MORE BIBLICAL PROOFS FOR THE DIVINITY OF JESUS
In this post, I shall present some additional evidence in support of the Deity of Christ. I will be demonstrating how Jesus is said to do what the Hebrew Bible teaches no creature is capable of doing, and which God alone does.
As in an earlier post, THE NWT TESTIFIES THAT JESUS IS JEHOVAH WHO REIGNS, I will be using the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Bible in order to show Trinitarians how they can actually employ the Society’s Bible versions to their advantage, proving the Deity of Christ and the blessed Trinity from the JWs’ very own Bible perversion. For that reason, I will cite from the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition), unless indicated otherwise. And when I do quote a different version, I will seek to do quote from the very Bible translations that the Society itself endorses, and which they make available online: Online Bible.
The only time I will diverge from doing so is when I quote from the Deuter-Canonical books, the so-called [O]ld [T]estament Apocrypha, which JWs and many Protestants reject as inspired, canonical writings.
The Hebrew Bible is emphatic that no creature can mediate before God in order to appease his wrath from being poured out upon sinners:
“‘If a man should sin against another man, someone may appeal to Jehovah for him; but if a man should sin against Jehovah, who can pray for him?’ But they refused to listen to their father, for Jehovah had determined to put them to death.” 1 Samuel 2:25
“For who will say, “What hast thou done?” Or will resist thy judgment? Who will accuse thee for the destruction of nations which thou didst make? Or who will come before thee to plead as an advocate for unrighteous men?” Wisdom of Solomon 12:12 Revised Standard Version (RSV)
Nor is there any created being righteous enough to redeem human souls from perishing forever:
“None of them can ever redeem a brother Or give to God a ransom for him, (The ransom price for their life is so precious That it is always beyond their reach); That he should live forever and not see the pit… But God will redeem me from the power of the Grave, For he will take hold of me. (Selah)” Psalm 49:7-9, 15
The reason for this is because there is no human individual that is good enough or without sin, which would make him qualified to stand in the place of sinners as their ransom or savior:
“So how can mortal man be righteous before God, Or how can one born of a woman be innocent? Even the moon is not bright And the stars are not pure in his eyes, How much less so mortal man, who is a maggot, And a son of man, who is a worm!” Job 25:4-6
“If errors were what you watch, O Jah, Then who, O Jehovah, could stand? For with you there is true forgiveness, So that you may be held in awe.” Psalm 130:3-4
“Do not enter into judgment with your servant, For no one living can be righteous before you.” Psalm 143:2
“Who can say: ‘I have cleansed my heart; I am pure from my sin’?” Proverbs 20:9
“For there is no righteous man on earth who always does good and never sins… This alone I have found: The true God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.” Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29
“This is a distressing thing that happens under the sun: Because all have the same outcome, the heart of humans is also full of bad; and there is madness in their heart during their life, and then they die!” Ecclesiastes 9:3
“What then? Are we in a better position? Not at all! For above we have made the charge that Jews as well as Greeks are all under sin; just as it is written: ‘There is not a righteous man, not even one; there is no one who has any insight; there is no one who searches for God. All men have turned aside, all of them have become worthless; there is no one who shows kindness, not so much as one.’ ‘Their throat is an open grave; they have deceived with their tongues.’ ‘Venom of asps is behind their lips.’ ‘And their mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.’ ‘Their feet are swift to shed blood.’ ‘Ruin and misery are in their ways, and they have not known the way of peace.’ ‘There is no fear of God before their eyes.’” Romans 3:9-18
In fact, not even the angels are pure enough in God’s sight:
“Can a mortal man be more righteous than God? Can a man be cleaner than his own Maker? Look! He has no faith in his servants, And he finds fault with his angels. How much more so with those dwelling in houses of clay, Whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed as easily as a moth!” Job 4:17-19
“What is mortal man that he should be pure, Or anyone born of a woman that he should be righteous? Look! He has no faith in his holy ones, And even the heavens are not pure in his eyes. How much less so when a person is detestable and corrupt, A man who drinks in unrighteousness just like water!” Job 15:14-16
It is because of mankind’s moral corruption/sinfulness that makes it impossible for any human being to save himself, let alone someone else. This is why God in his mercy chose to do what is impossible for man to accomplish, namely, save the world from the wrath and condemnation it has incurred due to its immorality and godlessness:
