“No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son,(μονογενὴς Θεὸς [monogenes theos]; or “It is an only Son, God”, or “It is the only Son”) who is close to the Father’s heart (or bosom), who has made him known.” (John 1:18)

“Monogenes” is the conjunction of the words “mono” and “genes”. “Mono” means only one, and “genes” is “genus” or “kind”. This is possible mistranslation in the Latin into “only begotten”, when it means “one of a kind”, or “only Son”, period. A Son is begotten by definition, it is not necessary to add it in the description. Unless otherwise stated, a child is begotten. So the question that arises when faced with the assertion that God has a Son is not whether that Son is begotten, but rather how it can be that God begets a Son. The answer in Christianity is of course that the Son is Eternally Begotten, but that is not for this article.

New Testament scholar Brant Pitre enumerates some of the pertinent passages and states: “The designation of Jesus in the New Testament as “Son of God” is widespread, and no other title of his can claim as much significance for later theological development than it(…) Whether the title is used in the anarthrous form, υίος θεοϋ, or the arthrous form, ό υίος του θεοϋ, or is uttered by a heavenly voice as υιός μου, “my Son,” or used as a description of Jesus by some New Testament writer as υίος αύτοϋ or υίος έαυτοϋ, “his Son,” its meaning is clear. It expresses the distinctive relationship of Jesus to the God of Israel, Yahweh, who is his heavenly Father (…) The title “Son of God” occurs

-in the Synoptic Gospels: Mark 1:1,11; 3:11; 5:7; 15:39; Matt 2:15; 3:17; 4:3, 6; 8:29; 14:33; 16:16; 17:5; 26:63; 27:40, 43, 54; Luke 1:32, 35; 3:22; 4:3, 9, 41; 8:28; 9:35; 22:70 (and John) 1:18,34,49; 3:18; 5:25; (9:35);J 10:36; 11:4,27; 19:7; 20:31. (in Acts): 8:37; 9:20; 13:33;

-in the uncontested Pauline letters: Rom 1:3-4, 9; 5:10; 8:3, 29, 32; 1 Cor 1:9; 2 Cor 1:19; Gal 1:16; 2:20; 4:4, 6; 1 Thess 1:10;

-in the Deutero-Pauline Eph 4:13;

-in the Epistle to the Hebrews: 1:5; 4:14; 5:5; 6:6; 7:3; 10:29;

-in the Johannine Epistles: 1 John 1:3,7, 8; 3:23; 4:9,10,15; 5:5,9,10,11,12,13,20 ; 2 John 3;

-in the book of Revelation: 2:18; and in 2 Peter: 1:17.

-Moreover, it not only occurs in some Pauline passages that are often regarded as fragments of the primitive kerygma (1 Thess 1:10; Rom 1:3-4),

-but it even develops within the New Testament itself so that it becomes merely “the Son,” an absolute form of the title, used either by Jesus of himself (Mark 13:32; Matt 24:36) or by Paul (1 Cor 15:28).” (p.63,64)

The definite article is an indication of exclusivity, as you would state of a royal prince: “he is the heir”, which is to imply that there is no other. This can either refer to a pagan demi-God in the manner that Hercules is the son of Zeus, else it is the assertion of the Christian doctrine. “Son of God” is never used with the definitive article elsewhere in the Bible.

Jesus calls himself “Son of God”

“Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.” (John 5:25)

“can you say that the one whom the Father has sanctified and sent into the world is blaspheming because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’?If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me…” (John. 10:36)

“But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John. 11:4)

Jesus is using a striking analogy to show that he is the “own” Son of the Heavenly king. He is exempt from paying the Temple tax of his Father, just as an earthly Prince is exempt from paying the castle tax, as it were: “Does your teacher not pay the Temple tax?…“What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?…then the children are free” (Matt.17:24-26 excerpts)

Jesus claims Special Relationship with the Father

The very title “God the Father” is derived from Jesus’ manner of address to him, else no there would be no religion on Earth with this term of usage. In the verses pertaining to this term, Jesus is either addressing the Father directly, or telling his disciples of his special relationship with the Father whereby only he is sent from the Father, and alone can access, know and see Him.

Jesus is giving a Gift the Father has promised to all of humanity: “…see, I am sending to you what my Father promised” (Lk.24:49b)

“I came from the Father and I have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father” (John 16:28)

“I am not alone because the Father is with me” (John 16:32)

“… (his disciples said) by this we know that you came from God” (John 16:3b0)

Exclusivity of Sonship in the Father’s Eyes

Once again, when God states “this” is my Son, he is using the indicative “this” in an exclusive manner, as a king indicates the heir to the throne.

Baptism of Jesus- “This is my Beloved Son” Mark 1:11, Matt.3:13-17, Lk. 3:21-22, Jn.1:29-34 Transfiguration- “This is my Beloved Son” Mk. 9:7, Mt.17:1-8, Lk.9:28-36; 2Pet.1:16-18) Voice from Heaven- Here Jesus addressing his Father receives a response from God! “Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” (John 12:28).

Jesus Called the “Son of God” by Others

These can be arranged in the following groups:

The Devil and the Demons

These state it in fear as they bend to his command. “Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God” (Mark 3:11, Luke 4:41). They claim to know that “who Jesus is”, that he is “the holy one of God”, and are permitted to say no more by Jesus. Jesus’ physical appearance belies a spiritual reality that is not obvious to the human eye. When Jesus exorcises demons he does not call out any divine name. Rather the demons are terrified of his Name! Demons do not fear the name of any creature per se.

