Deity of Jesus Christ

[Chad]

What credentials does the Bible provide to back up the deity of Jesus Christ as Son of GOD / GOD incarnate?

* Demonstrated GOD in flesh/incarnate by being sinless

2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

1 John 3:5
You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

1 Peter 2:22
He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth

Jesus Christ challenged people by asking:
Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

* Proved Himself supernatural by performing various miracles with supernatural authority

Matthew 4:23 (miracles over sickness)
And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people

Mark 4:39 (authority over nature)
And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

Luke 4:35 (authority over demonic spirits)
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be silent and come out of him!" And when the demon had thrown him down in their midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm.

Matthew 11:2-5
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" 4 And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

* Jesus foretells about His own death and resurrection on the 3rd day

Matthew 16:21-22
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you."

* Jesus fulfills prophecy through His Resurrection

Matthew 28:11-13
11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, "Tell people, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.'

Some examples of Jesus appearing to His people after His Resurrection:

1 Corinthians 15:6
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep

Matthew 28:5
But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

Matthew 28:9
And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him

Matthew 28:16-7
(Great Commission)
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted

Luke 24:13-35
13That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, "What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?" And they stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?" 19And he said to them, "What things?" And they said to him, "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22Moreover, some women of our company amazed us.

They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see." 25And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent." So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, "Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?" 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!" 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Acts 1:6-8
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

 

[Faithful Son]

Thanks for providing the information Chad. I think the main thing is people are looking for facts that Jesus said, I am God, I am God. He was a leader to helpless men, a sheperd to the lost, a God to men.

I think this only adds to what you said and clearly Jesus is saying He is God:

Luke 4:1-13

1And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

2Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

3And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.

4And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

5And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

6And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.

7If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

8And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

9And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:

10For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:

11And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

12And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

13And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.

 

[CliffS]

Things better left unspoken,

I have no doubt that Jesus is diety. And no doubt that Jesus is a demonstration of God with us. Or that Jesus is a presentation,aspect or maifestation of God.
However with all that is shown in scripture relating to Jesus being God.
When ask by Jesus who He said Jesus was, Peter's reply was: "The Son of the Living God"
Mat 16:14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.
Mat 16:15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
Mat 16:16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Mat 16:17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Joh 6:69 And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.
You think Peter and the other apostiles didn't know Jesus was of God? above the angels. Jesus ask who do you say I am? Not who am I?
We can believe Jesus to be God but scripture assures us beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus is the Son of God.
God went to great lengths to have himself known through "His Son" Jesus.
God promiced a messiah, a savour to the world. Who better than His only begotten son????
As long as we say Jesus is the "Son of God" no one has any reason to question our faith.
But say Jesus is God (even when we know it's true)and we have thousands of accusations and questions.
Two Gods???? No with the trinity teaching,Three persons, three God's??
But we say one God???
The problem I have with that is that without a long strung out study (which many don't want listen to, can't understand or won't accept) we can't even begin answer those questions.
It's kind of like putting tough meat in the milk we give the baby when we teach the trinity or that Jesus is God to the just born again.
To the unbelieving world it is like casting pearls before swine.
Mat 7:6 Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
The truth of this verse is confirmed every time a non believer hears the trinity doctrine.

Seeking the truth is good ,but learning how to handle it is better.

No argument or debate intended . I just felt I should bring that out.

 

[ChristineES]

I have always known that Jesus is God. Lately on other forums, people keep saying this isn't so. There is so much evidence in The Word that it is true. That is why they killed Him, because He told them He was God.

 

[Coconut]

I see what you are trying to say CliffS, but I have to refute it.
For over two thousand years men have had no problem either rejecting or accepting Christ for who the Word says He is, will he now become more acceptable if we leave out the tiny little fact that He is GOD?
No, a man will either accept Christ on His own merit, or reject Him.

Edited to add; You have taken Mat 7:6 completely out of context. That scripture in no way applies to the subject of telling anyone who Jesus is.

