Bible Study ESV
Titus 2:11-14, For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
Jesus is God
There are many beliefs people have about the nature of Jesus. I think by comparing a few of the different beliefs about the nature of Jesus will help us to understand what the bible says about Jesus. In this study, I will compare the belief that states God shifts from the Father to become the Son, asserting that Jesus is the Father, and also, I will compare another belief that states that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are three distinct gods, but are one in unity, asserting that Jesus is one of many gods. I will compare both of these beliefs to the belief that Jesus is a distinct person, but is the same in divine nature with the Father and with the Holy Spirit and all are one God, asserting that Jesus is God in the Trinity. There’s significant evidence in the bible that point to the Trinity and that Jesus is God the Son, who was sent by his Father. I hope to show that Jesus is not the Father and not one of many gods, but that Jesus is God.
Why is the nature of Jesus important? Why can’t what people choose to believe about Jesus be truth? I look to 2 John 1:7-9 to answer my questions. The Apostle John wrote to a woman and her children, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
What was John’s intent in his letter to the woman and her children? He was warning them about false teachings. Notice that John was concerned people believed Jesus did not come in the “flesh.” He called them a “deceiver” and an “antichrist” because they were changing the nature of Jesus. He was concerned because if anyone changed the nature of Jesus, they deceived other people to believe in a false Christ. He stated that believers will lose their “full reward” they have “worked for” if they believed that Jesus did not come in the “flesh.” This is important because John is talking to believers and he is telling them to “watch” themselves, so that they will not be mislead and loose their “full reward” in heaven. He also warned that anyone who “goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God.” This is important to understand. If anyone “goes on ahead,” teaching that Jesus did not come in the “flesh,” they are going beyond the truth and they do “not have God” because they are making up their own god. A false Christ cannot live a sinless life, and cannot make the Father known to us, and cannot die on the cross for our sins and reconcile us to God.
John was concerned because people changed the nature of Jesus into a spirit and denied that he came in the “flesh.” He’s not writing about changes, such as adding works, like circumcision to Christ, but he was writing about changing Jesus into a different nature. To believe that the Father came as the Son is to deny that the Son came in the flesh because this asserts that the Father is the Son, making the Son non existent. And to believe that the Father and the Son are two distinct gods in unity is to deny that the Son came in the flesh because this asserts that the Son is a distinct god among many, making the Son a non-god and non existent. Both of these beliefs change the nature of Jesus into something false and will not be of any use to you.
The Father is Not the Son
In the essay, “A Short: The Purpose of Life,” I wrote that the purpose of life is to know God in John 17:3, Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” But here we also see that Jesus is praying to his Father and that there is a relationship between two persons. Jesus stated that to have eternal life, is to know the Father, “the only true God, and Jesus Christ.” Jesus and the Father are two distinct persons, but they are equal because they both must be known to have eternal life. Jesus stated that the Father “sent” him to be the Christ. The Father did not send Jesus as himself. In Jesus’ own words, it’s clear that the Father is not the Son, and Jesus called the Father the “only true God,” meaning that there is one God, not two separate gods.
There is Only One God
In the essay, “A Short: Jesus is God,” I wrote that Jesus shared the same glory and presence with the Father in John 17:5, Jesus said, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” Jesus prayed to his Father to “glorify” him in the Father’s “own presence.” The Father’s “own presence” is distinct from all creation because it is the “presence” of the “only true God.” It is a “presence” that Jesus said, “I had with you” meaning that Jesus and the Father shared the Father’s “own presence” that is distinct from all creation before the “world existed.” Jesus wanted to return to his Father’s “own presence,” a “presence” that Jesus and the Father shared before the “world existed,” a “presence” that only God can enter into. Jesus is not going to change to become the Father to enter into the Father’s “own presence.” And two gods would each have their own distinct presence from each other even while united as one.
Additionally, Jesus prayed to the Father to “glorify” him in the Father’s own presence with the “glory” that he had with his Father before the “world existed.” The Father’s “glory” is distinct from creation because it is the “glory” of God. We see in Isaiah 42:8 that God does not give his “glory” to “no other.”
“I
am the Lord;
that is my name;
my glory I give to no
other,
nor my praise to carved idols.”
