SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY
Essential Doctrines of Christianity
Essential Doctrines of Christianity
The Bible God Works of God Angels Humans Sin Salvation Christ Holy Spirit Church End Times Afterlife
CHRIST:
Deity of Christ
DEITY OF CHRIST - Jesus Christ is fully God; this is a teaching that is often questioned and debated, but is one of the most clear, direct, and prevalent teachings in Scripture.
- The deity of Christ is first seen in prophecies from the OT (Mic 5:2; Is 9:6 cf. 10:20-21; 7:14 cf. Matt 1:23; Dan 7:13-14 cf. Mat 13:41-43; 16:27; 17:22-23; 26:64-65).
- Jesus is referred to as God in the NT (Matt 26:64-65; John 1:1-3; 8:58-59; 20:28; Acts 20:28; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20).
- Jesus took actions that suggest his deity including forgiving sins (Luke 5:20-21; 24; Col 3:13 cf. Jer 31:34; Ps. 130:4), showing knowledge of the thoughts of others (Mark 2:8; Luke 5:22 cf. Ps 139:1-4), stilling a storm at sea (Mark 4:35-41; Matt 8:26-27 cf. Ps 89:8-9), and is attributed with creating the universe (Col 1:16 cf. Prov 16:4; John 1:3 cf. Gen 1:1).
- Jesus has attributes that suggest his deity including being unchanging (Heb 1:10-12; 13:8 cf. Ps 102:27; Mal 3:6; James 1:17), eternal (Micah 5:2; John 1:1-3; 8:58; Col 1:17; Heb 1:2 cf. Gen 21:33; Ps 90:2), omnipresent (Matt 18:20; 28:20; Col 3:11), and omniscient (John 2:23-25; 16:30; 21:17 cf. Ps 139:1-4; 147:4-5).
- Jesus has titles that suggest his deity including “Son of Man” (Matt 26:64 cf. Dan 7:13-14), “I Am” (John 8:58; 18:5-6 cf. Ex 3:14), “First and Last” (Rev 1:17; 2:8; 22:13 cf. Is 41:4; 44:6; 48:12), “Alpha and Omega” (Rev 1:8; 21:5-7; 22:12-13,16, 20), “Light” (John 1:4-9; 8:12 cf. Ps 27:1; Is 60:19-20), “Bridegroom” (Mark 2:19; Matt 25:1-13; Rev 21:2 cf. Hos 2:16; Is 62:5), “Shepherd” (John 10:11-16; Heb 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25 cf. Ps 23:1; Ez 34:15-16), “Savior” (Luke 2:11 cf. Is 43:3), “Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5), and “Judge” (2 Cor 5:10 cf. Joel 3:12).
- The deity of Christ is first seen in prophecies from the OT (Mic 5:2; Is 9:6 cf. 10:20-21; 7:14 cf. Matt 1:23; Dan 7:13-14 cf. Mat 13:41-43; 16:27; 17:22-23; 26:64-65).
- Jesus is referred to as God in the NT (Matt 26:64-65; John 1:1-3; 8:58-59; 20:28; Acts 20:28; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20).
- Jesus took actions that suggest his deity including forgiving sins (Luke 5:20-21; 24; Col 3:13 cf. Jer 31:34; Ps. 130:4), showing knowledge of the thoughts of others (Mark 2:8; Luke 5:22 cf. Ps 139:1-4), stilling a storm at sea (Mark 4:35-41; Matt 8:26-27 cf. Ps 89:8-9), and is attributed with creating the universe (Col 1:16 cf. Prov 16:4; John 1:3 cf. Gen 1:1).
- Jesus has attributes that suggest his deity including being unchanging (Heb 1:10-12; 13:8 cf. Ps 102:27; Mal 3:6; James 1:17), eternal (Micah 5:2; John 1:1-3; 8:58; Col 1:17; Heb 1:2 cf. Gen 21:33; Ps 90:2), omnipresent (Matt 18:20; 28:20; Col 3:11), and omniscient (John 2:23-25; 16:30; 21:17 cf. Ps 139:1-4; 147:4-5).
