Get Yourself Saved NOW !!!

The Deity of Jesus is an essential doctrine of a Christian and one that distinguishes a Biblical Christian from a member of a cult or other heretical organisation claiming to be Christian.

Let us look therefore at what the Bible says about Jesus. Was He just a man, a great teacher, a great Prophet; or was He much, much more than that?

First we will look at plain as day Scripture that tells us literally about the Deity of Jesus and then we will look at the other Scripture that, in agreement, implies the Deity of Jesus. Putting all of these together we shall be in no doubt whatsoever that Jesus is not only God’s Only begotten Son, but that Jesus is God Himself.

The Word

Possibly the clearest literal scripture on the Deity of Jesus are the opening words of John’s Gospel “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) “He was in the world, and the world was made by Him” (John 1:10) “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:3) “For by Him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” (Col 1:16-17) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us…”(John 1:14).

I think that says it all really. Need we go on?

Yes let’s.

The declaration of Thomas

We will stay in the Gospel of John and look at Jesus’ appearance to Thomas. After being told by Jesus “Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing….Thomas answered and said unto Him, “MY LORD AND MY GOD”” (John 20:27-28 emphasis mine).

Those who deny Jesus is God, twist this verse to say that Thomas was making a shocked exclamation but that again is just plainly wrong.

Jesus was a Rabbi (five times in the KJV Jesus is called a Rabbi and once a Teacher) It was a Rabbi’s duty to rebuke a blasphemer for they had broken the third commandment “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain;” and this was a very serious offence “for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” (Ex 20:7).

Did Jesus rebuke Him? This was Jesus’ response to Thomas: “Thomas, because thou hast seen me, THOU HAST BELIEVED: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.” (John 20:29) (emphasis mine) So rather than rebuke him, Jesus not only confirmed Thomas’ statement, but blessed us who will believe the same truth in the process.

More? There is SO MUCH MORE !!! Let us deal just with a few of my choice favourites.

The First and The Last

Let’s leave John’s Gospel and move into the Book of Revelation, popping into the Book of Isaiah on the way.

In Isa 44:6 “The LORD saith…..I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” This is a “plain as day statement”, there can be no disputing that there is only one God and that it is this one God who is the “first and …the last”. You cannot have two “firsts” or two “lasts”. Therefore the ONE God is “the first, and …the last”. God repeated this a little later “Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am He; I am the first, I also am the last.” (Isa 48:12).

In the Book of Revelation we read “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev 1:8) John tells us “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:” (Rev 1:10-11) “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” (Rev 21:6) “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” (Rev 22:13)

I think we can safely say that whoever is speaking to John at these points in the Book of Revelation is “the beginning and the end”, “the First and the Last”, “the Alpha and Omega”.

So who is speaking throughout the Book of Revelation?

We are told in Rev 1:17-18 “And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, AND WAS DEAD and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” (emphasis mine)

Did God ever die? Erm…NO !

It is Jesus speaking throughout the book of Revelation and the Bible being perfectly written; the “first” words of the Book of Revelation begin “The revelation of Jesus Christ…” (Rev 1:1)and the “last” things that Jesus says are “I, JESUS have sent mine angel to testify unto you all these things… I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star…Surely I come quickly” (Rev 22:20).

Jesus is the “the beginning and the end”, “the First and the Last”, “the Alpha and Omega” . There can only be One who can be these things and as we saw from Isa 48:12 (above) that One is God Almighty Himself.

One Saviour

In Isa 43:11 God tells us “I, even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no Saviour” and later “…there is no God else beside Me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside Me. Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself…that unto Me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.” Isa 45: 21-23.

Two questions can be clearly asked here: Who is the one Saviour and to whom will every knee bow and every tongue confess? Let’s see…

The one and only Saviour in Jesus:

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.“ (Acts 4:12)

To Jesus will every knee bow and every tongue confess:

Paul told the Philipians “God…hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That AT THE NAME OF JESUS EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, And…EVERY TONGUE SHOULD CONFESS that JESUS CHRIST IS LORD” Phi 2:9-11 (emphasis mine)

There is only One God and Jesus is He.

Jesus’ own words

In the book of Exodus, when God called Moses to go back to Egypt and lead God’s people out of slavery Moses asked God “When I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, “What is His name?” What shall I say unto them?”” it is written “And God said unto Moses, “I AM THAT I AM:” and He said, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”” (EXO 3:14)

The Jews of Jesus’ day knew the Scriptures and the Pharisees and Sadducees to whom Jesus spoke at great length were Scriptural experts.

They knew only too well what Jesus was saying to them when “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) and we can know that it was obvious to them by their reaction: “Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.” (John 8:59)

There are countless other occasions that Jesus infers His real identity.

Another time that He spoke plainly to the Jews was following their plea: “How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.” In Jesus’ answer he told them “I and my Father are one.” and again as proof of their understanding “…the Jews took up stones again to stone him” (John 10:30-31).

Did the Jews truly believe that Jesus was saying that He was God?

“Jesus answered them, “Many good works have I shewed you from My father; for which of those works do ye stone me?” The Jews answered him, saying, “For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”” (John 10:32-33)

I think we can conclude that Jesus did say He was God and that it was extremely plain to those who heard Him.

Anything else?

My last favourite here before we conclude is from the Book of Hebrews. We wanted plain as day?

The writer is explaining how much greater than all of the angels is our Lord Jesus and is telling us plainly things that God has only ever said about Jesus. “But unto the Son He (God) saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” (Heb 1:8. quoting Psa 45:6) How plain can plain be?

There comes a time in every chapter where we have to decide that the evidence is overwhelming and there just can be no doubt whatsoever about the point it set out to make. I believe this is it.

Did I hear one person shout for more? An encore?

It is astonishing that we never even had the chance of mentioning the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matt 1:23)

…or Paul’s warning for the Ephesians to “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20:28)

…or even Paul telling Timothy that “GOD WAS MANIFEST IN THE FLESH” 1 Tim 3:16 (emphasis mine obviously, AS IF ANY WAS NEEDED !)

Do we need any more?

I think not.

JESUS IS GOD.