Framework Systematic Theology - 02 - Doctrine of Jesus Christ - His Deity

(This video is not meant to be sacrireligious. It was created to show how people can stereotypically fall into thinking about Jesus. Do we forget He is fully God along with His full humanity?)

In the last lesson, we looked at the storyline of Jesus Christ. It was about how we can understand Him throughout Scripture - from before the beginning of time through the time of future eternity. Why are we starting out with Jesus when looking into doctrines, and why are we looking so deeply into who He is? As people who are all about glorifying our great God, we must understand that Jesus is the glory of God (Philippians 2:11). So who IS (not “was”) Jesus?

Let’s first look at what the Deity of Jesus Christ means: Jesus as fully God. We have to remember that everyone has a view on this. Right now, if you realize it or not, you have thoughts on whether or not Jesus has always been fully God, if Jesus is fully God today, and if Jesus will always be fully God. All throughout history people have had views on this, such as:
Ebionism – People who believe this say that Jesus was a regular man who was born but chosen by God to become His Son at His baptism. The Spirit of God left this man near His death. This might sound crazy that people would believe that, but there is a man named Jose Luis today who believes He is now the “Christ” as the Spirit has entered him to be God’s Son. YouTube him!
Aryanism – People who believe this say that Jesus is not God because he is God’s Son who He created to be His firstborn over all creation. Jehovah’s Witnesses do hold to this thought today. When I meet other “Christians” throughout life, I normally love to ask them their thoughts on who Jesus is. I’ve gotten many answers saying that there is no way that Jesus is fully God and that God would never want Jesus to be worshipped because only God should be worshipped. The view of Aryanism is all over the place in many different people from bad teaching!

Are we crazy for thinking that God has a Son fully divine as He is? Are we the only ones who think this? Actually, Jesus claimed Himself to be God (John 10:30). Of course any yahoo can claim that, so what did others say about Him? Those who walked, talked, and lived with Him claimed His Deity as well (John 1:1). Again, any lunatic can claim that for himself and brainwash his followers to do this same. Did He actually display divine attributes? Yes! In the New Testament, Jesus displayed the divine attributes we normally think of: omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. But He also portrayed other important divine attributes: eternal existence, ability to forgive sins, faultless holiness, loving, just, etc.

Yet this article isn’t just to teach you that Jesus is fully God, but it is also to teach you that Jesus is the fullest physical revelation and fulfillment of who God was showing Himself to be all throughout the OT. God is creating and ruling by speaking in the OT. In John 1:1-14 Jesus is specifically called the Word of God. God is teaching and calling for living the way of wisdom in the OT such as in Proverbs. In the NT, Jesus is called both the Way (John 14:6), and the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:30). As God is claiming Himself to be LORD in the OT, Jesus is constantly referred to as Lord in the NT (Philippians 2:10-11). God reveals Himself to Moses and His people in the OT as the “I AM”, and Jesus makes the same claim for Himself (John 8:58). Lastly, the greatest promise God gave to His OT people is that He would bless them with His presence. In Matthew 1:23, the author says that the angels’ proclamation took place to fulfill the OT prophecy that Jesus would be called “Emmanuel” meaning: “God is with us.” God is speaking of Himself in the OT to point us to His glory in the NT – His Son Jesus Christ.

What I want to leave with you is that Jesus is the difference maker. As we speak with friends and family about bringing meaning into their lives, we must be faithful to share the person and work of Jesus Christ for God to make a difference in their lives. Churches aren’t making a difference when they don’t point their people to Jesus Christ. So many people want to say that all religions are worshipping the same God but just from different angles. No! The glory of God is Jesus Christ and anyone who doesn’t believe in Christ isn’t a child of God the Father, rather they are a child of the Devil (2 Corinthians 4:1-6, John 8:42). Jesus is fully God.

Biblical Theology - 2 - 1 Cor. 3:10-15 "Christocentrism: Jesus Christ is our Motivation"

When I went to Africa on a mission trip, it wasn’t the differences of Africans from Americans that shocked me. It was their similarities. Just like American teenagers, the Ugandan senior high boys seemed “too cool” to get involved, the senior high girls sat around giggling about the guys, and all the junior highers were enjoying the games shamelessly. I had to keep reminding myself, “Chip, your not in Kansas (USA) anymore!” Watching how teenage guys are prone to video games, wrestling, and grunting while teenage girls naturally love giggling, discussions, and frequent bathroom trips together…I’m convinced that both genders operate off different motivations. Teenage guys are motivated by action while teenage girls are motivated by affection.

Since we’re on the subject of motivation, it’s important to crack our chests open, and examine our hearts… spiritually! What is the central motivation of our lives? Why do we do what we do? I believe if we’re honest, we’ll all admit that sometimes we just get tired of doing the “Christian thing” whether it be church, singing, witnessing, studying, etc. Paul is addressing a church in the same condition that we often find ourselves. He points them back to the right motivation for life in 1 Corinthians 3:10 – 15.

Paul is writing his little heart out to the church in the city of Corinth saying that life isn’t about him or anyone else in ministry, but it’s about the foundation that every ministry should be built on. That foundation is Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is the motivation for our salvation (vs. 10-11). The foundational motivation that God uses to bring everyone to faith in Christ is the desire to know and follow Christ. When I played high school basketball, the number one reason I played was for glory – the glory of the team and the glory of me. Glory is the reason I ran sprints, practiced until near exhaustion, shot more than a hundred times a day, and wore the embarrassingly tight hand-me-down uniform. God’s goal for salvation is that Jesus Christ would get the glory from our lives. God works in the heart of a sinner in a way that they see their sin, they see their need for Christ, and they want to be united to Him.

Not only salvation, but Paul also says that Jesus Christ is the motivation of our sanctification (vs. 12-15). Sanctification is a word talkin’ bout our spiritual growth. Paul rushes his readers way ahead to the Day of Judgment as he tells them that all of their works will be tested with fire. In the next chapter, Paul tells them that their works are being tested for the motivation - why they are done (1 Cor 4:5). So the motivation is crucial! All of this is a picture of our good works being put on a conveyor belt and passing through a fire. If they were done for the glory of Christ, they will come out the other side proven as valuable as gold, silver, and jewels. If even the best of someone’s good works weren’t done with the motivation of glorifying Christ (if done for self or someone else), then the worth will be proven by ashes of incinerated wood, hay, and straw. God’s desire is that we do everything for the glory of His Son, Jesus Christ. Change your mind to make Jesus’ glory the reason for everything you do. Decide to grow spiritually as a Christian because you want to glorify Christ with your life!

As I’m writing this right now, you may be just as bothered as I am about the past. “What about all of those Christian, religious, great things I’ve done in my life? Are you saying they don’t count to God unless Jesus is first in my mind?” That’s not what I’m saying at all. I would never come up with anyone like that because I’m a sinner. But that is what God is saying through the Apostle Paul. If we find ourselves doing things not for Christ’s glory, we must stop, pray, and set our hearts on Him. Just like guys and girls, the motivation of Christians must be different from the world – Jesus Christ!