And why should it take a long drawn out study to even begin to answer the question of who Jesus is?
Isaiah said it in one sentence;

Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

 

[Chad]

Things better left unspoken. I have no doubt that Jesus is diety.

Not quite. What if it was left unspoken to you prior to you being preached to about the love of GOD in Jesus Christ, the Good News?

People want and need proof, they deserve it and its just a natural (reasonable) expectation to want proof of someone claiming something to be true. In this case, nothing is more important than providing the unbeliever proof that Jesus is GOD and the Holy Bibile is in fact the annointed Word of GOD.

Remember your not the only member here. There are many and plenty others that visit Talk Jesus who are not saved yet and to provide them great proof in detailed clarification is a blessing to them, from GOD.

 

[ccansl]

One powerful way to educate unbelievers is to show them Jesus Christ in the Old Testament. While a message above wisely quoted Isaiah 9:6, there are many more! Hebrews 1 quotes extensively from the Old Testament. Zechariah 12:10-on shows that God's people pierced God. The Ancient of Days comes from Bethlehem, Mic. 5:2. Ps 110 shows God addressing Himself, though as the Father addressing the Son. The Bible's miraculous prophecies overcome those who try to force their own opinion by attacking the New Testament.

 

[Fellowservant]

Amen: The word became flesh and dwelt among us, Praise his everlasting name. I believe we can show God in Christ to the unbeliever just as much as we can show Christ in us, the hope of Glory! If they are drawn by the spirit (and they have to be), then they will also recieve the mind of the spirit.
But i see your concern, and what we need to do is lead them to Christ and they will find the father also... without question. Christ is in God and God is in Christ and the spirit and the word agree...

God bless...

 

[CliffS]

But i see your concern, and what we need to do is lead them to Christ and they will find the father also... without question. Christ is in God and God is in Christ and the spirit and the word agree...

Agreed,

For over two thousand years men have had no problem either rejecting or accepting Christ for who the Word says He is, will he now become more acceptable if we leave out the tiny little fact that He is GOD?

I can't say about two thousand years (I'm not quite that old) but certianly there are many today for whom the teaching of the diety before they have accepted Christ is a major problem. I'm not advocating leaving out the fact that Jesus is of God . What I'm saying is don't lead with it. Yes, scripture indicates Jesus is God. But openly and unquestionably scripture says he is "The Son of God. Jesus lived as the Son of God, taught as the Son of God and died as the Son of God. And we are told in no questionable turms that He is with the Father. Once they accept that ,as they mature they will see understand and accept the rest.
Why can't we teach that???

What if it was left unspoken to you prior to you being preached to about the love of GOD in Jesus Christ, the Good News?

It was!!! I was taught simply that God sent his only begotten Son to save the sinners of which I was one. When I went to scripture that was the very first thing I saw. Jesus the Son of God. I accepted Christ that way. Why??? Because what I was told was plain as day written in scripture. As I studied and matured I realized the complexity of God and the relationship called the Trinity.
So who is going to tell me that I didn't accept the true God if I didn't accept and know Jesus as God from the beginning????? I'm sure some one will. They always do.

People want and need proof, they deserve it and its just a natural (reasonable) expectation to want proof of someone claiming something to be true. In this case, nothing is more important than providing the unbeliever proof that Jesus is GOD and the Holy Bibile is in fact the annointed Word of GOD.

People of God need and want answers. Proof is game of the unbeliever.
Besides where are we told to proove anything? It is better to tell the simple most prevelant truth and let God prove the rest to them. He can do it we can't.
If one is of God no proof is need and if not no amount of proof will be sufficient.
It's realy very simple. If one won't or can't accept Jesus as the Son of God( The one thing the Gospels go to the most effert to establish) what makes you think they are going to accept and understand the complexities of the Trinity?????
Another thing to concider is that there is a reason for teaching the Father Son and Holy Spirit separate. If we teach Jesus as God from the very beginning that is missed.

