Table of Contents

Preface: The Bible

Why is this study necessary?

Claims to Deity – Attributes + Functions

Unique Titles

Glory: Worship of Christ as Divine

Messianic Prophecies

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Preface

The Bible

In examining the Deity of Christ, a word should first be said about the Divine inspiration of the Bible. The One True and Living God reveals Himself in the Bible, in His own God – breathed (inspired) words and Sovereign actions. Though He is also revealed to a certain extent in His physical creation (Ps.19: Rm.1:18-20; Acts 14:17), His most precise and comprehensive revelation is found in His Word. The Bible itself stands alone and above all other claimants to Divine revelation in every regard, from it's historical comprehensiveness, to practical and eternal wisdom conveyed in both literal and figurative genres, to the revelation of both man and God, and of the eternal realities of both Heaven and Hell.

And while far more ancient manuscript evidence exists for the Bible than for any other literature of like antiquity, and with the archaeologist's spade also often testifying to it's veracity, the reality of God and the resurrection power of Christ are also manifested experientially in the lives of “living stones”who know Him.

Both those whose lives the Bible records and those who have trusted and obeyed Him since realized (insomuch as they did) positive effects that correspond to the promises of the Object of their faith, and are contingent upon faith and obedience to Him. Both the quality of Scripture and such realized effects, if objectively examined, militate against their cause being of merely natural origin, and help reveal why the God of the Bible has been and is the object of personal heartfelt devotion in prayer and in song in such a unique manner and scope. Empirical proofs are also seen in negative realizations by souls who spurned the sacrificial grace of God to their own unnecessary hurt, and who were warned of such. The history of Israel manifests much of both realizations.

Why is this study necessary?

God – and to our own benefit – commands us to love Him supremely, and to do all to the glory of God, and to have no other gods before Him (Ex. 20:1-3). Idolatry is not simply bowing down to an image, or ultimately living for and trusting in something created (which will ultimately fail us) but it is also presenting a distorted image of God in making something Him more to the natural man's own liking – which the fully Biblical Christ is decidedly not. By making the Creator – which Scripture attests Christ is (Jn. 1:1-3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2) – and who took upon flesh (Jn. 1:1-3,14), into a mere (albeit perfect and powerful) creature, those who deny Him His Deity fashion a Jesus that is decidedly different than the Almighty One to whom universal worship with be given, along with the Father (Rv. 1:8; 5:13, 14).

Therefore, if Almighty God is going to be glorified, and souls saved to live lives that glorify Him, then it is imperative that we let God be God as manifested in the Scriptures, and most supremely in the person of “Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16). A true revelation of Christ is necessary for true regenerated disciples, and it should be said at the outset here that a false Jesus is what is behind most every false “Christian” (so-called) gospel, which usually robs Christ of His Deity or full salvific work and or allows man to find justification before God on the basis of some merit of his own. Thus to varying degrees it debases God and exalts man. While a limited amount of disagreement may be tolerated in areas of doctrine, a person is accursed who preaches a gospel contrary to that which the Biblical apostles preached: “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8).

God gets all the glory for man's salvation in accordance with the Bible, as man is damned for his sins and utterly destitute of any merit or sacrifices whereby he may gain Heaven nor escape Hell. Thus he must look for the mercy of God in Christ, trusting the Only Begotten Son sent by the Father to be “the propitiation [perfect and final sacrifice] for our sins” (1Jn. 4:10) to save the believer by His blood, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Rm. 3:25, 26). That by faith in Him – and not in ourselves or a church but in His shed sinless blood and righteousness – ”all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:39).

In addition to revealing Christ as possessing the same Divine nature as the Father, the New Testament expressly teaches that it is “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rm. 4:4; cf. Gn. 15:6;).

It is the imputed righteousness of Christ that gives one a right standing before God, and which justification is appropriated by whole hearted repentant God-given faith out of a humble and contrite in heart (Rm. 8:37 Ps. 34:18).

By rejecting the holy law as a means of salvation, even with Divine help, under which a soul was justified due to his perfect obedience, (Gal,. 3:10) salvation by grace also disallows any system in which man is actually justified due to being morally fit for eternal life with God.

