Some say that Jesus is deity, and then some state He was only man, yet there are others who declare that He was a combination of both, where others pronounce that Jesus was created by God. How does one begin to reconcile this problem? Some of these beliefs are very easily eliminated! For example, if one can Biblically prove that Jesus is deity, then they have automatically proven that He was not created! The best thing to do is to open the Bible!
Consider Isaiah 7:14—“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”. This verse is fulfilled in Matthew 1:23, but here it also gives the definition of Immanuel as “God with us”. These two verses supply two evidences that are in favor of Christ’s deity, and they were not used as proof texts because the Bible spoke for itself! What more does the Bible reveal? John 1:1-14 explains that the Word (Christ—verse 14) was in the beginning with God. It goes on to say in verse three that “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” This plainly states that everything which was created was in fact brought into existence by Jesus! Now there are three places which support the belief that Jesus is God. Also, Colossians 1:13 begins discussing Jesus Christ, and later in the same context (verses sixteen and seventeen) the Bible again declares that all things were made by Him! Not only this, but it also informs man that everything which He created was created for Him. That is, everything that He created was created for His purpose. (If the reader is interested, the Bible’s picture of Jesus’ purpose is given in Ephesians 3:11, Hebrews 2:14, and 1st John 3:8.)
Furthermore, in 1st Corinthians 10:1-4, Paul tells the Corinthians that Jesus Christ was the one who led Israel through the wilderness! The reference to which he was alluding is found in Exodus 13:21-22, where the Bible says that it was the LORD which led them. In the King James Version of 1769, the word “LORD” is placed in almost every place where the Hebrew word “Jehovah” is used, and occurs 6,823 times in the Old Testament, and is the most common name applied to God. Who is the “LORD my God” (Daniel 9:4 and 37 other places)? He is Jehovah-Elohim. It is now more than certain that the Bible has been understood in its context! The LORD is the Rock, Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is eternal! Jesus Christ is deity! Jesus Christ is God! Truly, there are even many more examples which support this truth!
Why this is important? Why is it necessary? Because between 325 and 778 AD there were seven councils in which leaders of the ‘church’ met to determine the truth concerning several ideas that existed about Jesus Christ. These men discussed His deity, His personality and His nature. These councils resulted in many troubles including division among the ‘churches’. The history of the Lord’s church is full of situations like this, and that is why it is so important that each Christian comes to know the truth for themselves! When people who do not study the Bible meet together and decide what things are true or false it does much damage! Let the Bible speak for itself! The lack of proper study causes a lack of proper knowledge (Hosea 4:6), which leads people to accept proof texts and follow the doctrines of false teachers, which in turn causes them to fall into condemnation!
Any Questions?
