The Deity of Christ

Today we're studying lesson four, the deity of Christ. Last week we looked at lesson three, the humanity of Christ. This week we've got to get it right when we speak of the deity of Christ. All the world religions get it wrong. Judaism gets wrong the deity of Christ. The Hindu religion gets wrong the deity of Christ. The religion of Islam gets wrong the deity of Christ. If you get the deity of Christ wrong, you lose everything. So let's begin with Bible point number one.

In the one person Jesus Christ, there are two natures — a divine nature, that's the first blank, divine. And a human nature, that's the second blank, a human nature. We actually repeated this from last week when we talked about the humanity of Christ. In the one person of Jesus Christ there are two natures, a divine nature and a human nature.

He's both God and man. Jesus Christ is truly God — that's the third blank. Let's look at Colossians 1:15, speaking of Christ: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation."

That simply means that God — as you recall from our study of the nature and attributes of God — He is invisible. We cannot see Him. But Christ is the tangible God. He's the God that we can see because He's God made flesh. He's the image of the invisible God. If you want to know who God is, you look to Christ. If you want to learn His attributes, His nature, you look to Christ. Colossians 1:19 says, "For it pleased the Father that in Him — in Christ — all the fullness should dwell. In Christ dwells all the very fullness of God, for He is truly God."

Flip over on the back. Let's get reference number one. Philippians 2:6, speaking of Christ: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God."

Christ is God. He's equal with God. If you're equal with God, it means you are the same as God. Hebrews 1:3 likewise says, "Who," speaking of Christ, "being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person" — or the Xerox, you could say, of His person; He is the image of the person of God — "and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

Christ is the very image of God, and He does the works of God to save us. And once those works of redemption were complete, He sat down on the right hand of God because He's equal with God.

The application for number one is this: why do so many people reject — that's the blank — why do so many people reject Christ? Why do they go out of their way to take His name in vain? Why do they try to throw off His yoke from them? You don't hear that about Buddha. You don't hear that about the Brahmin. You don't hear that in all these other world religions, but definitely they want to reject Christ, because inherently they know that Christ is God.

Bible point number two: Jesus is called God — that's the blank. He's called God throughout Holy Scripture.

We find this in John chapter one, verse one. "In the beginning was the Word." Now who is the Word? Christ, right? "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God." Here we see a separation from God, a sense of separation of persons. The Word was with God. "And the Word was God," showing that He was God. He's the second person of the Trinity. John 1:18 likewise says, "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten" — or God's one and only Son — "the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him."

Christ here is called the begotten God who's in the very arms of the Father. He has explained Him. If you want to know God, again, you look to Christ, because Christ is God, and here He's called God, the only begotten God.

Flip over on the back. Let's look at references for number two. These verses are very crucial here under number two, because these are the places in the New Testament where Christ is directly called God, as we've just seen in John chapter one. John chapter 20, verse 28. This is a post-resurrection appearance of Christ. "And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and my God.'"

In Judaism, were you to worship a man? No. When Thomas worships Christ, he's worshiping him as God, God incarnate. And he calls Jesus, "My Lord and my God." Romans 9:5, speaking of Israel, says, "Of whom are the fathers" — speaking of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — "of whom are the fathers, and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all the eternally blessed God. Amen."

Romans here — Paul is writing to the Romans — and he calls Christ the eternally blessed God. He's directly calling Christ by the title of God.

Titus 2:13 says that "we're looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ." He's not speaking of God and then the Savior, Jesus Christ separately. He's referring to Jesus Christ as our God and Savior. The article is single. The subject is the same: God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:8: "But to the Son" — here he's quoting Psalm 45, a messianic Psalm, and applying it to Christ — "he says, 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.'" Here again, Christ is addressed as God. Using a Psalm speaking of the Messiah, He is called God. And 2 Peter 1:1: "Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received the same kind of faith as ours by the righteousness of God and Savior, Jesus Christ." Christ is our Savior because He is our God. He's God made flesh.

The application for number two is simply this: was Christ just — that's the blank — was Christ just another rabbi or prophet? He was indeed a rabbi. He was a teacher. He was a wise teacher. He was a prophet. But He was a prophet greater than Moses, right? He was more than just a rabbi, more than just a prophet. He was God.

Bible point number three: Jesus is called the divine title "Lord" — that's the blank, "Lord" in Scripture.