And yet this faith is itself justified as being saving faith by Spirit – led works in obedience to His Word (Rm. 8:14; Ja. 2). God, in His grace, rewards works of faith which testify to saving faith, but it is faith which is justifies the unGodly, (Rm. 4:5) righteousness being imputed, or credited, by confidence in God's mercy in Christ, not one's goodness of church, etc. “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.” (Rm. 3:27)

Moreover, when a properly convicted and repentant soul looks directly to the LORD Jesus Christ in faith for salvation from their sins then he/she may be said to be implicitly imputing Divinity to Him, as God is the Only one that man is to look directly to for salvation (Is. 45:22), as only such a Lord can save (see Joel 2:32 with Rm. 10:13) Though such souls may not intellectually understand much of this at conversion, as they continue in his word they will come to realize the Divinity of Jesus, that like Thomas, He is their Lord and their God (Jn. 20:28), to the glorify of God the Father!

GOD'S and CHRIST'S Eternality (eternal existence)

Comments

Ps. 90:2: “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God."

Psalm 93:2: “Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting”

Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

It should be obvious that Micah's prophecy is that of the Messiah Christ who was born in Bethlehem, and that the same eternal existence that is ascribed to God is likewise ascribed to Jesus. That “from everlasting” is descriptive of eternality should also be Theologically clear in the light of the rest of God's revelation, such as in the quoted texts from the Psalms in which we see that God is “from everlasting,” having no beginning, and having no end. Only in rare instances dealing with earthly man does everlasting mean anything less than eternity, whereas Micah 5:2 describes the eternal existence of the Messiah.

Creative Power

Comments

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Psalm 33:66 By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself.

Jeremiah 32:17 Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:

Jeremiah 51:15 He hath made the earth by His power, he hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding.

Nehemiah 9:6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Ephesians. 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Colossians. 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 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:

Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

"In the beginning" need not denote a beginning for the Word, and Jesus and Himself stated that He was with the Father before the world was: Jn. 17:5), but that the Word was present in the beginning, and that by, or through Him all things were made that were made (See under titles regarding "the Word was God"). This of course excludes that the Word Himself could have been created, as the Watchtower Tract Society (so-called Jehovah's Witnesses, herein referred to as the WTS) erroneously teaches.

Seeing as this is not what the Bible taught, the WTS had to make their very own Bible* (the "New World Translation"), in which they deliberately insert the non-existent (in the original language texts) word "other" in Col. 1:16, so that it reads "by him were all other things created... However, "other" is not in the Greek text nor is that what the Bible teaches, and no creative activity was ever attributed to angles, but both Jn. 1:1-3, Eph. 3:9; Col. 3:16 and Heb. 1:1, 2 clearly teach that all things were made through Christ "who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.!" (Rm. 9:5).

*Along with a consensus of multitude other scholars, after doing a well documented and thorough critical analysis of their New World Translation, Dr. Robert Countess concluded, "(It) must be viewed as a radically biased piece of work. At some points it is actually dishonest. At others it is neither modern nor scholarly" (The Jehovah's Witnesses' New Testament, p. 93). Unlike most other translations of the Bible (above all the KJV), the official WTS translation of the Bible had only 5 translators, and only one of them made himself known, and when examined in court he lied about his ability to read Hebrew! See HERE for more

Creative Power Continued

Comments

Ps. 102:25 Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. 26 They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: 27 But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.

Heb. 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 11 They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 

Further declaration of Jesus Divinity is seen in another attribution to Him of Old Testament texts which refer to God. In Heb. 1:10-11 we see a direct quote from Ps. 102:25-27 which reveals that the One of whom these verses spoke of – and who created the Heavens – was in fact Jesus Christ!

Omnipotence

Comments

Genesis 17:1: And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.

Revelation 1:7: Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen. 8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

We see that only God can claim to be All-mighty, which likewise is said of Christ.

Acts 1:11 makes it clear that Rev. 1:8 is speaking of Christ, who was pierced, and it is He who went up into the clouds and so “shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Also, under Unique Titles we will see that Jesus is called Alpha and Omega.

That the Father reserved some revelation for Himself (Acts 1:7) need not negate the Deity of Christ, as it is also said that “the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1Cor. 2:10).

Immutable

Comments

Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.

