The Divinity of Christ

By:
H.H. Pope Shenouda III

St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Church

427 West Side Ave, Jersey City, NJ 07304
Available via: http://www.saintmark.com
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 INTRODUCTION
The Divinity of Christ

The Divinity of Christ is one of the most important and

vital subjects in the Christian doctrine. Many heresies
rose against it in various eras, and the Church confronted
them and replied to them. The most dangerous was the
Arian Heresy which reached its peak in the fourth century
and led to many Ecumenical Councils being held. The
first Ecumenical Council in history was held in 325 AD,
attended by 318 bishops from all the churches of the
world. Arius and his heresy were refuted, and the
Christian Creed was formulated. Nevertheless, the
residues of Arianism have continued to spread even till
this day.

Many atheist philosophers and scientists rose against the

Divinity of Christ. The heresy of Jehovah's Witnesses
rose against the Divinity of Christ. It was founded, as
alleged, in Pennsylvania, America, in 1872. Then in 1909
its headquarters moved to New York where a community
was established under the name of "Watch Tower Bible
and Tract Society". They published many books, the most
important of which are: Let God Be True, The Truth Shall
Set You Free, The Harp of God, The Rich Man,
Deliverance, Creation, The New Heaven and the New
Earth, Government and Peace, Protection, Reconciliation,
and various other publications called Tracts.
In the following pages, we will try to discuss the subject of
the Divinity of Christ in a positive research, and prove this
fundamental doctrine from the Holy Bible. We will discuss
all the objections and reply to them in due course.

Many of the saints faced these objections and were,

contemporary with the Arian Movement. Among them
were:

(1) Saint Athanasius the Apostolic who wrote Contra

Arianos,

(2) Saint Hilary, Bishop of Poitiers who wrote a treatise

against the Arians called De Trinitate,
(3) Saint Basil the Great,

(4) Saint Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa,

(5) Saint Gregory Theologus of Nazianzum who wrote

theological treatises and

(6) Saint Cyril of Jerusalem who delivered lectures to the

catechecumens.

In our positive research on the Divinity of Christ, we will

give proofs which will include clear verses pertaining to
His Divinity with respect to:

(1) Him being the Logos (the Word)

(2) His relation with the Holy Spirit

(3) His relation with Heaven

(4) His relation with the Father

(5) Him being the Only Son

(6) Him being the Only Son of God

(7) Him being the Lord

(8) Him being the Redeemer and Savior

(9) The belief in Him

(10) His Divine qualities

(11) His authority over all Creation

(12) His miracles

I began this research in July 1953 when I published the

first article against Jehovah's Witnesses in the Sunday
School Magazine, then in consecutive articles during
1953 / 54. 1 taught it as a subject in the Theological

Seminary during 1954 and also in the 1960’s when I was

bishop of the Seminary. I replied to many questions
pertaining to this subject in general lectures. And finally, I
thought it fit to publish it as a subject of study to be taught
in the various departments of our Theological Seminary.
 Explicit Verses

On the Divinity of Christ

This proof consists of the following:

(A) Proof that the Lord Jesus Christ is a God

(B) Proof that there is only One God, that is, God

(C) Conclusion: Christ is This One God, that is, He is God

(A) Christ Is a God

(1) (Rom. 9:5): St. Paul the Apostle said in his discourse
about the Jews: "and from whom, according to the flesh,
Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God
Amen. " The phrase 'over al' gives power to Christ's
Divinity; He is not God of certain people only, as the
pagan gods are. And the expression 'eternally' signifies
the continuity of His worship and the infinity of His Divinity.

(2) (Jn. 20:28): When Thomas said to the Lord: "My Lord
and my God!" the Lord Jesus Christ accepted the title and
reproached Thomas for believing only after seeing when
he should have believed without seeing.

(3) (Jn. 1: 1): "In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God " Although
Jehovah's Witnesses, in their heterodoxy, say: 66 and the
Word was a God", yet they do not deny the

Divinity of Christ and consider Him second to Jehovah. In

order not to enter into translation controversies with them,
we say that their mere belief that He is a God leads to the
fact that He is God, because there is only One God.

(4) (Matt. 1:23): The angel was referring to Isaiah's

prophecy: "'Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a
Son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel'. Which is
translated, 'God with us"' (Is. 7:14). The fact that Christ is
'God with us' is an obvious profession of His Divinity. That
is why the prophet Isaiah explains this meaning when he
says:

(5) (Is. 9:6): "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is

given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And
His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (v.6). It is
probably the phrase 'Mighty God in this verse that has
made Jehovah's Witnesses say that Christ is a Mighty
God, although in their opinion, He is not God. Strangely
enough, this verse is from the Book of Isaiah in which the
clauses: "I am the Lord and there is no other; there is no
God besides Me" are repeated many times
(Is.45:5,6,21,22).

(6) (Heb.1:7,8): When St. Paul the Apostle explained how

the Lord Jesus Christ is greater than the angels, he said:
"And of the angels He says: 'Who makes His angels
spirits and His ministers aflame offire. 'But to the Son He
says: 'Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. ' " St. Paul
quoted this verse from Psalm 45, verse 6, where the
reference to the Divinity of Christ is very clear.

(7) (1 Tim.3:16): "And without controversy great is the

mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh,
justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among
the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in
glory. " It is obvious, from this verse, that Christ is God
who was manifested in the flesh. But the heresy of
Jehovah's Witnesses presents another translation: "Great
is the mystery of godliness which was manifested in the
flesh", which is incompatible with the continuation of the
same verse. Because how could the mystery of godliness
be seen by angels? Or how was it received up in glory?
Was it not Christ who was seen by angels, ascended to
heaven in glory, preached among the Gentiles and
believed on in the world? However, the theological facts
are not based upon one verse: (I Tim.3:16) is similar to
another verse:

(8) (Col 2:9): St. Paul the Apostle says about the Lord
Jesus Christ: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily." The phrase "all the fullness of the
Godhead' adds to the power of this verse. If all the
fullness of the Godhead dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ,
then He lacks nothing and He is God, and there is no
other God but Him, because there is nothing outside the
fullness. The expression 'bodily' signifies that This
Godhead took a body or was manifested in the flesh as
the previous verse (1 Tim.3:16) explains, and as is
explained in the following verse:

(9) (Acts 20:28): "Therefore take heed to yourselves and

to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He
purchased with His own blood" It is known that God is
Spirit (Jn.4:24) and a spirit has no blood. So, God did not
purchase the Church with His blood unless He had taken
flesh and sacrificed His blood for her. Here, we reach the
same meaning of "God was manifested in the flesh".
(B) There is only One God

(1) This is plain from the first of the Ten Commandments:

"You shall have no other gods before Me" (Ex.20:3);
(Deut.5:7).
(2) And from other verses in the Book of Deuteronomy,
such as: "the LORD Himself is God; there is none other
besides Him" (Deut.5:35), and: "Hear, 0 Israel. The LORD
our God, the LORD is one!" (Deut.6:4)

(3) The doctrine of One God is also clear in many verses

in the Book of Isaiah, among which are:

(a) (Is.43: 10,11): "1 am He. Before Me there was no God

formed, nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the
LORD, and besides Me there is no Savior." This is the
chapter from which Jehovah's Witnesses extracted the
phrase: "'You are My witnesses,' says the LORD"
(Is.43:10,12).

(b) (Is.44:6): "I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me

there is no God."

(c) (Is.45:5,6): "I am the LORD, and there is no other, there

is no God besides Me."
(d) (Is.45:21,22): "Have not I, the LORD? And there is no
other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior, there is
none besides Me. For I am God, and there is no other."