Jesus’ Accusers

The High Priest when accusing him of blasphemy precisely because it is an exclusive claim to Sonship: (Luke 22:69-71) “…All of them asked, ‘Are you, then, the Son of God?’…’”, (Mt. 26:63) “…tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God”(27:40) “if you are the Son of God come down from the Cross”; John 19:7 “The Jews answered him, ‘We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.’”

The Centurion, Jesus’ Disciples

Testifying to the powerful signs that he sees at the Crucifixion event the Roman centurion exults: “…“Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mk.15:39)

“Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.” (Jn.1:49), Martha (Jn.11:27)

Jesus asks the eternal question, precisely the one we are asking: “Who do you say that I am?” Peter again uses the definite article- “the” Son of God, and Jesus affirms the exclusivity effectively stating: “My Father told you that I am his Son”: ”…“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven” (Mt.16:16,17). There is no indication that God is the Father of any of the others among Jesus’ listeners in the manner that he is the Father of Jesus. We can think of many other examples in which Jesus speaks of his exclusive Divine Sonship, always “My Father” even though the others are right there with him.

The angel declaring to Mary

“He will be called the Son of God” (Lk.1:35)

The evangelists themselves

Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” .The NETBible commentary analysis says that the majority evidence is that the term Son of God was present in the original and the fact that it is not present in some manuscripts might be an accidental omission.

Gospel of John: (1:34- “we have seen and testify that this is God’s chosen one (“is the Son of God” in many manuscripts)” , (20:31) “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”, “the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live” (Jn. 5:25, 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

Son of God in the Old Testament

An unmistakeable prophecy about the Son of God:

“Who has ascended to heaven and come down?
    Who has gathered the wind in the hollow of the hand?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment?
    Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is the person’s name?
    And what is the name of the person’s child?
    Surely you know!” (Proverbs 30:4)

In Dan 3:25 it is the divine Son which comes to the rescue of Daniels friends in the fiery furnace and walks with them unscathed in the fire, causing the conversion of the King: “I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not hurt; and the fourth has the appearance of a god (in Aramaic “like that of a son of the gods”, while the LXX states “the appearance of the fourth is like a Son of God” καὶ ἡ ὅρασις τοῦ τετάρτου ὁμοία υἱῷ θεοῦ)

Psalm 2 talks of the Messiah who is the Begotten son of God.

PART II- Jesus Claims the Role of Yahweh

Jesus claims to be doing the mission reserved to Yahweh himself. And not just to Israel, but to the whole world. In NT Wright’s words: “Jesus’ prophetic vocation included within it the vocation to enact, symbolically, the return of YHWH to Zion. His messianic vocation included within it the vocation to attempt certain tasks which, according to scripture YHWH had reserved for Himself. He would take up Himself the role of messianic shepherd, knowing that YHWH claims this role as His own. He would perform the saving task which YHWH had said he alone could achieve. He would do what no messenger, no angel but only the ‘’arm of YHWH’, the preserve of Israel’s God could accomplish. He believed he had to do and be for Israel and the world, that which according to scripture only YHWH himself could do and be.

We are to be called by his Name, like Yahweh

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matt.28:19)

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”, John 20:31 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (Jn. 3:18)

“When they had made the prisonersstand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. This Jesus is ‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:7-12)

“while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servantJesus.” (Acts 4:30)

“But a man named Ananias, with the consent of his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property; with his wife’s knowledge, he kept back some of the proceeds, and brought only a part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. “Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!” (Acts 5:1-4)

He is Judge of All, is Foretold by the Prophets, and Forgiveness of Sins is in his Name:

“He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:42, 43)

“They were baptised in the name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 10:48b)

He Sends Disciples forth with Divine Power like Yahweh

“These twelve Jesus sent out…Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons (…) See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves…” (Matt.12:5-8,16,)

When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; (Acts 16:7)

He Sent the Prophets of Jerusalem

(Matt. 23:34,37-39; “Jerusalem…” onward also in Luke 13:34,35) “Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town (…) Jerusalel;km, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

The Creator

^“For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him” (Col.1:16)

Jesus is Eternal

“…because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24b)

before all things” (Col.1:17) “the beginning”(Col.1:18)

Authority

“All things have been delivered to me by my Father” (Matt.11:27)

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matt.28:18)

“Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things to his hands, and that he had come from god and was going to God” (John 13:3)

All things that the father has are his (John 16:15)

“My Kingdom is not from this world (…) as it is, my kingdom is not from here”(Jn.18:36)

The Kingdom is his: “…the Kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col.1:13)

Gives/Sends the Holy Spirit like Yahweh

“Mark alerts the reader…to the messianic significance of Jesus, both as the one who is himself empowered and directed by the Spirit in the fulfilment of his eschatological role and also, remarkably, as the one who “dispenses” the Spirit, a role which in the OT passages… was exclusively that of Yahweh” (R.T.France, The New International Greek Testament Commentary on Mark p.55)

“and see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised” (Lk.24:49)

“when the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father…” (John 15:26)

He breathes the Holy Spirit upon his followers (Jn.20:22)

“He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit” (Mk.1:8)

“He will baptize you with^[^c^] the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Mt.3:11b)

Referenced in the Old Testament in verses such as Isaiah 11:2, 42:1,61:1

Forgives sins like Yahweh

Jesus forgives sins: (Matt.9:2,6) “take courage son, your sins are forgiven…the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” Also Luke 7:48 (Mary Magdalene)

Redemption and the forgiveness of sins are “in him” (Col.1:14)

Gives to his followers the power “bind” and “loose” in his name, the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven: Jn. 20:23, Matt., 16:16 18:18, Yahweh does this in Isaiah 22:22

He fulfils the Law and the prophets (John 5:17), which were being proclaimed upto the time of John (Lk.16:16)

Saves and Sanctifies like Yahweh

God states “besides me there is no saviour” (Is 43:11; cf. 1 Tim 4:10). Yet Jesus is called the “saviour” of mankind in passages like Luke 2:11 and many others.