Heb. 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

God does not change, but we need to. This refers to His essential being, character, and attributes, etc., and not what manner He may chose to reveal Himself or function.

Almighty Power to give and preserve life

Comments

Deuteronomy 32:39: See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand. 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.

John 10:27: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.

The parallel here is no mistake or coincidence: No mere man dared ever made such a claim in the Bible, and no one can, as only God can give eternal life and claim Almighty power over all!

This verse also shows how the Father and the Son work together, with the Son being the One through whom the Father does His work. While God does work through believers as well, the power to give eternal life is a unique Divine attribute, and this verse must be taken with others which show that Jesus Christ is not a mere worker but possesses the same Divine nature as God the Father.

Power over nature

Comments

Ps. 89:6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? 7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. 8 O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? 9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.

Ps. 107:28 Then they cry unto the LORD in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. 29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

Mt. 8:25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. 26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Again the parallel here is unmistakable, and answers the apostle's question, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!” with a revelation that Jesus was not simply man, but God, revealing His power and love in human flesh.

While men like Moses also did some great miracles, none match either the scope or greatness of the manner of Christ. And very critically, to no one does the Holy Spirit make such evident purposeful parallels between declarations of God's unique demonstrations of power and claims, and that of Christ! No one can be so compared to God as Christ is unless He is God by nature, and thus both the likeness of the act here and the reverence given to Christ is manifestly paralleled.

Only Divine Savior

Comments

Ps. 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved.

Is 45: 22 Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

Matthew 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

John 5:40 And ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Nowhere does or can anyone call souls to look directly to Him for spiritual salvation but God. Such attributes, coupled with more explicit declarations of Jesus being God with the Father and Spirit, serve to testify to that fact.

Giver of the Spirit

Comments

Psalm 68:18, 19 Thou [the LORD] hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

John 14:16, 17 And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.

Wherefore he saith, When He [JESUS] ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Eph 4:8).

This sending forth of the Holy Spirit is another uniquely divine function, which no angel or man can do.

Commander of the Spirit

Comments

Ps. 104:30 Thou sendest forth Thy Spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth.

John 16:12 -14 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.

While born again souls may speak by the Spirit, we see here that the Spirit speaks by Jesus, and He in turn speaks by the Father.

”For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7 AV).

Dweller of souls

Comments

2 Samuel 23:2 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.

1 Peter 1: 10-11 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

John 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and my Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Ephesians 3:17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

No man or angel nor any created being can actually dwell in believers hearts as God promises He will and does by His Spirit. That only the Father and Jesus together do this not only reveals the Holy Spirit but that Jesus is One with the Father (and the Holy Spirit) in His inherent nature, a manner and quality of Oneness that man does not share.

[Note: the indwelling spoken of in Jn. 14:23 indicates not simply the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which every true convert realizes (Acts 15:7; Eph. 1:13), but an “abiding” as one being at home in the fully surrendered obedient believer, such as Eph. 3:14 speaks of. And which i must seek, by trusting and obeying]

Heavenly Object of Prayer

Comments

Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. 6 He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defence; I shall not be moved. 7 In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. 8 Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.

Psalm 102:1 A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed, and poureth out his complaint before the LORD. Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come unto Thee.

Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

1Corinthians 1:2 Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

Hebrews 4:14 Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 7:25 Wherefore He [JESUS] is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them (cf. 1Tim. 2:15).

Nowhere in Scripture is anyone but god in Heaven addressed in prayer, except by idolaters. Nor is there any evidence of Heavenly intercession made by angels, or departed saints, etc. Here is is clear that not only is Jesus our one and only Heavenly intercessor, but that He is addressed directly in prayer, just as He is in calling upon the Lord for salvation (Joel 2:32; Rm. 10:13). Praise ye the Lord!

To Whom we are to witness

Comments

Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am He: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. 11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no saviour. 12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have showed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.

Acts 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Acts 10:42 And He commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead.

Revelation 11:3 And I will give power unto My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Again, no one else called and sent forth witnesses unto themselves but God. While this might not be the strongest testimony to Christ's uniqueness as the Divine Son of God, it is one more in an abundance of examples of Jesus exercising Divine functions and positions that were uniquely claimed by God.

