to me and be saved, all you
ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn,
my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before
me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. (Isaiah 45:21-23)
… God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name
that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians
2:9-11)
In Isaiah 45 the LORD is speaking. As in Deuteronomy
4:35,39, He declares there is no other God apart from Him and no other Savior.
Both God and Savior are used of Jesus in the NT, which would be inappropriate if
Jesus cannot be identified with the LORD in Isaiah 45. The major announcement
in Isaiah 45 is so important that God swears to its truth. He announced that
every knee will bow before Him as God, and every tongue will confess by His
Name. In this way the Lord God of
2. The Way 1
Peter 3 Quotes Isaiah 8
Do not call conspiracy everything that these people call
conspiracy; do not fear what they fear, and do not dread it. The LORD
Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy, he is the one you are to
fear, he is the one you are to dread, and he will be a sanctuary; but for both
houses of
But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are
blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened." But
in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord … (1 Peter 3:14, 15)
Peter quoted Isaiah 8 where the LORD told the people
not to fear what others feared. They should fear only the LORD. To sanctify the
LORD they must make a distinction. Only the LORD was to be their trust, not
whatever others turned to for help. Who should be set apart in the heart as
Lord? At this point the Apostle inserted Christ
into the OT quotation! This was not an accident. Instead of saying “Set apart
the Lord in your hearts,” he said, “Set apart Christ as Lord in your hearts.” Peter deliberately identified
Christ as the LORD of Isaiah 8.
3. The Way
Hebrews 1 Quotes Psalm 102 Hebrews 1:5-13 contrasts the Son with angels and
equates him with God. It quotes Psalm 45, telling us that it is about the
Son: “But of the Son he says, ‘Your
throne, O God, is forever and ever.’” After calling the Son God, it then quotes Psalm 102, calling Him
Lord. Psalm 102:25 says, “In the
beginning you laid the foundations of the earth…” But Hebrews 1:10 adds “O Lord,” because the
Name LORD is already in the Psalm in previous verses. The Psalmist was speaking
to the LORD when he said, “In the beginning you laid the foundation of the
earth…” By adding “O Lord”, Hebrews 1 equates Jesus with the LORD God of the
Old Testament, the Creator.
4. Other OT References to the LORD Applied to Jesus in
the NT
· Deuteronomy 10:17 says, “For the LORD your God is God
of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome…” Now consider that Jesus is
called the “King of kings and Lord of
lords” in Revelation 17:14 & 19:16.
· Isaiah 40:3-5
predicted a man would come as a voice in the desert, telling the people to “prepare a way for the LORD…a highway for
our God”. John the Baptist introduced Jesus as that LORD. When he quoted
Isaiah 40 he gave his wonderful understanding of Who Christ was (John
1:23,29-34; see also Matthew 3:3; 11:10).
· The LORD Who
spoke the words of Proverbs 3:12 is Christ in Revelation 3:19.
· In Zechariah
12:10, the LORD spoke of a time when They
will look on me, the one they have pierced… The Apostle John tells us this
Scripture was fulfilled in the death of Jesus. So when people looked on the
pierced body of Jesus, it was the Lord God of
· In Romans 10:9,
salvation comes by confessing Jesus as Lord. The apostle supported that
position by quoting Joel 2:32: "Everyone
who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved." The Lord in Romans
10 is Jesus, and in Joel 2 it is Yahweh.
· Compare Isaiah
6:1-3 with John 12:39-41. Do not miss John 12:41 where Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory
when He saw the Lord high and lifted up! (In Isaiah 6:1 it is the respectful
term Adonai, but in 6:3 it is Yahweh.) When Isaiah saw the LORD, he saw the glory of
Jesus!
· Isaiah 8:14 says
that the LORD will become a stumbling stone. In Romans 9:32,33 that stone is
the Person predicted in Isaiah 28:16. Peter says this stone is Christ (1 Peter
2:4-8). (See Luke 2:34.)
