"Is Jesus God?"

Welcome to Misconceptions Clarified XII; "Is Jesus God?"

It's difficult to believe that Christian Way Ministries is already on its twelfth episode of Misconceptions Clarified which started a year ago on July 12th, 2016 when we introduced our very first article; "Is Christianity a Myth?" Who would have ever thought (besides God alone) that Christianity would have to defend against so many criticisms throughout the centuries... It's disconcerting to read the bulk amount of misconceptions that clouds the water of Christianity like never seen before in the 21st century. This can be largely attributed to Satan, to the internet, and to the media-nites as Amir Tsarfati puts it. Reluctantly, the more the devil tries to seek, kill, and destroy God's people with his lies, the greater the opportunity for the body of Christ to stand firm on the faith and cast down every argument that sets itself up against the knowledge of God.

So, next up on our list of misconceptions to clarify is considered one of the most controversial questions there is to ask regarding the nature of Christ; "Is Jesus God?" Matter of fact, this question is so controversial that the answer to it has literally caused some kind of division in every single religion around the world today, which makes perfect sense why the answer to the question regarding the deity of Christ has caused so much schism. In John 14:6 Jesus made the greatest exclusive claim there is to make by any man; "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Just this statement alone will either make a person rejoice in the Lord or retract a person all together from the faith. Additionally, the answer to who Jesus is has also caused many headaches within the church itself. The controversies such as Gnosticism, Arianism, and Docetism are just a few heresies the church had to contend with. The reality of the situation is that since the time of Christ, people have been debating the nature of Christ with questions such as... Is Jesus God? Is Jesus just a prophet? Is Jesus the messiah prophesied in the scriptures? Is Jesus just a religious fantasy? Or is Jesus truly the Son of God? 

There are so many questions, doubts, and answers to this very important question ("Is Jesus God") that it has become an arduous task to distinguish between the lies from the truth in this age of information we are engulfed in. The unfortunate part about it is that this article believe it or not is just another one in an Olympic-sized pool of swimmers trying to butter-fly stroke their way to the answer of infinite proportion. Even Jesus knew how controversial this question would be when He asked his disciples in Matthew 16:13, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" And, they responded with not one, not two, not three, not four, but five different answers of some of the rumors that were circulating during that time. "Some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, some say Jeremiah, some say one of the prophets," and Simon says, "you are the Son of the living God."  Furthermore, what's fascinating about their response is how the disciples caught wind of those various rumors before the days of the internet. On the other hand, if a person Googles the question "Is Jesus God?" on the internet it will populate approximately 141,000,000 results. Therefore, even though this article will probably not offer anything new that hasn't been thought of already, it is our prayer that the Holy Spirit will convict and lend some added substance to this question. 

Now, one of the more common criticisms that arises in this debate, especially in non-trinitarian and atheistic circles pertains to what Jesus said and what Jesus didn't say in the scriptures. For instance, the fact that Jesus didn't say word for word, "I am God" is one of the major points used to discredit the deity of Christ. However, this "exact-words" argument is insufficient by itself to discount the nature of Jesus because in order to prove a claim of deity, Jesus would have to prove beyond words that he was God. Hence, one can postulate that Jesus was well aware of this and tactically avoided making certain claims about himself until the time was right. For instance, an undercover law enforcement agent in a foreign context isn't going to reveal certain claims about himself that's going to compromise his mission, right? Well, likewise, Jesus didn't compromise his overall mission by revealing certain claims about himself before the time was right. As a matter of fact, there are several instances throughout the New Testament after Jesus performs a miracle where he tells them, "See that you don't tell anyone." Jesus commands them not to say anything because he was focused on the "greater" mission of salvation, not on making boisterous claims about himself that could have possibly compromised his overall objective beforehand. This is particularly important especially when he ultimately knew that his actions would speak for themselves. Besides, how likely were the people going to believe that Jesus was God if he went around protesting in Jerusalem with a sign that read, "I AM GOD" in big capital red letters... Not very likely! Instead, Jesus allowed the disciples to make up their own minds based off his own actions and teachings. To add some perspective to this, a mother can broadcast on a local news channel all day long that she is a parent to her child, but we all know that it's going to take more than words to prove that she is one, right? It's going to take action to fulfill the duties of a parent, and likewise it's going to take action to fulfill the claim of deity. As the old saying goes, "actions speak louder than words!" 

