Jesus Is Yahweh's Unique Dwelling Place II

In a prior post I suggested that Jesus is Yahweh's Unique Dwelling Place. I have also been discussing the Authentic Humanity of Jesus Christ. These two topics are inseparably interwoven from my perspective but this one will pick up where the first one left off. While discussing Jesus as the unique dwelling place of Yahweh* we also discussed the name of Jesus. In this post I wanted to expand on what it means for Jesus to be that "unique dwelling place". What does this mean?

In Israel's history Jersusalem, the Temple Mount and the Temple were all considered holy because God's name and presence dwelled there (See 2 Sam. 7:13; 1 Kings 3:2 and Isa 18:7). Notice the following renderings of Psalm 26:8:

Lord, I have loved the beauty of thy house, and the place of the tabernacle of thy glory. LXX

O LORD, I love Your temple abode, the dwelling-place of Your glory. JPS TNK

O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells. ESV

Also notice Isaiah 59:19:

So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. ESV

The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (HALOT) suggests the Hebrew word for "glory" in these texts refer to a "manifestation of Yahweh"(1).Jesus being the Temple means that He has replaced the Temple where sacrifices were once made. Jesus then is where the glory, name and presence of Yahweh lives and is now manifest permanently. Translator R.G. Bratcher suggests that Yahweh's glory is:

the manifestation of his presence and power, usually described in terms of a dazzling light (see Exo 33:18, 22; 40:34; 1 Kgs 8:10–11). The place where thy glory dwells is sometimes difficult to translate, because glory is normally an attributive of God and not an animate being which can be said to perform the act of dwelling. However, by recasting this expression it is possible to say something like "the place where you are gloriously present,"(2)

In Psalm 26:8 we see that David loved the house of God. Was it because of the instruments? Was it because of the design? I am sure those items were precious to David and impressive on a large scale. However, David loved the house of God because that is where Yahweh was present. J.E. Smith noted, "David loved the house of God, the sanctuary where Yahweh dwelt among his people (Exod 25:8f.). Yahweh’s "glory" is his manifested presence, of which the ark was the outward symbol."(3)

The glory of God by its very nature is pre-existent. It was this glory, the very presence of Yahweh Himself, that revealed Himself in the flesh and blood of Jesus of Nazareth. What no scribe would say the Apostle John says, the Word was with God and yet is God (John 1:1). The dwelling place of God was no longer Jerusalem, the Temple Mount or even the Temple in all of its splendor. The Gospel of John records that the "Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14 ESV) or "Word became flesh and took up residence among us" LEB. T.F. Torrance noted that here "John is clearly thinking of the Old Testament tabernacle, the moving tent of meeting, as it was called, the place where God and man met and God revealed himself to man."(4)  To say that God was in Christ (2 Cor. 5:19) is to say that Yahweh was in Christ. In Christ Yahweh, Himself, tabernacles among us. In Zechariah 12:10 the prophet foretold something that could only be fulfilled in Christ Jesus:

"...when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn." ESV

"...they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn." NASB

"...they will look to me, the one they have pierced. They will lament for him as one laments for an only son, and there will be a bitter cry for him like the bitter cry for a firstborn." NET

The pronoun "me" is a reference to Yahweh, the speaker. Some have stumbled here and have sought to understand this verse in different ways. Largely because this verse raises the question of how Yahweh could be pierced? How can such a thing ever be true? In some places to reject the prophets was to reject the Lord (2 Chron. 36:15-16) but how can one say it is the Lord Himself who has been pierced? Only in Jesus. Jesus said that to see Him was to see the Father (John 12:45; 14:9-10). To pierce Jesus then was to pierce Yahweh.

But what about "They will lament for him"? It is quite common for the author to shift from first person to third person in Biblical texts. This can be done without change of antecedent. In Zechariah 12:7-9 Yahweh speaks in first person but alternates with third person language also by going from "I" to "the Lord". Jesus is not merely a representative of Yahweh nor is He merely the second of three divine persons. Jesus is the only one who can be Yahweh and Messiah.

In John 2:19 Jesus says, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." ESV Here the Jews misunderstood what Jesus was thinking. They thought he was referring to the Temple of Jerusalem. Jesus however replaces the Temple with Himself since after His death it is He who was raised. Here we can see how John uses double-level thinking. Those standing around Jesus probably missed the true implications of what Jesus had said for in those words are revealed something important about the identity of Jesus. Jesus is now the place where God's name and presence dwells. In Jesus God has made Himself fully known to man. God has literally ptiched his tent and tabernacled (See Psalm 26:8; 135:2) among us (See John 1:1, 14, 18; Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16).

NOTES:

1) Koehler, L. and Baumgartner, W. et al. The Hebrew & Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament © 1994-2000 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands. All rights reserved

2) Bratcher, Robert G. and William David Reyburn. A Translator's Handbook on the Book of Psalms. UBS Handbook Series. New York: United Bible Societies, 1991.

3) Smith, James E. The Wisdom Literature and Psalms. Old Testament Survey Series. Joplin, MO: College Press Pub. Co., 1996.

4) Torrance, Thomas F. Incarnation: The Person and Life of Christ (c) 2008 by Thomas F. Torrance and Robert T. Walker. Intervarsity Press Academic publishing. (pg. 59)

*Yahweh here is used the same as one would say God. God in each instance is a reference to Yahweh. The personal name of the God of Israel. Read the conversation of Jesus and the Jewish scribe at Mark 12:29-30.

Is it a logical contradiction to say "Jesus is God"?