(e) (Is.46:9): "For I am God, and there is no other, I am

God, and there is none like Me."
(4) Another testimony on the Oneness of God is in the
Book of Hosea the Prophet: "Yet I am the LORD your God
ever since the land of Egypt, and you shall know no God
but Me; for there is no Savior besides Me" (Hos. 13:4).

(5) We find the same testimony in the New Testament:

(a) (Rom.3:30): "...since there is one God'

(b) (l Cor. 8:4): "...there is no other God but one"

(c) (Jas. 2:19): "You believe that there is one God. You
do well. Even the demons believe - and tremble!" This
means that even the demons, unfruitful as they are, know
very well that there is one God and tremble from His
Judgment.

If there is mention in the Holy Bible of the word 'gods', it

does not at all mean Deity. Sometimes it means the
pagan gods as is mentioned in the Psalms: "For the LORD
is great and greatly to be praised, He is to be feared
above all gods. For all the gods ofthe people are idols"
(Ps. 96:4,5), and: "Worship Him, all you gods" (Ps. 97:7).
Naturally, those who worship another are not true gods.

Another example, said by the Divine Inspiration in Psalm

82, is: "I said, 'You are gods, and all ofyou are children of
the Most High. But you shall die like men, and fall like one
of the princes."' (Ps: 6,7). Naturally, he who dies and falls
can not be a God. But it is a symbolical expression
signifying power and authority, as when some of the
Jews' enemies were afraid from the return of the Ark of
Covenant and said: "Woe to us! Who will deliver us from
the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who
struck the Egyptians with all the plagues in the
wilderness" (I Sam.4:8). They described all the people as
gods which has a symbolic or a metaphoric meaning.
(C) Conclusion: Christ is God

If there is only one God, by the testimony of the Old and

New Testaments of the Holy Bible, and if Christ is a God
by the same testimony, then Christ is This One God.

God says in the Book of Isaiah: "And there is no other

God besides Me", and in the same Book the Divine
Inspiration says that Christ is a "Mighty God" What does
this mean other than the Two are One?
With Respect to Him Being the
Logos

The Lord Jesus Christ was called 'The Word' in three

important places:

(A) (Jn. 1: 1): "In the beginning was the Word, and the
Word was with God, and the Word was God." In this
verse the reference to Christ's Divinity is very clear.

(B) (lJn.5:7): "For there are three who bear witness in

heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and
these three are one." Here also, the Divinity of Christ is
clear. The term "the Word" in the above verse is in place
of "the Son" in (Matt. 28:19).

(C) (Rev. 19:13): "He was clothed with a robe dipped in

blood, and His name is called The Word of God."
The term "The Word" stands for 'Logos" in Greek which
conveys a linguistic, philosophical and terminolgical
meaning. The word "Logos" is taken from the Greek
verb legein from which the word logic in English is
derived. It means the rational principal expressed in
words.

Thence the term "The Word' means the Logos or

Reason, or Mind which is the position of the Person of the
Son in the Holy Trinity.

Naturally, the Reason of God is inseparable from Him.

God and His Reason are One Entity. If Jehovah's
Witnesses see that Christ is a Junior God to God (who is
Supreme), they do not understand the meaning of the
term "The Word' which is "the Logos" in (Jn 1: I), and
(Jn.5:7).
If Christ is the Reason and the Logos of God, then He is
God and He is Eternal, because the Reason and Logos of
God existed with God since eternity. Therefore Christ is
not created because any created being does not exist
before his creation. Is it reasonable for anyone to think
that there was a time when God existed without Reason,
then He created Reason for Himself? And with what
Reason did He create Reason for Himself? The
apprehension of the Trinity teaches us the Eternity of the
Three Persons. The Person of the Word is of the same
substance of God Himself and has existed in Him since
eternity.

Therefore, the Second Person, The Logos or The Word is

the Person of knowledge, or of reason or wisdom, in the
Holy Trinity. lie is Christ "in whom are hidden all the
treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Col. 23). He is the
Wisdom in the Trinity, which is why St. Paul the Apostle
said that the Lord Jesus Christ is "the Wisdom of God' (I
Cor. 1:24).

That is why when The Word was Incarnate, we saw God

in Him, "No one has seen God at any time" (Jn. 1:18).
That is to say, no one has seen God in His Divinity, but
when He was Incarnate, when He was manifested bodily
(ITim.3:16), we saw Him in the flesh, we saw Him
Incarnate. That is why St. John the Apostle says: "No one
has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is
in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (Jn.
1:18). This means that Christ

declared God to us, and through Him we are able to

perceive God.

The same meaning is given in (Col. 1: 15): "'He is the

image of the invisible God', and in (Phil.2:5-7): "Christ
Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it
robbery to be equal to God, but made Himself of no
reputation, taking the form of a servant, and coming in the
likeness of men. " This means that if Christ appeared to
be equal with God, He did not consider that robbery
because He is verily so. But while being equal with the
Father, He gave up all His glory, was Incarnate, taking
the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of man
... and became obedient to the point of death, even the
death of the cross (Phil.2:8).

St. Paul the Apostle said about the Lord Jesus Christ in
his Epistle to the Hebrews: "...through whom also He
made the worlds, who being the brightness of His glory
and the express image of His person, and upholding all
things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself
purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty
on high, having become so much better than the angels"
(Heb. 1:2-4). The phrase 'the express image of His
person' means the image in which God manifested
Himself in the Incarnation, and thus we could see Him; in
the Person of Christ. That is why Christ the Lord said: "He
who has seen Me has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9). He
was Incarnate for our redemption to purge our sins. He
gave up all His glory although He is the brightness of
God's glory and the image of God (2 Cor.4:4) and had
made the worlds. Here the Apostle presents one of the
Divine attributes of Christ, of His being the Creator. He
created the world because He is the Logos: the Reason
and Wisdom of God.
With Respect to Him Being the
Creator
Without controversy, God is the Creator, and the story of
creation commences with the statement "in the beginning
God created the heavens and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). The
first chapter of Genesis explains how God created all
things. In the book of Isaiah, God says "I am the Lord,
who makes all things, who stretches out heavens all
alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself" (Is.
44:24), and "I, the Lord, do all these things" (Is. 45:7).

However, there are other verses in the Holy Bible that

refer to Christ the Lord as the Creator:

1. (Jn. 1:3): St. John the Evangelist says about the

Lord Jesus Christ "All things were made through
Him, and without Him nothing was made that was
made." Here the Evangelist does not only mention
that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator but also
that none of the creation was made without him"
(Jn. 1:10).
2. (Heb. 1:2): St. Paul the Apostle says "He made the
worlds."
3. (Col. 1:16): St. Paul also says "For by Him all
things were created that are in heaven and that are
on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
dominions or principalities or powers. All things
were created through Him and for Him."
4. (1 Cor. 8:6): The Apostle also says "…through whom
are all things and through him we live."

The Holy bible mentions miracles performed by the Lord

Jesus Crhist which prove that He is the Creator:
 1. The miracle of feeding the five thousand men from
five loaves and two fish (Lk. 9:10-17). In this
miracle, the Lord created matter which had not
existed with which He fed the thousands. What
odds to the power of this miracle is the fact that all
ate and were filled, and twelve baskets were taken
up. From where did all the leftover fragments
come? It was matter newly created by the Lord
Jesus Christ. This great miracle is mentioned by
the four Evangelists.
2. The miracle of feeding the four thousand men from
seven loaves and a few little fish (Matt. 15:32-38).
The disciples took up seven large baskets full of
the fragments that were left over. Here also the
Lord created new matter which had not existed,
and the ability to create is attributed to God alone.