· The LORD
proclaimed the Sabbath as His (Exodus 31:12-17), and in Mark 2:27,28, Jesus
said of Himself, “the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”
The Apostles Paul, Peter, and John, and the writer of Hebrews all speak of Jesus as the LORD of OT Scripture. The strongest evidence that Jesus is the Lord God is the way the NT Scriptures apply that Name to Him! He too has that holy Name which only God may have.
Who has the Name Jehovah? Those who claim allegiance to the Name Jehovah, but deny that Christ is Jehovah (or Yahweh), do not recognize
the real Jehovah. They have separated the inseparable Father and Son and have
adopted a devilish one-person-only god of their own invention. Then they
restrict the Name “Jehovah” to the Father only, the very opposite of what the
Father does! There is only one LORD God of
C. Old Testament Evidence: the Angel of the Lord
The Old Testament speaks of
a Person sent by the LORD called the Angel of the Lord. Except for the
Son of God, angels are His creatures. The word angel simply means messenger,
thus angels are God’s agents. Christ can be called an Angel/Messenger without
being one of God’s created angels. This special Angel, called the Angel of the LORD, is often identified
as the LORD; yet He is also distinguished from the LORD. The OT never explains
the Trinity, even though it is clear in it that the LORD is more than one
Person. In fact, in Isaiah 42:1; 48:16; & 61:1, there are three Persons!
When we compare this with the NT, we conclude that the Angel of the Lord[4] in the OT refers to Christ, sent by the Father as His Messenger.
Genesis 16:7-14 The Angel of the LORD Who
spoke to Hagar was the LORD. Yet this Angel spoke of the LORD as another Person
(v.11). Hagar saw only the Angel of the Lord and called Him God in v.13. It was the Angel of the
LORD Who spoke to her (v.9), yet it was “the LORD Who spoke to her,” (v. 13). This is the first mention in
the Bible of this Person, Who is called both LORD and God.
Exodus 23:20-33 The LORD said, “See, I am
sending an angel ahead of you …” He is usually called “the Angel of the
Lord”, but in Exodus 23 He is simply “My Angel”.[5] Since He has the right not to forgive, He has the prerogative of God
alone, and thus He has the rank of God. Note Mark 2:7-12. (See below, He forgave sins.) What this
Angel/Messenger says is what God says. He not only speaks for the LORD but as the
LORD (v.22). His actions are God’s (vv.23,27-30). Two divine Persons are
distinguished Who function in unity.
The words “My Name is in
Him” (v.21) deserve special attention. This is not like naming someone in
honor of another person. Name is a synonym for person, so “My Name is in Him” means “I am in Him”.[6] (See John 10:36-38; 14:10,11.) In Deuteronomy 12:11 a dwelling for the
LORD’s Name is simply a dwelling for the LORD. Since God’s Name is repeatedly identified
with this Angel, the Name “Yahweh” or “Jehovah” is the Name of this Messenger.
Genesis 22 God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, and then the Angel of the LORD restrained him. He said that Abraham had not withheld his son “from Me” (vv.11,12). So the Angel of the LORD is the LORD to Whom Isaac was about to be offered. In vv.15-17 the Angel of the LORD swore that He would give Abraham many descendants. Hebrews 6:13-18 says it was God Who made that promise, and Exodus 32:11-14 says it was the LORD who made it. It is obvious that the Angel of the LORD is God the LORD.
Other Scriptures:
The use of this title in the
Old Testament shows that:
1. The Angel of
the LORD was sent by the LORD.
2. This Angel of
the LORD is a different Person from the LORD Who sent Him.
3. The Angel of
the LORD is identified as the LORD.
The Lord Jesus never used
this title for Himself, nor does any other Scripture explicitly identify this title
with Messiah, Son of David, or Son of Man. In Malachi 3:1 the word translated messenger appears twice. Both times in the
Greek OT it is the word angel
(aggelos). [7] The first messenger was to prepare the way for the Lord. That
messenger was John the Baptist (Matthew 11:7-15 & Mark 1:1-8). The One John
was to introduce was the Lord. He is also called a messenger or angel. He is the Messenger of the Covenant, or the
Angel of the Covenant (Malachi 3:1). Thus the last page of the OT identifies Christ
as this Angel.