It is the firm conviction of this writer that in Jesus Christ we meet the Living, True God who has become flesh. In this post I will attempt to explain what I mean when I say "Jesus is God." Oxford scholar and former atheist Alister McGrath noted that, "Through Jesus Christ, whom we recognize to be God incarnate, a direct and personal encounter between ourselves and God is made possible."(1)

The Old Testament prepares us for one of the greatest breakthroughs in human history. It is as though we were looking at a beautiful painting only through a peep hole. Once we are in full focus of the painting we know and experience more than what our previous reality could see. Previously we only saw a glimpse. Isaiah 53 speaks of the suffering servant. Psalm 22 reads about a righteous sufferer and in Malachi 3:1 it is “the Lord” God who will suddenly come to His temple. Indeed, in the tabernacle of the wilderness it was God Himself who tabernacles with Israel. Luke 1:68 records:

NET | "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he has come to help and has redeemed his people.

Here it is God, the Lord or Yahweh of Israel, that has come to help and redeem. We read “blessed be the Lord” because He has raised up a “horn of salvation” in the house of David. Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt by His mighty act. Jesus brings deliverance and redemption to mankind yet Jesus is not simply an agent of God as was Moses. In this instance as in others God serves as His own messenger. He is God in the flesh, God Incarnate. In the tabernacle in the wilderness it was God Himself that dwelled therein and not merely an agent. When you see Jesus you see God (John 1:1, 14, 18; John 20:28; John 14:9-10).

For the Unitarian or Socinian this can be acceptable only if we mean Jesus is God in merely a representative fashion. As we have seen, what is said about Jesus transcends what can be said of simply an agent or shaliach. Moses nor any of the apostles are ever worshipped. Trinitarians believe that Jesus is God but He is the second of three divine, eternal persons who can each be called God.* The term “God” in their thinking is much like a senate or council but with more complexity in which the three divine persons share in Godness or the divine nature. What is said about Jesus transcends Him merely being a divine being or an Incarnate angelic figure. This writer as well as Oneness Pentecostal theology rejects both views when asserting that Jesus is God.

The same God of the Old Testament who speaks as a He now comes as one of us. It is only by looking at Jesus that anyone has truly ever seen God. This does not mean that Jesus looked like God to those around Him; however, the external appearance of God is Jesus (John 1:18; Col. 1:15; 2 Cor. 4:4). While on earth Jesus was fully and completely man and fully and completely God without confusion. The Trinitarian will have little problem here as long as one actually means Jesus is God the Son. My Unitarian friends will stumble here and even suggest some sort of logical contradiction. For them Jesus could not be God. In reality, this is simply untrue. The Incarnation may better be considered a hopeful paradox but to say it is a contradiction of logic would be to militate against the nature of God. God is truth and all truth is God's truth.

There is nothing that does not allow God, who created all things, to enter into His own creation. There is nothing illogical about Him appearing in human form. When we speak of the Incarnation we are not saying human nature is divine nature. Or that God stopped being God in order to add human nature to His existence. For there to be a logical contradiction we would need to be saying one thing is another thing in the same instance and in the same respect. Peter Kreeft notes:

“it is not a simple self-contradiction to say that one person can have two natures, though it is a simple self-contradiction to say that that person is both one person and two persons, or one nature and two natures, at the same time. There is even something of an analogy in ourselves—we are both material and immaterial, spatial and nonspatial, visible and invisible—for we are both body and soul...the Incarnation, however miraculous, is not a self-contradiction. Therefore the Incarnation is possible.”(2)

Saying Jesus is God and man is not a logical contradiction. If we were saying that Jesus is a square circle then that would be a logical contradiction. Circles and squares are from the category of shapes. To say Jesus is one and the other in the same instance and at the same time would be a contradiction. That is also like saying red is blue or blue is red in the same instance and at the same time. Red and blue belong to the category of colors. To say Jesus is blue and yet red at the same time and in the same respect would be a contradiction. This is not the claim of Christians today who assert that Jesus is God and man.

Jesus is a man but is not the same as every other man who has existed. It is not contradictory for there to be a circle which is also blue to indeed be a circle. God and man may be different but that in no way means they are logically incompatible. Jesus as God and man cannot be a square and a circle but He can be a blue circle. As a blue circle Jesus is both shape (circle) and color (blue) without any contradiction. God and man are different but it does not follow that because they are different then they are also logically incompatible.

Jesus then not only reveals what it means to be divine but what it also means to be truly human. Are we confident that we fully understand what it is to be human? Often we are content that we know what it is like to be human. We are human after all. Is that all there is though? Could it be that through Jesus Christ we see what it is like to be truly human?

The fact that something seems paradoxical does not make it true or false either. Science and quantum theory point us to the inevitability of paradox and seeming contradiction. This however is usually because our knowledge is partial or superficial. We must always realize that our reality or worldview may be partial or incomplete. From the standpoint of the scientific observer an electrons velocity can hardly be determined. This is true though from the standpoint of the finite observer. This does not mean that the electron is actually randomly moving or confused.

Jesus being uniquely God and man is not a logical contradiction. While on earth Jesus chose to be humbled and die as a man and a slave to mankind (2 Cor. 8:9; Phil. 2:5-11). If it is impossible for Jesus to be God then one must first presuppose that God cannot enter into His own creation. As we have seen in the Angel of the LORD texts the God of the Bible does and certainly can appear in theophanic forms as well as unique divine appearances as the messenger Himself. In Christ the invisible has become visible.

NOTES:

1) McGrath, Alister E. (1997) Studies in Doctrine (186) Zondervan Publishing House; Grand Rapids Michigan.