Since God does not give his “glory” to “no other,” there are no other gods. And since the Father does not give his “glory” to “no other,” and Jesus was “glorified” in the Father’s “own presence” with the “glory” that Jesus had with the Father before the “world existed,” then Jesus is God with the Father.
Jesus is Before All Things
When Jesus said he was with his Father before the “world existed,” what did he mean? I think Colossians 1:15-17 answers my question. Paul stated of Jesus our Lord and Savior, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
Since Jesus is “before all things,” then there was nothing before creation that was of creation. There was only God. Since Jesus created “all things” as described by Paul, nothing of creation existed before creation including the “world.” This means that all things in “heaven and on earth,” and all things “visible and invisible” and all things “whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” did not exist until Jesus created them. This means that Jesus, who is “the image of the invisible God,” as Paul described, was with the Father “before all things.” But wait a minute, wasn’t Jesus born of the virgin Mary? Here, we begin to see Jesus’s nature of being truly human and truly God. Jesus the man was formed in his mother’s womb, but Jesus, God the Son never had a beginning and was never created and was with his Father “before all all things.” Jesus the man was born of a woman and was formed in the womb, and Jesus, God the Son was also born of a woman, but was not formed in the womb. When Paul said, “in him all things hold together,” Paul was stating that Jesus retained his divine nature as a man. So, when Jesus was in the womb, he held “all things together.” Jesus was truly human and truly God.
The Firstborn is a Title
In Colossians 1:15, Paul stated that Jesus is the “firstborn of all creation,” which sounded confusing since Jesus is “before all things” as Paul described, but notice that it said “firstborn of,” not firstborn in “all creation.” For Jesus to be “firstborn of all creation” does not mean that Jesus is “of” creation, but that Jesus is “of” first importance over “all creation.” Paul’s intention was to show the position or rank of Jesus over all creation. To be “firstborn” was a title used by Paul to show Jesus’ supremacy above all creation. For example, the firstborn title was given to King David to show King David’s supremacy above all “kings of the earth” as seen in,
Psalms 89:20,
“I
have found David, my servant;
with my
holy oil I have anointed him”
And in Psalms 89:27,
“And
I will make him the firstborn,
the
highest of the kings of the earth.”
King David was seventh born as seen in 1 Chronicles 2:13-15, “Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third, Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, Ozem the sixth, David the seventh.” Paul’s use of “firstborn” does not mean that Jesus was the firstborn child of God. Paul’s use of “firstborn” was to show Jesus’ preeminence above all creation, like King David’s preeminence above all kings.
From a cultural aspect, the Israelites gave the title of “firstborn” to the first born son. In Genesis 49:2-3, we see that Reuben was the first born son of Jacob, but also was the heir to inherit and rule.
Assemble
and listen, O sons of Jacob,
listen to
Israel your father.
“Reuben,
you are my firstborn,
my might, and
the firstfruits of my strength,
preeminent
in dignity and preeminent in power.
Reuben was Jacob’s first born son, and we see that to be “firstborn” carried with it preeminence in “dignity” and preeminence in “power.” To be firstborn had a literal meaning of being the first born son, but also the “firstborn” title was given to the first born son, and the title carried with it preeminence over family members and over other people. Reuben was Jacob’s first born son. This meant that Reuben had preeminence in “dignity” and “power” over his siblings and over other people because he was suppose to inherit all that was his father’s and to be the ruler, but instead it was all given to another son, Judah, which also shows that the “firstborn” title could be taken from the first born son. Paul’s use of the “firstborn” title was to show Jesus’ preeminence over all creation, not that Jesus was the Father’s first born Son.
Another example of the use of “firstborn” as a title is seen in Exodus 4:21-23, “And the Lord said to Moses, ‘When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.’” Israel is the “firstborn son” because they are the people God first chose to set apart from all other people to reveal himself to the world, through the prophets and through Christ Jesus.
The Only True God
In John 10:30, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one,” to the Jews in the temple. Since Jesus shared in his Father’s “own presence” and “glory” before all things were created, and since Jesus and his Father are “one,” then they are the “only true God.” Jesus and his Father are two distinct persons, but are “one” God. They are not two distinct gods united as one. In Deuteronomy 32:39, the “only true God” said,
Since there is “no god beside me,” then the Father and the Son are not two distinct gods united as one, but they are one God in two persons. And since the “only true God” identifies himself as “he” and “me” and “I,” he is a person, and therefore can’t be multiple shifting persons, where the Father changes to become the Son.
