What Think Ye of Christ?
Matthew 22:41-46 While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.
An understanding of who Jesus Christ was is an important foundational doctrine for the Christian. The answer frames a person’s beliefs in profound ways. Was He just a good teacher who taught good things and was innocently put to death because of jealousy? Was He an angel come down from heaven to teach about God? Was He created by God to be His messenger? Was He God come down in human form? This brief study will attempt to answer these questions by looking at the Scriptures and what they have to say about Jesus Christ. I will begin with a conclusion, and then show from the Scriptures that the conclusion is the only possible interpretation that aligns with what the Bible teaches about the most important person who ever lived.
Jesus Christ was (and is) God. He has always been God. He was not just a man. He was not an angel. He was not just a messenger sent by God. He was God sent by Himself. This is the clear teaching of the Bible. Let us consider the proof of these conclusions.
The Gospel of John lays the foundation of the truth of the deity of Christ.
1. Jesus has always existed even as God has always existed.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
This verse is often quoted by those who do not believe in the deity of Christ, and that is baffling to me. The verse clearly states the Word was in the beginning. The Word was with God in the beginning. But most important is the last part of the verse. The Word was God. Somehow, some read right over that statement and act like it is not there. Perhaps it is strange to think of something being with something else but being the same as something else. Have you ever talked to yourself? You would be the one doing the talking to someone else who is also you. That’s not hard to understand, right?
John 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
The same – The Word – was in the beginning with God. So we have God and we have the Word, and they are two but they are the same.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
By who? By God, verse 2, and also by the Word, verse 1.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
In him was life. Who? The Word, verse 1? Yes. God, verse 2? Yes.
John 1:6-8 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
Who did John the Baptist bear witness to? He bore witness to Jesus Christ.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
John 1:35-36 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
Going back to John’s description of the Word, we read:
John 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
Who was in the world? The Word. Who made the world? The Word. Genesis 1:1 reads:
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
God created the heaven and the earth. Now consider John 1:14:
John 1:14 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.
The Word was made flesh. Jesus Christ, the one who created the world, came into the world in a body prepared by Himself. He was made flesh. He became a man. But He was also God who created everything.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 8:51-58 Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death. Then said the Jews unto him, Now we know that thou hast a devil. Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and thou sayest, If a man keep my saying, he shall never taste of death. Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself? Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet ye have not known him; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Those that claim Jesus Christ never claimed to be God have not read the Bible. Jesus claimed to be God in human form. He said that Abraham rejoiced to see His day. How can that be? It can be because Jesus existed before He was born. He existed before He took on human shape and a human body. Notice something else that Jesus said:
John 17:5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Now consider what God the Father said:
Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.
If God the Father will not give His glory to another, and yet Jesus Christ said that He had the glory of God with the Father before the world was, what are we to conclude? We conclude that they are one and the same God.
2. Jesus Christ had the fullness of the Godhead in Him just as the Father has the fullness of the Godhead in Him.
Romans 1:19-20 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
God the Father has all the fullness of the Godhead in Him.
Acts 17:29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device.
The word Godhead means the divine nature and essence of God.
Colossians 2:8-9 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. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
In Jesus Christ dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. He was (and still is) the complete divine nature and essence of God.
3. Jesus clearly stated that He and God the Father are one and the same.
John 14:6-21 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Some try to claim this passage of Scripture speaks of the position Jesus Christ had as God’s representative. But He was more than God’s representative. He was God REPRESENTED by Himself.
He also stated that He would send the Comforter, the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit also called the Holy Ghost. But then Jesus said, “I will come to you.” The Comforter is the Holy Ghost, who is the Spirit of God the Father, who is the same God as Jesus Christ. They are all one and the same God.
John 14:8-9 Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
That was God the Father speaking to Philip through the expressed image of Himself through His Son.
1 John 5:7-8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
There is a difference between being one and agreeing in one. That is why the verse reads as it does. The Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are one – as in one and the same. The spirit, the water, and the blood agree in one. That means they are separate but in agreement. Two people can agree on the same thing, but that does not mean they ARE the same. But when it comes to Jesus Christ, the Word, He is one and the same with the Father and the Holy Ghost.
I think one reason why people have a hard time understanding the Godhead, the Trinity or tri-unity of God being the Father, the Son, and the Spirit, is because they fail to understand that God is able to manifest Himself in distinct ways. Humans have a body, a soul, and a spirit. But we are not capable of separating ourselves into three distinct parts. However, God is not limited in that way. He can manifest Himself separately as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost but still retain His one identity as God.
John 10:28-30 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.
Lest anyone think that Jesus meant He and the Father agree rather than are one in the same, notice how the Jews interpreted what He said.
John 10:31-38 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
Notice a few things. First, Jesus quoted the Law and then said that “I said.” He claimed to be the author of the quote. Notice also, the Jews clearly knew what He was stating about Himself. They cried blasphemy because He made Himself God.
4. The apostles believed that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh.
John 20:27-28 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Exodus 20:1-3 And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
The first of the ten commandments stated, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” And yet, Thomas called Jesus Christ, “My Lord and my God.” Was Thomas blaspheming? Certainly not. He recognized a fact that many struggle with. Jesus was (and still is) God.
1 John 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Yes, Jesus Christ is the great God and our Savior.
1 Timothy 3:16 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.
Paul told Titus and Timothy that Jesus was God. Turning to another great text on the deity of Christ, let us consider Hebrews chapter one.
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
God made the worlds by His Son. We have seen this already that all things were made by the Word, Jesus Christ.
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;
Jesus Christ is the express image of the person of God.