2) Kreeft, Peter, Tacelli, Ronald K. (1994) Handbook of Christian Apologetics © 1994 by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli. All rights reserved.

* Trinitarians will assert that Oneness Pentecostals contradict the persons of the Trinity but one must presuppose the Trinity first. This article is not intended to address this argument.

Reading Ignatius of Antioch : The God Who Suffers

The Bible is our sole rule of faith and authority. Outside of the Biblical canon however there are early writings termed "apostolic fathers" (e.g. Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, etc.) which are a generation or more removed from the Apostles. Their importance lies in the fact that they are an early witness of distinctly Christian or Biblical concepts. These writings, much like the Didache, were written to local individuals or congregations. This does not make what they say true or false but it does help us to determine what people may or may not have believed during those times.

This knowledge does not prove their belief to be universal either but shows that in general it was acceptable to the writer and his particular audience. This is important to note when reading all early writers. John B. Peterson notes that these writings "are generally epistolary in form, after the fashion of the canonical Epistles, and were written, for the greater part, not for the purpose of instructing Christians at large, but for the guidance of individuals or local churches in some passing need."(1)

It is difficult to determine though if these "apostolic fathers" had genuine heritage or background with their Jewish forefathers that penned our present canon. In The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity Richard Longnecker notes, “The so-called Apostolic Fathers, the Apologists . . . and others who wrote from within Gentile Christianity; and none, with the possible exceptions of Clement of Rome and the author of the Shepherd of Hermas, can be claimed to have had any type of background in Judaism personally.”(2) 

In reading these writings we must proceed with caution. The writings of these early writers, including Ignatius do not have the textual support or integrity of our New Testament. Many of them such as Ignatius also known as Theophorus have been interpolated and given spurious letters. J.B. O'Connor suggests, "The time of its origin can be only vaguely determined as being between that of the collection known to Eusebius and the long recension. Besides the seven genuine letters of Ignatius in their original form, it also contains the six spurious ones, with the exception of that to the Philippians."(3)

While Ignatius may not have claimed any title such as Trinitarian, Unitarian or Oneness his Christology reads much closer to a Oneness Christology. Reading Ignatius certainly does not sound like popular Trinitarianism although they do make their case from his writings. Virginia Corwin, in St. Ignatius and Christianity in Antioch, notes that "if one term must be chosen to indicate the tendency of his thought, Ignatius must be said to be monarchian, though he is very close to the point later declared to be orthodox."(4) Corwin is speaking generally of Modalistic Monarchians. While we do not know all of their beliefs what we can find of them is from the pen of  their Trinitarian adversaries (Tertullian, Hippolytus). We can also conclude that they did not believe in more than one person who could be divine or called God. Despite this Trinitarians will appeal to the following excerpt from Ignatius' second letter to the Ephesians to support their view:

"And ye are prepared for the building of God the Father, and ye are raised up on high by the instrument of Jesus Christ, which is the cross; and ye are drawn by the rope, which is the Holy Spirit; and your pulley is your faith, and your love is the way which leadeth up on high to God."(5)

In the previous chapter Ignatius is telling the Ephesians that they are a well known church but the things they have done in the flesh, while they are spiritual, they are done in Jesus Christ. In the following chapter he encourages them to pray for all men since there is hope for repentance. They are to be counted worthy of God and their works were to instruct others. Be meek and gentle. Pray for your adversary and be armed against error with faith. To be imitators of the Lord.

It seems obvious that Ignatius is not trying to impress upon us that God consists of three divine persons. If so, why doesn't he say so? Mainly, because that is not his point here nor was it remotely present in his thinking. Ignatius uses language to speak of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit but he does not do so in the same way that Trinitarians need to support the Trinity. The Trinity asserts that there is one God which consists of three separate, divine persons. Each having their own will, mind or consciousness.

Ignatius is using obvious word play. Ignatius tells the Ephesians that they are prepared for the building of God the Father. Then raised high by the instrument or cross of Christ. They are raised to this height by a rope which Ignatius uses to refer to the Holy Spirit. The pulley used to hoist them to this salvation is "your faith" and "your love" is the way which leads on high to God. Ignatius is speaking of redemption and salvation for believers. The overall work of salvation in our lives. This word-play, these rich word pictures lead us to "on high to God." At any rate, if this text is a testimony of the Trinity it suggests one where Jesus and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to God the Father. Although indirectly, the threefold plan of redemption may be put into proper analogy here (cf. Matt. 18:19).

In his letter to Polycarp Ignatius speaks in the clearest terms what is also believed by Oneness Pentecostals to this day. He points out we should not allow those who teach "strange doctrines" do so without our also standing for truth as "a great athlete". He says we shall bear things for the sake of God and to discern the times in which we live. Notice the following encouragement as He speaks of God who is "invisible" yet "became visible" who is "impassible" and "for our sakes suffered". 

