I have sent many pastor’s messages in the last few years detailing items I believe are important for us to consider and review. In this special pastor’s message, I want us to consider a topic that can easily even within the church become convoluted.
We must understand that mankind has struggled over the years to answer the question of the divinity of Christ. Confusion exists and the truth to answer this can only come from God’s Word and I hope a refresher will deepen our appreciation of His sacrifice. I strongly encourage you to carefully review this in its entirety prior to Passover!
Toward the end of the New Testament era, various heresies had begun to surface among the Christians. The apostle John addresses some of these in his writings. Various doctrines were developed in an attempt to answer this fundamental question.
The trinity is perhaps the most well known (and accepted) explanation of the divinity of Christ. But it cannot be proven from Scripture!
So, for us the question I am going to carefully cover here is: What does the Bible say about the divinity of Christ?
This summary will review five of the most prevalent views on this subject.
As you progress through these views you will find each, but the last fails Biblically, yet thoughts from false views can creep in if we are not careful. Let’s begin the review of the most prevalent views on this subject:
1. The Trinitarian View
This is contrary to Scripture and cannot be supported from the Bible. The origin of this view
developed in the fourth century because of a dispute with Arius.
Karen Armstrong in her book A History of God, page 110 says: “Christians were still confused; if there was only one God, how could the Logos be divine? Eventually three outstanding theologians of Cappadocia in eastern Turkey came up with a solution that satisfied the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Cappadocians employed a formula that Athanasius had used in his dispute with Arius: God had a single essence which remained incomprehensible to us—but three expressions which made him known.” We understand very succinctly:
2. The Unitarian View
The basic reasoning behind this view is that God is one, therefore, Christ cannot be God
(This view is primarily based upon Deuteronomy 6:4 which we will analyse closely in
section 5).
Based on this misunderstanding, they conclude Christ must have been a created being or a “clone” of God who did not exist prior to His human birth.
This Unitarian view is based on a very particular, again misunderstanding of the oneness of God.
So, we must ask: Can God be “one” and still be more than one being? This requires that we understand the oneness of the Godhead. Following are scriptures to illustrate that “one” can still be more than one being.
The Bible clearly reveals God as the “Father” and Jesus Christ as His “Son”, but still God. The distinction between the two is implicit from the very beginning of God’s revelation (Genesis 1:1), where the Hebrew word Elohim is used (Elohim is the plural form of the Hebrew word for God, Eloah). There has been communication between these two from the beginning, as seen in the example of Genesis 1:26, where the pronouns us and our refer to Elohim.
We know from an accurate interpretation of scripture that even The New Testament emphasizes the unity between the “Father” and “Son,” yet makes the distinction between the two clear in numerous scriptures (e.g., John 20:17; Romans 15:6). Although scripture reveals the relationship was not always by definition “Father” and “Son”. The relationship between them demonstrates God’s perfect and eternal way of life. They have eternally been “one”! The Father has always loved the Son, and the Son has always loved the Father (John 17:4, 20-26). The harmony between the Father and the Son is a singleness of mind and purpose, which Jesus Christ asked the Father to bring about among His disciples, Himself, and the Father (verses 20-23).
From the preponderance of scripture, we can clearly demonstrate that the Unitarian view that Christ cannot be God is a misunderstanding and not scriptural.
3. Christ as a Created Being
This idea has been around for hundreds of years and today is the accepted teaching of the
Jehovah Witnesses; I would add that it is my understanding that one group within the
Church’s of God has also drifted in this direction, and it is categorically wrong!
Understand there are various twists on this teaching:
This is very similar to and in a way simply adaptations of the Unitarian belief.
We know from scripture that this teaching denies the divinity of Christ and relegates Him to a created being, higher than an angel, but not on the same plane or of the same nature as God.
This teaching of Christ being a created being originated with Arius, who lived 256-336 C.E. He taught that Christ was a created being, “a perfected creature.”
