Is Jesus really the Son of God? - Part 1

Many people make false claims against our scriptures, claiming that Jesus never said he was God, and that the Jews never believed in a multi personal God. As Christians, our view of God (term used for those who created us) is a triune God made up of God The Father (Source being), God The Son (eternally begotten of The Father outside of space and time), and God The Holy Spirit.

Does this contradict monotheism? (a term not used until 1660) not in the slightest. No where in the Bible, including the Jewish scriptures is it ever said that God is one person, in fact the Jewish scriptures do showcase a multi-personal God head. For instance, in the very first book of The Bible, Genesis, as God is creating the heavens and the Earth, and all living creatures he says...

Genesis 1:26

"Let us make man in our image"

Notice the plurality? This is just the first hint at a multi-personal God, there are countless, many of which are in the Old Testament (Jewish scripture). whether or not you believe that The Bible is trustworthy (it is), is a discussion for my next blog, for now I will be focusing on whether or not the prophets of God, Jesus's followers, or Jesus himself, made the claim of the trinity.

Before I delve into claims made by Jesus and his followers, lets analyse the Jewish texts a little more, to confirm this claim that the Old Testament displays and Triune God-head.

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Genesis 18, also seems to display a triune God. lets analyse this chapter, and see how God is represented by some of the earliest monotheists, the Jews.

Genesis 18:1-2

The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

First up we see The Lord (Yahweh, the name of God) appear to Abraham in the form of three men. How does Abraham react? how does he address these men? 

Genesis 18:3-5

and he said, “My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not pass Your servant by. ⁴ Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; ⁵ and let me bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh your hearts

As we can see , Abraham bows low to the ground, giving honour and worship to Yahweh. Abraham continues to address the three men as one singular "Lord" or as its originally transcribed in the Hebrew, "YHWH", the name of the monotheistic God of Abraham.

After addressing Yahweh (in the form of three men), as "my Lord", he then continues to speak to God as if he is a plurality. "Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree..", notice how he addresses God as "yourselves". Here's the very next verse in the same chapter, notice how he continues to address God as a plurality, "and let me bring a piece of bread, that you may refresh your hearts; after that you may pass on, since in such a manner you have passed by your servant."

Notice the plurality in "hearts", following which he submits to these three men, identified as Yahweh, as their servant. In this chapter we can clearly observe that Yahweh is identified as a Trinity, 1400 years before Jesus was even born!  Abraham offers worship to these three men, worship only fit for God. We also see him address his God in the plurality over, and over.

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My last example from the Old Testament (though there are many more), is found in the creation account of Genesis 1. As I am about to discuss in my New Testament evidences, Jesus Christ is also known as The Word of God (John 1:1). Also I previously mentioned, the Trinity is Father, Son (Word), and Holy Spirit. Can Genesis 1 confirm the Triune God?

Genesis 1:2

And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Here we see The Spirit of God (The Holy Spirit) acting apart from the Father, which is our first evidence for the third person of the Godhead, The Holy Spirit.

Genesis 1:3

Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 

As previously mentioned, Jesus is the Word of God, he we see God creating all things with his word. We now know through New Testament revelation, that this Word that created all things, is Jesus Christ.

 Colossians 1:16

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

And to further strengthen this point, we have "the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden". God The Father, as described in the New Testament, is never assigned human body parts, the only person that could be considered God, that is capable of walking on earth, is The Son, Jesus Christ.

Genesis 3:8

⁸ Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden

Isn't this amazing! This text was composed 1700 years before the doctrine of the Trinity was fully understood. Yet here we have the most ancient of monotheistic texts showcasing The Trinity, incredible!

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So without further ado my friends, lets look at New Testament evidences.

One of the first chapters people will go to when demonstrating the divinity of Christ is John 1...

