The
Divinity of Christ
By
H.H. Pope Shenouda III
Translated by
Mary & Amani Bassilli
First Edition Volume I C 0 P A
2
Published by
Coptic Orthodox Publishers Association
50 Netherford Road
London SW4 6AE
Tel:
01-622 0166
Copyright � the Author, 1989
ISBN 1 871646 01 4
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H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of
Alexandria and the See of St. Mark
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CONTENTS
Introduction
THE FIRST PROOF
Explicit verses on the Divinity of Christ
The Divinity of Christ with Respect to Him Being One of the
Holy Trinity
THE SECOND PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Logos
THE THIRD PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Creator
THE FOURTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Sending the Holy Spirit
THE FIFTH PROOF
With Respect to His Other Relations with the Holy
Spirit
THE SIXTH PROOF
With Respect to His Descent from Heaven
THE SEVENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Lord
THE EIGHTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Son of God
THE NINTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Only Son of God
The Divinity of Christ with Respect to His Divine Attributes
THE TENTH PROOF
With Respect to the faith in Him
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THE ELEVENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Saviour and the
Redeemer
THE TWELFTH PROOF
With Respect to His Relation with the Father
THE THIRTEENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being Beyond Time
THE FOURTEENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the First and the Last
THE FIFTEENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being Omnipresent
THE SIXTEENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Judge
THE SEVENTEENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Examiner of Hearts
and Minds
THE EIGHTEENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being Good and Holy
THE NINETEENTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Forgiver of Sins
THE TWENTIETH PROOF
With Respect to Him Accepting Worship and Prayer
THE TWENTY-FIRST PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the Giver of Life
The Divinity of Christ with Respect to His Absolute Authority
THE TWENTY-SECOND PROOF
With Respect to His Authority over Nature
THE TWENTY-THIRD PROOF
With Respect to His Authority over Angels
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THE TWENTY-FOURTH PROOF
Because the Kingdom Belongs to Him
THE TWENTY-FIFTH PROOF
With Respect to His Authority over Life and Death
THE TWENTY-SIXTH PROOF
With Respect to His Authority over the Law
THE TWENTY-SEVENTH PROOF
With Respect to His Authority over Himself
THE TWENTY-EIGHTH PROOF
With Respect to His Authority over Demons
THE TWENTY-NINTH PROOF
With Respect to Him Being the One to Whom Glory
and Power Belong
THE THIRTIETH PROOF
With Respect to His Miracles
EEE
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INTRODUCTION
The Divinity of Christ
The Divinity of Christ is one of the most important and vital
subjects in the Christian doctrine. Many heresies rose against it
in various eras, and the Church confronted them and replied to
them. The most dangerous was the Arian Heresy which
reached its peak in the fourth century and led to many
Ecumenical Councils being held. The first Ecumenical Council
in history was held in 325 A.D., attended by 318 bishops from
all the churches of the world. Arius and his heresy were
refuted, and the Christian Creed was formulated. Nevertheless,
the residues of Arianism have continued to spread even till this
day.
Many atheist philosophers and scientists rose against the
Divinity of Christ. The heresy of Jehovah's Witnesses rose
against the Divinity of Christ. It was allegedly founded, in
Pennsylvania, America, in 1872. Then in 1909 its headquarters
moved to New York where a community was established under
the name of "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society". They
published many books, the most important of which were: Let
God Be True, The Truth Shall Set You Free, The Harp of God,
The Rich Man, Deliverance, Creation, The New Heaven and
the New Earth, Government and Peace, Protection,
Reconciliation, and various other publications called Tracts.
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In the following pages, we will try to discuss the subject of the
Divinity of Christ in a positive light, and prove this fundamental
doctrine from the Holy Bible. We will discuss all the
objections and reply to them in due course.
Many of the saints faced these objections and were
contemporary with the Arian Movement. Among them were:
(1)
Saint Athanasius the Apostolic who wrote Contra
Arianos,
(2)
Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers who wrote a treatise
against the Arians called De Trinitate,
(3)
Saint Basil the Great,
(4)
Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa,
(5)
Saint Gregory Theologus of Nazianzum who wrote
theological treatises and
(6)
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem who delivered lectures to the
catechumens.
In our research on the Divinity of Christ, we will give proofs
which will include clear verses pertaining to His Divinity with
respect to:
(1)
Him being the Logos (the Word)
(2)
His relation with the Holy Spirit
(3)
His relation with Heaven
(4)
His relation with the Father
(5)
Him being the Only Son
(6)
Him being the Only Son of God
(7)
Him being the Lord
(8)
Him being the Redeemer and Saviour
(9)
The belief in Him
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(10)
His Divine qualities
(11) His authority over all Creation
(12)
His miracles
I began this research in July 1953 when I published the first
article against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Sunday School
Magazine, then in consecutive articles during 1953 / 54. I
taught it as a subject in the Theological Seminary during 1954
and also in the 1960s when I was bishop of the Seminary. I
replied to many questions pertaining to this subject in general
lectures. And finally, I thought it fit to publish it as a subject of
study to be taught in the various departments of our
Theological Seminary.
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THE FIRST PROOF
Explicit Verses
On the Divinity of Christ
This proof consists of the following:
(A)
Proof that the Lord Jesus Christ is God
(B)
Proof that there is only One God, that is, God
(C)
Conclusion: Christ is This One God, that is, He is God
(A)
Christ Is God
(1)
(Rom. 9:5): St. Paul the Apostle said in his discourse
about the Jews: "and from whom, according to the flesh,
Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
" The phrase 'over all ' gives power to Christ's Divinity; He is
not God of certain people only, as the pagan gods are. The
expression 'eternally' signifies the continuity of His worship and
the infinity of His Divinity.
(2)
(John 20:28): When Thomas said to the Lord: "My
Lord and my God!", the Lord Jesus Christ accepted the title
and reproached Thomas for believing only after seeing when he
should have believed without seeing.
(3)
(John 1:1): "In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God. " Although
Jehovah's Witnesses, in their heterodoxy, say: "and the Word
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was a God", yet they do not deny the Divinity of Christ and
consider Him second to Jehovah. In order not to enter into
translation controversies with them, we say that their mere
belief that He is a God leads to the fact that He is God, because
there is only One God.
(4)
(Matt. 1:23): The angel was referring to Isaiah's
prophecy: "'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a
Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel" which is
translated, 'God with us"' (Is. 7:14). The fact that Christ is
'God with us' is an obvious profession of His Divinity. That is
why the prophet Isaiah explains this meaning when he says:
(5)
(Is. 9:6): "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is
given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And
His name will be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". It is probably the phrase
'Mighty God' in this verse that has made Jehovah's Witnesses
say that Christ is a Mighty God, although in their opinion, He is
not God. Strangely enough, this verse is from the Book of
Isaiah in which the clauses: "I am the Lord and there is no
other; there is no God besides Me", are repeated many times
(Is. 45:5,6,21,22).
(6)
(Heb. 1:7,8): When St. Paul the Apostle explained how
the Lord Jesus Christ is greater than the angels, he said: "And
of the angels He says: 'Who makes His angels spirits and His
ministers a flame of fire. 'But to the Son He says: 'Your throne,
0 God, is for ever and ever. ' " St. Paul quoted this verse from
Psalm 45, verse 6, where the reference to the Divinity of Christ
is very clear.
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(7)
(1 Tim. 3:16): "And without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified
in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles,
believed on in the world, received up in glory. " It is obvious,
from this verse, that Christ is God who was manifested in the
flesh. But the heresy of Jehovah's Witnesses presents another
translation: "Great is the mystery of godliness which was
manifested in the flesh", which is incompatible with the
continuation of the same verse. Because how could the
mystery of godliness be seen by angels? Or how was it
received up in glory? Was it not Christ who was seen by
angels, ascended to heaven in glory, preached among the
Gentiles and believed in the world? However, the theological
facts are not based upon one verse: (1 Tim. 3:16) is similar to
another verse:
(8)
(Col. 2:9): St. Paul the Apostle says about the Lord
Jesus Christ: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily. " The phrase "all the fullness of the Godhead"
adds to the power of this verse. If all the fullness of the
Godhead dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ, then He lacks nothing
and He is God, and there is no other God but Him, because
there is nothing outside the fullness. The expression 'bodily'
signifies that This Godhead took a body or was manifested in
the flesh as the previous verse (1 Tim. 3:16) explains, and as is
explained in the following verse:
(9)
(Acts 20:28): "Therefore take heed to yourselves and
to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased
with His own blood." It is known that God is Spirit (John 4:24)
and a spirit has no blood. So, God did not purchase the
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Church with His blood unless He had taken flesh and sacrificed
His blood for her. Here, we reach the same meaning of "God
was manifested in the flesh".
(B)
There is only One God
(1)
This is clear from the first of the Ten Commandments:
"You shall have no other gods before Me" (Ex. 20:3);(Deut. 5:7).
(2)
And from other verses in the Book of Deuteronomy,
such as: "the LORD Himself is God,. there is none other
besides Him" (Deut. 5:35), and: "Hear, 0 Israel.. The LORD
our God, the LORD is one!" (Deut. 6:4)
(3) The doctrine of One God is also clear in many verses in the
Book of Isaiah, among which are:
(a)
(Is. 43: 1 0,1 I): "I am He. Before Me there was no
God formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the
LORD, and besides Me there is no Saviour." This is the
chapter from which Jehovah's Witnesses extracted the phrase: "
'You are My witnesses,' says the LORD" (Is. 43:10,12).
(b)
(Is. 44:6): "I am the First and I am the Last; besides
Me there is no God."
(c)
(Is. 45:5,6): "I am the LORD, and there is no other;
there is no God besides Me."
(d)
(Is. 45:21,22): "Have not I, the LORD? And there is
no other God besides Me, a just God and a Saviour; there is
none besides Me. For I am God, and there is no other."
(e)
(Is. 46:9): "For I am God, and there is no other; I am
God, and there is none like Me."
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(4)
Another testimony on the Oneness of God is in the
Book of Hosea the Prophet: "Yet I am the LORD your God
ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God but
Me, for there is no Saviour besides Me" (Hos. 13:4).
(5)
We find the same testimony in the New Testament:
(a)
(Rom. 3:30): "...since there is one God"
(b)
(1 Cor. 8:4): "...there is no other God but one"
(c)
(James 2:19): "You believe that there is one God. You
do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble!" This means
that even the demons, unfruitful as they are, know very well
that there is one God and tremble from His Judgment.
If there is mention in the Holy Bible of the word 'gods', it does
not at all mean Deity. Sometimes it means the pagan gods as is
mentioned in the Psalms: "For the LORD is great and greatly
to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods. For all the
gods of the people are idols" (Ps. 96:4,5), and: "Worship Him,
all you gods" (Ps. 97:7). Naturally, those who worship another
are not true gods.
Another example, said by the Divine Inspiration in Psalm 82, is:
"I said, 'You are gods, and all of you are children of the Most
High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one of the
princes."' (Ps. 82: 6,7). Naturally, he who dies and falls can
not be a God. But it is a symbolical expression signifying
power and authority, as when some of the Jews' enemies were
afraid from the return of the Ark of the Covenant and said: "
Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty
gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all
the plagues in the wilderness" (1 Sam.4:8). They described all
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the people as gods which has a symbolic or a metaphoric
meaning.
(C)
Conclusion: Christ is God
If there is only one God, by the testimony of the Old and New
Testaments of the Holy Bible, and if Christ is a God by the
same testimony, then Christ is This One God.
God says in the Book of Isaiah: "And there is no other God
besides Me", and in the same Book the Divine Inspiration says
that Christ is a "Mighty God." What does this mean other than
the Two are One?
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THE SECOND PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Logos
The Lord Jesus Christ was called 'The Word' in three important
places:
(A)
(John 1: 1): "In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God." In this verse the
reference to Christ's Divinity is very clear.
(B)
(1 John 5:7): "For there are three who bear witness in
heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these
three are one." Here also, the Divinity of Christ is clear. The
term "the Word" in the above verse is in place of "the Son" in
(Matt. 28:19).
(C) (Rev. 19:13): "He was clothed with a robe dipped in
blood, and His name is called The Word of God." The term
"The Word" stands for "Logos" in Greek which conveys a
linguistic, philosophical and terminological meaning. The word
"Logos" is taken from the Greek verb legein from which the
word logic in English is derived. It means the rational principle
expressed in words.
Hence the term "The Word" means the Logos or Reason, or
Mind which is the position of the Person of the Son in the Holy
Trinity.
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Naturally, the Reason of God is inseparable from Him. God
and His Reason are One Entity. If Jehovah's Witnesses see that
Christ is a Junior God to God (who is Supreme), they do not
understand the meaning of the term "The Word" which is "the
Logos " in (John 1: 1), and (1 John 5:7).
If Christ is the Reason and the Logos of God, then He is God
and He is Eternal, because the Reason and Logos of God
existed with God since eternity. Therefore Christ is not created
because any created being does not exist before his creation. Is
it reasonable for anyone to think that there was a time when
God existed without Reason, then He created Reason for
Himself? And with what Reason did He create Reason for
Himself? The apprehension of the Trinity teaches us the
Eternity of the Three Persons. The Person of the Word is of
the same substance of God Himself and has existed in Him
since eternity.
Therefore, the Second Person, The Logos or The Word is the
Person of knowledge, or of reason or wisdom, in the Holy
Trinity. He is Christ "in whom are hidden all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 2:.3). He is the Wisdom in the
Trinity, which is why St. Paul the Apostle said that the Lord
Jesus Christ is "the Wisdom of God" (1 Cor. 1:24).
That is why when The Word was Incarnate, we saw God in
Him, "No one has seen God at any time" (John 1:18). That is
to say, no one has seen God in His Divinity, but when He was
Incarnate, when He was manifested bodily (1 Tim. 3:16), we
saw Him in the flesh, we saw Him Incarnate. That is why St.
John the Apostle says: "No one has seen God at any time. The
Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has
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declared Him" (John 1:18). This means that Christ declared
God to us, and through Him we are able to perceive God.
The same meaning is given in (Col. 1: 15): "He is the image of
the invisible God", and in (Phil. 2:5-7): "Christ Jesus, who,
being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be
equal to God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the
form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men." This
means that if Christ appeared to be equal with God, He did not
consider that robbery because He is verily so. But while being
equal with the Father, He gave up all His glory, was Incarnate,
taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of man
... and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of
the cross (Phil. 2:8).
St. Paul the Apostle said about the Lord Jesus Christ in his
Epistle to the Hebrews: "...through whom also He made the
worlds,. 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
at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so
much better than the angels" (Heb. 1:2-4). The phrase 'the
express image of His person' means the image in which God
manifested Himself in the Incarnation, and thus we could see
Him; in the Person of Christ. That is why Christ the Lord said:
"He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9). He
was Incarnate for our redemption to purge our sins. He gave
up all His glory although He is the brightness of God's glory
and the image of God (2 Cor .4:4) and had made the worlds.
Here the Apostle presents one of the Divine attributes of
Christ, of His being the Creator. He created the world because
He is the Logos: the Reason and Wisdom of God.
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THE THIRD PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Creator
Without controversy, God is the Creator, and the story of
creation commences with the statement: "In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1: 1). The first
chapter of Genesis explains how God created all things. In the
Book of Isaiah, God says: "I am the Lord, who makes all
things, who stretches out heavens all alone, who spreads
abroad the earth by Myself" (Is. 44:24), and: "I, the Lord, do
all these things" (Is. 45:7).
However, there are other verses in the Holy Bible that refer to
Christ the Lord as the Creator:
(1) (John 1:3): St John the Evangelist says about the Lord
Jesus Christ: "All things were made through Him, and without
Him nothing was made that was made." Here the Evangelist
does not only mention that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator,
but also that none of creation was made without Him. He also
says: "He was in the world and the world was made through
Him" (John 1: 10).
(2) (Heb. 1:2): St. Paul the Apostle says: "He made the
worlds."
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(3) (Col. 1: 16): St. Paul also says: "For by Him all things
were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible
and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."
(4)
(1 Cor.8:6): The Apostle also says: "... through whom
are all things and through whom we live."
The Holy Bible mentions miracles performed by the Lord Jesus
Christ which prove that He is the Creator:
(1)
The miracle of feeding the five thousand men from five
loaves and two fish (Luke 9:10-17). In this miracle, the Lord
created matter which had not existed with which He fed the
thousands. What adds to the power of this miracle is the fact
that all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets full of the
leftover fragments were taken up. From where did all the
leftover fragments come? It was matter newly created by the
Lord Jesus Christ. This great miracle is mentioned by the four
Evangelists.
(2)
The miracle of feeding the four thousand men from
seven loaves and a few little fish (Matt. 15:32-38). The
disciples took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that
were left over. Here also the Lord created new matter which
had not existed, and the ability to create is attributed to God
alone.
(3)
The miracle of changing water into wine in Cana of
Galilee (John 2). This miracle is also an act of creation because
water consists of oxygen and hydrogen only, so from where did
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the alcohol and the other constituents of wine come? The Lord
Jesus Christ created all these elements in this miracle.
