The Deity of Christ

In the epistle of 1 John, the Apostle John writes these words:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. (1 John 1:1-4 ESV)

John is affirming the deity of Jesus Christ – the fact that Christ is God Incarnate, in the flesh. The term deity indicates the Creator and Supreme Being. What John is proclaiming here is one of the very pillars and confessions of our faith. What separates those who follow Jesus in the traditional and historical sense from the rest of the world is their view and understanding of who Jesus is. Jesus asked His disciples to identify Him (Matthew 16:13-20). His primary question both then and now is “Who do you say that I am?” Various cults and religions have answered that question in many fallacious ways:

• Judaism states that he was a good teacher, and possibly a prophet, but was condemned for blasphemy in HIs claim to be God.
• Islam regards Him as a significant person and teacher, but certainly not God.
• Hinduism considers Him a significant person, holy man and guru.
• Mormonism sees Him as only a “spirit child” of God, the Father, and just another created being.
• Jehovah’s Witnesses view Him as a created being, denying His eternality, thus a rehashing of a form of Arianism.

Scripture, however, clearly articulates the deity of Christ. Hebrews states:

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. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. (Hebrews 1: 1-4 ESV).

In his gospel, the Apostle John clearly defines who Jesus is:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 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. (John 1:1-4, 14)

The early church dealt with this aspect through councils and arising controversies that occurred during the first four centuries. A monk named Arius was born in the third century, and began to teach things that were contrary to scripture. Arius’ difficulties began in 318 when he clashed with Alexander, the bishop of Alexandria. Alexander believed in the co-eternality of the Word of God while Arius taught that the Word was created by God. Arius stated firmly that ” there was a time when the Son was not,” thus denying Christ’s eternality and equality with the Father. Arius believed that the Son was God’s first creation and that through him everything else was made (Colossians 1:15).

It wasn’t long before a council was called to deal with this controversy. The First Council of Nicaea was convened in 325 by the Roman Emperor Constantine. The conflict involved the nature of God, the Son, I relation to God the Father. On one side of the conflict were those who held that Jesus Christ was created by the Father (Arius), claiming that the Father’s divinity was greater than that of the Son.. On the other side were those who held that Jesus Christ was begotten by the Father (Athanasius). The council eventually sided with Athanasius and developed a creed or confessions which became known as the Nicene Creed. And excerpt from that states:

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father,, by whom all things were made.

The Creed, known today as the Nicene Creed, was later confirmed again at the Council of Ephesus (431 AD).

John understood three important facts: First, he realized that when he heard Jesus speak, he was hearing the voice of God. Secondly, he realized that when he looked at Jesus, he was looking at God; and, finally, he realized that when he touched Jesus, he was touching God. The central event of history is the advent of eternal life in Jesus Christ. The verbs used in these beginning verses of First John vividly defend the reality of the human nature of Christ. This goes against the idea that the divine Christ only seemed or appeared to be in the flesh and never actually took on our humanity (docetism).

It is clear that Christ claimed He was YHWH, that He was deity (not just “a god” but the one true God). The religious leaders of that day believed Him and referred to Him as God, and, in fact, condemned Him to death for the sin of blasphemy because they understood exactly what He was claiming to be. Christ proved His claims to deity through miracles, including the world-altering resurrection. No other theory can explain these facts. Jesus Christ is God.