"Be discerning of the times. Look for Him that is above the times, Him who has no times, Him who is invisible, Him who for our sakes became visible, Him who is impalpable, Him who is impassible, Him who for our sakes suffered, Him who endured everything in every form for our sakes."(6)

Reading Ignatius however does have its upside. It is not worthless by any stretch. If what has been said of Ignatius is true then he was also willing to die for his beliefs in Rome. The Greek term theos or God is found to be used repeatedly of Jesus. In his letter to the Ephesians he speaks of "being the followers of God" and that the Ephesians were to stir themselves up "by the blood of God..." In his letter to the Romans he says something similar. Notice these two excerpts below from the short renderings:

"I have become acquainted with your name, much-beloved in God, which ye have acquired by the habit of righteousness, according to the faith and love in Jesus Christ our Saviour. Being the followers of God, and stirring up yourselves by the blood of God, ye have perfectly accomplished the work which was beseeming to you."(7) 

"I have no delight in corruptible food, nor in the pleasures of this life. I desire the bread of God, the heavenly bread, the bread of life, which is the flesh of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became afterwards of the seed of David and Abraham; and I desire the drink of God, namely His blood, which is incorruptible love and eternal life."(8)

When we speak of Jesus then we rightly say that God suffered, bled and died. God purchased the church with his own blood. In Acts 20:28 we read “the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.” (NKJV) As David S. Norris has pointed out, "The textual history of the Greek manuscripts that lie behind this seems to indicate that the Greek text changed theos to kurios because it became offensive as church history evolved that God could shed His own blood. Because the textual evidence on the verse is mixed, some versions read “the church of the Lord. . . .”(9) This rendering was present in the 1901 ASV.

Elsewhere in his letter to the Ephesians Ignatius speaks about God being Jesus Christ and in same sentence being conceived in the womb of Mary, of the seed of David, and by the Holy Ghost. Notice the short rendering:

“Where is the wise man? where the disputer?” Where is the boasting of those who are styled prudent? For our God, Jesus Christ, was, according to the appointment of God, conceived in the womb by Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost. He was born and baptized, that by His passion He might purify the water."(10)

For Ignatius it seems God was active in time and space and was not aloof to the extent that He could not enter into His own creation. Although there is debate on the interpretation of the following excerpt the shorter rendering is apparent. In his letter to the Romans Ignatius seems to suggest that Jesus Christ is the "mouth...by which the Father has truly spoken." Notice the short rendering followed by the long:

"I no longer wish to live after the manner of men, and my desire shall be fulfilled if ye consent. Be ye willing, then, that ye also may have your desires fulfilled. I entreat you in this brief letter; do ye give credit to me. Jesus Christ will reveal these things to you, [so that ye shall know] that I speak truly. He is the mouth altogether free from falsehood, by which the Father has truly spoken. Pray ye for me, that I may attain [the object of my desire]. I have not written to you according to the flesh, but according to the will of God. If I shall suffer, ye have wished [well] to me; but if I am rejected, ye have hated me."

"I no longer wish to live after the manner of men, and my desire shall be fulfilled if ye consent. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet no longer I, since Christ liveth in me.” I entreat you in this brief letter: do not refuse me; believe me that I love Jesus, who was delivered [to death] for my sake. “What shall I render to the Lord for all His benefits towards me?” Now God, even the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, shall reveal these things to you, [so that ye shall know] that I speak truly. And do ye pray along with me, that I may attain my aim in the Holy Spirit. I have not written to you according to the flesh, but according to the will of God. If I shall suffer, ye have loved me; but if I am rejected, ye have hated me."(11)

The editors of this translation note that the "He" in the phrase "He is the mouth" may refer to Ignatius. They suggest, "Some refer this to Ignatius himself."(12) This is disputed as the editors suggest by the use of "some". The nearest antecedent to "He" however is "Jesus Christ". Understanding Ignatius in the shorter rendering is in harmony with his writings elsewhere. The shorter rendering is probably preferred or more credible but these translators also offer two strikingly different renderings. The latter of which subtly attempts to weaken the true deity of Jesus and the thought of a suffering God.

Ignatius does not say Jesus is the Father in an equivocal sense. Neither do most Oneness Pentecostals. However Ignatius does not distinguish between Jesus and the Father as would later apologists. Oneness Pentecostals believe that Jesus is the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19) but that does not mean they fail to recognize certain distinctions (1 Tim. 2:5, 3:16). God the Father is God existing as God. Jesus is the same undivided God existing as a man and mediator. A true Incarnation. Every characteristic of the Father is also a characteristic of Jesus as the Son of man. There are no distinctions between the Father and Jesus except those produced by His humanity.

Unfortunately, the writing's of Ignatius have been used to support many views (e.g. Antiochenes, Alexandrians, Monophysites, and Chalcedon). We should not read writings such as the "apostolic fathers" as though they are inspired Scripture but we should respect and attempt to understand what they are saying. Even when we agree or disagree we must allow for and strive to hear the voice of the author.

NOTES:

1) Peterson, John Bertram. "The Apostolic Fathers." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 31 Jul. 2011 .

2) Longnecker, Richard N. The Christology of Early Jewish Christianity. Studies in Biblical Theology 17. Naperville IL: Alec R. Allenson, 1970. pg. 16

3) O'Connor, John Bonaventure. "St. Ignatius of Antioch." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 7. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 31 Jul. 2011 .

4) Corwin, Virginia. St. Ignatius and Christianity in Antioch. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1960.

5) Roberts, A., Donaldson, J., & Coxe, A. C. (1997). The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol.I : Translations of the writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325 (101). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.

6) ibid. pg. 99

7) ibid. pg. 49

8) ibid. pg. 76

9) Norris, David S. (2009-09-30). I AM: A Oneness Pentecostal Theology (Kindle Locations 7769-7772). Word Aflame Press. Kindle Edition.

10) Roberts, A., Donaldson, J., & Coxe, A. C. (1997). The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol.I : Translations of the writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325 (57). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.

11) ibid. pg. 77

12) ibid. pg. 

Larry Hurtado and Devotion to Jesus

From Larry Hurtado's blog:

"I’m pleased to report that my essay, “EARLY DEVOTION TO JESUS: A REPORT, REFLECTIONS AND IMPLICATION” is published in Expository Times 122/4 (2010): 167-76. I have placed the manuscript on the “Essays, etc.” page of this blog site.