The miracle of changing water into wine in Cana of

Galilee (Jn. 2). This miracle is also an act of creation
because water consists of oxygen and hydrogen only, so
from where did the alcohol and the other constituents of
wine come? The Lord Jesus Christ created all these
elements in this miracle. The power of this miracle is that
it happened by Christ’s mere inner will, without him doing
any action or blessing or even giving an order to the
water to change into wine. He only said " ‘Fill the water
pots with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. And
He said to them, 'Draw some out now' " (Jn.2:7,8). Thus
the water changed to wine merely by His will. He willed to
create the substance of wine and it was created, even
without a command.

(4) Granting sight to the man born blind (Jn.9). Here the
Lord Jesus Christ created eyes which had not existed
before and created them out of mud, as He had created
the first man. Mud, which if put on seeing eyes causes
blindness, was put by the Lord into the sockets of the
blind man, and two eyes were created. What adds to the
power of this miracle is that the Lord ordered the man to
go and wash in the pool of Siloam. Normally, washing
mud dissolves it, but in this miracle, when the man
washed with water, the mud was reinforced in his sockets
as eyes and the water tied them with blood vessels,
muscle and tissue. And the man born blind said to the
Jews: "Since the world began it has been unheard of that
anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind'
(Jn.9:32).

Here we are faced with an important theological question:

How can Christ be the Creator if creation is attributed to

God alone?

The Lord Jesus Christ was creating with the power of His
Divinity, being the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, that
is, the Reason of God. Who then created all things? Was
it the Lord Jesus Christ or God the Father? God the
Father created the whole universe by the Son; by His
Reason; by His Knowledge; by His Word, that is, by the
Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Hence the Apostle
says: "...through whom also He made the worlds"
(Heb.1:2), that is, by His Reason, by His Wisdom.
 With Respect to Him Sending
the Holy Spirit

This proof consists of the following points:

(A) God is Spirit

(B) God is the One who pours out and sends His Spirit

(C) The Lord Jesus Christ pours out, sends and breathes

the Spirit of God

(D) Conclusion: Christ is God

(A) God Is Spirit

This is clear from the words of the Lord Jesus Christ

Himself. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth" (Jn.4:24), and also from the
Apostle's words: "Now the Lord is the Spirit" (2 Cor. 3:17).
(B) God Is the One Who Pours out His Spirit

This is clear from the Lord's words in the Book of Joel: "I
am the Lord your God and there is no other... And it shall
come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all
flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your
old men shall dream dreams" (Joel 2:27-29).
God Sends His Spirit to the World

The Psalm says: "You send forth Your Spirit, they are
created; and You renew the face of the earth" (Ps.
104:30). The Lord says in the Book of Ezekiel: "I will put
My Spirit within you" (Ez. 36:27). And in the Book of
Numbers the Lord says: "Oh, that all the LORD'S people
were prophets and that the LORD would put His Spirit
upon them!" (Num. 11:29) St. Paul the Apostle says:
"God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit" (1 Thes. 4:8).

(C) The Lord Jesus Christ Pours out God's Spirit on

His

Disciples
This is obvious from the Book of Acts, chapter 2, verse
33. This point to Jehovah's Witnesses does not need any
proving. They confess in their book Let God Be True that
"the Spirit of God was poured out on the disciples by the
hand of Jesus on the Day of Pentecost."
The Lord Jesus Christ Sends God's Spirit

This is clear from the Gospel according to St. John,

where the Lord said to His disciples: "But when the
Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will
testify of Me" (Jn. 15:26), and: "For if I do not go away,
the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send
Him to you" (Jn. 16:7).
The Lord Jesus Christ Breathes God's Spirit

This is clear from the Gospel according to St. John, in

which we read: "And when He had said this, He breathed
on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit' " (Jn.
20:22).
(D) Conclusion: Christ Is God

(a) Who can pour out the Spirit of God, send the Spirit of
God and breath the Spirit of God on people, except God
Himself? And if the Lord Jesus Christ did these, is He not
God, then?
(b) God says in the Book of Joel: "I will pour out My Spirit
on all flesh." And St. Peter the Apostle uses this verse as
a testimony on the Day of Pentecost at the descent of the
Holy Spirit, saying: "'And it shall come to pass in the last
days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all
flesh"' (Acts 2:16,17). Moreover he says in the same
chapter that the Lord Jesus, "being exalted to the right
hand of God, and having received from the Father the
promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you
now see and hear" (Acts 2:33). Then who is the Lord
Jesus Christ who pours out the Spirit of God on people,
but God Himself?

(c) We cannot imagine, nor can Jehovah's Witnesses,

that there is a power other than God who can send the
Spirit of God or pour out the Spirit of God.
 With Respect to His Other
Relations with the Holy Spirit

In this proof, we will present two important points:

(A) The Holy Spirit Takes of What Is Christ's

In the Lord's discourse with His disciples about the Holy

Spirit, He said: "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what
is Mine and declare it to you" (Jn. 16:14), and: "All things
that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will
take of Mine and declare it to you" (Jn. 15:16).

How is it possible that the Spirit of God takes from

another to give to people? How can this possibly be said
about the Spirit of God who spoke through the prophets
and taught them everything and granted them different
gifts? How can the Spirit of God take from Christ unless
Christ is God Himself?
What is the spiritual interpretation of the Holy Spirit taking
of what is Christ's?

Christ is the Incarnate Second Person of the Holy Trinity.

The Second Person is the Person of Reason, Knowledge,
Understanding and Rational Expression in the Holy
Trinity. Therefore, theologically speaking, the Holy Spirit
can take from the Person of Knowledge. The

Lord Jesus Christ explained this when He said: "All things

that the Father has are Mine" (Jn. 16:15).
(B) Christ Was Conceived of the Holy Spirit

In the story of the birth of Christ, we see that St. Matthew

the Evangelist says: "After His mother Mary was
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was
found with Child of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 1: 18). This
declaration is confirmed when the angel said to Joseph,
"for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit"
(Matt. 1:20). And St. Luke the Evangelist recorded the
words of the angel to the Virgin Mary: "The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Highest will
overshadow you, therefore, also, that Holy One who is to
be born will be called the Son of God' (Lk. 1:35).
Who then is Christ? And what is His Nature?

(1) Christ is of the Spirit of God, as St. Matthew the

Apostle says, "...for that which is conceived in her is of
the Holy Spirit." That is why the Holy Spirit came upon the
Virgin Mary and she was found with Child of the Holy
Spirit. Since Christ was born of the Holy Spirit, therefore
His birth has two consequences, in accordance with the
Gospel of St. Luke the Evangelist: First, that He is Holy
and second, that He is the Son of God. Both
consequences indicate His Divinity.

(2) God is Spirit (Jn. 4:24) and Christ is of the Spirit of

God. Therefore He is of the very essence of God and has
the same Nature with Him. That is why He is called Holy
which is one of God's names, as the Virgin called Him in
her magnificient: "And holy is His name" (Lk. 1:49).
 With Respect to His Descent
from Heaven

(1) The Lord Jesus Christ says:

"I am the bread which came down from heaven" (Jn.
6:41), and thus He is the Giver of life, 'for the bread of
God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to
the world' (Jn. 6:33). The Lord Jesus Christ repeats: "I
have come down from heaven" (Jn. 6:38), and explains
His coming down from heaven by saying:

(2) "1 came forth from the Father and have come into the
world. Again, I leave the world and go to the Father" (Jn.
16:28). He emphasizes the statement of His coming
down from the Father by saying to His disciples: "The
Father Himself loves you, because you have loved
Me, and have believed that I came forth from God'
(Jn. 16:27). He also repeated this meaning in His
discourse with the Jews in the same Gospel, chapter 8,
verse 42.
(3) Therefore, Christ is not from earth but from heaven.
He came forth from the Father. That was His original
dwelling, and His appearance in the flesh among people
on earth is because He
"made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a
servant, and coming in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:7).
But He had to ascend to the heavens from which He
descended. As for this earth, He existed before its
creation, or rather it was He who created it. Yet since
eternity He has been in the Father who is His natural
or rather His dignified dwelling.

