Is Jesus God?

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A: At face value, this is a very simple question. However, the answer can become complicated very quickly. I will summarize without giving much proof.

1.  Yes, Jesus is God. John 1:1 speaks of Jesus as the Word. This verse states, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Notice that the Word was God.

2.  God is a unity. That is, He is one God and not two, three, or many, gods. Deuteronomy 6:4 states, "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:"

3.  However, God expresses Himself in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 1John 5:7 states, "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." In the Godhead, we see a three-in-one entity. We use the word trinity. However, we might be better to say tri-unity.

I believe in the tri-unity of God because it is the only way to balance all the various teachings of scripture on God without denying some of them. The Father is God. Jesus is God and has all the qualities of God. The Holy Ghost is God and has all the qualities of God. Yet, there is only one God. The Bible teaches all of these things.

Most illustrations of the trinity fall so far short that they are humorous without meaning to be. My favorite illustration of the Godhead is man. Man was made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). Man is made of body, soul, and spirit (1Thessalonians 5:23). The body is the only part of man that we can see. This matches with Jesus who took on a human body (Hebrews 10:5). The soul of man is the controlling part of the hidden man and includes his will, mind, and emotions. This matches the central part that the Father plays in the work of the trinity. The spirit of man is made alive at salvation by the Spirit of God and matches the Holy Spirit.

Now, if only we could send our spirit, soul, and body in three different directions to work together to get a job done, we would have an even better illustration. As it is, we can only get a small understanding of such a vast truth.

The second doctrine this question brings up is how Jesus could be God and man at the same time. To keep this answer from being too long, I will just say that Jesus was entirely God and became entirely man. That is the miracle that is doctrinally called the incarnation. 1Timothy 3:16 states, "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." This truth is called a great mystery in the Bible.

I hope these comments help.

Till He comes,
 

Pastor David Reagan
 

 

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