Lord of angels

Comments

Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent His angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,

Rev 22:6 And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

1 Pet. 3:22 Who [Jesus] is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him.

Rev 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

Notice that the person called God has power of angels, which is another unique Divine attribute which Christ exercises.

Then, Rev. 22:6 explicitly says that the Lord God of the holy prophets sent His angel, yet in v. 16 it identifies Jesus as the Lord who sent the angel.

Searcher of Hearts

Comments

Jer 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

Ps 7:9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.

Rev 2:23 And I will kill her children with death; all the churches shall know that I [Jesus] am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.

To no one else, man or angel, is ascribed this function but God. Seeing as this is only one more of a multitude of Divine attributes that are ascribed to Christ, His Deity deniers must propose that God as an absolute singular person did indeed give His glory and unique functions to another apart from Him, or that the Lord who claimed these unique attributes was in fact the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as the Bible manifests.

2. Unique Titles: God the Creator

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

Is. 44:24 I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself”.

Gn. 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said,...

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.

Jn. 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.

Rev. 19:13 And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

The aspect of Jesus as creator has been dealt with under the Attributes category, and here we will focus on His title as God the Creator.

As this plainly teaches that the Word was God, and that Jesus Christ is the Word who became flesh (a person and not an simply a abstract metaphysical force), then, like the serpent in the Garden, those who oppose His Deity must attack what God hath said. Souls who sincerely seek to please God should search out a matter as God leads, but the motive of these Christ-deniers is manifested by the means they must and do employ to deny the Lord Jesus His Divinity. As the Watchtower Tract society makes Jesus into an image that is only a created being like an angel they had to make their own perverted translation.* In order to escape the obvious declaration of Jn. 1:1, the WTS came up with a “grammatical rule” by which they make Jn. 1:1 to read, the word was “a god”! They attempted to validate their rendering by distorting a statement by Professor Julias Mantey, and who publicly reproved them for doing so, and classified their translation as “shocking” among other negatives. Another authority invoked was that an occultic German spiritualist, Johannes Greber, who relied on demonic “spirit guides” to translate the Bible! No wonder the WTS referenced him at least 7 time for support in their publications (www.watchman.org/jw/greber.htm). Besides the fact that consistent application of this WTS rule would require verses such as Jn. 1:12, 13, 18, and 3:2 (and others) to also read “a god,” by making the Lord Jesus “a god” they also have in fact made Him out to be a false god! For while one can can be called “a god” in the sense of occupying a god-like position as did Israel's judges (Is. 82:6) and to which the Lord contrasts Himself (Jn. 10:34), no one can claim to be a god in the spiritual sense and possess attributes unique to God without competing with the one true and living God: “Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. (Is. 44:8).”

Jesus Christ, the Word, is not “a god”, but He is God, uniquely possessing the same nature as His Father, and as the incarnated Word He is the visible expression of the invisible God, “..the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3a). Praise ye the Lord!

O God

Comments

Psalm 45:6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. 9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

Continuing the theme last seen in Hebrews 1:10+11, here again we see an Old Testament text which referred to God being interpreted in the New, attributing this to Christ. This one in particular confirms Jn. 1:1, and instead of Jesus being “a god”, God Himself calls Jesus God (as does Jn. 1:1), attributing Ps. 45:6 to Him. This is not merely in a positional sense, as the following verses attribute creative activity to Christ.

Mighty God

Comments

Deut. 7:21 Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the LORD thy God is among you, a Mighty God and terrible.

Psalm 50:1 A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof. 

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 

Another Divine title, never given to man nor angel, is again ascribed to Christ, prophetically in this case. The WTS here seeks to rob Christ of Divinity by asserting that Jesus is the “mighty God” (as in “a god”), while only Jehovah is Almighty, but that too is a uniquely Divine title, while Rev. 1:8 also ascribes that title also to Christ, while Jehovah is also called mighty.

The True God

Comments

2 Chron. 15:3 Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law.

Jer 10:10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.

