God is a Spirit—without flesh and blood and invisible to man. In order to make Himself visible to man and in order to shed innocent blood for our sins, He had to put on flesh. (For more on the purposes of the Son, see Chapter V.) Jesus is not another God or a part of God, but He is the God of the Old Testament robed in flesh.
To View the Entire Article, Click Here
To Download the Article Directly to Your Computer, Click Here
To View the Outline, Click Here
To View the PowerPoint, Click Here
By David K. Bernard
“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).
The fact that Jesus is God is as firmly established in Scripture as the fact that God is one. The Bible teaches that Jesus is fully God and fully man. In this chapter we will discuss the former; in Chapter V the latter.
In the next few sections we will present and discuss scriptural proofs that Jesus is God, numbering them for the reader’s convenience.
The Old Testament Testifies That Jesus Is God
1. Isaiah 9:6 is one of the most powerful proofs that Jesus is God: “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, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
The terms child and son refer to the Incarnation or manifestation of “The mighty God” and “The everlasting Father.”
2. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be called Immanuel, that is, God with us (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23).
3. Isaiah described the Messiah as both a branch out of Jesse (the father of David) and as the root of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1, 10; see also Revelation 22:16). According to the flesh He was a descendant (branch) of Jesse and David, but according to His Spirit He was their Creator and source of life (root). Jesus used this concept to confound the Pharisees when He quoted Psalm 110:1 and asked, in essence, “How could David call the Messiah Lord when the Messiah was to be the son (descendant) of David?” (Matthew 22:41-46).
4. Isaiah 35:4-6 shows that Jesus is God: “Behold, your God. . .he will come and save you.” This passage goes on to say that when God comes the eyes of the blind would be opened, the ears of the deaf would be unstopped, the lame would leap, and the tongue of the dumb would speak. Jesus applied this passage of Scripture to Himself (Luke 7:22) and, of course, His ministry did produce all of these things.
5. Isaiah 40:3 declares that one would cry in the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” John the Baptist fulfilled this prophecy when he prepared the way for Jesus (Matthew 3:3); so Jesus is the LORD (Jehovah) and our God.
6. Micah 5:2 proves that the Messiah is God. “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah. . .out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”
Thus the Old Testament clearly states that the Messiah and Savior to come would be God Himself.
To View the Entire Article, Click Here
To Download the Article Directly to Your Computer, Click Here
