My intention in this series is to help people recognize that Jesus was and is no mere man; neither is he just another prophet. There’s no excuse for people claiming the Bible as their guide not to see that Jesus Christ is God-a member of the Trinity.
Why does that matter? Well, for one, if Scripture lies and if Jesus and the apostles lied, there’s no Biblical God to have faith in at all. Secondly, it should be obvious that no ordinary man can pay the price of sin. Thirdly, if we’re all going to be bowing in the presence of his incredible majesty one day, it’s probably best to recognize it now, and not to find out too late that we’ve denied him the glory and praise we should be giving him.
Part one briefly outlined some of the ways we can identify the oneness in work and character between God the Father and God the Son. This time I offer a few more such comparisons.
These few examples show the consistency of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. The idea that Jesus never claimed to be God can only be made by those who have not taken the trouble to look properly. I didn’t get these out of some theologian’s book- I found them in the course of my own study, and if I can do it, so can you.
THE ONE THEY HAVE PIERCED
GOD
”And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and will mourn…” (Zechariah 12:10).
THE SON
“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood…””Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; all peoples of the earth will mourn…” (Revelation 1:5-7).
THE I AM
GOD
“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
“God said to Moses, ‘I AMWHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’”.
THE SON
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “Before Abraham was born, I am!”
THE COMING ONE
GOD
“The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood…before the coming of the day of the LORD” (Joel 2:31)
THE SON
“…the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light…”At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:19-32).
GOD RAISED JESUS, JESUS RAISED JESUS
GOD
“God raised him from the dead” (Romans 10:9).
THE SON
“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up again in three days”…”the temple he had spoken of was his body” (John 2:19,21).
THE GIVER OF ETERNAL LIFE
GOD
“The gift of God is eternal life’ (Romans 6:23, also 1 John 5:11).
THE SON
“I give them eternal life…” (John 10:28);
“I will raise him up” (John 6:40).
OUR SHEPHERD
GOD
“We are his people, the sheep of his pasture (Psalm 100).
“The Lord is my shepherd” (Psalm 23).
THE SON
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11);
“They too will listen to my voice. There will be one flock and one shepherd (John 10:16);
“When the chief shepherd appears” (1 Peter 5:4).
THE KING OF ISRAEL
GOD
“Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty” (Isaiah 64:6);
“Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty” (Zechariah 14:16).
THE SON
“Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor and the governor asked him, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ “Yes, it is as you say’ Jesus replied” (Matthew 27:11);
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God…He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom…” (Isaiah 9:6).
THE KING OF THE WHOLE EARTH
GOD
“The LORD will be king over the whole earth” (Zechariah 14:9).
THE SON
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him… (Matthew 25:31-32).
BOTH
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11: 15).
EVERY KNEE WILL BOW
GOD
“Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other….Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear” (Isaiah 45:22-23).
THE SON
“…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
THE CHURCH WAS BOUGHT WITH HIS BLOOD
GOD
“Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28).
THE SON
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath? (Romans 5:9);
“Then I saw a lamb, looking as if it had been slain…You are worthy to take the seal and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God” (Revelation 5:6-9).
Fuel for Faith 