Hebrews 1:4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
This verse, along with so many we have seen already, proves that Jesus Christ was not an angel of God. The word “made” has to do with being declared, not being created. But what about Revelation 3:14?
Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;
This phrase, “beginning of the creation of God” is used to teach that Jesus was not eternal, but rather a created being. The biggest problem with that interpretation is that there are so many verses that teach exactly the opposite of this assumption. If God was created, then yes, His Son was created. But if God is eternal, His Son is also eternal. We have already read that Jesus was before the creation. In fact, the beginning of creation is Genesus 1:1, “In the beginning.” What was before the beginning? “In the beginning God.” This clearly teaches that the verse is not to be understood to mean Jesus Christ was created. Sometimes God’s Word might appear to teach one thing when it does not. Take for example Galatians 5:4.
Galatians 5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
Some take that verse to mean one can lose their salvation. But when we consider the many, many verses that teach the exact opposite, we understand the verse means something entirely different than what we might think if we read it by itself. This is an important principle to understanding the Word of God. We cannot simply pull a verse or two from the Bible and claim the Bible teaches a certain thing. No, we must compare Scripture with other Scripture to get the full body of understanding about a particular subject.
So then, what are we to make of Revelation 3:14? The last thing we are to take from that verse is that Jesus Christ was a created being. There are too many verses that teach otherwise. In my humble opinion, I think the verse is stating that before God chose to create anything, He chose to establish a representation of Himself as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. This decision was the beginning of the creation of God – the beginning of what God created – the starting point of His design. He first chose a representation of Himself to His creation before He created His creation. Otherwise, taking all verses together, we would have to conclude that God was also created. But we know that He was not created. He is the Creator.
Psalm 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.
God had no beginning and will have no end. The reason God can offer eternal life is because He is eternal. If God could cease to exist, everything else would cease to exist as well, because He holds everything into existence. Let us consider another passage along the same lines:
Colossians 1:12-15 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Again, one might think since Jesus Christ is the “firstborn” then He must have had a beginning and therefore was not eternal. But this speaks to the humanity of Jesus Christ as being God’s Son in the sense of his physical birth when He came to earth as a baby. But notice what is written just prior to that phrase, “Who is the image of the invisible God.”
John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
God the Father cannot be seen without His manifestation of Himself in His Son Jesus Christ. There are several places in the Old Testament where God was seen by man. Does that mean John 1:18 is a lie? No, it means the manifestations of God in the Old Testament were His Son. That is why Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9).
This is why it is so important to compare Scripture with Scripture. Someone said, “You can teach anything from the Bible, but the Bible only teaches one thing: the mind of God on any given subject.” This is so true. People take pieces of the Bible and form whole religions, denominations, even cults. This is why we are admonished to study and rightly divide the Word of Truth:
2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Let us return to Hebrews.
Hebrews 1:5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
What day is this verse talking about? We have the answer in Acts.
Acts 13:33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.
You see, Hebrews 1:5 does not teach that God the Father created God the Son. It teaches that God raised up His Son from the dead. But notice what Jesus said:
John 10:17-18 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Again and again we learn the Bible truth that Jesus was God.
Hebrews 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
This is a powerful verse in relation to the Deity of Christ. This verse states that God told the angels to Worship His Son. Now, if you search the Old Testament, you will not find where God said, “And let all the angels of God worship him.” But what is very important is the idea that God would tell the angels to Worship the Son. The worship of a deity other than God Himself is one of the greatest sins in the Old Testament. And yet this verse states that God said, let all the angels of God worship him — Jesus the Son of God. If the Son were a created being and not also God, then this would be advocating the worship of someone other than God. God would never command any angel to worship something other than God, for that would be idolatry, which is sin and God cannot sin.
5. God the Father calls His Son God.
Hebrews 1:7-8 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Again, what an amazing verse on the Deity of Christ. God the Father said to the Son, “Thy throne, O God.”
Hebrews 1:9-10 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
This is a quote from Psalm 45.
Psalm 45:6-7 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
This is an example where God the Father calls His Son, God.
Hebrews 1:10-13 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Again, Jesus Christ is distinguished from the Angels.
Matthew 22:43-44 He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Psalm 110:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
Luke 2:10-11 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
God said in Isaiah there is no saviour beside Him. But in Luke 2:10-11, the angel sent from God proclaimed that Jesus Christ was a Saviour. The reason these are not contradictory statements is because Jesus and God are one and the same. I will bring this brief study to a close with a few more verses that teach the deity of Christ.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Who was God talking to? Some say He was speaking to the angels. But that is not what the very next verse states.
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
God made man in His own image. Therefore, God was talking to Himself when He said He would make man in “our” image. Our is plural. And so we read in Matthew 28:
Matthew 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 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.
These verses distinguish the Godhead as being three that are one.
2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. The second epistle to the Corinthians was written from Philippi, a city of Macedonia, by Titus and Lucas.
This is another example where the trinity or tri-unity nature of God is presented.
John 14:10-11 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
I want to close this study with perhaps the most powerful verse about the deity of Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Jesus Christ is the true God, and eternal life. This is because He is God. Humans were made in the image of God. The image of God includes a Body, Soul, Spirit. That is what man is.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
God also has a body (Jesus Christ His Son), a soul (the Father) and a Spirit (the Holy Spirit). They are one and the same, just like your being (body, soul, and spirit) are one and the same. These verses show clearly from the Word of God that Jesus Christ is not a created god. He is not an angel or any other kind of messenger except God representing Himself to man. Jesus is God, as much as the Father and the Holy Spirit. They three are one God – The God, the only God.