The OT Angel of the LORD fits the NT presentation of Christ. Christ as the
Word is the Messenger from God (John 1:1,18). God has spoken in His Son
(Hebrews 1:1,2). Christ was sent by His Father (see John 8:42; 10:36), but He
is distinguished from His Father. No one but One Who is LORD may claim the
unique Name of the LORD, yet Jesus did so. This other Person appears as a
unique Angel early and late in the OT, and was born to a human mother in the
NT. He too is the LORD God of
D. Old Testament Evidence: the Shepherd of God’s People
The
Mighty One of Jacob … the Shepherd, the Rock of
The Shepherd
of
Shepherds may
be pastors (Acts 20:28) or rulers. For example, King David became the shepherd
of the nation (Psalm 78:70-72). How can we know whether Jesus is more than that
kind of shepherd? Does the Bible really present Christ as God the LORD, the
Shepherd of God’s people?
Jesus’ bold answer was, “I AM the Good Shepherd” John 10:11,14. He was claiming to be the
Shepherd of Psalm 80. Other NT texts support this. Christ is the Chief Shepherd in 1 Peter 5:1-4 and “that
great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20), to whom glory is due for ever
and ever! This is language suitable only for God. The OT presentation of God as
the Shepherd is followed by a NT revelation where Christ has the same title
three times. He is the Shepherd, not a shepherd, but the chief one above all
others.
When the OT speaks of the LORD as Shepherd (Isaiah
40:10,11) and then of Christ as the Shepherd in the NT, it tells us Who Jesus
really is. The following Messianic passages all speak of Christ in the role of
Shepherd. Since the LORD promises Himself as the Shepherd to come in these
texts, this shows that Christ as the LORD God is their fulfillment.
1. The Messianic Shepherd in Micah 5:2-5 But you, Bethlehem
Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come
for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from
ancient times … He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of
the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they will live
securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth. And he will be their peace.
The One to be born in
2. The Messianic Shepherd in Ezekiel 34 This text has
more detail than any other about the LORD as Shepherd. In Ezekiel’s time,
The LORD emphasized His personal involvement as the
Shepherd: “I myself will search for my sheep” (v.11); I will look after
my sheep (v.12); I will rescue them (v.12); I will bring them (v.13); I will
pasture them (v.13), and I will tend them (v.14). In verses 11-22 the Sovereign
LORD proclaimed what He would do 15 times. Then He said He would do it by means
of His servant David. In promising Himself, He was promising Christ. The “I
myself” of v.11 turns into “I will place
over them… my servant David” (v.23).
“Then they will know that I, the LORD their God, am with them and that
they, the house of
The prophecy
of the Shepherd/Messiah coming means the LORD will be with them. (Note the same
theme in Ezekiel 37 below.) In Ezekiel 34:31, God declares that the people are His sheep. Then Jesus calls them HIS
sheep (John 10:14,26). In speaking this way, Jesus identified Himself as the
LORD of those sheep, the fulfillment of Ezekiel 34. He did it in two ways: He
claimed that He was the Shepherd, and He claimed that the sheep were His (John
10:11,14,26). Jesus used the specific language of “one Shepherd” (John
10:16) found in Ezekiel 34:23.
Christ is a
contrast to the shepherds who slaughter the sheep in Ezekiel 34:3, and abuse
the flock. In John 10 Jesus is the contrast to the abusive shepherds of John 9.
In Ezekiel 34 sheep died as a meal for their shepherds, but the Good Shepherd
said He would die for His flock (John 10:10,11). With specific language and
clear parallels, Jesus affirmed His position as the divine Shepherd over God’s
flock. The Lord Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy.
3. The Messianic Shepherd in Ezekiel 37:24-27 “My servant
David will be king over them, and they will all have one shepherd. They will follow my laws and be careful to keep my
decrees. They will live in the land I gave to my servant Jacob, the land where
your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children will
live there forever, and David my servant will be their prince forever. I will
make a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant. I will
establish them and increase their numbers, and I will put my sanctuary among
them forever. My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and
they will be my people.”