One last point that needs to be addressed regarding this "exact-words" claim pertains to those who actually made certain claims of deity throughout history. After doing some research, come to find out, the list of pseudo-messiahs who made verbal claims of being the messiah or the second coming of Christ was longer than anybody would have imagined. The claims of messiahship is actually humorous considering how their actions fell a thousand football fields short of their words. Not with Jesus though! The miracles Jesus performed throughout his ministry confirmed everything he spoke, which is a big difference! The resurrection of Jesus alone which is documented by several internal and externals sources overshadows every claim made by these pseudo-messiahs combined. Therefore, even though Jesus avoided the "exact-words" claim "I am God" during his ministry, his teachings along with his deeds in the scriptures paint a perfect picture of the "Real Jesus!"

Additionally, before this article goes any further, there is one more thing Jesus said that critics use in conjunction with the "exact-words" argument to diminish his deity. In John 14:28 when Jesus told his disciples in the context that they should be glad that he was going back to the Father, he told them that the Father is greater than he is. Now for many, this is solid proof that Jesus is not God. Why? Because Jesus clearly states that the Father is greater than him, and if the Father is greater than Jesus, then how can Jesus be equal to God? Well, this logic makes sense whenever we think of "greater" in terms of being better at something than another person. However, this is not what Jesus was essentially saying even though it appears like it. Sometimes, the English translation of the ancient scriptures doesn't capture the overall meaning of certain words. Anytime the Word of God is examined it's always important to research certain words in its original language. For instance, the Greek word for "greater" (meizon) can also mean greater in position. So, when Jesus says that the Father is greater than he is, Jesus wasn't saying that the Father was better than him. No! The "incarnate" Jesus (also known as "God in the flesh") was in a lower position in the flesh than the Father who is in heaven. In other words, Jesus stepped off his throne in heaven, took on flesh, took on a lower role, and took on a lower "earthly" position in order to reconcile humanity back to himself. Which means, that while Jesus was here on earth, the Father in heaven became greater than Jesus in position, not greater than him in nature. When a member in the military gets promoted to a higher rank above his peers, that member doesn't become some "super" human by nature over their peers (although some do feel that way). No! All it means is that one becomes greater in rank and in position, that's it! And likewise, this is exactly the scenario we find in the context of John's gospel.

Unfortunately, the problem many people have when discussing this particular topic pertains to the true nature of Christ. For some, Jesus is just some created being that did a lot of good works and taught a lot of good things. However, the scriptures paint a completely different story regarding the true nature of Jesus when they are examined with an aerial point of view. Meaning, when the whole Bible is taken into consideration. For instance, in John 1:1-3 it says that "In the beginning (key word beginning) was the Word (Logos/Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was GOD." Then in verse 2 it says that "He (Jesus) was 'with' God in the beginning." Lastly, in verse 3 it says, "Through Him (Jesus) ALL things were made and without Him (Jesus) nothing was made that was made." Now, the question that still needs to be answered is, "who can create something besides God alone?" Nobody! The inventions attributed to humanity came out of preexisting material. But, the things Jesus created in the beginning was ex-nihilo; brought into existence out of nothing by his very word! 

Nonetheless, if this passage in the Gospel of John isn't convincing enough for you, journey with us to the book of Daniel 7:9 really quick. It says, "As I looked, thrones (not throne, but thrones) were set in place, and the Ancient of Days (God) took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool." Now, the next question that needs to be addressed is, if the Father is Spirit according to John 4:24, and the Holy Spirit is Spirit, who is this person whose clothing is white as snow and whose hair is white as wool? Has the light bulb turned on in your mind yet??? If not, hold on to your seats because it's about to get real bright in just a second! In Daniel 7:14 it says, "He (the son of man, which is the exact same title Jesus applies to himself in Luke 5:24) was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all peoples, nations, and men of every language 'WORSHIPPED' him." This verse right here is a pen-dropping moment!! Who but God alone can receive worship?! Absolutely nobody. Only God can receive worship, and here we have scriptural evidence of Jesus being worshipped along with many other passages in the Bible to include Matthew 2:11, Matthew 14:33, Luke 24:52, Revelation 4:10, and Revelation 7:11. Which means that Jesus is God!! You see, in order to fully comprehend the true nature of Christ must fully open their minds to the entirety of the scriptures. One of the rules of engagement when it comes to biblical interpretation is context. Hence, for this particular topic, the context of the whole Bible should be taken into consideration in order to gain a full understanding of the nature of Christ. 

