Jesus’ Sonship and Deity
Through this piece of work we will explain Jesus’ Sonship and his Deity using the Old Testament and the New Testament as main sources.
We will start from the point where God sent Moses to the children of Israel under the name “I am”. This is found in the book of Exodus.
Exodus 3:14 (ASV)
14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
God reveals Himself to Moses as I AM (הָיָה (hāyâ)), this is the One and All-Mighty God, the same One that interacted with Abram in a bodily form.
The Scriptures define that “There is no other God besides Hashem and no one else saves except Him”, we can find this in the book of Deuteronomy and the book of Hosea.
Deuteronomy 6:4 (ASV)
4 Hear, O Israel: YHWH our God is one YHWH:
Hosea 13:4 (ASV)
4 Yet I am YHWH thy God from the land of Egypt; and thou shalt know no god but me, and besides me there is no saviour.
Some would say that there is no trace of God becoming a materialized person in the Old Testament while others defend the idea of God taking a human form, but the truth is that this idea of God interacting with others in a human form is not new and didn’t start with Christianity.
At least from the times of the Second Temple to the second century AD, there was a teaching that was not a heresy among the Jewish Rabbis. This teaching was about Two Powers in heaven. According to the rabbinical scholar Alan Segal this teaching can be traced back to the Second Temple period (ca. 200 B.C.E). This teaching was based with what we can find in Daniel 7:9, Exodus 23:20-23 and Exodus 15:3 among other verses. This idea says that for the Orthodox Israelite, YHWH was sovereign and viceregent portraying a binitarian YHWH, one invisible, who is a spirit while the other is visible, often in a human form and both can be distinguished sometimes in some text while in other occasions they don’t. He found also, that under the Second Temple time, the Jewish writers and scholars speculated on the identity of the second YHWH which happen to be according to my knowledge the Messianic figure. This idea was prohibited in the Second century AD because some Jews and gentiles associated Jesus with the second YHWH, therefore they decided to stop teaching the two powers idea and labeled it as heresy.
So, as we can see Rabbinic tradition support the idea of a Second YHWH and the Old Testament gives us information about a Messianic figure. Therefore, we can go to the next step, when God revealed through Moses that He will not only send a Joshua to lead the Israelites to the promised land, but also will send a Messiah (a Savior) and that His Name will be in him. When God said My Name (Shem Aní) will be in him, is revealing the Deity in His Messiah because the essence of God will be in this person and we have to remember too that other name given to the Deity is Ha’Shem (The Name), therefore, The Name is the presence, essence and nature of God, meaning that this Messianic Angel (messenger) has to be treated as God himself.
Exodus 23:21 (ASV)
21 Take ye heed before him, and hearken unto his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgression: for my name is in him.
“The Name” (Ha’Shem – God) is in the Messiah and God gave to the Messiah authority over all creation.
Psalm 110:1 (ASV)
1 YHWH saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,
Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
It is evident that God is one in essence, and it is evident either that the fullness of Him will dwell in the Messianic person. Another thing to consider is that the prophets prophesied about the Messiah being a suffering servant and his Messianic ministry was prophesied more than five hundred years BCE.
Isaiah 53 (ASV)
1 Who hath believed our message? and to whom hath the arm of YHWH been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it pleased YHWH to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of YHWH shall prosper in his hand. 11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
In the book of Zechariah we have another detail about the suffering of the Messiah and how this is connected with the claims of the Messiah being God Himself…
Zechariah 12:10 (ASV)
10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.
The God whom they have pierced (Da’Karu)… How can they pierced God if He is immaterial, if He has no body? This can be true only if God becomes flesh, therefore the Messiah is God incarnated and the redeemer, the savior.
Another detail that we can see in Scriptures about the Messiah being God is that the following phrase “I am the first and I am the last” is applied exclusively to God.
Isaiah 44:6 (ASV)
6 Thus saith YHWH, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, YHWH of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God.
