Greetings, whoever you are. Why is Jesus God? Why is Jesus Christ God if he is a man? Why is Jesus God if he is a prophet? These questions plague many people. Muslims think that Jesus is Jesus the prophet, but they don’t know what he taught, because they don’t read the Gospel, and very little is written about him in the Koran. Hare Krishnas think that Jesus is not God, but only an avatar of God. Some other faiths think that Jesus is the son of God but not God. To which I tell them that your son is the son of a man, not a man. And so, God prompted me to write a response. And we'll start over. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Holy Gospel of John begins with these words. Who do you imagine when you hear the Name Jesus Christ? Can you imagine the baby in Mary's arms? Or do you represent the Crucified One? Or a Teacher in long robes with a beard, Who teaches people love and forgiveness from a boat? Whom? Maybe the son of a carpenter who makes a table...
We will come to an answer to your questions. But gradually. Next, I will turn to the Bible, and interesting facts from different cultures, as a Divine revelation that will help us understand the nature of Jesus Christ, try not to miss the point in order to benefit and do not re-read it again.
God created man. Gave him reason and wisdom, this amazing ability to comprehend the essence of things and determine cause and effect. Many people who do not think or reflect accuse both God and believers that God is cruel. And they argue that if only Christians go to heaven, then what will happen to those who lived in Indonesia, China, or India or any other place and have never heard of God and Christ?! Will they go to hell? and some Christians who don't know their faith deeply say yes. Everyone will go to hell. Only Christians will be saved. Is this true? The Bible says no.
John 5:24: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
The Bible says that those who believe in Christ do not come to judgment, and provided that they did not fall away from the faith and did deeds of goodness and peace, they will be saved. Those who did not believe in Christ will come to the Last Day Judgment and God will judge them for their sins. And the punishment for sin is death.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
And so the nations live without God. They do not know either God the Father (Ellohim, Allah, Yahweh, Hosts) or Jesus Christ. What will happen to Them? Let's turn again to the Gospel of John.
There was the true Light, which enlightens every person coming into the world. Gospel of John chapter 1
The Bible says that the true Light makes no exceptions, and enlightens any person, regardless of what culture he was born into. What does this mean? Before sending a person into the world, God gives him a particle of light into his soul, which should guide him to the truth and teach him how to walk the path of life cleanly, without committing evil, in order to return to the Creator.
Also in the Bible in the Epistle to the Romans it is written about pagans, people who did not believe in the One God.
Those who, not having the law, sinned, are outside the law and will perish;
and those who have sinned under the law will be condemned by the law - 13 (for it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be justified,14 For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves:
they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as evidenced by their conscience and their thoughts, now accusing, now justifying one another)
Romans 2
This text continues to explain to us what the true Light does and how exactly it enlightens a person, without making any distinction between a Jew, a Muslim or a pagan, it enlightens the hearts of people so that they understand what the truth is, and moreover, they understand what the law of God is . And their Conscience is the voice of God, which says what is evil and what is good.
Another text from the Bible about how this works.
Proverbs of King Solomon Chapter 2
3 if you call on knowledge and appeal to understanding;
4 If you search for it like silver and search for it like treasure,
5Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth - knowledge and understanding;
It says here that a person who appeals to reason will find knowledge about God and understand what can upset God, what should not be done in life. Simply by appealing to reason, guided by the desire to know the essence of existence, a person can reach the knowledge of God. Every seeker finds. Let's look at how people have found God throughout the centuries.
Jesus God - Logos.
Let's start with what's closer. Greece is the birthplace of many sciences, philosophers and sages who asked themselves questions about existence, and directed their thoughts to the great, trying to know the greatest and found God. The Bible says “In the beginning was the Word.” This word in Greek sounds like Logos. And in Greek culture it had a special meaning. Logos means both the word that we pronounce and the cosmic law in which the world exists harmoniously. Logos in the Greek worldview is a single comprehensive world component. The Stoics describe the Logos as the soul of the cosmos, consisting of subtle matter (etheric-fiery), possessing a set of form-creating potencies (the so-called “seed Logoi”). From them comes the “creation” of things in inert matter.
Reading the Gospel of John about the Word (Logos)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 It was with God in the beginning.
3 Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that came into being.
Gospel of John chapter 1
In the Gospel of John, the Word is also the Creator of the World, through him the creation of things occurs. It is also a law that is written in the hearts of people. Ancient philosophers believed that the basis of the Universe is the Logos - the word, rationality, harmony. The Eternal Logos, which is the True Wisdom or Principle that existed before the creation of the world, and in the process of creating all things, represents the main force. Logos is all-pervasive, its activity is manifested through special natural, moral and spiritual laws.
The Greek philosophers describe the same thing that the Bible describes. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus writes: “Everything that exists is nourished by a single divine law, for the latter dominates as much as it pleases, prevails over everything and conquers everything. This law that rules the world is the Logos.” Let's go to another part of the world. China.
