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Emphasis Mine In Bible Verses
Introduction
The Greek Words Logos and Theos
John 1:1
The New Testament Benedictions
Introduction
When it comes to Christianity even most unbelievers will agree that Jesus Christ of Nazareth once lived and that He was a unique personality (Much as Time and Newsweek's shoddy research attempted to convince people other wise.) See The Birth of Jesus - Hype or History.
However, opinions as to who He was are sharply divided.
Many see Him as a great moral teacher or spiritual leader - perhaps no more than a man who achieved enlightenment. Others believe that He was a God in Heaven who divested Himself of His 'Godhood' when He came to earth. In complete contrast a few hold that Jesus was a good man who was born human but because His exemplary life and perfect character were so pleasing to God He was raised and adopted into the Godhead after His death. (I doubt that many New Agers would recoil at accepting Jesus' divinity because they believe that - in some sense - we are all divine).
The problem being that if Jesus is not who he claimed to be and is not who the Bible says, He was an out and out liar and could not possibly be a great moral/spiritual teacher. Much to the contrary He was either vastly deluded, deranged, or an absolute charlatan whose teachings we would do well to ignore. However, if He is God as He claimed to be we need to sit up and pay very close attention to what He had to say.
The answer to the question of who Jesus really is cannot be filed under 'differences of opinion' and left at that, simply because the practical implications for every person on this planet cannot be overstated. Of course you can ignore the whole question and turn on the television instead but, what you cannot do is come up with some patronizing nonsense about Him being a great human teacher/philosopher/good man.
The New Testament abounds with so much proof of the deity of Jesus Christ, that it is bewildering to hear it repudiated by so many who claim to believe in the Bible. Even some who call themselves Christians will not admit to Christ's Deity. For instance the Jehovah's Witnesses teach that
"the Bible indicates that Michael is another name for Jesus Christ, before and after his life on earth". [01].
Perhaps what skeptics are looking for is at least one passage in which the Bible unambiguously states that "Jesus is God", or an unequivocal "I am God" statement from the lips of the Saviour Himself. Although Jesus never called Himself God critics fail to take into account that God the Father Himself called Jesus "theos"
But of the Son He says, "Your throne, O God (Gr. theos), is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of Your kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8 NASB)
However, because Scriptural passages are not phrased exactly as they would like, they assure themselves that the Bible never once identifies Jesus as God.
We in the 21st century, may not understand the significance of the numerous claims Jesus made and the titles He gave Himself but His opponents immediately recognized them as being declarations of equality with God. We can of course take what He said with a pinch of salt but, what we cannot so easily overlook is the fact that Jesus fulfilled prophecies made centuries earlier, backed up His claims with some pretty impressive miracles, to say nothing of the fact that He came to life after being in a tomb for three days.
Besides which, when the Gospel authors used the Greek word theos there is no doubt that they were explicitly called Him God as John did in the first chapter of his Gospel
See Only Jesus Was Foretold Centuries in Advance
And Backed His Claims by Working Miracles
And Rose From The Dead. See Section on The Resurrection
The Greek Words Logos and Theos
Logos was a commonly used word in Greek philosophy often understood to be the principle governing the cosmos - the power that kept the world running in an orderly fashion - an abstract philosophical concept. However, in Hebrew thought the logos is God's medium of communication with the human race
The Septuagint (a 300-200 BC. Greek translation of the OT) used logos in place of the Hebrew dabar that denoted the Lord's actual words to someone (Quote 1 below). Additionally, because God's will is embodied in His word Logos has creative power - ie. God spoke and it became reality (Quote 2 below). See How reliable is the Septuagint - Footnote I
1) After these things the word (Heb. dabar) of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great." (Genesis 15:1 NASB)
2) By the word (Heb. dabar) of the Lord the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host... For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. (Psalms 33:6, 9 NASB)
In the New Testament logos has most often been translated into the English word (occasionally statement, saying, speech etc.) The Gospel is also called the word (Gr. logos) of God.
But when the young man heard this statement (Gr. logos) he went away grieving; for he was one who owned much property. (Matthew 19:22 NASB)
Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (Matthew 24:35 NASB)
And the word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region. (Acts 13:49 NASB)
Theos means deity. It is used almost 1200 times in the New Testament - most often for God the Father. In Jesus' words,
But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: I am the God (Gr. theos) of Abraham, and the God (Gr. theos) of Isaac, and the God (Gr. theos) of Jacob'? He is not the God (Gr. theos) of the dead but of the living." (Matthew 22:32 NASB)
John 1:1
John's Gospel opens with the words
In the beginning was the Word (Gr. logos), and the Word (Gr. logos) was with God (Gr. theos), and the Word (Gr. logos) was God (Gr. theos). He was in the beginning with God (Gr. theos). All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:1-3 NASB)
John did not clarify what he said simply because his readers would have been very familiar with the terms he used.