“For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

“Today in the city of David a Saviour has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord!” (Lk. 2:11)

Jesus presents us pure to Himself: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish.” (Eph 5:25-17)

Also Col 1:22 “…so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him”

1 Cor. 1:2 (repeated)

Shall be Worshipped as Yahweh

God the Father stated, “To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear” (Is 45:23) is applied to Jesus (Phil 2:10-11).

God the Father sits on His Throne in heaven (1Ki. 22:19; Ps 11:4; 47:8). Jesus is on the same throne, too (Rev. 7:17; 22:1,3).

“There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Judge like Yahweh

Human Beings must necessarily be acknowledged by him before the Father, and that no one knows the Father. (Luke 11:29, Mark 8:28) “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels”

“So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 10:32,33, also paralleled in Rev.3:5 and 3:21)

Matthew 17:27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.”

“ Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (…) “Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” (Luke 21:27-36)

John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

“The Father judges no one but has given all judgement to the Son (5:22)

Also Jn. 5:27; 9:39; Acts 10:42; 2 Tim 4:1).

The Bible teaches that God is the final judge of all people (1 Sam 2:10; Ps 50:6; Ecc. 12:14; many others).

Lord of the Sabbath like Yahweh

Compare “the Son of Man is Lord also of the Sabbath..,” (Matt.12:8) with“…but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:10, Deut. 5:14) and “…and you must observe my Sabbaths, I am the Lord your God” (Lev.19:3)

Greater than Yahweh’s Temple

“But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.” (Matt.12:6)

Jesus himself the Paschal Sacrifice and Covenant

However way you interpret these verses personally, just taking the words of Scripture at face value here, for a human to say “take and eat, this is my Body/Blood…this is my Blood of the Covenant…” which is in all the Synoptics and Paul’s writings. This is either completely pagan or is a completely divine claim, there is simply no middle road here. One might further correctly parallel this with the verses from John 6 “unless you eat of he flesh of he Son of Man and drink of his Blood you shall not have life within you…my Flesh is true food indeed…my Blood is true drink indeed…”

We are to pray to Jesus. Like Yahweh

(John 14:13) “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (ESV) (Matt.18:19 Jesus says it will be done “by my Father in Heaven”)

(1 Cor.1.2) “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord* and ours…”

St Stephen prays to Jesus: “…Lord Jesus, receive my Spirit” (Acts 7:59)

Adds to God’s Commandments

“Jesus does not go around shoving the mystery of his divinity down people’s throats. He wants them to freely come to believe in him. He wants them to freely arrive at their own conclusions about who he is and how they are going to respond to him. And in the case of the rich young man, Jesus poses a question that is meant to lead the young man to follow out the implications of his own words. If Jesus is “good,” and God alone is “good,” then who exactly is Jesus? That is the question. Third and finally, Jesus ends by telling the rich young man that the “one thing” he still lacks is to sell all he has and follow him. This ending is essential for unlocking the riddle of his words. Yet it is constantly overlooked by those who claim Jesus is denying that he is God. After making his declaration about the goodness of God, Jesus does something stunning: he adds a command to follow him to the obligation to keep the Ten Commandments. In a first-century Jewish context, this would have been shocking. In Jewish Scripture, the Ten Commandments are written by the very “finger of God” (Exodus 31:18). Jesus uses this idiom in relation to himself in Yet here is Jesus adding the command to follow him as if that was on par with keeping the commandments. As Simon Gathercole writes: “[W]hat is most striking is that having established the one good God as the one who defines what is required of human beings, in the final analysis Jesus is the one who defines what is ultimately commanded…. If God alone is good and able to give commandments, then Jesus does so as well…” (…) In other words, when it comes to the question of “eternal life,” following Jesus is an essential part of the equation. (…) In context, these words are preceded by a riddle-like question and followed by Jesus’s striking injunction to the rich man to sell everything and follow him. Thus, when we interpret the story of Jesus and the rich young man in its first century Jewish context, we discover that the passage most frequently used to argue that Jesus does not claim to be divine upon closer inspection turns out to be powerful evidence that Jesus does claim to be God. However, he is communicating in a way that is both very Jewish (alluding to the Shema) and very consistent with the messianic secret of his identity. During his public ministry, Jesus wants his audience to ask for themselves: Who is this man? And what is his relationship with the one God?” (Pitre the Case for Jesus, p.151,2)

One could easily also point out that Jesus also says “Do no call anybody teacher” and “Do not call anybody father”; if the meaning is literal then what are we supposed to call our fathers and teachers? Further there are several places where Biblical personages are called “father” even to the point that Jesus himself says to the Pharisees “you say you have Abraham as your father”!