- Jesus has titles that suggest his deity including “Son of Man” (Matt 26:64 cf. Dan 7:13-14), “I Am” (John 8:58; 18:5-6 cf. Ex 3:14), “First and Last” (Rev 1:17; 2:8; 22:13 cf. Is 41:4; 44:6; 48:12), “Alpha and Omega” (Rev 1:8; 21:5-7; 22:12-13,16, 20), “Light” (John 1:4-9; 8:12 cf. Ps 27:1; Is 60:19-20), “Bridegroom” (Mark 2:19; Matt 25:1-13; Rev 21:2 cf. Hos 2:16; Is 62:5), “Shepherd” (John 10:11-16; Heb 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25 cf. Ps 23:1; Ez 34:15-16), “Savior” (Luke 2:11 cf. Is 43:3), “Lord of the Sabbath” (Luke 6:5), and “Judge” (2 Cor 5:10 cf. Joel 3:12).
DID JESUS HIMSELF EVER CLAIM TO BE GOD?
- Yes he did. The clearest example is in John 8:58 where he said ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” The “I am” is a translation of the Greek “ego eimi.” Eimi alone means “I am” and ego means “I,” so the ego eimi phrase is emphatic and it recalls what God called himself when he spoke to Moses in the burning bush. God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and he said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’” (Ex 3:14). This phrase shows the self-existence and eternal nature of God. By saying “I am,” Jesus was claiming to be the uncreated Self-Existent One (i.e., Yahweh). Some may ask why Jesus didn’t make it more clear by saying “I am God.” However, what he did say is actually a stronger statement of full deity, than saying “I am theos.” Roman and Greek god’s were called theos. There was also an imperial cult, where some emperors claimed deity and called themselves theos. So the language Jesus used was a clearer claim to being the eternal God of the Old Testament. The Jews who were listening to Jesus understood his claim to deity and so they picked up stones to stone him for blasphemy (John 8:59).
- Jesus spoke about God as his Father in a way that made the Jews believe that he was claiming to be God (John 5:16-18; 10:30-31).
- Jesus claimed to be the Son of Man who would be seated at the right hand of Power and come on the clouds of heaven, which caused the high priest to charge Jesus with blasphemy (Matt 26:64-65). The Son of Man is worshiped and viewed as deity in Daniel 7:13-14.
- As noted above, Jesus also took actions like forgiving sins that made clear his claim to be God.
- Jesus spoke about God as his Father in a way that made the Jews believe that he was claiming to be God (John 5:16-18; 10:30-31).
- Jesus claimed to be the Son of Man who would be seated at the right hand of Power and come on the clouds of heaven, which caused the high priest to charge Jesus with blasphemy (Matt 26:64-65). The Son of Man is worshiped and viewed as deity in Daniel 7:13-14.
- As noted above, Jesus also took actions like forgiving sins that made clear his claim to be God.
DID JESUS’ FOLLOWERS MAKE THINGS UP AND PUT WORDS IN HIS MOUTH THAT HE DIDN’T REALLY SAY IN ORDER TO DEIFY HIM?
- If Jesus did not indicate that he was fully divine, and if his followers did not actually believe that Jesus was God, then what was to gain by calling him God or trying to convince others that he was God? It seems like it would be a tougher story to sell that story than simply to say that he was a prophet from God.
- If they were going to make things up, then why not put other things on Jesus’ lips that were disputed early on in the church, like the issue of circumcision? Or why not delete parts of the story that showed the failures of Jesus’ followers? (See notes on the reliability of the Scriptures in the Bible section.)
- If they were going to make things up, then why not put other things on Jesus’ lips that were disputed early on in the church, like the issue of circumcision? Or why not delete parts of the story that showed the failures of Jesus’ followers? (See notes on the reliability of the Scriptures in the Bible section.)