And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life. (1 John 5:20)

Rev 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

1. This is not a wrong translation, as every one i checked (ALT, ASV, EMTV, GB, ISV, KJV, KJ21, LITV, NASB, YLT has Christ “this is” or “this one” or “this same” or “He is” the true God and eternal life. That is, the Son of God, who is the immediate antecedent to the relative "this"; he is the true God, with his

2. The Greek is, "The true God and eternal life is this" Jesus Christ, [GILL]

3. The grammatical construction favors it. Christ is the immediate antecedent of the pronoun “this”

4. This construction seems to be demanded by the adjunct which John has assigned to the phrase “the true God” - “eternal life.” This is an expression which John would be likely to apply to the Lord Jesus, considered as “life,” and the “source of life,” and not to God as such. There is no instance in the writings of John, in which the appellation life, and “eternal” life is bestowed upon the Father, to designate him as the author of spiritual and eternal life; and as this occurs so frequently in John’s writings as applied to Christ, the laws of exegesis require that both the phrase “the true God,” and “eternal life,” should be applied to him.

5. If it refers to God as such, or to the word “true” - ton ale¯thinon (Theon) it would be mere tautology, or a mere truism. The rendering would then be, “That we may know the true God, and we are in the true God: this is the true God, and eternal life.” Can we believe that an inspired man would affirm gravely, and with so much solemnity, and as if it were a truth of so much magnitude, that the true God is the true God? [BARNES]

The LORD

Comments

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. 9 And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.

John. 12:34 The people answered him, We have heard out of the law that Christ abideth for ever: and how sayest thou, The Son of man must be lifted up? who is this Son of man? 35 Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. 36 While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. 37 But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: 38 That the saying of Esaias [Greek form if Isaiah] the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? 39 Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, 40 He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them. 41 These things said Esaias, when he saw His glory, and spake of him. 42 Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: 43 For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God. 44 Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent me. 45 And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me.”

This is one of the most profound, and yet subtle declarations of the Divinity of Christ in the Bible. Here we see that who Isaiah saw in His glory was Jesus Christ.

John 12:34b contains the pertinent question, just “ who is this Son of man?”

The Lord, as He often does, replies in an enigmatic way that will manifest the difference between true seekers and false ones, which most of these listeners were, hearing Christ and seeing His mighty miracles but not responding. If they would obeyed what the Lord has shown them, then more light would be given, and they would realized and accepted who Christ was. May the readers of this trust and obey.

As they would not obey, Jesus then hides Himself, which hearkens back to Is. 45:15: “Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour.”

The reason these these Jews could not see is explained by twice referencing to the prophet Isaiah, the first being that of Is. 53:1 in which the prophetic utterance of a people that would reject Christ is seen in the very people of Jn.12 (and would later manifest it more). The second reference to Isaiah declares that the judicial blindness imposed upon them was due to their rejection of truth and was a fulfillment of prophecy, and it is here that the answer to the question of Jn. 12:34b is revealed. Notice from the context that the subject who is being rejected is Christ, “the arm of the Lord” of the first prophecy in Is. 53. The Holy Spirit (the author) then reveals Is. 6:10 in the fulfilled sense (whereas to Isaiah it was a commission) and declares that Isaiah uttered this prophecy WHEN he saw HIS GLORY and spake of HIM, meaning Christ! What the Holy Spirit is revealing here is unmistakable, that Isaiah in fact was looking upon Jesus, whom he called LORD. While some might suppose this to mean Isaiah saw Jesus glory prophetically, there is no indication of that in Is. 6, rather it is clearly manifest that Isaiah saw the LORD in His glory (6:1-14) That this refer to Christ finds more evidence in the ensuing revelation as Jesus, continuing with the prevalent theme in John in which Christ is The Light (Jn. 1:4-9; 3:19-21, 9:5), declares, He that believeth on Me, believeth not on Me, but on Him that sent Me. 45 And he that seeth Me seeth Him that sent Me. That is to say, when Isaiah saw the “Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple” then He was seeing Jesus!

No man could do or claim what Jesus did (and does), and like most Jews in the gospels, those who refuse to “see” who Jesus Christ essentially is will continue in darkness, and find themselves in “outer darkness” for eternity. May the readers of this turn from darkness to light, and receive and follow The Light, even the Lord Jesus Christ, and live forever thru Him! “Blessed be the name of the LORD from this time forth and for evermore” (Ps. 113:2).