So, when it comes to the question, "Is Jesus God" there is so much more where that came from. According to the scriptures, Jesus is much more than a man, he is much more than a prophet, and he is much more than a teacher. In John 17:5, Jesus prays to the Father to glorify him with the glory he had with the Father before the world began. Meaning, to elevate Jesus back to his rightful equal position (not nature) he had with the Father in heaven before he willingly took on a lower earthly position to save his lower earthly creation. This interpretation aligns perfectly with everything else that Jesus said and everything else that Jesus did to demonstrate that He is in fact, God in the flesh. In other words, when it comes to the question "Is Jesus God?" we have to consider the totality of Jesus' life to answer this particular question. We can't look at the exact words he didn't say or isolate certain passages to conclude that Jesus isn't God. We can't make an objective verdict on a matter without taking into consideration the entirety of the available evidence. And we can't include "the Father is greater than I" in John 14:28, and exclude "the Father and I are one" in John 10:30 in our determination of the matter. That's not sound biblical interpretation! We can't exclude the abundance of evidence that demonstrates that Jesus is God, and include only what fits our preconceived agendas. 

The name of the game when it comes to researching the truth about anything is objectivity! And even though everyone has their own presuppositions, we can't exclude the obvious! We can't exclude the response of the Pharisees in Luke 5:21 ("who can forgive sins but God alone") when Jesus said to the paralytic "your sins are forgiven." We can't exclude the many works of healing, exorcisms, and miracles Jesus performed that no other man in the history of humanity has been able to duplicate. We can't exclude the fact that the Pharisees were ready to kill Jesus in John 5:18 and in John 10:33 because Jesus claimed to be God. We can't ignore the fact that Jesus was condemned to death by crucifixion for blasphemy because he claimed to be God. We can't exclude the one piece of revolutionary evidence that far outweighs any other deed in history; the resurrection from the grave on the third day! We can't ignore the passage in John 10:18 where Jesus says, "I have authority to lay my life down and authority to take it up again." We can't exclude the response by Thomas the skeptic when the Lord revealed his wounds to him when he said in John 20:28, "My Lord and my God." And we definitely can't exclude the fact that the disciples worshiped Jesus when they saw him after the resurrection in Matthew 28:17. We can't minimize all of this evidence that speaks volumes that Jesus is God just because Jesus didn't say these exact words, "I am God." This is not sound research, but a syllogism to reject the truth! 

Furthermore, if Jesus was to come down right now and say these exact words "I am God" people would still not believe. So, to use this "exact-word" argument to discredit the deity of Jesus is a cheap escape from the truth. It’s a total rejection of who Christ really is and it’s a lack of knowledge of the scriptures! When Jesus was before the council in Luke 22:70 they asked him, "are you then the Son of God?" Jesus didn't say no. He said, "You are right in saying I am." When the Jews were mocking Jesus in John 8:48-58 when they said, "you are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham," Jesus didn't say, "ah, you got me, I've never seen Abraham before. Nope! Jesus said, "Before Abraham was born, I AM!" And when Paul was warning the church against deceptive philosophy in Colossians 2:8, Paul didn't say that all the fullness of Jesus' humanity lives in bodily form. Nope! Paul said, "For in Christ all the fullness of the 'Deity' lives in bodily form." So, even though Jesus didn't say the exact words, "I am God." Jesus and others had a lot more to say than those three words, which speaks more than volumes! Yet, all of this evidence is ignored, rejected, and overlooked all because Jesus didn't say the exact words of another person or from a poor hermeneutical application. For some, this is just a case of the misunderstanding, but for others, this is an intentional dismissal of the available evidence. Therefore, whoever makes the argument that Jesus is not God simply reject him from a lack of knowledge or reject him from a lack of faith, and depending on how you answer this question will determine where you spend the rest of eternity.

So again, we ask you the same question Jesus asked Peter two thousand years ago that is just as prevalent then as it is today; "Who do you say that Jesus is?" If Jesus is not God, then his sacrifice on the cross for the sins of the whole world is null and void because only a perfect God could save humanity from their sins and reconcile us back to himself!  

#JesusIsGod #TheTruthShallSetYouFree #Road2TheCross.Org

For more information, click on the links below, or click on the YouTube video by David Woods. 

https://www.gotquestions.org/is-Jesus-God.html

https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/jesus-is-god/is-jesus-god/