“and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…“ (Matt 28:20a)

“34A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.” John 13:34

“A certain ruler asked him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 20 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honor your father and mother.’” 21 He replied, “I have kept all these since my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money[c] to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” (Luke 18:18-22)

Law and Prophecy is fulfilled “in” Him

The word “in” is significant here. The fulfilment of the Word of God which is Scripture cannot be a human person. There might be some lines and individual prophecies that apply to individuals during the course of Divine Revelation, however for however it would be absurd that the totality of the Word of God to have a human fulfilment, as though the message of God for the Salvation of man were to be “made complete” by and in the being of a human, as though lacking something without that person: God’s plan to save humanity was dependent on, and predicated by a specific human individual would be absurd if hat person were not God himself.

The author of Scripture is also fulfilling Scripture. It is not said “God did this so that Scirpture is fulfilled in Jesus”, rather the Author of Scripture is himself fulfilling Scripture, the writer of the beginning of the Book is also writing its ending.

“Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?” (John 17:53,54)

“..today this Scripture is being fulfilled in your sight…”

“For I tell you, this scripture must be fulfilled in me, ‘And he was counted among the lawless’; and indeed what is written about me is being fulfilled.”(Luke 22:37)

Luke continues after the Resurrection:

“Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written…” (Lk.24:44-46a)

“Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)

(John 5:39,45,46) “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf… Do not think that I will accuse you before the Father; your accuser is Moses, on whom you have set your hope.If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.^”

All of which gets us to the correct meaning of the famous Matthew 5:17: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.”

Matthew makes a great number of allusions to the fulfilment of Scripture with regards to the early life of Jesus: Matthew 1:22, 2:15, 17, 23, 4:14, 12:17, 21:4

And of course there are many allusions to the fulfilment of Scripture in the Passion narrative.

This is an incredible passage. (I’ve covered John 5 again in the “Jesus claimed Divinity” section): “you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life. You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. I do not accept glory from human beings…” (John 5:39,40,41)

Christ himself the New Torah

(Acts 13:39) “by this Jesus everyone who believes is set free from all those sins^[^b^] from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.”

“…Christ will shine on you” (Eph.5:14b)

“Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word” (Eph. 5:25,26)

2Cor4:3-6 “…the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God…we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord …For it is the God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Righteousness from God is not through the Law but through faith in Christ: (Phil.3:9)

Ephesians 1: All our Hope in and Grace in Him

This is an incredible sequence from St. Paul in Ephesians 1 when 7 times he affirms that all that we have and are given is “in Christ”:

In Christ is every spiritual blessing: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” (3)

In Christ is holiness and blamelessness: “just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. (4)

Through the Divine Child we too are children of God (Divine Sonship): He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ (5)

In Christ we have … obtained an inheritance, (11)

Jesus is the glorious Grace of God freely bestowed (omnipotent): “his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (6)

Jesus redeems us to God (omnibenevolent): “In him we have redemption through his blood.” (7)

God set forth his will to gather up all things in Christ (omnipresence): “he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” (8-10)

we, who …set our hope on Christ (12)

1 Corinthians 1 is in the same vein. Almost every verse states that Jesus is God:

The one who sends: (1) Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes,

The one who sanctifies, and for whom we are sanctified by God! (2)To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, (8)^“He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Called by his name: called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace and peace (3), every possible spiritual gift is received in him:(3)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (4) I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, (5)for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— ‑(6a)just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift…”

He will be “revealed” (ἀποκάλυψιν apokalipsin– 18 occurences, this in only used in relation to God’s revelations and Jesus): (6b)^“…you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Divine Sonship: (9)^“God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Miracles

Secondly, as to the way in which He worked miracles—namely, because He worked miracles as though of His own power, and not by praying, as others do. Wherefore it is written (Luke 6:19) that “virtue went out from Him and healed all.” Whereby it is proved, as Cyril says (Comment. in Lucam) that “He did not receive power from another, but, being God by nature, He showed His own power over the sick. And this is how He worked countless miracles.” Hence on Matthew 8:16: “He cast out spirits with His word, and all that were sick He healed,” Chrysostom says: “Mark how great a multitude of persons healed, the Evangelists pass quickly over, not mentioning one by one . . . but in one word traversing an unspeakable sea of miracles….And thus it was shown that His power was co-equal with that of God the Father, according to John 5:19: “What things soever” the Father “doth, these the Son doth also in like manner” and, again (John 5:21): “As the Father raiseth up the dead and giveth life, so the Son also giveth life to whom He will.” STIII Q43 Art 4 ad2

The Stilling of the Storm and the Divinity of Jesus
The LORD stills the storm	Jesus stills the storm
Sailors is ships	Disciples in a boat
Stormy wind and waves	Stormy wind and waves
Courage melts away	Disciples are afraid
Cry out to the LORD	Cry out to Jesus
The LORD stills the strom	Jesus stills the storm
Waves of the sea “quiet”	There was a “great calm”
Psalm 107	Mt.8, Mk.4, Lk.8

The above table is taken from Brant Pitre’s Case for Jesus p.124. Pitre notes how it is recorded in Mark that Jesus “meant to pass by” (Mark 6:48) and compares it to the parallels to the times when God shows himself to Moses and Elijah (Ex.33:19, 22; 34:6; 1Kings19:11), while both “passing by” and proclaiming his Name. Jesus too when asked, and this is in all the three synoptics in which the incident is related says “ego eimi”, which is translated “it is I”, but actually is “I am”. When Jesus simply wants to identify himself he says “ego eimi autos”: “it is I myself” or “it is really me” (Lk. 24:39). Obviously “I AM” echoes back to the Divine Name (p.127-130).