DID JESUS GO FROM BEING JUST A GOOD TEACHER IN THE EARLIEST GOSPEL OF MARK TO A MYTHICAL DIVINE FIGURE IN THE LATER GOSPEL OF JOHN?
- While not as directly as John, Mark also indicates that Jesus is God. For instance, in Mark 2:5-7 Jesus is accused of blasphemy for forgiving sins, which was the prerogative of God alone. Mark 1:3 (cf. Matt 3:3; Luke 3:4, 15-17) describes John the Baptist as preparing the way for Jesus in a way that fulfills Isaiah 40:3. In the Isaiah passage, the voice of one calling in the wilderness is preparing the way for Yahweh (the term used for God in the OT). This suggests that Jesus, the Messiah, the Son of God, is Yahweh himself.
- Even though Mark was likely written first, John was written within thirty years of Mark, which is far shorter than the normal amount of time it takes for a myth to take hold.
- The epistles were written at around the same time as Mark and include the verses above that indicate the divinity of Jesus.
- There is another reason that John may have been the one to write even more clearly about the divinity of Jesus than Mark, which is that John was the closest one on earth to Jesus including being a part of the inner circle who personally witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:1).
- Even though Mark was likely written first, John was written within thirty years of Mark, which is far shorter than the normal amount of time it takes for a myth to take hold.
- The epistles were written at around the same time as Mark and include the verses above that indicate the divinity of Jesus.
- There is another reason that John may have been the one to write even more clearly about the divinity of Jesus than Mark, which is that John was the closest one on earth to Jesus including being a part of the inner circle who personally witnessed the transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:1).
DO SOME PASSAGES CALL INTO QUESTION THE DEITY OF JESUS?
- Mark 10:17-18 Jesus does not here say that he is not good, nor does he say that he is not God. He is trying to get the man to see that eternal life is not inherited through good works, and that he needs to reexamine what it means to be good. The fact that Jesus links following him with acceptance in heaven actually points to Jesus calling himself both good and God.
- John 14:28 The Father was not greater in terms of essence but in terms of his role and the glory that the Father had in heaven while Jesus was on earth (see John 17:5).
- 1 Corinthians 15:28 Jesus was also subject to his human parents as seen in Luke 2:51. This certainly does not mean that he was of a lesser nature than his parents. Again, this is not an issue with the nature and essence of the Son versus the Father, but rather of their differing roles as individual Persons of the Trinity.
- Colossians 1:15 “Firstborn” does not mean created. The context is speaking about his preeminence over all creation, and also may be speaking of his incarnation and not his eternal Sonship. Colossians 1:16 goes on to speak of all things being created through him and for him, which indicates that Jesus is God (cf. Prov 16:4). See also Hebrews 1:6 where God calls the angels to worship his “firstborn,” which would never happen of a created being.
- John 1:18 Some may try to argue that “begotten” means created when it says, “the only begotten (monogenes) God.” But compare this with Hebrews 11:17 which states “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten (monogenes) son.” Abraham also had Ishmael, so it could not mean only born or created son. Therefore monogenes may mean something like ‘one of a kind’ or ‘preeminent’ but it does not make sense for it to mean ‘only-created’ or ‘only-born.’
- John 1:1 While this verse is normally not used to argue that Jesus is not God, the Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that it does not prove Jesus is God because they say “kai theos en ho logos” should be translated “the Word was a god” and not “the Word was God.” They say that they traslate it this way because theos does not have the article (ho), and therefore it is indefinite and should be translated “a god” instead of “God.” Without going into all of the technical reasons for why they are wrong, it should be sufficient to note that no other Bible translation on the planet translates it as they do, the Greek scholar they quote to try to justify their translation has stated that they have taken his words out of context, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves translate theos without the article as “God” throughout their New World Translation including in John 1:6, 12, 13, 18, 23.
