· Christology ·

Lecture Thirty Five:  The Divinity of Christ III

General Evidences

TH330 Systematic Theology I · Moody Bible Institute · Dr. Richard M. Weber

I. The Deity of Christ Incarnate

A. Evidences of the Deity of Christ Incarnate

1. Christ Incarnate Possesses Divine Attributes

Only God possesses these attributes….

a. Eternality

John 8:58.  “‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’”

John 17:5.  “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”

b. Omnipresence

Matt 18:20.  Even while still among his disciples, Jesus says:  “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.”

Matt 28:20.  “...And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

c. Omniscience

Matt 16:21.  “From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.”

Luke 6:8.  When the Pharisees plan to “catch” Jesus healing on the Sabbath:  “But Jesus knew what they were thinking...”

John 1:48.  Prior to ever meeting Nathanael:  Jesus says, “‘Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.’  ‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked.  Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’”

Note Nathaniel’s response in v49:  “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

Cf. Luke 1:17; John 4:29

d. Omnipotence

i. Calming the Storm

Matt. 8:26-27.  During storm at sea:  Jesus “got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.  The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this?  Even the winds and the waves obey him!’”

Ps. 89:9.  Of God:  “You  rule over the surging seas; when its waves mount up, you still them.”  (Cf. Ps. 65.7)

Ps. 107:28-30.  “[T]hey cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress.  He stilled the storm to a whisper, the waves of the sea were hushed...”

ii. Walking on Water

Matt 14:25-27, 33.

Note Job 9:8.  Of God, it says, “He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.”

Cf. Matt 28:18; Mark 5:11-15; John 11:38-44

e. Sovereignty / Authority

Matt 28:18-20.  “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me...”

Matt. 5:21-22 – Jesus begins, “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’  But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment...”

Cf. Matt 5:28, 32, 34, 39, 44

Note Matt 7:28.  “When Jesus have finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

f. Immutability

Ps 102:27.  “You remain the same, and your years will never end.”

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

g. Worthiness of Worship

This especially is something that only God is worthy of. Even the angels point to God and say worship.

Rev 19:10.  John’s vision of the angel so beautiful that he is tempted to worship.  “At this I fell at his feet to worship him.  But he said to me, ‘Do not do it!  I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus.  Worship God!...”

Phil 2:9-11.  “God has 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.”

Heb. 1:6.  “When God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’”
2. Christ Incarnate Performs Divine Functions

h. Forgiving Sin

Mark 2:1-12.  “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’  Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that?  He’s blaspheming!  Who can forgive sins but God alone?’  Immediately, Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, ‘Why are you thinking these things?  Which is easier:  to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat and walk”?  But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . .’  He said to the paralytic, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’  He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all.  This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’”

i. Giving Life

John 5:21.  Jesus says, “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.”

j. Raising the Dead

John 11:43-44.  Raising of Lazarus.  “...Jesus called out in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’  The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.”

k. Judging

John 5:22, 27.  “...[T]he Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son . . .  And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.”

2. Christ Incarnate Was Given Names and Titles of Deity

a. “Son of God” – means that Christ was on the order of God.

i. Usage

John 10:36.  Jews were accusing Jesus of blasphemy; Jesus affirms, “I said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”

Matt 26:63-64.  “The high priest said to him, ‘I charge you under oath by the living God:  Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’  ‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied.  ...”

ii. Meaning

“In Jewish usage the term Son of . . . did not generally imply any subordination, but rather equality and identity of nature.  . . . Thus for Christ to say, ‘I am the Son of God’ (John 10:36) was understood by His contemporaries as identifying Himself as God, equal with the Father, in an unqualified sense.”  (J. Oliver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion)

b. Identification With Yahweh

There are instances in the NT that directly Jesus to the old testament.

i. Luke 1:76.  John the Baptist “will be called a prophet of the Most High; for [he] will go on before the Lord to prepare a way for him.”

Cf. Mal 3:1.  “See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.  Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; ...”

ii. Rom 10:13.  “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Cf. Joel 2:32.  “Everyone w ho calls on the name of the LORD (“Yahweh”) will be saved.”

c. “God” (qeoV, theos)

Usually used to describe God the father.

i. John 1:1.  “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

ii. Rom 9:5.  “Christ … is God over all…”

iii. Titus 2:13.  “We wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

d. “Lord” (kurio", kurios)

Luke 2:11.  “Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord”

Angels essentially saying the Messiah is born – a Savior who is God himself

e. “King of kings and Lord of lords”

Rev. 19:16.  “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:  ‘KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.’”

3. Christ Himself Claimed To Be God

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

John 10:33.  Jews claim to be stoning Jesus “for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

4. Other Textual Evidence

Col. 1:19.  “For God is pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him...”

Col. 2:9.  “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,...”

Rev. 22:13.  Jesus states, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

Rev. 1:8.  God the Father says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega...”

II. The Significance of the Deity of Christ Incarnate

A. Salvation is From the Lord

Jon 2:9.  “Salvation is from the Lord.”

B. Infinite Debt Requires Infinite Payment

C. The Mediator Must Represent God to Humanity

1 Tim. 2:5.  “There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

John 14:9.  Jesus says, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”