Hebrews 1:10 says this: "And You, Lord" — notice Lord is in capital letters here because he's quoting from Psalm 102. When you see LORD in capital letters in the Old Testament, that's letting you know it's the divine title, "Yahweh," which is the name "I Am." This is the name that God revealed to Moses in the burning bush. Moses says, "Who am I going to say sent me to deliver Israel from Egypt?" He says, "Tell him I Am has sent you." He says, "You, Lord — You, Yahweh — in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands." He's speaking of Christ here. He's saying that You are Yahweh. You are in the very beginning. The whole creation, the heavens and the earth, are the works of Your hands.

Philippians 2:10–11 likewise says, "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." See, if you want to glorify the Father, you glorify the Son. You call Him Lord because He is the King of kings and Lord of lords. You'll see a reference also to James chapter 2, where Christ is called the Lord of glory. You'll see a reference to Mark 2:28, where He's called the Lord of the Sabbath.

And then you find in 1 Corinthians 8 where Jesus is called the one Lord. We have one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.

The application is this: is Jesus Christ the Lord over — that's the blank — over all of your life? Every knee is going to bow to Lord Jesus Christ in heaven and on earth. He is the Lord of your life now, because He is God, He is Lord of all.

Bible point number four: Jesus taught His divinity in His "I am" statements in the gospel of John — because "I am."

In John's gospel — it's a very Christocentric gospel — He makes seven "I am" statements where, to the reader in English, we may not catch it as the Jews would have understood it in the first century. They knew that the covenantal name of God, the one that He revealed to Moses, was "I Am," was Yahweh. And so Jesus uses this title, "I Am," to describe Himself under seven different metaphors, very picturesque. And we have those listed here under our bullet points.

In John chapter 6, verse 35 — also in verse 41 and 48 — He says, "I am the bread of life." He tells His hearers: your fathers — you Jews, He's saying your fathers — ate manna in the wilderness that Moses gave them as the mediator of the old covenant, and they died. He says, "But I offer you the bread of life, that if you eat of Me, you will have life eternal."

John chapter 8, verse 12: He says, "I am the light of the world." He's saying that if you don't have His light, you walk in darkness. But if you follow Him, if you have His life, you have truly life indeed — you have the light of life.

Jesus also claims to be the door of the sheep. In John chapter 10, verse 7 and 9, He says, "I am the door," or "I am the gate." In ancient times, shepherds had a sheepfold — a walled pen where the gates would be closed at night to hold the sheep inside the pen to protect them from wolves and from predators. And Jesus says that before Him, all who came before Him were robbers and thieves. But He says, "I am the gate of the sheepfold. If you come through Me, you have life. You can come in and out and have pasture" — have rest is what He says.

Furthermore, He says, "I am the resurrection and the life." In John chapter 11:25, where He's talking to Martha, He's saying, "If you believe in Me, though you die, yet you shall live. And if you live and believe in Me, you'll never die." He tells Martha, "Do you believe this?" And she makes her great confession: "I believe that You are the Lord. I believe that You are the Messiah." Now, Christ alone is the resurrection and the life. And here He says, "I am" — saying Yahweh — "the resurrection and the life."

In John chapter 14, He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." There's no other way to God but through Christ, because He is God. He says, "I am the way, I am the truth." There is no other truth but Christ, for He is truly God. He says, "I am the life," because all life comes from Christ, the creator of the heavens and the earth. And He has the power to give eternal life to all of His children, to all those who believe in Him. So He says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."

And then in John 15:1, He says, "I am the true vine." This is His seventh "I am" statement. In the Old Testament, God tells Israel that they were like a vine which He planted in the promised land. They were supposed to bring forth fruit to Him, but instead they became a degenerate plant and put forth bad fruit. Christ comes and He says, "I am the true vine." He's saying, "I am the fulfillment of what Israel was to be. They disobeyed. I am the obedient, perfect servant. And if you are connected to Me, you will have life and you will have fruitfulness. You will have My life imparted into you. I am the true vine."

So in each of these seven statements, Christ predicates them by using the divine name Yahweh to describe who He is, His character, and also His works — what He does for His people.

Flip over on the back. Let's look at references for number four. We find in Exodus 3:14: "God said to Moses, 'I Am Who I Am, Yahweh.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I Am — Yahweh — has sent me to you.'"

