Jesus, the one and only God

One of the most well accepted facts of Christianity, yet one of the most misunderstood facts, is that Jesus is actually God.  As Christians we accept this premise not only because we know Him when we are born in His family, but because the Bible clearly teaches this truth.

Although the trinity is only hinted at in the Old Testament (Gen 1:26 "Let us make man in Our image"), the tri-unity of the God-head is clearly taught in the NT again and again.  I saw this again this morning as I waited to see the doctor.  The Pharisees were questioning Jesus about his claims to be the Messiah when Jesus made the audacious claim of not only knowing Abraham but actually pre-existing Abraham.  Jesus said,

"Before Abraham was I Am"

When the Jews heard those words from Jesus' lips they attempted to stone Him on the spot!  (See Jn 8:36.). However, the actual claim which many miss in Jesus' response is the fact that this is the name of God which He gave to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14.  God told Moses over two centuries prior to Abraham that His name was "I AM" or the eternally existant One.  This is precisely how Jesus applies the title to Himself as the Messiah while speaking to the Pharisees!

Among the many other texts which clearly identify Jesus as God is John 1:1-14.  Here John says,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  Then the text concludes with this tenent in verse 14,

 And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. 

 Perhaps no other text so clearly declares Jesus to be God in the flesh as clearly as this text does.  Furthermore, this text continues to describe Jesus as being the Creator in Jn 1:3;

All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.

 However, one of my favorite texts which definitively shows Jesus to be God is found in Titus 2:13. Paul, when writing to the young pastor in Crete, made the following statement about Jesus as the one who was coming back some day.  He said,

waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.  

 This is one of the clearest declarations in Scripture that our Great God and Savior is Jesus Christ!  Jesus reminded Phillip because he had seen Him, he had in fact seen the Father already (John 14:9)!  As we enter the Christmas season, we need to be reminded that the birth of Jesus has not just brought us a Savior of men, women, boys, and girls, but that God Himself came to earth in the form of a baby who died to save us from the penalty of our sin.


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