The power of this miracle is that it happened by Christ's mere
inner will, without Him doing any action or blessing or even
giving an order to the water to change into wine. He only said:
"'Fill the waterpots with water'. And they filled them up to the
brim. And He said to them, 'Draw some out now' " (John
2:7,8). Thus the water changed to wine merely by His will. He
willed to create the substance of wine and it was created, even
without a command.
(4) Granting sight to the man born blind (John 9). Here the
Lord Jesus Christ created eyes which had not existed before
and created them out of mud, as He had created the first man.
Mud, which if put on seeing eyes causes blindness, was put by
the Lord into the sockets of the blind man, and two eyes were
created. What adds to the power of this miracle is that the
Lord ordered the man to go and wash in the pool of Siloam.
Normally, washing mud dissolves it, but in this miracle, when
the man washed with water, the mud was reinforced in his
sockets as eyes and the water tied them with blood vessels,
muscle and tissue. And the man born blind said to the Jews:
"Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone
opened the eyes of one who was born blind" (John 9:32).
Here we are faced with an important theological question:
How can Christ be the Creator if creation is attributed to God
alone?
The Lord Jesus Christ was creating with the power of His
Divinity, being the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, that is,
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the Reason of God. Who then created all things? Was it the
Lord Jesus Christ or God the Father? God the Father created
the whole universe by the Son; by His Reason; by His
Knowledge; by His Word, that is, by the Second Person of the
Holy Trinity. Hence the Apostle says: "... through whom also
He made the worlds" (Heb. 1:2), that is, by His Reason, by His
Wisdom.
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THE FOURTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Sending the Holy Spirit
This proof consists of the following points:
(A)
God is Spirit
(B)
God is the One who pours out and sends His Spirit
(C)
The Lord Jesus Christ pours out, sends and breathes the
Spirit of God
(D)
Conclusion: Christ is God
(A)
God Is Spirit
This is clear from the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in
spirit and truth" (John 4:24), and also from the Apostle's
words: "Now the Lord is the Spirit" (2 Cor.3:17).
(B)
God Is the One Who Pours out His Spirit
This is clear from the Lord's words in the Book of Joel: "I am
the Lord your God and there is no other... And it shall come to
pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall
dream dreams" (Joel 2:27-29).
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God Sends His Spirit to the World
The Psalm says: "You send forth Your Spirit, they are created;
and You renew the face of the earth" (Ps. 104:30). The Lord
says in the Book of Ezekiel: "I will put My Spirit within you"
(Ez. 36:27).And in the Book of Numbers the Lord says: "Oh,
that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD
would put His Spirit upon them!" (Num. 1 1:29) St. Paul the
Apostle says: "God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit" (1
Thes.4:8).
(C)
The Lord Jesus Christ Pours out God's Spirit on
His Disciples
This is obvious from the Book of Acts, chapter 2, verse 33.
This point does not need any proof to Jehovah's Witnesses.
They confess in their book "Let God Be True" that "the Spirit
of God was poured out on the disciples by the hand of Jesus on
the Day of Pentecost."
The Lord Jesus Christ Sends God's Spirit
This is clear from the Gospel according to St. John, where the
Lord said to His disciples: "But when the Helper comes, whom
I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who
proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me" (John 15:26),
and: "For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you;
but if I depart, I will send Him to you" (John 16:7).
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The Lord Jesus Christ Breathes God's Spirit
This is clear from the Gospel according to St. John, in which
we read: "And when He had said this, He breathed on them,
and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit' " (John 20:22).
(D)
Conclusion: Christ Is God
(a)
Who can pour out the Spirit of God, send the Spirit of
God and breath the Spirit of God on people, except God
Himself? And if the Lord Jesus Christ did these, is He not
God, then?
(b)
God says in the Book of Joel: "I will pour out My Spirit
on all flesh." St. Peter the Apostle uses this verse as a
testimony on the Day of Pentecost at the descent of the Holy
Spirit, saying: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, says
God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh' " (Acts
2:16,17). Moreover he says in the same chapter that the Lord
Jesus, "being exalted to the right hand of God, and having
received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He
poured out this which you now see and hear" (Acts 2:33).
Then who is the Lord Jesus Christ who pours out the Spirit of
God on people, but God Himself?
(c)
We cannot imagine, nor can Jehovah's Witnesses, that
there is a power other than God who can send the Spirit of
God or pour out the Spirit of God.
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THE FIFTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Other Relations with the
Holy Spirit
In this proof, we will present two important points:
(A)
The Holy Spirit Takes of What Is Christ's
In the Lord's discourse with His disciples about the Holy Spirit,
He said: "He will glorify Me for He will take of what is Mine
and declare it to you" (John 16:14), and: "All things that the
Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of
Mine and declare it to you" (John 15:16).
How is it possible that the Spirit of God takes from another to
give to people? How can this possibly be said about the Spirit
of God who spoke through the prophets and taught them
everything and granted them different gifts? How can the
Spirit of God take from Christ unless Christ is God Himself?
What is the spiritual interpretation of the Holy Spirit
taking of what is Christ's?
Christ is the Incarnate Second Person of the Holy Trinity. The
Second Person is the Person of Reason, Knowledge,
Understanding and Rational Expression in the Holy Trinity.
Therefore, theologically speaking, the Holy Spirit can take
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from the Person of Knowledge. The Lord Jesus Christ
explained this when He said: "All things that the Father has
are Mine" (John 16: 15).
(B)
Christ Was Conceived of the Holy Spirit
In the story of the birth of Christ, we see that St. Matthew the
Evangelist says: "After His mother Mary was betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with Child
of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1: 18). This declaration is confirmed
when the angel said to Joseph, 'for that which is conceived in
her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1:20). St. Luke the
Evangelist recorded the words of the angel to the Virgin Mary:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the
Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One
who is to be born will be called the Son of God" (Luke 1:35).
Who then is Christ? And what is His Nature?
(1)
Christ is of the Spirit of God, as St. Matthew the
Apostle says, "...for that which is conceived in her is of the
Holy Spirit." That is why the Holy Spirit came upon the Virgin
Mary and she was found with Child of the Holy Spirit. Since
Christ was born of the Holy Spirit, therefore His birth has two
consequences, in accordance with the Gospel of St. Luke the
Evangelist: First, that He is Holy and second, that He is the
Son of God. Both consequences indicate His Divinity.
(2)
God is Spirit (John 4:24) and Christ is of the Spirit of
God. Therefore He is of the very essence of God and has the
same Nature with Him. That is why He is called Holy which is
one of God's names, as the Virgin called Him in her magnificat:
"And holy is His name" (Luke 1:49).
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THE SIXTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Descent from Heaven
(1)
The Lord Jesus Christ says: "I am the bread which
came down from heaven" (John 6:41), and thus He is the Giver
of life, 'for the bread of God is He who comes down from
heaven and gives life to the world" (John 6:33). The Lord Jesus
Christ repeats: "I have come down from heaven" (John 6:38),
and explains His coming down from heaven by saying:
(2)
"I came forth from the Father and have come into the
world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father" (John
16:28). He emphasizes the statement of His coming down
from the Father by saying to His disciples: "The Father Himself
loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that
I came forth from God" (John 16:27). He also repeated this
meaning in His discourse with the Jews in the same Gospel,
Chapter 8, verse 42.
(3)
Therefore, Christ is not from earth but from heaven.
He came forth from the Father. That was His original dwelling,
and His appearance in the flesh among people on earth is
because He "made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of
a servant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:7). But
He had to ascend to the heavens from which He descended. As
for this earth, He existed before its creation, or rather it was He
30
who created it. Yet, since eternity He has been in the Father
who is His natural or rather His dignified dwelling.
(4)
The Lord explained His descent from heaven and His
ascension into it to Nicodemus when He said: "No one has
ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that
is, the Son of Man who is in heaven" (John 3:13). What is
meant here by heaven is the heaven of heavens which nobody
has ascended to or descended from except Christ, being the
Second Person of the Holy Trinity, "who is in the bosom of the
Father" (John 1:18). The heaven of heavens is where the
throne of God is, because in the Sermon on the Mount the
Lord said that heaven is God's throne (Matt. 5: 34). The
expression 'the Son of Man who is in heaven' means that Christ
was in heaven whilst He was on earth. Being on earth and in
heaven at the same time is a proof of His Divinity. The event
of His ascension into heaven (Acts.1:9) is the fulfilment of the
words He said to His disciples: "Again, I leave the world and
go to the Father" (John 16:28).
(5)
Christ not only dwells in heaven, but has authority
there. He received the spirit of St. Stephen the first deacon,
who said whilst he was being stoned: "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit" (Acts.7:59). The Lord Jesus Christ granted the Penitent
Thief to enter into Paradise which is the third heaven (2 Cor.
12:2,4), when He said to him: "Today you will be with Me in
Paradise" (Luke 23:43).
Who receives the spirits of the departed and has the authority
to let them into Paradise, except God Himself? Christ did that.
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(6)
Christ also gave the Apostles the keys of heaven. He
said to St. Peter, representing the Apostles: "And I will give
you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt. 16:19). And He
said to the Apostles: "whatever you bind on earth will be
bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18). Here, we ask a question:
Who has the authority to give the keys of the kingdom of
heaven to people and give them the authority to bind and loose
there except God Himself?
(7)
Christ is worshipped by the heavenly powers. The
Apostle says that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
of those in heaven, and of those on earth" (Phil. 2:10). The
worship of the angels to the Lord Jesus Christ is a proof of His
Divinity.
(8)
Christ is higher than the heavens and He is in heaven
interceding for us. St. Paul the Apostle says that "He ever lives
to make intercession for them. For such a High Priest was
fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, and has become higher than the heavens" (Heb.
7:25,26).
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THE SEVENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Lord
If the Lord is God and Christ is the Lord, then Christ is God.
We will present here verses from the Holy Bible to prove this.
(A)
'LORD' Is One of God's Names
God said in the Book of Isaiah the Prophet: "I, even I, am the
Lord, and besides Me there is no Saviour" (Is. 43:1 1), and: "I
am the Lord, and there is no other, there is no God besides
Me" (Is. 45:5), and: "Have not I, the Lord? And there is no
other God besides Me" (Is. 45:21). The Lord Jesus Christ said,
quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 6, verse 13:
"You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall
serve" (Luke 4:8); (Matt. 4: 10). He also said: " You shall not
tempt the Lord your God" (Luke 4:12); (Matt. 4:7). So the
Lord is God, that is why it is written in the Book of
Deuteronomy: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and
Lord of lords" (Deut. 10:17), and in the Book of Hosea: "I am
the Lord your God.. and you shall know no God but Me" (Hos.
13:4). One of the most important verses which prove that
'Lord' is one of the names of God alone is what the Lord
Himself said in the Book of Isaiah: "I am the Lord, that is My
name; and My glory I will not give to another" (Is. 42:8).
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(B)
The Lord Jesus Was Called 'Lord' on Many
Occasions That Revealed His Divinity
(1)
One of these occasions was the question asked by the
Lord Jesus, which puzzled the Pharisees. When they said that
Christ is the Son of David, He asked them: "How then does
David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 'The Lord said to
My Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your
footstool" '? " (Ps. 110:1), "And no one was able to answer
Him a word" (Matt. 22:43-46). David called Christ 'Lord', and
the phrase 'sit at My right hand' adds to the power of the verse.
(2)
The title 'Lord' was used in addressing the Lord Jesus
Christ in prayers. Prayer is worship in which the word 'Lord'
should be addressed to God only. Regarding this the Lord
Jesus Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount: "Not everyone
who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven"
(Matt. 7:21). Here, the Lord says that prayers addressed to
Him without good deeds are in vain. The same meaning is
conveyed when He said: "But why do you call Me 'Lord, Lord,
'and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46)
(3)
The name 'Lord' will be used in addressing Christ on the
Day of Judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ said: "Many will say
to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your
name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders
in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew
you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' " (Matt.
7:22,23). The discourse of those people with Christ as being
the Judge, and His executing Judgment are proofs of His
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Divinity. Undoubtedly, the fact that people will address Christ
on the Day of Judgment as 'Lord' is proof of His Divinity
because He is the One who decides their destiny. The phrases
'prophesied in Your name' and 'cast out demons in Your name'
said in the most serious hour, the hour of Judgment, are also
proofs of Christ's Divinity.
In the Lord's discourse about His sitting on the throne of His
glory on the Day of Judgment, He said that both the righteous
and the wicked will address Him as 'Lord'. The righteous will
say: "Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or
thirsty and give You drink?" (Matt. 25:37) In the same manner
of speech the wicked will address Him, saying: "Lord, when did
we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or
in prison, and did not minister to You?" (Matt. 25:44) And
both of them will receive from Him the sentence of their
everlasting destiny. It will be an awesome hour in which
everyone will address Christ, who will be sitting on the throne
of His glory surrounded by all the holy angels, as God (Matt.
25:31). The same applies to the Lord's discourse about the Day
of Judgment when the wicked will stand outside, saying: "Lord,
Lord. open for us" (Luke 13:25).
(4)
The name 'Lord' was addressed to Christ at the hour of
death which is a very awkward hour. The hour of death is
everyone's concern, especially the virtuous who are very
watchful over their salvation and cautious of every utterance of
their speech. We see that a great saint like St. Stephen the first
deacon, at the hour of his death, said: "Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit" (Acts 7:59). St. Stephen confessed that Jesus is the
Lord into whose hands he commended his spirit. He said these
words after he had seen Christ standing at the right hand of
35
God in the highest. It is an explicit confession of Christ's
Divinity. Similarly was the confession of the Penitent Thief
who said: "Lord, remember me when You come into Your
kingdom" (Luke 23:42), and the Lord accepted this title from
him and promised him that he would be with Him in Paradise
that same day. This means that the belief of the Penitent thief
in Christ as the Lord made him worthy of Paradise.
(5)
The name 'Lord' was attributed to Christ in the domain
of creation. St. Paul the Apostle says: "One Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom are all things, and through whom we live" (1
Cor.8:6).
(6)
The title 'Lord' was given to Christ by St. Thomas the
Apostle in expressing his faith. Having believed, after he had
put his finger into the print of the nails, he said: "My Lord and
my God!" (John 20:28) It was a very plain statement professing
the Divinity of Christ. The Lord Jesus accepted from Thomas
this statement and this faith, and reproached him for being late
in professing this faith, saying: " Thomas, because you have
seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29).
(7)
When the jailer believed and wanted to be saved, the
Apostles Paul and Silas answered him, saying: "Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your
household" (Acts 16:3 1). The term 'Lord' here is used in the
sense of 'God' because it is connected with faith and salvation
which are related to God alone.
(8)
The name 'Lord' was attributed to Christ in relation to
the glory. St. Peter the Apostle said: "Grow in the grace and
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knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be
the glory both now and forever. Amen" (2 Pet. 3:18). It is
obvious that this verse indicates Christ's Divinity. Of course,
there is a vast difference between 'a lord' and 'the Lord'. In
addition to this, the expression 'our Lord and Saviour' is used
only in connection with God, especially when the words 'To
Him be the glory both now and forever' are added to it.
St. James the Apostle says in gentle reproach: "My brethren,
do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of
glory, with partiality" (James 2:1). The Apostle emphasise
that faith should not be without good works. The importance
of this verse lies in the terms 'our Lord', and 'the Lord of glory'
and in their connection with faith which is used only when
talking about God.
(9)
The expression 'the Lord of glory' is a proof of Divinity
because glory has no lord but God. And the expression 'Lord
of glory' is much stronger than the expression 'to Him be glory'.
Both of these expressions were said about the Lord Jesus
Christ. The expression 'the Lord of glory' was repeated in the
words of St. Paul the Apostle about the wisdom of God, which
none of the rulers of that age knew; "for had they known, they
would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Cor.2:8).
(10)
The Lord Jesus Christ was called Lord of lords. This
title is attributed to God only. It is written in the Book of
Deuteronomy: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and
Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome" (Deut.
10:17). We see that the title 'Lord of lords' was given to the
Lord Jesus Christ on more than one occasion. In the Book of
Revelation, it is written: "And He has on His robe and on His
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thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS" (Rev. 19:16), and: "These will make war with the
Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of
lords and King of kings" (Rev. 17:14). Who then is the Lord
of lords and King of kings but God Himself? And this was said
about the Lord Jesus Christ in expressions indicating His
Divinity.
(11) The Lord Jesus was also called 'the Lord of the Sabbath'.
In His discourse with the Pharisees about deeds of mercy, the
Lord Jesus replied to them in a way directing their attention to
His Divinity. He said: "But I say to you that in this place there
is One greater than the temple... 'I desire mercy and not
sacrifice' ", and concluded His discourse by saying: "For the
Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Matt. 12:1-8).
Everyone knew that the Sabbath was the Lord's Day and that
the Law of the Sabbath was a Law given by God Himself. But
behold, the Lord Jesus Christ said that He is Lord even of the
Sabbath, which means that He is the Lord of the Lord's Day
and the Author of the Law itself. These words cannot be said
except by God Himself.
(12)
The Lord Jesus Christ was also called 'the Lord our
Righteousness'. In the prophecy of Jeremiah the prophet, it is
written: "'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'that I
will raise to David a Branch of righteousness,. a King shall
reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in
the earth... Now this is His name by which He will be called..
