WORSHIP IS RENDERED TO CHRIST WHICH BELONGS ONLY TO THE TRUE GOD

WORSHIP IS RENDERED TO CHRIST WHICH BELONGS ONLY TO THE TRUE GOD - PROVES HIM TO BE GOD

 

 

The Bible Clearly Teaches that Such Worship Belongs to God Alone, and is Never to be Rendered to any Creatures no Matter How Exalted

• Apostles refused worship (Acts 14:11-15)
• Peter refused worship (Acts 10:25-26)
• Angels refused worship (Rev. 19:10, 22:8, 9)
• Christ commanded men to worship God alone (Matt. 4:8-10)
• Men are punished for accepting what belongs only to God (Acts 12:21-23)

Yet This Same Bible Teaches That Christ is to be Worshipped as God

Christ Accepted and Encouraged Such Worship

•          Matt. 14:31-33 "And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."
•          Matt. 15:25-28 "Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour."
•          Matt. 28:9-10 "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.
  10  Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me."
•          Matt. 28:16-18 "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.
   And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth."
•          John 9:35-39 "Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God? He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him? And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee. And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped him. And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind."

Christ Demanded Such Worship

•          John 5:23 "That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him."

The Father Commands Such Worship of Christ

•          Heb. 1:6 "And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."

Christ Will Actually be Worshipped by the Host of Heaven

•          Rev. 5:8 "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints."

This Worship of Christ Will Finally Become Universal

•          Phil. 2:10-11 "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

CHRIST'S WORKS DECLARE HIM TO BE GOD

WORKS ARE DONE BY CHRIST WHICH ONLY GOD CAN DO

 

 

He Created All Things (The Creator)

•          John 1:3
•          John 1:10
•          Col. 1:16 ASV

He Upholds and Preserves All Things

•          Col. 1:17 ASV margin
•          Heb. 1:3

He Guides and Directs the Stream of History

•          1 Cor. 10:4, 9, 11
•          Heb. 1:2 ASV margin. cf. Isa. 9:6
•          Rev. 1:13, 20 (cf. Rev. 2 and 3)
•          Rev. 5:5; 6:1, 5, 7, 9, etc.

He Forgives the Sins of Men and Gives Eternal Life

•          Mark 2:5-12 with Isa. 43:25 (cf. Psa. 51:4)
•          John 10:28
•          Col. 3:13

Problem: John 20:23 “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained”

Only Christ can remit sins, and He does so on the basis of saving faith in Himself. The disciples, however, were given authority to recognize such faith, and then to give assurance to new believers. The authorization, as evident from the tenses in the Greek, should actually read: “Whose soever sins ye remit, they shall have been remitted unto them.”

He Builds the Church and Maintains its Corporate Existence

•          Matt. 16:18
•          Eph. 4:7-16
•          Phil. 1:2
•       Phil. 4:23

He Receives and Answers Prayer

•          John 14:14 cf. Acts 7:59
•          2 Cor. 12:7-9

He Will Raise the Dead in the Resurrection

•          John 5:21
•          John 5:28-29
•          John 11:24-25

He is the Final Judge of the World

•          Matt. 25:31-46
•          John 5:22 why? cf. 5:27
•          Acts 10:42
•          Acts 17:31
•          2 Cor. 5:10

Conclusion:

(1) The above "works" are not to be classed as miracles which might be done through delegated agents such as prophets and apostles.

(2) Such "works" in the Old Testament were not only-attributed to God, but they were the marks of the one true God, The New Testament writers knew this, yet they did not hesitate to assert them of Jesus Christ.

CHRIST'S ATTRIBUTES OF GOODNESS

The Attributes of Goodness

 

Christ is HOLY

         Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God."
         Acts 3:14 "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;"
Christ is TRUE

         John 14:6 "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
         Rev. 3:7 "And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;"

Christ is LOVE

         John 13:1 "Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end."
         Rom. 8:35-39 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
         Eph. 3:19 "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."
         1 John 3:16 ASV "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren."

 

 Christ is RIGHTEOUS

         2 Tim. 4:8 "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."
         1 John 2:1 "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:"

Christ is FAITHFUL

         Rev. 3:14 "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;"
         Rev. 19:11 "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war."

Christ is MERCIFUL

         James 5:11 "Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
         Jude 21 "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."

CONCLUSION:

         John 16:15 "All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you."
         John 17:6 "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word."
         Col. 2:9 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

MORE ATTRIBUTES OF CHRIST REVEALING HIM AS GOD

MORE ATTRIBUTES OF CHRIST REVEALING HIM AS GOD

Christ is UNCHANGEABLE

• Heb. 1:10-12 "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail."
• Heb. 13:8 "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."