The essay reports on some 20 years of involvement in the historical investigation of earliest devotion to Jesus, giving major results, and also a few brief observations and exhortations for Christianity today."

Those who are interested in early Jesus studies will enjoy this essay. Click here to read.

The Deity of Christ by Frank Bartleman (1926)

The Deity of Christ

What Think Ye of Christ?

Is He God or Man?

Click here to read online or download.

Excerpt from introduction:

This little volume has been prayerfully collected and written to meet the oncoming, terrible onslaught against, and the denial of the absolute Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in these last, evil days of apostasy from the true and living faith. It might be truthfully titled forty volumes in one, for it is the condensed testimony and teaching of a vast number of the very best Christian scholars, dating from the early church fathers down to the present day, on this most important and vital subject of our Christian faith. In fact it contains the very essence of Christian belief concerning the doctrine of the Godhead, both from a theological and a Scriptural standpoint.

It is a book especially to be recommended as of helpful value to scholars, and in fact to all who desire a clearer- understanding of this most sacred and profound subject. May the faith of many be built up, strengthened, and restored through its perusal, is the sincere prayer of its author and compiler.

FRANK BARTLEMAN

Los Angeles, California

March, 1926

Click here to read online or download.

Debate on the Deity of Jesus

Watch Michael Brown, James White and Anthony Buzzard, Joseph Good debate the deity of Jesus/Yeshua on the Jewish Voice! This is only the first part of more to come. Good stuff!

Scriptural Data For Christ's Claim to Divinity

 "...the God Jesus Christ"
Mosaic in the floor of oldest known Christian church*

Jesus is our perfect example. Of this the Scriptures are clear. Is this all that Christ is though?

For some time those who would consider the deity and the human aspects of Christ, without division of them, use a term such as the Dual Nature. This means that the humanity and the deity are united inseparably into one. This, however, does not mean Jesus was a mirage, a hologram, a mere shell, or ONLY a man. He was indeed true and genuine biological matter however this is not only side of the Biblical story. The claims of Christ and the witness of the Scriptures themselves attest to His humanity and His divinity.

We must bear in mind though that we cannot SEPARATE the divie and human aspect of Jesus, the Christ. Jesus is fully God and man - not 50/50 but God existing as man. He did not just appear as a man, He was truly a man. He was not ONLY a man and that makes all the difference. We must also remember that the flesh of Jesus was not divine and if it was He would NOT be truly human and therefore flying in the face of Christ as our substitutionary atonement. The name Jesus, the person Jesus was born on a day and in the tapestry of Creation.

English Standard Version

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? Heb. 1:5

Concerning 1 Tim. 3:16.

God was manifest in the flesh refers to Jesus, the Christ and Lord (Phil. 2:5) and particularly to His Incarnation. You cannot refer to God being manifest in flesh and not invoke the Incarnation just as Paul also cannot refer to "vindicated [justified] by the Spirit" without implying the Resurrection. This passage is still a great testimony to the Incarnation and to the Resurrection.

English Standard Version

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. 1 Tim. 3:16

Obviously then Jesus as God manifest in flesh refers in some sense to the qivine qualities in Him from the Incarnation. It borders on Nestorianism to separate the aspects of Christ's humanity and deity. Paul also tells us of the "mystery of godliness". Paul is saying that genuine godliness was manifest in the flesh for the first time from the moment He came into existence. He was not just indwelt by the Spirit of God but the logos/word that became flesh dwelt among us (John 1:1-14).

English Standard Version

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

The word “became” or egeneto (Grk.) means to come into being, to happen, to become. Jesus is our perfect, sinless example. God manifest in the flesh. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word was with God and the Word was God.

English Standard Version

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58

Concerning John 8:58

John 8:58 does not simply assert Messiahship. The verb suggests the eternal present of God’s eternity. “I AM” is also reminiscent of God’s name in Ex. 3:14. There is no way to overlook this as it is also impossible to realize, as a result, that Jesus is the divine Son of Man - the Messiah whom they knew would come from Heaven.

English Standard Version

21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. Daniel 7:21-22

Jesus often used the term son of man to refer to Himself. Dr. Raymond Crownover suggests that "Although Jesus was literally the “Son of God,” He was not the son of any man. The title “Son of Man” ho wios tou anthroupou = “the Son of Mankind”" He goes on to state that, "Against all my expectations, the title “Son of Man” refers to Jesus primarily in his Deity, not His humanity." He also concludes with "The title “Son of Man” is a prophetic title clearly demonstrating the Devine nature of the coming Messiah." He offers these texts concerning the Son of Man:

Matthew 9:6 tells us the “Son of Man” has power to forgive sins

John 5:27 says that the “Son of God” was granted authority “because He is the Son of Man.”

Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Matthew 13:41 “The Son of Man will send out His angels”

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.”

John 1:51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

John 6:62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?

John 3:13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”*

When God revealed Himself as "I AM" (ehyeh in Hebrew) and "I am he" (ani hu in Hebrew), the Septuagint renders these two phrases as "ego eimi." Thus when Jesus repeatedly used "ego eimi" in John 8 and in other places He is using the divine name for God. The Jews reacted accordingly because they knew He was claiming to be the I AM of Exodus 3:14-15 and the "I am he" of various OT scriptures. "Except ye believe I am the Messiah!" is not what Jesus is trying to say. He is saying to them He is God from all eternity. There was never a time when He came into being, or when He did not exist. Therefore He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” See also Hebrews 13:8.