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:5,6). This
prophecy has been fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ because He
became our righteousness after granting us righteousness
through His blood.
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(13) Christ was called 'Lord' in the events of performing
miracles. St Peter, after walking with Him on the water, was
afraid when he saw the boisterous wind. He started to sink so
he cried out, saying: "'Lord, save me!' And immediately Jesus
stretched out His hands and caught him (Matt. 14:30,31), "then
those who were in the boat came and worshipped Him, saying,
'Truly You are the Son of God"' (Matt. 14:33). We can see
here that the title 'Lord' was used at the moment of a miracle.
Then worshipping Him and confessing that He was the Son of
God happened immediately after, as an indication of His
Divinity.
(14)
The title 'Lord' was used by St. Elizabeth when she
greeted the Virgin Mary. St. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit when she heard the Virgin's greeting, and said to her:
"But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your
greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for
joy" (Luke 1:43). St. Elizabeth said this when she was filled
with the Holy Spirit, and feeling unworthy to be visited by the
mother of the Lord. That was a confession of Christ's Divinity.
(15)
In the domain of performing miracles, we observe two
testimonies from the Apostles. After the miracle of catching a
great number of fish, St. Peter, prior to his call, fell down on
his knees and worshipped the Lord Jesus Christ, saying:
"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord!" (Luke 5:8)
The power of this verse is centered on the phrase 'O Lord'
which followed a miracle and was accompanied by worship. It
is not an ordinary phrase. The expression 'I am a sinful man'
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gives depth to the feeling of unworthiness of having the Holy
Lord in his boat.
After the Lord's Resurrection, in the miracle of catching a great
number of fish, we find the same situation. John said to Peter:
"It is the Lord!" (John 21:7), and: "Yet none of the disciples
dared ask Him, 'Who are You?' - knowing that it was the Lord"
(John 21:12).
(16)
After the miracle of the Resurrection, the term 'Lord'
was used numerously:
(i)
"Mary Magdelene came and told the disciples
that she had seen the Lord" (John 20:18).
(ii)
"Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord"
(John 20:20).
(ii)
"The other disciples therefore said to him (Thomas),
'We have seen the Lord' " (John 20:25).
(iv)
The disciples said: "The Lord is risen indeed, and has
appeared to Simon!" (Luke 24:34).
(v)
Peter said three times to the Lord Jesus Christ: "Yes,
Lord, You know that I love You" (John 21:15-17).
(17)
The angels used the title 'Lord' in referring to the Lord
Jesus Christ, whether in declaring His birth or His resurrection.
At His birth the angel said to the shepherds: "Do not be afraid,
for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be
to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of
David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10,11). On
the day of the Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection, the angel said
to the women: "You seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not
here, for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where
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the Lord lay" (Matt. 28:5,6). Here we see the angel's testimony
that Christ is the Lord.
(18)
The title 'Lord' was also mentioned in the miracle of the
Ascension. St. Mark the Evangelist says: "So then, after the
Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and
sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and
preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and
confirming the word through the accompanying signs" (Mark
16:19,20). Here the word 'Lord' is used at the event of Christ's
Ascension into heaven, and at His sitting down at the right
hand of the Father, and in confirming signs which accompanied
the disciples' preaching. This means that the word 'Lord' is not
used in an ordinary way but regarding belief in Christ's Divinity.
(19)
On many occasions the Evangelists used the word
'Lord' to mean Christ. In the miracle of raising the son of the
widow of Nain, St. Luke, speaking about the widow, says: "
When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to
her, 'Do not weep' " (Luke 7:13). When the disciples
experienced the submission of the demons to them, they said to
the Lord Jesus Christ: "Lord, even the demons are subject to
us in Your name" (Luke 10:17). In the miracle of the
Transfiguration, the disciples said to Him: "Lord, it is good for
us to be here" (Matt. 17:4). At the event of Peter's denial, St
Luke says: "And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Peter
remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him,
'Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times"'
(Luke 22:61). In the story of Zacchaeus, St Luke says: "Then
Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord, I give half
of my goods to the poor"' (Luke 19:8). Also, in Chapter 22,
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verses 31 to 61, the word 'Lord' is attributed to Christ six
times.
(20)
The title 'Lord' was used for Christ in the other books
of the New Testament. It is written in the Book of Acts, at the
event of Saul's conversion. "And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus,
whom you are persecuting...' So he... said, 'Lord, what do you
want me to do?"' (Acts 9:5,6) The word 'Lord' here is used on
an occasion when the Lord appeared in a great light, causing
Saul's conversion.
St. Paul the Apostle said: "But we believe that through the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same
manner as they" (Acts 15:11). The term 'grace' was repeated
many times, such as in: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ...
be with you all" (2 Cor. 13:14). Undoubtedly, the term 'grace'
used with the term 'Lord' , in giving the blessing, has Divine
implications.
The Apostle also says: "And whatever you do in word or deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col. 3:17).
Undoubtedly, the fact that every deed or word should be done
in Christ's name is an indication of His Divinity as He is the
Lord.
The Apostle explained the relation of Christ, as Lord, with God
the Father. After having said that to Christ "every knee should
bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those
under the earth", he immediately said that "every tongue
should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God
the Father" (Phil. 2:10,11), because Christ is "His glory and
42
the express image of His person" (Heb. 1:3); hence, he who
has seen Christ has seen the Father (John 14:9).
(21)
Lastly, we point out that before being called 'Lord', 'my
Lord', and '0 Lord', Christ attributed this title to Himself. He
did not object at all to being called 'Lord, Lord', or 'our Lord'.
In the story of the Passover, we find that when the Lord sent
two disciples to prepare Him a colt to ride on, on entering
Jerusalem, He said to them: "Say, 'The Lord has need of it' "
(Mark 11:3); (Luke 19:31).
(22)
The phrase 'The Lord Jesus' is used to terminate the
New Testament. The last two verses in the Book of Revelation
are: "'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come,
Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
all. Amen" (Rev. 22:20,21). At the Lord Jesus Christ's Second
Coming, we receive Him with the phrase: "Come, Lord Jesus!"
and until He comes, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with us. The word 'Lord' is an explicit testimony that Christ is
God because we never say 'our Lord' to human beings.
43
THE EIGHTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Son of God
In this proof we are met with an important point:
(1)
Are not human beings also called children of God?
Yes, human beings were called sons of God, but in a different
sense than Christ's Sonship to God. It is written in the Book of
Genesis that "the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that
they were beautiful" (Gen. 6:2). Here the sons of God mean
the sons of Seth and his son Enosh, when "men began to call
on the name of the Lord" (Gen. 4:26), while the daughters of
men are the descendants of Cain.
That is why the Lord said in the Book of Isaiah the Prophet: "I
have nourished and brought up children, and they have
rebelled against Me" (Is. 1:2). It is also written in the same
Book: "You, 0 Lord, are our Father; our Redeemer" (Is.
63:16), and: "But now, 0 Lord, You are our Father,. we are the
clay, and You our Potter; and all we are the work of Your
hand" (Is. 64:8). This is a prophecy but it is said by human
beings and does not at all mean Sonship of the essence of God.
The Lord said in the Book of Exodus: "Israel is My son, My
first born" (Ex. 4:22), and in the Book of Proverbs: "My son,
give Me your heart" (Prov. 23:26).
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In the New Testament God is called 'our Father' in many
situations, as we say in the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in
heaven" (Matt. 6:9). The phrases: 'your heavenly Father 'and'
your Father who sees in secret are numerous in the Gospels.
(2)
However, the Sonship of human beings to God is either
through faith, or love, or adoption. With regard to faith, the
Holy Bible says about Christ: "But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to
those who believe in His name" (John 1: 12). The phrase
'children of God' here means the believers. St. John says in his
first Epistle: "Behold what manner of love the Father has
bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!"(1
John 3:1) Therefore, it is an act of love from God to call us His
children.
With regard to adoption it is written in the Epistle to the
Romans: "But we also who have the first fruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for
the adoption, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23). It is
known that whoever is called son and is not a real son, is son
by adoption or son in a spiritual sense.
(3)
Although we are children of God, we are still called
servants. The Lord Jesus Christ says: "When you have done all
those things which you are commanded, say, 'We are
unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do'
" (Luke 17: 1 0). All the virtuous were called servants; the
Lord will say to him who fought the good fight and deserved
the Kingdom of Heaven: "Well done, good and faithful
servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make
you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your Lord"
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(Matt. 25:23). Despite our being children of God, we are all
created beings and the created being is not to be called a God.
(4)
But the Lord Jesus Christ's Sonship is of the essence of
God Himself. That is why He was sometimes called the Son or
the Only Son because He has a unique Sonship which has the
same Nature and Divinity with God.
Here we will explain how Christ's Sonship to the Father is not
an ordinary Sonship, and how it was testified to by all, even by
God the Father Himself, at moments of miracles in a way
implying the Divinity of the Son.
(5)
The testimony of the Father to the Son at His baptism.
God the Father testified to Christ at the moment of His
baptism, saying: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased" (Matt. 3:17); (Luke 3:22). This testimony was
accompanied by miraculous signs: the heavens were opened,
the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a dove and descended
on Him, and a voice was heard from heaven, which was the
voice of the Father bearing testimony. If Christ's Sonship was
an ordinary sonship, and all people are children of God, what
then was the need for all those signs? For the sake of this
greatness which was manifested at the moment of Christ's
baptism, we name this event Epiphany, that is, the Divine
Manifestation.
(6)
God the Father also testified to the Son at the
Transfiguration. The Father testified to the Son at that moment
which declared His Divinity in front of His three disciples when
"His clothes became shining, exceedingly white, like snow,
such as no launderer on earth can whiten them. And Elijah
appeared to them with Moses... And a cloud came and
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overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud,
saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"' (Mark 9:2-7) If
Christ was an ordinary Son, why would He need a testimony
from the Father? And why was there need for all the glory of
the Transfiguration; the light and the cloud? And why was
there need for the voice of the Father? In addition to this, the
phrase 'Hear Him' commands us also to submit to Him. If
everyone was a Son of God, to whom did the Father testify
with the same glory as that of Christ's baptism and
transfiguration?
(7)
The Father's testimony to the Son is from old. The
Father says to the Son in the second Psalm: " You are My Son,
today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give You the
nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for
Your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron" (Ps.
2:7-9). This is Sonship with dominion over the ends of the
earth, which St. Paul wondered at and mentioned when he
explained how the Lord Jesus Christ is greater than the angels
and even worshipped by them, saying: "For to which of the
angels did He ever say, 'You are My Son, today I have
begotten You'?" (Heb. 1:5)
(8)
Christ's Sonship to God was the aim of writing the
Gospel. The Gospel according to St. Mark begins with the
statement: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the
Son of God" (Mark 1: 1). If Christ was a Son like all the
children of God, what was the need for recording this
statement and all the miracles which the Evangelist recounted
thereafter? In the Gospel according to St. John, we see that
the Evangelist, after having recorded miracles not mentioned by
any of the other Evangelists and after having recorded all
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Christ's discourses that indicated His Divinity, concluded by
saying: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence
of His disciples, which are not written in this book,. but these
are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the
Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name"
(John 20:30,3 1). Therefore, Christ's Sonship is not ordinary,
but a unique Sonship which is proved by verses emphasising
His Divinity. If He was an ordinary Son, what was the need for
recounting all the miracles? They were written in order that we
may believe that He is the Son of God and that our belief in this
Sonship may give us life.
(9)
Christ's Sonship to God was the foundation of the
Church. The Lord Jesus Christ asked His disciples about their
belief and the people's belief in Him, saying: " Who do men say
that I, the Son of man, am?" When St. Peter answered Him:
"You are the Christ, the Son of the living God", He called him
blessed, saying: "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh
and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is
in heaven." Then the Lord added, "on this rock I will build My
church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it"
(Matt. 16:13-18).
If Christ's Sonship was an ordinary sonship, what was the need
for this blessedness? And what was the need for the heavenly
revelation from God the Father? What is the meaning of
building the Church on this rock of faith? This will be
explained in detail when we will talk about the Divinity of
Christ with respect to belief in Him as the Son of God.
(10)
Christ's Sonship to God was the reason for the
Sanhedrin's sentencing Him to death. The chief priests could
48
not find a reason to condemn Him because even though many
false witnesses came forward, their testimonies did not agree.
So the high priest rose and said to Him: I adjure You by the
living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of
God" (Matt. 26:63). If His Sonship was an ordinary sonship
like the sonship of all the people to God, what was the
significance of the high priest adjuring Him before the greatest
Synagogue at the time asking Him if He was the Son of God?
When the Lord answered in the affirmative, adding two points
befitting His Divinity, namely, that He will sit at the right hand
of the {Father} and will come in His glory on the clouds of
heaven, "the highpriest tore his clothes, saying, 'He has spoken
blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses?
Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!"' (Matt. 26:63-65)
And they sentenced Him to death for this reason.
(11) Christ's Sonship was the object of Satan's bewilderment.
In the Lord's temptation in the wilderness, we find Satan saying
to Him: "If You are the Son of God, command that these
stones become bread" (Matt. 4:3). Satan's question implied the
Sonship to God which has extraordinary miraculous power that
can change stone into bread, and not the ordinary sonship of all
the children of God. Again Satan asked the same question at
the Crucifixion, through the mouths of the people who said: "If
You are the Son of God, come down from the cross" (Matt.
27:40). Therefore it was understood by all that Christ's Sonship
was not a common sonship, but a Sonship which had
miraculous power that could enable descent from the cross.
(12) This Sonship was the subject of the Annunciation. The
angel said to the Virgin Mary: "The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you;
49
therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called
the Son of God" (Luke 1:35). If Christ was the Son of God in
the same sense as the children of God, then there would have
been no need for the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Virgin
and for the power of the Highest to overshadow her, in order
for Him to be called the Son of God. Therefore this Sonship is
the Sonship of the Holy Spirit, as the angel said to Joseph: "for
that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matt.
1:20). Also, the angel said to the Virgin Mary that her Son
"will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and
the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.
And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His
kingdom there will be no end" (Luke 1:32,33). No one among
men rules forever and has a kingdom which has no end; but this
is attributed to God alone. Therefore the Annunciation to the
Virgin about the Sonship to God carried a Divine meaning that
He reigns forever, and that His kingdom will have no end.
There is a possibility that the angel's announcement was taken
from Daniel's prophecy about Christ as the Son of Man, which
says: "Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a
kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve
Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall
not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be
destroyed" (Dan. 7:13,14).
(13)
The relation of Christ's Sonship to the Godhead is
mentioned in the Book of Isaiah who said: "For unto us a
Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will
be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace" (Is. 9:6). In the same prophecy we find both
50
terms 'Son' and 'Mighty God', and the word 'Wonderful'
reminds us of the Lord's words to Manoah, Samson's father:
"Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful?" (Jud.
13:18)
(14)
The relation between Christ's Sonship to the Godhead is
also mentioned in the Book of Proverbs, which says: "Who has
ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the
wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment?
Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His
name and what is His Son's name, if you know?" (Prov. 30:9)
Here, the Scripture does not refer to an ordinary son of God's
children but an Only Son, distinguished from all others because
He is of the same Nature and Essence with God.
(15)
There is a profession of Christ's Sonship to God in the
miracle of walking on the sea. This miracle implies His
Divinity because it is a miraculous dominion over nature. The
Lord Jesus Christ walked on the water in a wonderful
miraculous way the disciples had never seen. Then St. Peter
said to Him: "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You
on the water. " When the Lord permitted him, Peter walked on
the water by the power of the Lord, then doubted and sank,
and the Lord saved him. What happened after that? The
Gospel says: "Then those who were in the boat came and
worshipped Him, saying, 'Truly You are the Son of God"'
(Matt. 14:25-3 3). Did the disciples mean by the word 'Son'
ordinary sonship like the rest of God's children? This is
impossible because walking on water and allowing one's
disciple to walk on water is not an aspect of being one of God's
children. That is why the disciples worshipped Christ whilst
using the expression 'Son of God'. Their worship was a
51
profession that Christ is the Son of God and that His Sonship is
unique and of extraordinary miraculous dominion over wind
and water.
(16)
Nathanael also professed that Christ is the Son of God
whose Sonship is of miraculous and mighty Divinity. The Lord
said to Nathanael: "Before Philip called you, when you were
under the fig tree, I saw you" (John 1:48). When Nathanael
realized the power of the Lord to know the unseen whether He
saw him just before Philip called him, or knew a hidden incident
in his past, he replied saying: "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!"
(John 1:49) Of course Nathanael did not mean the ordinary
sonship, but he meant the Sonship which has the Divine quality
of knowing the unseen. The Lord Jesus Christ accepted this
confession from Nathanael and in order to confirm his belief,
added: "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,'
do you believe? You will see greater things than these...
hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God
ascending and descending upon the Son of Man" (John 1:50,5 1).