How could Jesus forgive sins?
In the Jewish religion, only God can forgive sins. Forgiveness is always personal; Only one who has been offended or insulted can forgive, especially if the offended Person is God. But on several occasions Jesus acted as if he were God, forgiving sinners. Such a stunning statement about the forgiveness of sins had never been made by any prophet in the past. It infuriated the Jewish high priests, who witnessed Jesus' forgiveness of the sins of the paralyzed man. Mark describes this incident. “Why is he blaspheming so much! Who can forgive sins except God alone?” (Mark 2:7)! This is one of the points; no man has the right or authority to speak for God when it comes to the forgiveness of sins. Lewis imagines how amazed all those who heard Jesus were:
“Then the real shock comes,” Lewis wrote: “that among these Jews suddenly there appears a man who talks to everyone around him as if he were God. He claims to forgive sins. He says that He has always existed. He says that he will come to judge people when the world ends. Here we need to clarify the following. Among pantheists, for example, Indians, anyone could say that he is part of God, or one with God... But this man, being a Jew, could not mean such a God. In their language, God meant a Being outside this world who created this world and was infinitely different from everything else. And when you understand this concept, it will become clear to you that what this man was saying was the most shocking statement of all time.”[10]
Why Jesus is God - Chinese Philosophy
Around the same time, in the 6th century BC. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote: “Tao is the deepest gate of birth. The deepest gate of birth is the root of heaven and earth. Tao exists forever, like an endless thread, and its action is inexhaustible.”
Lao Tzu, when he writes that the comprehension of Tao is like the state of a baby. The baby does not have logic, but has the original wisdom, which is Tao. We read above that there was a true Light, which enlightens every person who comes into the world. Gospel of John chapter 1.
Lao Tzu, having managed to tear his thoughts away from the earthly, raised them to the heavenly and realized what was already in him and wrote about it. Tao denotes in Chinese philosophy the eternal action or principle of creation, from which the origin of uniqueness and duality, and at the same time the beginning of the world and creation. The same as what we read in the Bible. The concept of Tao, revealed to the Chinese, is similar to the concept of Logos, revealed to the Greeks. This is a universal law, the beginning of the world, harmony, and it refers to the root cause of the universe, and the mysterious and unknowable pattern underlying it, and the integrity of life. (the great limit of Chinese 太極), one gives rise to two - Yin and Yang (Chinese 陰陽), which, when in motion, become three and give birth to the entire manifested world (Chinese 萬物 / 万物, wànwù). That is, Tao is the source of life. At the same time, it is the energy that shapes the entire process of creation and creation. This is the creative spirit that creates.
and without Him nothing began to be that began to be. Gospel of John Chapter 1 Do you catch the similarities? Read the first chapter of the Gospel of John. When they translated the Gospel for the Chinese, they translated it like this;
In the beginning there was Tao and Tao was with God and Tao was God.
It was in the beginning with God.
3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that was made.4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And Tao became flesh and dwelt with us, full of grace and truth; Gospel of John chapter 1
What did Jesus mean by Son of God?
Jesus also claimed to be the “Son of God.” This name does not mean that Jesus is the biological Son of God. It also does not mean subordination, just as a man's son is not essentially subordinate to his father. The son and father share similar DNA, and although the son is different from the father, they are both male. Researchers say that the term “Son of God” in primary languages meant similarity, or “of the same order.” Jesus meant that he is essentially divine, or in 21st century parlance, has the “DNA of God.” Professor Peter Kreeft gives the following explanation. “What did Jesus mean by calling himself the “Son of God?” The son of man is man. (Both “son” and “man” in the traditional sense mean both male and female.) The son of a monkey is a monkey. The son of a dog is a dog. The son of a shark is a shark. And the son of God is God. “Son of God” is a divine name.”[8] Jesus constantly spoke of his Father as God. In verse 17 of John, Jesus speaks of the Father as “the only true God.” But in this same passage, Jesus speaks of the glory that he and his Father shared before the world began. How could Jesus exist forever with the Father? This is possible only on the condition that he, together with his Father, had the same divine essence. Packer explains what Jesus meant by the name "Son of God."
Therefore, when the Bible declares Jesus to be the Son of God, such a statement signifies his manifest personal divinity.”[9]
That Jesus called himself “I AM,” “Son of Man,” and “Son of God” points to the fact that he equated himself with God. This is exactly how the Jewish elders understood him. But if Jesus did claim to be God, did he make this clear in other ways? To find out, we need to look at Jesus' actions during his three-year ministry. Did Jesus speak and act with all the authority of God? Or did he simply speak for God like Moses and the other prophets?
