Jesus is God! – Part 2

Names and Titles
Jesus’ proper name derives from the Hebrew “Joshua,” meaning, “Yahweh saves” or “salvation is from Yahweh” (Matt 1:21). Christ is the Greek term for “anointed,” equivalent to the Hebrew Messiah. This anointed Saviour is also Immanuel, “God is with us” (Matt 1:23; lsa. 7:14). Paul’s favourite term for Jesus was kurios, “Lord,” and the earliest Christian confession was that “Jesus is Lord.” The sublime introduction of Jesus in the prologue to John’s Gospel presents Him as the logos, the “Word,” Who created all things (1:3) and Who became flesh and dwelt among us (1:14). He is the Life (1:4) and the Light of mankind (1:4); the Glory of God (1:14); the only begotten God, Who makes the Father known (1:18). The Gospels record Jesus’ own self-designation as Son of Man, the title He frequently used to speak of His humiliation, His identification with sinful mankind, His death on behalf of sinners, and His glorious return.

While Jesus was the Son of Man in respect to His ministry and passion, He is also Son of God, the uniquely begotten One sent from God Himself (Mark 1:1; John 3:16). The book of Hebrews shows Jesus as God’s great high priest (3: 1; 4:14) Who both makes sacrifice for His people and Who is Himself the sacrifice (10:10-14). Hebrews also presents Jesus as the Creator of all things (1:2), the perfect representation of God (1:3), and the apostle of our confession (3:1). The metaphors used of Jesus, particularly in John’s Gospel, speak poignantly to the indispensable need for a person to know Jesus. He is the water of life (John 4:14), the bread of life (6:41), the light (8:12), the door (10:7), the way, the truth, and the life (14:6).

Humanity
Jesus was fully human. He was not partially human, nor did He function at times as a human and at times as God nor did He merely appear to be human. He was at once both man and God. The evidence for Jesus’ humanity in Scripture is abundant. He displayed physical symptoms that all humans experience: fatigue (John 4:6), sleep (Matt 8:24), hunger (Matt 21:18), and suffering (Luke 22:43-44). Jesus also experienced the emotional reactions of mankind: compassion (Luke 7:13), weeping (Luke 19:41), anger and indignation (Mark 3:5), grief (Matt 26:37), and joy (John 15: 11). These physical and emotional traits, along with others mentioned in the Gospels, demonstrate that the NT everywhere assumes Jesus’ real and full humanity. Yet Jesus was not just a real man; He was also a unique person. Though really human, Jesus differed from all other people in two ways. First, He was born to a virgin; He had no human father.

He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb (Matt. 1:18-25). Second, unlike any other person, Jesus was without sin. He is sinless (John 8:46) and there is never a record of His confessing sin, though He told us to confess ours (Matt 6:12). Other biblical writers ascribe sinlessness to Jesus. Paul said Jesus became sin for us, but that He personally knew no sin (2 Cor. 5:21). The writer of Hebrews says that Jesus never sinned (Heb. 4:15) and Peter affirmed that Jesus the righteous died for the unrighteous (l Pet 3:18).

Deity
Throughout the centuries, few people have denied the existence of the man Jesus. A fierce battle has always raged, however, concerning the supernatural nature of Jesus. If Jesus was virgin born and sinless, as noted above, then a supernatural element is already introduced into His nature that sets Him apart from all other people.
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