Glory of Yahweh

God does not create his own Glory (just as God does not create his Breath- the Holy Spirit). The Glory of God is God, and we can see that this is applied to Jesus in these verses.

Theophany of Yahweh- the Transfiguration

Jesus “shines from within; he does not simply receive light (as when Moses comes down from the mountain and his face shines with the reflected glory of God) but he himself is light from light. Such glorious theophany is reserved for Yahweh alone.

(Luke 11:29, Mark 8:28) “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels”

Matthew 17:27a “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels…”

St. Basil states: “…He that honours not the Son honours not the Father John 5:23 to refuse to worship and glorify with the Father him who in nature, in glory, and in dignity is conjoined with him?” (On the Holy Spirit Ch.7)

The Father glorifies him with the glory that he has always shared with the Father (John 8:54),

John 1:1, 14 “…we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.

(John 13:32) “When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once.”

“so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Anyone who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.” (John 5:23,24)

Jesus does not accept human testimony (John 5:34) “I do not accept glory from human beings” (41)

Here God’s Glory and the Glory of his Son is directly linked: “But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:4)

John 16:14 “He [the Spirit of Truth] will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

“your name that you have given me” (John 17:11)

“the glory that you have given me” (John 17:22)

“…you have loved me” (John 17:23,24,25)

“So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed” (John 17:5)

“Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me…” (Jn.17:24)

Titus 2:13 “while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Colossians 2:2-3 . . . Christ, [3] in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Omniscient

Jesus alone has knowledge of, access to the Father

and the second to Omniscience, in the specific case of his having the very knowledge of God. This is not a partial claim, rather he has the total and exclusive knowledge of God as can be seen in the nature and tone of the verse. Jesus is both the knowledge and the Vision of God, and in the Father (Jn.14:20), he and the Father are united in revealing themselves to human beings (15:20)

“At that time Jesus declared, “… no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him….” (Matt.11:25-27)

To claim to know the Father is to know all knowledge, not to claim particular knowledge ““Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you…” (John17:25a)

Jesus gives prophecy: People prophesied in his name (Matt.7:22), while in the name of Yahweh in the OT.

Jesus knew what is in people’s hearts

“But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said, “Why do you harbor evil in your hearts?” (Mt.9:4)

“But Jesus did not entrust Himself to them, for He knew them all. And he needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone “(Jn.2:24,25)

Jesus is the truth

“…everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (Jn 18:37b)

Omnipresence

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (Matt.18:20)

“…And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matt.28:20b)

“I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer…” (Jn.16:10)

“I in them…” (John 17:23)

(Ephesians 1:22-23) “God put everything under His feet and made Him head over everything for the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”

(cf. Col 3:11b) “…Christ is all in all!”

Omnipotence

“…the Father shows (the Son) all that he is doingfor whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. (John 5:19,20)”

“all that the Father has is mine” (John 16:15)

“I have conquered the world” (John 16:33)

“all…yours are mine” (John 17:10)

This has all three omnis: ^“³since you desire proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you. For he was crucified in weakness, but lives by the power of God. For we are weak in him, but in dealing with you we will live with him by the power of God. ⁵Examine yourselves to see whether you are living in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?—¹³The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of^[^e^] the Holy Spirit be with all of you.” (2 Cor.13:3-5,13)

This is omnipotence in the form of Life, Judgement, Act, Glory (also repeated in relevant sections): John 5 “¹⁹Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father^[^e^] does, the Son does likewise. The Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing; and he will show him greater works than these, so that you will be astonished. Indeed, just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whomever he wishes. ²²The Father judges no one but has given all judgment to the Son, ²³so that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father…²⁵“Very truly, I tell you, the hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. ²⁶For just as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself; ²⁷and he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. ²⁸Do not be astonished at this; for the hour is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice ²⁹and will come out—”

Examining 3 Philippians:

We are transformed into Him: “. . . the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.” (Phil. 3:20-21)

Everything is lost in order to gain Him: (Phil.3:7,8)

We are to be found in Him: (Phil. 3:9)

Righteousness from God is not through the Law but through faith in Christ: (Phil.3:9)

We are his own: (Phil.3:12)

Gives Eternal Life

“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Matthew 16:24-26)

“the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live (25)…all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out (28)” “…the Father has life in himself…the Son also (to) have life in himself (26) “you refuse to come to me to have life” (40) (John 5)

I am the Bread of life, he who comes to me will not hunger, he who believes in me shall not thirst (Jn.6:35)

“Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John.8:12)

Jesus lays down his life and takes it up of his own accord: “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again…” (John 10:17,18)

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand (…)” (John 10)

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John.11:25)

“But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” (Jn. 20:31)

“Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.” (Jn.14:6)

“…God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus…but you rejected the Holy and Righteous one…and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this there are many witnesses” (Acts 3:13-15)

“…To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment” (Rev 2:17b)

Thus Jesus says that he is the one who raises the dead at the resurrection, even though the Old Testament says that Yahweh is the one who raises the dead at the resurrection. The importance of God being the source of life cannot be overstated, for obvious reasons. Here Jesus is one who can “raise himself up” from the dead. That is truly incredible. Indeed apart from this being a clear claim of the power over death and life, it also tells is that as God, Jesus is always alive, even in bodily death. Although it adds nothing to the Christian theological narrative, it is useful to note the parallel description of the manner in which the “dead” are yet “living” is present even in the Qur’an, because the concept might seem different to some. Jesus of course has already stated in Matthew “to God all are living”, even those who have passed to the after-life.

