MY LIFE, MY WORLD

Jesus is God

There are many approaches one can take when exploring this question in the New Testament. Here are some of them:

His remarkable claims (see Is Jesus really God).

He is constantly given the title "Lord", the word that was consistently used of God in the Greek translation of the Old Testament of the third century BC.

He is referred to as God a number of times (e.g. John 20:28). Paul can declare, "in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). John says, "He (Jesus) is the true God and eternal life" (1 John 5:20). In the Old Testament he is called "the mighty God" (Isaiah 9:6) the same two Hebrew words used of God in a number of places (e.g. Isaiah 10:21; Jeremiah 32:18).

His pre-existence before coming into this world is constantly assumed and sometimes directly stated (e.g. John 1:1,14).

He was involved in the creation of the universe and it is his power that sustains it (e.g. Colossians 1: 16,17; Hebrews 1: 2,3).

His role as judge of the human race (e.g. John 5:25-29; 2 Corinthians 5:10).

His achievements in reconciling men and women to God and meeting their needs on the journey through life are often described in the same terms as the achievements of God the Father. Their roles often overlap (e.g. 2 Corinthians 5:19; and compare Hebrews 8:12 with Mark 2:5-7). That Paul, an avowed monotheist, should attribute every imaginable activity to him that Judaism reserved for God alone is particularly significant.

There are numerous passages showing that we are to give him the same love, loyalty and devotion that we are required to give to God.

He receives the same worship of created beings, in heaven and on earth, as does God the Father (e.g. Revelation 5:11-14 - Jesus is constantly referred to as "the Lamb" in Revelation, the one who was sacrificed for us).

There are quite a number of passages from the Old Testament, quoted in the New Testament, where the original references refer to God, while the New Testament writers refer them to Jesus (e.g. Matthew 21:15,16/Psalm 8:1,2; Philippians 2:9-11/Isaiah 45:22,23).

There are numerous titles or metaphors used of Jesus that are also used of God, such as Saviour, Rock, Light, the Bridegroom, the first and the last, Alpha and Omega, I am, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Shepherd, Master, etc.

The fact that Paul, a person steeped in the Old Testament understanding of the Spirit of God, should so easily call him the Spirit of Christ as well, is as strong a confirmation as one could get of Christ's full divinity (e.g. Romans 8:9).

There is much more that could be said on the divinity of Jesus. However, more people have difficulty with the Holy Spirit than they do with Jesus. After all, Jesus did and said things that only God could be expected to do and say. But also he was always talking about his Father in heaven, so is obviously someone distinct from the Father. The New Testament writers distinguish Jesus from God the Father at every stage of his career - his pre-existence (John 17:5), through his presence on earth, to his ascension into heaven (1 Peter 3:22).

But who is the Holy Spirit? A student expressed his uncertainty this way, "God the Father makes perfectly good sense to me; and God the Son I can understand; but the Holy Spirit is a grey, oblong blur." I will focus the rest of this section on exploring the biblical picture that is given to us of the Holy Spirit.