(4) The Lord explained His descent from heaven and His
ascension into it to Nicodemus when He said
"No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down
from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven"
(Jn. 3:13). What is meant here by heaven is the heaven
of heavens which nobody has ascended to or descended
from except Christ, being the Second Person of the Holy
Trinity, "who is in the bosom of the Father" (Jn. 1: 18).
The heaven of heavens is where the throne of God is,
because in the Sermon on the Mount the Lord said that
heaven is God's throne (Matt. 5:34). The expression 'the
Son of Man who is in heaven' means that Christ was in
heaven while He was on earth. Being on earth and in
heaven at the same time is proof of His Divinity. The
event of His ascension into heaven (Acts. 1:9) is the
fulfillment of the words He said to His disciples: "Again, I
leave the world and go to the Father" (Jn. 16:28).

(5) Christ not only dwells in heaven, but has authority

there. He received the spirit of St. Stephen the first
deacon, who said while he was being stoned "Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit" (Acts. 7:59).The Lord Jesus Christ
granted the Penitent Thief leave to enter into Paradise
which is the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2,4), when He
said to him: "Today you will be with Me in Paradise"
(Lk. 23:43).
Who receives the spirits of the departed and has the
authority to let them into Paradise, except God Himself?
Christ did that.

(6) Christ also gave the Apostles the keys of heaven.

He said to St. Peter, representing the Apostles: "And I will

give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven" (Matt.16:19).
And He said to the Apostles: "whatever you bind on earth
will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth
will be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 18:18). Here, we ask a
question: Who has the authority to give the keys of the
kingdom of heaven to people and give them the authority
to bind and loose there except God Himself?

(7) Christ is worshipped by the heavenly powers. The

Apostle says that "at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth"
(Philip: 10). The worship of the angels to the Lord Jesus
Christ is proof of His Divinity.

(8) Christ is higher than the heavens and He is in heaven

interceding for us. St. Paul the Apostle says that "He ever
lives to make intercession for them. For such a High
Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled,
separate from sinners, and has become higher than the
heavens" (Heb. 7:25,26).
With Respect to Him Being the
Lord

If the Lord is God and Christ is the Lord, then Christ is

God. We will present here verses from the Holy Bible to
prove this.

(A) 'LORD' Is One of God's Names

God said in the Book of Isaiah the Prophet: "I, even I, am

the Lord, and besides Me there is no Saviour" (Is. 43:1 1),
and: "I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God
besides Me" (Is. 45:5), and: "Have not I, the Lord? And
there is no other God besides Me" (Is. 45:21). The Lord
Jesus Christ said, quoting from the Book of Deuteronomy,
chapter 6, verse 13: "You shall worship the Lord your
God, and Him only you shall serve" (Lk. 4:8); (Matt. 4:
10). He also said: "You shall not tempt the Lord your God'
(Lk. 4:12); (Matt. 4:7). So the Lord is God, that is why it is
written in the Book of Deuteronomy: "For the Lord your
God is God of gods and Lord of lords" (Deut. 10:17), and
in the Book of Hosea: "I am the Lord your God.. and you
shall know no God but Me" (Hos. 13:4). One of the most
important verses which prove that 'Lord' is one of the
names of God alone is what the Lord Himself said in the
Book of Isaiah: "I am the Lord, that is My name, and My
glory I will not give to another" (Is. 42:8).
(B) The Lord Jesus Was Called 'Lord' on Many
Occasions That Revealed His Divinity

(1) One of these occasions was the question asked by

the Lord Jesus, which puzzled the pharisees. When they
said that Christ is the Son of David, He asked them: "How
then does David in the Spirit call Him 'Lord,' saying: 'The
Lord said to My Lord, "Sit at My right hand, till I make
Your enemies Your footstool' '? " (Ps. I 10: 1), "And no
one was able to answer Him a word' (Matt. 22:43-46).
David called Christ 'Lord', and the phrase 'sit at My right
hand adds to the power of the verse.

(2) The title 'Lord' was used in addressing the Lord Jesus
Christ in prayers. Prayer is worship in which the word
'Lord' should be addressed to God only. Regarding this
the Lord Jesus Christ said in the Sermon on the Mount:
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter
the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My
Father in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). Here, the Lord says that
prayers addressed to Him without good deeds are in vain.
The same meaning is conveyed when He said: "But why
do you call Me 'Lord, Lord, 'and do not do the things
which I say?" (Lk. 6:46)

(3) The name 'Lord' will be used in addressing Christ on

the Day of Judgment. The Lord Jesus Christ said: "Many
will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not
prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name,
and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will
declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness!'" (Matt. 7:22,23). The
discourse of those people with Christ as being the Judge,
and His executing Judgment -are proofs of His Divinity.
Undoubtedly, the fact that

people will address Christ on the Day of Judgment as

'Lord' is proof of His Divinity because He is the One who
decides their destiny. The phrases 'prophesied in Your
name' and 'cast out demons in Your name' said in the
most serious hour, the hour of Judgment, are also proofs
of Christ's Divinity.

In the Lord's discourse about His sitting on the throne of

His glory on the Day of Judgment, He said that both the
righteous and the wicked will address Him as 'Lord'. The
righteous will say: "Lord, when did we see You hungry
and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink?" (Matt.
25:37) In the same manner of speech the wicked will
address Him, saying: "Lord, when did we see You hungry
or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and
did not minister to You?" (Matt. 25:44) And both of them
will receive from Him the sentence of their everlasting
destiny. It will be an awesome hour in which everyone will
address Christ, who will be sitting on the throne of His
glory surrounded by all the holy angels, as God (Matt.
25:31). The same applies to the Lord's discourse about
the Day of Judgment when the wicked will stand outside,
saying: "Lord, Lord, open for us" (Lk. 13:25).

(4) The name 'Lord' was addressed to Christ at the hour

of death which is a very awkward hour. The hour of death
is everyone's concern, especially the virtuous who are
very watchful over their salvation and cautious of every
utterance of their speech. We see that a great saint like
St. Stephen the first deacon, at the hour of his death,
said: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). St.
Stephen confessed that Jesus is the Lord into whose
hands he commended his spirit. He said these words
after he had seen Christ standing at the right hand of God
in the highest. It is an explicit confession of Christ's
Divinity. Similarly was the confession of the Penitent Thief
who said: "Lord, remember me when You come into Your
kingdom" (Lk. 23:42), and the Lord accepted this title
from him and promised him that he would be with Him in
Paradise that same day. This means that the belief of the
Penitent thief in Christ as the Lord made him worthy of
Paradise.

(5) The name 'Lord' was attributed to Christ in the domain

of creation. St. Paul the Apostle says: "One Lord Jesus
Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom
we live" (1 Cor.8:6).

