The Deity of Jesus Christ
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Colossians 2:9
Is Jesus God? The Deity of Jesus Christ is the doctrine that Jesus Christ of Nazareth was and is truly God. The so-called Witnesses of Jehovah (groupies of Charles Taze Russell and Judge Rutherford) say Jesus was only a god, though He was actually Jehovah! Muslims say he was only a prophet. Mormons say he was a created spirit brother to Lucifer. Hindus say, “Who is Jesus?” What do you say?
Jesus asked His apostles, “Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matt 16:13-17).
You can only know and believe the truth about Jesus Christ if God reveals Him to you, just like here with Peter, a former fisherman. God must reveal Jesus to you by His Spirit, or you will spend your life in ignorant confusion and heresy like those listed above and the Pharisees of ancient Israel (Luke 10:22; I Cor 12:3). Jesus is God, and the sooner you believe and obey Him the better for you.
Jesus asked the Pharisees, the most conservatives Jews, “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions” (Matt 22:41-46).
Jesus identified Himself as David’s Lord to these ignorant theologians from their own scriptures (Ps 110:1). Since He truly was the Son of David, biologically through Mary and legally through Joseph, the only way He could also be David’s Lord was to be David’s Creator God. The Pharisees could not answer His divine wisdom and neither can the groups listed above. Can you answer Jesus’ question?
Jesus was no ordinary man. He was not even a special man. He was God in human flesh, as the title text above declares. One of His names was Immanuel, meaning, God with us (Is 7:14; Matt 1:23). Another prophecy by Isaiah called Him, “Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Is 9:6). Jesus is so much God that He was called, The mighty God, and The everlasting Father. There is no question about it – Jesus is fully Jehovah God.
In His human nature, He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:52). In His divine nature, or His deity, He created the worlds (Eph 3:9; Heb 1:2). In His human nature He is the only Mediator between God and men (I Tim 2:5). In His divine nature, He is the eternal God (Heb 1:8; John 20:28)
The divine nature of Jesus Christ is the Word of God, Who made all things, and without Him was not anything made that was made (John 1:1-3). In time the Word of God took on a fleshly human nature through the virgin birth of Mary (John 1:14; Luke 1:35; Gal 4:4). Men call this the incarnation, and it is a great mystery of the gospel, which can only be known by scripture and the Holy Spirit (I Tim 3:16).
Without God revealing Jesus, men will say and do terrible things against Him. Paul once observed, “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Cor 2:7-8). Do you know the mystery of Jesus?
So great is Jesus Christ, He will sit as Judge of all creatures very soon. He will send some to eternal damnation and others to eternal bliss. The only hope you have as a sinner is to run to Him as God in the flesh and beg Him for mercy, believing all the Bible has to say about Him. It is then your duty to live each day for Him and in light of His soon coming, when you will give an account of your life to Him.