Beth-El Baptist Church
6/12/05
Did Jesus’ nature match that of God’s?
As we continue evaluating the scriptures and the Trinity we continue evaluating the publication by the Jehovah Witnesses entitled “Should You Believe in the Trinity?” as they raise questions regarding the teaching of the Trinity. Some of these questions are directly from their publication.
1. Could God be tempted?
Their claim in evaluating this text is that these “temptations” were about “Satan was trying to cause Jesus to be disloyal to God. But what test of loyalty would that be if Jesus were God?” Their claim is that since Satan tempted Jesus to turn his back on God that for Jesus to turn his back on God, he would be turning his back on himself and that would be impossible. In a way they are right. It was an attempt to get Jesus to be disloyal to God. But it is a very valid test of the nature and character of Jesus and the effects of God being surrounded by human flesh. The very fact that Jesus was personally and knowingly confronted by Satan shows that there is something very special about Jesus. This text actually points out that Jesus is God rather than detracting that. Consider the nature and condition of having human flesh.
Genesis 6:12
Jeremiah 17:9
Romans 1:3,4; 3:10-18; 5:12
1 Corinthians 2:14
Galatians 6:8
According to scripture, all of mankind is naturally evil and wicked, when compared to God’s goodness, righteousness and holiness. Jesus was fully human in that he was completely fleshly, physically, as we are. In Satan’s estimation then, if the flesh of man, being born of a woman, could dominate and overpower the nature of God within Jesus then it would prove that just being of the flesh is sufficient to condemn man for all eternity. Satan underestimated the power of God in these temptations and overestimated the power of the flesh.
Furthermore they use James 1:13 in which ‘God cannot be tempted with evil’ to prove that Jesus is not God because ‘God cannot be tempted’.
Exodus 17:2
Deuteronomy 6:16
Isaiah 7:12
In these passages, it is clear that people try to “tempt” God (Yahweh). Therefore to make a blanket statement that God cannot be tempted, therefore Jesus’ temptation proves that he is not God is being very ignorant of all of scripture.
So what does James mean, “God cannot be tempted with evil”. Looking at the rest of the passage James 1:12-15, the point is not God himself being tempted but God can never be tempted nor provoked to bring about evil. Those temptations and trials that come into our lives are not to bring about evil but good.
2. How much was the ransom?
1 Timothy 2:5,6
1 Corinthians 15:22, 45
These texts are used to show that Jesus is nothing more than a mediator between God and man. If he were God, then he could not be a proper mediator since he would be biased. Unfortunately they forget Romans 1:3-4, which expresses the reality that Jesus is also fully human. He is therefore equally biased on both sides. The best mediator is one who fully and completely understands both sides equally and at the same time, Jesus is the only one that fits that bill being both human and God at the same time.
Hebrews 4:15
The second point that is made from the 1 Timothy passage is that “Jesus, nor more and no less than a perfect human, became a ransom that compensated exactly for what Adam lost – the right t perfect human life on earth”. He is nothing more than the new Adam, a perfect human. Furthermore, “If Jesus, however, were part of a Godhead, the ransom price would have been infinitely higher than what God’s own Law required. (Exodus 21:23-25; Leviticus 24:19-21)”. That is EXACTLY the point. First, there is no requirement in the law that if someone wrongs me that I must exact vengeance or that I cannot give to them more than they took. Second, the payment that Jesus made was not for one human, but for all of mankind for all of time. His salvation was not partial but complete.
Matthew 5:38-42
Hebrews 7:25
1 Peter 1:18-19
Last week we looked at being perfect. Jesus stated himself “there is none good but one, that is, God” (Matthew 19:17). Therefore if Jesus is perfect and, according to Jesus, only God is good, then Jesus must be God or He is a liar.
Hebrews 2:7-9 cmp Psalm 8:5,6
They use these texts to show that Jesus was not God because he “was made a little lower than the angels” and “How could any part of an almighty Godhead – Father, Son, or holy spirit – ever be lower than the angels?” Let’s let the scriptures answer that.
Philippians 2:6-8
John 13:13-14
God chose to humble himself and enter the world as a human being. Thus he demonstrated that though he is Lord and Master, he is also the humblest of servants.
3. How [could] the “Only-Begotten Son” [of God be God]?
Job 38:7
Luke 3:38
John 1:14; 3:16, 18
Hebrews 11:17
1 John 4:9
These passages are used to show that angels, Adam, and others are called ‘sons of God’ so therefore being a ‘son of God’ does not make you God. They are correct. Just because Jesus is called the ‘son of God’ is not what makes Him God. But being God, in flesh, does make him the ‘Son of God’ in a very different fashion. How was Adam made to be the ‘son of God’?
Genesis 2:7
Adam was ‘formed’ of the ‘dust of the ground’. He is the son of God because it is God that created him. How was Jesus made to be the ‘Son of God’?
Psalm 2:7
John 3:16
Jesus was not ‘formed’ but was ‘begotten’. Everywhere in the Bible where ‘begotten’ or ‘begets’ is used, it is use either in the context of one life giving birth to another life that is fundamentally like it. A human begets other humans. Thus God begets God. The only other way the word is used is in the context of being used of God to bring them to Jesus for salvation (Philemon 1:10). This is a spiritual begetting. Paul through the work of the Holy Spirit was used to beget or bring to being another spiritual being.
Only God could beget God in flesh. Jesus was not
made by God, but was begotten by God as one human begets another human being.
4. Was Jesus considered to be God?
The references that the Jehovah Witnesses make is that Jesus is called ‘the Son of God’ or ‘God’s Son’, he is therefore separate from God.
Matthew 16:16 cmp Mark 14:61
John 1:18; 5:18-21; 10:30-39; 17:22,23; 20:28-29
Philippians 2:6
1 John 5:7-8
1 Peter 5:2 cmp John 10:11-16
1 Peter 5:5 cmp John 1:17
2 Peter 1:1 – the word ‘and’ is the Greek work ‘kai’ which can also mean ‘even’
The Apostle John, Paul and Peter believed Jesus to be God. Remember that Jesus was accused of blaspheme, considering himself to be God. The Pharisees refer to the charges in Mark 14:61 as being the Christ. This was thus being associated with being God. In particular note that Thomas’ claim to Jesus as being ‘my Lord and my God’, that Jesus did not rebuke him for calling him God, but rebuked him for not believing.
As we looked at the scriptures, even those that the Jehovah Witnesses claim deny the deity of Jesus Christ, we have seen that those same verses actually point to his deity.