(6) The title 'Lord' was given to Christ by St. Thomas the
Apostle in expressing his faith. Having believed, after he
had put his finger into the print of the nails, he said: "My
Lord and my God!" (Jn. 20:28) It was a very plain
statement professing the Divinity of Christ. The Lord
Jesus accepted from Thomas this statement and this
faith, and reproached him for being late in professing this
faith, saying: "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you
have believed Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have believed" (Jn. 20:29).

(7) When the jailer believed and wanted to be saved, the

Apostles Paul and Silas answered him, saying: "Believe
on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and
your household' (Acts 16:3 1). The term 'Lord' here is
used in the sense of 'God' because it is connected with
faith and salvation which are related to God alone.

(8) The name 'Lord' was attributed to Christ in relation to

the glory. St. Peter the Apostle said: "Grow in the grace
and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To
Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen" (2
Pet.3:18). It is obvious that this verse indicates Christ's
Divinity. Of course, there is a vast difference between 'a
lord' and 'the Lord'. In addition to this, the expression 'our
Lord and Saviour' is used only in connection with God,
especially when the words 'To Him be the glory both now
and forever' are added to it.

St. James the Apostle says in gentle reproach: "My

brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Lord of g1ory, with partiality" (Jas.2: 1). The Apostle
emphasizes that faith should not be without good works.
The importance of this verse lies in the terms 'our Lord',
and 'the Lord of glory' and in their connection with faith
which is used only when talking about God.

(9) The expression 'the Lord of glory' is a proof of Divinity

because glory has no lord but God. And the expression
'Lord of glory' is much stronger than the expression 'to
Him be glory'. Both these expressions were said about
the Lord Jesus Christ. The expression 'the Lord of glory'
was repeated in the words of St. Paul the Apostle about
the wisdom of God, which none of the rulers of that age
knew; "for had they known, they would not have crucified
the Lord of glory" (1 Cor. 2:8).

(10) The Lord Jesus Christ was called Lord of lords. This
title is attributed to God only. It is written in the Book of
Deuteronomy: "For the Lord your God is God of gods and
Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome" (Deut.
10: 17). We see that the title 'Lord of lords' was given to
the Lord Jesus Christ on more than one occasion. In the
Book of Revelation, it is written: "And He has on His robe
and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:16), and: "These will make
war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for
He is Lord of lords and King of kings" (Rev. 17:14). Who
then is the Lord of lords and King of kings but God
Himself? And this was said about the Lord Jesus Christ in
expressions indicating His Divinity.

(11) The Lord Jesus was also called 'the Lord of the
Sabbath'. In His discourse with the pharisees about
deeds of mercy, the Lord Jesus replied to them in a way
directing their attention to His Divinity. He said: "But I say
to you that in this place there is One greater than the
temple... 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice' ", and
concluded His discourse by saying: "For the Son of Man
is Lord even of the Sabbath" (Matt.12:1-8). Everyone
knew that the Sabbath was the Lord's Day and that the
Law of the Sabbath was a Law givenby God Himself. But
behold, the Lord Jesus Christ said that He is Lord even of
the Sabbath, which means that He is the Lord of the
Lord's Day and the Author of the Law itself. These words
cannot be said except by God Himself.

(12) The Lord Jesus Christ was also called 'the Lord our
Righteousness'. In the prophecy of Jeremiah the prophet,
it is written: " 'Behold, the days are coming,' says the
Lord, 'that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness;
a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and
righteousness in the earth... Now this is His name by
which He will be called THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:5,6). This prophecy has
been fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ because He
became our righteousness after granting us
righteousness through His blood.

(13) Christ was called 'Lord' in the events of performing

miracles. St Peter, after walking with Him on the water,
was afraid when he saw the boisterous wind. He started
to sink so he cried out, saying: "'Lord, save me! 'And
immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught
him" (Matt. 14:30,31), "then those who were in the boat
came and worshipped Him, saying, 'Truly You are the
Son of God" (Matt. 14:33). We can see here that the title
'Lord' was used at the moment of a miracle. Then
worshipping Him and confessing that He was the Son of
God happened immediately after, as an indication of His
Divinity.

(14) The title 'Lord' was used by St. Elizabeth when she
greeted the Virgin Mary. St. Elizabeth was filled with the
Holy Spirit when she heard the Virgin's greeting, and said
to her: "But why is this granted to me, that the mother of
my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the
voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby
leaped in my womb for joy" (Lk. 1:43). St. Elizabeth said
this when she was filled with the Holy Spirit, and feeling
unworthy to be visited by the mother of the Lord. And that
was a confession of Christ's Divinity.

(15) In the domain of performing miracles, we observe

two testimonies from the Apostles. After the miracle of
catching a great number of fish, St. Peter, prior to his call,
fell down on his knees and worshipped the Lord Jesus
Christ, saying: "Depart from me for I am a sinful man, 0
Lord!" (Lk. 5:8) The power of this verse is centered on the
phrase 'O Lord which followed a miracle and was
accompanied by worship. It is not an ordinary phrase.
The expression I am a sinful man' gives depth to the
feeling of unworthiness of having the Holy Lord in his boat.

After the Lord's resurrection, in the miracle of catching a

great number of fish, we find the same situation. John
said to Peter: "It is the Lord!" (Jn. 21:7), and: "Yet none of
the disciples dared ask Him, 'Who are You?' knowing that
it was the Lord" (Jn. 21:12).

(16) After the miracle of the Resurrection, the term 'Lord'

was used numerously:
(i) "Mary Magdolen came and told the disciples that she
had seen the Lord'
(Jn. 20:18).

(ii) "Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord'
(Jn. 20:20).
(ii) "The other disciples therefore said to him
(Thomas), 'We have seen the Lord" (Jn. 20:25).

(iv) The disciples said: "The Lord is risen indeed, and has
appeared to Simon!" (Lk. 24:34).
(v) Peter said three times to the Lord Jesus Christ: "Yes,
Lord, You know that I love You" (Jn. 21:15-17).

(17) The angels used the title 'Lord' in referring to the

Lord Jesus Christ, whether in declaring His birth or His
resurrection. At His birth the angel said to the shepherds:
"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to
you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ
the Lord' (Lk. 2:10,11). On the day of the Lord Jesus
Christ's resurrection, the angel said to the women: "You
seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is
risen' as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord
lay" (Matt. 28:5,6). Here we see the angel's testimony
that Christ is the Lord.

(18) The title 'Lord' was also mentioned in the miracle of

the Ascension. St. Mark the Evangelist says: "So then,
after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up
into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And
they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord
working with them and confirming the word through the
accompanying signs" (Mk. 16:19,20). Here the word
'Lord' is used at the event of Christ's Ascension into
heaven, and at His sitting down at the right hand of

the Father, and in confirming signs which accompanied

the disciples' preaching. This means that the word 'Lord'
is not used in an ordinary way but regarding belief in
Christ's Divinity.

(19) On many occasions the Evangelists used the word

'Lord' to mean Christ. In the miracle of raising the son of
the widow of Nain, St. Luke, speaking about the widow,
says: "When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on
her and said to her, 'Do not weep' (Lk. 7:13). When the
disciples experienced the submission of the demons to
them, they said to the Lord Jesus Christ: "Lord, even the
demons are subject to us in Your name" (Lk. 10: 17). In
the miracle of the transfiguration, the disciples said to
Him: "Lord, it is good for us to be here" (Matt. 17:4). At
the event of Peter's denial, St Luke says: "And the Lord
turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the
word of the Lord, how He had said to him, 'Before the
rooster crows, you will deny Me three times"' (Lk. 22:61).
In the story of Zacchaeus, St Luke says: "Then
Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, 'Look, Lord, I give
half of my goods to the poor"' (Lk. 19:8). Also, in chapter
22, verses 31 to 61, the word 'Lord' is attributed to Christ
six times.

(20) The title 'Lord' was used for Christ in the other books
of the New Testament. It is written in the Book of Acts, at
the event of Saul's conversion: "And the Lord said, 7 am
Jesus, whom you are persecuting...' So he... said, 'Lord,
what do you want me to do?"' (Acts. 9:5,6) The word
'Lord' here is used on an occasion when the Lord
appeared in a great light, causing Saul's conversion.

St. Paul the Apostle said: "But we believe that through the
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the
same manner as they" (Acts. 15:11). The term 6 grace'
was repeated many times, such as in: "The grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ... be with you aIl' (2 Cor. 13:14).
Undoubtedly, the term 'grace' used with the term 'Lord', in
giving the blessing, has Divine implications.

The Apostle also says: "And whatever you do in word or

deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Col. 3:17).
Undoubtedly, the fact that every deed or word should be
done in Christ's name is an indication of His Divinity as
He is the Lord.

The Apostle explained the relation of Christ, as Lord, with

God the Father. After having said that to Christ "every
knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on
earth, and of those under the earth", he immediately said
that "every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10,11),
because Christ is "His glory and the express image of His
person" (Heb. 1: 3); thence, he who has seen Christ has
seen the Father (Jn. 14:9).

(21) Lastly, we point out that before being called 'Lord',

'my Lord', and '0 Lord, Christ attributed this title to Himself
He did not object at all to being called 'Lord, Lord', or 'our
Lord'. In the story of the passover, we find that when the
Lord sent two disciples to prepare Him a colt to ride on,
on entering Jerusalem, He said to them: "Say, 'The Lord
has need of it' " (Mk. 11:3); (Lk. 19:3 1).

(22) The phrase 'The Lord Jesus' is used to terminate the

New Testament. The last two verses in the Book of
Revelation are: "'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you all. Amen" (Rev. 22:20,21). At the Lord
Jesus Christ's Second Coming, we receive Him

with the phrase: "Come, Lord Jesus!" and until He comes,

may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us. The
word 'Lord' is an explicit testimony that Christ is God
because we never say 'our Lord' to human beings.
With Respect to Him Being the
Son of God

In this proof we are met with an important point: (1) Are

not human beings also called children of God? Yes,
human beings were called sons of God, but in a different
sense than Christ's Sonship to God. It is written in the
Book of Genesis that "the sons of God saw the daughters
of men, that they were beautiful" (Gen. 6:2). Here the
sons of God mean the sons of Seth and his son Enosh,
when "men began to call on the name of the Lord' (Gen.
4:26), while the daughters of men are the descendants of
Cain.

That is why the Lord said in the Book of Isaiah the

Prophet: "I have nourished and brought up children, and
they have rebelled against Me" (Is. 1:2). It is also written
in the same Book: "You, 0 Lord, are our Father; our
Redeemer" (Is. 63:16), and: "But now, 0 Lord, You are
our Father, we are the clay, and You our Potter, and all
we are the work of Your hand' (Is. 64:8). This is a
prophecy but it is said by human beings and does not at
all mean sonship of the essence of God. The Lord said in
the Book of Exodus: "Israel is My son, My firstborn" (Ex.
4:22), and in the Book of Proverbs: "My son, give Me your
heart" (Prov. 23:26).

In the New Testament God is called 'our Father' in many

situations, as we say in the Lord's Prayer: "Our Father in
heaven" (Matt. 6:9). The phrases: 'your heavenly Father'
and 'your Father who sees in secret' are numerous in the
Gospels.

(2) However, the sonship of human beings to God is

either through faith, or love, or adoption. With regard to
faith, the Holy Bible says about Christ: "But as many as
received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, even to those who believe in His name"
(Jn. 1: 12). The phrase 'children of God' here means the
believers. St. John says in his first Epistle: "Behold what
manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we
should be called children of God!" (1 Jn. 3:1) Therefore, it
is an act of love from God to call us His children.

With regard to adoption it is written in the Epistle to the

Romans: "But we also who have the first fruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly
waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body"
(Rom. 8:23). It is known that whoever is called son and is
not a real son, is son by adoption or son in a spiritual
sense.

(3) Although we are children of God, we are still called

servants. The Lord Jesus Christ says: "When you have
done all those things which you are commanded, say,
'We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was
our duty to do' " (Lk. 17: 10). All the virtuous were called
servants; the Lord will say to him who fought the good
fight and deserved the Kingdom of Heaven: "Well done,
good and faithful servant, you have been faithful over a
few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter
into the joy of your Lord" (Matt. 25:23). Despite our being
children of God, we are all created beings and the
created being is not to be called a God.
(4) But the Lord Jesus Christ's Sonship is of the essence
of God Himself. That is why He was sometimes called the
Son or the Only Son because He has a unique Sonship
which has the same Nature and Divinity with God.

Here we will explain how Christ's Sonship to the Father is

not an ordinary Sonship, and how it was testified to by all,
even by God the Father Himself, at moments of miracles
in a way implying the Divinity of the Son.

(5) The testimony of the Father to the Son at His baptism.

God the Father testified to Christ at the moment of His
baptism, saying:
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'
(Matt.3:17); (Lk. 3:22).This testimony was
accompanied by miraculous signs: the heavens were
opened, the Holy Spirit appeared in the form of a
dove and descended on Him, and a voice was heard
from heaven, which was the voice of the Father
bearing testimony. If Christ's Sonship were an
ordinary sonship, and all people are children of God,
what then was the need for all those signs? For the
sake of this greatness which was manifested at the
moment of Christ's baptism, we name this event
Epiphany, that is, the Divine Manifestation.

(6) God the Father also testified to the Son at the

Transfiguration. The Father testified to the Son at that
moment which declared His Divinity in front of His three
disciples when
"Hisclothes became shining, exceedingly white, like
snow, such as no launderer on earth can whiten them.
And Elijah appeared to them with Moses... And a cloud
came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of
the cloud, saying, 'This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!"'
(Mk. 9:2-7)If Christ were an ordinary Son, why would
He need a testimony from the Father? And why was
there need for all the glory of the Transfiguration; the
light and the cloud? And why was there need for the
voice of the Father? In addition to this, the phrase
'Hear Him' commands us also to submit to Him. If
everyone were a Son of God, to whom did the Father
testify with the same glory as that of Christ's baptism
and transfiguration?
(7) The Father's testimony to the Son is from old. The
Father says to the Son in the second Psalm "Youare
My Son, today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will
give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of
the earth for Your possession. You shall break them with
a rod of iron" (Ps. 2:7-9). This is Sonship with
dominion over the ends of the earth, which St. Paul
wondered at and mentioned when he explained how
the Lord Jesus Christ is greater than the angels and
even worshipped by them, saying: "For to which of the
angels did He ever say, 'You are My Son, today 1 have
begotten You'? " (Heb. 1:5)
(8) Christ's Sonship to God was the aim of writing the
Gospel. The Gospel according to St. Mark begins with the
statement:
"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God" (Mk. 1: 1). If Christ were a Son like all the
children of God, what was the need for recording this
statement and all the miracles which the Evangelist
recounted thereafter? In the Gospel according to St.
John, we see that the Evangelist, after having
recorded miracles not mentioned by any of the other
Evangelists and after having recorded all Christ's
discourses that indicated His Divinity, concluded by
saying: "And truly Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of His disciples, which are not written in this
book, but these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing
you may have life in His name" (Jn. 20:30,3 1). Therefore,
Christ's Sonship is not ordinary, but a unique Sonship
which is proved by verses emphasizing His Divinity. If He
were an ordinary Son, what was the need for recounting
all the miracles? They were written in order that we may
believe that He is the Son of God and that our belief in
this Sonship may give us life.
(9) Christ's Sonship to God was the foundation of the
Church. The Lord Jesus Christ asked His disciples about
their belief and the people's belief in Him, saying: " Who
do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" When St. Peter
answered Him: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living
God', He called him blessed, saying: "Blessed are you,
Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed
this to you, but My Father who is in heaven." Then the
Lord added, "on this rock I will build My church, and the
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matt.
16:13-18).