My servant
David refers to the coming Son of David. Only Jesus can be
the fulfillment of this promise. Micah 5:5 promises peace, and Ezekiel 37
predicts a covenant of peace. Jesus
is the Mediator of that new and everlasting covenant. (See Hebrews 8:6-13,
9:15, 12:24, & 13:20.) Jesus’ blood is the
blood of the new covenant (Luke 22:20).
The Benediction of Hebrews 13 Ezekiel 37 promised Christ (the Son of David,
v.24), a covenant of peace (v.26), in fact an everlasting one (v.26), with
cleansing from sin (v.23) and with a new obedience instilled in them
(v.24). Hebrews 13:20,21 pronounces a
blessing from the God of peace, who acts through the (cleansing) blood of
Christ that great Shepherd of the sheep. The result of all this is that God
works in our hearts obedience pleasing to Him.
When the LORD said, “…and I will put my sanctuary among them forever” (v.26) He
promised that the Son of David would be their
prince forever (v.25). Christ is the future Shepherd, King and Prince. This
indicates a permanent reconciliation.
Revelation 21:3 says, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They
will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” The
sanctuary is the Presence of God among His people. When Jesus was made flesh,
it was the LORD making His dwelling among men (John 1:14), just as He had in
the desert. Jesus was the new tabernacle of God on earth. In Moses’ day people
saw the glory of God above the former tabernacle (Exodus 40:34,35). When Jesus
Christ became flesh, humans could see the glory of God on earth again. The old tabernacle
was built so God could be among His people. Later, He put His Presence on earth
again by sending Christ, so that whoever saw Him saw the Father (John 14:9).
None of this makes any sense unless Jesus was the Lord God in the flesh.
Christ fulfils it all. He claimed to be that “one shepherd”. He is the Son of David, the promised Prince, the Mediator of the new covenant, and His presence here was the sanctuary of God on earth.
4. The
Messianic Shepherd in Jeremiah 23:1-6 Closely related to Ezekiel 34 and 37 is Jeremiah’s
prophecy. Both prophets spoke of the same problem in the same time frame.
Shepherd-Rulers were destroying the flock. Both prophets predicted a good king to
come in the line of David. Jeremiah says that the LORD Himself would gather His
flock (v.3), the kind of thing a shepherd does. Then the prophet added that
this coming king would be righteous. The fulfillment of Jeremiah 23 is Jesus,
the Good (and righteous) Shepherd in the line of David. The LORD said
Does Jeremiah 23:6 teach that Christ is the
LORD God? Many people had names that referred to the
Lord. For example, Isaiah’s name means “the LORD saves”. Ezekiel’s name means
“God makes strong”. It never meant that Ezekiel was God. Such names made
God-glorifying statements, but they did not describe the
person with the name. A name that confesses the LORD is not a claim to being
the LORD. “The LORD our Righteousness”, however, is descriptive of Christ, as are His four names in Isaiah 9:6. In
Isaiah 7:14 Immanuel (God with us) is also a statement about Him (Matthew
1:23). The Name “Jesus” was given because He is the Savior Who “will save His
people from their sins.”
Jesus is our righteousness (1 Corinthians
1:30), because He is the only One Who has obeyed God’s law, In His obedience believers
are declared righteous (Romans 5:19). Micah and Ezekiel proclaimed peace
through this Shepherd. Those justified by faith in Christ, the LORD our
Righteousness, have peace with God (Romans
5:1,2), because He is the righteousness we need (2 Corinthians 5:21).
5. The Messianic Shepherd in Zechariah 13:7 Zechariah prophesied of the Shepherd being
struck and the sheep being scattered. Jesus quoted this text about Himself in Matthew
26:31 & Mark 14:27. So Jesus is the Shepherd Zechariah predicted. He is a
man yet He is called God’s “Companion” (NKJV) or “the man who stands next to me”
(ESV). If Jesus is that closely associated with the LORD, He must be more than
a man. The Shepherd, Who would be struck and crucified, is the Partner of the
Father.
