Tag: deity of Christ

Another Evidence of the Deity of Jesus

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Jesus is God. This is powerfully clear with a faithful study of the new Testament. And this is an essential belief for genuine Christians. Those who deny the deity of Jesus, those who claim Jesus to be a god but not the God, are making a dramatic theological error, denying the true identity of the Savior.

Of course there are many passages that show us the deity of Jesus with clear claims (e.g. John 1:1). And religious cults which deny that Jesus is God mistranslate that passage to avoid the claim. But there are other passages that beautifully tie the working of the Lord, of Yahweh, from the Old Testament to the actions and attributes of Jesus in the New. They show by simple logic that Jesus is Yahweh, the God of the Bible. This is not to say that Jesus is the Father. The name Yahweh applies to the trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit—3 persons, 1 God.

At the Shepherds’ Conference for 2020, Nathan Busenitz gave us four places where the name of the LORD in the New Testament is clearly used for Jesus, but where the Old Testament reference is to Yahweh, the name of God.

That presentation showed us:

  • The Coming Messiah is Yahweh. (Mat. 3:1-3; Isa 40:3)
  • The Conquering Savior is Yahweh. (Rom. 10:9-13; Joel 2:32)
  • The Cosmic King is Yahweh. (Phil. 2:9-11; Isa. 45:18-25)
  • Our Commander in Chief is Yahweh. (1 Pet. 3:13-15; Isa. 8:12-13 (LXX))

While studying for a message on Romans 8, I came across an interesting phrase that I needed to be sure I understood. And the study of that phrase showed me yet another place where the Bible applies a name to Jesus in the New Testament which is used for Yahweh in the Old.

Romans 8:27 – And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

In my study, I wanted to be sure that I understood to whom the Bible was referring as “He who searches hearts and minds.” Is this a reference to Jesus or to the Father? As I looked at that phrase, I saw both that it is a reference to Jesus in the New Testament, and a clear reference to the covenant name of God in the Old.

How do I know that this is Jesus? Contextually, in Romans 8, Paul is talking about the Holy Spirit interceding with the Father on our behalf. Later in the chapter, Paul talks of Jesus interceding for us as well. So the context is communication from within the Holy Trinity.

In Revelation 2, we see that Jesus takes the name as the searcher of hearts and minds to himself in one of the letters to the 7 churches.

Revelation 2:23b – … And all the churches will know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you according to your works.

Now, take a look at how that phrase is used in the Old Testament.

1 Chronicles 28:9 – “And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever.”

Jeremiah 17:10

“I the Lord search the heart
and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
according to the fruit of his deeds.”

If Jesus claims to be the one who searches the minds and hearts of men, he is claiming to be the same person that the LORD claims to be, that Yahweh claims to be, in the Old Testament. Remember, in our modern translations, the writing of the word LORD in all caps in the Old Testament is the publisher of the Bible signaling to you that the Hebrew word Yahweh, the name of God, is being used. Jesus takes to himself a title that, in the Old Testament, applies to Yahweh. Thus, the Bible is showing us here, once again, that Jesus is God, the God of the Bible, the God who created, the one true God.

What Sort of Man is Jesus?

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In Matthew 8, we read a very familiar passage in which Jesus performs a very familiar miracle. The disciples are on a boat on the Sea of Galilee. A storm arises, and the disciples fear for their lives. They cry out to Jesus for help, and Jesus calms the sea.

Matthew 8:23-27 – 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save us, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

Keep what I have said in mind as you ponder the question that the disciples ask. Just what kind of man is Jesus. They come to him. They ask for his help. He speaks a word and calms a raging sea. Who can do such a thing?

In Psalm 107, we find the answer. Take a look. The text describes our scenario quite well.

First, men go to the sea and encounter a great and frightening storm. The psalmist lets us know that this encounter will show them something of the glory of God.

Psalm 107::23-27

23 Some went down to the sea in ships,
doing business on the great waters;
24 they saw the deeds of the Lord,
his wondrous works in the deep.
25 For he commanded and raised the stormy wind,
which lifted up the waves of the sea.
26 They mounted up to heaven; they went down to the depths;
their courage melted away in their evil plight;
27 they reeled and staggered like drunken men
and were at their wits’ end.

Sound familiar so far? It certainly reads like our passage in Matthew. But, of course, in Matthew, Jesus is there, the disciples call on him, and the sea is calmed.