Problem: Did He not become man?

- only a change of position, not in His person.

 Christ is OMNIPRESENT

• Matt. 18:20 "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
• Matt. 28:20 "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."
• Col. 3:11 "Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all."

(John 3:13 involves a serious textual problem and should not be used as a proof text)

Problem: Did His body become omnipresent? "ascended up to heaven" This is an emphatic claim to deity, as Christ here refers to Proverbs 30:4, and appropriates it as applying uniquely to Himself, thus claiming to be the only begotten Son of God. Not even David had yet “ascended into the heavens” (Acts 2:34), but Jesus had descended from heaven (note also John 3:31), and would soon ascend back to heaven (John 20:17) and even now (by virtue of the indissoluble union of the triune Godhead) was still “in heaven.”

Christ is OMNISCIENT

John 2:24-25 with Jer. 17:9-10 "But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men, And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man."

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

John 6:64 "But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him."

John 16:30 "Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God."

Col. 2:3 "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Rev. 2:2, 9, 13; Rev. 3:1, 8, 15 "I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:" etc.

         Examples: Matt. 17:24-27 "And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, Doth not your master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, Then are the children free. Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee."

         Luke 5:22 "But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?"

         John 1:48 "Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee."

         John 4:16-19 "Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet."

         John 21:6 "And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes."

 

Problem: Was not Christ's Knowledge limited? How can one unknow something unless He is God!

Examples: Mark 11:13 "And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet."

Mark 13:32 "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." How can a person unknow something unless He is God.

Matt. 24:36 "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

Matt. 26:39 "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Answer: Explained by the Kenosis

         Isa. 50:4-5 "The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned. The Lord GOD hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back."

         John 5:20 "For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel."

         John 8:26, 28, 38 "I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him."
"Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things."
"I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father."

         John 12:49 "For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak."

         John 14:24 "He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me."

         John 15:15 "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."

(John 6:5-6 is obviously not an example of Christ's limited knowledge.) "When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do."

 

Christ is OMNIPOTENT

         John 5:19b "....The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise."

         Phil. 3:20-21 "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

         Rev. 1:8 with 22:12-13 for identification "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."
"And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

Examples: Luke 4:39 "And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them."

         Matt. 8:26-27 "And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marveled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!"

         Mark 5:12-13 "And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea."

         Luke 7:14-15 "And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother."

         John 2:19-22 "Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said."

 

Problem: How explain Mark 6:5? These men in Nazareth were without the desire to know the will of God and thereby do it, therefore their central motive of life was wrong. Instead of wanting to do the will of God, they wanted to please themselves. Consequently they were blinded in their outlook, and therefore were unbelieving.
 Finally, then, what was the effect of their unbelief? Here we face at once the mystery, marvel, wonder, and solemnity of the whole meditation. "He could there do no mighty work." That is the paralysis of omnipotence. Why could He do no mighty work there? Because God was excluded from the central desire and motive of life and as a result the men were degraded, when the light of His wisdom and His works flashed upon them, they loved the darkness, and hurried back into it, refusing the light, and so God was shut out anew. "He could there do no mighty work."

 Christ is PERFECT - recall meaning of "perfect"

        Col. 1:19 ASV "For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell;"

        Col. 2:9-10 "For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:"

 Christ is INFINITE

         John 10:28 "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

         Eph. 3:8 "Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;"

         Col. 2:3 "In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

Christ is INCOMPREHENSIBLE

         Matt. 11:27 "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him."
         Eph. 3:18 "May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height."
         Eph. 3:19 "And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God."
Problem- How then can we "know" Christ? (John 17:3) "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

The mission of the Christ was that of bringing men to such knowledge of God as should constrain them to the attitude of worship, and give them age-abiding life.

 

ATTRIBUTES ARE PREDICATED OF CHRIST THAT COULD BELONG ONLY TO ONE WHO IS GOD

ATTRIBUTES ARE PREDICATED OF CHRIST THAT COULD BELONG ONLY TO ONE WHO IS GOD

 

 

Introduction:

 Recall the three classes of Divine attributes: of Personality, Greatness, and Goodness.

•  Attributes of personality require no discussion.
•  The Lord Jesus possesses all the attributes of Deity.
• The tremendous claim in John 16:15.

"All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you."

