By David Webb

Questions concerning the deity of Christ have perplexed men for centuries, and even in our own day many are having considerable difficulty understanding the significance of what it means to say Jesus is God.  Does Jesus represent God wrapped in human flesh, or did the Son of God empty Himself of all divinity upon His incarnation?  What does it mean when the apostle wrote that Jesus, “made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7)?  And what did the Hebrew writer mean when he said of Jesus, “Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people” (Hebrews 2:17)?  Could this possibly mean that Jesus surrendered his divine nature and was nothing more than a mere man while He walked the earth, or is there some other explanation?

In addition to these, we are forced to ponder questions regarding His temptation in the wilderness.  Was Jesus truly tempted — that is, was He actually enticed to commit sin?  If so, how could He truly be God in human flesh, since James tells us, “God cannot be tempted by evil” (James 2:13)?  And yet, the Hebrew writer tells us that as our High Priest, Jesus “was tempted in all points as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

Sadly, many of these questions have resulted in a divisive spirit among those who once enjoyed the peace of harmony and unity within the body of Christ.  Now, suspicions abound where trust and confidence once reigned, and worst of all, congregations are dividing and efforts to reach a lost world are suffering.  While we certainly need to “earnestly contend for the faith” (Jude 3), could it be that we are also failing to “avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they gender strife” (2 Timothy 2:23)?  False doctrine must clearly be opposed on every hand, and there is never justification for compromising the truth.  But neither can we allow ourselves to be drawn into pointless disputes that do nothing but disrupt the peace and tranquility of the body of Christ.

Ironically, many of the disputes among brethren over the deity of Christ do not concern what is taught in the Scriptures, as much as they concern disputes over what is not found in the word of God.  This has led some to draw certain conclusions based on their own logic, rather than depend on conclusions drawn from the plain and simple teaching of Scripture.

Therefore, in this series of articles we intend to explore what the Scriptures say about the deity of Christ, and will leave the secret things to God.  We will not speculate about areas where the Scriptures are silent, but will speak only to those things clearly revealed in the word of God about the nature and character of Jesus Christ.

The Basic Premise
The fundamental premise stated throughout the Scriptures is that Jesus was God incarnate.  Simply put, Jesus claimed nothing less than absolute equality with God even though He had taken upon Himself the form of man while on the earth.  He was able to speak with impunity of God as “My Father,” making Himself equal with God (John 5:16-18).  He used the designation “I AM” (John 8:56-59) to claim deity for Himself — a claim which outraged the Pharisees because they perceived His words as asserting equality with God, the Great “I AM” of Exodus 3:14.  Jesus also boldly proclaimed, “I and My Father are one;” an assertion for which the Jews immediately took up stones against Him for making Himself God (John 10:30-32).  Jesus later rebuked one of His own disciples who asked, “show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”  Jesus replied, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me?” (John 14:8-10).  The gospel of John, perhaps more than any other, portrays Jesus as God in human form — the incarnate Christ who came down to the earth to live and die as a man while at the same time retaining His divinity as God the Son.  But John’s gospel isn’t the only place where the divinity of Jesus is established.