Remember that the Jews were fiercely monotheistic, their knowledge of who God was very deeply ingrained - handed down from generation to generation. No Jew would ever have believed in any God other than the Father of Abraham, Isaac, and Joseph - the Great I AM.
Their logos - who had created the earth and whose presence was so overwhelming that when He descended on Mount Sinai in fire its smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain quaked violently (Exodus 19:18 NASB). This so terrified them that they trembled and stood afar off (Exodus 20:18 NASB)
No Jew would have called any other creature theos (God). Yet, in his prologue John clearly stated that in the beginning Jesus Christ as the Word (logos) was with God (theos), and was God (theos). Then in verse 14 when John asserted that very same logos "became flesh and dwelt among us" he was saying something that no Jew could never have imagined in his wildest dreams. The very idea must have both astounded and/or horrified the Jews.
Many people go to great lengths in the effort to prove that John did not say that Jesus as the Word was theos. However, he was not the only person to do so. As an example, the latter part of verse 1 of John's Gospel has been changed by the Jehovah's Witnesses Bible (The New World Translation) to "...the Word was a God" See Footnote II
John wasn't the first to call Jesus theos. That place goes to the angel who told Joseph that Mary would bear a child.
The Angel
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, And they shall call his name Immanuel," which translated means, God (Gr. theos) with us.(Matthew 1:23 NASB)
The NT also records several other instances in the NT when Jesus was explicitly called "theos".
Thomas was not present when Jesus first appeared to the disciples after the resurrection. He was frankly skeptical when he heard that they had seen the resurrected Christ and said he wouldn't believe it until he had seen Jesus for himself. When the Messiah appeared to Thomas He told the disciple to
"Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing." Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord (Gr. kurios) and my God (Gr. theos) !" (John 20:27-28 NASB)
The text clearly says that Thomas said these words "to Him", i.e. to Jesus. And while it is possible that the disciple was carried away by the excitement of seeing Jesus alive, the fact remains that if Thomas had been out of line, I cannot imagine Jesus would have ignored it when He Himself had previously said only the Lord God was to be worshipped (Matthew 4:10 and Luke 4:8). Much to the contrary, Jesus accepted this address and went on to say
"Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." (Vs. 29).
This short, but extremely significant incident is compelling testimony that Jesus was in fact Deity or was under the impression that He was..
Luke:
After Jesus had exorcised a number of demons from the demoniac of Gadara, the man begged to accompany Him but Jesus sent him away, saying, (Emphasis Added)
"Return to your house and describe what great things God (Gr. theos) has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:38-39 NASB)
John:
And we know that the Son of God (Gr. theos) 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. This is the true God (Gr. theos) and eternal life. (1 John 5:20 NASB)
Paul:
Note Paul's final words to 1) the elders of the Church of Ephesus and 2) to the Philippian church
1. "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God (Gr. theos) which He purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28 NASB)
2. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God (Gr. theos), did not regard equality with God (Gr. theos) a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. (Philippians 2:5-7 NASB)
When in Philippians Paul said Jesus took the form of a servant it meant Jesus assumed the form of a servant - He became a flesh and blood human being. Therefore, when Paul said that Jesus existed "in the form of God" it has to mean Jesus was God. He took on the form of a servant when He came to earth.
Paul and Peter
The following two verses, one by Paul and the other by Peter, have the same exact wording.
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God (Gr. theos) and Savior, Christ Jesus, (Titus 2:13 NASB)
Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God (Gr. theos) and Savior, Jesus Christ: (2 Peter 1:1 NASB)
There are differences of opinion regarding these two passages. Although some believe that two separate persons are in view, the Greek construction indicates one person who is our God and Saviour. However, it hardly matters if you consider the word "appearing" in the first quote. No where in the Bible is it ever said that God the Father will appear to anyone at any time. Only Christ will "appear"
that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Timothy 6:14 NASB)
but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, (2 Timothy 1:10 NASB)
I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: (2 Timothy 4:1 NASB)
Hebrews:
Finally we have this verse in Hebrews that has God the Father saying
But of the Son He says, "Your throne, O God (Gr. theos), is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of Your kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8 NASB)
The New Testament Benedictions
This mindset continued through the writing of the New Testament. Many of the epistles contained benedictions - invocations of divine blessing some of which were given on behalf of the Father. For example...
To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Colossians 1:2 NASB)
Other Epistles list Jesus alone.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (Romans 16:24 NASB)
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. (Galatians 6:18 NASB)
In fact, in most of them Jesus is mentioned on an equal footing as the Father as the source of both grace and peace.
to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:7 NASB)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 1:2 NASB)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 1:2 NASB)
Conclusion
The boldness to call Jesus theos began in the first century during His lifetime and with His full consent.
Footnote I - The Septuagint
There is considerable difference of opinion as to whether or not the Septuagint was an inspired version. Many believe it was, because of the often repeated claim that Jesus and many of the New Testament authors quoted from the Septuagint, which may or may not be true. What is complete fiction is the story of the seventy elders who supposedly translated the Septuagint.
Strictly speaking the Alexandrian Bible is not a single version, but a series of versions produced at various times and by translators whose ideals were not altogether alike. Internal evidence of this fact may be found in the varying standards of excellence which appear in different books or groups of books. The Pentateuch is on the whole a close and serviceable translation; the Psalms and more especially the Book of Isaiah show obvious signs of incompetence.
The translator of Job was perhaps more familiar with Greek pagan literature than with Semitic poetry; the translator of Daniel indulges at times in a Midrashic paraphrase. The version of Judges which appears in our oldest Greek uncial MS. has been suspected by a recent critic of being a work of the 4th century A.D.; the Greek Ecclesiastes savours of the school of Aquila. When we come to details, the evidence in favour of a plurality of translators is no less decisive. A comparison of certain passages which occur in separate contexts distinctly reveals the presence of different hands. The Septuagint as a Version. [02]
Therefore, while the the Septuagint is sometimes very useful in helping us understand how a certain word is translated from the Hebrew to the Greek, let us try as far as is possible, to use the unquestionably inspired Hebrew version of the Old Testament. [See More About The Septuagint]. {PLACE IN TEXT}
Footnote II- The Matter of The "a"
As Brian Wright, adjunct professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, says, (Emphasis Added)
Until 1996, when Bart Ehrman first published The Orthodox Corruption of Scripture, New Testament scholars agreed unanimously in their textual certainty of the statement in John 1:1, "and the Word was God" (a verse that appears in at least one manuscript prior to the second century). This scholarly agreement continues today with the exception of Ehrman. In this case, John 1:1, he remained unpersuaded by the scholarly consensus because of his hesitancy to dismiss a single eighth-century manuscript - a manuscript that has an additional Greek article in front of "God." This manuscript, then, gives him the "distinct impression" that the Orthodox Church changed the text in order to confirm the full deity of Christ. (Ehrman, Orthodox Corruption, 179). [03]
While dozens of scholars have made a considerable effort to explain the correct technical translation of this verse, these discussions that centered around the intricacies of Greek grammar are difficult for the majority of us to understand. (If you would like to explore this in detail, you may want to read John 1:1 Meaning and Translation, by James White at https://www.aomin.org/aoblog/jehovahs-witnesses/john-11-meaning-and-translation/ (Copy and paste into browser)
What all of us can easily grasp is the following,
Greek grammar has a definite article, but no indefinite article. That is, Greek has an equivalent of the English "the", but there is no word for the English "a" or "an". Therefore, the insertion of the article "a" into John 1:1, has been done in light of preconceived theology.
Nonetheless, because using the indefinite article in English only makes grammatical sense, most translations insert the word "a" in various places . Many sentences would sound very strange without it. For example,
"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was (a) murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is (a) liar and the father of lies. (John 8:44 NASB)
However, to say that John 1:1 requires the insertion of the indefinite article to satisfy the demands of good English is absolute hogwash. As shown in this article the Bible very clearly and definitively points to Jesus as being God.
Furthermore, the New World Translation is anything but consistent. There are many instances the NWT does not translate theos into "a god," but simply as "God." In fact they do so just five verses later
There came a man who was sent as a representative of God; his name was John (John 1:6 NWT)
No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god (note the non-capitalization) who is at the Father's side is the one who has explained Him. (John 1:18 NWT) {PLACE IN TEXT}
CONTINUE ON TO PART II - What Jesus Said About Himself
The significance of the claims Jesus made and the titles he gave Himself were not lost on His opponents who recognized them as being declarations of equality with God. However, as said many times, if He were not God the only possible conclusion one can come to is that He suffered from grandiose delusions. HERE
End Notes
[01] JW.Org. Who Is Michael the Archangel?
https://www.jw.org/en/publications/books/bible-teach/who-is-michael-the-archangel-jesus/
[02] An Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek. Additional Notes — Henry Barclay Swete.
http://biblehub.com/library/swete/an_introduction_to_the_old_testament_in_greek_additional_notes/
chapter_v_the_septuagint_as.htm#1
[03] Brian J. Wright. Jesus as Theos. http://www.equip.org/article/jesus-as-god/
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