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In this blog, I provide encouragement and biblical teaching on the glory, majesty, and power of our Lord Jesus, the Sun of Righteousness.

As the Scripture says:

"But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves." (Mal 4:2)

"This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all." (1 Jn 1:5)

Some of the topics covered include the deity of Jesus, the supremacy of Christ, the Lordship of Christ, the ongoing earthly ministry of Jesus, His ascension, the name of Jesus, the Refiner's Fire, and the bodily form of the Lord Jesus Christ.  I hope this will be an edifying and encouraging experience for you that will help you to grow in your walk with the Lord.

Light of the World	Being a Light in a Dark World	Is Jesus God?
Supremacy of Christ	Candle in the Dark	Ongoing Earthly Ministry of Jesus
Christ's Two Ascensions	The Eternal Firstborn of All Creation	All Things Handed Over to Jesus Christ
The Name of Jesus	Jesus is Yehova	The Refiner's Fire
The Bodily Form of God the Father	The Bodily Form of the Lord Jesus Christ	The Light and the Glory
Christ the Beginning	Jesus Alone Reveals the Father	The Glory of the Lord Revealed
Prophecy of Christ's Resurrection on the Third Day	There's No One Like the Lord	The Sinlessness of Christ
The Titles of Christ	Coronation of Christ as King	The Name Above All Names
Three Stages of Christ's Earthly Mission	The Seven Last Words of Jesus	Jesus is Light, Life, Love, and Living Word

Attribution notice: Most other Scriptures taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®, unless otherwise noted.

Please read Opportunities to Serve the Body of Christ.  You may also access my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Jesus is Yehova

I have written previously about The Name of Jesus.  In that post, I mentioned that Jesus equated Himself with the "I AM" name God gave Himself in Exodus 3:14.  Let's dig deeper into that truth and find more treasures of wisdom in God's Word.

Here is what transpired as Moses was kneeling barefoot before the burning bush.

Then Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" (Exo 3:13-14)

Anyone who is acquainted with the account of the burning bush knows that God identified Himself to Moses there as "I AM." In Hebrew, this name יהוה that we translate "I AM" in English is "YHVH," the tetragrammaton for Yehova, meaning approximately "He causes to be" or "He creates".  The Hebrews understood the holiness of this name, and did not write it out in full, preferring to use only the four consonants, YHVH.  This is referred to in Hebrew as "HaShem," meaning "The Name." YHVH, the Almighty One of Isra'El refers to Himself by Name.  Rather than pronounce it, the Jews preferred to say instead, "the Lord."  For the purpose of this article, I will spell the holy name of the Lord reverently as "Yehova."  However, we may just as well have spelled it "Yahveh," so I am not saying it must be one or the other.

Now let's jump ahead to the conversation Jesus had with the Jews in the first century. "Jesus said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.'" (Joh 8:58).

When He said, "I AM," He described Himself with the same name that God used when He identified Himself by name at the burning bush.  Although Jesus spoke in Aramaic, His words here are recorded in Greek in the gospel of John as "Ἐγώ εἰμι" or "Egō eimi," which means "I AM."

In the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, called the Septuagint, God identified Himself to Moses with the words, "Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν" or "Egō eimi ho ōn," which literally means "I AM He Who" or "I AM Who I AM."

Therefore, in both the burning bush account and the gospel account of Jesus speaking to the Jews, the same name "Egō eimi" or "I AM" is used.

It is interesting to note that in the garden of Gethsemane, when Judas came with the Roman cohort and the commander and the officers of the Jews to arrest Jesus, He asked them, “Whom do you seek?”  They replied, “Jesus of Nazareth.”  And when He said, “I AM,” the Scripture says they all drew back and fell to the ground (Joh 18:6).  In the modern English versions, it may say, “I AM He,” but the Greek simply says “eimi” meaning “I AM.” It seems they were so stunned when He spoke this that it had the effect of knocking them to the ground, as if the power of God hit them.  In fact, it so immobilized them that He had to ask them a second time whom they were seeking, once again confirming His identity to them, and inviting them to come and arrest Him.