- John 14:28 The Father was not greater in terms of essence but in terms of his role and the glory that the Father had in heaven while Jesus was on earth (see John 17:5).
- 1 Corinthians 15:28 Jesus was also subject to his human parents as seen in Luke 2:51. This certainly does not mean that he was of a lesser nature than his parents. Again, this is not an issue with the nature and essence of the Son versus the Father, but rather of their differing roles as individual Persons of the Trinity.
- Colossians 1:15 “Firstborn” does not mean created. The context is speaking about his preeminence over all creation, and also may be speaking of his incarnation and not his eternal Sonship. Colossians 1:16 goes on to speak of all things being created through him and for him, which indicates that Jesus is God (cf. Prov 16:4). See also Hebrews 1:6 where God calls the angels to worship his “firstborn,” which would never happen of a created being.
- John 1:18 Some may try to argue that “begotten” means created when it says, “the only begotten (monogenes) God.” But compare this with Hebrews 11:17 which states “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten (monogenes) son.” Abraham also had Ishmael, so it could not mean only born or created son. Therefore monogenes may mean something like ‘one of a kind’ or ‘preeminent’ but it does not make sense for it to mean ‘only-created’ or ‘only-born.’
- John 1:1 While this verse is normally not used to argue that Jesus is not God, the Jehovah’s Witnesses argue that it does not prove Jesus is God because they say “kai theos en ho logos” should be translated “the Word was a god” and not “the Word was God.” They say that they traslate it this way because theos does not have the article (ho), and therefore it is indefinite and should be translated “a god” instead of “God.” Without going into all of the technical reasons for why they are wrong, it should be sufficient to note that no other Bible translation on the planet translates it as they do, the Greek scholar they quote to try to justify their translation has stated that they have taken his words out of context, and the Jehovah’s Witnesses themselves translate theos without the article as “God” throughout their New World Translation including in John 1:6, 12, 13, 18, 23.
Humanity of Christ
HUMANITY OF CHRIST – With the incarnation, the Son of God added humanity to his deity, becoming fully man as well as being fully God.
- The humanity of Jesus began with the virgin conception (Matt 1:18-25 cf. Is 7:14). The conception by the Holy Spirit ensured that Jesus would not have the stain of fallen humanity, but would be born holy and sinless (Luke 1:35 – ESV; NIV footnote). Jesus remained sinless throughout his life (John 8:28-29; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5; Heb 4:15).
- Scripture shows Jesus having a human body (John 1:14; Acts 2:31; 1 Tim 3:16; 1 John 1:1), a human mind (Luke 2:40), and a human soul and emotions (Matt 8:10; 26:38; 27:45-50; Mark 2:8; 8:10; Luke 23:46; John 12:27; 13:21; Luke 19:41; John 11:35; Heb 5:7 cf. Is 53:3). Jesus had human limitations (Matt 4:2; 8:24; John 4:6-7; 19:28), and grew physically and mentally (Luke 2:40, 52).
- The humanity of Jesus is extremely important because it was man that owed the debt to God and so it needed to be a man who would be the perfect sacrifice (Heb 2:14-17). Jesus became the perfect sacrifice by being obedient where we fail (Heb 5:8), so that his righteousness could make us righteous (Rom 5:18-19). He can sympathize as our High Priest (Heb 2:18). He is the perfect mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). He is the perfect example for how we are to live (1 John 2:6; 2 Cor 3:18; 1 Peter 2:21; Heb 12:2-3; Phil 2:4-11; 3:10; John 13:14 et. al.). He could reveal God to us more clearly as a man (John 1:14). And there is a permanent bond between God and man. Jesus will always be fully God and fully man. He retained his scars (John 20:25-27). He has flesh and bones after the resurrection (Luke 24:39). He ate after the resurrection (Luke 24:41-42). And he will drink wine with his disciples in the Kingdom (Matt 26:29).