Why Jesus is God - Indian Philosophy
The understanding of this world law, Logos, Tao, Word, was revealed not only to the Greeks, Jews and Chinese, but also to the Indians. Everywhere there were wise people who wanted to know the essence of existence. and in their reflections they reached the truth and touched it.
Due to causes , the world exists, due to causes, all things exist and all beings depend on causes and are limited by them. They are stable like a rotating cart wheel - with the core of its axle.
Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 654
There is a people in India called Sikhs. And there they came to understand the reason for things. Divine Law of Sikhism. The Divine Law manifests itself through everything, but cannot be expressed by itself. Everything is created by the Divine Law; the great is exalted by the Law. The Divine Law distinguishes between nobility and dishonor, By the Law all things are brought to bliss or misfortune,
In ancient Indian Vedic philosophy, Rita (the word itself is related to our word, speech, rhetoric, which reflects the understanding of the WORD as in the Bible) is the most important universal cosmic law, thanks to which the “ordering of the disorderly” occurs, the rotation of the Universe and the existence of all things, including Space, man, morality . Rita is the truth in the broadest sense of the word, even the gods and their deeds, the movement of the Sun, the weather on Earth and cosmic laws are nothing more than manifestations of Rita, invisible to mere mortal people (“The law is hidden by the law”). People know the laws of Rita, which speak of chastity and moral behavior. Friends, with these stories I would like to convey to you the feeling of world law, cosmic principle and order, which is huge, great and amazing. So that you think about how it happens that in different corners of the planet, people reach the same understanding.
God Jesus (Logos, Tao, Supreme Intelligence, Word of God) becomes man
But what is the connection with Jesus Christ, you ask, the article is about Jesus Christ. And why He is God. Let us turn again to the Gospel of John and pay attention to one text.
9. There was the true Light, which enlightens every person who comes into the world .
10 He was in the world , and the world came into being through Him , and the world knew Him not.11 He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. 12 And to those who received Him, to those who believed on His name, He gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born neither of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father.
15 John testifies of Him and, exclaiming, says: This was He of whom I said that He who came after me stood before me, because He was before me.
16 And out of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace,
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ .
18 No one has ever seen God; The Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed.
Gospel of John Chapter 1 – Bible
This text reveals a secret. That universal, cosmic law, which exists before the creation of the world, through which the world was created, becomes flesh, acquires a body. Word, Logos, Tao and many other concepts of various cultures, denoting this root cause of existence and at the same time the law thanks to which everything moves and exists. ( Everything began to be through him )
4 In whom we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins,
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the first begotten of all creation;
for by Him all things were created, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible : whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers - all things were created by Him and for Him ; Colossians 1 - Bible
From these texts we can understand that Jesus began to exist long before the creation of the visible world, and was the One who created it. Some people believe that Jesus began to exist by being born of Mary, but this is not true. Jesus is more than a baby in Mary's arms and more than a suffering man. Jesus is the embodiment of the reason for the existence of the universe.
Jesus is God, God because He was before the creation of the world. He Created it. Jesus is begotten, not created. (Col 1-16) Now when we hear that Jesus is the Word, we do not think about the word coming from our mouth. We understand that this is World Harmony, the reason for creation, the universal law of love, which became man to show the path to the Father, the path to eternal life. If Confucius, Lao Tzu or Buddha met Christ, they would bow to him, because they would understand that here he is the Creator of the world in the flesh. But the most dangerous lie is one in which there is a lot of truth, or the truth is incomplete .
Colossians 1:15-23 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness , and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace through Him through the blood of His cross” You are complete in Him Colossians 2 10
Jesus Christ revealed the complete truth for man and we see this in his teaching, in the Bible in his law, which describes everything that thinkers of other civilizations and cultures reached in an attempt to know Him. But it happens that a person does not want to accept what God gives him and wants to achieve everything with his imperfect mind, which leads to sad consequences.
Chapter 1: The Search for the “Historical Jesus” / Was Jesus God?
Both the New Testament and subsequent church tradition speak of Jesus Christ as God and Man in one person. The Church has always perceived its teaching about the God-manhood of Jesus as a consistent revelation of those truths contained in the Gospels and the Apostolic Epistles.
However, we cannot ignore the arguments of those who argue that Jesus was not who the Church claims He is, and that the Church itself did not immediately come to the conclusion that Jesus is God. In various forms and variations, certain individuals or groups have suggested that the Church gradually, over the centuries, created the image of the Son of God from the simple man Jesus, albeit endowed with special gifts and special wisdom. Many scholars still sincerely believe that it was only after several centuries of debate about whether Jesus was God or a mere man that belief in the Divinity of Jesus triumphed among the church hierarchy and was then “imposed” on the entire Church.
