The Deity of Christ (4)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ
John’s gospel opens with the words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God” (John 1:1). “Word” is capitalized for a very good reason – John tells us that the “Word” is a person of “God.” The “Word” is not the only person of God, for along with being God, this person of “the Word” is also “with God.” John 1:1 thus references two distinct persons of God. Interestingly, by factoring in Peter’s description of the Holy Spirit as God (Acts 5:3, 4), we see that the Bible identifies three distinct persons as “God.” Though the words “trinity” and “triune” are not found in the Scriptures, yet the concept of the triune God (God in three persons) is fully biblical. Three distinct persons share in the state or condition of being God. They occupy the God-class, or as the Bible calls it: Godhood or Godhead (Acts 17:29; Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9). That is, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all persons of God. Each possesses the attributes and characteristics of deity. They have different roles and functions, but they are nonetheless God.
John’s gospel went on to describe a change that took place in the life of God the Son that allowed him to “dwell among” humans. We call this “incarnation,” or the embodiment of the spirit-person of Jesus Christ in human flesh. Still talking about this person of “the Word” – the Logos, John said, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The word “dwelt” is from a word that means to “tent” or “tabernacle,” suggesting that the Son of God clothed himself with a fleshly body when he came to the earth. Speaking of the redemptive mission of Christ, quoting from Psalm 40, the writer of Hebrews says, “Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me.” The “me” of the passage is Jesus Christ. The “body” is the body of “flesh” that John mentioned in John 1:14. According to Matthew 1:18-23, the Holy Spirit worked a miracle upon the virgin Mary that resulted in the spirit-person of God the Son entering a fleshly state of existence. The self-existent and eternal spirit of Jesus took the place of the human spirit in the person of Christ. This resulted in the condition of “Immanuel, which means, ‘God with us’” (Matthew 1:23). Jesus is God.
View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.
