Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Deity of Christ - Quick Verses

Here are some quick verses for the Deity of Christ (ie full equality with the Father) which various groups like the Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses deny:

|| First Level Statements: Jesus Explicitly Called God or Called Fully Equal with God ||

John 1:1 (The Word later on is said to be Jesus)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:18
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

John 5:18
18For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

John 10:30-33
30"I and the Father are one."
31The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.
32Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?"
33The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God."

Philippians 2:6
who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped

Titus 2:13
13looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus

Peter 1:1
Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ

|| Second Level Statements: Implicit Statements of Christ's Deity ||


Hebrews 1:3
3And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His [God's] nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Colossians 1:19
19For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him

Colossians 2:9
9For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form

John 8:57-59
57So the Jews said to Him, "You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?"
58Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
59Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him, but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple.

John 12:41 -"These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him." (cf. Isaiah 6)

|| Third Level Statements: Theological Insights ||

Mark 1:2
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet:
"BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU,
WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY;
+
Malachi 3:1
"Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming," says the LORD of hosts.

Notice that in original quotation Malachi, God/YHWH uses the pronoun "Me," while in Mark when referring to Jesus it is "You." Why is that? Because Jesus is the second person of the Godhead and so when something is attributed to God/YHWH, it is appropriate to attribute it to Jesus.

[BTW, if you're wondering why it Mark says from the prophet Isaiah, its b/c Mark puts two verses together Malachi 3:1(v2) and than Isaiah 40:3(v3), and as the literary custom of the day, he attributes the entire quote to the higher ranking prophet.]

Isaiah 44:24–”Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer…’I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself‘”

John 1:3 –”All things were made through Him [Christ], and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (cf. Colossians 1:16)

Micah 5:2 - "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.

Ezekiel 1:26 Now above the expanse that was over their heads there was something resembling a throne, like lapis lazuli in appearance; and on that which resembled a throne, high up, was a figure with the appearance of a man. 27Then I noticed from the appearance of His loins and upward something like glowing metal that looked like fire all around within it, and from the appearance of His loins and downward I saw something like fire; and there was a radiance around Him. 28As the appearance of the rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the surrounding radiance Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD And when I saw it, I fell on my face and heard a voice speaking. (cf. Revelation 1,4)

Matthew 21:15 "But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David," they became indignant 16and said to Him, "Do You hear what these children are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, 'OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU [God] HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF[God/Jesus]'?"

Its kind of slick of Jesus, but you see that Jesus is getting praise from the children and then He quotes a verse from the Bible saying that the God prepared children to give Himself/God praise and uses it of Himself!

Biblical Musings

Do you ever run across verses in the Bible and say to yourself “I gotta remember this” or “How did I miss this the first thousands times I read it?!?!” Well, I do and here are my Biblical musings:


Can God do what He wants? Yes, b/c that's who God is – GOD! Otherwise something else, outside of Himself, say our concept of fairness, would limit His freedom

Psalm 106:8

Nevertheless He saved them for the sake of His name,
That He might make His power known.

Matthew 20:15

15'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?'

Jeremiah 18: 1-6

1The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD saying,
2"Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will announce My words to you."
3Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something on the wheel.
4But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.
5Then the word of the LORD came to me saying,

6"Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?" declares the LORD. "Behold, like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.

Isaiah 29:15-16

15Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD,
And whose deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, "Who sees us?" or "Who knows us?"
16You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered as equal with the clay,
That what is made would say to its maker, "He did not make me";
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?

Romans 9:17-23

17For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "FOR THIS VERY PURPOSE I RAISED YOU UP, TO DEMONSTRATE MY POWER IN YOU, AND THAT MY NAME MIGHT BE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE EARTH."
18So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.
19You will say to me then, "Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?"
20On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, "Why did you make me like this," will it?
21Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?
22What if God, although willing to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction?
23And He did so to make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory.

Suffering in Perspective:

Psalm 107:11-13

11Because they had rebelled against the words of God
And spurned the counsel of the Most High.
12Therefore He humbled their heart with labor;
They stumbled and there was none to help.
13Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble;
He saved them out of their distresses.

Psalm 119:71

It is good for me that I was afflicted,
That I may learn Your statutes.

Amos 4 - One of my favorite chapters of the OT

Genesis 32:25

"When he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his thigh; so the socket of Jacob's thigh was dislocated while he wrestled with him." (Think of how the pain would remind Him of that day and keep him humble, thankful, worshipful, etc.)

2 Corinthians 12:7-10

7Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!
8Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me.
9And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness " Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
10Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

Why we should pray:

Psalm 116:1-2

1I love the LORD, because He hears
My voice and my supplications.
2Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.

Excellent Prayers During Suffering!

Matthew 26:39, 42, 44

39And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will."
42He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done."
44And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.

Habakkuk 3:17-19

17Though the fig tree should not blossom
And there be no fruit on the vines,
Though the yield of the olive should fail
And the fields produce no food,
Though the flock should be cut off from the fold
And there be no cattle in the stalls,
18Yet I will exult in the LORD,
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
19The Lord GOD is my strength,
And He has made my feet like hinds' feet,
And makes me walk on my high places.

These are just some awesome Psalms: Psalm 40, 86

Bondage of the Will or Libertarian Free Will?

Matthew 11:27

"All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."

Matthew 13:10-11

10And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"
11Jesus answered them, "to you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. "

Luke 10:21

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight

Luke 18:32-34

32"For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon,
33and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again."
34But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

Luke 24:15-17

15While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.
16But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

Believe that Jesus died for all sins and not in limited atonement? Did Jesus die for this sin (or the demons')?

Matthew 12:31-32

"...Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
32"Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come."

Mormon's believe that God is married and that people will be married in heaven. They should read this:

Matthew 22:29-33

29But Jesus answered and said to them, "You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.
30"For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
31"But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God:
32'I AM THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, AND THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB'? He is not the God of the dead but of the living."
33When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.

What makes you great? Hint: not money, power, and fame.

Matthew 20:26-28

26"It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,
27and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave;
28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

Hell made primarily for the devil and his angels and not us? I think there are other verses to back this up or maybe not...

Matthew 25:41

41"Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;