Rev. David Holwick
First Baptist Church (Bible study)
Ledgewood, New Jersey
March 20, 1994
THE DEITY OF JESUS
I. Believing Jesus is divine is essential to being a true Christian.
A. 1 John 2:22.
An antichrist is one who denies Jesus is the Christ.
B. The deity of Jesus is brought out by the plain teaching of the
Bible.
II. The deity of Jesus is denied by many cults and sects.
A. In the early centuries of the church a heretic named Arius denied
the deity of Jesus. He said Jesus was just a creature.
B. Jehovah's Witnesses follow Arius completely.
C. Mormons believe Jesus is divine, but not one with the Father.
D. Modern liberalism stresses the humanity of Jesus and ignores his
deity.
II. Biblical evidence for the deity of Jesus.
A. Isaiah 7:14
The virgin's son is "Immanuel" (literally, "God with us"). God
is with us in a unique way in the person of Jesus.
B. John 1:1
The Word (=Jesus) was with God [Ton Theon] and was God [Theos].
1) Jehovah's Witnesses say the Word was "a god" since the
definite article [Ton, or "the"] does not come before the
final "God". Colwell's rule of Greek grammar states that a
definite predicate nominative (the last "God") never takes an
article when it comes before the verb ("was"), such as here
in John 1:1.
2) If "God" (Theos without the article) always means "a god", then
it should be translated this way in Matt 5:9; 6:24;
Luke 1:35,78; John 1:6,12,13,18; 3:2,21; 9:16,33; Romans 1:7,
17,18; 1 Corinthians 1:20; 15:10, etc.
3) This is the clearest New Testament verse for stating that
Jesus definitely is God.
C. John 5:18
Jesus makes himself equal with God.
D. John 8:58
Before Abraham was [born], I am.
1) Compare God's introduction of Himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14.
E. John 20:28
Thomas says to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!"
F. Romans 9:5
Christ is God over all.
1) This can be taken other ways, but the above is the most
natural translation.
G. Philippians 2:11
Every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
1) In Isaiah 45:23, it is God who is confessed as Lord.
H. Colossians 1:12-20
Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
I. Colossians 2:9
All the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Jesus.
J. Hebrews 1:3
Christ is the reflection of God's glory.
K. Revelation 1:8 compared with Revelation 22:13
Jesus (and God) is the First and the Last.
There cannot be two firsts and two lasts.
IV. Why does Jesus have to be human and divine?
A. If he was not God, he cannot save us.
1) If he was not God, he is also a liar.
B. If Jesus was not human, he could not sympathize with our needs.
[original outline February 1989]
