JESUS: BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT COMPLETELY DIVINE, PART 1.

My view on this topic is that Jesus Christ is one of the Persons of the Godhead and when He came to earth as a human 2000 years ago , He still was God! And that His body, soul and spirit are completely divine before , during and after the incarnation. In looking at the Biblical evidence for the deity of Christ, Millard J. Erickson looks at Jesus own self-consciousness1 . For example in Matthew 13: 41 Jesus says He would send “His angels” which are “the angels of God” spoken in Luke 12: 8-9. So the angels were His! In Matthew 13:41 it also talks about “His kingdom” : “ The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all law breakers.” In the different gospels this kingdom is repeatedly referred to as the kingdom of God! Another Scripture which shows that He is aware of His deity is Mark 2: 5 where Jesus says “Son, your sins are forgiven” when talking to a paralytic who needed healing! The only one who can forgive sins is God, as the scribes who heard this were shocked at His words who said: “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus knew who He was!

In John 8:58 Jesus is shown claiming preexistence in the same accord to how God expressed Himself to Moses in the burning bush: I AM. It says : “ Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.’ “ And the religious were ready to stone Him because they knew what He meant! Another reference to preexistence is found in John 3: 13 where Jesus says: “ No one has ascended into heaven except He who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.” And He referred to Himself at different times as the Son of Man! During His trial and condemnation is found the clearest reference to Himself as God when He responds to His accusers: “ ‘I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ “ ( Matthew 26: 63-64). Paul says the following in some of his epistles: “For in Him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” (Colossians 1: 19). And in Colossians 2:9 it says : “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.” So here Paul expresses the deity of Jesus !

Some of the implications of Jesus’ deity are the following: 1) Can have real knowledge of the Godhead since Jesus said : “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14: 9). Jesus is God!; 2)Redemption is available to man. Because Jesus died and rose again on the third day, when a person has a born-again experience they can testify to His deity, that He is alive and He can forgive their sins!; 3)God and humanity have been reunited. As a person’s spirit comes into communion again with God’s Spirit they know He is real and that He is God!; 4)Worship of Jesus is appropriate. He is God and He is due reverence and adoration and praise!

NOTES
1Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology,(Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006),700-704.