English Standard Version
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

We must acknowledge, as did the Jews of John 8, the identity of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God. The divine identity is the same yesterday, today and forever. Jesus is eternally God. Identifying Jesus Christ as God without the humanity leaves an incomplete Christ. Likewise, Jesus Christ as human without divinity would also leave an incomplete Jesus.

Another key point, Jesus prefaces His remarks with amen, amen or truly, truly. This type of phrase at the beginning of a discourse—surely, truly, of a truth but when used at end—so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled. During the times of Jesus it was a custom that when the one reading Torah was finished and offered prayer that the others responded with Amen, Amen. This continues to happen in Christendom. Jesus totally takes Himself to another level before the Jews by declaring His existence is not just earthly but eternal as it relates to the essence of God but also that this is very true! Truly, surely!

Concerning John 8:58 we can also note that by pronouncing God's name, as Jesus had done (I AM), and claiming it for Himself was punishable by death. Lev. 24:15-16 points this out as well as the Mishna Sanhedrin 7:5 which says "The blasphemer is not guilty until he pronounces the Name." Jesus was essentially claiming that although Abraham had a beginning He has no beginning. Only His flesh was bound by limitations as the manifestation of the Father.

The Translator's Handbook on the Gospel of John makes this plain, "Here again I Am is used in the absolute sense in which it identifies Jesus with God the Father."*

Concerning John 10:30

English Standard Version

"I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

Jesus simply referred to God as "The Father" in third person speech, for the sake of those with whom He would speak, in the incarnation, who did NOT recognize Him for who he was and is. The word "one" here is hen, the singular neuter from of heis (Grk. for “one”). The gender of the word doesn’t tell us alot about how the word is being used outside of it being masc. fem. or neut. “hen” or “one” that comes after “Father” in 10:30 is sing. neut. This does not preclude John 10:30 from referring to essence though just because other passages do not (John 17:11). In 10:30 the grammar and context indicate that that is the meaning. Other passages could be taken to indicate that Jesus is no more God than we are, if we took the text in a vacuum. John 10:30 clearly declares Jesus to be God. He is equal to God. When you have seen Jesus you have looked upon the Father. These verses do not contradict nor are they oppositional to one another in any way.

English Standard Version

Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Gal. 3:20

This verse was used against the Arians in early Church History as well as various other beliefs that would separate the deity and humanity of Jesus. To say Jesus is to invoke the Incarnation itself. In John 8:52ff we see that Abraham died, and Christ is the giver of life (vs. 51). To the Jews Abraham was their father, their ancestral hero so to speak. Christ was at the center of everything Abraham did in the OT for he rejoiced at the very thought of the day of Jesus. Abraham was a man and the contrast here is that Christ is essentially God. That is why when the Jews asked "Who do you think you are?" (vs. 53) Jesus would reply, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Here is a list of Scriptural data on the deity of Christ:

1. The early creedal formula "Jesus is Lord [kyrios]": 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11.

2. The title "Son of God" ("Son of" implies "of the same nature as."): Matt 11:27; Mark 12:6; 13:32; 14:61-62; Luke 10:22; 22:70; John 10:30; 14:9.

3. The New Testament calls him "God": Titus 2:13; 1 John 5:20; Rom 9:5; John 1:1.

4. Absolutely, universally supreme: Col 1:15-20.

5. Eternally preexistent: John 1:1; Phil 2:6; Heb 13:8; Rev 22:13.

6. Omnipresent: Matt 18:20; 28:20.

7. Omnipotent: Matt 28:18; Heb 1:3; Rev 1:8.

8. Immutable: Heb 1:11-12; 13:8.

9. Creates (only God can create): Col 1:16-17; John 1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Heb 1:10.

10. Sinless, perfect: Heb 7:26; John 8:46; 2 Cor 5:21.

11. Has authority to forgive sins: Mark 2:5-12; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 10:43; 1 John 1:5-9.

12. Rightly worshiped: Matt 2:11; 14:33; 28:9; John 20:28; Heb 1:5-9.

13. Speaks the unique, forbidden divine name: John 8:58.

14. Called "King of kings and Lord of lords": 1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14.

15. One with the Father: John 10:30; 12:45; 14:8-10.

16. Performs miracles: John 10:37-38; and throughout all four Gospels.

17. Sends the Holy Spirit: John 14:25-26; 16:7-15.

18. The Father testifies to him: Matt 3:17; 17:5; John 8:18; 1 John 5:9.

19. Gives eternal life: John 3:16; 5:39-47; 20:30-31.

20. Foreknows the future: Mark 8:31; Luke 9:21-22; 12:49-53; 22:35-37; 24:1-7; John 3:11-14; 6:63-64; 13:1-11; 14:27-29; 18:1-4; 19:26-30.

21. Is Lord over the Law: Luke 6:1-5.*

New International Version
Men will tell you, 'There he is!' or 'Here he is!' Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. Luke 17:23-24

It is imperative for Christians that we believe and confess that Jesus was a man, but is also more than a man. The believer, without qualification, should be able to confess that Jesus is "my Lord and my God". This is in keeping with the early confession of "doubting" Thomas, a disciple of Christ. In John 20:28 it records

English Standard Version
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. John 20:28

NOTES:

* Mosaic pictured above is oldest Christian church or prayer hall in Israel. It is located in Megiddo in a prison that dates third or fourth century. Inscription speaks of “the God Jesus Christ” thought to exist in the memory of "the god, Jesus Christ". According to Prof Leah di Segni of the Hebrew University - "The God-loving Aketous/Ekoptos has offered this table to , as a memorial to the God Jesus Christ"

* http://crownteaching.com/Documents/Part%202%20-%20My%20Lord%20and%20My%20God.pdf

* Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1993], c1980). A handbook on the Gospel of John. Originally published: A translator's handbook on the Gospel of John, c1980. Helps for translators; UBS handbook series (295). New York: United Bible Societies.