Psalm 107:28-32

28 Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
and he delivered them from their distress. 29 He made the storm be still,
and the waves of the sea were hushed.
30 Then they were glad that the waters were quiet,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
31 Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people,
and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

What does the psalm show us? In this song, we see that the frightened men on the sea cry out to the Lord, to God himself, and the Lord saves them. How does the Lord save them? The Lord calms the sea and guides them to their destination. And the result of this action is that this should lead to men worshipping the Lord.

It looks here like the psalmist, under the inspiration of the Lord, is writing a prophecy of what the Savior would do. Jesus, on the Sea of Galilee, hundreds of years after this psalm was penned, would be on the boat. God would send a storm. Men would cry to Jesus. Jesus would calm the storm. And then the men would ask what kind of man Jesus is.

What kind of man is Jesus? The psalm tells us. the Lord calms the sea. Jesus calms the sea. Jesus is the Lord. Jesus is God in the flesh. And thus, Jesus is worthy of worship.

A Great Logical Argument from Jesus

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Most Christians remember the story of the man whose friends carried him to Jesus. The Savior was teaching in a house, and these men actually removed some of the roof tiles over Jesus so as to be able to lower their friend down before him. They could not get through the crowd, but they found a way to help their buddy.

What we sometimes miss is the logical claim that Jesus makes in this healing. When the man is lowered before him, Jesus first tells him, not that he is healed, but that his sins are forgiven. That, of course, sparks a response. That is what Jesus wanted to do.

Luke 5:21-25 – 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 22 When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, “Why do you question in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 24 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 25 And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.

The religious leaders, hearing Jesus’ words, accuse him of blasphemy. They see that Jesus has claimed to forgive sins. And they know that only God has the right to forgive a man his sins against God.

Jesus responds to the thoughts of these men with a simple, Hebrew-logical argument. Jesus asks which is more difficult to do. Is it more difficult to claim to forgive or to heal a man we know is really in need? The assumed answer is that it is more difficult to do the healing. Why? The claim to heal can be proved or disproved immediately. But a claim that a man’s sins are forgiven cannot be proved or disproved on earth.

Then Jesus heals the man. With a word, the Savior commands a man who had to be carried to him to get up and carry his own bed home. And the man does. The crowd sees that Jesus has supernatural power. Jesus has the ability to do what only God can do. And Jesus just did so in a verifiable way.

And the point that Jesus was making with his argument is significantly made. If Jesus has the power to do what only God can do with the healing, Jesus also has the power to do what only God can do by forgiving a man of his sins. Jesus did what the teachers would have seen as more difficult in order to prove that he has the ability to do what is eternally more significant. And in doing so, Jesus stakes one more clear claim to deity, because he claims and does what only God can do.

Only God Knows the Hearts of Men (1 Kings 8:39)

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1 Kings 8:39

 

then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways (for you, you only, know the hearts of all the children of mankind),

        There are two points that have my attention as I look at this prayer of King Solomon.  First is the fact that only the Lord truly knows the hearts of men.  So often we see people acting this way or that, and we make judgments.  We assume that we can figure out why it is that people acted.  We think we know what was in their hearts.

        However, God reveals to us here that only he knows what is in the heart of a man.  Only God can tell the motivation of a person.  Only God knows why people do the things that they do.  Only God can see past a person’s actions to see the why of those actions.

        Now, think about that truth as you consider how you make judgments.  Do you often think to yourself, “I know what he was really thinking?”  Do you ever assume that, though a person says they did something for one reason, you know that they really did it for another reason?  Only God can see into their hearts, so be very careful assuming you can see where only God can see.

        Now, let’s see one more point—a theological one—that is very significant.  Only God can see into the hearts of men.  What then do these verses tell us?

John 2:24-25

24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.

 

Matthew 9:4


But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?

 

Luke 9:47


But Jesus, knowing the reasoning of their hearts, took a child and put him by his side

            Only God knows the hearts of men.  Jesus knew the hearts of these men.  Jesus knows what only God knows.  Jesus does what only God does.  Jesus is God—not less.

            So, you do not know the hearts of men, because you are not God.  Jesus knows the hearts of men, because he is God.  Do not assume you can judge the motivation of others, because you cannot see into their hearts.  Know, however, that Jesus can see your heart, so do not think you can fool him at all.