The Qur’an recognises that even those humans who are dead are not really dead to God at all. Jesus’ bodily death therefore cannot be used as an argument against his Eternality: “And do not say about those who are killed in the way of Allah , “They are dead.” Rather, they are alive, but you perceive [it] not.” (Q 2:154), “ And never think of those who have been killed in the cause of Allah as dead. Rather, they are alive with their Lord, receiving provision, rejoicing in what Allah has bestowed upon them of His bounty, and they receive good tidings about those [to be martyred] after them who have not yet joined them – that there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve” (Q 3:169-170)

Quran also states that only God gives life: “That is because Allah is the Truth and because He gives life to the dead and because He is over all things competent. and because the Hour is coming, no doubt of it, and God shall raise up whosoever is within the tombs.” (Q 22:6,7)

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takesit from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” (John 10:17,18)

“Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”The Jews then said, “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking of the temple of his body.” (John 2:19-22)

God also in Death: “but we do see Jesus, (…) by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9-11). God, by the Grace of God, tasted death. Were he a human, he would not need a special grace to taste death, since humans die anyway.

The Beatitude of Yahweh

“But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves”(John 17:13)

The Origin of Yahweh

Creation cannot say “I do not belong to creation”, only God.

“they do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world…” (John 17:14)

The Holiness of Yahweh

It is only God who does not have to sanctify himself for his own sake but for others

The holiness of Yahweh “for their sakes I sanctify myself” (John 17:19)

Kingdom of Yahweh

Jesus has a transcendent Kingdom: “Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36)

“He (the Father) has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Col. 1:13)

PART III- Jesus saying he is God

“Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn. 20:28) If it were untrue, Jesus would have corrected him, but He didn’t- rather he commended Thomas precisely because he had “believed”, and commended those that would come after him down the ages that would also come to believe.

“You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am (εἰμὶ γάρ= for I am). So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:13)

God of Moses, David and Daniel

Jesus proclaims himself God of Moses, God of Daniel and God of David. The allusion is obvious to the Jews and most so to the Temple authorities who are steeped in the study of Scripture, there is no doubt in their minds as to what he is alluding to. It is little surprise when the hight priest himself tears his robes and makes the blasphemy charge in response:

“Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”Jesus said, “I am (Lord of Moses- Exodus 3:14); and ‘you will see the Son of Man (God of Daniel- Daniel 7) seated at the right hand of the Power (God of David- Psalm 110:1), and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7 again).’” (Mk.14:61,62)

St. Basil of Caesaria states: “Matthew 16:27 when Stephen beheld Jesus standing at the right hand of God; Acts 7:55 when Paul testified in the spirit concerning Christ that he is at the right hand of God; Romans 8:34 when the Father says, Sit on my right hand; Hebrews 8:1 when the Holy Spirit bears witness that he has sat down on the right hand of the majesty of God; we attempt to degrade him who shares the honour and the throne, from his condition of equality, to a lower state?” (“On the Holy Spirit”, Ch.7)

God of God- “the Objection” is a Confirmation!

(I have written of this, in order to avoid duplication, in the Prophecy article)

One with the Father

“All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest…” (Matt. 11:27-28)

(John 8.19b) ”…‘You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”

John 14.7 “If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’”

“What the Father has given me is greater than all else and no one can snatch it out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one…” (John 10:30)

“If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me. But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.” (John 10:37,38)

“Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. (9)

How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? (10)

The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. “(John 14:11)

and in “Templing” themselves in them (Jn,14:21-23), abiding in their love (15:20)

Making himself equal to God

(Jn.10:33) informs us that they tried to stone Him because (in their words) “you, being a man, make yourself God.”

“Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7)

Jesus saying he is Yahweh

Jesus applies to himself events in the history of Israel that pertain to God the Father: “Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,…O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!” (Mt. 23:34,37)

Jesus uses an idiom “finger of God” describing a direct act of Yahweh Exodus 31:18: “But if I drive out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Lk. 11:20)

Here Jesus is says “I AM”, “ego eimi” in direct relation to divine omniscience: “I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfil the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.” (John 13:19)

The Eighth Chapter of John: Three times in the eighth chapter does Jesus claim the Divine Name for himself:

“Jesus said to them, “you will die in yourselves unless you believe that I am he” (24);

“when you have lifted up the son of Man then you will realise that I am he”(28);

and finally the well-known verse where Indeed Jesus is referring to Abraham’s encounter with the three Persons of God at the Oaks of Mamre : “Very truly, I tell you, before Abraham was, I am.” (58)

“And if go and prepare a place for you, I will come and take you to myself (pros emauton), so that where I am (eimi ego) there you will be too” (14:3)

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev.1:8)

“Fear not, I am the first and the last” (Rev 2:17b)

Son of Man is God

Jesus refers to Himself as the ‘Son of Man’ a total of 80 times! He is referring to the Daniel 7 prophecy in which the Son of Man is God. (we can see that this is the implication in John 8:28 above in which Jesus links “the Son of Man” and “I AM” in one sentence) The Full discussion of the Son of Man’s divinity from three passages in Daniel (2,7,9) is in the prophecy article.