“Truth has vanished, And anyone who turns away from bad is plundered. Jehovah saw this and was displeased, For there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, And he was astonished that no one interceded, So HIS OWN ARM brought about salvation, And HIS OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS supported him. Then HE put on righteousness like a coat of mail And the helmet of salvation on HIS HEAD. HE put on the garments of vengeance as HIS CLOTHING And wrapped himself with zeal like a coat. He will reward them for what they have done: Wrath to his adversaries, retribution to his enemies. And to the islands he will repay their due. From the sunset they will fear the name of Jehovah And from the sunrise his glory, For he will come in like a rushing river, Which the spirit of Jehovah drives along. ‘To Zion the Repurchaser will come, To those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares Jehovah. ‘As for me, this is my covenant with them,’ says Jehovah. ‘My spirit that is on you and my words that I have placed in your mouth—they will not be removed from your mouth, from the mouth of your children, or from the mouth of your grandchildren,’ says Jehovah, ‘from now on and forever.’” Isaiah 59:15-21
“Who is this coming from Eʹdom, From Bozʹrah with bright-colored garments, This one with splendid clothing, Marching in his great power? ‘It is I, the One speaking in righteousness, The One with great power to save.’ Why is your clothing red, And why are your garments like those of one treading the winepress? ‘I have trodden the wine trough alone. No one from the peoples was with me. I kept treading them in my anger, And I kept trampling them in my wrath. My garments were spattered with their blood, And I have stained all my clothing. For the day of vengeance is in my heart, And the year of my repurchased ones has come. I looked, but there was NO ONE to help; I was appalled that NO ONE offered support. So MY ARM brought me salvation, And my own wrath supported me. I trampled peoples in my anger, I made them drunk with my wrath.’” Isaiah 63:1-6
Christ himself told his disciples that salvation is a divine work that is humanly impossible to carry out:
“They became still more astounded and said to him: ‘Who possibly can be saved?’ Looking straight at them, Jesus said: ‘With men it is impossible but not so with God, for all things are possible with God.’” Mark 10:26-27 – Cf. Matthew 19:25-26; Luke 18:26-27
The OT further emphasizes that God saves and forgives for his own sake, on account of his own name, meaning on the basis of his own divine authority and initiative. God does not forgive sins for the sake of someone else’s name/authority:
“For the sake of your name, O Jehovah, Forgive my error, though it is great.” Psalm 25:11
“O God, save me by your name, And defend me with your power.” Psalm 54:1
“Help us, O God of our salvation, For the sake of your glorious name; Rescue us and forgive our sins for the sake of your name.” Psalm 79:9
“I, I am the One who is blotting out your transgressions for my own sake, And I will not remember your sins.” Isaiah 43:25
Therefore, if Jesus were a mere created being then he could never save a single soul from perishing. Like the rest of creation, he would be in need of the grace and mercy of God to be able to continue to remain in God’s presence.
And yet according to the inspired Christian Scriptures, God grants salvation solely for the sake of Christ, and only on the basis of Jesus’ name/authority:
“He then said to them: ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was yet with you, that all the things written about me in the Law of Moses and in the Prophets and Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened up their minds fully to grasp the meaning of the Scriptures, and he said to them, ‘This is what is written: that the Christ would suffer and rise from among the dead on the third day, and on the basis of his name, repentance for forgiveness of sins would be preached in all the nations—starting out from Jerusalem.’” Luke 24:44-47
“Now when they heard this, they were stabbed to the heart, and they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: ‘Men, brothers, what should we do?’ Peter said to them: ‘Repent, and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the free gift of the holy spirit.’” Acts 2:37-38
“When Peter saw this, he said to the people: ‘Men of Israel, why are you so amazed at this, and why are you staring at us as though by personal power or godly devotion we have made him walk? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his Servant, Jesus, whom you handed over and disowned before Pilate, even though he had decided to release him. Yes, you disowned that holy and righteous one, and you asked for a man who was a murderer to be given to you, whereas you killed the Chief Agent of life. But God raised him up from the dead, of which fact we are witnesses. And through his name, and by our faith in his name, this man whom you see and know has been made strong. The faith that is through him has made this man completely healthy in front of all of you… God, after raising up his Servant, sent him to you first to bless you by turning each one of you away from your wicked deeds.’” Acts 3:12-16, 26
“The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem, along with Anʹnas the chief priest, Caʹia·phas, John, Alexander, and all who were relatives of the chief priest. They stood Peter and John in their midst and began to question them: “By what power or in whose name did you do this?’ Then Peter, filled with holy spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today about a good deed to a crippled man, and you want to know who made this man well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ the Naz·a·reneʹ, whom you executed on a stake but whom God raised up from the dead, by means of him this man stands here healthy in front of you. This is “the stone that was treated by you builders as of no account that has become the chief cornerstone.” Furthermore, there is no salvation in anyone else, for there is NO OTHER NAME under heaven that has been given among men by which we must get saved.’ Now when they saw the outspokenness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were astonished. And they began to realize that they had been with Jesus. As they were looking at the man who had been cured standing with them, they had nothing to say in answer to this. So they commanded them to go outside the Sanʹhe·drin hall, and they began consulting with one another,” Acts 4:5-15