* Excerpt from: Handbook of Christian Apologetics

© 1994 by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli. All rights reserved.

Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Deity of Christ

Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions

1. The early creedal formula "Jesus is Lord [kyrios]": 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11.

2. The title "Son of God" ("Son of" implies "of the same nature as."): Matt 11:27; Mark 12:6; 13:32; 14:61-62; Luke 10:22; 22:70; John 10:30; 14:9.

3. The New Testament calls him "God": Titus 2:13; 1 John 5:20; Rom 9:5; John 1:1.

4. Absolutely, universally supreme: Col 1:15-20.

5. Eternally preexistent: John 1:1; Phil 2:6; Heb 13:8; Rev 22:13.

6. Omnipresent: Matt 18:20; 28:20.

7. Omnipotent: Matt 28:18; Heb 1:3; Rev 1:8.

8. Immutable: Heb 1:11-12; 13:8.

9. Creates (only God can create): Col 1:16-17; John 1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Heb 1:10.

10. Sinless, perfect: Heb 7:26; John 8:46; 2 Cor 5:21.

11. Has authority to forgive sins: Mark 2:5-12; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 10:43; 1 John 1:5-9.

12. Rightly worshiped: Matt 2:11; 14:33; 28:9; John 20:28; Heb 1:5-9.

13. Speaks the unique, forbidden divine name: John 8:58.

14. Called "King of kings and Lord of lords": 1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14.

15. One with the Father: John 10:30; 12:45; 14:8-10.

16. Performs miracles: John 10:37-38; and throughout all four Gospels.

17. Sends the Holy Spirit: John 14:25-26; 16:7-15.

18. The Father testifies to him: Matt 3:17; 17:5; John 8:18; 1 John 5:9.

19. Gives eternal life: John 3:16; 5:39-47; 20:30-31.

20. Foreknows the future: Mark 8:31; Luke 9:21-22; 12:49-53; 22:35-37; 24:1-7; John 3:11-14; 6:63-64; 13:1-11; 14:27-29; 18:1-4; 19:26-30.

21. Is Lord over the Law: Luke 6:1-5.*

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Scriptural Data For Christ's Claim to Divinity

Jesus is our perfect example. Of this the Scriptures are clear. Is this all that Christ is though?

For some time those who would consider the deity and the human aspects of Christ, without division of them, use a term such as the Dual Nature. This means that the humanity and the deity are united inseparably into one. This, however, does not mean Jesus was a mirage, a hologram, a mere shell, or ONLY a man. He was indeed true and genuine biological matter however this is not only side of the Biblical story. The claims of Christ and the witness of the Scriptures themselves attest to His humanity and His divinity

We must bear in mind though that we cannot SEPARATE the divine and human aspect of Jesus, the Christ. Jesus is 100% God and 100% man. He did not just appear as a man, He was truly a man. He was not ONLY a man and that makes all the difference. We must also remember that the flesh of Jesus was not divine and if it was He would NOT be truly human and therefore flying in the face of Christ as our substitutionary atonement. The name Jesus, the person Jesus was born on a day and in the tapestry of Creation.

English Standard Version (©2001)

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? Heb. 1:5

Concerning 1 Tim. 3:16.

God was manifest in the flesh refers to Jesus, the Christ and Lord (Phil. 2:5) and particularly to His Incarnation. You cannot refer to God being manifest in flesh and not invoke the Incarnation just as Paul also cannot refer to "vindicated [justified] by the Spirit" without implying the Resurrection. This passage is still a great testimony to the Incarnation and to the Resurrection.

English Standard Version (©2001)

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. 1 Tim. 3:16

Obviously then Jesus as God manifest in flesh refers in some sense to the qivine qualities in Him from the Incarnation. It borders on Nestorianism to separate the aspects of Christ's humanity and deity. Paul also tells us of the "mystery of godliness". Paul is saying that genuine godliness was manifest in the flesh for the first time from the moment He came into existence. He was not just indwelt by the Spirit of God but the logos/word that became flesh dwelt among us (John 1:1-14).

English Standard Version (©2001)

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

The word “became” or egeneto (Grk.) means to come into being, to happen, to become. Jesus is our perfect, sinless example. God manifest in the flesh. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. The Word was with God and the Word was God.

English Standard Version (©2001)

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58

Concerning John 8:58

John 8:58 does not simply assert Messiahship. The verb suggests the eternal present of God’s eternity. “I AM” is also reminiscent of God’s name in Ex. 3:14. There is no way to overlook this as it is also impossible to realize, as a result, that Jesus is the divine Son of Man - the Messiah whom they knew would come from Heaven.

English Standard Version (©2001)

21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom. Daniel 7:21-22

Jesus often used the term son of man to refer to Himself. Dr. Raymond Crownover suggests that "Although Jesus was literally the “Son of God,” He was not the son of any man. The title
“Son of Man” ho wios tou anthroupou = “the Son of Mankind”" He goes on to state that, "Against all my expectations, the title “Son of Man” refers to Jesus primarily in his Deity, not His humanity."

Dr. Crownover also concludes with "The title “Son of Man” is a prophetic title clearly demonstrating the Devine nature of the coming Messiah." He offers these texts concerning the Son of Man:

Matthew 9:6 tells us the “Son of Man” has power to forgive sins

John 5:27 says that the “Son of God” was granted authority “because He is the Son of Man.”

