THE DEITY OF CHRIST - JESUS IS GOD

It is impossible to separate the fact of Christ's preexistence from the

equally tremendous fact of His deity. Christ is not simply like God. He is
God. It is not that He is Godlike; He is God in the full and absolute sense of
the term. Colossians 2:9 says of Christ that in Him dwells "all the fullness of
the Godhead" in human form.

"[8] Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after
Christ.
[9] For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." -
Colossians 2:8,9

Actually Christ's deity has already been proven in the discussion of His
preexistence, for only God can be eternal.

Sometimes people speak of Christ's divinity and imply by it that all men
are in some sense divine. Because of this misuse of the word divinity, deity
is a more accurate word to use when referring to Christ.

Christ has the nature of deity.

This means that all the qualities that belong to God are true of the Lord
Jesus also In His nature He is infinite, eternal, self-existing, and immutable.
The essence of God belongs to Him. The One who existed from all eternity
is the One who came to earth for, period of time and is the One who is
glorified now in heaven.

Christ has the attributes of deity.

God is omniscient (all knowing,

John 2:25 - "[24] But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he
knew all men,
[25] And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was
in man."

John 16:30 - "Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest
not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth
from God."

John 21:17 - " He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time,
Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou
knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep."

GOD is omnipotent (all-powerful)

Matthew 9:6 - "But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on
earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up
thy bed, and go unto thine house."

Matthew 28:18 - "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."

Luke 8:25 - "[24] And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master,
master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of
the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
[25] And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid
wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he
commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him."

GOD is omnipresent (present everywhere)

Matthew 28:20 - "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have

commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world. Amen."

John 14:18, 20 - "[18] I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
[19] Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me:
because I live, ye shall live also.
[20] At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and
I in you."

John 3:13 - "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came
down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven."

These are characteristics of God that cannot be given to anyone else. Yet
these Scriptures show that they belonged to the Lord Jesus. His omniscience,
for instance, is seen in His conversation with the woman at the well in John
4. Jesus knew her whole life though He had never met her. He had power
over nature, as Matthew 8 illustrates. One of the names given to Him in the
prophecy in Isaiah 9:6-7 was "The mighty God."

Christ has the names of deity.

He is called God

(John 1:1, 14 - "[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with
God, and the Word was God.
14] And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld
his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth."

I Timothy 3:16 - "[16] 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."

John 20:28 - "And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my
God."

Titus 2:13 - "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of
the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"

I John 3:16 - "[16] Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid
down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

He is called the first and the last just like God in the Old Testament

Revelation 1:8 - "[8] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the
ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the
Almighty."

"[6] Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD
of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." -
Isaiah 44:6
 He is called I AM

"[13] And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of
Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto
you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto
them?
[14] And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt
thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." - Exodus
3:13,14

John 8:58 - "[58] Jesus said unto them, Verily,verily, I say unto you,
Before Abraham was, I am." -

John 12:41 refers Isaiah's vision of the Lord "high and lifted up" to Christ.
John the Baptist had confirmation from God the Father that the man Jesus
whom he baptized was God in the flesh (John 1:32-34).

Christ does the works of deity.

Both before and after His coming to earth, Christ did the works that are
ascribed to God and recognized as being those that only God could do. The
first lesson indicated that He had a part in creation. As Creator, He Himself
must be uncreated. He is the One who upholds and sustains all things

(Colossians 1:16,17 - "[16] For by him were all things created, that are
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created
by him, and for him:
[17] And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Hebrews 1:3 - "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express
image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power,
when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the
Majesty on high;"

While on earth He controlled nature, raised the dead, and healed the blind
and diseased.

In the future He will be the Judge of all men

 (John 5:22 - "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all
judgment unto the Son:"

Acts 17:31 - "Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge
the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof
he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the
dead."

2 Timothy 4:1 - "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his
kingdom;"

Christ is worshiped as deity.

The Bible is clear in its teaching that there is only one God and that He
alone is to be worshiped. The first of the Ten Commandments is unequivocal
in its statement that no one is to receive worship but God alone (Exodus
20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7-8). Yet it is the Bible which records instances of
Christ being worshiped

(Matthew 14:33 - "Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped
him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."

Luke 5:8 - "When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees,
saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

Luke 24:52 - "[51] And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was
parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
[52] And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great
joy:"

In spite of repeated warnings that "there is no God else beside me ... I am

God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 45:21-22), the Bible gives Jesus' words,
"I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).

It would be sacrilegious idolatry for Christ to accept the worship of men if

He were not God. The Bible gives instance of men who recoiled in horror at
the thought of being worshiped

(Peter in Acts 10:25-26 - "[25] And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met
him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.
[26] But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man."

and Paul in Acts 14:11-18

and examples of the punishment given those who did accept worship

Herod in Acts 12:21-23 - "[21] And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in
royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
[22] And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not
of a man.
[23] And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave
not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost."

Yet over and over, Jesus accepted worship from men.

Those who do not believe that Jesus is God nevertheless usually speak of
Him as a good man, as one whose example others should follow. Actually
He could not possibly be good and claim to be God if He were not.

But God the Father Himself commands men to worship Jesus Christ His
Son (John 5:22-23;

Philippians 2:9-11 - "[9] Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him,
and given him a name which is above every name:
[10] That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in
heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
[11] And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the
glory of God the Father."

On three occasions, God spoke to give testimony that Jesus Christ was His
Son. They were:

Jesus' baptism, Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:22

The transfiguration, Matthew 17:5; Luke 9:35

The Passover, John 12:27-28

Christ claimed equality with God.

"I and my Father are one" (John 10:30) is one of the many statements
Jesus made about the fact that He was God.

The Jews of His day understood His claims of equality with God

(John 5:17-18) - "[17] But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh

hitherto, and I work.
[18] Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only
had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making
himself equal with God."

and His words "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9).
In fact, they charged Him with blasphemy because of this claim and gave
it as the reason He should be put to death.

"[5] Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
[6] Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal
with God:
[7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men:" - Philippians 2:5-7

NECESSITY FOR CHRIST TO BE GOD

If the Lord Jesus were not God, He could never have been the Saviour of the
world. No human being can save another human being. Only God can do
this. A great teacher or an ideal example is not sufficient to provide salvation
from sin. The Bible presents one who can save because of who He is—Jesus
Christ the Son of God and the Saviour of the world.

The significance of the work of creation as ascribed to Christ is that it

reveals His eternity, power, wisdom and omnipresence. As the Creator He is
specifically "before all things" (Col. 1:17), and therefore eternal. The nature
of creation reveals His power, wisdom and presence in creation. The
telescopic wonder of the heavens as well as the microscopic wonders of the
world too small for human eyes to see combine in their witness to His
power. It is such a God who became the Saviour.