“To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone putting faith in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Acts 10:43
“Let it therefore be known to you, brothers, that through this one a forgiveness of sins is being proclaimed to you, and that from all the things from which you could not be declared guiltless by means of the Law of Moses, everyone who believes is declared guiltless by means of this one.” Acts 13:38-39
“But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
“For you have been given the privilege in behalf of Christ, not only to put your faith in him but also to suffer in his behalf.” Philippians 1:29
“And this is the witness, that God gave us everlasting life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this life. I write you these things so that you may know that you have life everlasting, you who put your faith in the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:11-13
Jesus even does what the OT scriptures emphatically proclaim that no creature is able to do, namely, intercede and mediate for sinners, procuring their forgiveness and redemption by his perfect obedience, vicarious death, and resurrection:
“For even the Son of man came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom in exchange for many.” Mark 10:45 – Cf. Matthew 20:28
“But God recommends his own love to us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more, then, since we have now been declared righteous by his blood, will we be saved through him from wrath. For if when we were enemies we became reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more we will be saved by his life, now that we have become reconciled. Not only that, but we are also rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation… But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by one man’s trespass many died, how much more did the undeserved kindness of God and his free gift by the undeserved kindness of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to many! Also, it is not the same with the free gift as with the way things worked through the one man who sinned. For the judgment after one trespass was condemnation, but the gift after many trespasses was a declaration of righteousness. For if by the trespass of the one man death ruled as king through that one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of the undeserved kindness and of the free gift of righteousness rule as kings in life through the one person, Jesus Christ! So, then, as through one trespass the result to men of all sorts was condemnation, so too through one act of justification the result to men of all sorts is their being declared righteous for life. For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one person many will be made righteous.” Romans 5:8-11, 15-19
“What, then, are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who will be against us? Since he did not even spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, will he not also, along with him, kindly give us all other things? Who will file accusation against God’s chosen ones? God is the One who declares them righteous. Who will condemn them? Christ Jesus is the one who died, yes, more than that, the one who was raised up, who is at the right hand of God and who also pleads for us.” Romans 8:31-34
“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, a man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a corresponding ransom for all—this is what is to be witnessed to in its own due time.” 1 Timothy 2:5-6
“Furthermore, many had to become priests in succession because death prevented them from continuing as such, but because he continues alive forever, his priesthood has no successors. So he is able also to save completely those who are approaching God through him, because he is always alive to plead for them. For it is fitting for us to have such a high priest who is loyal, innocent, undefiled, separated from the sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike those high priests, he does not need to offer up sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, because he did this once for all time when he offered himself up. For the Law appoints as high priests men who have weaknesses, but the word of the oath sworn after the Law appoints a Son, who has been made perfect forever.” Hebrews 7:23-28
“However, if we are walking in the light as he himself is in the light, we do have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin… My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not commit a sin. And yet, if anyone does commit a sin, we have a helper with the Father, Jesus Christ, a righteous one. And he is a propitiatory sacrifice for our sins, yet not for ours only but also for the whole world’s… I am writing you, little children, because your sins have been forgiven you for the sake of his name.” 1 John 1:7; 2:1-2, 12
“and from Jesus Christ, ‘the Faithful Witness,’ ‘the firstborn from the dead,’ and ‘the Ruler of the kings of the earth.’ To him who loves us and who set us free from our sins by means of his own blood—and he made us to be a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—yes, to him be the glory and the might forever. Amen.” Revelation 1:5-6
Remarkably, the NT even teaches that Christ has ransomed an innumerable host of human souls, purifying them by his blood, thereby making them pure enough to stand in God’s holy presence forever and ever!