But if we look closer these same words are used referring the Messiah in the book of Revelation alluding to what we have read previously in the book of Isaiah.
Revelation 1:17 (ASV)
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as one dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying, Fear not; I am the first and the last,
Revelation 2:8 (ASV)
8 And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write:
These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and lived again:
Revelation 21:6 (ASV)
6 And he said unto me, They are come to pass. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
Revelation 22:13 (ASV)
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.
Can we get more information from the Scriptures that the Messiah is God?
Daniel had visions about the Messiah and gave Him the Title “Son of Man” (ben Enás)
Daniel 7:13–14 (ASV)
13 I saw in the night-visions, and, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
The Son of God who is also the Son of Man according to Daniel, has the glory, dominion, an everlasting and indestructible kingdom. Jesus refers to himself with the title “Son of Man” in the gospels and here is where we are going to talk about what was written by the prophet Isaiah. Isaiah prophesied about the birth of the Messiah which God said will be called Mighty God (El Gibbor), therefore the Messiah is God incarnated, in other words, he is the person of the Son of God and in the Old and the New Testament we can find him under the name “The word of God”.
Isaiah 9:6 (ASV)
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
These are the titles or names given to the Messiah by God, and if we analyze them, these names can only be applied to God.
God also revealed the Messiah as the righteous branch of David and said he will be called Adonai Tzidkenu (Adonai our Righteousness) – This is another title that is used exclusively for God, therefore another confirmation that the Messiah is God.
Jeremiah 23:6 (ASV)
6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby he shall be called: YHWH our righteousness.
Jeremiah 33:16 (ASV)
16 In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely; and this is the name whereby she shall be called: YHWH our righteousness.
As we can confirm, there is a lot of evidence in the Old Testament about the Messianic figure being God incarnated. Now we will go to the New Testament to understand how the person of Jesus (Yeshua) the Messiah is in reality God made flesh.
IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
John talks about Jesus Sonship and Deity in his introductory text in his gospel.
John 1:1 (ASV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
I know there are a lot of people who claim that John did not talk about Jesus deity but let’s go to the original language and study what it’s really saying.
John 1:1 (SBLGNT)
1.1 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.
Literal translation:
In – beggining – to be – the – word, – and – the – word – to be – with – the (accusative masculine) – God -, and – God – to be – the – word.
Now that it is evident that the original text says explicitly “God is the word”, we can confirm that Jesus is co-eternal and co-existent with the Father, therefore, whenever we find in the Old Testament the title “the word of YHWH” interacting with humans as it would be in a bodily form is the same person of the Godhead that in the New Testament became flesh and is our Lord and Savior.
Do you think that Jesus somewhere defines that He is eternal?
The answer is yes, he used the name of the deity and used the verb “to be” in present tense… “I am”, therefore, this is a combination of his preexistence and divinity, he is the same one that we previously read about in the book of the Exodus 3:14.
John 8:58 (ASV)
58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I am.
In another passage we can find Jesus saying that he was with the Father before the world was created and shared the same glory with Him
John 17:1–5 (ASV)
1 These things spake Jesus; and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that the Son may glorify thee: 2 even as thou gavest him authority over all flesh, that to all whom thou hast given him, he should give eternal life. 3 And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, even Jesus Christ. 4 I glorified thee on the earth, having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Jesus defines that he revealed to the world the Father, He said that “you are the only true God” speaking under his human condition because he came to the world under the figure of a servant (The suffering servant that we read before in the book of Isaiah chapter 53) At the same time of claiming this, Jesus said that he shared the same glory with the Father and that he existed before the world was created, so this implies his deity, because he shared the same glory with the Father and he existed eternally. Only these words make Mohammed (who was one of those people that Jesus defined who will come after him with an Anti-Christ spirit) a false prophet.
