The Deity of Jesus Christ

The Deity of Jesus Christ believe: To have confidence in (a person), and consequently to rely upon, trust to. I. Jesus Christ bids His followers to place trust in Himself just as they place trust in God. JOH 14:1. A. If Jesus Christ is only a man, and not God, then in commanding us to trust Him He is inviting us to a curse. JER 17:5-7. B. If Jesus Christ is only a man, and not God, then to trust Him is to violate the commandment given to not trust man. PSA 146:3-4. II. JOH 8:53-59. In this passage, the legalistic Jews attempted to stone Jesus Christ because of something He had said or done. Jewish law specified ten crimes for which a person ought to be stoned. They were: A. Approaching Mt. Sinai while God spoke with Moses. EXO 19:13. B. Giving children to Molech. LEV 20:2. C. Having a familiar spirit. LEV 20:27. D. Sabbath-breaking. NUM 15:32-36. E. Idolatry. DEU 13:6-10; 17:1-5. F. Rebellious son. DEU 21:18-21. G. Unchastity. DEU 22:20-21. H. Adultery. DEU 22:22-24. I. Taking something accursed. JOS 7:25. J. Blasphemy. LEV 24:16. III. There is obviously only one crime for which the Jews sought to stone the Savior: blasphemy. Jesus Christ had just made a succinct statement: “I am Jehovah-God.” c/w EXO 3:14. A. The Jews' denial of Christ's claim stemmed from their rebellious, unregenerate nature and/or their ignorance of the true God as He had revealed Himself in His word. As a result, they did not recognize God for Whom He was when He manifested Himself in human flesh. JOH 8:19, 55; 5:46-47; ACT 13:27. B. Though they did not know or recognize the true God, the Scriptures had plainly declared that the coming Messiah, the Son of God, was to be Jehovah Himself in human form. ISA 7:14 c/w MAT 1:23; ISA 9:6 c/w PSA 50:1. 1. Jehovah's Witnesses [JW's] teach that ISA 9:6 really means “a mighty one.” But compare “the mighty God” in PSA 50:1; JER 32:18. 2. JW's don't believe that Jesus Christ is equal with God. JOH 5:17-18; PHIL 2:6. 3. Jesus Christ equated Himself with Jehovah. ISA 41:4; 43:10, 13, 46:4; 48:12 c/w JOH 8:24; 13:19. IV. Jehovah took upon Himself flesh. JOH 1:1, 14 c/w ISA 40:3-5; ROM 9:5; 1TI 3:16. A. Even the New World Translation of the JW’s concedes the truth in 1TI 3:15-16. B. ALL the fulness of the Godhead bodily dwells in Christ. COL 2:9-10; 1CH 29:11-12; PSA 132:11. C. Jesus Christ is the express image of God. HEB 1:3. 1. express: Truly depicted, exactly resembling. 2. Adam was made a living soul but Christ a quickening spirit (1CO 15:45), the very power and essence of deity, a better image than Adam. V. JW's maintain that Jehovah created everything, including the Word or Logos, which became The Deity of Jesus Christ 7-9-23 Page 1 of 2  Christ. This Word was the agency that Jehovah used to create all other things. This is nothing more than the old heresy of Arius of Alexandria revived. A. Scripture, however, attributes all creation to Jehovah ALONE, and yet credits the same to the Lord Jesus Christ. JOB 9:8; ISA 44:24; JOH 1:3; COL 1:16-17. B. Though they would deny it, JW's believe in a plurality of gods, which is idolatry! DEU 6:4. C. JW's maintain that REV 3:14 is a proof text for their doctrine of a created God. 1. If that is true, what about MAR 10:6; REV 21:6; GEN 1:1. 2. Which creation is under consideration, the old or the new, of which Christ is the firstfruits? 1CO 15:23. VI. The problem with the JW's is found in their approach to interpreting Scripture by making it utterly conform to human wisdom. But human wisdom has limits. ISA 55:8-9 c/w ROM 11:34-36. A. Since the declared will of God must be conformed to the JW's limited human reasoning or understanding, the JW's simply deny the existence of any mystery of godliness (1TI 3:16). B. JW's ask questions like: “If Jesus on the cross was truly an incarnation of Jehovah, then who was in heaven?” Ans. GEN 19:24; JOH 3:13. VII. Eternal salvation is based upon the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. ISA 43:11 c/w TIT 1:3-4. A. Our redemption depends on the blood of Jehovah. EPH 1:7; JOH 19:37 c/w ZEC 12:10; ACT 20:28. B. The conquest of death and the grave is by Jehovah/Christ. HOS 13:4, 14; 1CO 15:54-57. VIII. Worship of Jesus Christ is worship of Jehovah. JOH 12:44-46; ACT 16:30-34; JOH 20:28. IX. Consider these other texts declaring the deity of Christ: A. REV 1:11 c/w ISA 44:6. Jehovah/Christ is the first and the last. B. HEB 1:8. Jehovah addresses the Son as God! C. ISA 45:23 c/w PHIL 2:10-11. Every knee shall bow to Jehovah/Christ. X. The coming Christ prophesied by ISA 7:14 would be “God with us.” To deny that Jesus of Nazareth is THAT Christ rubs against 1JO 2:22-23. XI. Believing in Jesus Christ as God has an assuring and calming effect: “Let not your heart be troubled...” (JOH 14:1). “The LORD is on my side; I will not fear...” (PSA 118:6). The Deity of Jesus Christ 7-9-23 Page 2 of 2