“Jesus never claimed to be God.”
Ever heard that one? Thanks to my friend Tim Fall, here are some scriptures that clearly speak directly to Jesus’ divinity (and to Mr. Grudem). They’re good to have on hand:
1. Verses using the word “Theos” (God) to refer to Jesus (a term reserved only for God in the O.T.) – John 1:1, 1:18, 20:28, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8 (quotes Psalm 45:6) and 2 Peter 1:1, Isaiah 9:6.
2. Verses using Kyrios (“Lord”) to refer to Christ: Luke 2:11, 1:43, 2:18, Matt. 3:3 (From Isaiah 40:3), Jesus quoting Psalm 110:1; 1 Cor. 8:6, 12:3 and many other Pauline Epistles. Hebrews 1:10-12 quoting Psalm 102, Revelation 19:16.
3. Other verses claiming deity:
A. Jesus tells the religious leaders that Abraham had seen Jesus’ day, they reply: “You are not yet fifty years old, and you have seen Abraham?” (John 8:57) Jesus then says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” So they took up stones to throw at him (John 8:59)
B. Jesus says in Revelation: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
C. John 1:1 calls Jesus “God” and refers to him as “The Word” become flesh (Psalm 33:6 – the Word that created the heavens and the earth). “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father).
3. Jesus as the “Son of Man”. Jesus calls himself “the Son of Man” (Matt. 16:13, Luke 9:18), quoting Daniel 7 where Daniel saw one like a “Son of Man” who “came to the Ancient of Days” and was given “dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and language should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away.” This “Son of Man” “came on the clouds of heaven”. Jesus affirms this definition of his favorite title, “Son of Man” when he says, “Hereafter you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:64. For this reason the Pharisees said, “He has uttered blasphemy…He deserves death.” (26:65-66)
E. Jesus as the “Son of God.” This can be seen in Matthew 11:25-30; 17:5; 1 Corinthians 15:28; Hebrews 1:1-3, 5, 8). Especially seen in John’s gospel: 1:14, 18, 24, 49, 8:19, 14:9. John affirms that we can trust Jesus for eternal life (this is never claimed for a human prophet) – John 3:16, 36, 20:31. He has been given authority as Son of God to give life, pronounce eternal judgment, and rule over all: John 3:36, 5:20-22, 25; 10:17, 16:15). As Son he also existed before he came into the world – John 3:17, 5:23, 10:36. The first three verses of Hebrews say it clearly: Jesus is the “appointed heir of all things, through whom also he created the world”, who “reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp (exact duplicate – charakter) of his nature, upholding the universe by the word of his power.”
Tomorrow we’ll look at what Jesus DID to prove He was God in the Flesh.
godstory.wordpress.com 
If only I were scholarly enough to claim credit for that list I used in a comment on yesterday’s post, Nick. Actually, I relied on the good work of Van Lees over at monergism.com: http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Jesus-Christ/Deity-of-Christ/
Tim
Nice – monergirm.com is a resource you mentioned a few weeks ago, and I’ve been using it for lesson prep. I love it.
Jesus never told anyone to worship him. Consider, for example, how Jesus says (John 5:30) “I can’t do anything by myself. Whatever I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just. I don’t seek my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” Please show me a passage in which Jesus tells someone to worship anyone other than God. Or even a passage in which Jesus congratulates someone for his or her efforts of worshipping someone or something other than God. No, Jesus never claimed a title of divinity. Did others claim Jesus as divine? Of course! Many people did in fact (please see above post). Is that a surprise….
Jesus, however, never claimed to be god or divine principally because of these reasons:
1) God was not born and cannot be born! (Remember this one especially)
2) The Bible affirms as per God’s words, “no one has ever seen God”
3) Jesus ate, slept, breathed, and prayed like any other man. God does not eat, does not pray, and cannot be in need.
