Divinity
Is Jesus divine?
John 1:1-3,14 – In the beginning was the Word {Jesus}, and the Word was with {the} God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with {the} God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. / 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 20:27-28 – Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Romans 9:5 – Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. *
Colossians 2:9 – For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead {of the divinity; Greek: theotés} bodily. **
Remark: Yes, Jesus is divine and truly God by nature. Yet he is not the same person as God the Father (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:6; John 17:3).
Can Jesus be worshipped?
Matthew 28:9,17 – And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. / And when they saw him, they worshipped him {Jesus}: but some doubted.
Matthew 2:11 – And when they {the wise men} were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him {baby Jesus}: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.
John 9:35-38 – Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he {the man} worshipped him {Jesus}.
Matthew 14:32-33 – And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they {the disciples} that were in the ship came and worshipped him {Jesus}, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Remark: Absolutely. Jesus is divine like his Father and should be worshiped. We can also pray to Jesus directly (Acts 7:59). It is not allowed to worship humans (Acts 10:25–26) or angelic beings (Revelation 22:8–9; Colossians 2:18; Matthew 4:9–10). Note that worship is often specifically connected to Jesus being the Son of God (John 9:35–38; Matthew 14:32–33).
Was Jesus created?
Romans 1:25 – Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Remark: The Bible condemns the worship of created beings and things. If Jesus is to be worshiped (see Matthew 2:11; Matthew 14:32–33; Matthew 28:9, 17; John 9:35–38), then he cannot be a created being.
John 17:5,24 – And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I {Jesus} had with thee before the world was. / Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou {Father} lovedst me {Jesus} before the foundation of the world.
Colossians 1:15-16 – Who {Jesus} is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him … ***
Revelation 3:14 – And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God … °
Remark: Jesus existed before the creation of the world and therefore cannot be part of creation. Additionally, together with the Father, he himself was involved in creating and sustaining the world (see also John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 3:9; Hebrews 1:1-2).
What exactly makes Jesus divine?
Psalm 2:7-8 – I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
Remark: Applies to Jesus; see Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5.
John 5:17-18 – But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
Philippians 2:5-6 – Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God…
1 John 1:1-3 – That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life {Jesus}; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Remark: The first reason Jesus is divine and God is that, as the Son, he has inherited the nature of his Father, who is God (cf. Hebrews 1:2, 4, 8–9; Psalm 2:7–8, applied to Jesus in Acts 13:33 and Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5). The second reason is that he has eternal life in himself, which also follows from his being the Son of God the Father (cf. John 5:26–27).
Eternity
Is Jesus eternal?
Micah 5:2 – But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Luke 1:32-33 – He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Colossians 1:17 – And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Remark: See also 1 Peter 1:20. These prophecies and texts refer to Jesus (cf. Matthew 2:6) and show that he is everlasting.
Does Jesus have a beginning?
John 1:1-3 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with {the} God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with {the} God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Proverbs 8:22-23 – The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. °°
Remark: It may be impossible for us to comprehend how someone can be eternal and yet have a kind of beginning, yet that is what the Bible says. How to define “beginning” is also a question only God can answer. Instead of trying to explain it and imposing our own understanding on these verses, we should simply accept them (Deuteronomy 29:29). We should also accept that we cannot comprehend all the mysteries of the nature of God and his Son, Jesus Christ.
Footnotes
* In most translations, including the KJV, Romans 9:5 reads that Christ is “God blessed forever.” Other translations render it as Christ being “blessed by God forever.” Neither rendering should pose a problem for Bible-believing Christians who affirm both the distinct persons of the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, and the full divinity of Christ.
** Colossians 2:9 states that in Jesus the fullness (completeness) of deity dwells bodily. The word translated “Godhead” is the Greek theotēs (Strong’s 2320), used only once in the Bible, meaning “divinity” or “deity.” Thus, the text affirms that Jesus is fully divine, even in his bodily form—he is God in terms of his nature. This verse is often cited to support the idea that Jesus is part of a single deity called “the Trinity,” which, however, cannot be definitively proven using the Bible.
*** Remark: The KJV rendering of Colossians 1:15, “firstborn of every creature,” could be misunderstood as implying that Jesus is part of creation. Other biblical texts rule out this view. Additionally, some translations render it “firstborn over all creation.”
° Remark: Jesus is called “the beginning of the creation of God” in Revelation 3:14 because he is the executive agent of God’s will (cf. John 4:34; John 5:19; John 6:38 etc.). The phrase shows, first, that God the Father is the primary Creator, and second, that creation began through Jesus (1 Corinthians 8:6). The Greek word arché (Strong’s 746) can mean “beginning,” but it can also mean “ruler” or “power.” For example, it is translated as “rule” in 1 Corinthians 15:24 (among many other instances). This supports the biblical teaching that the Son is the agent—the executive power—of the Father. Paraphrased, the verse could be rendered “… the power behind the creation of God,” or alternatively, “the source of the creation of God.”
°° There are several reasons why Proverbs 8, beginning at verse 22, can—and should—be applied to Jesus:
- Proverbs 8 concerns wisdom. Jesus identifies himself as “the wisdom of God” (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:24, 30; Matthew 11:19).
- The wording echoes John 17:5, 24 and John 1:1–3.
- Proverbs 8:35 says that whoever finds wisdom finds life. Scripture teaches that knowing Jesus and God the Father gives us eternal life (John 14:6; John 17:3), and that wisdom itself is a gift from God. Thus, Proverbs 8 is best understood if Jesus is identified with wisdom.
- The act of creation was a collaboration between the Father and the Son (cf. John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 2:10; 3:9; Hebrews 1:1–2). In Proverbs 8:30, the phrase “as one brought up with him” can also be translated “as a craftsman beside him.” The Hebrew word amon, which in this form appears only once in the Bible, can mean “artificer,” “architect,” or “master workman.”
- In verse 31, “my delights were with the sons of men” could allude to Jesus as the primary mediator between God and humanity (cf. 1 Timothy 2:5) and to his active participation in the human experience, even partaking in our nature.
