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Introduction
Divine Attributes
But there is a second line of proof that Jesus Christ is God, a proof equally convincing, and that is, all the five distinctively Divine attributes are ascribed to Jesus Christ, and “all the fulness of the Godhead” is said to dwell in Him. There are five distinctively Divine attributes, that is, five attributes that God alone possesses. These are Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, Eternity and Immutability. Each one of these distinctively Divine attributes are ascribed to Jesus Christ. The Deity of Jesus Christ by R. A. Torrey
Eternality of Jesus Christ
The final option (number 5) is a possibility, but Scripture does not present Jesus as a being different from what we have in God incarnate.
Heb 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever. (Compare with Mal 3:6 where “Lord” is Jehovah; James 1:7)
The fact that Jesus is eternally the same in his essence is something that no creature can ever claim. God is given the attribute of eternal “sameness” (Heb 1:12; Ps 102:27; Isa 41:4), which would mean in his essence and nature; he never changes; he always exists. Our best and most probably option, that which agrees most clearly with Scripture is that Jesus is God incarnate. 1Tim 3:16 describes Jesus as “God was manifest in the flesh”. You cannot get clearer than that. This is God incarnate.
Eternity is also ascribed to Him. We are told in John 1:1 that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In John 8:58 Jesus Himself said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” Note that the Lord Jesus did not merely say that “before Abraham was I was,” but that “before Abraham was, I AM,” thus declaring Himself to be the eternal “I AM.” Even in the Old Testament we have a declaration of the eternity of the Christ who was to be born in Bethlehem. In Micah 5:2 we read, “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.” And in Isaiah 9:6 we are told of the child that is to be born, “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.” And in Hebrews 13:8 we are told, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” The Deity of Jesus Christ by R. A. Torrey
Jesus God is God Almighty (All Powerful) Omnipotent
First of all, omnipotence is ascribed to Jesus Christ. Not only are we taught that Jesus had power over diseases and death and winds and sea and demons, that they were all subject to His word, and that He is far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in the world to come (Eph. 1:20-23), but in Hebrews 1:3 it is said in so many words that He “[upholdeth] all things by the word of his power.” The Deity of Jesus Christ by R. A. Torrey
Divine Abilities of Jesus God
What we see in the person of Jesus Christ is power which is not granted to him by God the Father, but power which naturally of Jesus himself flows from himself. This power is direct testimony to Jesus divine character, to his being God.
.The Blood of the Lamb. The conception of the Lamb slain is involved also in the expression “the blood of the Lamb”; but “the blood of the Lamb” is most definitely related to the salvation of men from sin. Such a connection is established even in the first chapter — “Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood” (Rev 1.5). And then of those before God in white robes the elder says: “These are they that come out of the great tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 7.14). And speaking of the conquest over “the accuser of our brethren,” Saint Johnsays: “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb” (Rev 12.11).
The Lamb and the Book. As to the meaning of this “book written within and on the back, close sealed with seven seals” (Rev 5.1), many opinions have been given; but, with any possible view, Saint John is paying an extraordinary tribute to the power of the Lamb. He alone can open the peculiar book. And I think we may safely say more, even that Saint John himself furnishes the clue to his meaning. A little later, in the ninth verse of this fifth chapter, we read: “And they sing a new song, saying, Worthy art thou to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and didst purchase unto God with thy blood men of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.” This, to me, means, when put into simple phrase, that the Lamb of God alone has power to save men, and he has this power because he died for their sins. That is, the strange, difficult book was the problem of human redemption. And, further, the elaborate description of the book is but a figurative way of saying that the moral difficulties of redemption were almost insuperable. In fact, all through Saint John’s peculiar imagery, there is a most intense moral emphasis. His throne of God is nothing whatever but the moral law.
The Lamb and the Redeemed. The first thing to note as to the redeemed is that they do not come out of the twelve tribes alone. “After these things I saw, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb “(Rev 7. 9). Thus, redemption is lifted out of ethnic locality and given a racial extent. Again, these redeemed men are in a relation of loyalty and fellowship with the Lamb. “These are they that follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth” (Rev 14.4). And, again and again, we have the idea that the redeemed absolutely belong to the Lamb by purchase. They “were purchased from among men” (Rev 14.4, etc.).