4) Jesus avowed that God’s knowledge surpasses his; he admitted his deficiency of wisdom and gave due credit to He who sent him
5) The term “Son of God” was not restricted to Jesus even in the Bible
6) God cannot change; changing is not in God’s nature. That is to say, God has always been, currently is, and will always be perfect.
7) God is the object of worship. Jesus never asked anyone to worship him.
8) God was not born and cannot be born! This reason particularly, above all, trumps anything said by Paul, Titus, Timothy, etc. Why? Because being born would go against his nature.
Yes, people wrongly attribute a title of divinity to Jesus, who never told anyone to worship him, which dangerously contradicts the most essential commandment. But no, he would never make such a claim himself. Jesus instructed anyone who was fortunate to interact with him to believe in God and to follow His commandments. Earlier, this was disputed. Well, here it is in the red letter:
“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments” (Matthew 19:17, New International Version).
And no, he would never try to convince someone or instruct someone to do otherwise. Please show a passage in which he tells someone to believe in anyone but God.
That, actually, is exactly why Jesus was sent. Because before he was sent, Moses came with the same message, but Jesus had to be sent because there was still a community that had refused to heed the message from Moses. There were many people during that time that chose instead to worship idols and false Gods. They did not have the belief in the One true God. And that was precisely why God sent Jesus as a messenger to soften the deadened hearts of the lost Children of Israel and to fulfill His law, not abolish it. And what was this message? Belief in the one exclusive God, devoid of partners, relations, etc. (note, this message was not any different from that conveyed by Moses, Noah, etc.)
It should be noted, the verses mentioned here are straight from the New International Version of the Bible, and to think they are “spurn[ed]” from the Scripture is imprudent and hazardous. Select any Bible mentioned in the list from my post in the previous topic, which was very similar to this one, and you will find this statement guaranteed.
What had people done? They had associated someone with God. That mere act is a breach of the first commandment. And that is why in the Bible, God says to Moses, “I will raise up from them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” (The New International Version, Deuteronomy chapter 18, verse 18). What Jesus did preach was to follow the commandments, and most importantly the fundamental commandment: belief in One God.
“Because before he was sent, Moses came with the same message, but Jesus had to be sent because there was still a community that had refused to heed the message from Moses.”
So Jesus taught first covenant doctrine (follow the commandments), the same covenant Moses taught? Then why on earth did Jesus die on the cross for our sins? And what do you do with the Epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians (along with passages from other books of the Bible), where we are repeatedly told not to bother keeping the law, the commandments, because it’s impossible for us and besides now Jesus has fulfilled all of them for us?
Blessings,
Tim
Continued from post above.
Jesus Christ did not, will not, and has not claimed to be God. (Note: Jesus Christ).
Positioned before me lay various versions of the Bible. To be sure, the New International Version (pub. 1984), the New Living Translation (pub. 2007), the English Standard Version (pub. 2001), King James 2000 Bible (the 2003 published version), the Weymouth New Testament (pub. in 1987; please note, this edition also known as The New Testament in Modern Speech, as well as The Modern Speech New Testament), and the World English Bible (edition that includes Psalms and Proverbs, pub. 2000). Please inform, if any version is preferred in these discussions. Oftentimes they offer conflicting accounts, which only exasperate the Bible reading experience. Has anyone had to go through that? Maybe if one invested in purchasing the Bible, one would become frustrated with the conflicting versions. Sure, a word or two here and there is fine…translation has its drawbacks. But when it becomes a hassle: when more serious matters are varying across texts, well, that is when you have to sit down and tell yourself, “What do I know about God?” First, I know God cannot be born. I know that God cannot die. I know that God cannot eat, drink, etc. It doesn’t take an apostle or a PhD or a divinity school degree to affirm those statements. Those should be second nature. And if they are not, then one should really remember, one can think to a significant extent for oneself, without the aid of others. And if one cannot arrive at the conclusion of those statements above, then that is where this conversation ends.