Additionally, In Isaiah 45:5-7, we see that there are no other gods;
“I
am the Lord,
and there is no other,
besides me there
is no God;
I equip you, though you do
not know me,
that people may know, from the rising of the
sun
and from the west, that there is
none besides me;
I am the Lord,
and there is no other.
I form light and create darkness;
I
make well-being and create calamity;
I
am the Lord,
who does all these things.”
And in Isaiah 45:22-23,
“Turn
to me and be saved,
all the ends of the
earth!
For I am God, and there is no
other.
By myself I have sworn;
from
my mouth has gone out in righteousness
a
word that shall not return:
‘To me every knee shall
bow,
every tongue shall swear
allegiance.”
There are no other gods. There is only one God, who has made himself known to us through his Son, Jesus. What did it mean when Jesus said “I and the Father are one” to the Jews in the temple? Does it mean Jesus and the Father are one in unity? In a sense, yes, but that isn’t what Jesus is saying. In John 10:28-29, Jesus said, “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.” Here we see that “no one will snatch” from Jesus’ hand and “no one can snatch” from the Father’s hand. But look at Deuteronomy 32:39, where God said, “and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.” Jesus is claiming the same power as the Father by referring himself to Deuteronomy 32:39 and the Jews understood what Jesus meant. In another example, Jesus said, “I give them eternal life.” But look at Deuteronomy 32:39, where God said, “I make alive.” When Jesus said, “I give them eternal life,” he is claiming to give life, which only God can do. When Jesus said, “I and the Father are one,” he didn’t mean unity. Jesus meant that he and the Father have the same divine power and nature. They are not distinct gods that are united. Distinct gods would each have different traits and different goals even while united. That is how we perceive things because we are human. The only thing I can think of to explain that Jesus and his Father are “one” is that they just are in divine nature. Like what God said in Exodus 3:14, “I am who I am.” That God is who he is, which makes him unlike anything we know.
Yet, Jesus said, “I and the Father are one,” and also said, my Father is “greater than all.” I think there are few things going on here. One is that Jesus is showing us humility. It would be boasting if Jesus said, “I am greater than all,” so Jesus simply said, “I and the Father are one,” and said that his Father is “greater than all,” which would mean that Jesus is “greater than all” with the Father. Another thing is if Jesus said “I and my Father are greater than all,” then Jesus and his Father would not be “one.” They would be two distinct gods, each greater than the other because to be greater than all, each would have to be greater than the other. Since Jesus doesn’t claim to be greater than all, the Father and the Son are not competing for greatness.
Jesus is Truly God and Truly Human
Another way to look at it when Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” and my Father is “greater than all” is that Jesus was speaking about his human nature. For example, Jesus is equal with the Father in divinity, but less because of his humanity. We see this in John 17:5, Jesus said, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” Another way to look at it is Jesus is equal with his Father in divinity, but less because he is the Son in position. We see this in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
Paul wrote of Jesus’ divine and human nature in Philippians 2:6-11, “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Notice that Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant.” He did not empty himself of divinity, but he became a man. Paul said that Jesus was in the “form of God.” And in Colossians 1:15, Paul also said that Jesus is “the image of the invisible God.” Jesus is the “form” and “image” of God because Jesus is of God. That God became truly a man is how God became our substitute on the cross to pay for our sins. To be anything less than a man would not be our substitute. That God would empty himself to become truly a man and humble himself to become “obedient to the point of death” show us what God is like. This just blows me away because it’s a glimpse of God that we really cannot understand, but there it is.
Another example of Jesus’ human and divine nature is in John 1:14, John said, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Certainly John witnessed Jesus’ transfiguration on the mountain along with Peter and James when they saw “his glory.” They were shown a glimpse of Jesus in “glory” before the crucifixion. Yet, John understood that the “Word became flesh,” that “[God] became flesh” in the man Jesus. And John understood that Jesus was “the only Son from the Father,” who lived among us to give us truth and grace from the Father that we might accept it and be saved. That the “Word became flesh” is the most important thing that ever happened.