John 1:1

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is often referred to as "The Word of God", just like the Muslims believe that The Quran is the eternal uncreated Word of God, we believe the exact same things about Jesus Christ. Only in the instance of Christianity Gods word incarnated as a Man, rather than a book. it is clearly stated in John 1:1-14, that "The Word was God... The Word became flesh". This is my first New Testament demonstration of Jesus's divinity.

For this next example I will remain in John chapter 1...

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John 1:18

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Now at first glance this verse seems to contradict The Trinity, as it sates " No one has seen God at any time ". But the verse continues to say "the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him". Jesus is the "only begotten God" that is explained here, is this a contradiction? If no one has seen God, then how is Jesus God? He cant be God, right? Well no, we must understand context, and the original language used here, Koine Greek. The Greek word used for "seen" in this passage is ἑώρακεν (heōraken). Lets see what this word actually means. 

The root of this word has a much greater and deeper meaning than to just see with the eyes. Horaō (ὁράω), which means "to see," "to notice," "to perceive," or "to experience". The word used in this passage means to fully experience/perceive God, which no-one has ever done. The latter part of this verse "the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him", shows us that Jesus, in the form of the begotten God (notice how John directly call Jesus God here, not relevant to this argument, but an important side not, as John obviously knew Jesus is God) reveals The Father to us in a way that we can perceive. 

Now that we have established that no one has every fully perceived/seen The Father, lets go to the Old Testament, where Moses claims to have seen God with his own eyes. As we've just established Moses couldn't have seen The Father, he must've been seeing The Son, as the only time people have ever seen God is in "the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father"

Exodus 24:9-11

⁹ Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. ¹¹ Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; and they beheld God, and they ate and drank.

Here, Moses and his companions, see The God of Israel, with feet and hands! We've already established that no one has seen God The Father, we've also established that The Father as described in the New Testament, doesn't have human attributes. So who is this God of Israel, that Moses is seeing, with feet and with hands, since it can't be God The Father, it must be The Son Jesus Christ, who has just been labeled as the God of Israel, amazing!

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Now lets look at some shorter more concise verses.

Acts 20:28

²⁸ Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

We know that Jesus purchased the Church with His own blood. Does God The Father have blood, of course not, the word "God" used here is obviously referring to Jesus.

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2 Peter 1:1

Simeon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received the same kind of faith as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ

Here, Simon Peter refers to Jesus as "our God and saviour", pretty black and white if you ask me.

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Colossians 2:9

 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells bodily

The Apostle Paul states that the fullness of Deity lives in The Lord, Jesus Christ.

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Philippians 2:5-7

⁵ Have this way of thinking in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶ who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men.

Here Paul makes a very good point. The reason Jesus never explicitly says the words "I am God", is because he needed to be clear that while he has the exact same divine nature as The Father, He and The Father are separate persons. Jesus did claim to be The Son of God. Ask yourself this, if you are the son of a human, what does that make you? a human right?

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Matthew 16:15-17

¹⁵ He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷ And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.

It is very clear here that Jesus is claiming divinity, as The Son of God, which in turn gives him the exact nature of The Father.

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For my last point for my first article on the topic, lets go to The Gospel of Mark.

Mark 1:1-3

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, ² as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,
    who will prepare your way”
³ “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
    make straight paths for him.’

Here mark is quoting Isaiah, written 800 years before Christ, when referring to John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus. A prophecy fulfilled by Jesus 800 years later. 

Isaiah 40:3

A voice is calling, “Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God."

Notice how Isaiah wrote, "Prepare the way for Yahweh in the wilderness", and Marks quotation says ""a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord"". It is clear here that Mark is recognising Jesus as God Himself.

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I will be making further articles on this topic in the future, as this area of the faith is very extensive, and I want to release my defenses on the matter in multiple parts.

I pray that you've learnt something from this, and I pray that the Holy Spirit moves your heart and begins to expose the truth to your spirit.

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Thanks for reading, Glory be to The Father, and to The Son, and to The Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen.

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