“…The high priest asked Him “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed one?” And Jesus said “I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of Heaven” (Mk.14:61, Matt.26:64, Lk.22:69).

This is a tremendous passage in which the Son of Man is “revealed”:^“Then he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. They will say to you, ‘Look there!’ or ‘Look here!’ Do not go, do not set off in pursuit. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must endure much suffering and be rejected by this generation. Just as it was in the days of Noah, so too it will be in the days of the Son of Man.They were eating and drinking, and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day that Lot left Sodom, it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them —it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.” (Luke 17:20-30)

In the 9^th chapter of John the blind man worships Jesus when he reveals himself as the “Son of Man”.

PART IV- Jesus is called Yahweh

Matthew stating that Jesus is Yahweh who saves

In the Gospel of Matthew, the Angel tells Joseph who Jesus is: ^“She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt.1:21) Paraphrasing the angel, what he is saying is “…name him “Yahweh saves (Jesus)”, for he will save”. It is clear that it is Jesus who is doing the saving here.

Mark reveals Jesus as God who is to come into his Temple

The deity of Jesus is implied in the opening passages of the Gospel of Mark. First, John the Baptist appears for the specified purpose of preparing the way for the Lord:

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way;…” (Mk.1:1,2)

This is a prophecy of “God sending God” to execute Judgement:

“See, I (God)am sending my messenger (John the Baptist) to prepare the way before me (God), and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant (Jesus, in this instance) in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver (cf. Mt.3:12)., until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.” (Mal.3:1-5)

Again the way is being prepared for God: “the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” (Mk. 1:3)

“Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and cry to her that she has served her term, that her penalty is paid, that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins. A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:1-5)

The Word of God

“The Word was God” (theos en ho logos literally God was the word”, in Greek because the “logos” has the definite article, it becomes the subject, “The Word was God”. In Greek which Is an “inflected language, word order is not as important as the inflections and placement of articles and so on, unlike English where word order is of first priority. This use of “theos” is Greek is called the unarthrous (without article) predicated nominative). Opponents of Trinitarianism have made every attempt to subject this confession of Jesus’ divinity in John 1. The arguments all centre around John’s choice to append the article to “logos” but not to “theos”, so let us examine this.

First possibility- it means “the Word was a God”- this is arguably a valid translation, since Greek does not have an indefinite article, and so it’s use has to be translated in context. In this case it would be out of context because it becomes polytheistic to say “a God” where there is no indication that polytheism is the author’s explicitintent.

Second possibility, why did John not add the article “the”? would it not have resolved the controversy? No it would not, because you would then have “The God was the Word”, which is incoherent.

There is a third argument which states that the use is “qualitative”, and adjectival use, so we get “the Word is of Divine Nature” which is fine from the Christian point of view also, although I am not aware that this adjectival use of “theos” has precedent. The NEB paraphrase “what God was, the Word was,” brings out the meaning of the clause as successfully as a paraphrase can.”

“…for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, ²³beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety,
all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent, pure, and altogether subtle. For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things. For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure emanation of the glory of the Almighty; therefore nothing defiled gains entrance into her.
²⁶For she is a reflection of eternal light, a spotless mirror of the working of God, and an image of his goodness.Although she is but one, she can do all things, and while remaining in herself, she renews all things; in every generation she passes into holy souls and makes them friends of God, and prophets; for God loves nothing so much as the person who lives with wisdom…” (Wisdom of Solomon 7:22-28)

Proverbs 8: “before the hills I was brought forth…when he marked out the foundations of the earth then I was there like master worker. and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabited world and delighting in the human race.” Wisdom of Solomon 7 is quoted earlier under the section “the wisdom of God”.

The Spirit of God

When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; (Acts 16:7)

Romans 8:9, 10 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit[i] is life because of righteousness”op

1 Peter 1:11 “seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.”

Galatians 4:6 “are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:2 “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”

The Epistles call Jesus God, He is Himself Torah

God preached Peace through Jesus Christ and that He is Lord of all: “You know the message he (God) sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.” (Acts 10:36)

“to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom.9:5)

“the image of the invisible God” (Col.1:15)

(Col. 1:19) “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” This is a manner of stating that there is not a degree of difference between the full glory of God and the glory of God that is in Christ, hence the use of the term “fullness”.

“…Christ will shine on you” (Eph.5:14b)

2Cor4:3-6 (see in the Jesus fulfils the Law in himself section)

According to John, Isaiah saw Jesus as Yahweh: “Isaiah said this because(or “when”) he saw his glory and spoke about him.” (Jn,12:41) what Isaiah said is quoted immediately prior and is taken directly from Isaiah 6:10 about Yahweh: “And so they could not believe, because Isaiah also said, “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, so that they might not look with their eyes, and understand with their heart and turn— and I would heal them.” (Jn.12:40). And Abraham saw Jesus as Yahweh too (John 8)

We are in Christ, transformed into Christ, Christ dwells in us

Phil 3:21 “²¹He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself.”

“(how great are the glories of God’s mystery)… which is Christ in you” (Col.1:27)

“(you) mature in Christ” (Col.1:28)

(Col.1:22) “… he has now reconciled (you, to God) in his fleshly body”

PART V- The Worship of Jesus

Jesus was worshipped during His earthly ministry.

The Old Testament taught against worshiping anyone other than God. If Jesus accepted worship of Himself, this would mean He believed He was divine. Did Jesus receive worship?

