“Is Jesus God?”

There have been, and no doubt, there will continue to be, those people who want to diminish the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, the God-man. We see this expressed in novels and in the movies that the “Gnostics” (so called “enlightened ones”) put out in an effort to discredit Jesus Christ and the Bible.

Imposters. The Christs of the cults are not the Christ of the Scriptures and those who rely on a false Christ for their eternal deliverance from hell to heaven will be doomed forever (John 3:18, 36; Revelation 21:8). Don’t be one of them. (Read our article “Which Jesus Saves?”)

Authentic. John, the beloved disciple, who spent three years with the Lord, shared with us some wonderful truths about the Son of God in his Gospel. His account of Jesus the Christ is reliable and worthy of our careful consideration. To know Him is to love Him more and more unless you are intent on rejecting Him as your personal Savior (Matthew 27:18; Luke 19:14). “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil” (John 3:19). The pleasures of sin are short lived (Hebrews 11:25). But the pangs of hell are forever (Matthew 25:30).

“I AM.” On one occasion, while disputing with the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said to them, “…before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:44; See John 5:18). The Jews knew that He was claiming to be God, the Jehovah of the Old Testament and the eternally existent One. God used this title when He encountered Moses as he tended sheep in the wilderness (Exodus 3:14). For this reason the Jews wanted to stone Jesus. But it wasn’t part of the Decree for Jesus to die for our sins by being stoned to death, or by being beheaded as John the Baptist was (Mark 6:37).

Plan. Rather the Divine plan was for Jesus to die by being crucified on a cross, not on a stake (Psalm 22:1ff; John 3:14; Matthew 27:32, 40, 42). Death on a cross was very painful and sometimes it took several days for the victim to die. We, who rebelled against God, are the ones who deserve to be hanging there (Romans 6:23).

Beginning. Before any beginning one might consider (i.e. the council meeting between the three Persons in the Godhead – Ephesians 1:11, the creation of the spirit beings – Colossians 1:15-17; Job 38:7; Ezekiel 28:13, the creation of the heavens and the earth – Genesis 1:1; John 1:3) the Word (Communicator) was already in existence. He had no beginning and will have no end (Revelation 1:8).

Word. The second Person in the Godhead was the One who became the Spokesman for the Godhead. “An 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 1:14). Furthermore, “No one has seen God (i.e. the Father) at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him” (John 3:18). This is why Jesus said to Philip and the other disciples, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9). All three Persons share the same essence, nature, and attributes of God. Complicated? Yes, but this is what the infallible Scriptures teach us (2 Timothy 3:16, 17). So we accept it as truth (John 17:17).

Purpose. Among other things, God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, glorified God the Father while He was here on earth (John 17:4). He spoke the mind and will of God to us. “For I [Jesus] have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak” (John 12:49; 14:10; See Hebrews 10:7, 9). He accomplished everything that the Father planned for Him to do (John 17:4). By the way, do you know that God pre-planned certain works for each of His children to do (Ephesians 2:10; 1 Peter 4:10)? Need help? Ask us for it.

Session. Currently, from the third heaven at the Father’s right hand, Jesus is directing His body, the true Church (Ephesians 1:20-22; John 14:16, 17; 16:13). He does this through God the Holy Spirit who resides in the bodies of believers. “Or do you not know that your body [as a Christian] is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own” (1 Corinthians 6:19)? Both Jesus and God the Holy Spirit intercede for believers and ask God the Father to bring or cause to be brought into our lives what we need to grow spiritually (Romans 8:26, 34; Hebrews 7:25; James 1:2-12).

Constant. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). He isn’t fickle and vacillating as are the gods of the heathen. He maintains all His attributes which always work in harmony with each other. Too often people segregate His holiness and righteousness from His love, grace and mercy.

Questions. Is your faith resting in the Christ of the Scriptures? Are you depending on any of your good works to get you into heaven (Ephesians 2:8, 9)? Would you like to know for sure that you’ll go to heaven the moment you die (1 John 5:13)? If you’re saved, has your love for God grown cold (Revelation 2:4)? Do you show your love for Him by loving His children and spending time with them (Hebrews 10:24, 25)? Has sin or anything else come between you and God? Would you like to have the joy of your salvation restored (Psalm 51:12)? It can be.

Confession. When we sin (act lawlessly) God wants His children to admit what we have done to Him (1 John 1:9). When we confess our sins, He forgives us and enables us to have our fellowship with Him restored as we walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). If we sin against another person, we should ask him/her to forgive us and not hold it against us anymore (James 5:16).

Example. Our forgiving others should be as God has forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32). No one has sinned against and/or treated us as badly as we’ve treated God. To have an unforgiving spirit is a temptation that comes from the devil (2 Corinthians 2:11). A Christian must put on the helmet of salvation at such times (Ephesians 6:17).

Help. If you have honest questions/comments about these things, call us at 805-238-3549 or visit our website at www.kelseypeach.com. To receive future articles as they come out, click on “Follow.” If you have been helped by reading this article, can we count on you to help us get the truth from God’s Word out to others in need?