The Deity of Jesus Christ (Yeshua Hamashiach) – God
Perhaps the most, certainly one of the most, misunderstood of the Core Tenets of the Christian Faith. Well meaning, but somewhat ill-informed Christians, members of pseudo-Christian groups as well as many naysayers are oft times exceedingly quick to point out – “The words ‘I am God’ were never uttered by Jesus Christ, according to Biblical writings.” And that statement is, in fact, true. Not once in the writings of the four Gospels, nor in any of the various Epistles, do those precise words appear. So why then are there so many who, including this writer, make the bold claim that Jesus Christ is God?
Let’s begin by taking a look at what the Bible, Old and New Testaments, do say about just WHO Jesus Christ is. Remember folks it’s not what I, your Pastor, the guy down the street or your “friends” on Facebook have to say about Jesus Christ that matters. What matters, what carries real authority, and what is of true and genuine substance, is what God’s (Christ’s) Word says!
Who is Jesus according to the Word (The Holy Bible)
“For to us a child is born. To us a son is given; and the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” [Isaiah 9:6, World English Bible: Messianic Edition] {Emphasis mine}
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” [Isaiah 7:14 NIV]
“The virgin will be with child, and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel” – which means “God with us.” [Matthew 1:23 NIV] {Emphasis mine}
Who is Jesus according to, well – Jesus
According to Psalm 23 God is our Shepherd. Psalm 23 begins: “The Lord (God) is my Shepherd, I shall not want” [Psalm 23:1 NIV] {Emphasis mine}
Jesus said: “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the Sheep.” [John 10:11 NIV]
“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 NIV] {Emphasis mine}
“I (Jesus) and the Father are one.” [John 10:30 NIV] {Emphasis mine}, of interest see also “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one!” [Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV] {Emphasis mine} Also referred to as the Shema, this passage in Deuteronomy carries some incredible insights into the Holy Trinity.
Who is Jesus according to others
How about other people? Were there any people, contemporary with Jesus, who called Jesus Christ (Yesshua Hamashiach) God?
Consider the words of those who opposed Jesus:
“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 10:33 NIV] {Emphasis mine}
Or, how about the words of one of Jesus’ own followers:
Additionally, one might ask, did Jesus both knowingly and willingly / wilfully accept the worship of others? This is a very significant question, as it is forbidden for God’s children to:
a) worship anything / anyone but God, and
b) accept as worship from others
To do so, worship something / someone other than God, or accept the worship (as God) of others, was an executable offense.
Did Jesus accept the Worship of others
“Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.” [Matthew 28:9 NIV] {Emphasis mine}
“While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem
“Jesus said, ‘You have now seen him; in fact he is the one speaking with you’. Then the man said, ‘Lord I believe,’ and he (the man) worshiped him (Jesus).” [John 9:37-38 NIV] {Emphasis mine}
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee , to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When the saw him, they worshiped him…” [Matthew 28:16-17 NIV] {Emphasis mine}
Thus, as you can see from the above Biblical texts, Jesus Christ is clearly identified as God. But please, as I said above in this Blog, and I’ve said many times before: “…it’s not what I… have to say about Jesus Christ that matters.” In fact please do not read this and either simply take me my word, or what I write, at face value (or worse yet casually dismiss all of this as mere hearsay), rather please, research and verify the facts and form your own opinions.
“Know Jesus, know peace whereas no Jesus, no peace”
How does one get to “know” Jesus? Simple, invite Him into your heart, as Jesus says: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Revelation 3:20 NIV] How can we be assured that this Jesus stuff means anything, well because the Bible tells us so, as the Apostle Paul wrote:
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” [Romans 10:9-10 NIV]
And for those of you who say to me, I can’t be bothered reading the Bible, “it’s confusing” or “it’s a waste of my time”, may I draw your attention to what the Bible says about wisdom: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” [Proverbs 9:10 NIV]
If nothing else, PLEASE read two chapters from the Bible – (don’t own one, sorry NO excuse, if you’re reading this, you can access this: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%203:16&version=NIV) John 3 and John 14!
John 3:16 says: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
And John 14:6 says: “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Well that’s it, that’s Da Bauz’s take on, The Deity of Jesus Christ – this 9th day of January 2012 © 2012, All Rights Reserved. wr (Da Bauz, Christian Zionist)
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