Foundational Theology: Christology (Part One)

The Divinity of Christ: Biblical Evidence

In this article on Christology we will examine the Biblical Evidence for the divinity of Christ. The video for this article can be found here.

This material is taken from chapter seven of my Practical Systematic Theology: Reclaiming the Doctrine of the Early Church.

So firstly, when speaking with unbelievers, or others such as Muslims, who deny the divinity of Christ, it is not enough to simply quote a few proof texts, but rather to point to the revealed application of those texts. The NT writers used prophecies and emphatic statements from the OT and showed how they were fulfilled, revealed and applied to Jesus Christ in order to argue He was God incarnate. 

I. Function and Ontology

In any study of Christology the student will discern two areas of definition which identify Jesus Christ as He is revealed to us. These two areas are ‘function’ and ‘ontology’. In simple terms, we can say that who Jesus Christ is, to a large extent, is identified by what He does. His ontology (being, nature) are revealed in the functions and acts He performs within specific roles. 

Athanasius (298-373) recognized that the functions Christ performs identify who He is, and used this in refuting the heretic Arius who claimed that Jesus was a created being. Athanasius used arguments such as the following: 

1. Only God can save.

2. Jesus functions as, and is called ‘Savior’. (function)

3. Therefore, Jesus is God. (ontology, nature)

Athanasius’ claim echoes the statement of the angels to the shepherds that ‘today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord’ (Luke 2:11). The titles ‘Savior, Messiah and Lord’ all speak to the divinity of the child who will be born in David’s town, Bethlehem.

Throughout the gospels we witness an ever increasing revelation to the disciples of who Jesus is. This revelation comes about through witnessing different acts which Jesus performs. Jesus' identity is known through His impact upon those He encounters; He becomes known through what He does, the ‘functions’ He performs. Christ is revealed as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep. He is healer, the one who has power over sickness and disease; He is the Lord of creation, walking on the water and controlling the storm. He becomes that sacrificial Lamb of God, the subject of atonement. 

The conclusion that the disciples make is that Jesus is Lord for He claimed that, he who has seen me has seen the Father (John 1:9). What becomes obvious is that Scripture is ‘christocentric’ (Christ in the center). The Old Testament points forward to the Christ event, and the New Testament reflects upon that event, drawing conclusions about the ontology of Jesus Christ. 

The evidence from the functions He performs lead us to conclude that, in His nature, His being, Jesus Christ is God. These conclusions are supported by prophetic Scripture such as Isaiah 9:6.

II. The Divinity of Christ in Scripture

Isaiah prophesied that a virgin would give birth to a baby boy and call Him Immanuel, 'God with us' (Isaiah 7:14). He also prophesied that this child would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Isaiah is proclaiming that, in His pre-incarnate form this human child is God incarnate, and his language has powerful Trinitarian overtones. Moving into the NT, the apostle Paul tells us;

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15-17)  

Firstly, Paul writes that He is the 'image of the invisible God'. The English word 'image' may suggest a copy, something less than perfect, but the Greek text means something closer to 'revelation'. Jesus Christ is the physical manifestation of the invisible triune God, the Father who is invisible to human eyes. He is God the Son, the pre-incarnate Logos, and the Son of God, the Logos who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way; 

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. (Hebrews 1:3)

These words are very clear, but the facts which they state are impossible for us to fully comprehend. Christ is God the Son, the physical manifestation of the triune God, and the One who sustains all of creation by His word, a similar statement to Paul’s that ‘in him all things hold together’. Human reason asks the question: How can someone who created this incredible universe, with all of its complexity, infinite detail and perfect design, then become small enough to be a part of it? Paul would answer such a question by referring to Christ as the mystery which has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints (Colossians 1:26). 

Secondly, Paul calls Him the ‘firstborn of all creation’ (prototokos pases ktiseos). 

This term ‘firstborn’ (protokos) has several meanings. The Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that this phrase proves that Jesus was the first created being, however, this interpretation is completely false. In Greek, the phrase literally means ‘begotten before all creation’. 

This word does not mean to be created; rather, it means to exist eternally in a physical form. This expression is Paul’s explanation of the first words, the ‘image of the invisible God’. 

Notice also that the word firstborn is connected with being 'over all creation'. 

This is another meaning of firstborn, signifying dominion over all things as the firstborn member of the family was heir and lord of all, the one with supreme authority. Christ's authority is not something given to Him by a higher authority, but rather it is absolute. Paul is never suggesting that Christ is the first of all created beings, but rather that He is unique, being distinguished from all creation, because, as he tells us in verse 16, He is the creator Himself.

(16) For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

This verse echoes the language of Genesis 1 and the OT Wisdom literature of Proverbs 8:30. Christ is the craftsmen at the right hand of the Father, the physical manifestation of God creating all that has ever been created. John draws upon the Logos language of Plato to make the same point in the opening words of his gospel. 

In the beginning was the Word (Logos), and the Word was with God (Theos), and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (John 1:1-3) 

This first verse of John’s gospel has been twisted in a diabolical way in the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation (NWT) which reads, 'and the Word was 'a' God', inserting the indefinite article 'a' into a translation from English to claim that Christ was a lesser 'god'. There are two reasons why the NWT is absolutely impossible. Firstly, the Greek text reads 'and God was the Word', rather than, 'the Word was God'. Our English versions have changed the order to make it read easier, but the Greek is emphatic. Secondly, there is no indefinite article 'a' in the Greek language. The NWT is a deliberate mistranslation to deceive and confuse. John categorically states, as does Paul, that Jesus Christ is God the Creator.