Summary of the LORD as Shepherd: Jesus said the Scriptures testify about Him (John 5:39). He would be born in the
line of David in
So Jesus Christ is the Mighty One of Jacob … the Shepherd, the
Rock of
E.
Four Titles Jesus Used for Himself
3.
The Son of God Of the four titles we are
considering, the one that relates most directly to the deity of Christ is “Son
of God”. Many times (almost 100 in the Gospel of John alone) the Lord Jesus
spoke of God as “the Father” or “My Father” (John 5:17). When He did so, He
implied that as the Father’s unique Son He was the Father’s equal (John 5:18). When
He spoke of God as the Father of others He said “your Father”; for His
relationship He said “My Father” (John 20:17). He used the short form “Son”
(Matthew 11:27) more often than “Son of God” (John 10:36). When He said “Son of
Man” He was the eternal Son of God commissioned to become a man, yet always
retaining the rank of God. When He said “Son” He meant that He was the Father’s
obedient partner, eternal companion, and perfect reflection. As adopted children we are not the
brightness of God’s glory, but Jesus is (Hebrews 1:3). By this simple word Son,
Jesus meant emphatically that He too, is God and Lord in the indivisible
Trinity. (See John 5:19-23 below in The Son Does Everything God Does.)
The title Son of Man
appears in the four Gospels more than 70 times. This was the title Jesus used
of Himself more than any other. In Daniel 7 this great Person, the Son of Man, is distinguished from
the Ancient of Days. The Ancient of Days is the Eternal LORD God. So Daniel 7 shows
again that the LORD is more than one Person. In Daniel 7, the Father gives
Christ full authority (see John 5:27) over the world (note Matthew 11:27; 28:18
& John 3:35). Worship is reserved for the LORD alone (Exodus 20:3-5), yet
in Daniel 7 worshiping this Son of Man is proper. When asked in His trial if He
was “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed,” Jesus replied with Daniel 7:13: “ ‘I am,’ said Jesus.
‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One
and coming on the clouds of heaven,’” (Mark 14:62). Jesus’ reply has the
emphatic I Am in it, indicating the
Name of the Lord. The reaction of His enemies charging Him with blasphemy
reveals that they understood His reply. They knew “coming with clouds” implied
He would come as God in power to enforce His will. (See Psalm 18:6-15; 97; 104;
Isaiah 19:1; & Nahum 1:2-6).
As the Son of Man, Jesus wore this majestic title in poverty and death
(Matthew 8:20 & 17:12). He will also wear it in the glory of His Second Coming
(Matthew 13:41, 16:27, 19:28; 25:31). [10]
There are other titles for
Christ,
such as the Word (John 1:1,14) and the Savior (John 4:42), but the four
above are ones the Lord used of Himself. He also said that He was their Lord
(Matthew 12:8) and Teacher, another example of Jesus applying the role of the
LORD to Himself. (See Psalm 25:9 and Isaiah 48:17, “I am the LORD your God Who teaches you.”) We have one ultimate
Teacher (Matthew 23:8-11), and Jesus is that Teacher (John 13:13,14). His use
of all of these various titles fit His repeated claim that He was their Lord
God.
In the Hour of Trial Before the Sanhedrin,
Jesus affirmed that He was the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Christ – all
three! (Luke 22:69,70; Mark 14:60-62; Matthew 26:63,64). On that same day Jesus
acknowledged before Pilate that He was the King of the Jews (Matthew 27:11;
John 18:36,37). That is something He would say only if He was affirming that He
is the Son of David.
Summary
of the Four Titles To
be the Christ, Jesus had to be the Son of David. The Son of David in Isaiah 7 would
be “God with us”. The Lord claimed both titles. More often He said He was the
Son. His enemies knew such words were a claim of deity, and the Lord never
corrected that conclusion, sometimes saying in their presence that He was the
Son of God. Most often Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of Man. Every time
He used that title, He was implying, according to Daniel 7, that it was proper
for Him to be worshipped as God, and that all authority over all people for all
time was legitimately His from His Father.
