What are the main biblical testimonies to the deity of Christ?

The basic presupposition of the entirety of Scripture is not only that God exists, but that man is sinful and Jesus Christ is our only way to salvation. The biblical drama unfolds for us the characters – God and man, the problem – man’s disobedience and sin, and finally the resolution – salvation in Jesus Christ alone. What makes this resolution possible is the deity of Jesus Christ, for no mere man could bring about the resolution we need. That reality is presumed to be true throughout the bible and presented again and again.

Depending upon how one translates monogenes from John 1:14, you will either understand the logos, Jesus Christ, to be the only begotten or the only unique son of God. Either way there is the understanding that there is something altogether different about this Son as compared to the son of any other man. This Son was not only present at creation, but was the very word used to bring it about. Furthermore, as the only-begotten son of God it is evident that that there is an eternal generation from which the Father and the Son both belong. Jesus by his own words in John 14:9-10 admits that anyone who has seen him has seen God the Father because the Father lives in the Son, and the Son in the Father. As C.S. Lewis put it, these are either the ravings of a liar and a lunatic, if not the true words of God. Jesus Christ also assumes the attributes of God, as he has already intimately connected himself to the Father; he now ascribes righteousness to the Father in John 17:25 and by direct implication to himself. For it is only a truly righteous God that could create, love, preserve and save those he chooses.

The deity of Christ is further understood and reinforced by the preaching and epistles of the Apostle Paul. In his exhortation to the Philippian church, Paul states that to be like Jesus Christ, “who, being in the very nature God” humbled himself (Philippians 2:6). Paul clearly states here that Jesus Christ is not only the Son, but is God himself. He has all the characteristics of deity and this truth is proclaimed clearly, without question and authoritatively. Paul continues by pointing the church to the Covenant Lordship of Jesus Christ, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:10-11). The Lordship of Jesus Christ pronounces his authority, control and presence as the glorified Son of God.

Finally, the author of Hebrews focuses us in upon the very power and accomplishment of the deity of Christ. Again there is a confession of Jesus Christ as the Son of God (Hebrews 4:14) and that confession is one that is meant to grow faith. By confessing the deity of Jesus Christ, our faith is made stronger for we are humbly submitting to his lordship. The power of our salvation is made manifest in the sinless acts of our savior, that he was tempted in every way and yet was without sin (Hebrews 4:15). There we find mercy; there we find confidence to proclaim not only the deity of Christ, but our everlasting life in Christ.

Discuss the structure of the doctrine of the Trinity

The doctrine of the trinity did not immediately come about through the understanding of the post-apostolic age. BB Warfield said of the Old Testament, that all the elements were there in a dimly lit majestically furnished room. The New Testament threw light upon the darkness, but it took time for eyes to adjust and hearts to understand what they were seeing. As the church fathers learned from scripture and the Holy Spirit actively worked on their hearts they were able to form the doctrine of the trinity out of the biblical text and revealed truths of the word of God.

Both the Old and New Testaments show us that God is one. He is the alpha and the omega, the almighty one (Revelation 1:8). There is a singularity of God revealed in his command to alone be worshiped (Exodus 20:3). Also and not contradictorily, God is three. This is revealed prominently at Christ’s baptism, as the Father declares his love for the Son and seals his baptism with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21-22). There is no contradiction here because this revelation shows God as the Father, God as the Son and God as the Holy Spirit – the single God in three.

The revelation of the trinity is thus further understood as the three persons of trinity. Thus each person of the trinity reveals to us that God is an absolute person that each person is distinct and yet each are related. There are both an ontological relationship and an economic relationship revealing a perfectly harmonious, single purpose, single will and single plan made manifest through each person of the trinity. All three persons of the trinity are present and active in the creation and re-creation of the world. The Father eternally decrees, the Son is eternally begotten and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from both the Father and the Son. There is an immanent relationship and profound mystery in the absolute person of God.

State the meaning of each of these attributes of God, with specific biblical support

Aseity

To understand the aseity or independence of God we must first come to realize the distinction between God and man or the Creator and the creation. As God’s immanent theopomorphic creation we recognize that he is a transcendent being who has revealed himself to us in an anthropomorphic revelation.  These both make him greater than we can imagine and also brings him intimately closer to us than we could ever hope for.  God has shown us that he is set apart and completely independent from us through his acts of creation and redemption.  He has also shown us that he is completely sufficient in and of himself without need of us.