III. The Titles of Christ

1. Lord (Kurios)

In the Septuagint (Old Testament Greek) the name 'Lord' (Kurios) is the equivalent of Jehovah as a translation of 'Adonai'. In The New Testament it is used in several ways. Firstly, some suggest it is being used as a form of respect, as in the case of the leper who sought healing in Matthew 8:2-4 and the blind men in Matthew 20:29-34. However, considering the fact that the common belief was that only God could heal a leper, or even give sight to the blind, we should consider that those who were seeking healing were of the belief that Jesus was either acting as God, or at least on behalf of God. 

Secondly, there are incidents where 'Lord' is associated with the idea of master, the one who exercises divine authority as in Thomas' declaration 'My Lord and my God' (John 20:28) and the centurion of Matthew 8:8. Both Thomas and Mary Magdalene (John 20:13) use the term in a very personal sense as in Christ being the personal Lord of their lives.

Thirdly, when Jesus speaks of His future reign and return as judge He refers to Himself as Lord (Matthew 7:22). In a similar way, we notice that in Acts and the epistles, when the apostles are speaking of Jesus earthly life before His ascension they generally use the title 'Jesus', but when speaking of Him after the ascension as 'Lord Jesus Christ'. This signifies that He is no longer simply Jesus the man who was tempted in all things and offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin, but now is the glorified Lord who sits at the right hand of the Father on His throne in Heaven and will return as such.

2. Jesus

The name Jesus is derived from the Hebrew 'Jehoshua' or 'Joseph' and 'Jeshua'. The core meaning is 'who saves' as is clear from the Greek form 'Iesous' (Jesus) in Matthew 1:21 which states;

She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21)

The name Jesus generally speaks of the humanity of Christ and his role as Savior and Redeemer. Throughout the book of Acts, Luke almost always uses this form when speaking of the salvific role of Jesus as a sacrificial lamb who represented humanity on the cross. Throughout the writings of Paul He is referred to as Christ Jesus or the Lord Jesus Christ, except when Paul is referring to His death. In these cases, such as 2 Corinthians 4:5, Paul simply refers to Him as Jesus. The distinction is important as it speaks to the nature of Christ;

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:6-8)

The pre-incarnate Logos emptied Himself and became a man. We are not told how He who was 'in very nature God', 'made himself nothing', however, we do know that God cannot be tempted or killed, therefore, in some way Christ had to lay aside His Divinity, or at least access to His Divine power, in order to be a true substitute for sin. 

As Jesus the man, He submitted to and relied solely on the Father, but after His resurrection, He reclaimed His total Divinity and sat down at the right hand of the Father.

3. Christ

The title of 'Christ' is the equivalent of the Hebrew 'Mashiach' (Messiah) from the verb 'mashach' which means to anoint. Therefore, Messiah and Christ fundamentally mean 'the anointed one'. 

This meaning is clearly found in Psalm 2 which prophecies of the Anointed One who is called the Son. This prophecy is recalled in Acts 4:26 and explained in Acts 10:38. Throughout the Old Testament kings and priests were anointed to fulfill various tasks, and in a similar way Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit from birth and baptism to fulfill His role as King and Great High Priest.

4. Son of God

In the Old Testament the nation of Israel is referred to as God's 'firstborn son' (Exodus 4:22-23) and in the book of Job the angels are called the 'sons of God' (Job 1:6, 2:1). In relation to Jesus, the title 'Son of God' has several meanings. Firstly, Jesus is called the Son of God because of His supernatural birth and that He is the Son of the Father (Luke 1:35, John 3:16). Jesus attests to this fact throughout the gospels, referring to God as His Father in a personal rather than universal way. 

Secondly, in a Trinitarian sense to note His calling as Messiah (Matthew 11:27) and Divine nature (Matthew 16:16-17), and the fact that the disciples, after seeing Him glowing in power and walking on the water, bowed down and worshipped Him saying, "Truly you are the Son of God" (Matthew 14:33). 

5. Son of Man

In the Old Testament, Daniel 7:13 speaks of one 'like a son of man who, coming on the clouds of heaven'. This prophecy is regarding the return of Christ who returns as the King of Kings, God the Son united to humanity. The term is also used frequently of Ezekiel referring to Ezekiel's humanity. Therefore, in the Old Testament the phrase may be used of one who is simply a son of another man, but also of God the Son who became a human being, returned to His throne, and will come to judge the world. 

In the New Testament Jesus refers to Himself as the Son of Man over forty times, and often, identifying Himself with the person of the prophecies. His disciples obviously knew that the title meant much more than any ordinary human being, as they were reluctant to answer His question.

13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" 14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" 16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:13-16)

Jesus used the title to show that He was the promised Son of Man and, therefore, as we see in just Matthew's gospel, had the authority to forgive sins (9:6), was 'Lord of the Sabbath' (12:8), would suffer at the hands of sinners (17:12), would be in the earth for three days (12:40), be raised from death (17:9), sit on His glorious throne (19:28), send His angels (13:41), and return in glory (16:27). 

Both Old and New Testaments reveal the person of Jesus Christ in the titles which are His by Divine right. He is the Lord, the eternal second person of the Trinity, the pre-incarnate Logos who emptied Himself, became the Son of God, the man Jesus, uniting Divinity and humanity to fulfill His role as Messiah and Savior, offering His sinless humanity as a sin offering, and returning to His glorious throne as the Son of Man to prepare a home for those who trust their lives to Him as Lord and Savior. He will return again, not to save, but to judge the world. 

IV. In Summary

The Scriptures testify to the divinity of Christ through the prophecies uttered prior to His incarnation, the functions He performs as the Son of Man, the adamant claims that He is the physical manifestation of the invisible God, the Creator and sustainer of all created things, and the titles used of Him. Apart from all of these, there are also His personal claims that when we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. Those who deny the divinity of Christ are forced to deny the testimony of Scripture.

I pray this article has been useful for you. Please share it with those who may benefit from its message. 

God bless

Steve Copland