Topical Bible: Jesus, the Christ: Divinity of As Jehovah

Bible > Topical > Jesus, the Christ

◄ Jesus, the Christ: Divinity of As Jehovah ►

Jump to: Nave's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The divinity of Jesus Christ as Jehovah is a central tenet of Christian theology, affirming that Jesus is not merely a prophet or moral teacher but is indeed God incarnate. This belief is rooted in numerous scriptural affirmations that equate Jesus with Jehovah, the covenant name of God in the Old Testament.

Old Testament Foundations

The Old Testament lays the groundwork for understanding the divinity of the Messiah. In Isaiah 9:6, the prophet declares, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." This passage attributes divine titles to the coming Messiah, indicating His divine nature.

New Testament Affirmations

The New Testament provides explicit affirmations of Jesus' divinity. In John 1:1, the apostle writes, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." This verse identifies Jesus (the Word) as God, establishing His preexistence and divine essence. John 1:14 further states, "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us," affirming the incarnation of God in Jesus.

In John 8:58, Jesus Himself declares, "Truly, truly, I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!" This statement echoes the divine name revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14, where God identifies Himself as "I AM." By using this name, Jesus claims eternal existence and equality with Jehovah.

Apostolic Testimonies

The apostles consistently affirm Jesus' divinity. In Colossians 2:9, Paul writes, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form." This verse underscores the complete and undiminished deity of Christ. Similarly, in Titus 2:13, Paul refers to Jesus as "our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," directly ascribing divinity to Him.

The author of Hebrews also emphasizes Jesus' divine nature, stating in Hebrews 1:3, "The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word." This passage highlights Jesus' role in creation and His sustaining power, attributes belonging to God alone.

Worship and Divine Prerogatives

Throughout the New Testament, Jesus receives worship, a prerogative reserved for God. In Matthew 14:33, after Jesus walks on water, the disciples worship Him, saying, "Truly You are the Son of God." In Revelation 5:12-13, the heavenly hosts worship the Lamb, proclaiming, "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!"

Jesus also exercises divine authority, forgiving sins as seen in Mark 2:5-7, where He tells the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." The scribes question, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" This incident underscores Jesus' divine authority to forgive sins, an authority belonging to Jehovah.

Conclusion

The divinity of Jesus as Jehovah is a foundational doctrine supported by both Old and New Testament scriptures. Through His divine titles, eternal existence, and the worship He receives, Jesus is unequivocally identified as God incarnate, fulfilling the prophecies and promises of the Old Testament concerning the coming of Jehovah in the flesh.

Nave's Topical Index

Isaiah 40:3
The voice of him that cries in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Nave's Topical Index

Matthew 3:3
For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare you the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Hallowing Christ
... right to say that the same Person who was revealed as 'Jehovah' is now ... who may be
hesitating about that Christian fact of the true divinity of Jesus Christ. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/hallowing christ.htm

Jehovah Tsidkenu: the Lord Our Righteousness
... Jesus Christ is the Lord our righteousness ... clearly perceive that the Messias of the
Jews, Jesus of Nazareth ... him to open shame by denying his divinity, read you ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 7 1861/jehovah tsidkenu the lord our.htm

Objections to the Narrative Drawn from the Subsequent Dispositions ...
... but it has been urged further that Christ himself, when ... far more likely and natural
that Jesus should call ... attention to the proofs of his Divinity which were ...
/.../section 11 objections to the.htm

Faith in Christ
... needful truths gleaming in these weighty syllables which Christ Jesus spoke from ...
what a strong inference with regard to the divinity of Christ is deducible ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/faith in christ.htm

Bands of Love; Or, Union to Christ. "I Drew them with Cords of a ...
... regarded with complacency by the just Jehovah, for He ... the manhood was not transformed
into divinity, and so ... 5. Christ Jesus is also joined unto His people in a ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/till he come/bands of love or union.htm

Jesus Defends Disciples who Pluck Grain on the Sabbath.
... which hallowed the temple, and the divinity or Godhead ... the meaning is ultimately
a contrast between Christ and the ... much more did the service of Jesus, who was ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/xxxviii jesus defends disciples who.htm

The Church of Christ
... God will cause his church to be, here is divinity. ... you are not a child of God; for
Jehovah says, "I ... carriage, but what you can say something for Jesus Christ. ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 1 1855/the church of christ.htm

Christ the Breaker
... men know, or think they know, outside of the revelation of divinity in Jesus Christ,
is a ... the God who comes near to us in Christ, that we in Christ may come ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/christ the breaker.htm

The Absent Present Christ
... unity of the Godhead and the divinity of the ... of the great Old Testament name 'Jehovah.'
The depth ... which has drawn spiritual life from Jesus Christ here upon ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/the absent present christ.htm

Corinthians. Calling on the Name
... thus embrace as harmonious, and not contradictory, both the divinity of the Lord
and the humanity of Jesus. To call on the name of Christ is to embrace in ...
/.../romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/i corinthians calling on the.htm