THE DIVINITY OF JESUS CHRIST (Part 2)
“And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.” (John 9:37-38 NKJV)
One of the primary reasons why the spiritually blind but religious fanatics among the Jews hated, rejected and sought to kill the Lord Jesus while He lived among them was because of His rightful claim to His divinity.
The Scripture records that when Jesus said, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. “I and My Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
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” (John 10:29-31 NKJV).
The ignorant Jews wanted to stone Jesus for blasphemy because He claimed equality with God the Almighty, the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
They said to Jesus, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.” (John 10:32-33 NKJV).
Like the spiritually blind Jews, many ignorant religious folks today are also contending against the divinity of Jesus Christ. While they claim to believe in Jesus Christ, they reject His divinity.
This is a contradiction!
As pointed out in the first part of this piece the divinity of Jesus Christ is very essential to the Christian faith.
Our salvation depends on this truth. Salvation belongs to God only (Psa. 68:20). Salvation is purely the work of God.
The Psalmist proclaims, “For God is my King from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.” (Psa. 74:12 NKJV).
Therefore, Jesus Christ cannot be your Saviour without being your God!
Anyone who rejects the divinity of Christ has also rejected His salvation. It is impossible to receive salvation through the finished work of Christ without acknowledging, receiving and confessing that Jesus Christ is indeed the Lord God.
Jesus warned the Jews who rejected His divinity, saying, “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24 NKJV).
The Scripture furnishes us with ample evidences to believe and accept the divinity of Jesus Christ. Many of these evidences were carefully considered in the first part of this piece.
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First, the virgin birth of Jesus Christ was a complete fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies about the Incarnation of God (Isa. 7:14, 9:6, Matt. 1:22-23).
Second, God the Father clearly bore testimony to the divinity of Christ (Psa. 110:1, Heb. 1:8).
The Scripture reveals that God commanded His angels to worship Jesus Christ while He was in the flesh.
The Scripture states, “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” (Heb. 1:6 NKJV).
Worship belongs to God exclusively!
Third, Jesus Christ Himself bore testimony to His divinity.
He clearly said, “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30 NKJV).
“Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58 NKJV).
Besides these powerful divine testimonies to the divinity of Christ, many supernatural works or actions of Jesus Christ while He was in the world also bore witness to the truth that Jesus Christ was indeed fully God in the flesh.
Let us consider some of these marvelous works or acts.
First, Jesus Christ forgave sins while in the world:
Sin is the transgression of the law of God and only God has the prerogative to forgive sins. Jesus Christ demonstrated the power to forgive sins while in the world, thereby showing that He was fully God in the flesh.
The Scripture records that when Jesus said to the paralytic brought to Him by his four friends, “Son, your sins are forgiven you,” some of the scribes that were sitting there reasoned thus in their hearts, “Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’? “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:5-10 NKJV).
Jesus forgave the paralytic his sins and healed him of his paralysis. That undoubtedly proves that Jesus Christ was indeed God manifested in the flesh.
Second, Jesus Christ received worship due to God only:
Worship belongs to God exclusively. No man or angel has the right to receive worship from anyone. Under the Old Covenant, anyone guilty of worshipping any other gods must be stoned to death (Deut. 13:1-18).
Apparently, that was the reason the spiritually blind religious fanatics among the Jews took up stones to stone Jesus when He claimed equality with God (John 5:18, 10:30-33).
When Satan tempted Jesus to worship him, Jesus sharply rebuked him, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'” (Luke 4:8 NKJV).
However, Jesus later accepted worship from the man who was born blind after his miraculous healing; thereby proving to the world that He was indeed God in the flesh.
The Scripture records that when Jesus heard that the Jews had cast the man out of the synagogue because of his testimony, He found him and said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.” Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.” (John 9:35-38 NKJV).
Moreover, after His glorious resurrection from the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ received worship several times from His disciples.
Matthew 28:
9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. (NKJV).
The Lord Jesus also accepted the testimony of doubting Thomas when he finally believed in the risen Lord and confessed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28 NKJV).
Third, Jesus Christ wielded power over the elements:
Jesus rebuked the wind and it obeyed Him and there was a great calmness at once (Lk. 8:24). Jesus also calmed the waves of the raging sea (Mk. 4:39). Jesus walked on the troubled water (Matt. 14:25-26).
Power over the elements belongs to God only. Jesus demonstrated this power, thereby showing that He was fully God while in the flesh.
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Fourth, Jesus Christ demonstrated creative power:
Only God, the Creator, has the power to bring something into being from nothing. Jesus showed that He was God the Creator manifested in the flesh by turning water to wine (John 2:1-11) and by feeding thousands of people with only five loaves and two fish (Matt. 14:13-21).
Lastly, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead:
The resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate proof that Jesus’ claim to be equal with God the Father in every respect was not a blasphemy.
How and why?
If Jesus’ claim of divinity was false, or if Jesus was just a liar, an impostor, or a blasphemer as the Jews accused Him, He would not have resurrected from the dead!
If Jesus truly blasphemed by claiming that He was God manifested in the flesh, without any doubt, God would have left or abandoned Him in the grave until the day of final judgement to judge, condemn and send Him to hell fire.
However, the Scripture clearly attests to the truth that Jesus was raised from the dead by His Father, thereby proving to the world that Jesus’ claim that He was equal with God His Father was indeed true. Hallelujah!
Apostle Peter testified to the Jews after healing the man who was born lame, “But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, “and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses.” (Acts 3:14-15 NKJV).
Apostle Paul also testified, saying, “Consequently, through sharing his death in our baptism, we were buried with him; that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by a manifestation of the Father’s power, so we also may live a new Life.” (Rom. 6:4 TCNT).
Paul also prayed for the Christians at Ephesus that their eyes of understanding may be enlightened to know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 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.” (Eph. 1:19-21 NKJV).
Beloved, all these truths are clearly presented to you so that you may know, believe, accept, love, worship, serve and proclaim Jesus Christ as the true God “manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” (1 Tim. 3:16 NKJV).
“And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30-31 NKJV).
Prayer: My Dear Lord Jesus Christ, I acknowledge, receive and proclaim You as my Lord and my God. My Dear Holy Spirit, teach and help me to love, obey, worship and serve Jesus Christ as God every day of my life, in Jesus’ name. Amen.