It was under the influence of this Theocratic conception, viz., that the same Lord God who once acted as earthly Ruler would be inseparably identified with the person of Jesus, David's Son, that even creation (John 1:3, 10; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2, etc.) is ascribed to Him; that pre-existence is postulated (John 8:58; John 1:1; Col. 1:17, etc.) of Him; that the love, etc., Tendered to Him are at the same time bestowed upon the Father (John 5:23, etc., 1 John 2:23) ; that no one could know the Father saving the Son and him to whom the Son revealed Him (Matt. 11:27, etc., 1 John 1:18) ; and all this and more because (John 14:10) "I am in the Father and the Father in Me." The least reflection will show, that the Theocratic idea so impenetrates the New Testament portraiture of Jesus bringing forth such a union of the Theocratic God with David's Son-forming the one Theocratic King with one will, power, work, love, etc. (John 5:19-38, etc.) and yet consistently placing the Son in view of the incorporation of David's line and descendant subordinately to the Father (John 5:19; John 14:28, etc.), that it demands unreasonable credulity to imagine that the apostles through their own reason and to subserve their own purposes, created such a matchless Theocratic likeness, which, without a single flaw, combines the original Theocratic Ruler with the promised Theocratic King in David's line; and, without sacrificing the humanity or exalting it above the Fatherhood, blends the two together into an inseparable Oneness, forming the One Person Jesus the Christ; that in this unity, whoever sees the Son beholds also the Father. Such a conception, so harmonious in all its details, so forcibly adapted to secure the end contemplated, and so perfectly in accord with God's Theocratic Purpose, is, as the Bible justly claims a divine one. Let the reader test this by contrasting it with those plans originated by man, as e.g. Plato's idea of an ideal government and more recently the notions entertained respecting a "Universal Republic" or a "Universal Monarchy." Our opponents themselves concede (leaving out the moral, and only looking at the results) that if this portraiture is true, if it could be realized as expressed, it would undoubtedly bring forth the effects attributed to it. We know it to be true for the reasons, already assigned, flowing from the doctrine of the Kingdom, and which in every heir of this Kingdom and co-heir of this Theocratic King is confirmed by the experience of faith, and by the constant and continued fulfilling of events foretold by this Messiah.

 

The Attributes of Greatness:

Christ has SELF-EXISTENT Life

John 1:4 - "In Him was life" (cf. Psa. 66:9)The declaration, "in Him was life," is a general and comprehensive one, declaring that all forms of life are related to the living Word. The announcement that "the life was the light of men," is a particular declaration revealing an essential truth concerning the nature of man. This cannot be said concerning the life of any plant, nor of animal life, until in the scale of being man is reached. In man's life became consciousness of God, and capacity for the understanding of Him, This statement of John of course has far wider application. It certainly indicates the truth that perfect light concerning manhood has shined in the Word Incarnate, but as Jesus was the fulfillment of an original purpose, it becomes evident that according to that purpose, man is capable of intelligent appreciation of, and communion with God. The whole process of creation was carried forward through the Word of the Eternal, and every form of life exists and subsists through the energy of that Word. In man however, life was first of such a nature as to comprehend the Creator.

John 14:6 - "I am. . .the life" In answer to an honest expression of disagreement with Jesus, came the great claim; "I am the way, and the truth, and the life." The implicate of that is that He had said to them incidentally, that He was going to the Father. I am the way unto the Father; therefore I am the way to all the abiding places in the Father's house. I am the truth about the Father, and therefore ultimately about all creation, all the universe, all being. And I am the life, the very life of the Father; and therefore the One in Whom, as Paul put it presently, "all things consist," or hold together. That word of Jesus illuminated all the darkness that was resting upon the minds of these men. Whether they entered into it then or not, who shall say?

Acts 3:15 ASV margin with Heb.12:2 "And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses."
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
Here in Heb. is the goal line. These words catch up and apply all that had been said as to the service rendered in the past by those who had "received the promises," and had died not having "received the promise." If they so endured with courage and cheerfulness, we also should be prepared to endure with patience, and run the race toward the glorious goal without wavering, however hopeless the enterprise may seem, when judged by the circumstances of the hour. The ultimate strength of this appeal, however, lies in the contrast which it suggests between these men of the past and ourselves. They had the promises; we have Jesus. They looked for the City; we look off unto Jesus. This means that in Him we have a clearer revelation of the glory of the City, and of the travail through which alone it can be built. Through Him our understanding of what the tabernacling of God with men means, is more perfect. In Him the call is to yet profounder suffering and to greater patience. But He is Himself the File-leader of the Faithful that is, in His own life and service He takes precedence of all others. And so He is supremely the Vindicator of faith in the promises of God, as the one principle which moves toward the fulfilment of those very promises. He also is waiting for the consummation, waiting till His enemies shall be made the footstool of His feet, but waiting in the perfect assurance of the final victory. Then we are called upon to rest in His assurance, to have fellowship with His sufferings, and so to hasten the coming of the Day of God.