What do the canonical Gospels tell us about the Divinity of Jesus? Can we say that faith in Jesus as God incarnate was the original faith of the Church? We will return to the answer to this question more than once during our research. However, even now, before we begin the story of the life of Jesus, we need to dwell on two key concepts applied to Him by the New Testament authors: “Son of Man” and “Son of God.” Our perception of the appearance of Jesus and the entire gospel story largely depends on the interpretation of these concepts. It is also necessary to consider the context in which terms such as “God” and “Lord” were used in relation to Jesus.
Speaking of Himself in the third person, Jesus Himself most often calls Himself the Son of Man: this phrase appears in the four canonical Gospels a total of eighty-five times. “Son of Man” is an idiom meaning in Hebrew nothing more than “man” (Num. 23:19; Job 16:21; 23:6; Ps. 8:5; 143:3; 145:3; Isaiah 51:12; 56:2; Jeremiah 49:18)1 See: Casey M. Th e Solution to the 'Son of Man' Problem. P. 61–67.. In the book of the prophet Ezekiel, God repeatedly addresses the prophet as the son of man (Ezekiel 2:1ff.). At the same time, in the book of the prophet Daniel, the Son of Man appears as a prototype of the Messiah - the eternal King:
I saw in the night visions, behold, like the Son of Man walked with the clouds of heaven, came to the Ancient of Days and was brought to Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, that all nations, nations, and languages should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and His kingdom will not be destroyed (Dan. 7:13-14).
One might assume that by calling Himself the Son of Man, Jesus deliberately emphasizes His human rather than Divine origin. At the same time, the connection with the image of the Son of Man from the book of the prophet Daniel should not be ignored. The Son of Man, about whom Jesus speaks, is by no means an ordinary person: He is in heaven (John 3:13), the Father, God, has set His seal on Him (John 6:27), and the Angels of God ascend and descend to Him (John 1:51). The Son of Man came down from heaven (John 3:13) to save the souls of men (Luke 9:26). He has power on earth to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6), His flesh and blood must be eaten by believers in order to have life in them (John 6:53). He will rise from the dead (Mark 9:9) and ascend into heaven (John 3:13) - to where he was before (John 6:62). His Second Coming will be unexpected (Matthew 24:44; 25:13), like lightning flashing from one side of the sky and shining to the other (Luke 17:24). He will come in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mark 8:38), He will sit in rebirth on the throne of His glory and seat the apostles on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28), before Him all nations will be gathered, and He He will separate the sheep from the goats among them (Matt. 25:31-33).
Jesus is often called the Son of God (Matt. 14:33), the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16; John 6:69), and He accepts these titles (Luke 22:70). To the high priest’s question, Are you the Christ, the Son of God, Jesus gives an affirmative answer, but at the same time adds: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matthew 26:6 3–64). In relation to Himself, Jesus alternately uses the names “Son of Man” and “Son of God” as synonyms:
No one has ascended into heaven except the Son of Man, who is in heaven, who came down from heaven.
And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is already condemned, because he did not believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John 3:13–18). Truly, truly, I say to you, the time is coming, and has already come, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and having heard, they will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, so He gave to the Son to have life in Himself. And He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man (John 5:25-27).
The biblical title “son of God” does not necessarily indicate that its bearer is God (at least when used in the plural). However, in the New Testament, the expression “Son of God” takes on a special meaning when applied to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God (John 3:16; 3:18; 1 John 4:9), the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14), who is in the bosom of the Father (John 1:18). In conversations with his disciples and Jews, recorded by the Evangelist John, Jesus repeatedly testifies to His unity with the Father:
He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him (John 5:23).
I came down from heaven not to do My will, but the will of the Father who sent Me (John 6:38).
As the Father knows Me, so I know the Father (John 10:15).
The works that I do in the name of My Father, they testify of Me... I and the Father are one (John 10:25:30).
I am in the Father and the Father in Me (John 14:11).
Although Jesus calls Himself the Son of the Father and testifies to His unity with the Father, He almost nowhere in the Gospels calls Himself God. The exception is the case when, in response to the words of the devil, He says: Do not tempt the Lord your God (Matthew 4:7; Luke 4:12). Here He applies to Himself both titles related to the Father: Lord and God. Responding to other words of the devil, He says, meaning His Father: Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only (Luke 4:8).
When someone called Him a good Teacher, Jesus said to him: Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone (Matt. 19:17; Mark 10:18; Luke 18:19). Jesus' answer can be understood in the sense that He denies His Divinity by contrasting Himself with God. However, His words can be understood in another sense: by calling Me good, you acknowledge My Divinity.
In the Gospels and the Apostolic Epistles the name “God” (θεός) is used mainly in relation to the Father, while in relation to Jesus the name “Lord” (κ?ριος) is consistently used. 2 See: Brown RE Jesus, God and Man. P. 1–38.. The Acts of the Apostles says that God made Jesus, who was crucified by the Jews, Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). God raised the Lord, says the Apostle Paul (1 Cor. 6:14). In the apostolic epistles the expressions God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ are repeatedly found (1 Pet. 1:3; Rom. 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:3; 11:31; Eph. 1:3; 1:17; Col. 1:3), God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:7) and other similar formulas.
