In the previous three articles, I considered Philippians 1 and Hebrews 1 and argued regarding the deity of Jesus and His participation in the Trinity. But why should we even think about the deity of Jesus? It’s important to discuss it because, in most refutations against the doctrine of the Trinity, the full deity of Jesus is first to be attacked. If non-Trinitarians can successfully prove that Jesus is not God in the complete sense, then the Trinity is a false doctrine. Of course, most non-Trinitarians will also endeavour to reduce the Holy Spirit to an active force rather than a distinct being.
Now you might ask, does it really matter whether I believe in the Trinity or the full deity of Jesus? Firstly, the most valuable activity that we can undertake is knowing God. In Luke 17:3, Jesus, in His prayer, says that eternal life is knowing God and Himself. The basis of any relationship is growing in the knowledge of another and delighting in the exploration of every aspect of their being. Jesus tells us that eternal life – real life – is seeking to know God more and more. It becomes very difficult to do that if you hold false ideas about God, especially in regards to Jesus Christ. Also, a false knowledge of God leads to a darkened sinful state and idolatry (Romans 1:18-25). So, as best we can, it’s worth pursuing an accurate understanding of God and who Jesus is.
Rather than focusing on one particular text, in this article, I want to cover several brief passages worth knowing that support the deity of Jesus. After that, we can consider the personhood of the Holy Spirit and the concept of the Trinity throughout the Old Testament.
So, what are these passages that support the deity of Jesus and prove the concept of the Trinity?
1. John 1:1
In most discussions of the Trinity, particularly with Jehovah’s Witnesses, John 1:1 is sure to come up. I would suggest that, initially, avoiding this passage in discussions is best. I find it more helpful to go to other passages like Philippians 2 and Hebrews 1 and then work my way back to this one. That said, you need to know this passage and have a response. As you a likely aware, the New World Translation makes a small but significant alteration to this passage. Rather than saying that the “Word was God”, the New World Translation states that the “Word was a god”. When you read Isaiah 44:6-7, it says, “This is what the Lord, the King of Israel and its redeemer, the Lord of Hosts, says: “I am the first and I am the last. There is no God but Me.” (HCSB). Isaiah 45:5 says the same thing. So, if there is no other God besides Jehovah, how can Jesus be a god? Of course, Jehovah’s witnesses might try to bring up John 10:34-36 where Jesus quotes Psalm 82:1, but it escapes their attention that God is addressing people who are acting like gods and that He was going to judge them for it.
In regards to John 1:1, Jehovah’s witnesses place an “a” in the text because, in the original language, there is no definite article when it says the Word was God. To be honest, fussing over grammar in this passage is mostly a waste of time unless you are an expert in Greek. However, if I find myself discussing this passage with them, I do try to point out their inconsistency. For example, in John 1:6, 12, 13 and 18, there is no definite article before God in Greek, yet the NWT editors haven’t placed an “a” before God in these verses. Of course, they don’t do it because those verses wouldn’t make sense. However, if they are going to insist that John 1:1 state that the “Word was a god”, they should at least be consistent.
One reason there is no definite article in John 1:1 is that when John says that “the Word was God”, he is likely referring to Christ’s divine nature rather than His name.
2. John 1:3-4
This passage makes it easy to see the eternal and self-sustaining nature of Jesus. It says, “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.” Now, if you mention the first phrase to a Jehovah’s Witness, “Through him all things were made”, they will likely point out that it was through Jesus that all “other things” were made. But the apostle John makes it as straightforward as possible by adding, “without him nothing was made that has been made”.
The more literal translation of this passage says, “not even one (thing) came into being that has come into being”. Not one thing came into being without Jesus. If we can fully grasp the significance of that and realise that through Jesus, God created everything, including angels, then the question is, how did Jesus come into existence? If not one thing came into existence without Jesus, did He create Himself? Of course not. He is eternal because He is fully divine and a member of the Godhead. Notice the passage also says that in Jesus “was life”. Jesus didn’t need anyone to give Him life; He had it already. He is a self-sustaining being. Surely that must indicate that He is an equal member of the Godhead.