- The humanity of Jesus began with the virgin conception (Matt 1:18-25 cf. Is 7:14). The conception by the Holy Spirit ensured that Jesus would not have the stain of fallen humanity, but would be born holy and sinless (Luke 1:35 – ESV; NIV footnote). Jesus remained sinless throughout his life (John 8:28-29; 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5; Heb 4:15).
- Scripture shows Jesus having a human body (John 1:14; Acts 2:31; 1 Tim 3:16; 1 John 1:1), a human mind (Luke 2:40), and a human soul and emotions (Matt 8:10; 26:38; 27:45-50; Mark 2:8; 8:10; Luke 23:46; John 12:27; 13:21; Luke 19:41; John 11:35; Heb 5:7 cf. Is 53:3). Jesus had human limitations (Matt 4:2; 8:24; John 4:6-7; 19:28), and grew physically and mentally (Luke 2:40, 52).
- The humanity of Jesus is extremely important because it was man that owed the debt to God and so it needed to be a man who would be the perfect sacrifice (Heb 2:14-17). Jesus became the perfect sacrifice by being obedient where we fail (Heb 5:8), so that his righteousness could make us righteous (Rom 5:18-19). He can sympathize as our High Priest (Heb 2:18). He is the perfect mediator between God and man (1 Tim 2:5). He is the perfect example for how we are to live (1 John 2:6; 2 Cor 3:18; 1 Peter 2:21; Heb 12:2-3; Phil 2:4-11; 3:10; John 13:14 et. al.). He could reveal God to us more clearly as a man (John 1:14). And there is a permanent bond between God and man. Jesus will always be fully God and fully man. He retained his scars (John 20:25-27). He has flesh and bones after the resurrection (Luke 24:39). He ate after the resurrection (Luke 24:41-42). And he will drink wine with his disciples in the Kingdom (Matt 26:29).
SINCE JESUS IS GOD, WAS IT REALLY POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO BE TEMPTED?
- It is certainly the case that Jesus is God and unable to sin (Heb 6:17-18; Tit 1:2), but it is also clear that Jesus not only faced temptation, but suffered in his temptations (Heb 2:17-18).
- It would seem possible for temptations to cause suffering in Jesus if the temptation combined something that was wrong with something that was not wrong. The non-sinful desire would be intensified and yet it could not be satisfied without committing a sinful act, that is, an act contrary to the will of the Father. For instance, Jesus’ desire to eat food may have been intensified by the suggestion to turn stone into bread (Matt 4:3), just as our hunger is intensified by the sight or smell of food. It does not seem that there is anything inherently sinful about turning stone into bread, any more than turning water into wine. Having those desires intensified could have caused suffering in Jesus even without the smallest possibility that he would disobey the Father and break his fast right then.
- Note that someone who is tempted with a choice and immediately chooses the sinful way does not suffer in the temptation. For instance let’s imagine three people are hungry and a piece of cake is placed in front of each one. If person 1 eats the cake immediately, he has not suffered in the temptation. If person 2 holds out for 15 minutes and then eats the cake, he has suffered some because of the temptation. If person 3 does not eat the cake for an hour and then the cake is finally taken away, then that person has likely suffered the most through the temptation. This would be the case even if person 3 did not have a true possibility of eating the cake. For instance, lets say a glass wall separated person 3 from the cake; it would not seem to mitigate the suffering. Jesus suffered greatly through his temptations because he always chose the right way and did not take the easy way out offered by the temptation.
- It would seem possible for temptations to cause suffering in Jesus if the temptation combined something that was wrong with something that was not wrong. The non-sinful desire would be intensified and yet it could not be satisfied without committing a sinful act, that is, an act contrary to the will of the Father. For instance, Jesus’ desire to eat food may have been intensified by the suggestion to turn stone into bread (Matt 4:3), just as our hunger is intensified by the sight or smell of food. It does not seem that there is anything inherently sinful about turning stone into bread, any more than turning water into wine. Having those desires intensified could have caused suffering in Jesus even without the smallest possibility that he would disobey the Father and break his fast right then.