At the same time, in the letters of the Apostle Paul, Jesus Christ is repeatedly called God: Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed forever, Amen (Rom. 9:5); Looking forward to the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13); in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9). John the Theologian in his First Epistle says about Jesus Christ: This is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20).
The word “Lord” (Greek: κύριος) itself does not necessarily indicate the divinity of its bearer: it means “lord.” In this sense, one can understand the repeated use of the word “Lord” (Greek κύριε) in relation to Jesus in the direct speech of the apostles and other heroes of the Gospel. However, already in the Septuagint this word was used to convey the names of God - יהוה Yahwē (Yahweh, Jehovah, Lord, God) and אדני - 'Ǎḏōnay (My Lord)3 Lit.: “my lords” (pluralis majestatis)., and in In the New Testament, the name Lord (κύριος) is constantly used in relation to God the Father, along with the name God (θεός).
Moreover, already in the psalms the name Lord points both to God and to the promised Messiah: The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies Your footstool (Ps. 109:1). Quoting the words of the King Psalmist, Jesus asks the Jews: So David himself calls Him Lord: how then is He His Son? (Mark 12:36–37; cf. Luke 20:42–44). Here the name Lord is interpreted as indicating the Divinity of its Bearer and is applied by Jesus to Himself.
In the early Christian community, the application of the name Lord to Jesus was certainly an acknowledgment of His divinity. The Apostle Thomas uses the words Lord and God as synonyms when he addresses the risen Jesus with the words: My Lord and my God! (John 20:28). According to the Apostle Paul, no one can call Jesus Lord except by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3). In Paul's letters, the names God, Lord and Christ are often used synonymously: Paul speaks of the Church of God and the Church of Christ, the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Christ, the grace of God and the grace of Christ, the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. According to John Chrysostom, the name God is not greater than the name Lord and the name Lord is not less than the name God, since in the Old Testament God the Father is constantly called Lord4 John Chrysostom, St. Against the Anomeans. Conversation 5, 2 (PG. 48, 738). Rus. trans.: T. 1. Book. 2. P. 535..
Characteristic in this regard is the Gospel of Luke, where the name Lord is repeatedly applied to God, but no less often and consistently applied to Jesus.5 See: Rowe CK Early Narrative Christology. P. 197–218. Already in the first chapter of this Gospel the name Lord is used sixteen times in relation to God (Luke 1:6, 9, 10, 15–17, 25, 28, 32, 38, 45, 46, 58 , 66, 68, 76) and once in relation to Jesus - when Elizabeth calls the Virgin Mary the Mother of my Lord (Luke 1:43). In subsequent chapters we see a constant alternation of the name Lord in relation to God and His Son. Jesus is both Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11) and Christ the Lord (Luke 2:26). John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for the Lord, that is, Jesus (Luke 3:4; the same in Matthew 3:3; Mark 1:3). If in the first six chapters Luke calls Jesus only by name6 In total, the name “Jesus” appears 83 times in the Gospel of Luke, 77 of them in the narrative part. See: Lee D. Luke's Stories of Jesus. P. 214., as other evangelists do, starting from the seventh chapter the name Jesus in the narrative is regularly replaced by the name Lord (Luke 7:13, 31; 10:1; 11:39; 12:42; 13:15; 17 :5, 6; 18:6; 19:8; 22:31, 61; 24:3, 34). Such word usage is found in the narrative part only in John (John 11:2; 20:18, 20).
The most explicit statement of the early Church's belief in the Deity of Jesus Christ is the prologue of the Gospel of John, in which Jesus is identified with the eternal Word of God:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It was in the beginning with God. Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that came into being. In Him was life, and life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father (John 1:1-5, 13-14).
It is these words of the fourth Gospel that are the manifesto of the faith of the Ancient Church in the Divinity of Jesus. The prologue of the Gospel of John contains an explicit recognition that the Word of God, the Only Begotten Son of God, is God. The Word became flesh, became incarnate, became a man and lived among people. It is precisely in the fact that God became man that the Good News that the evangelists and apostles of Jesus brought to the world lies. And it is in this message that the novelty of Christianity as the New Testament between God and people lies.
It is no coincidence that the Gospel of John, which began with a solemn affirmation of the eternity and Divinity of the Word of God, in the final chapters contains the confession of Thomas: My Lord and my God! (John 20:28). The whole of the fourth Gospel is a progressive revelation of the faith in the Divinity of Jesus Christ, and it ends with a profession of this faith no less solemn than that with which it began.
