The Deity of Christ
by Charles N. Spence, Jr.
Sentry Magazine, June 2000
One of the principal points of the Christian doctrine is the deity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus was just an ordinary man, though perfect he may be, his death could never benefit the entire race of sinful man. Some faiths actually believe and teach that Jesus was not the eternal God but one of many gods who had a definite beginning. These teach that Jesus was the first of God's creation. John 1:1 says that Jesus was in the beginning. In the beginning, Jesus already was. In Genesis 1:1, one can clearly see that it was not until the beginning that God created. Since Jesus was already there in the beginning, He, himself, could not have been created. This truth is further expressed in John 1:3 and Colossians 1:16-17. Jesus was responsible for everything created. He is before all created things. Apart from Jesus, there was nothing made that is made. Simply stated, unless Jesus created himself he is not created.
Some suggest that Jesus did not exist until his birth. In John 8:58 Jesus clearly taught that he was pre-incarnate. He claimed to have existed before Abraham. Micah 5:2 indicates that Jesus' origin is from everlasting. Jesus, during his time upon the earth, was cognizant of having previously been with the Father (John 17:5). Jesus also shared in the same glory. Isaiah 42:8 and 48:11 emphatically state that Jehovah does not share his glory with any other. Yet, Jesus shared in that glory. Again, John 1:1 states that Jesus was with God in the beginning. The point is clearly made that Jesus had a pre-incarnate state.
The deity of Jesus Christ is authoritatively expressed in the Scriptures through precepts, examples, and necessary inference. Some precepts concerning the deity of Christ are (John 1:1; 20:28; Hebrews 1:8-9; Isaiah 9:6). These are passages that unequivocally state that Jesus is God. Some examples of Christ's deity are found in Matthew 2:2; 8:2; 9:18; 14:33; John 9:38). Jesus said that only God was to be worshiped (Matthew 4:10). When John fell down to worship an angel, the angel corrected him by saying 'Worship God" (Revelation 19:10). Yet, in the previous examples, Jesus was worshiped and Jesus did not try to stop them. He accepted their worship. Only as God could Jesus have been able to do such a thing. One can necessarily infer that Jesus is deity from the fact that, if Jesus claims to be deity were false, God certainly would not have upheld the testimony of a liar. This, God would have done by allowing Jesus to perform miracles, never mind being raised from the dead
The deity of Jesus Christ is further established in the fulfillment of Old Testament passages that pertain to Jehovah. Isaiah 40:3 says that John the baptist was to proceed the coming of Jehovah. According to Matthew 3:3; Luke 1:76; and John 3:28, John the Baptist preceded the coming of Christ According to Isaiah 8:13-14, Jehovah was a stone of stumbling. Peter quotes from Isaiah, making the application to Christ in I Peter 2:8. According to Joel 2:32, whoever calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved. In Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9-17; and Acts 4:10-12, Jesus is the authority by which men are saved.
The Scripture is replete with evidence that supports the claim that Christ is deity. To refuse to accept Jesus as God and creator of all things is to question the veracity of God's word.