“After this I saw, and look! a great crowd, which no man was able to number, out of all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes; and there were palm branches in their hands. And they keep shouting with a loud voice, saying: ‘Salvation we owe to our God, who is seated on the throne, AND TO THE LAMB.’ All the angels were standing around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell facedown before the throne and worshipped God, saying: ‘Amen! Let the praise and the glory and the wisdom and the thanksgiving and the honor and the power and the strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen.’ In response one of the elders said to me: ‘These who are dressed in the white robes, who are they and where did they come from?’ So right away I said to him: ‘My lord, you are the one who knows.’ And he said to me: ‘These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. That is why they are before the throne of God, and they are rendering him sacred service day and night in his temple; and the One seated on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will hunger no more nor thirst anymore, neither will the sun beat down on them nor any scorching heat, because the Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them and will guide them to springs of waters of life. And God will wipe out every tear from their eyes.’” Revelation 7:9-17
The risen Son’s ability to save countless numbers of human beings is so astonishing that every creature throughout all of creation ends up giving him the exact same worship that God the Father receives, and for the same exact duration!
“When he took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders fell down before the Lamb, and each one had a harp and golden bowls that were full of incense. (The incense means the prayers of the holy ones.) And they sing a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, for you were slaughtered and with your blood you bought people for God out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and you made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they are to rule as kings over the earth.’ And I saw, and I heard a voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and the number of them was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, and they were saying with a loud voice: ‘The Lamb who was slaughtered is worthy to receive the power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.’ And I heard EVERY CREATURE in heaven and on earth and underneath the earth and on the sea, and ALL THINGS IN THEM, saying: ‘To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.’ The four living creatures were saying: ‘Amen!’ and the elders fell down and worshipped.” Revelation 5:8-14
To say that what John beheld by the Spirit is truly amazing would be a wild understatement!
The very fact that every created being in all of creation is distinguished from Jesus, and are portrayed as worshiping the risen Son in the same exact way that they worship God, proves beyond any reasonable doubt that Christ is not a mere creature. Rather, like the Father Jesus is uncreated by nature, being the eternal Son of God who is equal to the Father in essence, glory, and majesty.
The foregoing shows why Christ is able to do what God alone does, and which no created being is capable of doing. Jesus is Jehovah God Almighty who became a human being in order to save mankind, and the rest of creation, from the wrath and judgment brought upon by creaturely sinfulness and rebellion:
“who delivered you out of the jurisdiction of darkness and transferred you into the kingdom of the Son of his love, in whom we have redemption, the pardon of sins, Who is image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation, because in him everything was created in the heavens and on earth, the visible and the invisible, be it thrones or lordships or governments or dominions—everything has been created through him and to come to him, and before everything he is, and in him everything holds together. And he is the head of the body, the church, he who is the beginning, the firstborn out of the dead, in order that he may take the first place in every respect, because in him all the fullness was pleased to make its home and through him to reconcile everything to him, making peace through the blood of his cross, through him whether it were the things on earth or the things in the heavens, and you who had once been estranged and hostile-minded in your wicked deeds, but whom he has now reconciled by his fleshly body through death to present you holy and unblemished and irreproachable before him” Colossians 1:13-23 The Bible in Living English (BYINGTON)
The Apostle Thomas came to realize this divinely revealed truth after seeing the risen and glorified Christ standing before him in his resurrected, glorified physical body:
“But Thomas, one of the Twelve, who was called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples were telling him: ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them: ‘Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails and stick my finger into the print of the nails and stick my hand into his side, I will never believe it.’ Well, eight days later his disciples were again indoors, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and he stood in their midst and said: ‘May you have peace.’ Next he said to Thomas: ‘Put your finger here, and see my hands, and take your hand and stick it into my side, and stop doubting but believe.’ In answer Thomas said TO HIM: ‘My Lord and MY GOD (ho Theos mou)!’ Jesus said to him: ‘Because you have seen me, have you believed? Happy are those who have not seen and yet believe.’ To be sure, Jesus also performed many other signs before the disciples, which are not written down in this scroll. But these have been written down so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and because of believing, you may have life by means of his name.” John 20:24-31
Thomas knew that, being the unique Son of God, Jesus is not a creature whom the Father produced. Rather, Christ is Jehovah God Almighty that became flesh for the express purpose of saving his creation from judgment by his sacrificial death and resurrection. This is why he is able to mediate and intercede for sinners, and why everlasting life is granted through faith in his name alone.
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