(17) The belief of the centurion in Christ as the Son of God
happened after a miracle. The Gospel according to our teacher
St. Matthew says: "Now when the centurion and those with
him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the
things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, 'Truly
this was the Son of God!"' (Matt. 27:54); (Mark 15:38,39)
When they saw the miracle of the earthquake and the darkness
that came over the whole earth from the sixth hour (midday)
until the ninth hour, they believed and said: "Truly this was the
Son of God!" They meant the Sonship which has dominion
over nature and that is why the Gospel says: "they feared."
Maybe their faith was strengthened when they saw blood and
52
water coming out of His side when the soldier pierced Him
(John 19:34).
(18)
The miracle of the Lord's Baptism made John the
Baptist testify that Christ was the Son of God. He said: "I did
not know Him, but He who sent me to baptise with water said
to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and
remaining on Him, this is He who baptises with the Holy
Spirit.' And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of
God" (John 1: 3 3,34). This Sonship to God, to which John
the priest and prophet testified, is not an ordinary sonship but a
Sonship which implied His Divinity, and was declared after a
miracle. That was why John the Baptist said on the same
occasion: "This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man
who is preferred before me, for He was before me"' (John
1:30), and it is known that Christ was born six months after
John the Baptist.
(19)
A confession of Christ's Sonship to God came after the
miracle of giving sight to the man born blind. After performing
the miracle, the Lord met the man born blind and said to him: "
'Do you believe in the Son of God?' He answered and said,
'Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him? 'And Jesus said
to him, 'You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking
with you. 'Then he said, 'Lord, I believe!' And he worshipped
Him" (John 9:35-38). This discourse was not about a common
sonship shared by all people, otherwise the man born blind
would not have asked: "Who is He, Lord?" If it were an
ordinary sonship, the man born blind would have said: "We are
all God's children. I, even I, am a son of God." But it was a
Sonship which needed faith and a miracle, and resulted in the
man born blind worshipping the Lord as the Son of God. What
53
adds to the importance of this miracle is that it carries a
declaration from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself that He is the
Son of God, as well as a call from Him to all people to believe
in this.
(20)
The belief in Christ's Sonship to God needed preaching
and interpretation. This appears explicitly in the incident of the
Ethiopian eunuch who was met by Philip whilst reading Isaiah's
prophecy about Christ. He could not understand the meaning
of what he was reading, so Philip explained the chapter to him
and preached Christ to him. The Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip
to baptise him and Philip replied: "'If you believe with all your
heart, you may. 'And he answered and said, 'I believe that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God"' (Acts 8:27-37). Common
sonship does not need any explanation or interpretation or
preaching because it is common to all.
(21)
The same may be said about Martha who professed her
belief after the Lord had explained to her that He is the
resurrection and the life, saying: "'He who believes in Me,
though he may die, he shall live'... She said to Him, 'Yes, Lord,
I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, who is to
come into the world' " (John 11:25-27). Of course Martha
meant a special Sonship which has a miraculous quality
ascertained by the clause "who is to come into the world"
which means that He is not of this world, but has come into it.
(22)
Christ's Sonship was declared by the Lord Jesus
Himself on more than one occasion. It is clear from His call to
the man born blind to believe in the Son of God (John 9:35-
37). And also from His words to the angel of the church in
Thyatira in the Book of Revelation where He says: "These
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things says the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire,
and His feet like fine brass" (Rev. 2:18). It is also plain in all
the Lord's discourses about the Son of God.
(23)
Christ's Sonship is in the Holy Trinity. The Lord Jesus
said to His disciples: "Go therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19). The use of the
word 'name' in the singular form means that the Three are One.
Because His Sonship to the Father is not a common sonship
but a special One entailing His Divinity, He is called 'the Son'.
(24)
The phrase 'the Son' in the Holy Bible means Christ
only. The Lord Jesus Christ says of Himself. "Therefore if the
Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36). He
said these words in preaching that He came to free them from
their sins.
St. John the Evangelist said: "He who has the Son has life, he
who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John
5:12). Thus he used in one verse the two terms: 'the Son' and
'the Son of God' to refer to One Person. He also said: "And we
have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as
Saviour of the world" (1 John 4:14). The term 'the Son' on its
own means Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ talked about Himself
as the Son and as the Son of God.
(25)
The Jews understood this Sonship to God with its
Divine meaning. That was why when they asked Him in the
Sanhedrin if He was the Son of God, and He replied in the
affirmative, "the high priest tore his clothes, saying, 'He has
55
spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of
witnesses?' " (Matt. 26:65)
The Gospel according to St. John says: "Therefore the Jews
sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the
Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making
Himself equal with God" (John 5:18). This Divinity was the
reason for the Jews seeking to kill Him, as they said to Him,
"For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and
because You, being a Man, make Yourself God" (John 10: 33).
That was the accusation for which they crucified Him, saying
to Pilate: "We have a law, and according to our law He ought
to die, because He made Himself the Son of God" (John 19:7).
The common sonship, of which Isaiah said: "O Lord, You are
our Father" (Is. 64:8), was not the reason of sentencing Christ
to death, but it was the particular Sonship which carries the
meaning of His Divinity and that He is equal with God. This
leads us to the ninth proof.
EEE
56
THE NINTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Only Son of God
The Lord Jesus Christ was called the only Son of God to
distinguish Him from the rest of God's children who are called
children through love, faith and adoption. He is the Only Son,
who has the same Nature, Essence and Divinity with God.
Christ was called 'the Only Son' in the following places:
(1)
"No one has seen God at any time. The Only Begotten
Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him"
(John 1:18). This means that Christ declared God and we knew
God through His seen Incarnate Son, whereas the Father can
not be seen in His Divinity.
(2)
"For God so loved the world that He gave His Only
Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish
but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
(3)
"He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who
does not believe is condemned already, because he has not
believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of God" (John
3:18).
If the belief in This Only Son gives everlasting life and takes
away condemnation, then this is a proof of His Divinity.
57
(4)
"In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that
God has sent His Only Begotten Son into the world, that we
might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). We cannot live through
Him unless He is God Himself because God is the Source of
life.
(5)
"And the Word became 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"(John l: 14). Here the
Evangelist is talking about the glory that befits Christ as the
Only Son of God.
These are five verses in the Holy Bible which speak about
Christ the Lord as the Only Son of the Father and distinguish
Him from the rest of mankind. We have spoken in detail about
the Divinity of the Son in the previous proof. It suffices that
according to the above verses, Christ is the Source of life,
everlasting life is through Him, belief in Him delivers from
condemnation and judgment, as not believing in Him brings
condemnation, and He has the glory befitting the Only Son of
God. And the mere belief in Him proves His Divinity as we
will explain.
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THE TENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to the faith in Him
(1) The belief should be in God only. On this belief hangs
the everlasting life and destiny of man. That is why we find a
very important verse in the Holy Bible, namely, the words of
the Lord Jesus Christ: "You believe in God, believe also in
Me" (John 14: 1). Thus He put the belief in Him equal with the
belief in the Father and having the same importance.
(2) If the belief in Christ leads to eternal life (John 3:16),
therefore disbelief in Him leads to perdition. Thence the Lord
also says: "For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die
in your sins" (Jn.8:24). Regarding belief in Him and life, He
says at the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead: "He who
believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever
lives and believes in Me shall never die" (John 11:25,26).
(3) The belief in Christ is a matter of salvation. The
salvation of man depends upon belief in Him. That is why St.
Paul and St. Silas said to the jailer at Philippi: "Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your
household" (Acts 16:3 1). Naturally this would be
accomplished provided that he walked in the paths connected
with this belief, for example: "He who believes and is baptized
will be saved" (Mark 16:16).
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(4)
Who then is Christ, if whoever believes in Him receives
remission of sins? St. Peter the Apostle said at the conversion
of Cornelius: "To Him all the prophets witnessed that, through
His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of
sins" (Acts 10:43). Also, St. Paul the Apostle said at the
Council of Antioch in Pisidia: "Therefore let it be known to
you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the
forgiveness of sins, and by Him everyone who believes is
justified from all things" (Acts 13:38,39).
Of course we add to this belief the words of St. Peter the
Apostle to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. After they had
been cut to the heart, they believed and inquired about the way
of salvation. So St. Peter said to them: "Repent, and let every
one of you be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ for the
remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit" (Acts 2:38). Thence, belief leads to baptism, and
baptism leads to remission of sins, and remission of sins
involves justification through the blood of Christ. And there
are numerous verses about belief and justification, and also
about baptism that leads to receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts
13:39); (Rom.5:1).
(5)
Therefore there is a relation between belief in Christ
and receiving the Holy Spirit. He who believes in Christ is
qualified to receive the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ
said: " 'He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out
of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke
concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would
receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given" (John 7:38,39).
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(6)
The belief in Christ is preceded by the work of the Holy
Spirit, as the Apostle said: "No one can say that Jesus is Lord
except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3). This fact explains
why the Holy Spirit came down upon Cornelius and those with
him before their baptisms. It was a preliminary work of the
Holy Spirit, different from the descent of the Holy Spirit whom
the faithful received by the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17), and
then by the Holy Anointing (1 John 2:20,27).
(7)
It is also said about the consequences of the belief in
Christ that: "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to
shame" (Rom.9:33); (Rom. 10:11); (1 Pet.2:6). This means
that the person who believes in Christ will not be put to shame
on the Day of Judgment, that is, on the Last Day.
(8)
Thus the belief in Christ is not a simple matter, but a
serious one on which depends man's eternal life. How serious
are the Apostle's words: "He who believes in the Son has
everlasting life, and he who does not believe the Son shall not
see life, but the wrath of God abides on him" (John 3:36)! The
belief in Christ is also connected with salvation, with the
remission of sins and with the gift of the Holy Spirit as we have
already mentioned. And when we mention this belief we mean
it comprehensively, inclusive of all the elements pertaining to it
such as baptism, repentance and deeds which are the fruit of
the faith and which enable the faith to be a living one.
(9)
Baptism, with all its spiritual efficacious, is also
dependent on this belief because it can never be carried out
without belief first. That was why, when the Ethiopian eunuch
requested Philip to baptize him, Philip replied: "If you believe
61
with all your heart, you may. " Then the eunuch replied: "I
believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37).
(10)
The belief in Christ was the aim of writing the Gospel.
Thus says St. John the Evangelist about all the verses he
recorded in his Gospel: "But these are written that you may
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that
believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:3 1).
(11) This belief entitles the believer to be a child of God by
being born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). That is why the
Gospel says: "But as many as received Him, to them He gave
the right to become children of God, even to those who believe
in His name" (John 1:12).
(12)
There is no man whatsoever in the world who can cause
whoever believes in him to receive all the spiritual gifts we
mentioned, which are connected with the believer's eternal life,
his position as a child of God, and his membership in the
Church through faith and baptism.
(13)
What is the nature of the belief in Christ? You believe
that Jesus is the Christ; that He is the Son of God (John 20:31);
that He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father (John 3:16,18)
with all the Divine meanings which this phrase carries; that He
is in the Father and the Father in Him (John 14: 10,1 1); that he
who sees Christ has seen the Father (John 14:9); that in Him is
life (John 1:4); that He is the Saviour of the world (1 John
4:14); that He is the Propitiator for our sins (1 John 4:10); (1
John 2:2), and you believe in His words and in the path He
designed for our salvation. All these denote the Divinity of
Christ and we add to them your belief in His Divine attributes.
62
THE ELEVENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Saviour and the
Redeemer
This proof involves four main points:
(A)
God alone redeems and saves the human race
(B)
The theological basis of this fact
(C)
Christ alone is the Redeemer and Saviour of the world
(D)
Conclusion: Christ is God.
(A)
God Alone Redeems and Saves the Human Race
The Holy Bible explicitly testifies to this
It is written in the Book of Psalms: "None of them can by any
means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him...
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave"
(Ps.49:7,15). David the Prophet repeats the same meaning
when he says: "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul; bless His holy name!
... who forgives all your iniquities, ..., who redeems your life
from destruction" (Ps. 103:1-4). And the Book of Isaiah the
Prophet confirms this matter in more than one testimony. It is
written: "Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his
Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am the First and I am the Last;
besides Me there is no God' " (Is.44:6). Therefore the
Redeemer is This One God who is the Lord of hosts who is the
First and the Last. Isaiah the Prophet repeats the same thing
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and says: "As for our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name,
the Holy One of Israel" (Is.47:4) and: "Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.. 'I am the Lord your
God"' (Is.48:17). And God says: "'For I, the Lord your God,
will hold your right hand...' says the LORD and your
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel" (Is.41:13,14).
The Virgin Mary attributed salvation to God and said: "My
soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my
Saviour" (Luke 1:46). St. Paul the Apostle said: "God our
Saviour" (Titus 2: 10), and: "The kindness and the love of God
our Saviour toward man appeared" (Titus 3:4). And Jude the
Apostle concludes his Epistle with the same testimony, saying:
"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to
present you faultless before the presence of His glory with
exceeding joy, to God our Saviour who alone is wise, be glory
and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.
Amen" (Jude 24,25).
Salvation is attributed to God alone, as is explicitly stated by
God Himself. "And you shall know no God but Me; for there
is no Saviour besides me" (Hos.13:4); "Have not I, the Lord?
And there is no other God besides Me, a just God and a
Saviour, there is none besides Me" (Is.45:21), and: "I, the
Lord, am your Saviour, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of
Jacob" (Is.49:26); (Is.60:16).
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(B) The Theological Basis of this Fact
(1)
The sin in which the first man fell and in which every
man falls is a sin against God because it is disobedience to God,
and lack of love and respect towards Him.
But rather it is rebellion against His Kingdom and resistance to
the work of His grace and His Holy Spirit, as well as being a
lack of faith. That is why David the Prophet says in his Psalm:
"Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in
Your sight" (Ps.51:4). That is why the righteous Joseph
withheld from sinning, saying: "How then can I do this great
wickedness, and sin against God?" (Gen.39:9)
(2)
All human beings sinned: "They have all turned aside,
they have together become corrupt; there is none who does
good, no, not one" (Ps. 14:3). The wages of sin is death
(Rom.6:23), and "thus death spread to all men, because all
sinned" (Rom.5:12).
(3)
Because sin is against God and since God is Infinite,
then sin is infinite and its punishment is infinite. Should it be
redeemed, it must be by an infinite atonement, sufficient for the
forgiveness of all the people of all generations to the end of the
ages.
(4)
Only God is Infinite. Therefore He Himself had to take
flesh and become the Son of Man in order to replace man and
"to be the propitiation for the whole world" (1 John 2:2).
(5)
This propitiation was effected by the Lord Jesus Christ
to save the whole world. If He were not God, His propitiation
65
would be utterly invalid because His propitiation derived its
infinity from Him being Infinite God, of whom the Apostle
said: "In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily"
(Col.2:9).
(C) Christ Is the Only Saviour and Redeemer of the World
At the Annunciation, the angel said that Christ the Lord would
be called Jesus, "for He will save His people from their sins"
(Matt. 1: 2 1). Yet His salvation was not for His own people
only, for He said: "I did not come to judge the world but to
save the world" (John 12:47). And it was said of Him: "This is
indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world" (John 4:42). And
He said of Himself that He "has come to save that which was
lost" (Matt. 18:1 1), and the whole world was under the
penalty of death.
Christ came to save mankind from sins. It is written that "He
will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). St. Paul the
Apostle said: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save
sinners, of whom I am chief" (1 Tim. 1:15), that He "gave
Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless
deed" (Titus 2:14), and that He "has redeemed us from the
curse of the law" (Gal.3:13).
Christ offered a complete and everlasting salvation. St. Paul
the Apostle said that Christ, the High Priest, "is also able to
save to the uttermost" (Heb.7:25) and that "He became the
Author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him"(Heb. 5:9).
That is why the Apostle wondered, saying: "How shall we
escape if we neglect so great a salvation!" (Heb. 2:3)
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Therefore, to sum up, Christ came a Redeemer and a Saviour
and a Propitiator to save all the people of the world from their
sins, and to redeem them from all their iniquities and from the
curse of the Law. He offered an everlasting salvation to the
uttermost.
Christ Alone Is the Saviour
St. Peter the Apostle said: "For there is no other name under
heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts
4:12).
(D)
Conclusion: Christ Is God
(i)
As we mentioned before, the salvation of the world
from sins needed an infinite propitiation and none is Infinite
except God alone. Since the Lord Jesus Christ offered the
propitiation and completed it to the uttermost and redeemed all
the people from every iniquity, saving them eternally from the
curse of the Law, therefore, He is Infinite and hence He is God.
The act of redemption is an excellent proof confirming that
Christ is God because if He were not so, the redemption would
not have been considered valid and would not have been
sufficient for the salvation of the whole world from all their
sins.
(ii)
God says: "You shall know no God but Me; for there is
no Saviour besides Me" (Hos. 13:4), and: "there is no other
God besides Me, a just God and a Saviour, there is none
besides Me" (Is.45:21). And it has been proved that there is a
Saviour who is Christ Jesus who is the only Saviour and that
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there is no other name under heaven given among men by
which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). How can we make all
these verses conform with each other? Is God not true or is
the Holy Bible not true? Far from it. Let God be true. God
cannot be true unless God is Christ so that if we say that God is
the Saviour, we mean at the same time that Christ is the
Saviour.
