Thursday, October 25, 2007
The Deity of Jesus
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
—Philippians 2:10–11
There are people today who say that Jesus never claimed to be God; it is just something people dreamed up. But that is a lie. Jesus claimed to be God. And any group who says that Jesus is not God is not a Christian group, no matter how big their Bibles may be or how much they might look like Christians.
Jesus made clear claims to deity. He said, “For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins” (John 8:24). When Moses saw the burning bush and walked up to it, he heard a voice speaking to him that said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. . . . I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exodus 3:5–6). It was a claim to deity. So when Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins,” it means that Jesus claimed to be God.
To suggest that Jesus never claimed to be God is ludicrous. For instance, we know that on many occasions He accepted worship, something that is reserved for God alone. He said to Satan during the temptation in the wilderness, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’ ” (Matthew 4:10). Yet on other occasions, Jesus personally accepted worship.
When Thomas saw the risen Lord, he fell down before Him and said, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Jesus accepted that, because He is indeed the Lord and God.
For more relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to www.harvest.org.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions,