Jesus Christ Is: God (Lesson 1) Series

INTRODUCTION

Outline.

1. Jesus Christ Is God

Introductory Remarks.

1. During our research and development on the lesson on being “partakers of the divine nature of Christ,” as described in 2 Peter 1:3-4, a great truth emerged. And that was that many religious scholars deny or reject the divinity of Jesus Christ as God, Lord, and Savior. If one is to be saved, they must acquire faith in Christ, confess that He is the Son of God, and be obedient to the faith, as the first-century believers, that they might be saved, Acts 6:7; Acts 8:12. In this dissertation,

2. We will discuss Jesus Christ as being God, as foretold by the scriptures. The apostle John declared Him to be so: “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was God,” John 1:1-3. Jesus declared Himself to be “the Son of God, making Himself equal with God,” John 5:18; John 10:30. Thomas called Him: “My Lord, and My God,” John 20:28.

3. Angels from heaven announced Him as Savior to Mary before her conception and Joseph after it, and to the shepherds keeping watch over their sheep at His birth,” Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:30-35; Luke 2:8-11. With this brief introduction, let us get right into the dissertation!

BODY OF DISSERTATION

I JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

A. Definition. We sought the definition of God from several sources. Beginning with recognized Lexicons, bible dictionaries, and commentators. We will examine prophetic statements about God in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament. One must readily admit that today there are many more resources available than when many of these doctrinal views were first advanced by religious authors and scholars. We make no apology for the truth, I say, as the beloved apostle Paul did: “Let God be true and every man a liar,” Romans 3:4. Jesus was,

1. The God with us, or “meta hemon ho theos,” during His ministry on earth, Matthew 1:23; John 1:13. The first step in discussing all three divine attributes will be to observe their definitions and uses in a Lexical Form. By this, I mean how the Name, noun, or attributes are listed in several recognized Lexicons. Is the definite article listed or not, along with it? Thus, making the Name or Noun definite. Therefore, if definite, is it in the Nominative Case? [The article “o,” |ho or “the”] places any Name or Noun in the Nominative Case having the case ending of: “os” or “s.” This will be our “fruit test” in defining these names or nouns, i.e., God, Lord, and Savior, in this dissertation. If you are not yet familiar with these terms and definitions, do not be alarmed; we will bring you up to date as you continue to hear, read, and study the content of this dissertation.

2. Nominative Case. Recall, the Nominal case indicates the subject of a sentence and other words that describe the subject, such as a predicate nominative or predicate adjective. It is also used to modify adjectives and participles, which in turn modify the sentence's subject.

a. These may also have a linking verb in the sentence that helps to connect the adjective to the subject, i.e., noun, pronoun, or participle.

b. If the article is “anarthrous,” or absent in the text, the noun is not considered definite.

c. If, however, the article is present or “articular” in the text, the noun is considered definite.

d. The article is not always connected with the proper name or noun when first introduced (in a passage of scripture); however, it will appear when the proper name or noun is afterward identified as the subject in the sentence.

e. Conclusion: The definite articles show that the name or noun is definite, and both the article and the noun must agree in case, number, and gender. After discussing each Name and Noun, we will conclude the topic by conducting an exercise in Greek Parsing on several passages of scripture that are central to the discussion, specifically those that challenge the acceptance of Jesus Christ as God, Lord, and Savior. We will allow the Scriptures to define the Divinity of Jesus Christ as God, Lord, and Savior of the world. I am confident that after a closer look at these texts, we will have our answer. Right now, let us review some prophetic scriptures that announce the coming Messiah as God. Observe,

3. The prophetic scriptures concerning the God of heaven and earth, as they pertain to Christ. Observe these prophets of God,

a. David: “Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end,” Psalms 102:25-27.