If certain statements differ amongst the different versions, how can one arrive at the same conclusion? However, if certain statements remain constant across versions, timelines, geographical or linguistic boundaries, than these statements must be given precedence. These statements are often regarded throughout the religious world as “explicit” in that they are unambiguous and remain definitive across texts.
Theos:
1. John 1:1
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the word was God.” New International Version.
“[T]he Word”- an expression applied to God.
“In the beginning was the Word (expression applied to God), and the Word (applied to God) was with God, and the word (applied to God) was God.”
In no way does this statement support Jesus claiming to be God. Jesus would never make such a claim. In fact, when a man addressed Jesus as even a “Good” Teacher (please note, Good teacher), Jesus replied, “Why do you call me good? No one is good except the one God.” (Mark 10:18).
2. John 1:18
“No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” New International Version.
“No one has ever seen God, but the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us.” New Living Translation.
“No one has ever seen God, the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.” English Standard Version.
“No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.” King James Bible.
“No human eye has ever seen God: the only Son, who is in the Father’s bosom– He has made Him known.” Weymouth New Testament.
“No one has seen God at any time. The one and only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared him.” World English Bible.
Explicit statement: “No one has ever seen God.” God cannot be seen (Exodus 33:20).
On the other hand, Jesus was a man who was seen by thousands of people and cannot be God. Jesus never claimed a title of divinity. Jesus came to achieve one purpose and one purpose alone: he was a messenger of God sent to convey God’s message of belief in the One, Unique, Exclusive God. Jesus came to execute God’s law, and he did not come to abolish God’s law. You are probably asking…where does it say this?
The Bible clarifies that God is unseen and is not a man: for no one may see me and live (Exodus 33:20), God is not a man (Numbers 23:19). Please note “…For no one may see me and live.”
In addition, the Bible clarifies that God is much too great to be contained in his creation: “But how could God possibly live on earth with people? If heaven, even the highest heaven, can’t contain you” (2 Chronicles 6:18). I mention this verse because as per this verse, Jesus cannot be God living on earth (for all those who believe God can by hungry, thirsty, tired, etc, which would be un-God like).
“Is the bosom of the Father”
and
“Is in the bosom of the Father” appears (as a variation of the other) in three of the statements above. A fourth expression is also used, “[is] near to the Father’s heart.”
Did you know that the precise expression “[in] the bosom of the Father” actually refers to an ancient Oriental custom of stretching out onself following the intake of food and drink? Regrettably, the “Occident” has a horrible impression of the “Orient,” and often dehumanizes the culture of the East through its literary and artistic depictions. Taken either way, this statement in no way even suggests that Jesus claimed to be God. What it does affirm (explicit vs implicit):
“Bosom” or “heart” evidences love. God loves all of his messengers. In fact, the Prophets of the Old Testament preached the same message as Jesus. Their message was not only beauitful (due in part to its simplicity) but also it has remarkably stood the test of time. Why? Because the message that Jesus conveyed was simple and natural, and these qualities have been largely responsible for its assimilating capability to the dynamics of changing existence.
To be sure, there is a specific passage in the Bible (among many) that truly highlights the message of Jesus. A man walked up to Jesus and asked, “Which is the first commandment of all?” And do you know what Jesus replied? He did not say “Worship Me,” “I am God,” “I am the Son of God,” or anything of that un-Prophetic like nature. Instead, he responded, “The first of all the commandments is Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.” Two principles were emphasized in this statement: Our God and Our God is One. Please note, not “three,” not “son” not “two,” but One. It cannot be overemphasized that the most important commandment, the most critical belief according to Jesus Christ himself, is that God is One.
It should be noted that Jesus did not claim to be God. Rather, he simply reiterated a verse from the Old Testament that God is One (please see above).