 Lk. 10:22 All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. 23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

LORD continued

Comments

Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Luke 1:13b “...thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

Luke 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God 17 And he shall go before Him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Luke 1:76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

Mt. 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Isaiah speaks prophetically of one who will “go before the face of the Lord,” “to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” to call Israel to prepare the way of the Lord, to repent and so be ready for the coming of Him who will offer comfort to a chastened Israel. This “Lord” is clearly Jesus in the gospels, and is God (with the Father and the Spirit) in the Old Testament. And thus is He rightly worshiped.

Lord and God

Comments

Isaiah 45:5 I am the Lord, and there is none else.

1Chron. 17:20 O LORD, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

Ps. 35:23 Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.

Jn. 20:26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

No man or angel would ever allow himself to be called by the Divine title, “Lord and God,” and that is what Thomas does here. Thomas is not simply saying “O my God,” but the text says he responded to Jesus and said to Him, “My Lord and my God.” Instead of being rebuked for this statement, he is commended by Christ for His perception not only that this person was the Lord Jesus, but God. Like as Peter confessed Jesus Sonship (Mt. 16:16), Thomas even more explicitly confesses Jesus Divine nature. Would that those who read this had Thomas and blessed, something no true prophet would do unless it was correct.

Saving LORD

Comments

Ps. 55:16 As for me, i will call upon God; and the LORD shall save me.

Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Rm. 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Rm. 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Here again we see the LORD of the Old Testament identified as Jesus in the New. No soul ever called upon Moses to spiritually save them, as that would be blasphemy (attributing Deity to Him), but it is right and glorifying to God, and saving to one's soul to call upon the Lord Jesus for salvation, with a poor and contrite repentant heart. Praise the Lord!

The Lord of Assured Salvation

Comments

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

Romans 10:9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Related to the above, we see that the Scripture Romans 10:11 comes from is Isaiah 28:16, and as has already been shown, the Lord that we are called to be saved by here is the LORD of Joel 2:32. The promise of salvation still holds for those who will accept this corner stone, the Lord Jesus. Accept no substitutes.

Lord of lords

Comments

Psa 136:3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

1Ti 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.

Rev 19:13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Here again a uniquely Divine title is ascribed to Christ. This is part of God's glory that He will not give to another (Is. 42:8), but Jesus receives it as He is God with the Father and Spirit. Therefore in the day when the Lord alone shall be exalted, we see the Father and the Son being worshiped together (Rev. 5:12-14). See more under section 3, Worship.

Lord of glory

Comments

Ps. 29:3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.

1Cor. 2:8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

James 2:1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

Again, as Jesus is given a “name above every name,” and by nature is above all men and angels, no man nor angel is ever addressed by this title.

The LORD to whom all will bow

Comments

Is. 45:22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Phil. 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Holy Spirit shows us here that the fulfillment of Isaiah 45:23, which declares that every knee shall bow to God and tongue swear (or trust in, or invoke as authoritative), by Him, is to be when every knee shall bow at the name of Jesus and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord (the authoritative One who is worthy of supreme trust, as only God is). This is part of God's glory that He will not give to another, but seeing as Christ is uniquely His Son, possessing the same uncreated, Divine nature, so is He worshiped along with the Father.

Rev. 5:13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. 14 And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

The Great I AM

Comments

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.

John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM

John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

John. 9:19 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.

John 18:4 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? 5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. 6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

John 8:58 clearly declares that Jesus laid claime to the unique Divine title of God expressed in Ex. 3:14, which essentially denotes the same as Ps. 90:2, that God is self existent, that He always was. Jesus use of this to claim the same is perfectly in context. That the Pharisees understood what the Lord meant is seen in their reaction: “Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by” (v. 59).

The references of John 8:24, 9:19; and 18:4-6 are not primary, as the supplied word “he” (in italics) is added by the translators and can be required by the context (cf. Jn. 9:9) or grammatical rules i am ignorant of. Yet the use of I am in these verses seem to purposely indicate that He was the Divine I AM,and not simply that He was the Messiah or Jesus of Nazareth.

Master and LORD

Comments

Isaiah 48:17 Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

Hos. 11:3 I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms; but they knew not that I healed them.

Isaiah 26 For his [man's] God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach him.

John 13:13 "Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am."