Karen Armstrong’s book, page 110 says: “St. John made it clear that Jesus was the Logos; he also said that the Logos was God. Yet he was not God by nature, Arius insisted, but had been promoted by God to divine status. He was different from the rest of us, because God had created him directly but all other things through him.”
We must clearly understand:
The term “Alpha and Omega” is used in the New Testament (e.g., Revelation 1:8, 21:6, and 22:13). There are no letters before alpha and none after omega. This indicates that the being manifested humanly as Christ has eternally existed. Also:
In summary with respect to this belief of Christ being a created being: Where is the statement about His creation?
4. Christ as the Angel of the LORD (YHWH)
This fourth erroneous view is based upon the references in Scripture to the “angel of the
LORD.” Who is this angel of the LORD?
This teaching is an attempt to explain Christ’s relationship with the Father prior to His human birth. He was one of the super angels, according to this teaching – this misunderstanding.
We must understand that the Hebrew word for angel and messenger is the same: mal’ak. In the Old Testament it is translated “angel” 111 times, “messenger” 98 times and “ambassador” 4 times.
Christ is called the “Messenger [mal’ak] of the covenant” in Malachi 3:1.
It was up to the translators as to whether they selected the word “angel” or the word “Messenger” however to be clear:
The teaching that Christ is or was an angel denies His divinity and requires that He be a created being.
Christ was a messenger, but not an angelic being.
5. Christ as God
After reviewing the previous views and finding them unbiblical and based upon
conjecture, and misunderstanding; we must ask,
Obstacles to this understanding go to the capacity of the human mind.
Are we limiting our understanding by applying human definitions to the term “God”? We must clearly understand:
Ultimately what the Scriptures say, and not human reasoning, must define our beliefs. The secret things belong to God (Deuteronomy 29:29). I cannot over emphasize the importance of understanding that.
So, we come down to the fundamental question of the divinity of Christ. Already from what we’ve covered so far, the answer should be clear, however there is indeed more:
There are “plural” references to God in the Old Testament (Genesis 1:26; 3:22; 11:6-7; Isaiah 6:8).
We find in Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” As indicated earlier let’s consider this verse more closely.
The word echad is often used for a composite unity—more than one component. Consider these examples:
Now let’s consider that the Hebrew yachid (Strongs # 3173) is the strongest word for singleness.
Here is a very well known and specific example Genesis 22:2: “Take now your son, your only [yachid] son.”
Therefore, if the intent is singleness – meaning only “one singular being” in this scripture, then this word “yachid” would convey the idea better than echad.
Always remember the meaning of “echad”- composite unity—more than one component – as that is the word used in Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!”
Let’s also consider that no one has seen the Father nor heard His voice (John 1:18; John 5:37; 1 John 4:12).
Who is doing the speaking and appearing as LORD (YHWH) in the Old Testament? This did occur!
Although there are indeed instances in scripture when YHWH can be referring to the Father (as in Psalm 110:1) it is most often referring to the “God” who worked on a personal level with many of His chosen followers in the Old Testament – and that God being was manifested in human form as Christ!
Let’s consider other references to Christ as LORD (YHWH):
The Old Testament focuses on the God of Israel, who identifies Himself as “I AM” and “the LORD God…of Abraham,…of Isaac, and…of Jacob” (Exodus 3:14-15), (the word LORD being derived from the Hebrew YHWH). In John 8:58, Christ refers to Himself as “I am.”
This is the same God who delivered the Israelites out of Egypt and accompanied them in the wilderness and who was later known in the New Testament as Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 10:4).
Jesus Christ - The Son is also called God in Hebrews 1:8-9. But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
“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.
You may also wish to review the booklet we publish “Jesus Christ the Real Story”.
Never Forget - It was not just a man who died for our sins.
My objective in this review has been to help clarify and even solidify in our minds the divinity of Christ and by demonstrating erroneous arguments, show how easily we can be pulled into thoughts not consistent with the Word of God.
I hope the review and detail provided helps, and in fact deepens your understanding and appreciation of His sacrifice which we will shortly be commemorating.