In Psalm 86:8 says that there is no one who can resemble or be like God among the gods and we know that also there is no one among the sons of God according to Psalm 89:6 (which for example is Michael the Archangel). Let’s talk about another group rejecting Jesus’ deity: Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Jesus is the Archangel Michael and a god without capital “g”… a created creature. Those claims are a contradiction to what is written in the Old Testament (the Bible don’t contradicts itself). For example, we can study two Psalms that we previously read and what is written in the New Testament, let’s say Paul, who under the same context wrote about the deity of Christ in his letter to the Hebrews.
Hebrews 1:3–5 (ASV)
3 who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 having become by so much better than the angels, as he hath inherited a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time,
Thou art my Son,
This day have I begotten thee?
and again,
I will be to him a Father,
And he shall be to me a Son?
So, to none of the angels, archangels or other created beings God the Father said You are my Son… Therefore, because in Jesus is the essence of God that is why he is greater than the other angelic beings including Michael and in order to sustain all things by the word of power, he has to be un-created, eternal, omnipresent, omniscient because he is the exact representation of the Father. But you would say: The text says “Today I have begotten you”, the Hebrew word “Yalad” that here is translated as begotten or fathered has a relationship context between father and son. For example, this same context is used through the Bible and we can talk about the scenario when someone comes to believe in Jesus, right in that moment this person is being begotten in God and that doesn’t mean that this person didn’t exist before, therefore this word implies relationship between God and the preexistence of a specific character and not being created out of nothing in the exact moment.
Having clear the previous topic, let’s go to the first epistle of John.
1 John 5:20 (ASV)
20 And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Here, one more time God the Son, Jesus Christ, is described as the one and true God in essence, actually, through him we receive eternal life. In Judaism, God is the only one who can forgive sins and save, no one else has this authority. But knowing that the Messiah is God incarnated, has he the authority to save and forgive sins?
Mark 2:7–11 (ASV)
7 Why doth this man thus speak? he blasphemeth: who can forgive sins but one, even God? 8 And straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, saith unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (he saith to the sick of the palsy), 11 I say unto thee, Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house.
This make us know that Jesus himself said he had authority that only belongs to God, and he was not blaspheming… He is God made flesh and he came to save us.
Acts 4:12 (ASV)
12 And in none other is there salvation: for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved.
The Hebrew name Yeshua (in greek Iesus) comes from Yehoshua; Joshua is also a short variant of Yehoshua which means “The Lord Saves”, but in the case of Yeshua the meaning is “The Lord is salvation” reason why Gabriel the Archangel said: “You will call his name Yeshua, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21)
I know that here is a lot of information to process, but let me ask you: Is there more text that we can reconcile which can show us the reality of the deity of Jesus?
In one occasion, Jesus said that the Scribes called the Messiah “The son of David”, So, Jesus told them that the Messiah is actually more than a prophet or a regular human being to just be a descendant of David, therefore he replies this verse in the book of Psalms
Psalm 110:1 (ASV)
1 YHWH saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand,
Until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
When he quoted this Psalm?
Mark 12:35–37 (ASV)
35 And Jesus answered and said, as he taught in the temple, How say the scribes that the Christ is the son of David? 36 David himself said in the Holy Spirit,
The Lord said unto my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand,
Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet.
37 David himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he his son? And the common people heard him gladly.
Every time is more evident that the Messiah is God incarnated through the person of the Son, Jesus is the Messianic figure whom the Old Testament speaks about.
This is why we have to be careful interpreting the Scriptures because a lack of knowledge can lead us to wrong ideas, that is why some groups of Christians had been failed to understand the real person of Jesus.
Jesus warned us to be aware because many will come pretending to be Him or to speak in his name or claiming different things about Him and will deceive many (one example is the case of Isa in the Muslim religion whom is not the historical Jesus).
Matthew 24:5 (ASV)
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ; and shall lead many astray.
Let’s take seriously the warning from Jesus and dive more into the Scriptures… What else he said about the spirit of deceit that is coming?
Matthew 24:9–14 (ASV)
9 Then shall they deliver you up unto tribulation, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all the nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many stumble, and shall deliver up one another, and shall hate one another. 11 And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray. 12 And because iniquity shall be multiplied, the love of the many shall wax cold. 13 But he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a testimony unto all the nations; and then shall the end come.