Then I have seven more "I am" statements listed here. Now these statements are not the pictures that we just saw. Instead, these are direct statements of divinity that Christ makes in the gospel of John. You may not have heard these preached on before, but they are there in the text and they show forth His divinity.

"Jesus said to her, 'I am He, the one speaking to you.'" We find this in John 4:26 where He says, "I am He." Notice "He" is in italics because that's not there in the Greek. What He's saying literally is, "Ego am I" — saying "I Am" — or you could say, "Yahweh, I am the one speaking to you." This is where He's speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well. And she says, "Our people worship here at Mount Gerizim." He says the Samaritans do; the Jews say we should worship God in Jerusalem. "When the Messiah comes, He's going to teach us all things. He's going to tell us what's right." And Jesus says, "I am the one speaking to you." He's claiming divine prerogative here.

John 6:20: this is where Christ is walking on the water and the disciples are in the boat, and the winds are tossing the boat, and the disciples are afraid. They see Jesus and they fear. They think He's a ghost or an apparition. And He says to them, "I Am, Yahweh. Do not be afraid." Have you ever been in a room — perhaps you were in the kitchen getting a midnight snack — and another family member walks in and doesn't see you at first and gets a little startled? It's not what Jesus is doing here. He's not saying, "Hey, it's just Me. Don't be afraid." He's saying the basis of their confidence should be, "I Am. Do not fear." He's saying, "I Am God. Do not be afraid."

In John 8:24, He says, "Unless you believe that I Am, you will die in your sins." If you do not trust in His divinity, you have no hope.

Look at John 8:28: "When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I Am He." Again, "He" is in italics. He's saying, "Then you'll know that I Am." All the prophecies in the Old Testament pointed to My death, burial, and resurrection. And when I am lifted up, then you'll know that I Am.

John 8:58: Jesus says, "Before Abraham was, I Am." This is a statement of divinity. He's saying that He is the eternal one, the pre-existent one, the one who has always been. Even before Abraham, "I Am."

In John 13, He tells His disciples, "I'm telling you this now before it takes place, that when it does take place, you may believe that I Am He." He's saying, "Before My crucifixion takes place, I'm telling you what's going to happen — all the details now — so that you will know that I Am God, that I Am."

And then, of course, probably one of the greatest examples we find is the seventh "I am" statement in John 18:6. This is in Gethsemane when He is being betrayed. "Now when He said to them, 'I Am,' they drew back and fell to the ground." Did they trip over themselves? Why did they fall to the ground? At that moment, they knew that they were in the very presence of Yahweh. They were in the presence of the great I Am. And they were smitten, and they fell to the ground.

Flip back over on the front. The application for number four is this: "Love" — that's the first blank — "worship" — that's the second blank — "and serve" — that's the third blank — "the great I Am." Love, worship, and serve the great I Am. Jesus Christ is Yahweh incarnate.

Bible point number five: not only was Jesus called God in Scripture, not only was He called Lord, and not only did He claim to be Yahweh by His "I am" statements, but Jesus taught that He was equal with God. "Equal" is the blank for number five. Jesus taught that He was equal with God.

In John chapter 5, verses 16 through 18, it reads: "For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath." Remember, there was a man laying by the pool of Bethesda — I think it was — and he couldn't get down to the water. And Jesus healed this man who had had this condition for many, many, many years, but He did it on a Sabbath day. And so as a result, the Jewish leaders were upset with Him. Verse 17: "But Jesus answered, 'My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.' Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God." He says, "My Father's been working until now, and I have been working now. I will tell you the works of My Father, for I am God." The Jews understood that, so they sought to kill Him. Not only had He, in their mind, broken the Sabbath — even though He was Lord of the Sabbath — but because He claimed equality with God.

Now, Jesus went on to explain His equality with God in this same chapter. Flip over on the back. Here in John chapter 5 and the following verses, Jesus makes five statements that begin with "for." He's saying, "I am equal with God, for" or "because." We see that first in verse 19: "For whatever He does" — meaning the Father — "the Son also does in like manner." He's saying, "God's working, the Father's working, is the same as the Son's working."

Verse 20: He says, "For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all things that He Himself does." He is showing this intimate relationship between the Father and the Son, and the shared knowledge, and a shared sense of will — because Their will is the same.

John 5:21: "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will." So just as the Father redeems and restores life, so does the Son, because the Son is equal with God.

