JESUS DEITY – THE ETERNAL SON
So far we have simply seen who Jesus is. We revisit His ‘I am’ truths:
John 4:23-26
23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”
In verse 26 the Greek basically is ‘I speaking to you, I am’.
John 6:35
35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.”
John 8:12
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
John 10:7-10
7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep.
8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:11, 14-15, 17-18
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.”
14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep.
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life— only to take it up again.
18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
Jesus is the ‘my shepherd’ in Psalm 23.
John 10:22-30
22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,
23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon’s Colonnade.
24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25 Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me,
26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand.
30 I and the Father are one.”
Notice in verse 27 – spoken word – Jesus speaks to us day to day through His Holy Spirit and His people know his voice……this is particularly important when there are so many different versions of the written word and or one does not have access to a bible. Through God’s Holy Spirit one always has access to the WORD of God – Spoken WORD of JESUS through THE Holy Spirit – if so be the Holy Spirit dwells in you (Romans 8:9).
Notice in verse 29 that Jesus confirms the truth I mentioned previously – ‘my Father has given them to me….’ Once a person is born-again there may be dreadful difficulties, troubles, burdens and anxieties in life but ‘no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand’ – cf John 5: 24.
Once born-again always born-again. Some passages in Scripture seem to say differently. For example all of Hebrews chapter 6.
Before reading the next chapter, I believe Paul wrote Hebrews as the AV1611 says. Also I believe this is confirmed by Philippians 3:3-12. Please read the chapter. Let us look at:
Hebrews 6:4-6
4 It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit,
5 who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age,
6 if they fall away, to be brought back to repentance, because to their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again and subjecting him to public disgrace.
Hebrews 6:9-10
9 Even though we speak like this, dear friends, we are confident of better things in your case—things that accompany salvation.
10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
In verses 4-6 the Apostle Paul is making a hypothetical statement. This is confirmed in verse 9 when he says “even though we speak like this.”
Situations were very difficult for Jews at that time as it was before the destruction of the temple and the end of the sacrificial system in 70AD, (e.g. Hebrews 5:1-3).
Also the first word in chapter 6 is ‘therefore’ as Paul was then encouraging the new Jewish elect to grow to maturity and know Jesus more. This is for all of us now. Once elect always eternally elect. Troubles turn to triumphs, burdens to breakthroughs – even though sometimes very painful! This is seen in the next ‘I am’ truth.
We return to where Jesus came to raise Lazarus from the dead – again as I mentioned a type/foretelling of His own resurrection – after 3 days in the tomb. See verse 25 below:
John 11:17-27
17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.
18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem,
19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother.
20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home.
21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died.
22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”
24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
27 “Yes, Lord,” she told him, “I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
John 14:1-11
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me.
2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” Jesus the Way to the Father.”
5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
7 If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
11 Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.”
John 15:1, 5
1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.”
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
Another ‘I am’ comment is made by Jesus to Pilate:
John 18:28-37
28 Then the Jews led Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness the Jews did not enter the palace; they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.
29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.” “But we have no right to execute anyone,” the Jews objected.
32 This happened so that the words Jesus had spoken indicating the kind of death he was going to die would be fulfilled.
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate. Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”
Notice in verse 37 Jesus said Pilate was right – another ‘I am’… ‘I am a King.’ From John 14:6 above Jesus teaches us He is the way, truth and life – and no-one can stand before the Father except or unless through their relationship with the Father’s Son – Jesus.
I often think that when I go from this earthly, physical life – I would love to ask Jesus – how did Pilate feel before you Lord when he realised he made a fatal mistake??? How eternally sad – sad – sad! Lest more of us fail – remember Romans 10:9-10, please read this now.
This far, we have now overviewed truths Jesus has actually taught us personally through His words.
Now we will examine some theological truths which confirm His Deity as the Son of God.