Jesus–As God – What Does This Mean?

Encore Post: The New Testament calls Jesus God in many ways. It uses the name “God” and “Lord” and applies titles the Old Testament uses for God to Jesus. (see The Bible Calls Jesus God) Jesus also has qualities that belong to God alone and demonstrated them. (John 3:2) There was little doubt on the part of either his disciples (Matthew 14:33) or his opponents that he claimed to be God. (John 10:33)

According to the Scripture, Jesus is almighty or omnipotent. (Matthew 28:18, John 3:35, Revelation 5:12) He controls the weather. (Matthew 8:23-27) He heals the sick and raises the dead. (John 11:38-44) He created everything. (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16) Jesus is present everywhere his people are. (Matthew 18:20, Matthew 28:20, John 14:23) He is with us forever and never changes. (Matthew 28:20, John 8:56-59, Hebrew 1:12 Hebrews 13:8, John 17:5) Jesus allows people to worship him. (Matthew 28:9, John 9:35) Jesus forgives sins by his own authority. (Mark 2:5-11)

Because of this witness of the Scriptures, the church believed and confessed from the very beginning that Jesus is both God and Lord. They also continued to believe what the scripture told them about the nature of God — that only one God exists. Concluding that human reason would never understand how this could be so, they trusted God and his word instead. They continued to confess the mystery in the face of one heresy or another that changed doctrine in order to make sense of God’s nature.

Encore Post: The Church knew from the start that Jesus was God. Yet both the Scripture and the Church from its earliest days confessed that there is only one God. They fearlessly proclaimed this truth when every culture around them believed anything but that there was just one God. They were even called Atheists because they didn’t believe in the Roman Gods or play the game of merging their religion with those around them.

The early church recognized that the New Testament clearly assumes Jesus is God. In some places, it calls him so point blank. (John 1:1, John 1:18, Romans 9:5, Philippians 2:11 (Jesus Christ is Lord), Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8, 2 Peter 1:1) He is identified as the Son of God and calls himself the Son of Man. Jesus is called Lord, calls himself Lord or implies he is Yahweh.

The New Testament also gives titles to Jesus that the Old Testament reserves for God alone. He is the Savior (Isaiah 45:21, Hosea 13:4, Luke 1:47, Acts 5:31) God is our shepherd (Psalm 23:1, Ezekiel 34:15) and Jesus is the shepherd (Hebrews 13:20) God is the first and the last (Isaiah 44:6). Jesus is the first and the last. (Revelation 1:17) Other titles are also given to both God and to Jesus. These reinforced the conviction of the church that Jesus is both God and Lord.

Tag: Jesus–As God

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The Bible Calls Jesus God