The prologue of the Gospel of John ends with the words: No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed (John 1:18). Modern critical editions of the New Testament present this text in a slightly different edition: instead of “only begotten Son” (μονογενὴς υἱoς) they have “only begotten God” (μονογενὴς θεóς). This reading is based on the most ancient manuscripts, while the reading “only begotten Son” is found only in some manuscripts from the 4th century onwards. The authenticity of the version given in the critical edition is confirmed by the use of the expression “only begotten God” by the authors of the 4th century - Basil the Great7 Basil the Great. Letter 38, to brother Gregory about the difference between essence and hypostases. 4 (PG. 32, 329 B). Rus. trans.: P. 96., Amphilochius of Iconium8 Amphilochius of Iconium. On the right faith (Amphilochii Iconiensis Opera. P. 315). Rus. trans.: P. 408. The work has been preserved in the Syriac version., Gregory of Nyssa9 Gregory of Nyssa. Large catechetical word 39 (PG. 45, 101 A). Rus. trans.: P. 105; to Aulavius that there are not three Gods (PG. 45, 129 A). Rus. trans.: P. 125.. The expression “only begotten God” is another confirmation of the faith of the early Church in the Divinity of Christ and that His coming to earth was nothing more than the Incarnation.
The belief in the Divine origin of Jesus was the original belief of the Church, reflected in the pages of the New Testament. When applied to Jesus, it uses names commonly used to refer to God. In addition to this, the attributes that God has and the works that God does are attributed to Jesus; He is given the worship due to God. A detailed examination of the New Testament texts devoted to these topics leads modern researchers to the following conclusion:
The case for the divinity of Christ is not based on just a few texts used as evidence. The popular idea that some fourth-century Christians decided to force the Church to believe in Jesus as God and took certain biblical expressions out of context to achieve this goal is a false interpretation of the facts. The creators of the Orthodox doctrine of the Incarnation and the Trinity did have a goal, but it was not to replace the man Jesus with the Divine Christ. Their goal was to preserve the clear teaching of the New Testament about the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, while honoring three other clear points of New Testament teaching: There is one God; Jesus is the Son, not the Father; Jesus is not only God, but also a man10 Bowman RM, Komoszewski J. Putting Jesus in His Place. P. 267..
Belief in the Divinity of Jesus did not immediately receive a clear dogmatic justification, expressed in specific Christological terminology. This terminology evolved over several centuries in response to emerging heresies.
In chronological order, the first to deny the Divine origin of Jesus were His contemporaries - the Jews. Some of them were ready to see Him as a teacher and prophet, but they were outraged by His persistent desire to declare God His Father, and Himself His Son, speaking on behalf of God. The most vivid descriptions of such clashes between the Jews and Jesus are contained in the Gospel of John: chapters 5-8 of this Gospel are almost entirely devoted to Jesus' polemics with the Jews. When reading these chapters, it is difficult to get rid of the feeling that Christ seemed to be deliberately provoking the Jews, telling them something that they obviously could not accept. His conflict with the Jews does not at all look like an accident or a misunderstanding: Jesus consistently and consciously went into this conflict - both when he denounced the Pharisees for hypocrisy and hypocrisy, and when he spoke about Himself as the Son of God.
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, doubts about His Divinity arose not only among those to whom the preaching of the apostles was addressed, but also among Christians. However, the Church consistently cast out all who in one form or another challenged the Divinity of Jesus, declaring them heretics and refuting their teachings at the Councils.
We will not list here the numerous heretical teachings that arose in the Ancient Church and, to one degree or another, cast doubt on the Divinity of Jesus. Let's just talk about one, the most significant thing that shook the Church during almost the entire 4th century: Arianism. It came from the concept of a single absolutely transcendent God the Father, who cannot be immanent to anyone. The author of this teaching, the Alexandrian presbyter Arius, believed that the Son of God is not equal and not like the Father: He has a different nature and essence. He is also not co-eternal with the Father, for he received a beginning in time: “it was when He was not.” The Son is one of God's creations. He was created by the Father “out of nothingness” as a mediator in order to create the world with His hands. He has an advantage over other creatures, but is not God, being changeable by nature: only the Father is unchangeable and only the Father is the one true God, and the Son and the Holy Spirit are creations of God subordinate to Him.
The Council of Nicea in 325 contrasted this teaching with the Creed, in which the main tenets of Arianism were condemned:
We believe in One God the Father, Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, begotten of the Father, that is, from the essence of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, by whom all things were brought into being. For our sake, people, and for our salvation, who came down from heaven and became incarnate, and became man, and suffered, and rose again on the third day, and ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father, and will come again to judge the living and the dead. And in the Holy Spirit. Those who say “there was (a time) when there was no (Son),” and that He was created from nothingness, or those who say that He is from another hypostasis or essence, or that the Son of God is convertible or changeable, are anathematized by the Catholic and Apostolic Church.