(iii)
If Christ was not God, and having sacrificed Himself
for the sake of all people because of His love for them, does He
love people more than God does? Is there any being who
surpasses God in His love to mankind? Not even Jehovah's
Witnesses can say such a thing.
(iv)
If Christ was other than God, and He was compelled to
complete the work of redemption for the mere obedience of a
command, then redemption would have lost its most important
principle, and in addition, it would contradict the words of the
Lord Jesus Christ: "Greater love has no one than this, than to
lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). And this also
would disagree with the Holy Bible which says that Christ
"gave Himself up for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed" (Titus 2:14).
(v)
If Christ was other than God, and God commissioned
Him to undertake this deed because of God's love to the world
according to the verse: "For God so loved the world that He
gave His Only Begotten Son" (John 3:16), does this mean that
God loved the world at the expense of Another? No, never!
This verse cannot be properly understood unless God and
Christ are One, as the Lord Jesus said: "I and My Father are
One" (John 10:30). Thus we understand that God redeemed
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the people Himself, accomplishing the words of the Holy
Book: "None of them can by any means redeem his brother,
nor give to God a ransom for him... But God will redeem my
soul from the power of the grave" (Ps.49:7,15). Then the
words of St. Paul the Apostle: "because we trust in the living
God, who is the Saviour Of all men"
(1 Tim. 4: 10), will be true.
(vi)
If Christ was other than God, then people would not be
wrong when they worship Him and not God, because He
created them from nothing, according to the Bible's words: "All
things were made through Him and without Him nothing was
made that was made" (John 1:3,10). Jehovah's Witnesses
profess that Christ is the Creator and that He bought them with
His precious Blood, and purified them for Himself as His own
special people (1 Pet. 1: 8); (Titus 2:14). Who can blame a
nation who worship their own Creator and Saviour?
(vii)
We adhere to the belief that Christ is God, not only
because it is the fundamental proof of completing the work of
redemption, but also because it is an affirmation of God's
words: "I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will
redeem them from death" (Hos. 13:14). God attributed to
Himself this deed which He carried out. So let God be true.
And let Christ's words: "I and My Father are One" (John
10:30), be true.
EEE
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THE TWELFTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Relation with the Father
The relation of the Son with the Father proves the Son's
Divinity. The major part of this relation is given by
declarations from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In some of
these declarations, the Jews wanted to kill Him. We will now
discuss the most important characteristics of the relation of the
Father with the Son.
(1)
If the Son is the Logos of God, this undoubtedly
implies the Son's Divinity, because God and His Logos are one
Entity and also it is said that Christ is the Wisdom and Power
of God (1 Col. 1:23,24).
(2)
The Lord Jesus Christ said: "I and My Father are One"
(John 10:30), and the Jews understood the seriousness of this
declaration from the point of view of His Divinity, so they took
up stones to stone Him. When He asked them why they
wanted to stone Him, they replied: "For blasphemy and
because You, being a Man, make Yourself God" (John 10:31-
33). The Lord Jesus repeated the fact that He and the Father
are One in His long soliloquy with the Father in which He said
to the Father about His disciples: "Holy Father, keep through
Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be
one as We are" (John 17:11), and repeated the phrase: "that
they may be one just as We are One" (John 17:22), that is, that
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they may be one Church, of one mind, just as We are one
Divinity and one Nature.
(3)
The Lord Jesus Christ also said: "I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me" (John 14:10), and repeated this
expression once more: "believe Me that I am in the Father and
the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works
themselves" (John 14:11). The Lord means the works that
reveal His Divinity such as the works of creating. He repeated
the same relation in His soliloquy with the Father, saying: "You,
Father, are in Me, and I in You" (John 17:21). The Father in
Him means that the Godhead dwells in Him, that is, the unity of
Divinity with Humanity is in Him. The best explanation of this
point are the words of St. Paul the Apostle about the Lord
Jesus Christ: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily" (Col.2:8,9). The indwelling of the Godhead
in Christ is the indwelling of the Person of the Father in Him,
like the indwelling of light in the sun or the indwelling of heat
in fire or the indwelling of thought in the mind, on condition
that it is understood that both objects are one entity.
(4)
The Lord Jesus Christ also said about His strong
relation with the Father, in His soliloquy with Him: "And all
Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine" (John 17: 10), and also
in chapter 16, verse 15: "All things that the Father has are
Mine." This declaration can never come from a human being
because it means entire equality with God the Father. That was
the reason for which the Jews wanted to stone Him, because
He made Himself equal with God (John 5:18). St. Paul the
Apostle says that Christ, "being in the form of God, did not
consider it robbery to be equal with God" (Phil.2:6), which
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means that He acted as equal with the Father, not considering it
robbery, because He is so.
(5)
The Lord Jesus Christ also said that He does the works
of the Father. He said to the Jews: "If I do not do the works of
My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not
believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe
that the Father is in Me, and I in Him" (John 10:37,38);
"Therefore they sought again to seize Him" (John 10:39). The
fact that Christ does the works of the Father proves His
Divinity. That was why the Jews wanted to kill Him. When
Christ said: "My Father has been working until now, and I
have been working" (John 5:17), the Jews considered His
words a declaration that He is equal with the Father. That is
why, immediately after this verse, it was said: "Therefore the
Jews sought all the more to kill Him" (John 5:18). The Lord
explained this point in detail when He said: "For as the Father
raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives
life to whom He will" (John 5:21).
(6) The Lord also said "That all should honour the Son just as
they honour the Father" (John 5:23). No human being can
dare say these words. The fact that Christ makes Himself equal
in honour with the Father is proof of His Divinity.
(7)
The Lord also said: "You believe in God, believe also
in Me" (John 14:1). The fact that people should believe in
Christ as they believe in the Father indicates that He is equal
with the Father, and thus is proof of His Divinity.
(8)
The Lord said: "He who has seen Me has seen the
Father" (John 14:9). He reproached Philip for saying: "Lord,
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show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us" (John 14:8), by
replying: "Have I been with you so long and yet you have not
known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father,
so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe
that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?" (John 14:8-10)
And the Lord said to His disciples: "If you had known Me, you
would have known My Father also; and from now on you know
Him and have seen Him" (John 14:7). Indeed we see the
Father in the Person of His Son because He is the express
image of the Person of the Father and the brightness of His
glory (Heb. 1:3).
(9)
There is another relation of the Lord Jesus Christ with
the Father which proves His Divinity, that is, His sitting down
at the right hand of the Father on high. The Divine Inspiration
recorded this truth in many situations, such as:
(a)
The words of the Lord to the Sanhedrin during His
trial: "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right
hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven"
(Matt. 26:64).
(b)
The words of St. Stephen at his martyrdom: "Look! I
see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the
right hand of God!" (Acts.7:56)
(c)
The words of St. Mark the Evangelist about the
Ascension: "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, he
was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of
God" (Mark 16:19).
(d)
The words of St. Paul the Apostle about the Lord Jesus
Christ: " When He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at
the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb.1:3).
(e)
The words of St. Paul when he explained how Christ
was greater than the angels: "But to which of the angels has He
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ever said..'Sit at My right hand till I make Your enemies Your
footstool'? " (Heb. 1:13) St. Paul took these words from
Psalm 110, verse 1, which says: "The Lord said to My Lord,
'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool' ".
What can be understood from Christ's sitting at the right hand
of the Father? The Father has no right and has no left because
He is Infinite and He fills all things. There is no vacuum at His
right side for another to sit there. So what is the meaning of
sitting at His right side? The word 'right' is a symbol of power
and of righteousness and of majesty. This symbolism is similar
to the Lord's expressions 'your right eye' and 'your right hand'
in (Matt. 5:29,30). The right hand of the Father means the
power of the Father, the righteousness of the Father and the
majesty of the Father. That is why it was once said that the
Son sat at the right hand of the Power and at another that He
sat at the right hand of the Majesty. The word 'sat' here means
remained.
This means that the Son who, in emptying Himself, appeared
weak in front of you; was slapped on the face, scourged and
crucified, by His ascension entered into His power and you will
not see Him any more in weakness. And at His Second
Coming, He will come on the clouds in His glory, surrounded
by all the holy angels (Matt. 25:31)', because at His Second
Coming He will come with power and great glory (Matt.
24:30).
Also, the Son who stood in front of you as a sinner and a
criminal, and who stood before the Father carrying all the sins
of the world, will sit at the right hand of His Father, that is, in
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His righteousness, and nobody can dare condemn Him any
more.
The expression "sitting at the right hand of the Power" means
that the stage of emptying Himself has ended and that the Son
entered into His glory. That is why it is said that at His Second
Coming, He will come "in His own glory, and His Father's"
(Luke 9:26), and it is also said: "For the Son of Man will come
in the glory of His Father with His angels" (Matt. 16:27).
This glory is the sitting at the right hand of the Father.
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THE THIRTEENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being Beyond Time
(1)
The Lord Jesus Christ said to the Jews: "Before
Abraham was, I AM" (John 8:58). This means that He WAS
and existed thousands of years before His birth in the flesh.
The Jews understood that He was implying His Divinity. That
is why they "took up stones to throw at Him" (John 8:59).
(2)
Although Christ is a descendant of David
genealogically, yet He said in the Book of Revelation: "I am
the Root and the Offspring of David" (Rev.22:16). The term
'Offspring of David' is clear and understood because He is a
descendant of David, but the term 'Root' means that He existed
before David. One of the priests around the divine throne
testified to this fact and said to John the Visionary: "Behold,
the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has
prevailed" (Rev. 5:5).
(3)
The Holy Book gives Christ existence before David,
Judah and Abraham, for the LORD says to Him in the Psalm,
'from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your
youth" (Ps. 110:3).
(4)
Christ WAS before the whole world existed, or rather,
before all ages. In His soliloquy with the Father, He said to
Him: "And now, 0 Father, glorify Me together with Yourself,
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with the glory which I had with You before the world was"
(John 17:5), and: "For You loved Me before the foundation of
the world" (John 17:24). Therefore Christ WAS before the
foundation of the world.
(5)
In St. Paul the Apostle's discourse about Christ being
"the image of the invisible God" (Col. 1:15), he said: "All
things were created through Him and for Him. And He IS
before all things, and in Him all things consist" (Col. 1:16,17).
Therefore Christ WAS before all things. Why? Because
through Him all things were created.
(6)
Of course, the fact that Christ created all things means
that He WAS before all things. Thus St. John the Evangelist
says: "All things were made through Him, and without Him
nothing was made that was made" (John 1:3), and: "He was in
the world, and the world was made through Him" (John 1:10).
Since the world was made through Him, therefore, He WAS
before the world and before all things.
(7)
In the prophecy of Micah the Prophet we read the most
explicit words about Christ's existence before time. The
prophet says: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are
little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come
forth to Me the One to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth
have been from of old, from everlasting" (Mic.5:2). Here the
prophet attributes to Christ eternity which is an attribute of
God alone. What is the meaning of 'whose goings forth have
been from of old, from everlasting'? It means that:
(8)
Christ came forth from the Father from eternity, that is,
He was begotten of the Father from eternity because He is the
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Son in the Holy Trinity. He is the Logos of God and God's
Logos was in Him from eternity. He is the Wisdom of God
and God's Wisdom was in Him from eternity. As long as
eternity is attributed to God alone, then Christ is God because
He is Eternal and He is beyond time.
(9)
Christ's eternity is explicit in the Apostle's words:
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever" (Heb.
13:8). And the Lord Jesus Christ says to His disciples: "I am
with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20).
Daniel the Prophet says of this eternity: "His dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His
kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed" (Dan.7:14).
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THE FOURTEENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the First and the Last
This proof will involve three main points:
(A) God alone is the First and the Last. There is no God
before or after Him
(B) Christ also is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the
Omega
(C) Conclusion: Christ is God
(A)
God Alone Is the First and the Last
In eternity God WAS alone. He is the First and He is the
Alpha. Then God created all creatures; all of them are the
work of His hand. No one among men can say that He is the
Alpha or the First because primeness is God's alone. That is
why we find God attributing this quality to Himself, saying in
the Book of Isaiah: "I am the First and I am the Last, besides
Me there is no God" (Is.44:6); "I am He, I am the First, I am
also the Last. Indeed my hand has laid the foundation of the
earth, and my right hand has stretched out the Heavens" (Is
48:12,13), and: "I am he Before me there was no God formed,
nor shall there be after me" (Is 43:10).
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(B)
The Lord Jesus Christ Is the First and the Last
(1)
The Book of Revelation says: "Behold, He is coming
with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also who
pierced him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn
because of Him. Even so, Amen. 'I am the Alpha and the
Omega, the beginning and the end', says the Lord, 'who is and
who was and who is to come, the Almighty'" (Rev 1:7,8).
(2)
St John the Visionary said: "I, John, both your brother
and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called
Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus
Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard
behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, 'I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,' ' .. Then I
turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And having turned
I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the seven
lampstands One like the Son of Man, clothed with a garment
down to the feet" (Rev. 1:9-13). Who is this One like the Son
of Man, but the Lord Jesus Christ who said: "I am the Alpha
and the Omega, the First and the Last"? And John the
Visionary emphasises this, saying:
(3)
"And when I saw Him, {I fell at His feet as dead}. But
He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid;
I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives and was dead
and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen" (Rev.1:17). Who
is he, who lives and was dead except our Lord Jesus Christ
who rose from the dead?
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(4) This meaning is repeated once more in the last Chapter of
the Book of Revelation in which the Lord says: "And behold, I
am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to every
one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End, the First and the Last... I, Jesus,...
"(Rev. 22:12-16).
(C)
Conclusion: Christ is God
(1)
God says in the Book of Isaiah: "I am He. I am the
First, I am also the Last" and repeats these words several
times. The Lord Jesus Christ says in the Book of Revelation:
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,
the First and the Last" and repeats these words several times.
How can these verses fall in with each other, unless Christ is
God? Let God be true.
(2)
The Lord Jesus Christ said that He is the First and that
He is the Alpha. This means that there is none before Him.
This phrase cannot be interpreted other than that He is God
Himself, otherwise God would not have been existing because
there is none before the First and none before the Alpha. How
can the saying of Christ that He is the First fall in with the
saying of God: "I am He, before Me there was no God formed,
nor shall there be after Me"? The only conformity is that the
two sayings were said by the same Speaker.
(3)
If Christ is the First then He was not created because
there was none before Him to create Him. And if He was not
created then He is Eternal and therefore He is God.
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Opposing Teachings
After we had published the previous proof in the Sunday
School magazine of July 1953, Jehovah's Witnesses, to
disprove it, published two attempts in Watchtower magazine of
November 1953:
(1)
They claimed that He who will come is God the Father!
This is in reply to Revelation chapter 1, verse 8.
(2)
They claimed that what is written about Christ being
the First and the Last is said regarding limited matters only,
namely, His death and resurrection.
We wrote a detailed rebuttal of the previous two points in the
Sunday School magazine of January 1954, the summary of
which follows:
(a)
Undoubtedly, He who will come is the Lord Jesus
Christ. He will come to judge and reward each one according
to his deeds (see next proof). The last verse of the Book of
Revelation says: "Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"
(Rev.22:20). And the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said to the
high priest: "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at
the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of
heaven", and said about the signs of the end of the age that
"all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the
Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. And He will send His angels" (Matt. 24:30,31).
If Jehovah's Witnesses say that He who will come is Jehovah
and it is proved from the Holy Bible that He who will come is
Christ, therefore they are presenting us with a new proof that
Christ is God. In order to escape this awkward position
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Jehovah's Witnesses said in the same issue of Watchtower
magazine: "Jehovah will come taking the form of Jesus Christ."
Are they, by saying this, confessing that God was Incarnate and
became Man?
(b)
We refuted their claim that the expression 'the First and
the Last' only refers to the Lord's death and resurrection, by
saying:
(i)
Regarding death, Christ was not the first nor was He
the last of those who died. Millions died before and after Him.
(ii)
Regarding resurrection, although Christ is truly the first
fruits of those who have fallen asleep who rose with a glorified
body, yet He is not the last, because all people will rise from
the dead, both the righteous and the wicked (John 5:28,29).
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THE FIFTEENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being Omnipresent
(A)
God Is the One Who Is Present Everywhere
(1)
To be present everywhere is a quality which belongs to
God alone. David the Prophet said to God: "Where can I go
from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If
I ascend into heaven, You are there,. if I make my bed in hell,
behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand
shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me" (Ps. 139:7-
1 0).
(2)
There is no doubt that the Being who is present
everywhere is Infinite. God alone is Infinite and consequently
the quality of being everywhere belongs to Him alone because
there is no Infinite Being besides Him. God is in heaven and at
the same time He is on earth, because heaven is His throne and
earth His footstool (Matt. 34:35); (Is. 66:1). His presence in
places of worship is but a type of His general presence
everywhere. Thus Solomon the Sage said at the consecration
of the temple: "Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have
built!" (1 Kin. 8:27)
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(3)
No Being other than God can be present everywhere,
otherwise he will be infinite and this quality belongs to God
alone. If we prove that Christ is present everywhere, then we
will have proved that He is God.
