The belief in the deity of Jesus Christ cannot in any way be compromised. It is absolutely imperative to affirm this orthodox truth, regardless of the whims and ways that come and go with every passing generation, culture or religious thought.
If the belief in the deity of Jesus Christ is in any way weakened or removed, the very foundation of Christianity is shaken. It loses its power. It becomes just another religious system alongside all other religious systems.
But a sustained belief in the deity of Jesus Christ keeps the Christian Faith stable and strong. It causes the Church to proclaim this truth, and all that is built on it, with great conviction and power.
We live in a world that is much different than the world of a couple of generations ago. That said, we also live in a world that is also much the same as it was a couple of generations ago. This statement may seem contradictory, but let me explain. Though the world is different from external and ideological points of view, the world is still the same when we consider that human nature is still the same.
Fashions come and fashions go. Cultures and kingdoms come and go. The political sphere changes with every generation, and sometimes within just 10 years, regardless of the party or political affiliation.
Yet man’s nature is the same. Even in Noah’s times, “…GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5, KJV.) Yes, the world is still very much the same as it has been since the fall of man. Every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart tends towards rebellion against God – leaning towards our sinful nature.
This is very much true when it comes to our understanding regarding the Deity of Jesus Christ. Theologians and philosophers have wrestled back and forth regarding the deity of Christ. Is he God or not? If he is not God, what and who was he? If he is God, how is he God?
Whether it be the Greek Philosophers and Gnostics that challenged the Early Church on his deity, or whether it be the Arians of old, or the Unitarians of modern days who do the same, the deity of Jesus Christ has been under great assault.
It is the Christian Believer’s prerogative to adhere to what Scripture teaches about the deity of Jesus Christ, regardless of what the popular opinion of the day dictates. Paradigms shift and popular opinion changes from of one generation to another, but the truth remains the same, regardless of the endless musings of the unending line of wise sophists and revered philosophers.
We will see that the Scriptures portray Jesus Christ as God, but before we do, we will also glean from extra-Biblical historical records, which evidences both the existence of Jesus, as well as the Early Christian belief that he was God, and that non-Christians understood that Christians revered him as such.
We will briefly look at some religions that negate the deity of Jesus. Then we will explore the abundance of Scripture that teach that Jesus is God. These Scriptures will be from both Old and New Testaments. We will also investigate the supposedly non-God verses, which some say negate the deity of Jesus. We will see that not only do they in no way whatsoever negate the deity of Jesus, but in some cases actually affirm it!
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