 

Through creation it was God who set apart the darkness from the light (Gen 1:4), it was God who makes each day possible and calls them into being by his very word (Gen 1:5).  God revealed his complete independence by creating a world that was completely dependant upon him, sustained by him alone and for his own good pleasure. Furthermore, when God finally speaks to Job and his friends he reminds them that man was not present when the foundations of the world were laid (Job 38:4), nor was it man who formed the world as clay (Job 38:14), but it was the independent, all sufficient God of the universe.  Now in the New Testament, John reveals to us that the very same God who created us, who was the very Word of God (John 1:2-3), is the same God who by his independent desire to bring salvation would be the redeemer, Jesus Christ.  It is Jesus Christ who would bring our salvation through grace and truth (John 1:17).  Finally, the men of Athens learn from the Apostle Paul that the “unknown God” is the God of creation, the God of life, the wholly sufficient God who breathes life into every living being (Acts 17:22-25).

 

Immutability

We serve a changeless and reliable God that has been with us our entire lives and knew us before we were even born.  God’s immutability or changelessness means that he is not like the deceitful shadows that shift (James 1:17) and cause us to not trust our Lord.  He brings us heavenly light to display the splendor and majesty of his veracity.  He is the rock of our salvation and the firm ground from which we build our house, not like the foolish man who builds his house on the shifting sands (Matthew 7: 26).

 

Goodness

The unfailing love (Psalm 90:14) of our God is his revealed goodness to his creation.  That he would send his son to die on our behalf because of his love for the world and desire to give the free, but expensive gift, of grace to those that would believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16) is an amazing testimony to the goodness of our Lord.  It is unimaginable that our God would love us so much and desire to pour out his goodness upon his creatures that he would send his son to take on the very nature of a servant, that the King of Kings would humble himself to the point of death upon the cross displays the unfathomable and immense goodness and love of our God (Philippians 2: 7-8).   

 

Holiness

From the beginning of God’s relationship with his covenant people he has called them out of their unrighteousness, out of their unbelief and into the courts of his holiness.  From the establishment of the sacrificial system in Leviticus, God has shown his covenant people the need to find a perfect and blemish free offering (Leviticus 1:3)  to make atonement for them (Leviticus 1:4) because they were not like God in all his perfections.  Once again God revealed his perfection to the covenant people through his encounter with the prophet Isaiah by filling the temple, proclaiming his holiness and bringing the prophet to his knees in humble recognition that he was a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:1-5).  Finally, Paul writing to the Colossians proclaims God’s holiness by showing us that it is by Christ’s sacrifice that we are reconciled and made blemish free (Colossians 1:22), thus brought back into right relationship with God, able to stand before him with confidence in our salvation.

Course Reflection - Apologetics

Apologetics is one of my favorite subjects and as a former atheist I believe this topic is crucial for the church. There are people we encounter every day that have little to no understanding of who God is and who he has made them to be. They are outright against Christianity in the way they live, interact with people and work. It is the desire of my heart to see more people in the church equipped to confront their friends, family and strangers in a loving way with the message of truth that will transform their lives. This course has equipped me to that end and instilled a deep desire in my heart towards loving the lost, sharing the gospel with them and defending the faith that has transformed my life.

An Unlikely Conversation

Assignment:
Write a paper of approximately 3000 words presenting an apologetic dialogue between a Christian and a non-Christian. Chapter 9 of AGG provides you a model for the dialogue form. Your dialogue may deal with any subject that might arise in such a conversation, such as the existence of God, the problem of evil, the nature of truth, the authority of Scripture, etc. For this paper, you should do some research beyond the course assignments.

Relational Presuppositional Apologetics

Assignment:
Write a paper of approximately 2000 words describing and arguing your own view of apologetic method. This should show interaction with the course lectures and readings and should present a biblical basis for your view. Some research beyond assigned readings required. The paper should interact with Van Til and with some of the other alternative apologetic methods discussed (both in the historical lectures and in the book Five Views of Apologetics).