Jesus foretold that false prophets will rise deceiving people trying to make everybody believe that Jesus is not the Messiah, nor the Person of the Son of God. This is the case of Islam and their prophet, and others who are possessed by the spirit of the Anti-Christ denying Jesus’ deity and sonship. We have seen many of them through history and we have to be ready to identify those who are still coming.
Let’s continue with the evidence for the deity of Jesus. We know Jesus used for him the title “Son of Man” (from the book of Daniel), this title was exclusively made for the Messiah who in the Old Testament act like a savior and redeemer of sins. In the New Testament we can find references when Jesus says that we have to believe in him if we don’t want to die in our sins and if we want to be saved.
John 8:24–29 (ASV)
24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for except ye believe that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. 25 They said therefore unto him, Who art thou? Jesus said unto them, Even that which I have also spoken unto you from the beginning. 26 I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you: howbeit he that sent me is true; and the things which I heard from him, these speak I unto the world. 27 They perceived not that he spake to them of the Father. 28 Jesus therefore said, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself, but as the Father taught me, I speak these things. 29 And he that sent me is with me; he hath not left me alone; for I do always the things that are pleasing to him.
Through different times in his Messianic ministry, Jesus announced his suffering, death and resurrection and we can find it in the gospels. The special event of the resurrection is what will separate him from a common human being and also from the rest of the prophets.
Mark 9:12 (ASV)
12 And he said unto them, Elijah indeed cometh first, and restoreth all things: and how is it written of the Son of man, that he should suffer many things and be set at nought?
Mark 9:31 (ASV)
31 For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered up into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he shall rise again.
Mark 10:33 (ASV)
33 saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him unto the Gentiles:
Jesus also said that he came to serve and to give his life as ransom for many.
Mark 10:45 (ASV)
45 For the Son of man also came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
The resurrection at the third day gave him the victory over death and the realm of the darkness. The empty tomb is the major evidence that we have of his power, eternity and fulfillment of prophecies about the Savior of the world. Jesus, who is alive… announced about the future establishment of his eternal kingdom, which has been also prophesied in the Old Testament.
Mark 14:62 (ASV)
62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.
The night when Jesus was arrested it was clear that he was giving his life willingly to fulfill the plan of salvation for humanity… The power and authority of God dwelling in Jesus gave us the confirmation that the name of God is in him (Exodus 3:14) and the power of Hashem was shown that night, when Jesus who is the Word said “I am”. When he said that… created beings reacted to the power in the Word.
John 18:5–6 (ASV)
5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6When therefore he said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
There is no doubt he had the power to avoid his death but he loved us so much that he gave his life to save us through his sacrifice in the cross. Therefore, we will go to the evidence of the deity of Jesus after his death.
AFTER JESUS DIES AND RISE FROM THE DEAD
There are many accounts of the deity of Jesus and his Messianic ministry starting from the year 30-33 AD. For example the book of Acts, the first Martyr (Stephen)
Acts 7:55–56 (ASV)
55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 and said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God.
Before I continue with the last part of this apology, I think is good to understand one of the most controversial passages of the life and Crucifixion of Christ. This one denotes the Sonship and the humanity of Jesus.
Jesus sometimes refers to his Father as “My Father and My God”, When he calls God the Father “my Father” although he is the second person in the Godhead, he knows he is in the form of flesh… under his human condition, therefore God is the Father of all flesh. The same applies for Jesus calling Him “my God”… Remember that Jesus was a 100% human although he is a 100% divinity, this means that the Son is subject to the Father because of his human condition.
Mark 15:34 (ASV)
34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
John 20:17 (ASV)
17 Jesus saith to her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father: but go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.
This means Jesus will regain his previous status to the incarnation once he ascends to the Father.
Can the two previous verses prove that Jesus is not God? Absolutely not. To understand that point, let’s go to the time when the 12 apostles knew Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of the living God and to the time when one specific person called him his God.
