Understanding the Deity of Christ
To know who Jesus is, we must begin with what God has revealed in His Word. Many opinions exist about Jesus. Some say He was a good teacher, others call Him a prophet, and still others claim He was merely a moral example. But what does the Bible say? The Word of God declares that Jesus Christ is not only the Son of God, but God Himself, manifest in the flesh.
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1 Timothy 3:16)
This is no side doctrine. It is the very foundation of our faith. If Jesus were not God, His sacrifice would not be sufficient. If He were merely a man, He could not bear the sins of the world. But because He is both fully God and fully man, He alone is able to redeem fallen mankind.
Jesus Is Eternal
The deity of Christ begins before Bethlehem. The Lord Jesus did not come into being when He was born of the virgin Mary. He existed before all creation, in perfect union with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Jesus is the Word. He is not part of creation; He is the Creator.
“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3)
This truth brings us to worship. The same hands that formed the heavens were later pierced for our iniquities. The eternal God entered time and space, clothed Himself in human flesh, and walked among sinners.
The Word Became Flesh
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14)
Let this sink deeply into your heart. God did not send an angel, a prophet, or a created being. He came Himself. Jesus is Emmanuel, meaning “God with us.”
“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matthew 1:23)
The incarnation was not a moment of divine subtraction. Jesus did not cease to be God. Rather, it was a moment of divine addition. He took upon Himself a human body, a real and tangible form, without laying aside His divine nature.
Why Did God Become a Man?
God became man for one central purpose: to save sinners. Sin had separated us from God, and only a perfect, sinless, divine sacrifice could reconcile us.
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
“For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)
Jesus came to serve, to suffer, and to be the ransom that sets us free. But in order to serve as that ransom, He had to be both like us and unlike us. Like us in His humanity, yet unlike us in His sinlessness and divine perfection.
His Works Testify of His Deity
Jesus did what only God can do. He healed the sick, calmed the sea, forgave sins, raised the dead, and accepted worship.
“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins…” (Matthew 9:6)
“Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:33)
No prophet in Scripture accepted worship. Angels themselves reject worship, as they are but servants of the Most High. But Jesus received worship because He is worthy.
“And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)
Thomas’s confession was not rebuked. It was accepted. Why? Because Jesus is indeed Lord and God.
His Claims Leave No Room for Neutrality
Some say Jesus was a wise teacher. Others try to claim He was simply a messenger from God. But Jesus did not leave us that option. He claimed equality with God.
“I and my Father are one.” (John 10:30)
His audience understood clearly what He meant.
“Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.” (John 10:31)
Jesus was not misunderstood. He openly and repeatedly claimed divine authority, divine nature, and divine power. Either He is God or He is not. There is no middle ground.
The Resurrection Declares His Deity
Jesus rose from the dead. This is not merely a religious tradition. It is the triumphant proof that He is who He said He is.
“And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” (Romans 1:4)
His resurrection is heaven’s seal on His identity. No man has power to raise himself from the dead, but Jesus did exactly that.
“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live.” (John 11:25)
The same power that raised Lazarus from the grave, the same power that raised Jesus from the tomb, will raise us also at His coming.
The Trinity and Christ’s Eternal Sonship
The doctrine of the Trinity is essential to rightly understanding the person of Christ. God is one in essence and three in person: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 28:19)
Jesus is not a lesser deity. He is coequal, coeternal, and consubstantial with the Father. He has always been the Son. His sonship is not based on His incarnation but is rooted in eternity.
Jesus, the Express Image of the Father
We do not have to wonder what God is like. Jesus shows us perfectly.
“Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power…” (Hebrews 1:3)
To see Jesus is to see the Father. He is the exact imprint, the visible representation of the invisible God.
“He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9)
Jesus reveals God in a way no other could. He is God in the flesh, dwelling among us, revealing the Father’s heart, power, and truth.
The Deity of Christ and Your Salvation
Everything hangs on this truth. If Jesus is not God, we are still in our sins. If He is God, then His blood is precious and powerful to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)
“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
There is no Plan B. There is no second way. Christ alone is Savior because Christ alone is God in the flesh.
How Shall We Respond?
We must bow before Him in faith and surrender. We must confess Him as Lord and believe in our hearts that God hath raised Him from the dead.
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
This is not mere mental agreement. It is a wholehearted embrace of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God, the risen Lord, and the only Savior of sinners.
Final Thoughts
In a world filled with confusion, compromise, and false gospels, we must hold fast to the truth that Jesus Christ is God. Not part God. Not almost God. But fully and truly God.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
Trust Him. Worship Him. Follow Him. For He alone is worthy.