I have read A.P\’s, Nick\’s and Tim\’s posts. And I have to say Tim’s and A.P.’s posts are out of line. You are free to believe whatever you wish, and I know that Christians are supposed to act as models to others. I don\’t even disagree with A.P. and Tim. But when someone posts on your blog and you beat them down when they have an opinion contrary to yours, even if you think it\’s wrong, you’re not doing what you should be doing. This is why people shy away from fanatical Christians. It’s their way or no way. It’s interesting that Tim seems to be the main poster on this blog. Maybe you’d attract more posters if you didn\’t respond to them in the manner you have.
Dennis-
A.P. can no longer post comments. I think she has been blocked from posting. I am her uncle. I responded to a question that was directed to her on the blog entry before this one.
That is great that you think we should value diversity in thought. I completely agree with you myself.
While I do not think that A.P. nor Tim are “out of line” as this is a public forum, I think this is a fascinating discussion that will no longer be able to take place because A.P. has been banned from participating. I think this discussion could help some people who are traversing chasms in their faith and only want to become better navigators in their spirituality.
To that end, I answered the question that was directed to A.P. on the previous blog entry. I really hope more discussions like this take place here, and I thank Nick for providing an open forum that I hope, encourages learning from each other and growing together in faith, as human beings.
-Uncle S.
Hi Dennis:
This isn’t my blog, so please don’t take my comments as indicative of the host’s (Nick’s) position.
I’m not sure what you mean by beating down someone in the comments on this article, but I am calling for fidelity to the Bible. A.P. repeatedly takes positions unsupported by (and therefore unfaithful to) the Bible and my saying so is not a beat down, it’s discourse in support of God’s word.
Blessings,
Tim
I meant both Nick and Tim, not A.P.
There is no reason why you have to sway her to your side. She has a right to her opinion.
Dennis, A.P.’s comments are every bit an effort to persuade as any others here, if not more so.
Blessings,
Tim
I’ve been away for a while, and I just read this post as well as the previous “Temptation” post for the first time today. I’m sure nobody’s paying attention anymore, but I just have to say this anyway. I’m sure Nick will see it, at least.
I have to wonder by what standard this can be considered a “fascinating discussion.” From the very beginning, A.P. ignored a direct scripture-based challenge by dismissing books that she considered authoritative enough to use in her own comments. Nick was right to hold her feet to the fire for this violation of the law of noncontradiction, and to remove her when she denied repeated, patient requests to correct this error.
I also don’t see anything fascinating about new commenters conveniently appearing after an irrational participator is prohibited from dragging the discussion through the dirt any longer. It happens on the internet all the time. *yawn*
Nick certainly allows dissenting opinions on this blog (I should know) and addresses them very appropriately. He holds himself to a high standard and gently urges his commenters to do the same. THAT makes for fascinating discussions.
Jeremy, I suspect that AP and her uncle are the same person. This exchange and the one on the other post Nick wrote got tiresome (and I also suspect that Sandy on that post’s comments is another alter ego for AP/Uncle S).
Nice to see you back, by the way!
Tim
P.S. I have a new guest post up at Laura’s Enough Light blog. Hope you can pop over for a look: http://lightenough.wordpress.com/2012/08/10/have-you-sealed-up-the-very-fountain-for-which-you-are-thirsty/
I have been away for a while, and I just read this post as well as the previous “Temptation” post for the first time today. I’m sure nobody’s paying attention anymore, but I just have to say this anyway. I’m sure Nick will see it, at least.
I have to wonder by what standard this can be considered a “fascinating discussion.” From the very beginning, A.P. ignored a direct scripture-based challenge by dismissing books that she considered authoritative enough to use in her own comments. Nick was right to hold her feet to the fire for this violation of the law of noncontradiction, and to remove her when she denied repeated, patient requests to correct this error.
I also don’t see anything fascinating about new commenters conveniently appearing after an irrational participator is prohibited from dragging the discussion through the dirt any longer. It happens on the internet all the time. *yawn*
Nick certainly allows dissenting opinions on this blog (I should know) and addresses them very appropriately. He holds himself to a high standard and gently urges his commenters to do the same. THAT makes for fascinating discussions.