John 20:28–29 (ASV)
28 Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
As we can see, Jesus never corrected Thomas when he called him God. And in case of being an expression of excitement, Jews knew they cannot use the name of God in vain (is a commandment)… in that case Jesus would revoke Thomas, but he never did, therefore Jesus accepted being called God by Thomas.
Paul describes Jesus also as Creator and the representation of the essence of God.
Hebrews 1:2–3 (ASV)
2 hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds; 3 who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Paul tells us that Jesus is the Son of God and Messiah too in the letter to the Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:13 (ASV)
13 till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
In the verses 8 and 9 of the chapter 1 in the letter to the Hebrews, Paul declares Jesus as God alluding the Psalm 45:6-7
Hebrews 1:8–9 (ASV)
8 but of the Son he saith,
Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever;
And the sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
9 Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;
Therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee
With the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Another misinterpretation that I want to correct is that Paul and Peter never called Jesus God. Although when they are saying “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” can be confusing, actually they are making allusion to the first and the second person of the Godhead, because the Greek word used for “Lord” is Kyrios that is used to refer to God also in the Old Testament (as an example I can name the Septuagint), therefore to understand this way of salutations we have to remember also what Jesus said about him and the Father being one in essence.
John 10:30 (ASV)
30 I and the Father are one.
The oneness that Jesus refers here is oneness in essence. That is why we see in the following verses the reaction of the religious people.
John 10:33 (ASV)
33 The Jews answered him, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
Jesus was claiming to be God and this was a reason to charge him of blaspheme, and the most interesting thing about Jesus claiming that, is that he was right. Paul defines the eternity of Jesus and his work at the time of creation in the letter to the Hebrews alluding to the book of Psalms 102:25-27.
Hebrews 1:10–12 (ASV)
10 And,
Thou, Lord, in the beginning didst lay the foundation of the earth,
And the heavens are the works of thy hands:
11 They shall perish; but thou continuest:
And they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
12 And as a mantle shalt thou roll them up,
As a garment, and they shall be changed:
But thou art the same,
And thy years shall not fail.
Paul referred to the Psalm 110:1 when he wrote to the Hebrews.
Hebrews 1:13 (ASV)
13 But of which of the angels hath he said at any time,
Sit thou on my right hand,
Till I make thine enemies the footstool of thy feet?
To the Philippians he openly said That Jesus existing in the form of God… emptied himself, taking the form of a servant…
Philippians 2:5–11 (ASV)
5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Paul teachings and the early creeds of the Church of Christ (which can be traced to a few days after the resurrection) defines Jesus as God the Son. The Greek word “Morphe” which is translated in Phillipians as “form” had a deeper meaning which is “essence” – Therefore what they understood in that time when hearing the teachings of the apostles was that “Jesus Christ, who existing in the essence of God”… This means that they never doubted about Jesus’ deity because they knew it and was taught by the apostles.
John referred to the title of Son of Man also in the book of Revelation of Jesus Christ
Revelation 1:13 (ASV)
13 and in the midst of the candlesticks one like unto a son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about at the breasts with a golden girdle.
Revelation 14:14 (ASV)
14 And I saw, and behold, a white cloud; and on the cloud I saw one sitting like unto a son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.
Therefore, It is clear that the Apostles knew that the Messiah is Jesus and they knew either about Jesus’ sonship and deity and they taught to their disciples about it. But, who was responsible of this claims? We need to understand that the apostles received this claims from Jesus and the Holy Spirit, they received the knowledge that confirms what the Old Testament foretold about the deity of the Messiah.
Can we know about who early Christians believed Jesus was?
Titus defines Jesus as Lord and God and we can find the same message as well in 2 Peter
Titus 2:13 (ASV)
13 looking for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
2 Peter 1:1 (ASV)
1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained a like precious faith with us in the righteousness of our God and (the) Saviour Jesus Christ
The last hint that we can find also about Jesus deity is that according to Judaism only God can be worshiped, not even the angels of heaven receive worship because the worship belongs to God (Revelation 19:10), yet Jesus never denied to be worshiped by people.