If Christ's Sonship were an ordinary sonship, what was

the need for this blessedness? And what was the need
for the heavenly revelation from God the Father? What is
the meaning of building the Church on this rock of faith?
This will be explained in detail when we will talk about the
Divinity of Christ with respect to belief in Him as the Son
of God.

(10) Christ's Sonship to God was the reason for the

Sanhedrin's sentencing Him to death. The chief priests
could not find a reason to condemn Him because even
though many false witnesses came forward, their
testimonies did not agree. So the high priest rose and
said to Him: "I adjure You by the living God that You tell
us if

You are the Christ, the Son of God' (Matt. 26:63). If His
Sonship were an ordinary sonship like the sonship of all
the people to God, what was the significance of the high
priest adjuring Him before the greatest Synagogue at the
time asking Him if He was the Son of God? When the
Lord answered in the affirmative, adding two points
befitting His Divinity, namely, that He will sit at the right
hand of the Power and will come in His glory on the
clouds of heaven, "the high priest tore his clothes, saying,
'He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we
have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His
blasphemy!"' (Matt. 26:63-65) And they sentenced Him to
death for this reason.

(11) Christ's Sonship was the object of Satan's

bewilderment. In the Lord's temptation in the wilderness,
we find Satan saying to Him: "If You are the Son of God,
command that these stones become bread' (Matt. 4:3).
Satan's question implied the Sonship to God which has
extraordinary miraculous power that can change stone
into bread, and not the ordinary sonship of all the children
of God. Again Satan asked the same question at the
Crucifixion, through the mouths of the people who said: "If
You are the Son of God, come down from the cross"
(Matt. 27:40). Therefore it was understood by all that
Christ's Sonship was not a common sonship, but a
Sonship which had miraculous power that could enable
descent from the cross.

(12) This Sonship was the subject of the Annunciation.

The angel said to the Virgin Mary: "The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Highest will
overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to
be born will be called the Son of God' (Lk. 1:35). If Christ
were the Son of God in the same sense as the children of
God, then there would have been no need for the descent
of the Holy Spirit upon the Virgin and for the power of the
Highest to overshadow her, in order for Him to be called
the Son of God. Therefore this Sonship is the Sonship of
the Holy Spirit, as the angel said to Joseph: ':for that
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matt.
1:20). Also, the angel said to the Virgin Mary that her Son
"will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest;
and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father
David And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever,
and of His kingdom there will be no end' (Lk. 1:32,33). No
one among men rules forever and has a kingdom which
has no end; but this is attributed to God alone. Therefore
the Annunciation to the Virgin about the Sonship to God
carried a Divine meaning that He reigns forever and that
His kingdom will have no end.

There is a possibility that the angers announcement was

taken from Daniel's prophecy about Christ as the Son of
Man, which says: "Then to Him was given dominion and
glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and
languages should serve Him. His dominion is an
everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His
kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed' (Dan.
7:13,14).

(13) The relation of Christ's Sonship to the Godhead is

mentioned in the Book of Isaiah who said: "For unto us a
Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government
will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace" (Is. 9:6). In the same prophecy we find
both terms 'Son' and 'Mighty God, and the word
'Wonderful' reminds us of the Lord's words to Manoah,
Samson's father: "Why do you ask My name, seeing it is
wonderful?" (Jud. 13:18)

(14) The relation between Christ's Sonship to the

Godhead is also mentioned in the Book of Proverbs,
which says: "Who has ascended into heaven, or
descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who
has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established
all the ends of the earth? What is His name and what is
His Son's name, if you know?" (Prov. 30:9) Here, the
Scripture does not refer to an ordinary son of God's
children but an Only Son, distinguished from all others
because He is of the same Nature and Essence with God.
(15) There is a profession of Christ's Sonship to God in
the miracle of walking on the sea. This miracle implies His
Divinity because it is a miraculous dominion over nature.
The Lord Jesus Christ walked on the water in a wonderful
miraculous way the disciples had never seen. Then St.
Peter said to Him: "Lord, if it is You, command me to
come to You on the water." When the Lord permitted him,
Peter walked on the water by the power of the Lord, then
doubted and sank, and the Lord saved him. What
happened after that? The Gospel says: "Then those who
were in the boat came and worshipped Him, saying,
'Truly You are the Son of God'" (Matt. 14:25-33). Did the
disciples mean by the word 'Son' ordinary sonship like the
rest of God's children? This is impossible because
walking on water and allowing one's disciple to walk on
water is not an aspect of being one of God's children.
That is why the disciples worshipped Christ while using
the expression 'Son of God. Their worship was a
profession that Christ is the Son of God and that His
Sonship is unique and of extraordinary miraculous
dominion over wind and water.

(16) Nathanael also professed that Christ is the Son of

God whose Sonship is of miraculous and mighty Divinity.
The Lord said to Nathanael: "Before Philip called you,
when you were under the fig tree, I saw you" (Jn. 1:48).
When Nathanael realized the power of the Lord to know
the unseen whether He saw him just before Philip called
him, or knew a hidden incident in his past, he replied
saying: "Rabbi, You are the Son of God!" (Jn. 1:49) Of
course Nathanael did not mean the ordinary sonship but
he meant the Sonship which has the Divine quality, of
knowing the unseen. The Lord Jesus Christ accepted this
confession from Nathanael and in order to confirm his
belief, added: "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under
the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things
than these... hereafter you shall see heaven open, and
the angels of God ascending and descending upon the
Son of Man" (Jn. 1:50,5 1).

(17) The belief of the centurion in Christ as the Son of

God happened after a miracle. The Gospel according to
our teacher St. Matthew says: "Now when the centurion
and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the
earthquake and the things that had happened, they
feared greatly, saying, 'Truly this was the Son of God!"'
(Matt. 27:54); (Mk. 15:38,39) When they saw the miracle
of the earthquake and the darkness that came over the
whole earth from the sixth hour (midday) until the ninth
hour, they believed and said: "Truly this was the Son of
God!" They meant the Sonship which has dominion over
nature and that is why the Gospel says: "they feared. "
Maybe their faith was strengthened when they saw blood
and water coming out of His side when the soldier pierced
Him (Jn. 19:34).

(18) The miracle of the Lord's Baptism made John the

Baptist testify that Christ was the Son of God. He said: "I
did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with
water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the Spirit
descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who
baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and
testified that this is the Son of God' (Jn. 1: 33,34). This
Sonship to God, to which John the priest and prophet
testified, is not an ordinary sonship but a Sonship which
implied His Divinity, and was declared after a miracle.
That was why John the Baptist said on the same
occasion: "This is He of whom I said, 'After me comes a
Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me"'
(Jn. 1:30), and it is known that Christ was born six months
after John the Baptist.