- Note that someone who is tempted with a choice and immediately chooses the sinful way does not suffer in the temptation. For instance let’s imagine three people are hungry and a piece of cake is placed in front of each one. If person 1 eats the cake immediately, he has not suffered in the temptation. If person 2 holds out for 15 minutes and then eats the cake, he has suffered some because of the temptation. If person 3 does not eat the cake for an hour and then the cake is finally taken away, then that person has likely suffered the most through the temptation. This would be the case even if person 3 did not have a true possibility of eating the cake. For instance, lets say a glass wall separated person 3 from the cake; it would not seem to mitigate the suffering. Jesus suffered greatly through his temptations because he always chose the right way and did not take the easy way out offered by the temptation.
The Union of God and man in Jesus Christ
THE UNION OF GOD AND MAN IN JESUS CHRIST – The Son of God added humanity to his deity such that he has two complete natures in one person.
- Jesus is no less human because he is fully God, and no less God because he is fully man. When the Son of God became a man he did not lose attributes or become half-God. He added something to himself. He did not subtract anything. Jesus is God, and God is unchanging in his being (Ps 102:27; Mal 3:6; James 1:17; see also Heb 13:8; 6:17-18; Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29).
- Some argue that Jesus emptied himself of divine attributes based on Philippians 2:5-7 which states “Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Phil 2:5-7 NASB) But notice that Jesus did not empty himself of attributes; He ‘emptied himself’ by taking the form of a servant. He ‘emptied himself’ by adding something (humanity), not by subtracting something (divinity). Jesus did not give up divine attributes, but he did set aside divine priveledges and glory in order to come too this world as a man (John 17:5). This is why the NIV translates Philippians 2:5-7 as “Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
- It does seem that Jesus often set aside the use of divine attributes while on earth. He is shown to have a human consciousness (Matt 27:46; Luke 22:42) that did not have complete knowledge (Luke 2:52 cf. Mark 13:32), but he was also acutely aware of his divinity (John 8:58; 10:30; 17:5) and at times he seems to utilize his divine attributes (Mark 2:8; Luke 6:8; 11:17). It seems likely that Jesus had a self-consciousness grounded in his human mind and then was able to acess his divine omniscience at will.
- Jesus is no less human because he is fully God, and no less God because he is fully man. When the Son of God became a man he did not lose attributes or become half-God. He added something to himself. He did not subtract anything. Jesus is God, and God is unchanging in his being (Ps 102:27; Mal 3:6; James 1:17; see also Heb 13:8; 6:17-18; Num 23:19; 1 Sam 15:29).
- Some argue that Jesus emptied himself of divine attributes based on Philippians 2:5-7 which states “Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” (Phil 2:5-7 NASB) But notice that Jesus did not empty himself of attributes; He ‘emptied himself’ by taking the form of a servant. He ‘emptied himself’ by adding something (humanity), not by subtracting something (divinity). Jesus did not give up divine attributes, but he did set aside divine priveledges and glory in order to come too this world as a man (John 17:5). This is why the NIV translates Philippians 2:5-7 as “Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
- It does seem that Jesus often set aside the use of divine attributes while on earth. He is shown to have a human consciousness (Matt 27:46; Luke 22:42) that did not have complete knowledge (Luke 2:52 cf. Mark 13:32), but he was also acutely aware of his divinity (John 8:58; 10:30; 17:5) and at times he seems to utilize his divine attributes (Mark 2:8; Luke 6:8; 11:17). It seems likely that Jesus had a self-consciousness grounded in his human mind and then was able to acess his divine omniscience at will.
The Bible God Works of God Angels Humans Sin Salvation Christ Holy Spirit Church End Times Afterlife