The Divine “teacher” of the elect and “Lord,” respectively, in the Old Testament corresponds to Christ in the New. I see the distinction made here between the words master and Lord, as between Christ as one who instructs (master), and that of Him as Lord, corresponding more to Him as Divine, as the great I AM.

King of Israel

Comments

Isaiah 43:15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.

John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

While it is true that men like David were called the King of Israel, the context here is spiritual, and which appellation belongs only to God!

First and the Last

Comments

Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and His redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last:...

Rev. 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:

Rev. 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

This unique Divine title goes along with the first, that of Ps. 90:2 and Micah 5:2. Both the person called God in the Old Testament And and Christ in the New are declared to be the “first” and the last, as Jesus is God with, and under the Father and with the Spirit. [Also, when Christ is said to be the “beginning [or commencement] of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:4, it does not denote time as if He were created, rather it denotes Christ as both the efficient cause and Head of of all creation. He that existed before all else has the primacy of position over all else. God blessed forever.]

The Rock

Comments

Deuteronomy 1:32 Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God, 33 Who went in the way before you, to search you out a place to pitch your tents in, in fire by night, to show you by what way ye should go, and in a cloud by day.

Deuteronomy 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.

Deuteronomy 32:18 Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.

1 Corinthians 10:1 Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 And did all eat the same spiritual meat; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

The Rock denotes solidity, which in its perfect sense is only found in God, and in 1Cor. 10 that is who “the Rock was Christ” speaks. Here it is revealed not only that God is the supreme Rock, but that the One who led the Israelites of old out of Egypt and into the promised land was Christ – and who judged them for their rebellion. So will He do for all who follow him now – and will judge us if we rebel.

Rock of offense

Comments

Isaiah 8:13 Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14 And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

1 Peter 2:6 Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture [Is. 28:16], Behold, I lay in Sion a chiefstone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

The Lord of hosts is the prophesied stumbling stone and rock of offense in Isaiah, while it is clearly Christ in 1 Peter. Sadly the Deity of Jesus is still a stumbling block and rock of offense for those who will not submit to Him.  

Saviour, Redeemer, Husband and God

Comments

Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by Myself;

Isaiah 49:26 And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

Isaiah 4:5 For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.

Jer. 3:14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Eph. 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the Saviour of the body.

Eph. 5:31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.

Only the LORD God is the Savior, Redeemer and Husband of God's elect in the spiritual sense, and thus the church looks forward to the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.

3: Glory; Worship of Christ as Divine

Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.

Phil. 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

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 [very own] Father, making himself equal with God. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 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.

Robertson's Word Pictures and others understand, “that God was His Father” in the Greek of the New Testament (“alla kai patera idion elege ton theon”) indicates a uniqueness of a relationship, with “His own” (idion) being in a sense not true of others. That is what Jesus meant by “My Father” here. And what the Lord meant to convey is rightly perceived by the Jews. Jesus' subsequent words explained the order within the unity of that unique Divine relationship, and also that the honor that belongs uniquely to God is to be given to the Son, having fulfilled what only God incarnated in the flesh could do. See Rom. 8:32 for “ho idios huios,” “his own Son.”

No man, angel or created being could ever claim the right to be honored EVEN AS the Father, as such honor, as an aspect of of the worship only God deserves, is only a Divine right. While Christ exaltation to the position of Lord was in the justice of God due to His abasement of His obedience to death of the cross (Phil. 2:5-9), this alone does not answer how Jesus could receive the universal worship with the Father as God (Rev. 5:13). The answer to that is seen in the Biblical revelation that the Father and the Son had an unique intrinsic relationship of “Oneness” (Jn. 5:18; 17:5) which preceded Jesus incarnation, and as many Scriptures clearly as well as subtly testify, Jesus was and is God in His essential nature.

While worship is first of all done in the heart, in the Bible worship is often shown outwardly by the act of bowing down, and in fact that is what the Hebrew word [7812] for worship means, to depress, or prostrate, make to stoop, etc. Hence the 2nd of the 10 commandments in prohibiting idolatry is "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God” (Ex. 20:5). The bowing down in idolatrous worship which the Lord forbade is what the Israelites would later be chastened for doing: And it came to pass, when the judge was dead, that they returned, and corrupted themselves more than their fathers, in following other gods to serve them, and to bow down unto them; they ceased not from their own doings, nor from their stubborn way” (Judg 2:19) .