Furthermore, when Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me (Lk 4:18), He was reading from Isaiah 61:1, which begins with “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me.”  In this verse, the prophet Isaiah used the word "Yehova," which would be read aloud as "Lord."  Therefore, Jesus meant, "The Spirit of Yehova is upon Me."

When Jesus said, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath" (Lk 6:5), His hearers would have recalled that God gave them the fourth commandment with the words, "the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yehova your God." (Ex 20:10).  So once again Jesus identified Himself as Yehova, when He said He is "Yehova of the Sabbath." 

When John the Baptist came preaching repentance in the wilderness, Matthew said, “For this is the one referred to by Isaiah the prophet. When he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Make ready the way of the Lord, make His paths straight!” (Mt 3:3). The prophet Isaiah said, “Prepare the way for Yehova.” (Is 40:3). John was preaching that people should repent to prepare the way for Yehova, meaning the Lord Jesus.

Another example is when Jesus said, “For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, ‘Blesses is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” (Mt 23:39). He was quoting the psalmist who said, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of Yehova. From the house of Yehova we bless you.” (Ps 118:26). Jesus came in the name of Yehova. Think about what that means.

Likewise see Acts 4:26, in which the disciples of Christ prayed regarding the Lord Jesus, according to Psalm 2:1,2, which also refers to Yehova.

When the apostle Paul said, “That if you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved," (Rom 10:9), he went on to say, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Rom 10:13). He was quoting the prophet Joel, who said, “Everyone who calls on the name of Yehova will be saved” (Joel 2:32).  Therefore, to say “Jesus is Lord” is to say “Jesus is Yehova”! To use His Hebrew name, we would more correctly say, “Yeshua is Yehova.” Or to use a variant spelling, “Yahshua is Yehova.” 

In this article, I have given just a few examples, but there are many other Scriptures that also confirm my premise.  The name of the Lord is Yehova, and Jesus is Yehova.  He manifested the name of the Father to His disciples.  If there were a higher name, then God would have told us.  But the Scriptures say that this name, Jesus, is the name above all names.  "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved."  (Act 4:12)

 Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB. "King of Kings" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.  

Author's note:  I recommend reading my companion article The Name of Jesus. Other related articles include Yehova as Both Father and Husband to the Hebrews, Is Jesus God?, Christ the Beginning, The Bodily Form of God the Father, The Holy Trinity, Baptized with the Spirit and Holy Fire Baptism.

You may also access the Main Directory for this blog, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Eternal Firstborn of All Creation

God is so amazing.  Often we try to understand Him using our human intellect, and we limit Him.  We need spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that we can have a true revelation of Him.  Jesus Christ reveals the Father to us.


The Firstborn of All Creation
Paul said He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.  (Col 1:15).  I love this verse.  Jesus is the image of God.  If you want to know what God looks like, look at Jesus.  He said, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." (Joh 14:7).  He also said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (Joh 14:9a)

It says He is the “firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15b).  The word for firstborn is the Greek word prototokos. It means “first born (usually as noun, literally or figuratively): - firstbegotten (-born).”  -- Strongs.

So how can He who is the image of the invisible God, who is without beginning, also be the firstbegotten?

In the heart of the Triune God, Elohim, before He created the first Adam, He already planned for the Word of God to become flesh.

The Lord Jesus Christ created all things, including things in heaven, both the invisible things and the visible.  He created all thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities, including satan.  “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Col 1:16-17).

In His all-wise, all-knowing mind, do you think He didn’t know that satan would rebel?  Just as Jesus knew Judas was a traitor, the Lord knew what satan would do before He created him.  The Lord also knew how He would defeat, dethrone, and destroy satan before He ever created him.  He knew that He Himself would do it through the cross.  First He banished satan and his demons from heaven.  Then He decided to make something called man in His own image.  Adam became the image of the invisible God.

In the beginning, when the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, we know that satan was already on it, because he was already around when Adam and Eve were in the garden (see Gen 1:1 and 3:1-5).