(B)
The Lord Jesus Christ Is Present Everywhere
(1)
Christ gives those who believe in Him a promise which
none but God can give. He says to His believers: "For where
two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in
the midst of them"(Matt. 18:20). This means that the Lord
Jesus Christ is present everywhere on earth because the Church
spread and reached the ends of the earth. Imagine a Sunday,
for example, and all the Christians in the whole world gathering
together in the name of Christ to pray in their churches, and
Christ amidst each gathering. Does this not mean that He is
present everywhere on earth?
(2)
Whilst Christ is present everywhere on earth, He is also
in heaven because He ascended to heaven, as the Apostles saw
Him (Acts 1:9), and He is at the right hand of the Father, as St.
Stephen saw Him (Acts 7:56).
(3)
Christ is also in Paradise with those who departed this
world. The proof of this are the Lord's words to the Penitent
Thief: "Today, you will be with Me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43),
and the words of St. Paul the Apostle: "having a desire to
depart and be with Christ, which is far better" (Phil. 1:23).
This is an indication that those who depart this earth are with
Christ in Paradise, whilst He is also with the Militant faithful on
earth.
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(4)
Christ's discourse that He is in heaven and on earth and
in Paradise is pursuant to His promise to the Church: "And lo, I
am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matt 28:20)
(5)
The Lord Jesus Christ declared this fact in his discourse
with Nicodemus, when he said: "No one has ascended to
heaven but he who came down from heaven that is, the Son of
Man who is in heaven" (John 3:13). This means that Christ
was in Heaven whilst He was on earth speaking with
Nicodemus.
(6)
The Lord Jesus Christ is not only on earth wherever
two or three gather together in His name, but He is also in the
heart of every faithful who loves Him. He says: "If anyone
loves Me, he will keep My word,. and My Father will love
Him, and We will come to Him and make Our home with him"
(Jn. 14:23). This means that every person who loves God is a
house for Christ. The Lord Jesus Christ comes into his heart,
and dwells with him wherever he stays and wherever he goes.
That is why St. Paul the Apostle was able to say: "It is no
longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal.2:20).
(7) Christ the Lord is not only present where the righteous and
saintly are, but He is also in the places where the wicked have
strayed. He is seeking for them, visiting them and knocking at
the door of their hearts. Thus He says: "Behold, I stand at the
door and knock . If anyone hears My voice and opens the
door, I will come into him and dine with him, and he with Me"
(Rev. 3:20).
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(C)
Conclusion: Christ Is God
From what we have said it is proved that Christ the Lord is
infinite and is present everywhere: in heaven and Paradise and
at the same time on earth; in the places of worship, in the
gatherings of the believers and in the hearts of those who love
Him. He also knocks at the door of the hearts of the lost and
of those who have strayed from His commandments. He
moves with every person wherever they go and is with them
when they settle. He is with the living and also with the
departed.
All these can only apply to one Being, that is, God.
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THE SIXTEENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Judge
We will prove that God alone is the Judge and that Christ is the
Judge, thus proving that Christ is God.
(A)
God Alone Is the Judge
When our father Abraham interceded for the people of Sodom,
he gave the Lord the title, "the Judge of all the earth" (Gen.
18:25). Also, David said in his Psalms: "He shall judge the
world" (Ps. 9:8), "He shall judge the peoples righteously" (Ps.
96: 10), "He shall judge the world with righteousness"(Ps.
96:13); (Ps. 98:9), "O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine
forth! Rise up, 0 Judge of the earth" (Ps.94:1,2), and: "Let the
heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge"
(Ps. 50:6). And St. Paul says in his Epistle to the Romans: "For
then how will God judge the world?" (Rom. 3:6)
It is natural for God to judge the world because He examines
the hearts and minds, reads the thoughts, and knows the deeds
of everybody. Thus He judges with righteousness and
uprightness.
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(B)
Christ Is the Judge
(1)
St. Paul the Apostle says: "For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive
the things done in the body, according to what he has done,
whether good or bad" (2Cor. 5:10).
(2)
The Lord says in the Gospel according to St. Matthew:
"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with
His angels, and then He will reward each according to his
works" (Matt. 16:27).
(3)
The Lord also says: "When the Son of Man comes in
His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on
the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before
Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the
sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the
King will say..." (Matt. 25:31-46). The Lord then explains the
details of His judgment: the wicked will go to everlasting
punishment and the righteous to eternal life.
(4)
The Lord says about the end of the world: "The Son of
Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His
kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice
lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire" (Matt.
13:41,42).
(5)
St. Paul says to his disciple St. Timothy: "The Lord
Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His
appearing and His kingdom" (2 Tim.4:1).
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(6)
The Lord says in the Book of Revelation: "And behold,
I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give
to
every one according to his work" (Rev.22:12).
(7)
One of the reasons for Christ the Lord acting as the
Judge is because He knows the deeds of everyone. In His
message to the angels of the seven churches in Asia. He says to
each of them: "I know your works" (Rev.2:2,9,13,19);
(Rev.3:1,8,15). Also see the Gospel according to St. Matthew,
chapter 7, verses 21 to 23.
If Christ is the Judge then He is God because God is the Judge.
Christ judges people's deeds because He knows their deeds and
also because,
(8)
"all the churches shall know that I am he who searches
the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you
according to your works" (Rev.2:23). Therefore He not only
knows the works, but even more He searches the minds and
hearts.
This presents us with the following proof of His Divinity.
EEE
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THE SEVENTEENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Examiner of
Hearts and Minds
(A)
God Alone Is the Examiner of Hearts and Thoughts
No one can examine the heart and read the thought and see the
secrets of the soul except God alone, because this attribute is
part of God's infinite knowledge and He alone is Infinite. The
Holy Bible confirmed that this quality belongs to God alone:
(1)
It is written: "Then hear in heaven Your dwelling place,
and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all his
ways, whose heart You know (for You, only You, know the
hearts of all the sons of men)" (1 Kin. 8:39).
(2)
Solomon's proverbs are full of these testimonies. He
says: "The Lord weighs the hearts" (Prov. 21:2), and "The
Lord tests the hearts" (Prov. 17:3).
(3)
David the Prophet says in the Psalm: "For the righteous
God tests the hearts and minds" (Ps. 7:9), and "He knows the
secrets of the heart" (Ps. 44:21).
(4)
In the Book of Jeremiah the Prophet, the Lord says:
"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked, who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test
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the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, and
according to the fruit of his doings" (Jer. 17:9,10). The
Prophet Jeremiah says: "O Lord of hosts, You who judge
righteously, testing the mind and the heart" (Jer. 11:20).
(5)
The Prophet Amos says: "Who declares to man what
his thought is, ...the LORD God of hosts is His name" (Amos
4:13).
(6)
St. Paul the Apostle says: "Even so we speak, not as
pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts" (Thess.2:4). It is
clear from these verses that God is the Examiner of hearts, who
weighs them, tests them, and knows their secrets. He is the
One who tells man what his thought is. He alone knows the
hearts of all human beings. He alone is the Examiner of hearts
and minds. Nevertheless we see that:
(B)
The Lord Jesus Christ Examines the Heart and
Knows the Thought
(1)
Christ the Lord says, as we have already mentioned:
"And all the churches shall know that I am He who searches
the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you
according to your works" (Rev.2:23). There are many
examples in the Gospels which denote that Christ the Lord
reads the thoughts and answers them without hearing anything.
For example:
(2)
The Holy Gospel says that the disciples "reasoned
among themselves, saying, 'It is because we have taken no
bread. 'But when Jesus perceived it, He said to them, '0 you
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of little faith, why do you reason among yourselves because
you have brought no bread?"' (Matt. 16:8); (Mark 8:16,17)
(3)
When the Lord said to the paralytic, "Your sins are
forgiven you", the Gospel says that the Scribes reasoned in
their hearts, saying: " 'This Man blasphemes!' But Jesus,
knowing their thoughts, said, 'Why do you think evil in your
hearts? For which is easier..."' (Matt. 9:3,4); (Luke 5:21,22);
(Mark 2:6,8).
(4)
After the Lord Jesus Christ healed the demon possessed
blind and mute man, the Gospel says: "But when the Pharisees
heard it, they said, 'This fellow does not cast out demons
except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.' But Jesus knew
their thoughts, and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided
against itself is brought to desolation' " (Matt. 12:24,25);
(Luke 11:17).
(5)
In the miracle of Christ healing the man with the
withered hand, the Gospel says: "And the Scribes and
Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the
Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. But
He knew their thoughts, and said to the man... then said to
them, 'I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to
do good or to do evil?' (Luke 6:7-9)
(6)
When the disciples were tempted by the thought of
being great, the Gospel says: "A dispute arose among them as
to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus, perceiving
the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him' by
Him..." (Luke 9:46,47).
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(7)
In the incident of the sinful woman who washed the
Lord's feet with her tears, the Lord replied to the thoughts of
Simon the Pharisee. The Gospel says: "Now when the Pharisee
who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying,
'This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what
manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a
sinner. And Jesus answered and said to him... " (Luke
7:39,40).
(8)
With regard to Christ knowing the unseen, we give as
examples:
(i)
The Lord's words to Peter about the hook and the
stator (the exact temple tax for two) (Matt. 17:27).
(ii)
The Lord's knowledge of Thomas's doubting and
discourse with the other Apostles (John 20:27).
(iii)
The Lord's knowledge of the death of Lazarus (John
11:11).
(iv)
The Lord's knowledge of what had happened to
Nathanael under the fig tree (John 1:47-50).
(v)
The Lord's knowledge of the past life of the Samaritan
woman (John 4:18).
(C)
Conclusion: Christ Is God
Here we will leave aside Christ's knowledge of the unseen and
talk only about His knowledge of man's thought.
(1)
The Holy Bible says: "For the righteous God tests the
hearts and minds" (Ps.7:9), and the Lord Jesus Christ says:
"And all the churches shall know that I am He who searches
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the minds and hearts" (Rev.2:23). Is this not an explicit
declaration that Christ is God?
Let Christ be God and let God be true.
(2)
The Holy Bible says distinctly about God: "For You,
only You, know the hearts of all the sons of men" (I Kin.8:39),
and it has been proved that Christ has read the thought and
known the secrets of hearts and souls. Does the Holy Book
contradict itself, or are Christ and God One, and thus Christ
knows the hearts of men?
Let Christ be God and let God be true.
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THE EIGHTEENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being Good and Holy
This proof contains three main points:
(A)
No one is good but One, that is, God (Matt. 19:17)
(B)
Christ is good and holy
(C)
Conclusion: Christ is God
(A)
No One Is Good But God Alone
(1)
The Book of Psalms says: "They have all turned aside,
they have together become corrupt, there is none who does
good, no, not one" (Ps.14:3); (Ps.53:3). St. Paul the Apostle
referred to this verse in his Epistle to the Romans, in Chapter 3,
verse 12.
(2)
St. John the Beloved testifies to this fact and says: "If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth
is not in us" (1 John 1:8). That is why the saints confessed that
they were sinful. St. Paul the Apostle, who ascended to the
third heaven, said the "sinners of whom I am chief " (1Tim.
1:15), and: "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am
carnal, sold under sin... For I know that in me (that is, in my
flesh) nothing good dwells" (Rom. 7:14,18).
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(3)
All human beings are sinful, whereas God alone is
good, as the Lord Himself says: "No one is good but One, that
is, God' (Matt. 19:17).
(4)
Also, the Holy Bible says that God is holy. The
Seraphim cried to Him, saying: "Holy, Holy, Holy" (Is.6:3),
and the Virgin Mary said: "For He who is mighty has done
great things for me, and Holy is His name" (Luke 1:49).
(5)
Moreover, the Holy Bible confines holiness to God
alone, according to the song in the Book of Revelation: "Great
and marvellous are Your works, Lord God Almighty! Just and
true are Your ways, 0 King of the saints! Who shall not fear
You, 0 Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy"
(Rev. 15:3,4).
(B)
Christ Is Good and Holy
(1)
The angel announced Christ's birth to the Virgin and
said to her: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also,
that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God"
(Luke 1:35).
(2)
After healing the lame man, St. Peter the Apostle
reproached the Jews for rejecting Christ, saying: "But you have
denied the holy One and the just and asked for a murderer to
be granted to you" (Acts 3:14).
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(3)
St. Paul the Apostle said that Christ is "holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than
the heavens" (Heb.7:26).
(4)
The whole church prayed after the release of the
Apostles Peter and John, saying: "Grant to Your servants that
with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out
Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done
through Your holy Servant Jesus" (Acts 4:30). Also see the
Book of Acts, Chapter 4, verse 27.
(5)
Even the Lord Himself, in His message to the angel of
the church of Philadelphia, says: "These things says He who is
holy, He who is true, 'He who has the key of David, He who
opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens' "
(Rev.3:7).
(6)
In the Lord Jesus Christ's holiness, He appeared to
everyone to be separate from sinners and to be the Only Good
One. That is why He said to the Jews, defying them: "Which of
you convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46), and said about the Devil:
"The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me"
(John 14:30).
(7)
The Apostles testified to the Lord, saying that He "was
in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb.4:15);
He "knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21); "in Him there was no sin" (1
John 3:5), and that He "committed no sin, nor was guile found
in His mouth" (1 Pet. 2:22).
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(8)
Even strangers and enemies testified to Christ with the
same testimony. Judas who handed Him over, said: "I have
sinned by betraying innocent blood" (Matt. 27:4), and Pilate
who sentenced Him to death, said: "I am innocent of the blood
of this just Person" (Matt. 27:24), and Pilate's wife sent to her
husband, saying: "Have nothing to do with that just Man"
(Matt. 27.19).
(9)
Even the Devil witnessed to Christ, saying: "I know who
You are - the Holy One of God" (Mark 1:24); (Luke 4:34).
(10)
Even Jehovah's Witnesses testified to Christ in their
magazine Watchtower (Arabic issue of June 1953, p.96), in
their reply to a question about the words of Solomon the Sage:
"One man among a thousand I have found, but a woman
among all these I have not found" (Eccl.7:28). They said that
the number 1,000 is a symbol of wholeness, and that a
thousand men is a symbol of all men. And if there is no woman
among all women who is good and without sin, there is only
One found among men who is good, that is, Jesus Christ, the
only One with this quality who lived on earth.
(C)
Conclusion: Christ Is God
(1)
If there is no one good but One, that is, God, and it has
been proved that Christ is good or rather that He is the Only
Good One, then Christ is God; He who is separate from sinners
and has become higher than the heavens.
(2)
If God alone is holy (Rev. 15:4) and it has been proved
that Christ is holy, then Christ is God.
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Question:
When the rich young man asked the Lord: "Good teacher, what
good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?", why did
the Lord reply: " Why do you call Me good? No one is good
but One, that is, God" (Matt. 19:16,17)?
Answer:
The Jews were accustomed to calling their teachers 'good
teacher'. So the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to ask the young
man: "Are you giving Me this title as a routine custom, as you
would do for other teachers? If so, know that no one is good
but One, that is, God. And do you believe that I am this God?"
The Lord Jesus Christ did not say that He was not good but
rather, on another occasion, He said: "I am the good
shepherd" (John 10:11), and He also said: "Which of you
convicts Me of sin?" (John 8:46)
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THE NINETEENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Forgiver of Sins
(A)
God Is the One Who Forgives Sins
(1)
David the Prophet says in the Psalm: "Bless the Lord, 0
my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless
the Lord, 0 my soul,... who forgives all your iniquities"
(Ps.103:1), and also: "If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, 0
Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with You"
(Ps. 130:3,4).
(2)
It is written in the Book of Exodus: "The Lord, the
Lord God, merciful and gracious... forgiving iniquities and
transgression and sin" (Ex.34:6,7).
(3)
The Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray to God asking
for the forgiveness of our sins, in the Lord's Prayer (Matt.
6:12), and asked us to forgive others in order to deserve God's
forgiveness to us (Matt. 6:14, 15).
(4) The Jews understood this fact and believed that no One
could forgive sins except God alone.
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(B)
The Reason Why God Alone Is the Forgiver of Sins
(1)
Forgiveness is an entitlement of God alone, because
actually sin is committed against God. It is a breach of His
commandments, a transgression of His law and a rebellion
against His kingdom. It is also lack of love towards God,
preferring evil to Him; it is ingratitude to Him. Sin is a
rejection of God. This is clear from the words of the Lord: "I
have nourished and brought up children, and they have
rebelled against Me... They have provoked to anger the Holy
One of Israel" (Is. 1:2-4).
(2)
Even the sins which people commit against each other,
before being sins against man, are foremost sins against God;
against His commandments, against those whom He created.
That is why David says in his Psalm of Repentance: "Against
You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight"
(Ps.51:4). When Nathan faced him with his sin, he said: "I have
sinned against the Lord. 'And Nathan said to David, 'The Lord
also has put away your sin; you shall not die' " (2Sam.
12:13,14).
See also (Mic.7:9); (Is.42:24); (1Kin.8:45,46) and (Deut.
1:41).
