What then is our basis when exploring the deity of Jesus Christ? The answer is, Scripture Only.
The Reformation of the sixteenth century (which some Church historians date as beginning on October 31, 1517, when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Wittenberg Castle,) resulted in several “pillars,” called The Five Solas.
The word Sola is a Latin word which means “Solely.”
These five Solas are as follows: Sola Gratia (Solely by grace;) Sola Fide (Solely by faith;) Solus Christus (Solely through Christ;) Soli Deo Gloria (Solely to the glory of God) and Sola Scriptura (Solely Scripture.) Added to Sola Scriptura we may also say Tota Scriptura, meaning All of Scripture, not just bits and pieces.
If we are to investigate the deity of Jesus Christ, we must appeal to Scripture only. Only Scripture can teach us who and what Jesus is. We cannot rely on our best guesses or philosophic musings. We cannot rely on the opinions of man or on the creeds and the counsels of the church, regardless of how impressive they may be. Man may fail, but God never fails. The verdicts and the creeds that result from assemblies and counsels are uninspired. Only Scripture is inspired.
With Scripture, we mean that the Bible is the Word of God and that it is our rule of faith and conduct. In our investigation into the deity of Jesus Christ we will rely on the Bible itself to tell us whether Jesus is God or not. We will only rely on the 39 Books of the Old Testament and the 27 Books of the New Testament that make up the 66 Books of the Bible, also known as the Canon. However, we will begin our study by briefly referencing extra-Biblical allusions to the deity of Christ.
To order Joel Hitchcock's book:
"Son of God and Man - the Deity and Humanity of Jesus Christ"
You will be blessed!