Problem: John 5:26 - "riven to have life in Himself"

The Solitary God is self-existent, self-contained, self-sufficient, and self-satisfied. He is self-existent in that He is not dependent upon anything external to Himself for originating or continuing existence, for "the Father hath life in himself" (John 5:26). He is self-contained in that He is complete within Himself and in no sense dependent upon anything external to Himself, "as though He needed anything" (Acts 17:25). He is self-sufficient in that He possesses all fullness and is therefore the fountain source for everything else, "seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:25). And He is self-satisfied in that there is no reason external to Himself why He performs as He does. "He works all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11).

Christ is ETERNAL

Isa. 9:6 "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."
Mic. 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
John 8:35 "And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever."
1 John 1:2 "(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)"
1 John 5:11 "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son."

Problem: Col. 1:15 - "the first born of every creature" (prototokos) Before proceeding to the consideration of the teaching of this text it is of the utmost importance that we most carefully recognize the exact meaning of our word “firstborn,” and of the Greek word of which in each case it is the singularly apt and beautiful translation.
 We may divide our word into two parts, as indeed it is, in its very nature, already divided: first, and born. In so doing we are at once helped to a true understanding of the Greek word of which it is a translation. The word “first” means foremost, and is variously used in reference to time, place, order, or importance. This we need to recognize, or we may think of it as referring to time only in these particular passages, whereas, as a matter of fact, it has a far more spacious value, and in some cases the reference is not to time at all, but to that which is beyond time, the timeless and the eternal. The root of the word “born” literally means to produce from a seed, but it must be remembered that it always signifies to bear, or to bring forth, never to beget. The word has no reference whatever to those profounder matters of being associated with the function of begetting. Therefore it does not necessarily give any revelation of the nature of the one born. It always refers to that hour, or event, or method, by which something already in being is manifested.
The description, “the first-born of creation,” does not mean that He was the first of the creation in time, that He existed before all other creations. It means rather that He is the ultimate of creation, that toward which all creation moved, its goal, its consummation, its final glory.
The profounder questions of being and of begetting are dealt with or referred to in the context. The first-born of creation is described as “The Son of His love,” “The image of the invisible God”; and in His own essential being as the One Who is “before all things,” the One in Whom “all things consist.”
As God can have no essential beginning, neither can His Son, Who is of His very nature. Therefore the only sense in which the Son of God can ever be spoken of as begotten is in reference to some new manifestation or activity of Deity.

cf. Rom. 8:29 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren."
Sounds like twins to me.
Col. 1:18 "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence."
Heb. 1:6 "And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."
Rev. 1:5 "And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,"

(1) The term is used of Christ to denote priority of position rather than priority in time. Compare a similar use of our English word "first". A man can be first in position as well as time.
(2) See Psa. 89:27 (Sept. prototokos) where the meaning must be priority of position.
(3) Col. 1:16, 17 - Christ created all things (this explains vs. 15).
(4) John 1:3 Takes Christ entirely out of the category of created things.

NAMES THAT ARE APPLIED TO CHRIST ARE REVEALING

NAMES ARE APPLIED TO CHRIST WHICH CAN BE APPLIED PROPERLY ONLY TO ONE WHO IS GOD

He is Called "God" (theos)

• John 1:1 "The Word was God"
• John 1:18 (RV margin) “The only begotten God"
• John 20:28 "My Lord and my God"
• Rom. 9:5 "Christ.       .God blessed forever"
• Titus 2:13 "The great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ"
• Heb. 1:8 "Unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God"
• 1 John 5:20 "This is the true God"

Questions:

Are not angels sometimes called "gods" in the Old Testament? Psa. 8:5 (Heb. 2:7); Psa. 97:7 (Heb. 1:6)
 In the Old Testament, certain men and angels (Gen. 6:1-4; Ps. 29:1; 82:6; 89:6) are called "sons of God" (note text notes in modern translations). The people of Israel were corporately considered the son of God (Ex. 4:22; Jer. 31:20; Hos. 11:1). The concept also is employed in the Old Testament with reference to the king as God's son (Ps. 2:7). The promises found in the Davidic covenant (2 Sam. 7:14) are the source for this special filial relationship. The title can be found occasionally in inter-testament implications (Song of Sol. 2:16,18; 4 Ezra 7:28-29; 13:32,37,52; 14:9; Book of Enoch 105:2).
And are not mere sinful men given this awesome title also? Exod. 21:6; 22:8, 9, 28 (see Exod. 18:19 for explanation) Psa. 82:1, 6 (cf. John 10:34-36)
"Then his master shall bring him unto the judges; he shall also bring him to the door, or unto the door post; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for ever."
"If the thief be not found, then the master of the house shall be brought unto the judges, to see whether he have put his hand unto his neighbor's goods."

