BY JPDSUMMERS24
Some people reject the divinity of Jesus Christ. The sad part is, they have plethora of Bible verses to convince the innocent.
But what is the real state of being of our Lord Jesus Christ? First, we need to know where He come from.
"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God," John 13:5 (RSV)
Jesus came from God. How? When?
"No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." John 1:18 (NASB)
From this simple but somewhat complex verse, we can immediately see that there is God the Father, and another God who was in His bosom, the Son.
This conforms with the Greek translation of the verse:
"oudeis horaō theos pōpote monogenēs theos eimi eis kolpos patēr exēgeomai ekeinos"
John 1:18 (Greek)
The Greek term "monogenēs theos" means "only begotten God". Albeit, several questions will arise. And not many people will accept this. They will claim to believe that the term is really "monogenēs huios" which means "only begotten Son".
Does God, who is a male by gender, have a bosom and capable of giving birth? Apparently, God can and I find it not surprising.
"For to what angel did God ever say, Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee? Or again, I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son?"
Hebrews 1:5 (RSV)
Saint Paul tells us, God Himself said that He had begotten His Son. Do we have proof that God can give birth? Let us remember that God is a spirit.
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
John 4:24 (ASV)
And spirits do give birth.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
John 3:6 (RSV)
And God is even called the Father of spirits.
"Besides this, we have had earthly fathers to discipline us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?"
Hebrews 12:9 (RSV)
And in actuality, God - who created the female species capable of giving birth - doesn't He have the capability of giving birth Himself? How can someone create something that he himself is not capable of? The same logic was written in Psalms.
"He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?"
Psalms 94:9 (RSV)
And the Son given birth by the Father is also a God and a spirit. There are several Bible verses to prove this. But let us tackle where the confusion stems from - the Son manifested in the flesh.
"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father."
John 1:14 (RSV)
Logically, if the Word became flesh, it only means He has a state of being before becoming flesh. The Word is Christ Jesus as was written by Saint John.
"He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God."
Revelation 19:13 (RSV)
Christ, who is also a God, manifested in the flesh - clearly written in the Bible.
"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."
I Timothy 3:16 (KJV)
Christ, who was given birth by the Father, is also a spirit. A human body was prepared for Him to dwell.
"Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me;"
Hebrews 10:5 (RSV)
The body or flesh is human, but the entity that resides is a God.
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,"
Colossians 2:9 (ASV)
That is why, even if Christ had lived in a human body here on earth, we cannot call Him as fully human. The body or flesh is human but the entity inside is a God.
"Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross."
Philippians 2:6-8 (RSV)
Originally, Christ is in the form of God, and was born in the likeness of men. Even in death, only His human body died. But the entity inside - which is a God - lives on!
"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;
In which he went and preached to the spirits in prison,"
I Peter 3:18-19 (RSV)
While Christ's human body is dead for three days, His spirit went to preach to the spirits in prison. In the first place, since Christ is also a God like the Father, He cannot die. If angels, who rank lower than Christ, cannot die then much moreso the only begotten Son of God.
"For they cannot die any more, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection."
Luke 20:36 (RSV)
Some who reject the divinity of Christ uses this verse:
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,"
I Timothy 2:5 (RSV)
The phrase "man Christ Jesus" is used to prove that Christ is just a mere mortal. However, if they will continue reading:
"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
Who gave himself as a ransom for all, the testimony to which was borne at the proper time."
I Timothy 2:5-6 (RSV)
The aspect of Christ that He gave as a ransom for all is His human body.
"And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all."
Hebrews 10:10 (RSV)
If we will be meticulous about this, it is pretty clear that the body is really human, but not the entity that resides in it. The two main apostles, Saint Paul and Saint Peter, both had written that Christ is our God and Savior.
"Awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,"
Titus 2:13 (RSV)
"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:"
II Peter 1:1 (RSV)
Even the origin of Christ is the same, like the Father. Both came from eternity or everlasting.
"Before the mountains were brought forth, and thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from eternity to eternity thou art God."
Psalms 90:2 (DBY)
"And thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, little to be among the thousands of Judah, out of thee shall he come forth unto me who is to be Ruler in Israel: whose goings forth are from of old, from the days of eternity."
Micah 5:2 (DBY)
Finally, to end this article, I will leave you a verse from Saint Paul giving the best description of Christ:
"Whose are the fathers, and of whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen."
Romans 9:5 (ASV)
Christ is not a mere mortal. Nor is He half-God, half-man. He is a God who manifested in the flesh. After His human body died, He went back to heaven as a God in a form of a spirit.
And to this, I say, Amen.
~ JPDSummers24 ~
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