Jesus, though he is God, did not consider equality with God something to be used for his own advantage, so he “emptied himself” by becoming a man. He became “obedient” to death on the cross to satisfy God’s wrath because of our sin. There is no greater humility, no greater love than God becoming a man to live with us, to make himself known to us, and then to let us hang him on a cross, so that he can provide a way to pay for our sins, to satisfy his justice, so that we can be with him for eternity.
Jesus Claimed to Be God
Jesus claimed to be God in multiple places in scripture. His claims are direct claims that the Jewish leaders understood. In John 10:31-33, the Jews knew exactly what Jesus meant when he said, “I and the Father are one.” In response to Jesus’ claim, “The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’”
The Jews wanted to stone Jesus because they believed he was offending God by claiming to be God. The Jews recognized that Jesus was claiming to be God, so they wanted to stone him to death, but the Jews did not recognize what Jesus told them about God. They did not understand that Jesus said “I and the Father are one,” that both Jesus and the Father are God. The Jews only accused Jesus of making himself God, but they did not understand what Jesus said about God. Both the Jews and Jesus were talking about one God, not two gods, or of any other form of a god, but the Jews didn’t understand that Jesus meant that both he and the Father are the “only true God.”
In John 8:56-59, Jesus said to the Jews, “Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad. So the Jews said to him, ‘You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?’ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.’ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.” When Jesus said, before Abraham was, “I am,” he was quoting Exodus 3:14, when God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” This is significant because Jesus clearly knew who he was, and he told the Jews that he is God in a way that they would understand. The Jews thought Jesus was insulting God by claiming to be God and were going to stone him to death if he had not “hid himself” and escaped out of the temple. The argument between Jesus and the Jews was about one God, not multiple gods or any other form of a god. Jesus did not claim to be a god, and he did not claim to be the Father. Jesus claimed to be the “only true God,” the great “I am,” who spoke to Moses and Abraham. When Jesus claimed to be God, he meant, “I and the Father are one.”
In Mark 14: 62-63, Jesus was brought before the council of the chief priests, and they were trying to find a way to kill him. Many people could not agree on their testimony against him, so the “high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?’ And Jesus said, ‘I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ And the high priest tore his garments and said, ‘What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?’ And they all condemned him as deserving death.”
Jesus was crucified because he claimed to be God. Jesus claimed to be God when he said, he was “the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” To be at the “right hand of Power” is to claim the authority of God and to come with the “clouds of heaven” is to claim to be God. The high priest responded with tearing his clothes and said, “What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy.” Beforehand, the priests couldn’t judge him because they couldn’t find witnesses who agreed in their testimony. But, when Jesus claimed to be God, they all witnessed his claim right before their eyes.
The high priest asked Jesus, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Here, we see that the high priest called God “the Blessed.” And the high priest knew that the “Christ” would be “the Son of the Blessed.” And Jesus answered the high priest, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Here, Jesus is linking “the Christ, the Son of the Blessed” to being “seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Jesus said this to the high priest, and in front of other priests and witness, and he knew that they would kill him for saying it. To be seated at the “right hand of Power” is to claim all authority. The high priest was there to judge Jesus, but Jesus claimed that his authority was higher than the high priests’ authority, and that he would judge the high priest. Only the high priest could go into the Holiest place within the Jewish temple to be in God’s presence once a year. But Jesus claimed to be “seated at the right hand of Power,” which is to claim the presence and glory of God. This enraged the high priest and he tore his clothes because the high priest believed himself to be the highest authority in the world.
When Jesus called himself “the Son of Man,” he was referring to Daniel 7:13-14, which is a prophecy about the Messiah,
“I saw in the night visions,
and behold,
with the clouds of heaven
there came one
like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of
Days
and was presented before him.
And
to him was given dominion
and glory and
a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and
languages
should serve him;
his
dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which
shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
that
shall not be destroyed.”
In his vision, Daniel saw the “one like a son of man” was given “dominion” over “all peoples, nations, and languages.” The “Ancient of Days” is the Father. The “one like a son of man” is “like” a son of man. A son of man is human, but the “one like a son of man” is a divine person. When Jesus called himself “the Son of Man,” he was referring himself to be the “one like a son of man,” who the Father has given all authority.