The fourth "for" statement we find is in John 5:22: "For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son." The Father has delegated judgment to the Lord Jesus Christ, and one day we will all stand before His throne.

Then we find a fifth "for" statement in verse 26 of John 5: "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself." One of the core attributes of God — we discussed this when we studied the nature and attributes of God — was what we call the aseity of God, meaning that God has life in and of Himself. He's the ground of all being.

And the Father and Son and the Holy Spirit all equally share in the attributes of God. They are the ground of all existence. And Christ is claiming that. Who else could claim that but God?

Flip over on the front. The application for number five is this: why did the Jewish leaders kill — that's the blank — kill Jesus? There are many reasons. They were jealous of Jesus, but the main reason that they killed Jesus was because He claimed to be equal with God. He claimed to be God.

Bible point number six: ascribed to Christ are the very works of God. "Works" is the blank for number six. In other words, everything that God is doing in His works — which we studied when we studied the second part of the doctrine of God, God's works: creation, redemption, His sustaining of all things — we find that those same works are ascribed to Christ. We're not going to read through all these, but you'll find first listed creation. You find that in John 1:3, which says that all things came into being through Christ; all things were created by Him. Colossians 1:16 says all things were created by Him and for Him. Providence, which is His holding everything together — Colossians 1:17 says that in Him all things consist. Hebrews 1:3 says that all things are upheld by the word of His power. This is speaking of Christ. Providence is the work of God, and Christ is God. The resurrection we find in John 5:27–29, which we have already read — that just as the Father has life and can give life to whomever, so can the Son. And then judgment: we find in Matthew 25 that one day Christ is going to separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff. All judgment has been committed to the Son. These are the works of God that are ascribed to Christ, because Jesus Christ is God incarnate.

The application for number six is this: do the works fill you with awe? That's the blank — awe. We should be filled with the awe and wonder of Christ. We often have a picture of Christ as meek and mild, and the Scripture does speak of Him being gentle and lowly in heart, but we have to realize that Christ is the one who spoke the worlds into existence. Everything was created by Him, and everything is upheld by His mighty hand, and in Him everything consists. Apart from Him, everything would disintegrate into chaos and disorder and nothingness. And He is the judge before whom we all must give account. So we should be in awe of the works of Jesus Christ.

Bible point number seven: ascribed to Christ are the attributes of God. We just looked at how all the works of God are ascribed to Christ. The blank here is "attributes" — ascribed to Christ are all the attributes of God. We see in John 1:4 that in Him was life; He was the life of men. We see self-existence — we just spoke about that — in John 5:26, that He's the ground of all being. Christ is immutable because He's God. We read about that in Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

We find the resurrection in John 5:27–29. We find truth in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." We find love — is not God love? Well, Christ is love, and this we know, that God loves us and that He sent forth His Son Jesus to die for us. We find that in John 3:16 and 1 John 3:16. Holiness we find all throughout the life of Christ.

Eternity we find in John 8:58 and Revelation 21:6.

Omnipresence — in Matthew 28:20, did not Jesus say, "And behold, I am with you always, even until the end of the age"? Can a mere man be with you always, even to the end of the age? How about a great teacher? How about a rabbi? No — only God is omnipresent. We find omniscience in Colossians 2:3, that in Him are hidden all the treasures of the wisdom and knowledge of God. We find omnipotence in Revelation 1:8, that Christ is the Pantocrator — He is the Almighty, the one whose finger is on everything. Colossians 2:9 says, "For in Him — in Christ — dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." All the attributes of God are given display in Christ. If you want to see the glory of God, which is the sum of all those attributes, you look to Christ, because He displays them perfectly.

The application for number seven is: how can we study the attributes of God? We study the attributes of God by studying Christ, right? We look to Christ, who puts these attributes on display for all to see.

Bible point number eight: ascribed to Christ is all authority over all things. The blank is "authority" — ascribed to Christ is all authority over all things. Only God has authority over all things. We all may have relative authority, different spheres that we are responsible for, but God is responsible for everything and is over all things. Matthew 28:18: "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.'" He predicates the great commission by this statement. And doesn't that guarantee success, that Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth? That's exclusive.

Romans 14:9 says, "For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be the Lord both of the dead and the living." Is there anyone whom Christ is not Lord of? He is Lord of both the dead and the living. Revelation 1:5: "And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth." The kings of the earth think they have dominions. They think they have rule. They think they have authority. Christ is over them all. 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ" — we must all appear; that's exclusive — "that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." We're all accountable to the one Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 1:22: "And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be the head over all things to the church." He put all things — God put everything under His feet. He is Lord over all, and He gave Him to be head over all things to the church.