Remember your not the only member here. There are many and plenty others that visit Talk Jesus who are not saved yet and to provide them great proof in detailed clarification is a blessing to them, from GOD.

I'm very aware I'm not the only one here. I assure you that I have concerns for those who don't know Jesus as savour yet just as most of you do. That is why I'm here. Bombarding those who are truely seeking to know him with the trinity is more of a stumbling block than a blessing. Those who want to come againt God use the "Trinity" teaching more times than any other doctrine to confuse and dismay would be believers. And our trying to prove it to them and arguing about it is playing right into their hands.
If you don't go there in an open forum you don't have to defend it before the world.
As I said "Things better left spoken."

 

[Faithful Son]

I totally, one hundred and ten percent agree with you Cliffs. Jesus is the Son of the Living God. If we are to accept that Jesus is the Son of God, we should also accept that Jesus is God. Then we have to explain "how" Jesus is God, He is God, because He is part of the trinity.

We don't have to bombard people about it, but we should definitely mention it. It is our responisibility as Christians. The subject of this thread is the deity of Jesus, that includes being part of the trinity.

Jesus is the Son of God, that makes Him God. He is not the Son of Joseph, but the Son of the Father. If we accept that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. We accept He is God aswell.

 

[ccansl]

I see that showing how both OT and NT verses teach the deity of Christ is more reassurance than proof. Face it - the deity of Christ is a hard teaching, and many try to deny it just because it does not conform to easy understanding or everyday life. Christianity is monotheistic but is not simple unitarianism like Islam.
In examining the many verses you discover a miracle - the consistency of the Bible over many centuries. There is no quibbling among the inspired men - they wrote in unison on a teaching that offends the mind of the natural man. They were all moved by God's blessed Spirit and their writings present God's trinity without apology.

 

[topzy]

Jesus is the Son of God, that makes Him God. He is not the Son of Joseph, but the Son of the Father. If we accept that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. We accept He is God aswell.[/QUOTE]

Yes i love that remember the bible sys in Genesis that adam heard the voice walking...have ever pursed to ask possible it is for a voice to walk?If the bible says in John 1 that in the beggining was the word and the word was with God...that means in Genesis,God was walking and the word(Jesus) was talking!They are inseparable.So also is the holy spirit.The Three are ONE.

So no doubt Jesus is Lord

 

[Dreamer]

Amen, topzy! You said it, clearly, concisely and within one paragraph.

 

[Chad]

I agree good post topzy.

As jiggyfly / sunshine have in their signature..

Jesus is Lord and there is nothing you can do about it!

 

[friendtoall]

Jeus is the great I AM, Jehova, God, our savior, but he is the Son of (God the father). They are sperate persons, Jesus told mary not to touch him, for He had not yet gone to his father and our father, ther are other examples that have been mentioned, God the father voice was heard after the baptism of Jesus.

 

[topzy]

Jeus is the great I AM, Jehova, God, our savior, but he is the Son of (God the father). They are sperate persons, Jesus told mary not to touch him, for He had not yet gone to his father and our father, ther are other examples that have been mentioned, God the father voice was heard after the baptism of Jesus.

I do agree with you friendtoall.But do you know what?revelation is progressive.The bible says in col2:3 that in christ jesus we have the hidden treasure of wisdom and knowledge.
The three;father,son and the holy spirit are without doubt seperate personalities who work hand in hand.Their roles are intertwining,see in that scipture you refered to where God spoke that this 'is my son in whom i am well pleased'remeber Jesus was being baptised,God spoke,the holy spirit was made manifest by the decsent of a dove.This was to revael to us that jesus was God personified.They(father,son,the holy ghost)are one.Performing differnt roles for one singular purpose.Remember when jesus was praying for the desciples in john 17v11it says keep them UNITED as we re in vrs21 it says;
"my prayer for all of them is that they might be one just as you and I are one...father that as you are in me and i am in you,so they will be in us...'' THE WORD was with God and the word(jesus)was God...and the word became flesh and dwelt among us...u can read on John 1:1-15:star: