Apr 11 • Theology
My response to an old buddy who made a Facebook post denying the deity of Christ
Yesterday, I came across a FB post from an old buddy I used to go to church with. We were never that tight, but we worked together on a couple of projects for construction.
He made a post thinking he’d made a breakthrough in theology about the divinity of Christ because he’s been trying to read directly out of the Greek (even though to my knowledge he does not know Greek).
He claimed that Jesus is the Son of God, but is not God Himself.
His views aligned closely with Arianism of the 3rd century.
I wanted to post my response to Him here in case it helps anyone understand why as Christians we believe that Jesus is the same God and of the substance of the Father and the Holy Spirit. 3 persons, 1 God. 3 persons, 1 substance. 3 roles, 1 God.
Let me know what you think or if you’d add any other thoughts.
Here’s my response:
“I agree the concept of the Trinity is hard to understand. But then if we could understand everything about God, would He really be God? Ha.
I do think some Scripture seems to contradict some or your current view. Not at all trying to come at you, but this is a pretty important aspect of our faith so I figured I’d chime in with what I believe is true.
Let me share a compilation of Scripture that I think supports the divinity of Christ and shows why most of church history has affirmed it and why the Council of Nicea addressed Arianism head on (a similar view to yours). Take a look at these and let me know what you think. Happy to take the convo offline in PM’s or whatever.
“Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”
John 14:8-10
Jesus is bothered because Philip asks Jesus to “show us the Father” because He says seeing knowing Him is just like knowing the Father. He says if someone has seen Him, they’ve seen the Father. The Father is “in” Jesus and Jesus is “in” the Father.
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
-John 8:58
Jesus said this to Jewish leaders who would have known he was claiming to be the same “I am” (God) of the OT. Part of the reason they crucified him was for blasphemy, the claim that He was God. It would in fact be blasphemy if it weren’t true. Either Jesus was blaspheming here, or He was in fact claiming to be the God of Abraham.
“I and the Father are one.”
-John 10:30
Not just unified, but one.
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Mark 2:5-7
The Jewish leaders recognized Jesus was claiming to be God, because only God can forgive sins. He did not correct them. He affirmed He had the authority to forgive sins.
“Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:28-29
Thomas calls Jesus “My Lord and my God”. Jesus doesn’t correct him.
3 passages where Jesus accepts worship and does not correct them for worshipping Him instead of the Father:
“And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
-Matthew 14:33
“And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.”
-Matthew 28:9
“And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.”
-Matthew 28:17
“…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ…
-Titus 2:13
The appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
“Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen”
-Romans 9:5
The Messiah (Jesus), who is God over all.
“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form…”
-Colossians 2:9
-All the fullness of the Deity lives in Christ. Not some, but all the fullness of Deity.
“who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
Philippians 2:6-7
This seems to indicate He had equality with God prior to being born in the likeness of men and emptying Himself.
“The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth… all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
-Colossians 1:15-17
He is before all things, and all things have been created through Him and for Him, which would have to mean he wasn’t created. He “is”before all things.
“But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom”
-Hebrews 1:8
This is a quote from Psalm 45:6 that Hebrews attributes as God the Father calling the Son “God”.
“Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours…”
-2 Peter 1:1
Peter calls Jesus our God.
There’s some other stuff, but I feel like these give pretty compelling evidence for the deity of Christ. Different Persons. Different roles. Same God. Same substance.”
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My response to an old buddy who made a Facebook post denying the deity of Christ
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