Jesus referred to himself as “the Son of Man,” but never as a son of man. A son of man has a human father, but “the Son of Man” has the heavenly Father. A son of man is of his human father, but “the Son of Man” is of his heavenly Father. A son of man is formed in a womb, but “the Son of Man” was with his Father before all creation. Jesus, “the Son of Man,” was formed in Mary’s womb, but “the Son of Man” always existed and was never formed or created. Here again we see Jesus as truly God and truly human.
In Matthew 28:16-20 Jesus claimed all authority and some disciples doubted, “Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.” At first, I didn’t understand why some “doubted” after all they had witnessed Jesus walking on water, feeding thousands with a few loaves of bread and a few fish, calming the storm, casting out demons, healing the sick, and resurrecting the dead, and that they were with Jesus who was himself resurrected. They were talking to and eating with a man who resurrected himself from the grave, but some “doubted.” Then I realized that they were not doubting all they had witnessed, but they were doubting if they should worship him. Jesus knew this and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” For Jesus to claim that “all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” is to claim to be the judge of all. And that Jesus said, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” is to claim to be omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Only God can make these claims. Jesus said to the disciples to baptize people in the “name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Here we see the Trinity. Notice that Jesus said in the “name of,” not in the names of. Jesus, who has “all authority” stated that there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who are all one “name.” Since we know that Jesus and his Father are “one,” and since we know that there is only one true God, then the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are the “only true God.”
Jesus has been given all authority. He has been given authority to judge us all. This is important because all of us will face judgment. Those who believe will face judgment of their good deeds that will result in their reward in heaven, and those who reject Jesus will face judgment that will separate them from God. It is my hope that you dear reader will follow the will of the Father, And this is the will of the Father according to Jesus in John 6:40, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” If you believe that Jesus died on the cross for you, then I praise God because you have been given Jesus’ righteousness and you will be given eternal life with God. Therefore, I urge you to follow in the way of Jesus. If you follow in the way of Jesus, then I praise God because the light of the Son is shining in you for others to see and your reward in heaven will be great.
The Angels Worship Jesus
In Hebrews 1:5-14, Paul paraphrases and quotes the Old Testament to show that Jesus is God.
5 “For to which of the angels did God ever say,
“You
are my Son,
today I have begotten you”?
Or again,
“I
will be to him a father,
and he shall be
to me a son”?
The Son is distinct from the angels because no angel has “ever” been called “my Son” or has “ever” been “begotten” by the Father. To be “begotten” sounds like the Son had a beginning, but we know from Colossians 1:17, that “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” And we know Jesus was sent by the Father in John 6:38, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” And we know that Jesus was with his Father before all creation in John 17:5, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” But we also know that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. In Luke 1:35, the angel Gabriel said to Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.” Here we see the Trinity, and we see the creation of Jesus in the womb. The Father sent his Son, and the Holy Spirit was upon Mary, and the Son became Jesus in Mary’s womb. The human nature of Jesus began through the Holy Spirit within Mary’s womb. Jesus the man was formed in the womb, but also Jesus is “begotten” of the Father because Jesus is the Son of God who was with the Father before creation and who was sent from the Father to be the Christ. Jesus is the “Son of God” because he is of God.
In the ESV translation of John 3:16, we read, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” In the NKJV translation, we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” In the ESV, Jesus is the “only Son” and in the NKJV, Jesus is the “only begotten Son.” When I look up the definition of begotten in English, it means a child is born of a mother and a father. But when I look up the definition of begotten in Greek, begotten is the Greek word monogenes, which means, “one and only, unique.”
Link to Greek Dictionary, https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/monogenes
So, there a big difference between the English meaning of begotten and the Greek meaning. When I apply the English meaning of begotten to the NKJV, we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only [fathered by reproductive means] Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” And in the Greek, we read, “For God so loved the world that He gave His [one and only, unique] Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Since the Greek is the language most of the New Testament was written in, that is where we should draw meaning from. And when we do that, “begotten” means that Jesus is of God and that he is the one and only unique Son of God. Jesus the man was not fathered in any sense that we as humans understand.
