SEMESTER 3
135 – The Doctrine of Jesus Christ – His Deity
BIBLE INSTITUTE OF CORRESPONDENCE
COURSE: THEOLOGY III LESSON # 35
THE DOCTRINE OF JESUS CHRIST (HIS DEITY)
Read John 1:1-14
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INTRODUCTION:
1. The Bible is the doctrine of Christ, so I will not say we will teach it in two lessons.
2. However, in identifying and biblically describing His person, I want to use two approaches:
i. Jesus Christ as God, (i.e., His deity).
ii. Jesus Christ as man, (i.e., His humanity).
3. It is difficult to perceive that God could, or would, become man, and equally difficult to understand that having done so, He could remain God.
4. Yet, He was as truly each, as if He had not been the other.
I. DEFINITION OF THE TERM DEITY
1. It simply means that He was divine, that He was very God.
2. This is proven by the same Scriptures referred to in the trinity, and by all of the same arguments.
i. The statement that He is God. (Jn. 1:1)
ii. The statement that He is unity with God. (Jn. 10:30, I Cor. 15:47)
iii. That He is from heaven. (Jn. 6:38)
iv. That He is the image (visible manifestation) of God. (Col. 1:15)
v. That He is the fullness of God’s glory. (Heb. 1:13, Col. 2:9)
vi. The name Emmanuel given Him (God with us). (Mat. 1:23)
3. The validity of this claim is borne out by several truths equal to it, which are at least these:
II. STATEMENTS OF HIS PRE-EXISTENCE
1. By pre-existence, I necessarily mean He existed before His physical birth. (Jn. 8:56, Jn. 6:38)
2. But biblically, we mean more than this, we mean eternal existence. (Jn. 1:1, Jn. 17:5)
3. It then becomes very obvious that eternal existence belongs only to God.
i. Man’s eternal life always refers to eternity from henceforth.
III. HIS SINLESSNESS
Understand that impeccability is not my subject here, I will deal with it as another subject. This point is to show His Deity by the fact that He did not sin.
1. Every natural man (i.e., son of Adam) is by nature, volition, and act a sinner.
i. He is guilty of the act. (Rom. 3:23, Rom. 3:10)
ii. He is a sinner, by inheritance. (Rom. 5:19)
iii. He is a sinner, by the very nature of his heart. (Rom. 3:10-19)
2. Conversely, Jesus Christ displayed a testimony no natural man has, either before, or after salvation. (II Cor. 5:21, Heb. 4:15, Heb. 7:26)
3. Even man’s testimony of observation witnesses to this truth. (Luke 23:4, Luke 23:14-15, Luke 23:41)
IV. THE POSITIVE ACTIONS OF HIS LIFE PROVED DEITY
1. His power over sickness, death, demons, etc.
2. His ability to convey Himself through people.
3. His ability to walk on the water. (Materialize?)
4. His power, when He spoke to those who came to arrest Him in the garden.
5. His acclaimed power to call ten legions of angels.
6. His ability to rise from the dead.
7. His ascension into heaven.
CONCLUSION: All this, and much more, proves Jesus Christ to be much more than natural. We must assume His power to be either divine, or satanic.