The Doctrine of The Messiah Jesus Christ
New Beginning Covenant Ministries
It is said that Jesus never said that he was God, However, if we take a closer look we will see that the word itself, says that he is God.
John 5:17
But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
John 5:18
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.
In the New Testament Jesus uses the term “My Father” (Abba Father) which is a direct and unmistakable declaration of his Sonship.
John 5:23
That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him
In the following verses, He claims to possess life just as the Father does.
John 5:25-26
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself
In the book of Matthew chapter 11, Jesus claims a direct relationship to the Father.
Matthew 11:27
All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
This verse demonstrates the shared knowledge that the Son has with the Father.
Matthew 16;13-17
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Notice that Jesus calls Peter blessed because this declaration had been revealed to him ‘by my Father who is in heaven.’
In John chapter 8, Jesus claims eternal existence.
John 8:58
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Jesus echoes the language of the deity using the same word that the Father said to Moses.
Exodus 3:14
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
Now to the Jews, this was blasphemy, because he was claiming to be God.
Later in John 10, Jesus tells them directly that He and the Father are one.
John 10:30-33
I and my Father are one. Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
In the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus recorded in Mark 14, the high priest asks him directly are you the Christ.
Mark 14:61-62
But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
Many who are not familiar with the old testament might miss the importance of that question. But the high priest and the council knew that in saying he was the Son of Man that would come on the clouds of heaven he was declaring that He was.
Daniel 7:13-14
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
He was not only claiming to be the pre-existing sovereign of the universe but also foretelling that he would prove his claim by judging the very court that was now condemning him. Further in combining Daniel's prophecy with David's proclamation in Psalm 110, Jesus was claiming that he would sit upon the throne of Israel and share God’s very glory.
Psalm 110:1
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
As you can see this is an unmistakable claim to deity. In the eyes of the Jews, this was the height of blasphemy, so they all condemned him as worthy of death.
Mark 14:64-65
Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands.
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus claimed his divinity through his claims of authority.
John 10:11
I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
This a title that in the Old Testament is assigned to God.
Psalm 23:1
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He also claimed to be the Judge of all people.
John 5:27
And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
This was a task that only God could do.
Joel 3:12
Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
He is also called the bridegroom; a role God played with Israel.
Isaiah 62:5
For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
He also forgives sin, and only God can forgive sin.
Mark 2:5
When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee
Psalm 103:8-12
The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.
He also assumes equal authority with God and even encourages prayer in His name.
Matthew 28:18
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
John 14:13-14
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
He invited people to believe in him for salvation.
John 3:18
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
None of the great leaders, teachers, or prophets in the history of Israel ever offered salvation in their own name. In the Word, on more than one occasion, only Jesus was accused of declaring to be God.
In reading through the rest of the New Testament you can see that the title of God is directly connected to Jesus. These authors refer to Jesus in ways that can only apply to God.
These authors refer to Jesus in ways that can only apply to God, calling Him eternal, even though there is only one eternal God.
Revelation 1:17
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
He is also referred to as the creator of all things, though there is only one creator.
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:14
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.
Colossians 1:16
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:
1 Peter 4:19
Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
He is also omnipresent, though there is only one omnipresent God.
Matthew 28:20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Acts 17:27-28
That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring
He also receives worship from people and angels.
Matthew 14:33
Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Philippians 2:10
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth
Hebrews 1:6
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
Even though the old testament prohibits worshipping anyone other than God, each of these characteristics could only be said of God, then clearly the authors believed Jesus was God.
Exodus 20:1-5
And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;
Deuteronomy 5:6-9
I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. Thou shalt have none other gods before me. Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
I believe that at the heart of the doctrine of Christ’s deity is God-loving self-sacrifice for us. Salvation rest not in a man like us, but in God, who became like us to redeem us from our sins. So while Jesus never explicitly uses the phrase ‘I am God’, He is clearly and consistently portrayed in all of the gospels as one who speaks and demonstrates all the characteristics of God Himself. And because this is the case then we are all faced with making the choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God or a madman or something worse.
After Jesus asked ‘who do people say that I am?’ He then asked a more specific question, ‘but who do you say that I am?’ The answer to this question, each person must decide for themselves.
Matthew 16;13-17
When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.