“The Word was with God, and was God.” This is in every way a striking passage: when everything began, He was—that is, had no beginning—was God, as indeed it must be, yet was a distinct personality; He was with God, and always such, was so in the beginning, that He created everything.
We find in Heb. 1 the same truths. He, the Messiah, for of Him he speaks, the Son, is God, is worshipped by angels, in the beginning laid the foundations of the earth, and is “the same” — in Hebrew (Psa. 102), Thou art the existing One, the Being, where the testimony is so much the stronger by comparison with Psalm 102:1212But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations. (Psalm 102:12), where Christ in humiliation addresses Jehovah.
In John 8 we find, “Before Abraham was I AM,” in contrast with His age as man; which the Jews perfectly understood, and would have killed Him for blasphemy.
Colossians 1:1616For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (Colossians 1:16): “All things were created by Him and for Him,” where it is unquestionable Christ is spoken of, the true force of verse 19 being “all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him,” and spoken of Him as man living upon earth, and accomplished in fact in chapter 2:9, “In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
John 10: “I and My Father are one.”
His name is called Jesus—Jehoshua, that is, Jehovah the Savior, for He shall save His people—who, and whose people, in connection with the explanation of such a name? Christ is the Jehovah of the Old Testament. Thus John 12:4141These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. (John 12:41), Isaiah saw His glory, and spoke of Him, quoting Isaiah 6. Whose glory was seen there? Jehovah of hosts.
So John the Baptist’s ministry was preparing the way of Jehovah (Matt. 3:33For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (Matthew 3:3), quoting Isa. 40 Mal. 3:11Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts. (Malachi 3:1)), “I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me, and Jehovah, whom ye seek, shall come.” If the judgment to come on the earth is referred to, difference of interpretation as to this, or the passing on from Christ’s first coming to His second, does not affect the question of the Person who comes; He who first came will come again.
The more we compare passages as to this, the more we shall see this identification, and that it is not forcing one or two texts, but the doctrine of Scripture woven into its whole texture. Jehovah is Israel’s righteousness, but Christ is made our righteousness. “The Lord (Jehovah) my God shall come, and all His saints with Thee” (Zech. 14:55And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. (Zechariah 14:5)); “and Jehovah said... a goodly price that I was prized at of them, and I took the thirty pieces of silver,” etc. (11:12, 13). “Then shall Jehovah go forth... and His feet shall stand in that day on the Mount of Olives” (14:4). So, as to Redeemer, Jehovah alone is their Redeemer. In Isaiah 63 this Redeemer is clearly Christ. So in Isaiah 50:22Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. (Isaiah 50:2), “Thus saith Jehovah... Wherefore, when I came, was there no man?” And then He goes on, and asserts His unenfeebled divine power, yet He continues, “Jehovah Elohim hath given me the tongue of the learned,” and the sufferings of Christ are then spoken of.
In Psalm 2 the kings of the earth are called to trust in the Son—the Christ—yet a curse is pronounced on trusting in man, or in any one but Jehovah. See Revelation 22, He who comes quickly is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, the first and the last.
In many of the passages in which God and the Lord Jesus are mentioned, with one article in Greek, it may possibly unite them, only in the subject matter of the sentence. Hence, although I think they prove a great deal as to the identification of God and the Lord Jesus, I do not quote them as simply proving, in an absolute way, the divinity of Christ. But the force of the passage in Titus is apparent, “Waiting for the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” It is unquestionably Christ who appears; as it is now in the face of Jesus Christ that we see the glory of the Lord.
This unity of God and Christ is manifest throughout John’s writings, “I and My Father are one.” “We are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” Take, again, such an example—for it is only an example— “And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. If ye know that He is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of Him. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 2:28, 29; 3:1, 228And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. (1 John 2:28‑29)
1Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. (1 John 3:1‑2)). Now, who will say to whom this applies—Christ, or God? It is impossible to distinguish them. What characterizes all the writings of John, in the language of Christ, is One who has the place and title of perfect equality, yet now being a Man, takes nothing, never glorifies Himself, but receives all from His Father, as in John 17. In them we have God over all, blessed forever (Rom. 9:55Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen. (Romans 9:5)), which, I doubt not, for my part, is the only true sense; and other passages I do not quote, as they are matters of criticism. Indeed, I have only cited such as suggest themselves to my memory. So Thomas “My Lord and my God.”
But there is another class of texts, which to the mind, sensible of what is due to God, evidently show who He is. Grace coming from Him, as is found everywhere— “Out of His fullness have we all received, and grace for grace.” Christ is all. His love passes knowledge. Christ is to dwell in my heart by faith. If Christ be to me what the Scripture says He is to be to me, and be not God, He must exclude God altogether. The very fact that Christ made Himself of no reputation when in the form of God, is again a moral proof of His divine nature. Every creature was bound to keep its first estate; He who was high and sovereign could, in grace, come down and take another nature.
Everything confirms this. He does not merely work miracles and east out devils, but sends others out, and gives them authority over all devils. When He says, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” who was dwelling in the temple? This kind of proof shines forth in every page of the gospels, and to the mind whose eye is open to see, affords a proof more powerful even than individual texts stating it in the letter, as I speak of the letter.
Let me add the remark, that when it is said the fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him, bodily, it is not a vague word, as we speak of what is divine.
Where the leper says, “Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst,” He says, “I will, be thou clean” —who can so speak? The proofs that He is a man must not be cited against it. We hold to this as anxiously as anyone. His being God is only of special value to us because He is man—a true, very man, though a sinless one— God with us, and then we in Him before God—One who took flesh and blood, that He might die, and partook of flesh and blood because the children were partakers of it—a dependent, obedient man, who, though He had life in Himself, lived by every word that proceeded out of the mouth of God.
When I am called to believe in Jesus Christ come in flesh, which Christians are to believe, they hold He is a man; but why insist on this? If He was simply a man, how else could man come? Not an angel, for an angel must not leave its estate, and He did not take up angels words which have no sense if He had been one, and was taking up the cause of others as such. When He says, “the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,” and that He is in the Father, and the Father in Him, the last might be said of a man, perhaps; the former impossible as a mere man, or of any but a divine Person. So, when He says, “None hath ascended up to heaven,” that is to state what is there— “save He that came down from heaven, the Son of man, who is in heaven.” And, if all men are to honor the Son even as they honor the Father, it cannot be that He is a mere man, or not have the nature which is to be honored.
Jehovah has sworn that every knee shall bow to Him, and every tongue give an account of himself to God, but it is at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Hence, though the Son quickens whom He will, as the Father, yet the Father judges no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son as they honor Him. There is no God but Jehovah—I know not any, as says the prophet; but we have seen, by multiplied examples, that Christ is Jehovah.
That as Son He has taken a place subject to the Father as man, every Christian believes—receives the glory He once had with the Father before the world was—everyone who bows to Scripture joyfully accepts; for He is a man forever, in that sense a servant, but He who is the servant can say, I and My Father are one, and I am in the Father, and he who has seen Me has seen the Father also.
Compare the description of the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7 and Revelation 1, and see if the Ancient of Days, who receives the Son of man in Daniel 7 be not the Son of Man in Revelation 1, and in Daniel 7 too; from verse 22 of the chapter the Ancient of Days comes. Hence we have, “the blessed and only Potentate, King of kings, and Lord of lords” then, the appearing of Christ; but in Revelation He who comes on the white horse has on His vesture and on His thigh, King of kings, and Lord of lords. You see, the more Scripture is gone through, the more comes to light that He is the true God and Eternal Life.
(To be continued)