Maintaining the Deity
of Christ
The battle for the
truth has to be waged on many different fronts. Some of these come and
go at different seasons, so far as the fury of the battle is concerned.
One area, however, where the battle always rages, is regarding the
deity of Christ. The reason for this is quite evident: the deity
of Christ is so crucial . It is very striking that, again and
again, this is a fundamental point at which all ‘Christian
deviations', sects, cults and false religions go wrong. Either the Lord
Jesus Christ's deity is outrightly denied by them, or else it is in
some sense ‘reduced'.
We need, therefore, to be forewarned
and forearmed, in order to give a good account of the truth, to the
glory of Christ himself, whenever we find his deity being challenged
– on our doorsteps, in the media, in books, in private
conversations, from the pulpit, or however it might arise. A clear
biblical defence of this doctrine can be mounted in several ways. Here,
to help us, is a sequence of five statements which it is worth keeping
in our mind, along with appropriate Scripture proofs which can be
gathered from a Bible concordance.
(1) The Lord Jesus Christ
possesses the names and titles of God . He is Jehovah, God; he
says ‘I am alpha and omega, the beginning and the end, the first
and the last'; he is Lord, saviour, redeemer, king, shepherd, judge,
husband; he is ‘the Lord our righteousness', light, rock,
creator, the giver of life and the one who forgives sins.
(2) The Lord Jesus Christ
possesses the attributes of God. The three great ‘omnis'
belong to him (omnipresent, omnipotent, omniscient); his is divine
purity, holiness and perfection; he is changeless and eternal
(‘the same yesterday, and today, and forever', ‘whose
goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting').
(3) The Lord Jesus Christ makes
concrete claims to be God. Most notable are his seven ‘I
am' claims, ‘I am' being the divine name. He also says, ‘he
that hath seen me hath seen the Father' and ‘that all should
honour the Son, even as they honour the Father' (namely, as God).
(4) The Lord Jesus Christ works
the glorious works of God. His miracles are the standing and
irrefutable evidence of this.
(5) The Lord Jesus Christ receives
the worship that belongs to God. To him, Thomas said, ‘My
Lord and my God'; angels worship him, as does the whole of heaven, for
‘to him (belong) glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen'.
It is our solemn duty, our high
privilege, and it should be our holy joy, to ‘stand up, stand up
for Jesus'. Let us seek the grace, wisdom and help of the Holy Spirit
in maintaining and defending the deity of Christ in the face of
‘all-comers', remembering that those who honour him, he himself
will honour.