The main opponent of Arius was Athanasius of Alexandria, according to whose teaching the entire Trinity is One God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, equal in Divinity and essence. The birth of the Son from the Father is pre-eternal: the Father never began to be the Father, but always was, therefore the Son is co-eternal with the Father. The consubstantial Persons of the Holy Trinity are not just equality or similarity: it is a complete unity of being, an indissoluble and unchangeable identity, the unfused inseparability of one Person from the Other. The teaching of the Nicene Council, which received the name of the First Ecumenical Council, was then solemnly confirmed at the Second Ecumenical Council, convened in Constantinople in 381.
Subsequent Christological heresies that arose in the Christian East and were condemned by the Ecumenical Councils, to one degree or another touched upon the theme of the relationship between the Divine and human natures in Christ, but not a single one of the heretics condemned by the Councils denied that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, the Son of God, equal and consubstantial with the Father. In particular, in the 5th century Nestorius was condemned, who drew a clear line between God the Word and the Man Jesus. In contrast to his teaching, the fathers of the Third Ecumenical Council insisted that God the Word, spoken of in the Gospel of John, and the Man Jesus are one and the same Person. Nestorius, however, did not at all deny that the Son of God is consubstantial with God the Father: he only said that the Word of God indwelled the Man Jesus. In other words, he did not deny the Divinity of Jesus, but only interpreted it in a way that was unacceptable to the Church.
Was the teaching of the First and Second Ecumenical Councils an innovation compared to what was said about Jesus Christ in the Gospels, or did it only confirm and clarify the New Testament gospel about Jesus as God incarnate? The Church has always insisted that it did not and could not introduce any innovations in relation to the original faith. We have seen that already in the Gospels the name “Lord” was consistently used in relation to Jesus, and in some cases the name “God”. The divinity of Jesus was not questioned by the apostle Paul, the other apostles, subsequent generations of church writers, or even the heretics after Arius. The terminology continued to be refined, but the faith remained the same - the one that the apostles received from Jesus Himself.
The doctrine that categorically rejected the Divinity of Jesus, posing a serious challenge to Christianity, was Islam. It arose in the 7th century, began to spread quickly and was initially perceived by Christians as one of the heresies. John of Damascus, an 8th century Christian author, included Islam in the list of heresies under number 10011 John of Damascus. About a hundred heresies in brief. 100 (Die Schrift en. Bd. 4. S. 60–67). Rus. trans.: pp. 150–155.. Damascene connects the origin of Islam with Arianism, which denied the Divinity of Jesus Christ (there is also information that Mohammed’s teacher was a Nestorian monk). One way or another, for Damascene the appearance of Islam seemed to be yet another departure from the purity of Christian doctrine, and only later it became clear that Islam is a new religion, and not a heretical movement within Christianity.
In the Quran, “Jesus, Son of Mary” (Isa ibn Maryam) is mentioned many times. The following text can be considered key to understanding the role of Jesus in the Quran:
O people of the Book! Do not be excessive in your religion and speak only the truth about Allah. Messiah Isa, the son of Maryam, is the messenger of Allah, His Word that He sent to Maryam, and the spirit from Him. Believe in Allah and His messengers and do not say: “Trinity!” Stop it, it will be better for you. Verily, Allah is the only God. He is pure and far from having a son12 Koran. 4, 171..
Islam proceeds from the fact that God is one and He cannot have a son. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is declared false, as is the idea that Jesus is of Divine origin. As in Christian theology, Islam draws a clear line between the Creator and the creation. Jesus is perceived as the Word of God, however, unlike the Gospel of John, which says that the Word was God (John 1:1), in Islam the Word of God has a created origin. This brings the Islamic concept of Jesus closer to Arianism.
For centuries, the Church struggled with teachings that denied the Divinity of Jesus. When in the 4th century Arius refused to recognize Jesus as the Son of God, consubstantial with the Father, the Church convened the First Ecumenical Council, at which Arianism was condemned. Many centuries later, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Orthodox Church declared the writer Leo Tolstoy to have fallen away from it, who tried to replace the Gospel with his own teaching about Jesus as a moral authority devoid of Divine dignity.
In response to challenges to the concept of Jesus as God and Savior, the Church developed and refined its own theology to counter them. Accordingly, the terminology used to present church teaching about Christ was also clarified. At the same time, Christians were convinced that the emergence of new theological formulations was not aimed at creating a fundamentally new understanding of the role and significance of Jesus Christ, but only at a more accurate explanation of the original faith in His Divinity, which was inherent in it from its very foundation.
In this sense, we can say that the teaching of the Church about the Divinity of Jesus Christ has been consistent throughout Christian history. And even today, when Christianity exists in the form of various confessions, denominations and communities with an extensive list of mutual disagreements, all Christians - Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants - recognize Jesus Christ as God and Savior, consubstantial with the Father in Divinity and consubstantial with us in to humanity.