Flip over on the back. Reference for number eight. Ephesians 1:20–21, speaking of the mighty power of God, says: "which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come."

The power of God raised Christ above all things, at all times, and in all ages.

The application for number eight is this: how does Christ's rule and authority comfort the church? That's the blank — church. He is given as the one who is head over all things, and under whose feet all things are placed, to be the head of the church. In other words, His authority is for us in the great commission, right? He is for us and with us to accomplish His task. The gates of hell shall not prevail against the church. The Lord builds His church. He is the head of His church and He has all authority. He is for us.

Bible point number nine: ascribed to Christ is worship — that's the first blank — that is due to God — that's the second blank. Ascribed to Christ is worship that is due to God, because Christ is God. He is worthy of our worship. Look at Matthew 21:15–16. This is on Palm Sunday, His triumphal entry. Christ rode in on the donkey. They praised Him. Then He cleanses the temple, and it says in verse 15: "But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple, 'Hosanna' " — which means "save now" — "'Hosanna to the Son of David'" — that's a messianic term, calling Christ the Messiah, the rightful heir to the throne of God — "they were indignant and said to Him, 'Do you hear what these are saying?'" because they were ascribing praise to Christ. "And Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read' " — and here He quotes from Psalm 8 — " 'Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise.' " Psalm 8 is a great prayer to Yahweh: "O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is Your name over all the earth." In verse 2 He says, "Out of the mouth of infants You have perfected praise." They were ascribing the direct praise and glory and honor of Yahweh to Jesus here at the triumphal entry. Jesus acknowledged this to the leaders of Israel, because He was worthy of the worship of God — because Christ was claiming divinity.

Flip over on the back. Reference for number nine. Hebrews 1:6 speaks of Jesus: "But when He again brings the firstborn into the world" — the Father brings the firstborn, brings the Son, brings Jesus into the world — "He says, 'Let all the angels of God worship Him.'" Angels are created to worship God, and here He is calling on the angels to worship Jesus Christ.

Philippians 2:10–11 says that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow — of those in heaven, of those on the earth, and of those under the earth — and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." The Father does not mind sharing His worship and His praise with the Son, because the Son and the Holy Spirit and the Father are all equally God.

The application for number nine is: do you worship Jesus Christ? How so? The blank is "how so." How do you worship Christ? He is worthy of our worship. Is not our entire life meant to be a description of praise to Him and of honor? We worship Him by obeying Him, right. We worship Him by living for Him. We worship Him with our words, with our songs, our voices. We worship Him with our actions, our deeds. We worship Him even in eating and drinking. Paul says we do all things to the praise and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ, and when we do that, God is pleased, because Christ is God.

Bible point number ten: it was necessary for Christ to be the God-man so that His sacrifice would be of infinite value. "Infinite" is the first blank. Remember, we said that when we studied the infinity of God, we said that infinity isn't a place — it's not a quality that you can actually define, but it's boundless supply from within.

Only God is infinite, and His sacrifice would be of infinite value because He was truly the God-man. Only God's Son could render perfect — that's the second blank — perfect obedience to God's law. And bear God's infinite wrath — that's the third blank — for all who trust in Him.

God's wrath is perfect and it's infinite, and only the Son of God could be our perfect sacrifice to render perfect obedience and to perfectly satisfy the wrath of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." Because Christ was the God-man, His sacrifice was of infinite value — to satisfy the infinite righteousness of God, to satisfy God's infinite wrath, so that we could have His righteousness.

Flip over on the back. 1 John 5:20 says, "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true. And we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." If we have our trust, our faith, in Christ, we are truly in Him, and He is true God. He is eternal life.

The application for this is: do you entirely lean on Christ for salvation? That's the blank — salvation. Are you still trying to muster up your own righteousness? Are you still trying to curry favor with God? Are you still trying to blot out your own transgressions? You are finite. You'll never be able to measure up to the perfect righteousness of God. But praise God, Jesus did. He was the God-man, God made flesh — perfectly obeyed the Father, perfectly satisfied all the righteous requirements of the law. Salvation is only found in Christ Jesus our Lord, the divine person, the second person of the Trinity. May God bless you. Thank you for coming.