3. John 8:58
Obviously, the Jews have a very high regard for Abraham whom was the father of their nation. In John 8, Jesus is encouraging believers to become His true disciples. In doing so, Jesus faces resistance and the discussion opens up about Abraham. Jesus explains to the Jews that that they should listen to Him because He is greater than Abraham. Consider the points that Jesus makes. He reveals:
· As the Son, He has authority from God to set people free from their sins (8:31-37). Abraham never had that authority.
· Although God spoke to Abraham, Jesus has a greater understanding of God because He came from God and saw God in heaven (8:38).
· Abraham would have listened and obeyed Jesus because he would have recognised who Jesus was and the Truth in the words He spoke (8:39).
· Abraham longed to see the day of Jesus and whether by faith or even after death, Abraham saw Jesus come into the world and rejoiced.
After pointing these things out to the Jews, Jesus finally provides the ultimate clue as to why He is greater than Abraham. He says in John chapter 8:58, “before Abraham was born, I am!”. In the NWT, the editors translate this verse to say “before Abraham came into existence, I have been.” However, this translation of John 8:58 shows a blatant disregard for the original language. If you look in the Jehovah’s Witnesses own Interlinear you can easily see that in the Greek Jesus is saying “I am”.
For a Jew, Jesus’ statement is huge. The words “I am” are very obviously a reference to God as it is the very expression that God gives while speaking to Moses in burning bush. The Jews knew exactly what Jesus was saying, which is why they picked up stones to stone Him (John 8:58). If Jesus is “I am” it removes all doubt that He is anything other than God.
4. John 20:28
This is one of my favourite passages to turn to when discussing the deity of Jesus. After failing to believe the reports that Jesus had risen from the dead, Thomas is finally confronted by the living Lord. Seeing Jesus, Thomas exclaims, “My Lord and my God!
When I recently mentioned this passage to a Jehovah’s witness, he tried to suggest that when Thomas said “My Lord”, it was directed to Jesus and when he said, “My God”, He was looking up. But that is nowhere indicated by the text. So, I responded by saying, “based on your reasoning, I could quite easily say that Thomas called Jesus God and Jehovah Lord.
In John 20:28, notice to whom Thomas is speaking: “Thomas said to him (Jesus)”. Thomas is addressing Jesus. To suggest otherwise is to ignore the text and enter the realm of speculation.
5. Luke 2:1-12
In this account, Jesus heals the paralytic man that had been lowered through the roof. But, before healing the man, Jesus says, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” The Jews hearing this declaration, become upset and rightly say, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” We must seriously consider this situation and what the Jews say in this passage because they are absolutely right. Only God can forgive sins. So, if Jesus is forgiving sins, and He does on several occasions, then who is He? He has to God.
6. 2 Peter 1:1 and Titus 2:13.
Both of these passages make it very apparent that the apostle Peter and the apostle Paul believed that Jesus was God. In 2 Peter 1:1, Peters says, “To those who through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as our”. Likewise, in Titus 2:13, Pauls says, “while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearance of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ”.
Interestingly, the first passage, “our God” in Greek includes the definite article, again opposing the view that Jesus is “a god” (John 1:1 NWT). In the second passage, Paul clarifies who the great God and Saviour is. It is Jesus Christ. Many times, throughout the Old Testament, the expression “great God” was said of Jehovah (Consider Psalm 86:8-10, Deuteronomy 32:3 & Psalm 95:3-7).
Suppose Jesus is “the God” and the “Great God” what else can we conclude other than He is God? Now, we must understand that calling Jesus God doesn’t make Him the Father. They are two distinct beings. But if those beings are equal and perfectly united, then describing one or the other as God is fitting.
Final Thoughts
There are a few other passages that we can look at and hopefully I will point them out as we consider the Trinity from the point of view of the Old Testament. However, the above passages should be sufficient to conclude that Jesus is just as much God as the Father. And if both Jesus and the Father are similarly divine, surely that makes a case for the Trinity.