Verses which demonstrate an Attitude of Worship:

In these passages people adopt an attitude of worship toward Jesus. He never prevents this or advises against it. This is unlike a prophet, and would certainly be unlike Jesus not to refuse worship were he truly no divine, being himself the most humble of prophets who washed his disciples’ feet and did not complain about being executed unfairly. But the fact that Jesus sees himself as divine here is clearly seen when contrasted with the response of others in similar situations, like Peter in Acts:

“On Peter’s arrival Cornelius met him, and falling at his feet, worshiped him. ²⁶But Peter made him get up, saying, “Stand up; I am only a mortal.” (Acts 10:25,26)

And again “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant^[^e^] with you and your comradesthe prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” (Rev.22:8,9)

“there was a leper who came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you choose, you can make me clean.” (Mt.8:2)

“A ruler came in and knelt before him.” (Mt. 9:18) Jesus had healed his son.

“A Canaanite woman worshipped Jesus: “she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord, help me.'” (Mt.15:25)

“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something.” (Mt. 20:20)

Mark describes a man who was tormented by evil spirits: “when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.” (Mk.5:6)

Further when the adulterous woman performs perhaps the greatest act of adoration of anyone in the Bible and Jesus not only commends her for it, but forgives her sins for it. He defends those who criticises the act and speaks of the woman’s great love for him (Luke 7:45).

“When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32)

Explicit Worship

A healed blind man. This the whole substance of the 9^th chapter of John, where Jesus heals the blind man by “making mud” and the blind man defends Jesus’ holiness to the Temple authorities. Specifically, the man worships Jesus when he reveals himself as the “Son of Man”.

“He said, ‘Lord, I believe,’ and he worshipped him.” (Jn. 9:38)

After He walked on water:

“Those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.'”(Mt. 14:33)

After the resurrection of Jesus, the women worshipped him:

“ Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped (προσεκύνησαν) him.” (Matthew 28:9)

And later, all of the disciples too:

“when they saw him they worshipped (προσεκύνησαν) him…” (Mt. 28:17a)

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying…” (Rev.1:17a)

In Rev. 5:8, 12,13 and Colossians 2:6-7, we find that Jesus is worshiped in every way that the Bible specifically describes worship of God the Father, with all the same words used (see: Rev 4:9-11, 5:13; 7:11-12, and Rom 11:33).

Worship of Jesus in the Early Church

The Carmen Christi

This is really important because Jesus is quite obviously worshipped in the early Church and the proof is in the Bible itself. After all the earliest documentation of the Church is the Biblical texts beginning with the Gospels and running into Acts and the epistles. Here we see Jesus worshipped:

There is evidence that the “Carmen Christi” the Christologicla hymn of Philippians 3 is relating a hymn that is known to the Church rather than merely composing the himself. One of the reasons for thinking this is that when the hymns is back-translated into Hebrew is falls perfectly into poetic metre. Given that St. Paul’s writings are among the earliest Church writings, if the Carmen Christi predates even them, it is a sign of just how early the deity of Jesus is accepted in the Church.

Phil 3:6 “who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited…”

“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13)

“But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:8)

“None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1Cor.2:8)

“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:” (2 Pet.1:1)

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ” (Jam.1:1)

-in the Gospels after the Resurrection.

-in Acts, the Epistles (we have covered most of these already), and the Book of Revelations where Jesus and the Lamb receives worship not only of humans but of heavenly creatures and in union with God the Father. This is definite worship. I will probably not make a thorough compilation of the verses pertaining to this because there would be too many to name.

In Hebrews 1:6, God the Father says that all the angels should worship God the Son:

“let all God’s angels worship him” in reference to Psalm 97:7

That God will Come is Prophesied in the OT

Here the origin of the one who is to come is “from of old, from ancient days”.

“But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
    who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
    one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
    from ancient days.
3 Therefore he shall give them up until the time
    when she who is in labor has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
    to the people of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
    in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
    to the ends of the earth;
5 and he shall be the one of peace.

(Micah 5:1-5)

Here the one who is coming himself is an irresistible judgement for mankind:

See, I am sending my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant in whom you delight—indeed, he is coming, says the Lord of hosts. 2 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears?

For he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap; 3 he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, until they present offerings to the Lord in righteousness.[a] 4 Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

5 Then I will draw near to you for judgment; I will be swift to bear witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired workers in their wages, the widow and the orphan, against those who thrust aside the alien, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

6 For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, have not perished. 7 Ever since the days of your ancestors you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, “How shall we return?”

(Malachi 3:1-6)

Isaiah 9:4 Immanuel prophecy (this is defended in a separate article)

Isiaiah 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. …

Zecheriah 2:11″Many nations will be joined with the LORD in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.

Isaiah 40:3-10, (and fulfilled in Matthew 3:3)

³A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
⁴Every valley shall be lifted up,
    and every mountain and hill be made low;
the uneven ground shall become level,
    and the rough places a plain.
⁵Then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed,
    and all people shall see it together,
    for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Jeremiah 23:5-6

The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’(NRSV)

Zephaniah 3:14-17

¹⁵ The Lord has taken away the judgements against you,
   he has turned away your enemies.
The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
   you shall fear disaster no more.
¹⁶ On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Do not fear, O Zion;
   do not let your hands grow weak.
¹⁷ The Lord, your God, is in your midst,

Divinity of Christ

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