The Lord gave him dominion over all creation on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’”  (Gen 1:26).  Every creeping thing that creeps on the earth included the serpent and all his subordinate minions.  “God blessed them; and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” (Gen 1:28).  Man was authorized to rule of every living thing that moves on the earth.  That included satan, that old serpent, whom the Scriptures says “was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” (Gen 3:1).

But before the Lord ever created man in His own image, He knew that satan would attack man with temptation.  And you can be sure the Lord already knew that man would fall into sin, thereby distorting the image of God in which he was created.  And the Lord already had the rescue plan to save fallen mankind.  As I have already mentioned, before the Lord created the first Adam, He already planned for the Word of God to become flesh.  He knew that He Himself would then be the One to defeat, dethrone, and destroy satan through His work on the cross.  God actually mentioned this plan of His to satan in the garden, when He cursed him saying, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel." (Gen 3:15).  The seed of the woman Who would bruise the head of satan is the Lord Jesus Christ and His holy offspring.

The apostle Paul said, "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him." (Col 2:15) Jesus has stripped satan of his authority and spoiled him through the power of the cross!

Now through faith in Christ, those who come to Him have their dominion over all creation on earth restored as it was before the fall.  Jesus said, "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” (Luk 10:19)

God’s rescue plan was not an afterthought.  It was premeditated.  He knew that the Word would become the firstbegotten of the Father, Jesus our Lord, who is Christ eternal.  So when the apostle says that Christ is the firstbegotten (prototokos), it means that in the heart of God, before He created man, Elohim intended that Jesus would be the firstbegotten of the Father.  He would be the first, direct human offspring of the heavenly Father.

When Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary, there was no seed of man involved. There was no human insemination of her womb, but rather a divine one that came through the Holy Spirit.  “Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I am a virgin?’ The angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.’” (Luk 1:34-35).  It was a virgin birth.  This is why He was called the only begotten Son of God, because He was the first human Son the Father had ever directly begotten.

But God wanted a big family, so through Jesus He brought many sons to glory.  The apostle says, "For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings." (Heb 2:10)

Now there are many sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross.  So the apostle refers to Jesus as the firstbegotten.  Surely He has now begotten other children, but Jesus was the firstbegotten.  The firstborn son in any Jewish family always has the inheritance rights, and holds a place of preeminence above all the other children.

As far as God is concerned, He was the firstborn even before the first Adam was created.  He already had the solution to man’s woes before man ever had a problem.  God is in control!

The apostle Paul said, "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him." (Col 1:17-19)

This is such an awesome description of Jesus.  Before anything else existed, He was.  As the eternal God, He is the beginning.  Not only did He create all things, but all things are held together by Him.  That includes everything from the smallest atom to the largest galaxy.

Once He became flesh, He was then fully man (Son of Man) as well as fully God.  As such, when He rose again after His vicarious death on the cross, He became the firstborn from the dead.  He was the first one ever to be resurrected and receive a glorified body, so he became the first fruits of the coming resurrection.  Like an athlete who places first in every competition, He will come to have first place in everything!

Putting it All Together
When you know Jesus, you don’t need to worry about your troubles.  Just pray about everything, and the Lord will take care of you.  He had the solution long before you ever knew you had a problem.  He Himself is the solution.

He's not only the firstborn of all creation, He is prior to all things, before all, the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, and He will ultimately have the first place in everything.  Everything that exists was created by Him and for Him, and is held together by Him.

Therefore this helps explain how the Creator of all things could be called the firstborn of all creation.  It was God’s intent before He created anything that Jesus Christ would be the firstborn Son of God to save mankind from perishing.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like Is Jesus God? and Supremacy of Christ. You may also access the Main Directory for this blog, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Is Jesus God?

It is important for us to know whether Jesus was a good man who once lived, whether He was simply a prophet, a teacher, or whether He is actually God. If He is truly God, then that takes everything He did and said to another level. It means that our life depends on Him, and that we must obey Him in everything. It means that we can only be saved through Him. So let’s see what Scripture says about Him.