(C)
Christ the Lord Forgave Sins
(1)
He forgave the paralytic his sins and said to him clearly:
"Your sins are forgiven you" (Matt. 9:2); (Mark 2:5); (Luke
5:20). When some of the scribes reasoned in their hearts,
saying: "Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who
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can forgive sins but God alone?" (Mark 2:7), the Lord said to
them: "'Why do you think evil in your hearts? ... But that you
may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive
sins'- then He said to the paralytic, 'Arise, take up your bed,
and go to your house' " (Matt. 9:4,6); (Mark 2:7-10).
(2)
Christ the Lord forgave the sins of the sinful woman
who washed His feet with her tears, and said to her: "Your sins
are forgiven" (Luke 7:48). Then those who were present
grumbled and said to themselves: "Who is this who even
forgives sins?" (Luke 7:49)
(3)
Christ the Lord forgave the sins of the thief who was
crucified with Him and opened for him the gates of Paradise,
despite his evil past, saying to him, "Today you will be with Me
in Paradise" (Luke 23:43).
(4)
Christ forgiving people their sins was not {trespassing}
on God's prerogatives, because after He had said to the
paralytic: "Your sins are forgiven you", He healed him and the
man arose, carried his bed and walked. If Christ had
overstepped His bounds in this miracle and trespassed on the
rights of the Father, He would not have been able to heal the
paralytic after granting him forgiveness.
(D)
Conclusion: Christ Is God
Although everyone believes that God alone forgives sins, yet
Christ forgave the sins of the paralytic, the sinful woman, the
Penitent Thief and others by mere order, and not through
prayers in which He asked the absolution from God the Father
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as priests do. He forgave them by order, saying: "Your sins are
forgiven you", and not by saying: "Go, the Lord forgives you."
He also clearly said that He had authority on earth to forgive
sins.
When the Jews said that the forgiveness of sins belongs to God
alone, He did not object that principle but rather kept that
understanding and showed His authority to forgive. He then
proved this authority by performing a miracle in front of them
as if He were telling them: "I am This God Who alone has the
authority to forgive sins."
104
THE TWENTIETH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Accepting Worship and
Prayer
The Lord Jesus Christ accepted worship from people which
was not a kneeling down as a sign of respect, but an actual
worship which followed belief or a miracle.
(1)
When He gave sight to the man born blind and called
him to believe in Him as the Son of God, the man born blind
said: "'Lord, I believe!' And he worshipped Him " (John 9:38).
(2)
After He had walked on the sea and made His disciple
Peter walk with Him, "those who were in the boat came and
worshipped Him, saying, 'Truly You are the Son of God' "
(Matt. 14:33), and He accepted this worship from them.
(3)
After the miracle of catching a great number of fish, St.
Peter worshipped the Lord Jesus, and said: "Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord!" (Luke 5:8) The Lord accepted
this worship and accepted the title 'Lord', then called Peter to
be a fisher of men.
(4)
The woman who suffered from a flow of blood
worshipped the Lord Jesus after He healed her (Mark 5:33).
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(5)
Jairus worshipped Him, saying: "My little daughter lies
at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her, that
she may be healed, and she will live" (Mark 5:23). Thus it was
worship preceded by faith in Christ that He is able to raise the
dead by merely laying His hands on them. And Christ did raise
his daughter for him (Mark 5:41,42).
(6)
Christ was also worshipped by Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary after His Resurrection (Matt. 28:9).
(7)
The eleven Apostles worshipped Christ when they saw
Him after the Resurrection (Matt. 28:17). Christ's Resurrection
from the dead was one of the greatest miracles and its effect on
the Apostles and the two women was that of worshipping Him.
(8)
The wise men from the East worshipped Christ in His
childhood (Matt. 2:11).
(9)
We add the words of St. Paul the Apostle that "at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and
of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every
tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father" (Phil. 2: 10,11).
(10)
The Lord Jesus Christ accepted to be called "Lord,
Lord" (Matt. 7:22).
(11) The Lord Jesus Christ says that prayer addressed to the
Father will be heard if it is in His name. He said to His
disciples: "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the
Father in My name He will give you. Ask, and you will
receive, that your joy may be full" (John 16:23,24).
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(12)
He also said: "And whatever you ask in My name, that I
will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask
anything in My name I will do" (Jn. 14:13,14). The phrase in
My name I will do which He says here twice, means that He
Himself hears the prayer. Christ Himself, here, is the One Who
gives; that the Father may be glorified in the Son. It is unlike
the previous verse whatever you ask the Father in My name He
will give you. And this is a clear indication of His Divinity.
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THE TWENTY-FIRST PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the Giver of Life
(1)
St. John the Evangelist says: "In Him was life" (John
1:4). The Lord Jesus Christ gives life here on earth and in the
eternal life, and this is one of the works of God alone.
(2)
The Lord Jesus Christ gave life when He raised the
dead. The Holy Bible mentions three miracles pertaining to
this point:
(a)
(Mark 5:22,35-42): The raising of Jairus's daughter.
She was lying dead on her bed in the house, and her relatives
were weeping and wailing.
(b)
(Luke 7:11-17): The raising of the son of the widow of
Nain. He was being carried in the coffin on the way to the
tomb and around him were great crowds of the people of the
city.
(c)
(John 11): The raising of Lazarus four days after his
death. He was buried in the tomb and his sister said that there
was a stench.
The important point in these three miracles is that they were
performed by Christ's order, which denotes His Divinity and
that He is the Giver of life. We will talk about this point in
detail when we tackle the proof of Christ's Divinity with
respect to His miracles.
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(3)
It suffices to comment on the Lord's miracles of raising
the dead by quoting His words: "For as the Father raises the
dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom
He will" (John 5:21). Here there is equality of the Son with the
Father and in addition, He made the giving of life dependent on
His will.
(4)
Christ the Lord said of Himself that He "gives life to
the world" (John 6:33) because He is "the bread of life" (John
6:35). He said: "I am the living bread which came down from
heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and
the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for
the life of the world. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My
blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day"
(John 6:35-58).
This chapter presents Christ as the Giver of life through the
Sacrament of Eucharist in which He offers His body and blood.
The Lord will raise him who partakes of this Sacrament at the
Last Day.
(5)
Christ the Lord said of Himself that He is the Giver of
eternal life. He said: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know
them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and
they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out
of My hand" (John 10:27,28). Observe here the phrase "I give
them".
(6)
Christ the Lord also gives eternal life to whoever
believes in Him. He says about Himself that "whoever believes
in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (John
3:16).
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(7)
Also, in the Lord's discourse with the Samaritan
woman, He encouraged her to ask Him to give her living
water, and said to her: "Whoever drinks of the water that I
shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give
him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into
everlasting life" (John 4:10-14). We notice that He says twice
"I shall give" because He is the Giver of this gift of life and of
everlasting life. It has never happened that a man talked like
this before, saying that He is the Giver of life and of everlasting
life, that He gives life to whom ever He wills, that whoever
follows Him lives forever and does not perish, and that no one
can snatch His sheep out of His hand. All these acts are of
God's authority alone.
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THE TWENTY-SECOND PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Authority over Nature
The Lord Jesus Christ had authority over nature in every
respect. He had authority over the sea, the wind and the waves
and authority over plants and animals. He also had authority
over light, earth, hills, closed doors and the laws of nature. He
commanded and was obeyed as One in authority, implying His
Divinity. We will now expound this in detail:
(1)
His Authority Over Sea, Wind and Waves
(a)
St. Mark the Evangelist says: "And a great windstorm
arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already
filling. " When the disciples were afraid, what did the Lord
do? He "arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a great
calm" (Mark 4:37,39). The effect of this on those in the ship
was that they said: "Who can this be, that even the wind and
the sea obey Him!" (Mark 4:41) Indeed, who has authority
over sea, wind and waves, commanding and rebuking them and
they obey? Does this not remind us of the words of the Psalm:
"O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty like You, 0 Lord? You
rule the raging of the sea, when its waves rise, You still them"
(Ps. 89:8,9)?
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(b)
St. John the Evangelist says about the Lord's authority
over the sea: "And it was now dark, and Jesus had not come to
them. Then the sea arose because a great wind was blowing.
So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw
Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they
were afraid" (John 6:17-19). And St. Mark says about this
miracle: "Now when evening came, the boat was in the middle
of the sea; and He was alone on the land. Then He saw them
straining at rowing, for the wind was against them. And about
the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the
sea. Then He went up into the boat to them, and the wind
ceased. And they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond
measure, and marvelled" (Mark 6:47-51).
(c)
The Lord Jesus Christ did not only walk on the sea
Himself, but also made St. Peter the Apostle walk with Him.
And when St. Peter was afraid and began to sink, the Lord
caught him. Peter said: "'Lord, if it is You, command me to
come to You on the water. So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter
had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water. But
when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid, and
beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' And
immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him.
And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased" (Matt.
14:25-32). Of course, all this was done by Christ's own
authority, by His own might; the might of His Divinity. Where
are the laws of physics here, which speak about the law of
gravity? Are these laws not of His design as well, because "all
things were made through Him" (John 1:3)?
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(2)
Where is the law of gravity in His ascension to heaven,
which is recorded not only in the Book of Acts, Chapter one,
verse 9, but also in St. John's Gospel, Chapter 3, verse 13?
(3)
Another aspect of Christ's authority over nature is His
coming in the midst of the disciples after His Resurrection
when the doors were shut (John 20:19). And in the miracle of
His Resurrection, He came out of the tomb whilst the tomb
was sealed and a great stone was over its mouth. These
miracles were performed by His authority and by the might of
His Divinity.
(4)
We should not forget what happened to nature at the
time of the Lord's crucifixion: The earth quaked, the rocks
were split and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top
to bottom (Matt. 27:51). And there was darkness over the
whole land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour (Mark
15:33); (Luke 23:44,45).
(5)
One of the aspects of Christ's authority over nature was
that He cursed the fig tree and it immediately withered (Matt.
21:19), thus manifesting His authority over plants.
(6)
His authority over animals was manifested in the two
miracles of catching the great number of fish: When He called
Peter to be a fisher of men (Luke 5:4-7), and at the Sea of
Tiberias, after His Resurrection (John 21:5-11).
(7)
His authority over nature also appears in His healing of
diseases, especially the incurable ones, by His mere order,
touch or will, like when He healed the lepers, the blind, the
dumb, the deaf, the mute, the paralysed and the lame.
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(8)
We add to the above the miracles pertaining to Him
such as His Birth of a virgin and the wonderful movement of a
star to show His place of birth.
All these denote that Christ has authority over nature in all its
aspects: the sun, the stars, the rocks, the earth, the sea, the
wind, the waves, plants and animals, human illnesses and closed
doors. His authority over these was enforced by His mere
order or will, and this cannot be done by a human being but it is
a Divine authority.
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THE TWENTY-THIRD PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Authority over Angels
(1)
In the first two Chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews,
St. Paul the Apostle explains how Christ is greater than the
angels (Heb.1:4) with indications proving His Divinity with
respect to Him being the Son sitting at the right hand of the
Majesty on high. And it was said that God's throne is forever
and ever, and that everything was put under His feet.
(2)
It was said of Christ: "Let all the angels of God
worship Him" (Heb.1:6), and that at His name "every knee
should bow, of those in heaven... " (Phil. 2:10). The angels can
not bow down and worship except God alone. It was said in
the Book of Revelation that the four living creatures and the
twenty-four elders fell down before Him whilst singing: "You
are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals" (Rev. 5:9).
(3)
It is written that after the temptation in the wilderness,
"the angels ministered to Him" (Mark 1:13), and: "Angels
came and ministered to Him" (Matt. 4:11).
(4)
About the submission of the angels to Christ, it is
written: "Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the
right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having
been made subject to Him" (1 Pet. 3:21,22). Who is the One
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ministered to by the angels, and to whom angels, authorities
and powers are subject, but God alone?
(5)
It was said on more than one occasion that the angels
are Christ's angels and that He sends them:
(a)
In St. Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 13, verses 41 and 42,
it is written: "The Son of Man will send out His angels, and
they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and
those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the
furnace of fire." Who is the One who has authority to send
angels on the Day of Judgment, but God alone?
(b)
In St. Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 24, verses 30 and 31,
it is written: "And they will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will
send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will
gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of
heaven to the other. " We observe here that the angels are His,
the Kingdom is His and the elect are His, and this cannot apply
to a human being or any created being whatsoever.
The angels belong to God alone because the angels are the
angels of God. The Psalm says: "Bless the Lord, you His
angels" (Ps. 103:20), and also: "Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire" (Ps. 104:4); (Heb.1:7); "For He
shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your
ways. They shall bear you up in their hands" (Ps. 91:11,12);
(Matt. 4:6). The Lord Jesus Himself says: "He who overcomes
shall be clothed in white garments. I will confess his name
before My Father and before His angels" (Rev. 3:5). God is
the One who sends His angels, as the Prophet Daniel says: "My
God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths" (Dan. 6:22).
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How can the angels be God's and Christ's at the same time
unless the Two are One? We have a good testimony at the end
of the Book of Revelation: "And the Lord God of the holy
prophets sent His angel to show His servants the things which
must shortly take place" (Rev. 22:6), and in the same chapter:
"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things"
(Rev. 22:16). Also compare with the first verse of the Book of
Revelation.
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THE TWENTY-FOURTH PROOF
Christ Is God
Because the Kingdom Belongs to Him
(1)
The kingdom is God's kingdom, and in the Lord's
Prayer we pray to the Heavenly Father, saying: "Your kingdom
come" (Matt. 6:10). The Apostle says: "God who calls you into
His own kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. 2:12); (James. 2:5). The
Lord Jesus Christ says: "My Father's kingdom" (Matt. 26:29);
(Matt. 13:43), and the term "kingdom of God" appears in
various verses, among which are: St. Luke's Gospel, Chapter
13, verses 18, 20, 28 and 29.
(2)
Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus Christ declares that the
kingdom belongs to Him, saying: "Assuredly, I say to you,
there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they
see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom" (Matt. 16:28).
This is concerning the spread of His kingdom on earth. And
concerning the end of this age, He says: "The Son of Man will
send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom
all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and
will cast them into the furnace of fire" (Matt. 13:40-42).
(3)
Regarding the kingdom of heaven of Cnrist, the Apostle
says: "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His
appearing and His kingdom" (2 Tim.4:1). About this heavenly
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kingdom, the Penitent Thief said: "Lord, remember me when
You come into Your kingdom" (Luke 23:43).
(4)
Daniel the Prophet was most probably referring to the
kingdom of heaven when he spoke about Christ, saying: "His
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass
away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed"
(Dan.7:14). These terms were only used for God, the God who
lives forever, the Most High and steadfast God forever
(Dan.4:3,34); (Dan.6:26).
Therefore, the kingdom is God the Father's kingdom and
Christ's kingdom. What, then, is the conclusion? Who, except
God alone, can talk of His kingdom like this: A spiritual
kingdom on earth, an everlasting kingdom in heaven, a
kingdom which will not pass away, a kingdom which will not
be destroyed, a kingdom in which the angels and the elect are
His (Matt. 24:31)?
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THE TWENTY-FIFTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Authority over Life and
Death
(1)
We have talked previously about the Divinity of Christ
with respect to Him being the Giver of life. The Lord talked
about His relation with life, saying: "I am the resurrection and
the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall
live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die"
(John 1 1:25,26). He also said: "I am the way, the truth, and
the life" (John 14:6). Who among men can say: "I am the life,
the resurrection, and the truth"?
(2)
Regarding the Lord's authority over death, the Apostle
says that our Saviour Jesus Christ "has abolished death and
brought life and immortality to light" (2 Tim. 1:10). The
Lord Himself testifies to His authority over death in the Book
of Revelation, saying: "I have the keys of Hades and of death"
(Rev 1:18), and: "If anyone keeps My word he shall never see
death" (John 8:51).
(3)
Who is the One who has authority over life and death,
but God alone? For all human beings were under the penalty of
death, as the Apostle said: "Sin entered the world, and death
through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all
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sinned" (Rom. 5:12). The Lord Jesus Christ, however, is the
One who abolished death.
(4)
Authority over life and death is in the hand of God
alone, who said in the Book of Deuteronomy: "I, even I, am
He, and there is no God besides Me; I kill and I make alive"
(Deut. 32:39). And it was said of Him in the First Book of
Samuel the Prophet: "The Lord kills and makes alive; He
brings down to the grave and brings up" (1 Sam.2:6). If this
authority over life and death is in the hand of Christ, as He
said: "For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them,
even so the Son gives life to whom He will" (John 5:21), then
Christ is God.
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THE TWENTY-SIXTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Authority over the Law
(1)
The Law is God's Law and the commandments are
God's commandments. From the beginning, God gave the Law
and handed it, written, to Moses the Prophet(Ex. 20).
(2)
But the Lord Jesus Christ laid down the Law of the
New Testament for us in the Sermon on the Mount, in His
words to His disciples: "A new commandment I give to you"
(John 13:34), and in every spiritual teaching He left, of which it
was said: "He taught them as one having authority, and not as
the scribes" (Matt. 7:28).