The Son had to be born in the flesh as a man to take our sins. If Jesus was not born in the flesh, then there would be no substitute for us. Our substitute cannot be less than human or greater than human. This is why it was important to John in 2 John 1:7-9 that people believed Jesus came in the “flesh.” Because when a person believes in Jesus, Jesus becomes their substitute and pays for their sins on the cross. In Colossians 2:13, Paul said, “by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” And in 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul said, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” To do this, a person must believe that they have sinned, and they must believe that Jesus will pay for their sins. When a person does this, they are accepting God’s gift of grace, which will make them right with God. Jesus takes the person’s punishment, and the person gets eternal life with God. If a person refuses this gift, then they pay for their own sins.
Hebrews 1:5-14 continued,
Paul’s use of “today I have begotten you” was quoted from Psalm 2:7, where King David wrote,
“I
will tell of the decree:
The Lord said
to me, “You are my Son;
today I
have begotten you.
Ask
of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and the
ends of the earth your possession.”
Written by King David, this Psalm is about King David, but more importantly, this Psalm is also a prophecy about the coming of the Messiah.
Therefore, in Psalm 2:7, we see that the Father said to the Son,
“You
are my Son;
today I have begotten
you.
Ask of me, and I will make the nations your
heritage,
and the ends of the earth
your possession.”
For King David, “today I have begotten you,” referred to the day he became king and the firstborn over all kings. The day he inherited a vast kingdom. I think for Jesus, “today I have begotten you,” referred to the day when the Father made “the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” I think this is referring to the day of the crucifixion when Jesus paid for our sins. Because of the day of Jesus’ crucifixion, all who believe in him become his “heritage” and “possession,” and all who are his “heritage” and “possession” become new in him. Without this day, there is no “heritage” or “possession.”
Hebrews 1:5-14 continued,
6 “And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
“Let all God's angels worship him.”
When Paul said in Hebrews 1:6, “Let all God's angels worship him,” he was referring to Deuteronomy 32:43,
“Rejoice
with him, O heavens;
bow
down to him, all gods.”
All of Deuteronomy 32 is about God. And Deuteronomy 32:43 is about all the angels worshiping God, so Paul is making it clear that the angels, who are greater than us, worship Jesus, who is the Son. In Hebrews 1:6, we read, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” In Deuteronomy 32:43, we read, “bow down to him, all gods.” To Paul, these meant the same thing. That all the angels worship God. That all the angels worship the Son.
The angels are God’s servants who worship God, and they tell us to worship God only. We see this in Revelations 22:8-9, John fell down to worship an angel, “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me, but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.’”
Hebrews 1:5-14 continued,
7 “Of the angels he says,
“He
makes his angels winds,
and his
ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But of the Son he says,
“Your
throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the
scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
9
You
have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God,
your God, has anointed you
with the
oil of gladness beyond your companions.”
The angels were made for specific purposes, but the Father said to his Son, “Your throne, O God is forever and ever,” and said “therefore God, your God, has anointed you.” Here we see Paul’s intention, that the Father, who is God, called his Son God. And said that his Son will rule his kingdom. We can see that Paul’s intention is clear in that Jesus is above the angels, and that Jesus is of God, and that Jesus and the Father are “one” God.
Hebrews 1:5-14 continued,
“You,
Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning,
and
the heavens are the work of your hands;
11
they
will perish, but you remain;
they will
all wear out like a garment,
12
like
a robe you will roll them up,
like a
garment they will be changed.
But you are the same,
and
your years will have no end.
13 And to which of the angels has he ever said,
Sit
at my right hand
until I make your
enemies a footstool for your feet?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?”
No angel sits at the “right hand” of the Father. No angel will the Father make “enemies a footstool for [their] feet.” No angel will the Father give all authority. All angels are “all ministering spirits” for those who are to “inherit salvation.” The Father said of his Son, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands.” And in Hebrews 1:1-2, we read, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.” The Son “laid the foundation” of the earth and the heavens, and the Father “created the world” and the heavens through the Son. The Son does the will of his Father in all things, and the Father and the Son are “one” in all things.
The heavens and the earth will be rolled up, “like a garment” and “changed,” but the Son’s “years will have no end.” Our years have a beginning and an end, but the Son has no beginning and has no end. In Psalm 90:1-2, we see that God always has been and always will be;
“Lord,
you have been our dwelling place
in
all generations.
Before
the mountains were brought forth,
or
ever you had formed the earth and the world,
from
everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
And in Isaiah 57:15,
“For
thus says the One who is high and lifted up,
who
inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy.”