He is the exact representation of God’s nature
“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Heb 1:3)

In this verse, the writer of Hebrew is speaking about Jesus Christ, saying He is the radiance of God’s glory and that He is the exact representation of God’s nature. He goes on to say that Jesus holds everything up by His powerful Word.

The Psalmist Calls Him “God”
“But of the Son He says, "YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.” (Heb 1:8)

The writer of Hebrews is quoting Psalm 45. In the first verse, the psalmist states that he is addressing his verses to the King. In the second verse, he states that the King is fairer than the sons of men. In the sixth verse, the psalmist refers to the King as “God,” and declares that His throne is eternal.

The Word was God
The apostle John began his gospel with these words:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. “ (Joh 1:1-14)

John had walked with Jesus for three and a half years on earth, and was his closest earthly companion. Here is what John said of Jesus in this passage:

• Jesus is the Word of God
• Jesus existed in the beginning, at the time of creation
• Jesus was with God in the beginning
• Jesus was God
• Apart from Jesus, nothing came into being that has come into being
• Jesus is the Light and the world was made through Him
• The Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and lived among us
• The Word (Jesus Christ) is the only begotten of the heavenly Father, God

He Jesus Was with the Father Before His Incarnation
The Lord said that He was with the Father prior to taking on the form of a man at His birth.  He said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me." (Joh 6:38; cf., 6:58). He explicitly said He came down from heaven.

He also said, "What then if you see the Son of Man ascending to where He was before?" (Joh 6:62). 

Jesus answered and said to them, "...I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from or where I am going." (Joh 8:14)

And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world." (Joh 8:23)

He also said that He enjoyed glory with the Father in heaven before the world was created (Jn 17:5).  This leaves no question as to the eternal nature of His existence.  He is without beginning.

He is God’s Son, the image of the invisible God
In his letter to the Colossian church, the apostle Paul began by writing:

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.” (Col 1:1-19)

In this passage, Paul says the following things about Jesus:

• God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jesus is God’s Son).
• God is invisible. But Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
• All things were created by Jesus -- both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible.
• All things have been created through Jesus and for Him.
• He is before all things.
• In Jesus all things hold together.
• Jesus is the Head of the Body, the church.
• It was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Jesus.

Jesus and the Father are one
Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any good work," they replied, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God." (Joh 10:30-33, NIV)

The Jews wanted to stone Jesus to death, because He claimed to be God. Jesus did so when He explicitly said, “I and the Father are one.” He went on to say in verse 36, “I am the Son of God.” And He said in verse 38, “the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

He who sees Jesus sees God
Jesus proclaimed, "He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.” (Joh 12:45)

If you have seen Jesus, you have seen God the Father, who sent Him.

Jesus reiterated this later when He said, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." Philip *said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus *said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?” (Joh 14:7-9)

Jesus is the Son of the Blessed One

Here is what happened during the mock trial of Jesus, when the high priest questioned Him.

"But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' The high priest tore his clothes. 'Why do we need any more witnesses?' he asked. 'You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?' They all condemned him as worthy of death." (Mar 14:61-64)

The reason the high priest tore his clothes and said that Jesus spoke blasphemy, and the reason they all condemned Him as worthy of death, was that He claimed to be the Messiah the Son of the Blessed One, whom they would one day see sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One. This was understood by all the Jews to mean that He claimed to be God.

Jesus is Equal with God

The Jews understood that when Jesus called God His Father, He was making Himself equal with God. 

"In his defense Jesus said to them, 'My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.' For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." (Joh 5:17-18).

The Greek word for "equal" in verse 18 is "isos", which literally means "equal", and is where we get the word "isosceles", as in the isosceles triangle that is defined as having at least two sides of equal length. This same Greek word is used in Paul's epistle to the Philippians. where he says:

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped..." (Phil 2:5-6). 