Matthew 14:33 (ASV)
33 And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Matthew 28:9 (ASV)
9 And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.
He never rebuked people from worshiping him and from calling him Lord (Kyrios) which is a form to refer to God.
John 9:38 (ASV)
38 And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him.
Until this point, we have seen through the Old Testament and the New Testament how sure we have to be when calling the Messiah God incarnated, through the Scriptures we found information about God having a Son, about the Son being God and how they are still One God.
Therefore, to conclude this apology, we will go to the events when Jesus claimed to be God.
Jesus revealed his deity every time he claimed to be the Messiah and Son of God, when he said that he has authority to forgive sins and also when he claimed the following:
“Before Abraham was, I Am.”
Jesus was asked if he was the Messiah before going to the Cross
Luke 22:67–68 (ASV)
67 If thou art the Christ, tell us. But he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: 68 and if I ask you, ye will not answer.
Jesus said clearly that he was the Messiah and Son(huios) of the One who should be praised (eulogetous)
Mark 14:60–62 (ASV)
60 And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? 61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and saith unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and the Son of God sitting at the right hand of the Father, he promised that He will come back in the clouds of heaven to gather his elect (those who believe in him), and this is going to be fulfilled after a great time of tribulation he said.
Matthew 24:29–31 (ASV)
29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he shall send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
When that day comes, he will establish his eternal kingdom which cannot be destroyed.
Daniel 7:14 (ASV)
14 And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
Isaiah 9:7 (ASV)
7O f the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of YHWH of hosts will perform this.
Conclusion
The Old Testament says that YHWH is the only true God, the All-Mighty which shows Himself and interact with men through the role of a visible YHWH called among other names the “word of YHWH”.
God revealed through His prophets a figure who is a second YHWH which is known in the Old Testament by so many names, for example we can name: The Son of Man, I AM, The First and the Last, the Angel of YHWH, the arm of YHWH, the word of YHWH or YHWH of Hosts whom is also known among the Jews as the Messiah. The text defines that God – Hashem is the Messiah;
Isaiah 33:22 (LEB)
22 For Yahweh is our judge; Yahweh is our lawgiver.
Yahweh is our king; he is the one who will save us.
Isaiah 43:10 (LEB)
10 “You are my witnesses,” ⌊declares⌋ Yahweh,
“and my servant whom I have chosen
so that you may know and believe ⌊in⌋ me
and understand that I am he.
No god was formed before ⌊me⌋,
and none shall be after me.
The Messiah is God incarnated, He is Adonai Tzidkenu, the Savior and Redeemer of the World who became flesh and lived among humans through the person of Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth), the Son of God. Although Isaiah 43:10 is referring to Israel, some Scholars believe that is also an allusion to the Messianic figure, to Jesus of Nazareth.
Jesus was humble, he lived his life on this earth in obedience to the Father, and fulfilled his Messianic ministry with love giving his life as ransom for many, although he was innocent he died by crucifixion . But God the Father resurrected him at the third day overcoming death and the kingdom of the darkness, for this reason we know He is alive and his tomb is empty. The Old Testament says that there is no other God, only YHWH, and no one else saves except YHWH. Therefore, Jesus who is co-eternal with the Father, the creator of everything, the one who in the essence of God came in the form of flesh forgiving sins and saving those who believe in him, revealed the Father to us, taught us to follow his steps and to repent from our sins in order to enter the kingdom of God. His sacrifice reestablished the broken link between God and humanity and through the faith in him we receive His Holy Spirit, justification, salvation, the power to be called sons and daughters of God and we inherit eternal life.
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and Son of God and the Old Testament revealed enough evidence that the Messiah is God Himself, therefore, the sonship and deity of Jesus is not a myth or misunderstanding of the Scriptures… It is a fact.
Leo Ramirez.