The Father and the Son are before all things, but our world and the heavens will be rolled up, “like a garment” and “will be changed.” The Son was with his Father before creation and during creation. The Son was in the Spirit when he was with his Father before creation and during creation. The Son, who became the man Jesus was crucified and was buried and was raised from the dead and ascended into heaven and is with his Father now. The Father is not the Son because if the Father is the Son, then the Son was not crucified, did not die, was not buried, was not resurrected, and did not ascend into heaven, and is not now with his Father.
Jesus is God in the Old Testament
In Exodus 3:2-6, we read, “And the angel of the Lord appeared to [Moses] in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, ‘I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.’ When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ Then he said, ‘Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.’ And he said, ‘I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.’”
The angel of the Lord appeared in a “flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. The angel of the Lord “saw that [Moses] turned aside to see.” Then God “called to [Moses] out of the bush.” Since the angel of the Lord “appeared in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush,” and God called out to Moses from the bush, then the angel of the Lord and God are “one” in the same. We see the angel of the Lord call himself, “the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Also, in the Hebrew language, the title “Lord” means Yahweh, which is the name of God. So, the angel of the Lord is the angel of Yahweh.
The angel of the Lord is God the Son before he entered into the world and became the man Jesus. Why do I think the angel of the Lord is the God the Son? Because in Exodus 23:20-21 God said, “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him.” The angel is the angel of the Lord because God’s “name is in him.” When God said to the Israelites, “Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice,” Here, the Father is telling the Israelites to listen to the angel of the Lord. Likewise, we see this again with Peter, James, and John during the transfiguration in Matthew 17:5, when, “behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’” Here, the Father is telling Peter, James, and John to listen to his “beloved Son.” God gave further instruction to the Israelites and said, “do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression.” Here, the Father has given the Angel of the Lord authority to be the judge of the Israelites. Likewise, we see this again in Matthew 28:18, when Jesus said to disciples, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Here, the Father has given all authority to his Son, Jesus. God said to the Israelites, “Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.” Here, God sent the angel of the Lord to show the Israelites the way to the place God had prepared for them. Likewise, the Father sent the Son, Jesus to show us the way to the place that he has been prepared for us. To find the place he has prepared for us, we must listen to the Son.
Jesus and the Father are Distinct Persons
Now let’s look at an example that show Jesus and his Father as two distinct persons. In John 4:31-34, we read, “Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.”
Jesus’ “food” is to do the will of his Father and to “accomplish” his Father’s work. We see that Jesus did his Father’s will in place of his own will. This shows two persons, but of one doing the will of the other. We also see that Jesus did the “will of him who sent me.” Jesus was sent “sent” by his Father, not to do his own will, but the will of his Father. The Father did not send himself as the Son.
Jesus’ “food” is to do his Father’s will, and his Father’s will is not a “food” that temporarily satisfies hunger, but a “food” that you eat once and never hunger again. And this is the will of the Father in John 6:40, Jesus said, “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” Our food is what Jesus is offering in John 6:35, “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” And in John 4:10, Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” Our “food” is to eat the “bread of life” and drink the “living water” that Jesus freely gives simply by believing in him. Therefore, our “food” is the Father’s will. By our faith in Jesus, that he died for our sins, reconciles us to God and we receive God’s grace, which is the “gift of God,” and we become a child of God, and we get to live with him for eternity, without any merit from ourselves.
In another example in John 5:30-32, Jesus said, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me. If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who bears witness about me, and I know that the testimony that he bears about me is true.” Jesus said that his testimony about himself “alone” is not true, but his Father’s testimony about him is true. If the Father changed into his Son, then the testimony of the Son is not true because there is no other to bear witness. What the Father said about the Son is true and what the Son said about his Father is true because they are two persons.
In another example we see that Jesus did not look to glorify himself, and the Father did not look to glorify himself. Jesus glorified his Father in John 17:4, “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.” And the Father glorifies Jesus as seen in John 8:54, Jesus said, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me.” Here we see that the Father glorifies the Son and the Son glorifies the Father by doing the Father’s will. Neither glorifies himself.
And in Philippians 1:2, Paul wrote that the Father and Jesus are distinct persons in his greeting, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice that Paul states that “grace” and “peace” are distinct and that they both come from God our Father “and” from the Lord Jesus Christ, who are also distinct.