The Lamb and the Throne of God. In almost every part of the entire book the Lamb sustains a peculiar relation to the enthroned God. And the emphasis of this peculiar relation culminates in the ascription of worship “unto him that sitteth on the throne and unto the Lamb”: “And every created thing which is in the heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and on the sea, and all things that are in them, heard I saying, Unto him that sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be the blessing, and the honor, and the glory, and the dominion, for ever and ever” (Rev 5.13). Olin Alfred Curtis (1850-1918) – The Christian Faith chapter 16 (1905)
Omniscience
Omniscience is also ascribed to Him. We are taught in the Bible that Jesus knew men’s lives, even their secret history (John 4:16-19), that He knew the secret thoughts of men, knew all men, knew what was in man (Mark 2:8; Luke 5:22; John 2:24,25), which knowledge we are distinctly told in 2 Chronicles 6:30 and Jeremiah 17:9-10, that God alone possesses. We are told in so many words in John 16:30 that Jesus knew “all things,” and in Colossians 2:3we find that in Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” The Deity of Jesus Christ byR. A. Torrey
Omnipresent
Omnipresence is also ascribed to Him. We are told in Matthew 18:20 that where two or three are gathered together in His Name, that He is in the midst of them, and in Matthew 28:20that wherever His obedient disciples should go, He would be with them, even unto the end of the age, and in John 14:20 and 2 Corinthians 13:5 we are told that He dwells in each believer, in all the millions of believers scattered over the earth. In Ephesians 1:23 we are told that He “filleth all in all.” The Deity of Jesus Christ by R. A. Torrey
Jesus God is Immutable
His immutability is also taught in the passage just quoted from Hebrews, and in the first chapter of the same book, in verses eleven and twelve, we find that while even the heavens change, the Lord Jesus does not change. The exact words are, “They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as cloth 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.”
Each one of the five distinctively Divine attributes were ascribed to our Lord Jesus Christ. And in Colossians 2:9 we are told in so many words, “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily [in a bodily form].” Here again we might rest our case, for what has been said under this heading, even if taken alone, clearly proves the absolute Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. It shows that He possesses every perfection of nature and character that God the Father possesses. The Deity of Jesus Christ by R. A. Torrey
“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 5:20). Here again the carnal mind is puzzled. If Christ be the Son of God why does He need to be “shown.” When we “show” a child something it is because it is ignorant. When we “show” the traveler the right road, it is because he does not know it. Refuge is sought again in the mediatorship of Christ. But this destroys the beauty of the verse and mars the unity of the passage. What seems to point to an imperfection or limitation in Christ’s knowledge only brings out once more His matchless excellency.
“For the Father loveth the Son and showeth him all things that himself doeth.” The opening word “For” intimates there is a close connection between this and the verse immediately preceding, as well as with the whole context. It intimates that our Lord is still submitting the proof that He was “equal with God.” The argument of this verse in a word is this: The Father has no secrets from the Son. Because He is the Son of God, the Father loveth Him; that is to say, because they are in common possession of the same infinite perfections, there is an ineffable affection of the Father to the Son, and this love is manifested by the Father “showing the Son all things.” There is no restraint and no constraint between them: there is the most perfect intimacy because of their co-equality.Let me try to reduce this profound truth to a simple level. If an entire stranger were to visit your home, there are many things you would not think of “showing” him—the family portrait-album for example. But with an intimate friend or a loved relative there would be no such reluctance. The illustration falls far short we know, but perhaps it may help some to grasp better the line of thought we are seeking to present. Arthur Pink – Exposition of the Gospel of John, Chapter 18
But not only do the words “the Father loveth the Son” make manifest the perfect intimacy there is between them, but the additional words “showeth him all things that himself doeth” evidences another of the Divine glories of Christ, namely, the absolute equality of intelligence that there is between the Father and the Son. Let us again bring the thought down to a human level. What would be the use of discussing with an illiterate person the mathematics of the fourth dimension? What’s the value of taking a child in the first grade and “showing” him the solution of a problem in algebra? Who, then, is capable of understanding all the ways and workings of God? No mere creature. Fallen man is incapable of knowing God. The believer learns but gradually and slowly, and only then as he is taught by the Holy Spirit. Even the unfallen angels know God’s mind but in part—there are things they desire “to look into” (1 Pet. 1:12). To whom then could God show the full counsel of His mind? And again we answer, To no mere creature, for the creature however high in rank has no capacity to grasp it. The finite cannot comprehend the infinite. Is it not self-evident, then, that if the Father showeth the Son “all things that himself doeth” He must be of the same mind as the Father? that they are one, absolutely equal in intelligence! Christ has the capacity to apprehend and comprehend “all things that the Father doeth,” therefore, He must be “equal with God,” for none but God could measure the Father’s mind perfectly.
“The idea seems to be this, that the love of the Father, and of the Son, their perfect complacency in each other, is manifest in the perfect knowledge which the Son has of the period at which, the purpose for which, and the manner in which, the Divine power equally possessed by them is to be put forth. It is in consequence of this knowledge, as if our Lord had said—‘That in this case (the healing of the impotent man) I have exercised Divine power while My Father was exercising it’
“And He adds, ‘Still further—still more extraordinary manifestations of this community of knowledge, will, and operation of the Father, and of the Son, will be made.’ ‘He will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel,’ or ‘that ye shall marvel’; that is, we apprehend, ‘the Son, in consequence of His perfect knowledge of the mind, and will, and operations of His Divine Father, will yet make still more remarkable displays of that Divine power which is equally His Father’s and His own’—such displays as will fill with amazement all who witness them. What these displays were to be, appears from what follows: He had healed the impotent man, but He was soon to raise to life some who had been dead; nay, at a future period He was to raise to life all the dead and act as the Governor and Judge of all mankind” (Dr. John Brown). Arthur Pink – Exposition of the Gospel of John, Chapter 18
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). Once more we find the Lord, as in verse 17, linking Himself in closest union with the Father: “heareth my Word, and believeth him that sent me.” But as we have already dwelt at such length on the dominant thought running all through our passage, we turn now to consider other subordinate though most blessed truths. This verse has been a great favorite with the Lord’s people. It has been used of God to bring peace and assurance to many a troubled soul. It speaks of eternal life as a present possession—”hath everlasting life,” not shall have when we die, or when the resurrection morning comes. Two things are here mentioned which are evidences and results of having everlasting life, though they are usually regarded as two conditions. The hearing ear and the believing heart are the consequences of having eternal life and not the qualifications for obtaining it. Then it is added, “and shall not come into condemnation’’: this guarantees the future—”There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1). No condemnation for the believer because it fell upon his Substitute. Another reason why the believer shall not come into condemnation is because he has “passed from death,” which is the realm of condemnation, “into life.”
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25). This continues the same thought as in the previous verse, though adding further details. ‘The dead shall hear:” what a paradox to the carnal mind! Yet all becomes luminous when we remember that it is the voice of the Son of God they hear. His voice alone can penetrate into the place of death, and because His voice is a life-giving voice, the dead hear it and live. The capacity to hear accompanies the power of the Voice that speaks, and it is just because that Voice is a life-giving one that the dead hear it at all, and heating, live. Here then is the sixth proof presented for the Deity of Christ: the Son claims absolute equality with the Father in the power to give life.
“For as the Father has life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself” (John 5:26). This confirms what we have just said above, while bringing in one further amplification. The Father hath “life in himself.” “It belongs to His nature; He has received it from no one; it is an essential attribute of His necessarily existing nature: He so has life that He can impart, withdraw, and restore it to whomsoever He pleases. He is the fountain of all life. All in heaven and in earth who have life, have received it from Him. They have not life in themselves” (Dr. John Brown). Now in like manner the life of Christ is not a derived life. “In him was life” (John 1:4). He is able to communicate life to others because the Father hath “given to the Son to have life in himself.” The word “given” must be understood figuratively and not literally, in the sense of appointed, not imparted: see its usage in Isaiah 42:6; 49:8; 55:4. So also the word “given him to have,” signifies to hold or administer. Thus, inasmuch as all creatures live and move and have their being in God, but in contrast from them Christ has “life in himself,” He cannot be a mere creature but must be “equal with God.” Arthur Pink – Exposition of the Gospel of John, Chapter 18
The Perfect Holiness of Jesus
When we say that Jesus is the second Adam, it speaks of Jesus’ fulfillment of all that man could have been if man did not sin. The Bible makes no special concessions in hiding the obvious and gross sins of the saints of God. From Moses fumbling errors and resulting exclusion from the promised land, to King David’s sin with Uriah and Beth-Sheba, resulting in his later embarrassment by his own children, to Peter’s denial of Christ at his trial, the Bible accurately tells us of the foibles and failures of God’s children. This being the obvious tenor of God towards the sins and failings of His children, we see no sin in the life of Jesus Christ.
As the head of the human race, Jesus encapsulates both the holiness and purity of God, and yet he is the essence of man (weak and tempted as men).