Only rarely did any man of God receive bowing down in obeisance, not as to God but in humble abasement to man, and though God can and will make the enemies of His people bow down to them (Rev. 3:9), it is never shown to be on a regular voluntary basis. The Jews understood what bowing down normally signified, and the offense of Mordecai (the devout Jew) was that he "bowed not nor did him [wicked Haman] reverence" [7812] (Est. 3:5). Meanwhile, a Godly example to voluntary worship is shown by that of Peter's reaction when “Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him. But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up; I myself also am a man” (Acts 10:26). When the awe-struck apostle John feel down to worship the angel sent by Jesus (Rev. 22:16), the angel commanded him "See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God" (Rev. 19:10; 22:9).

In contrast, the Lord Jesus uniquely regularly received worship as to God, even as He did and said things that declared that He was God manifest in the flesh. He never prohibited anyone from bowing down/worshipping Him, and blessed souls who did, such as the leper who was made whole by so doing (Lk. 17:12-19). May we and many more follow His humble example.

As bowing down with one's body or prostrating oneself before someone or thing is usually for the worship of God (or in idolatry), then there is little warrant for ascribing the use of that word as it applies to what Christ often received as always meaning something less than WORSHIP as to God. WORSHIP as to God. If my count is right), even though the Greek word for worship/worshipped (proskeneo) in the New Testament can be used for prostrating oneself before a man, it is only used that way 5 times out of 54 occurrences The rest of the times it is used to denote worship of Christ (approx 22 times) or of God in general. The devil understood how bowing down is usually part of worship, and thus sought it of Christ Himself, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me" (Mt. 4:9). However, the Lord would not worship the devil, and it will be the devil who will bow down in compelled worship, along with all who will not worship Christ while they are given grace to do so (Phil. 2:9-11).

Divine worship:

A few instances of the Lord JESUS being worshipped

Psalm 95:6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Deuteronomy 10: Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God; Him shalt thou serve, and to Him shalt thou cleave, and swear by His name.

Daniel 3:5 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

Matthew 2:2, 11a: Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship Him. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him..

Matthew 8:2 And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him., saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

Matthew 14:33 Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped Him., saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

Matthew 28:9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped Him..

Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

Luke 8:41 And, behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue: and he fell down at Jesus' feet, and besought him that he would come into his house:

Luke 17:15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.

John 9:38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him.

Col. 3:24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

These instances, seen as a whole along with the Holy Spirit's Scriptural declarations of His Divinity, reveal far more than obeisance to a man or ruler, especially when it is done out of affection, and not simply by constraint of need.

God Blessed

Comments

Neh 9:5 ... Stand up and bless the LORD your God for ever and ever: and blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise.

Dan 2:2 Daniel answered and said, Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might are His:

Psalm 66:20 Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

Psa 68:35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; 5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Here Christ is blessed as God over all, which is consistent with Acts 10:36. One may say that Paul is just praising God the Father for Christ, or for Israel, but the grammar runs contrary to that, and there were no punctuation in the original Greek mss. Rather, like as in other places i see another reference to Jesus as God, that being His essential nature. This does not militate against the Father being God, any more than the more obvious attributions to Jesus as God do, in keeping with the revelation of the Oneness of God as a composite unity.

Singular and universal worship of God

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Isaiah 2:11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.

Isaiah 42:8: “I am the LORD: that is My name: and My glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images”

Psalm148:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

Revelation 11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. 13 And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.

Psalm 97:7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.

Heb. 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

Here we see part of that day of the Lord in which the Lord ALONE shall be exalted, and thus both the Father and the Son are universally worshiped together by all the created host, as no angel nor man can ever be!

Regarding Ps. 148:1, 2 and Heb. 1:6, “firstbegotten” (from the dead for instance: Rev. 1:5) denotes position, not necessarily a time of birth, especially since Christ as a person existed “from everlasting” (Mic. 5:2; Jn. 17:5). The worship of Him is not only in His post resurrection state, but was in His incarnation and nativity (Mt. 2:11).