Authority of witnesses
Table of contents
Search for the “historical Jesus” and His kerygma
Why Jesus Christ is God, the son of God, and not a prophet.
Some religions revere Jesus as a prophet. For example, Muslims. Although the Koran also contains words speaking about the divinity of Jesus Christ. I’m not saying that the Koran is a divine book and should be revered as divine, because there is a lot in it that contradicts the law of love, and God is love, as the Bible says. But there is something interesting about Christ in this book. Probably because Mohamed was not a stupid person and thought the same way about the truth, and reached some things, but not others. For example, he says that John the Baptist proclaims Isa-al-Masih “ The Word from Allah ”: “There Zakariya called to his Lord and said: “Lord! Give me good offspring. For You are the one who hears the appeal.” And the angels exclaimed to him as he stood praying in the mihrab: “Allah rejoices you with the news of Yahya [John the Baptist], confirming the truth of the word from Allah, lord, temperate and prophet of the righteous!” (Sura 3:33-34) Let us remember the Gospel of John: in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
Next, we will look at the following sura from the Koran: “...After all, the Messiah, Isa, son of Mary, is only the messenger of Allah and His word ,
which He threw to Maryam, and
His spirit ...” (Sura 4:169).
About this verse by A.A. Abdul-Hagg (A.A. Abdul-Hagg) notes the following: “In the light of this verse, considering the meaning of “His Word,” it should be clear to any intelligent person that the “Word of God” must be of the same nature as God. Muslims, not having an understanding of the word in the sense that was revealed to wise people of different civilizations, do not realize what the word means. The Koran says that Allah created the world through the Word. That Jesus is the Word. How did it happen that in the Koran, on the one hand, the Divine origin of Christ is recognized. It's called the Word of God. And we see how in the Koran Allah uses the Word to create the world.
Surah Explained 41 (11)
Then He turned to the sky, which was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: “Come willingly or unwillingly.” They said: “We will come of our own free will.”
Or more text
Ghafir (Forgiving), verse 68 of 85 He is the One who gives life and kills. When He makes a decision, then He should say: “Be!” - how it comes true.
Allah speaks and something happens. What he says? He speaks the Word. How did Allah create the world? Through the Word, saying “Be!” Did Allah create the word? No, because he creates everything with the Word. Otherwise, how would he create the word, If he creates with the word? You can't create something with something you don't have. Therefore, the Word must not have been created, but formed in a different way. The Bible says that the Word was begotten by God before the creation of the world. That the word dwelt inside God the Father and then was somehow isolated, separated, born. Former Muslim, teacher of the Koran on the Word of God.
But a Muslim has a different way of thinking; it is difficult for him to understand what Tao, Logos, Rita, the Divine Law of the Sikhs or the Word that governs everything is. And to understand the incarnation you need to think a lot about the body, spirit and soul. And any programmer will understand the incarnation of Jesus more easily, even if he does not believe in him, than a Muslim, because the programmer understands that the body is like a computer, which can have an operating system - a soul, which can be controlled by a human spirit, or the Spirit of God - Jesus Christ. Who was God in his spirit, but became man in his body. But a Muslim does not understand that God is not matter. God is a spiritual being. But why then is there a mention of the Word, the Spirit of God in the Koran?! Why not write it in such a way that people reading it would not have the opportunity to come to an understanding of the Divinity of Jesus Christ?!
Who gave revelation to the prophets of the Bible? God Himself.
Who gave revelations to Muhammad? Angel.
When the fallen angels met Jesus Christ they screamed
Matthew 8:29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God?” You came here ahead of time to torment us.
and one more story that happened with the disciples of Christ. With the Apostle Paul.
It happened that when we were going to the prayer house, we met a servant girl possessed by a spirit of divination, who through divination brought great income to her masters.
17 As she followed Paul and us, she cried out, saying, “ These men are the servants of the Most High God, who show us the way of salvation.”
18 She did this for many days. Paul, indignant, turned and said to the spirit: in the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her . And the spirit left at that same hour.
Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16
From these biblical texts it is clear that evil spirits, when confronted with God, speak the truth about him. And he cannot tell a lie about Christ. The angel who inspired Muhammad had to tell the truth about Christ Jesus in the Koran, so that those who are destined for salvation could find the truth, even if they were born in a Muslim environment.
Evidence for the Deity of Jesus Christ in the New Testament
How can the Deity of Jesus Christ be proven from the New Testament? In fact, there are many passages in the New Testament that speak directly to the deity of Christ. Jesus is called God in John 1:1, 20:28; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1 and 1 John 5:20. The Jews understood that Jesus' claims to be the Son of God actually meant that He was equal in nature to God (John 5:18). They had no doubt that Jesus spoke of Himself as God (John 10:33). People can become children of God through adoption, but Jesus was uniquely the Son of God by nature (John 3:16, Philippians 2:6).