Matthew 12:8 "For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath."

Matthew 13:41 “The Son of Man will send out His angels”

Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.”

John 1:51 And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

John 6:62 What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before?

John 3:13 "No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”

http://crownteaching.com/Documents/Part%202%20-%20My%20Lord%20and%20My%20God.pdf 

When God revealed Himself as "I AM" (ehyeh in Hebrew) and "I am he" (ani hu in Hebrew), the Septuagint renders these two phrases as "ego eimi." Thus when Jesus repeatedly used "ego eimi" in John 8 and in other places He is using the divine name for God. The Jews reacted accordingly because they knew He was claiming to be the I AM of Exodus 3:14-15 and the "I am he" of various OT scriptures. "Except ye believe I am the Messiah!" is not what Jesus is trying to say. He is saying to them He is God from all eternity. There was never a time when He came into being, or when He did not exist. Therefore He said, “Before Abraham was, I AM.”

We must acknowledge, as did the Jews of John 8, the identity of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God. Identifying Jesus Christ as God without the humanity or Jesus Christ as human without divinity would leave an incomplete Jesus.

English Standard Version (©2001)

I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

Jesus simply referred to God as "The Father" in third person speech, for the sake of those with whom He would speak, in the incarnation, who did NOT recognize Him for who he was and is. The word "one" here is heis which refers to a primary or cardinal number - 1. Just as in Gal. 3:20

English Standard Version (©2001)

Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Gal. 3:20

This verse was used against the Arians in early Church History as well as various other beliefs that would separate the deity and humanity of Jesus. To say Jesus is to invoke the Incarnation itself. In John 8:52ff we see that Abraham died, and Christ is the giver of life (vs. 51). To the Jews Abraham was their father, their ancestral hero so to speak. Christ was at the center of everything Abraham did in the OT for he rejoiced at the very thought of the day of Jesus. Abraham was a man and the contrast here is that Christ is essentially God. That is why when the Jews asked "Who do you think you are?" (vs. 53) Jesus would reply, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

Another key point, Jesus prefaces His remarks with amen, amen or truly, truly. This type of phrase at the beginning of a discourse—surely, truly, of a truth but when used at end—so it is, so be it, may it be fulfilled.

During the times of Jesus it was a custom that when the one reading Torah was finished and offered prayer that the others responded with Amen, Amen. This continues to happen in Christendom. Jesus totally takes Himself to another level before the Jews by declaring His existence is not just earthly but eternal as it relates to the essence of God but also that this is very true! Truly, surely!

Concerning John 8:58 we can also note that by pronouncing God's name, as Jesus had done (I AM), and claiming it for Himself was punishable by death. Lev. 24:15-16 points this out as well as the Mishna Sanhedrin 7:5 which says "The blasphemer is not guilty until he pronounces the Name." Jesus was essentially claiming that although Abraham had a beginning He has no beginning. Only His flesh was bound by limitations as the manifestation of the Father.

The Translator's Handbook on the Gospel of John makes this plain, "Here again I Am is used in the absolute sense in which it identifies Jesus with God the Father." (Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1993], c1980). A handbook on the Gospel of John. Originally published: A translator's handbook on the Gospel of John, c1980. Helps for translators; UBS handbook series (295). New York: United Bible Societies.)

Handbook of Christian Apologetics

1. The early creedal formula "Jesus is Lord [kyrios]": 1 Cor 12:3; Phil 2:11.

2. The title "Son of God" ("Son of" implies "of the same nature as."): Matt 11:27; Mark 12:6; 13:32; 14:61-62; Luke 10:22; 22:70; John 10:30; 14:9.
3. The New Testament calls him "God": Titus 2:13; 1 John 5:20; Rom 9:5; John 1:1.
4. Absolutely, universally supreme: Col 1:15-20.
5. Eternally preexistent: John 1:1; Phil 2:6; Heb 13:8; Rev 22:13.
6. Omnipresent: Matt 18:20; 28:20.
7. Omnipotent: Matt 28:18; Heb 1:3; Rev 1:8.
8. Immutable: Heb 1:11-12; 13:8.
9. Creates (only God can create): Col 1:16-17; John 1:3; 1 Cor 8:6; Heb 1:10.
10. Sinless, perfect: Heb 7:26; John 8:46; 2 Cor 5:21.
11. Has authority to forgive sins: Mark 2:5-12; Luke 24:45-47; Acts 10:43; 1 John 1:5-9.
12. Rightly worshiped: Matt 2:11; 14:33; 28:9; John 20:28; Heb 1:5-9.
13. Speaks the unique, forbidden divine name: John 8:58.
14. Called "King of kings and Lord of lords": 1 Tim 6:15; Rev 17:14.
15. One with the Father: John 10:30; 12:45; 14:8-10.
16. Performs miracles: John 10:37-38; and throughout all four Gospels.
17. Sends the Holy Spirit: John 14:25-26; 16:7-15.
18. The Father testifies to him: Matt 3:17; 17:5; John 8:18; 1 John 5:9.
19. Gives eternal life: John 3:16; 5:39-47; 20:30-31.
20. Foreknows the future: Mark 8:31; Luke 9:21-22; 12:49-53; 22:35-37; 24:1-7; John 3:11-14; 6:63-64; 13:1-11; 14:27-29; 18:1-4; 19:26-30.
21. Is Lord over the Law: Luke 6:1-5.*


*Excerpt from: Handbook of Christian Apologetics
© 1994 by Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli. All rights reserved.