F. Statements Jesus Made about Himself
Matthew 11:25-28: Only the Son Knows the Father
“… Jesus said, ‘I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and
revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good
pleasure.’ All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the
Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to
whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and
burdened, and I will give you rest.”
In these words Jesus
claimed an exclusive knowledge that He and the Father have of each other,
shared by no creature. (Like the Son,
the Holy Spirit also knows the mind of God, 1Corinthians 2:10,11.) God does not
learn since He already knows all things. His infinite knowledge cannot
increase. When Jesus claimed He knew the Father in the precise way that God
knew Him, He claimed to have the omniscience of God. Only an infinite Person
can know the infinite God completely, and that is the knowledge Jesus said He
had of God the Father. For Him to say such a thing was to say that He is the
Lord God.
The Father and the Son each
reveal the other, are able to do so and have the right to do so. The Father
withholds and reveals; the Son also reveals to whom He chooses.
These statements implying deity are followed by Christ
inviting His hearers to come to Him. After speaking of the Father as Lord of heaven and earth, it would be
pathetic for Him to say, “Come to Me” if He were not God. In Isaiah 45:22 the
LORD said from heaven: “Turn to me and be saved.” Jesus is the Lord God Who
had spoken that way through Isaiah, and then later as a man on earth, He repeated
that divine invitation with His famous “Come
to Me…”
Matthew
28:18-20: The Son Shares the Name of God
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey
everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very
end of the age.
Here Christ does not speak as a mere ambassador of
God. He speaks as God commanding God’s servants what to do. Such authority was
predicted in Daniel 7:13,14. In Matthew 28, Jesus’ authority is total and
unrestricted; it includes heaven! Can anyone less than God have all authority
in heaven? No, never. Then to comfort His disciples, Jesus said He would be with them to the end, which is
wonderfully consistent with Jesus being called Immanuel, “God with us”.
Christ did not say baptism would be into the names
(plural) of each Person, but into one Name (singular) shared by all three. It
is not into the name of the Father and the name of the Son. Baptism is into the
Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Usually even false
teachers will admit that the Father has the Name Yahweh (or Jehovah). In Matthew 28, we see that God’s Name belongs
also to the Son and the Spirit. No creature shares that Name. Jesus never took
the Name of the LORD in vain. He was simply asserting His own Name when He
taught that it was His. Jesus Christ is the Lord God, so the glorious and
awesome Name (Deuteronomy 28:58) is His as much as the Father’s. “The LORD
will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his
name the only name.” (Zechariah 14:9)
John
5:19-23: The Son Does Everything God Does
… "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by
himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son
also does. For the Father
loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show
him even greater things than these. For just as
the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to
whom he is pleased to give it. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but
has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they
honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who
sent him. [11]
This paragraph may be Jesus’ most detailed statement on record concerning His deity. He had been criticized for healing on the Sabbath (John 5:16). This time, instead of defending His Sabbath miracle as a mercy to the needy, He proclaimed that He was only acting as His Father does. He made it clear that it was perfectly proper for Him to do so, AND He added that His divine activities include all that the Father does. The Father has authorized all of this (note Matthew 11:27) and has set Him forward so prominently that whatever honor goes to God should go to the Son as well (v.23).
Jesus is never independent of the Father (v.19). The Father holds back nothing from the Son (vv.19,20). All the secrets of God belong to Christ. (See Deuteronomy 29:29.) Whatever right role or authority belongs to God, belongs to Christ. This includes raising the dead (vv.21; 24-29), choosing who would receive life (v.21), and judging the world (vv.22 & 30). (See also Revelation 6:15-17.) The purpose of all this is that what is unthinkable to God, namely viewing Jesus Christ as anything less than the Lord God, would become unthinkable to us. We are forever to give full honor to Christ the same way we honor God the Father. We cannot honor the Father if we refuse to recognize the true position of His Son.
John 10:27-38: The Son Is One with the Father
“I give them [My sheep] eternal life, and they shall never
perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can
snatch them out of my Father's hand. I
and the Father are one." Again the
Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown
you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone
me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the
Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be
God." (John 10:28-33)
Those
who deny the Trinity, but still pretend to agree with the Bible, say that the
unity of Jesus and the Father is merely a unity of purpose. (See Objection 6,
below.) They deny that Christ claimed personal equality with God. Here in John
10, Jesus spoke of His and the Father’s preserving power as My hand/His hand. In this way He claimed
mutual possession of the power of God. Both were doing what only God the Savior
can do – save and preserve for eternity. Since Christ participates in the
omnipotence of God, He is of the essence of God. The keeping work of Son and
Father is coordinated because the two Keepers are one. This is similar to Jesus
saying, “Trust in God; trust also in Me,”
in John 14:1. Such language would be terribly arrogant unless both are
equally worthy of our trust. Only God has the power of God. Since Jesus’ hands,
like the Father’s, do the same thing, He too is the Lord God. The ability to preserve
His flock is the almighty power of both Persons.
In
John 5:18 Jesus’ claim of Sonship was viewed by His opponents as implying
equality with God. This shows that they understood Him. This same reaction
happened in John 8:58,59, and now again in John 10. Jesus did not correct them,
as if they had misunderstood Him. He did not revise or weaken His lofty claim
of the role of God in John 5, or the Name of God in John 8. In John 10:34-38, Jesus
added that He was the unique Son, (the Father’s very own) sent from
heaven, and doing what His Father does. Rather than modify His words, Jesus
went on to reaffirm this unity as one in which the Father is in Him and He in
the Father. Since Jesus was and is God, when people sensed a claim of deity, He
neither retracted such a claim nor reacted as the apostles did in Acts
14:14-18, or the angel in Revelation 19:10.
John
14:8,9: To See Christ Is to See the
Father
Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for
us." Jesus answered: "Don't
you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?” (John
14:8,9)
When
Jesus said that to see Him was to see the Father, He was not saying He is the
Father. He was saying, however, that all that the Father is, He is. There is no
more of God to see in the Father than is found in Christ, because all that God is,
Christ is (Colossians 2:9). (See below, “He is the Image of God”.)
The I Am’s of Jesus Many Christians recognize that Jesus applied the
Name of Jehovah to Himself by the way He said “I Am”. (See above “New Testament
Texts that Apply ‘Jehovah’ to Jesus ” plus the related footnote.) In Greek, one
can say “I am” by using a single word (eimi) without a pronoun. The Name “I AM”
is two words (ego eimi) with the pronoun added. "God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM.
This is what you are to say to the Israelites: `I AM has sent me to
you.' " (Exodus 3:14). In Greek, the underlined I AM is two words. In Isaiah 41:4 & 45:18 the LORD refers to
Himself as I AM. Scripture never
reports Jesus as saying “I am God”. If it had, that would not be as strong as
His confessing the divine Name by simply saying, “I Am”!
Jesus used I Am (with both Greek words) to refer to
Himself numerous times. The most startling moment was: “Truly, truly,” Jesus
answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
At this, they picked up stones to stone him…” (John 8:58,59). This was a
claim of pre-existence. It fit in well with His repeated claim that He had came
from above (John 6:33,38,50,51,58). John 8:58 is Jesus’ clearest word that all
that the LORD of the OT is applies fully to Him. His contemporaries knew
instantly that He had taken the Lord’s Name as His own. He was saying that He
was the LORD God of Abraham and the Messiah Abraham was waiting for. That is why those unbelievers wanted to stone him for
blasphemy.
This should affect our
reading of other I Am’s in the Gospel
of John: 6:35; 8:12; 10:7; 10:11; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1. But let us not stop there!
He was also saying I am something. These I Am’s deserve serious consideration. How can anyone be the Bread
of Life; the Good Shepherd; the Resurrection and the Life; the Way, the Truth
and the Life; and the True Vine through whom life flows – how could anyone be
such things without being the ultimate giver and sustainer of life? In other
words, how could Jesus be such things without being God Himself? He made this
known about Himself by combining the “I Am” Name with abilities only God has.
Such terms as I am the Bread of Life are well-known. In some translations Jesus’ strong I AM statements are accompanied by words that obscure rather than r