Christ is called "the Son of God"

Meaning as understood in days of Christ - "equal with God"

• John 5:18 "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God."
• John 10:33 with 36 "The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God."
  "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"
• John 19:7 "The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God."

"Son" (huios) does not refer to Origin, but to Position

"Child" (teknon) refers to origin. But Christ is never called "child of God." For the seeming exception in Acts 4:30 see the ASV ("Servant"). The word here is "pais" referring to a child (or servant) in legal relation; "Teknon" refers to a child by natural descent or origin

Compare the title "Son of Man"

Here the term as applied to Christ does not imply origin, because His origin was not of man. It denotes true humanity, and thus "Son of God" denotes true Deity.

Problem:

Does not "only begotten" Son point to origin?
The word is "monogenes" (John 3:16), which means the "unique" son; that is, the only one of his kind. See Heb. 11:17 for the Biblical usage. God has many sons, both human and angelic. But the sonship of Christ is absolutely unique.
The term "monogenes" here does not refer to an act of begetting. It is wrong to draw the analogy with the human act of procreation. It is certainly absent in Psa. 2:7 as interpreted by Acts 13:33. Thayer argues against the theological notion of an eternal generation of the Son by the Father (Greek-English Lexicon, p. 417), a theory held by Origen which Arius later used to deny Christ's true deity.

Christ is called "The Lord" (kurios)

Luke 2:11, John 13:13, Rom. 10:9, 1 Cor. 12:3, Phil. 2:10, and many other texts.
"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

The common version of our Lord's Day was the Septuagint which used the Greek "kurios" to translate the sacred name "Jehovah." And Isa. 45:5-6 shows that Jehovah denotes the only true Deity. In Rev. 11:15 the Father is called "kurios."

Jesus Christ is called "the  Lord of Glory"

1 Cor. 2:8 with Psa. 24:8-10 ASV "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory."
"Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah."

Jesus Christ is called "the Holy One"

Acts 3:14 with Hosea 11:9 and Isa. 48:17 "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;"
"I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger, I will not return to destroy Ephraim: for I am God, and not man; the Holy One in the midst of thee: and I will not enter into the city."
"Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go."

Jesus Christ is called "the First and  the Last"

Rev. 1:17-18, 2:8 with. Isa. 44:6 and 48:12-16 "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."
The Jehovah Witness knows this is the Lord Jehovah that makes this claim. The question they have a hard time answering is "When did the Lord Jehovah die?" This is indeed a paradox that outdistances all others. The living one becomes dead. The one who is active becomes inactive. The one who is life and the source of life is separated from life. And this statement is a clear claim to the fact that he wrought this upon himself (Middle). It could have been effected by no other.

Jesus Christ is called the “Alpha and the Omega”

Rev. 22:13, 16 with Rev. 1:8 "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."

CONCLUSION - THE NAMES

(1) These names were applied to Christ by men who were Jews, who knew the O. T., and who therefore were fully aware of the real import of such names.
(2) Furthermore, these Jews were intensely monotheistic. The central affirmation of their religion was, "Hear O Israel. The Lord thy God is one Lord." They believed that there was an infinite chasm between God and man.
(3) Still further, Christ Himself was a Jew who believed in One God, and that is this one God was immeasurably above man. He knew, as no one else ever knew, the tremendous meaning of these names we have examined. Yet He not only permitted men to address Him as such without protest, but actually encouraged them and at times applied them to Himself. (John 20:28-29, John 13:13).
"And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
"Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am."

THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST

THE DEITY OF JESUS CHRIST
 

INTRODUCTION

Meaning of "Deity" in these articles. Mark you, I do not speak of the "Divinity" of Christ. The Unitarian, the Christian Scientist, the Modernist, and even the educated Pagan, all speak of the Divinity of Jesus. But they likewise speak of the divinity of Mohammed, Confucius, and even of John Smith! They are not so ready to confess that Mohammed, Confucius, and John Smith are deities. Hence we speak of the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, which means that we recognize Him as God, with none higher, and only two as high-the Father and the Holy Spirit. "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:1, 14). "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. And Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a Son and thou shalt call his name JESUS; for it is he that shall save his people from their sins. Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us" (Matt. 1:18-23).

There is the record. We cannot reason it out. "Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness." What we believe here is a matter of gravest import; for, "Except ye believe that I am He, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8:24).

The doctrine of Christ's Deity is not based on a few proof texts as we shall see in the following articles.