(3)
The Lord Jesus Christ had a standpoint regarding the
Law of the Old Testament which was manifested in the strong
and marvellous expression which He repeated several times in
the Sermon on the Mount, saying: "You have heard that it was
said to those of old.. But I say to you..." (Matt. 5:22, 28,32,34,
39,44). No one has authority over God's Law except Him
alone.
(4)
We see that the Lord Jesus Christ had authority to
legislate. Regarding the Sabbath: it is lawful to do good on it.
Regarding the tithes: they are the least of the offerings and are
to be observed with the commandment: "Give to him who asks
you" (Matt. 5:42). He also had authority to legislate
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monogamy, divorce (Matt. 5:32) and all the other laws in
Christianity pertaining to perfection.
(5)
The most powerful expression recorded about the
authority of Christ over the Law is what He Himself said
regarding the Law of the Sabbath: "The Son of man is also
Lord of the Sabbath" (Mark 2:28) ; (Luke 6:5). If Christ is the
Lord of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath is the Day of the Lord,
then Christ is God.
(6)
No man has ever dared speak about the Law in such a
way, saying: "But I say to you". Moses and the prophets used
the phrase "says the Lord". Christ the Lord could not have
spoken with such authority, saying: "But I say to you", unless
He is God.
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THE TWENTY-SEVENTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Authority over Himself
(1)
No one has authority over himself and over his spirit
because the Lord is "the God of all flesh", and He said:
"Behold, all souls are Mine" (Ezek. 18:4). St. Paul the
Apostle said that Christ is the Father of spirits when he said:
"Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father
of spirits and live?" (Heb. 12:9)
(2)
Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus Christ says: "I lay down
My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but
I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and have
power to take it again" (John 10: 17,18). Who can dare claim
this authority? The Lord Jesus Christ is the only One who said
this statement because He is God.
(3)
Christ's authority over Himself was manifested in the
Resurrection when He rose by Himself and was not raised by
another as those before Him were. He came out of the sealed
tomb by Himself, without anyone seeing Him.
EEE
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THE TWENTY-EIGHTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Authority over Demons
(1)
The demons were afraid of the Lord Jesus Christ and
cried out on seeing Him for fear of being destroyed or
tormented. For example:
(a)
The man at the synagogue of Capernaum who was
possessed with an evil spirit. The spirit cried out, saying: "Let
us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth?
Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are - the Holy
One of God" (Mark 1:22-24); (Mark 3:11).
(b)
The man who was called Legion because he had many
demons, who was tied up with chains and chuckles because of
his violence. When he saw the Lord, he fell down before Him
and cried out with a loud voice, saying: "What have I to do
with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not
torment me!" (Luke 8:28)
(c)
The two outrageous mad men who came out of the
tombs in the country of Gergesenes so fierce that no one could
pass that way. When they saw the Lord, they cried out, saying:
"What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have
You come here to torment us before the time?" (Matt. 8:29)
And the Lord permitted the demons to leave the two men and
go into a herd of swine.
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(2)
The Lord's order silenced the devils and drove them
out. In Capernaum the Lord Jesus Christ rebuked an unclean
spirit, saying: "Be quiet, and come out of him" (Mark 1:25),
and with Legion He "commanded the unclean spirit to come
out of the man" (Luke 8:29). The Lord rebuked a dumb spirit,
saying: "You deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out
of him, and enter him no more!" (Mark 9:25) In the case of the
boy who was seized and convulsed by an unclean spirit, the
Lord "rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave
him back to his father" (Luke 9:42,43).
In all these cases, the evil spirits obeyed the command of the
Lord Jesus Christ and came out immediately. This authority
can never belong to a human being.
(3)
Not only did the evil spirits come out by the Lord's
command, but also in His name. When the disciples said to
Him: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name"
(Luke 10:17), it was because He had given them authority over
every power of the adversary. This is the difference between
the Lord and human beings in casting out demons: He cast
them out by His authority whereas they cast them out by His
authority and not by their order. Thus the Lord said about
those who would believe in Him: "In My name they will cast
out demons" (Mark 16:17). An example of this is the incident
of the slave-girl who was possessed with a spirit of divination
and who followed St. Paul. The Book of Acts says that St.
Paul "turned and said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name
of Jesus Christ to come out of her.' And he came out that very
hour" (Acts 16:18).
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(4)
We observe that casting out demons is mentioned under
three different names for demons: either the plain word
demons, or evil spirits, or mad persons, as is clear from the
previous examples, and from the following verses: (Luke
10:17,20), (Mark 7:25,26,29), (Luke 8:29,30), (Luke 9:42),
(Luke 10:17, 20) and (Matt. 10: 1,8).
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THE TWENTY-NINTH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to Him Being the One to Whom
Glory and Power Belong
(1)
The phrase: "To Him be glory and dominion forever"
belongs to God alone. It is included in the Seraphim's praise to
God in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 6, verse 3.
(2)
However, the Holy Bible gives us the idea that the Lord
Jesus Christ has this glory which befits Him as God: He sits in
His glory, as the Judge of all peoples and nations. Christ the
Lord says: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all
the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of his
glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him" (Matt.
25:31,32).
(3)
Moreover, the Holy Bible mentions that the Lord Jesus
Christ has the same glory with the Father. Christ says: "For
the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His
angels, and then He will reward each according to his works"
(Matt. 16:27), and: " Whoever is ashamed of Me and My
words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes
in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the holy angels"
(Luke 9:26).
(4)
How can the Lord Jesus Christ have the glory of the
Father unless He is God Himself, because God is not rivaled by
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anyone in His glory, and He said: "I am the Lord, that is My
name and My glory I will not give to another" (Is. 42:8)?
(5)
The equality of the Son with the Father in glory is
mentioned in the Book of Revelation with respect to the Son
being "in the midst of the throne" (Rev. 7:17), and in the praise
which the Visionary heard from every creature in heaven and
on earth. He heard them saying: "Blessing and honour and
glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb, forever and ever!" (Rev. 5: 13) The same glory and
power due to the Father are due to the Son who is likened to a
slain Lamb (Rev. 5:6). This equal glory is forever and ever and
is undoubtedly proof of Christ's Divinity.
(6)
The Lord Jesus Christ says about this glory: "I. sat
down with My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:21). He also says
that He had this glory with the Father before the world was
(John 17:4,5).
(7)
Our teacher St. Peter the Apostle says: "But grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen" (2
Pet. 3:18). The term "our Lord" together with the term "to
Him be glory" are clear proofs of Christ's Divinity.
(8)
The Apostle also says: "That in all things God may be
glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and
the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Pet.4:11). How
splendid it will be if we compare the last two verses with the
words of St. Jude the Apostle: "To God our Saviour, who
alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both
now and forever. Amen" (Jude 25). The glory attributed to
the Father is the same glory attributed to the Son.
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THE THIRTIETH PROOF
Christ Is God
With Respect to His Miracles
(1)
The reader is advised to read the two questions on the
miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ in Part Two of our book
entitled People's Questions Over The Years.
(2)
As an introduction to this proof, we state that the
miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ are innumerable. It suffices
to mention the concluding words of the Gospel according to
St. John the Apostle: "And there are also many other things
that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose
that even the world itself could not contain the books that
would be written. Amen" (John 21:25).
For example, St. Luke the Evangelist says: "Now when the sun
was setting, all those who had anyone sick with various
diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every
one of them and healed them" (Luke 4:40). The miracles
performed here are collective and innumerable.
St. Matthew the Evangelist says: "Now Jesus went about all
Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of
the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of
disease among the people" (Matt. 4:23). Then the Apostle
continues, saying: "And they brought to Him all sick people
who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and
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those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics;
and He healed them" (Matt. 4:24). Can we enumerate what is
implied by the phrases "all kinds of sickness" and "all sick
people"?
(3)
Therefore, we will confine ourselves, in proving the
Divinity of Christ, to the few miracles which are recorded in
the Gospels.
(4)
The miracles of Christ were of many different types.
Among them were miracles of creation, of raising the dead, of
walking on the sea and rebuking the wind and waves, ascension
to heaven, descent from heaven, entry whilst doors were shut,
His Virgin Birth, casting out demons, opening the eyes of the
blind, healing chronic diseases such as leprosy, paralysis,
lameness, dumbness, deafness, and illnesses that had continued
for thirty-eight years and for eighteen years, which physicians
had failed to cure. In brief, as St. Matthew the Evangelist said,
"all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease", in "all sick
people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments."
Who can heal all kinds of sickness and has authority over
nature and demons with this mightiness and in such variety,
except God, the Author of nature?
(5)
The miracles of Christ were performed by His mere
order or rebuke. In healing Simon's mother-in-law from her
fever, He "rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately
she arose and served them"(Luke 4:39) Here, the illness left by
His mere rebuke.
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In healing the paralytic, Christ the Lord said to him: "Arise,
take up your bed, and go your way to your house" (Mark 2:9).
His mere order restored the man's health so that he rose up and
even carried his bed.
In healing the man who had a withered hand, the Lord said to
him: "'Stretch out your hand . And he did so, and his hand
was restored as whole as the other hand" (Luke 6:10). The
Lord performed the miracle with His mere order, healing a
disease which medicine had failed to cure.
The Lord Jesus Christ also used His command and rebuke in
driving out unclean spirits, and they were cast out. That is why
it was said: "For with authority He commands even the
unclean spirits, and they obey Him" (Mark 1:27). The Lord
also used His command in silencing the waves and calming the
sea. It is written that "He arose and rebuked the wind, and
said to the sea, 'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there
was a great calm (Mark 4:39).
Commands to nature and to sickness and disease can not be
given by a human being. It is a Divine power which, in most
cases, made those who watched Christ confess His Divinity, as
we have mentioned previously.
Even in raising the dead, we see the element of command. In
raising Jairus's daughter, the Lord said to her: " 'Talitha, cumi.'
Immediately the girl arose and walked" (Mark 5:41,42). The
Lord nullified death by His order, and restored life to the little
girl by His order.
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Also, in the miracle of raising the son of the widow of Nain, it
is written: "He said, 'Young man, I say to you, arise.'And he
who was dead sat up and began to speak" (Luke 7:14, 15).
And in the miracle of raising Lazarus, we read: "He cried with
a loud voice, 'Lazarus, comeforth!' And he who had died came
out bound hand and foot with grave clothes" (John 11:43,44).
(6)
Sometimes the miracle was performed by mere touch or
by laying His hand on the sick person. It is written: "He laid
His hands on every one of them and healed them" (Luke 4:40).
When the ear of Malchus, the high priest's servant, was cut off,
"He touched his ear and healed him"(Luke 22:51). In healing
the two blind men, He "touched their eyes. And immediately
their eyes received sight and they followed Him" (Matt.
20:34). When the Lord put His hands on the blind man at
Bethsaida, the man was able to see (Mark 8:25). And the
woman who had a flow of blood and had spent all that she had
and was no better, but rather grew worse, when she merely
touched His garment, "immediately the fountain of her blood
was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed"
(Mark 5:29).
(7)
Miracles were performed by the Lord's mere will
without Him giving a command. The leper implored Him,
saying: " 'If You are willing, You can make me clean. 'And
Jesus, moved with compassion, put out His hand and touched
him, and said to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed' (Mark
1:40,41), "And immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Matt.
8:2,3).
In the miracle of changing water into wine at Cana of Galilee,
the Lord Jesus Christ created a new element by His mere will,
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without even giving a command. or by touch, but by His mere
inner will (John 2:7-9).
(8)
All Christ's miracles were performed without prayer.
He performed them with His own power; with the power of
His Divinity. The only miracle which was preceded by the
Lord addressing the Father was the miracle of raising Lazarus
from the dead. Probably the reason for this was that He
wanted to hide His Divinity from Satan, because there were
only a few days until the Cross. And also, if there was one
miracle among His numerous miracles which was preceded by a
prayer, it may be to teach us to pray, and it might have been a
reply to the Lord's enemies who accused Him of using
Belzebub's power in performing His miracles. Nevertheless, in
raising Lazarus from the dead, the Lord also used His
command, saying: "Lazarus, come forth!" (John 11:43)
In the miracle of feeding the thousands, it was said that He
looked up, gave thanks and blessed the loaves (Mark 6:41);
(Matt. 15:36). Neither of the two miracles mentioned that He
prayed. His looking up and blessing the food before eating
may be to teach us.
(9)
The miracles performed in the New Testament in
Christ's name are numerous. In healing the lame man at the
gate of the temple called Beautiful, Peter said to him: "Silver
and gold, I do not have, but what I have I give you: In the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazarus, rise up and walk" (Acts.3:6).
This is also clear from the Lord's words: "And these signs will
follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out
demons" (Mark 16:17).
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(10)
This is the difference between the miracles of Christ and
those of His disciples or saints: He performed the miracle with
His own power where as the disciples' miracles were performed
in His name or by the power they took from Him by His
authority. So the power is Christ's. That is why the Apostle
said: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"
(Phil. 4:13).
The Lord gave this authority to His disciples: "He gave them
power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all
kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease" (Matt. 10:1). And
He said to the twelve Apostles: "Heal the sick, cleanse the
lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons" (Matt. 10:8). And He
also said to the seventy disciples: "Behold, I give you the
authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all
the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19).
(11) The Lord Jesus Christ offered His miracles as a leading
cause to believe in Him. He said: "Believe Me that I am in the
Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake
of the works themselves" (John 14:11). And He said to the
Jews: "If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe
Me, but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the
works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me,
and I in Him" (John 10:37,38).
Christ's words, "I do the works of My Father" mean that He
does the very works of God Himself and this is a definite proof
of His Divinity. That is why He reproached the Jews, saying:
"If I had not done among them the works which no one else
did, they would have no sin" (John 15:24). These works which
no one else did are the Divine works of which He said: "I do
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the works of My Father" (John 10:37). In this way Christ
proclaims that His miracles are proofs of His Divinity.
(12)
The Lord Jesus Christ blessed those who believed in
Him through His miracles and called for that belief. He blessed
the belief of the centurion who said to Him: "But only speak a
word, and my servant will be healed" (Matt. 8:8), while his
servant was lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.
The Lord gave him a promise that his servant would be healed
and the servant was healed that same hour. And the Lord Jesus
said: "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great
faith, not even in Israel!" (Matt. 8:10)
Truly, the faith of the centurion was amazing. He believed that
the Lord Jesus Christ's word was capable of healing his servant;
without Him touching the servant or laying His hands on him to
bless him, but that His mere command was sufficient. The
Lord Jesus Christ praised that faith and confirmed it by healing
the servant.
(13)
Christ's miracles are proof of the truthfulness of His
discourse about His Divinity. The Lord Jesus Christ performed
extremely extraordinary miracles and at the same time said: "I
and My Father are One" (John 10:30), "He who has seen Me
has seen the Father" (John 14:9), and: "The Son of Man has
power on earth to forgive sins" (Mark 2:10). He said that He
was the only Son of God (John 3:16,18), and that He had
ascended into heaven and had descended from heaven and that
He was in heaven (John 3:13), and that He will come on the
clouds of heaven and will send His angels to gather together
His elect (Matt. 24:30,31).
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If His words were untrue, He would not have been able to
perform the miracles after saying them. If, by saying such
words, He had unlawfully ascribed to Himself God's authority
and attributes, He would not have been able to perform
miracles after saying those words.
(14)
We should not forget that the life of the Lord Jesus
Christ was a unique miracle. He was born of a virgin (Is.
7:14), which is a unique occurrence in the history of the world;
it had not happened before nor will it happen again. An
unusual star appeared proclaiming His birth (Matt. 2:2-10), and
He was worshipped by the Magi. In His childhood, He
astounded the Jewish elders. The Lord Jesus Christ was a
miracle in His baptism (Matt. 3), in His Transfiguration on the
Mount of Tabor (Luke 9:2-8), in His rising from the dead and
coming out of the tomb whilst the tomb was sealed and without
anyone being aware of Him (Matt. 28), in His appearances to
many persons after His Resurrection (Mark 16) and in His
entry into the Apostles' room whilst the doors were shut (John
20:19). The Lord Jesus Christ was a miracle in His Ascension
into heaven and in His sitting at the right hand of the Father
(Mark 16:19). The whole life of the Lord Jesus Christ was a
series of miracles, indicating His Divinity which was united
with His Humanity throughout the period in which He
appeared in the flesh, and also forever.
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Document Outline
- BACK TO MAIN MENU
- The Divinity of Christ
- INTRODUCTION: The Divinity of Christ
- Explicit Verses On the Divinity of Christ
- The Logos
- The Creator
- The Sender of the Holy Spirit
- His Other Relations with the Holy Spirit
- His Descent from Heaven
- The Lord
- The Son of God
- The Only Son of God
- Faith in Him
- The Saviour and the Redeemer
- His Relation with the Father
- Beyond Time
- First and the Last
- Omnipresent
- The Judge
- Examiner of Hearts and Minds
- Good and Holy
- Forgiver of Sins
- Accepting Worship and Prayer
- Giver of Life
- His Authority over Nature
- His Authority over Angels
- The Kingdom Belongs to Him
- His Authority over Life and Death
- His Authority over the Law
- His Authority over Himself
- His Authority over Demons
- One to Whom Glory and Power Belong
- His Miracles