This passage teaches us that prior to His incarnation (i.e., His becoming flesh), Jesus was in very nature God, just as Scripture says in John 1:1. Moreover, it says in verse 6 that He did not consider His preexisting equality (Gr., isos) with God something to be grasped. In other words, His equality with God was not inappropriate in any way, as if it robbed God of anything.

Jesus is God blessed forever
The apostle Paul said “…whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom 9:5)

In this passage, Paul referred to the covenants, the Law, the temple, and the promises, and said these all belong to the Israelites. He went on to say that Christ came from the Israelites, at least according to his natural body, although we know He existed eternally. He ended by saying that Jesus Christ is “over all” and that He is “God” and He is “blessed forever.” As the NIV puts it, He "is God over all, forever praised! Amen."

All the fullness of Deity dwells in Jesus Christ
The apostle Paul declared: “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” (Col 2:9)

You see, Jesus has a bodily form, and is not invisible like the Heavenly Father. Yet all the fullness of Almighty God resides in Him.

Jesus is our great God and Savior
In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul wrote that we are “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” (Tit 2:13) He clearly referred to Jesus here as our great God.

Jesus is Himself God
John wrote in his gospel, "No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is Himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known" (Joh 1:18, NIV 2011). The 1978 NIV translation refers to him in this same verse as "God the only Son." This clearly states that Jesus is Himself God.

Jesus is the True God
In John's epistle, he wrote, "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." (1Jn 5:20, ESV). We believe that He is the true God. 

Jesus Received Worship from People 

We see that after His resurrection, His disciples worshiped Him. He did not stop them from doing so, but rather received their worship.

"Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped Him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.'" (Mat 28:9-10, NIV)

"When they saw him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted." (Mat 28:17, NIV)

"Then they worshiped Him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy." (Luk 24:52, NIV)

Jesus Allowed Thomas to Call Him God 

After His resurrection, when Thomas saw Him, here is what happened. After he put his finger into the nail holes in Jesus' hands, and put his hand into Jesus' side, he called Jesus God.

"Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'"  (Joh 20:28-29, NIV)

Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for calling Him God.

Putting it All Together
In these passages, we learn the following things about Jesus:

• God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jesus is God’s Son).
• God is invisible. But Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
• He is the exact representation of God’s nature.
• All things were created by Jesus -- both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible.
• All things have been created through Jesus and for Him.
• He is before all things.
• In Jesus all things are held together.
• Jesus is the Head of the Body, the church.
• It was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Jesus.
• Jesus and the Father are one.
• He who sees Jesus sees God.
• All the fullness of Deity dwells in Jesus Christ.
• Jesus is our great God and Savior.
• Jesus is the Word of God.
• Jesus existed in the beginning, at the time of creation.
• Jesus was with God in the beginning. 
• He Jesus Was with the Father Before His Incarnation
• The Word was God. In other words, Jesus was God.
• Apart from Jesus, nothing came into being that has come into being.
• Jesus is the Light and the world was made through Him.
• The Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and lived among us.
• The Word (Jesus Christ) is the only begotten of the heavenly Father, God.
• He Himself is God.
• He is the true God.
• His disciples worshiped Him and He did not rebuke them for doing so.
• Thomas called Him God and He did not rebuke him for doing so.
• Jesus is God over all, forever praised! Amen. 

There are many more passage in Scripture that speak of the divinity of Christ. But if we only had these alone, we have enough to prove that He was more than simply a Prophet or a Teacher. He is Lord of All.  He gave proof of this through His resurrection from the dead after three days, and His ascension into heaven before the eyes of His disciples.

Unlike Mohamed, Buddha, Confucius, Joseph Smith, and others who established religious systems, and whose bones are still in their graves, you will not find the bones of Jesus in His grave.  He is alive forevermore.  He is truly God.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB, copyright The Lockman Foundation, used by permission. Other Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like The Sinlessness of Christ, Ongoing Earthly Ministry of Jesus, The Son of Man, and Christ's Two Ascensions. You may also access the Main Directory for this blog, or my complete blog directory at Writing for the Master.  

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.