Who Do You Say I Am?
It was important to John in 2 John 1:7-9 that people believed in the true nature of Jesus. Within a short time after Jesus’ death on the cross, people were already changing the nature of Jesus into something false. John knew that they were wrong and he was careful to show this in his writing. This is important because Jesus himself wanted to know what people thought of him. In Matthew 16:13-17, “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” Peter knew that the Son of Man was the Messiah and the Son of God. Peter did not know this from other people, who believed Jesus was “one of the prophets.” He knew it from the Father.
In Matthew 17:1-8, we read about the transfiguration, “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’ When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‘Rise, and have no fear.’ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.”
Jesus chose to take Peter, James, and John to witness his transfiguration because people believe Jesus was “one of the prophets.” Some people said he was, “John the Baptist, others [said] Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” They were changing Jesus’ nature into something false, so Jesus wanted Peter, James, and John to have no doubt of who he was because of what other people believed. Jesus showed Peter, James, and John, that he was not “one of the prophets.” Jesus “shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light,” and Moses and Elijah appeared “talking with him,” and a “bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.’’ Peter, James, and John “fell on their faces and were terrified.” They were not scared or frightened, but they were “terrified.” When people see and hear God in glory, they always fall on their faces terrified. We commonly think of being terrified because of something horrific, something evil, but to be in the presence of a Holy God is terrifying to us because we are evil. We cannot handle the presence of a Good and Perfect God. Whatever doubt Peter, James, and John may have had about Jesus must have been gone because they saw Jesus speaking to Moses and Elijah, and they saw him in glory, and they heard the voice of the Father.
Hold Fast to the Teaching of Christ
Why is it so important that Jesus be recognized for who he is? Because without the truth, people will believe in a lie and be deceived. It’s important what we believe. What we believe will determine where we will spend eternity. There are two choices. An eternity with God or and eternity without God. And God desires that everyone believe in the truth. In 1 Timothy 2:3-6, Paul said, “God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” God our Savior desires all people to be “saved.” And God our Savior desires all people to “come to the knowledge of truth.” Jesus is the “ransom for all,” and Jesus is the “one mediator between God and men.” There are no other mediators and there is no other ransom and there is no other god. To be “saved,” you must believe Jesus died for you. Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
We often believe that what is relative to the person is good, so it’s no surprise that we think we can make God into our own image. We often declare what is false to be truth, so it’s not surprising that in the lifetime of Jesus and the Apostles, other people wanted to change the truth. John said in 2 John 1:9, “Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.” And Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:14-15, “To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” John urged believers to abide in the teachings of Christ. Paul urged believers to “stand firm” to the “traditions” that they were “taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” There is no wiggle room here. The apostles do not want other people adding to what they taught because it matters where we place our faith. Genuine faith can be placed in a Christ that did not come in the flesh, but that faith will not save anyone. Genuine trust can be placed in a Christ that did not come in the flesh, but that trust will not save anyone.
You can believe that Jesus is God. You can believe that the Father and the Son are one. You can believe in the Trinity. You can believe that Jesus died for our sins. You can believe that Jesus rose from the dead. You can believe all these things, but if you change the nature of Jesus into a spirit, or an angel, or into the Father, or one of many gods, or a form of another god, or into a prophet, or into a teacher, or into an idea, or into a brother, or into a moral example, or a part of all things, or that you are the Christ in you, or any other form, you are believing in a false god. I encourage you to study the bible, and to abide in the teaching, so that you may know Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). To know the Father is to know the Son. To know the Son is to know the Father.
One of the reasons why I think God said “I am” to Moses is to state that he is not what others make him out to be. God is who he is and there is no other like him. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are three distinct persons and they are one God. The Father is a distinct person and is God. The Son is a distinct person and is God. The Holy Spirit is a distinct person and is God. The Father is not the Son. The Son is not the Father. The Father and Son are not the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit is not the Father and is not the Son. All three are one God. They are one God because they have the same divine nature. Three distinct persons, but one divine nature.
There are many more examples of Jesus is God in the Old Testament and the New Testament. I have shown only just a few of the examples in this study.
Paul ended 2 Corinthians 13:14, with the Trinity, and so I end this study with Paul’s words, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
If you made it this far, I thank you and I am grateful for your time and interest. May God Bless you.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.