(19) A confession of Christ's Sonship to God came after

the miracle of giving sight to the man born blind. After
performing the miracle, the Lord met the man born blind
and said to him: "'Do you believe in the Son of God?' He
answered and said, 'Who is He, Lord, that I may believe
in Him? 'And Jesus said to him, 'You have both seen Him
and it is He who is talking with you.' Then he said, 'Lord, I
believe!' And he worshipped Him" (Jn. 9:35-38). This
discourse was not about a common sonship shared by all
people, otherwise the man born blind would not have
asked: "Who is He, Lord?" If it were an ordinary sonship,
the man born blind would have said: "We are all God's
children. 1, even 1, am a son of God." But it was a
Sonship which needed faith and a miracle, and resulted in
the man born blind worshipping the Lord as the Son of
God. What adds to the importance of this miracle is that it
carries a declaration from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself
that He is the Son of God, as well as a call from Him to all
people to believe in this.

(20) Belief in Christ's Sonship to God needed preaching

and interpretation. This appears explicitly in the incident
of the Ethiopian eunuch who was met by Philip while
reading Isaiah's prophesy about Christ. He could not
understand the meaning of what he was reading, so
Philip explained the chapter to him and preached Christ
to him. The Ethiopian eunuch asked Philip to baptize him
and Philip replied: " 'If you believe with all your heart, you
may.' And he answered and said, "I believe that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God " (Acts 8:2737). Common
sonship does not need any explanation or interpretation
or preaching because it is common to all.

(21) The same may be said about Martha who professed

her belief after the Lord had explained to her that He is
the resurrection and the life, saying: "'He who believes in
Me, though he may die, he shall live'... She said to Him,
'Yes, Lord, I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of
God, who is to come into the world (Jn. 11:25-27). Of
course Martha meant a special Sonship which has a
miraculous quality ascertained by the clause "who is to
come into the world" which means that He is not of this
world, but has come into it.

(22) Christ's Sonship was declared by the Lord Jesus

Himself on more than one occasion. It is clear from His
call to the man born blind to believe in the Son of God
(Jn.9:35-37). And also from His words to the angel of the
church in Thyatira in the Book of Revelation where He
says: "These things says the Son of God, who has eyes
like aflame of fire, and His feet like fine brass" (Rev.
2:18). It is also plain in all the Lord's discourses about the
Son of God.

(23) Christ's Sonship is in the Holy Trinity. The Lord

Jesus said to His disciples: "Go therefore and make
disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of
the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt.
28:19). The use of the word 'name' in the singular form
means that the Three are One. Because His Sonship to
the Father is not a common sonship but a special One
entailing His Divinity, He is called 'the Son'.
(24) The phrase 'the Son' in the Holy Bible means Christ
only. The Lord Jesus Christ says of Himself"Therefore if
the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed' (Jn.
8:36). He said these words in preaching that He came to
free them from their sins.

St. John the Evangelist said: "He who has the Son has
life, he who does not have the Son of God does not have
life" (1 Jn. 5:12). Thus he used in one verse the two
terms: 'the Son' and 'the Son of God' to refer to One
Person. He also said: "And we have seen and testify that
the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world' (1 Jn.
4:14). The term 'the Son' on its own means Christ. The
Lord Jesus Christ talked about Himself as the Son and as
the Son of God.

(25) The Jews understood this Sonship to God with its

Divine meaning. That was why when they asked Him in
the Sanhedrin if He was the Son of God and He replied in
the affirmative, "the high priest tore his clothes, saying,
'He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we
have of witnesses?' " (Matt. 26:65)

The Gospel according to St. John says: "Therefore the

Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only
broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His
Father, making Himsetf equal with God' (Jn. 5:18). This
Divinity was the reason for the Jews seeking to kill Him,

as they said to Him, "For a good work we do not stone

You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man,
make yourself God' (Jn. 10: 33). That was the accusation
for which they crucified Him, saying to Pilate: "We have a
law, and according to our law He ought to die, because
He made Himself the Son of God' (Jn. 19:7). The
common sonship, of which Isaiah said: "O Lord, You are
our Father" (Is. 64:8), was not the reason of sentencing
Christ to death, but it was the particular Sonship which
carries the meaning of His Divinity and that He is equal
with God. This leads us to the ninth proof.
With Respect to Him Being the
Only Son of God

The Lord Jesus Christ was called the only Son of God to
distinguish Him from the rest of God's children who are
called children through love, faith and adoption. He is the
Only Son, who has the same Nature, Essence and
Divinity with God. Christ was called 'the Only Son' in the
following places:
(1) "No one has seen
God at any time. The Only Begotten Son, who is in the
bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (Jn. 1:18).
This means that Christ declared God and we knew God
through His seen Incarnate Son, whereas the Father can
not be seen in His Divinity.

(2) "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only
Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not
perish but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16).

(3) "He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he

who does not believe is condemned already, because he
has not believed in the name of the Only Begotten Son of
God' (Jn. 3:18).

If belief in This Only Son gives everlasting life and takes

away condemnation, then this is proof of His Divinity.

(4) "In this the love of God was manifested toward us,
that God has sent His Only Begotten Son into the world,
that we might live through Him" (1 Jn. 4:9). We cannot
live through Him unless He is God Himself because God
is the Source of life.
(5) "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the Only
Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth"
(Jn. 1: 14). Here the Evangelist is talking about the glory
that befits Christ as the Only Son of God.

These are five verses in the Holy Bible which speak about
Christ the Lord as the Only Son of the Father and
distinguish Him from the rest of mankind. We have
spoken in detail about the Divinity of the Son in the
previous proof. It suffices that according to the above
verses, Christ is the Source of life, everlasting life is
through Him, belief in Him delivers from condemnation
and judgment, as not believing in Him brings
condemnation, and He has the glory befitting the Only
Son of God. And the mere belief in Him proves His
Divinity as we will explain.
 With Respect to the Belief in
Him

(1) Belief should be in God only. On this belief hangs the

everlasting life and destiny of man. That is why we find a
very important verse in the Holy Bible, namely, the words
of the Lord Jesus Christ: "You believe in God, believe
also in Me" (Jn. 14: 1). Thus He put the belief in Him
equal with the belief in the Father and having the same
importance.

(2) If belief in Christ leads to eternal life (Jn. 3:16),

therefore disbelief in Him leads to perdition. Thence the
Lord also says: "For if you do not believe that I am He,
you will die in your sins" (Jn. 8:24). Regarding belief in
Him and life, He says at the miracle of raising Lazarus
from the dead: "He who believes in Me, though he may
die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me
shall never die" (Jn. 11:25,26).

(3) Belief in Christ is a matter of salvation. The salvation

of man depends upon belief in Him. That is why St. Paul
and St. Silas said to the jailer at Philippi: "Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, You and your
household' (Acts 16:31). Naturally this would be
accomplished provided that he walked in the things
connected with this belief, for example: "He who believes
and is baptized will be saved" (Mk. 16:16).

(4) Who then is Christ, if whoever believes in Him

receives remission of sins? St. Peter the Apostle said at
the conversion of Cornelius: "To Him all the prophets
witnessed that, through His name, whoever believes in
Him will receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43). Also, St.
Paul the Apostle said at the Council of Antioch in Pisidia:
"Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through
this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and
by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things"
(Acts 13:38,39).

Of course we add to this belief the words of St. Peter the

Apostle to the Jews on the Day of Pentecost. After they
had been cut to the heart, they believed and enquired
about the way of salvation. So St. Peter said to them:
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).
Thence, belief leads to baptism, and baptism leads to
remission of sins, and remission of sins involves
justification through the blood of Christ. And there are
numerous verses about belief and justification, and also
about baptism that leads to receiving the Holy Spirit (Acts
13:39); (Rom. 5:1).

(5) Therefore there is a relation between belief in Christ

and receiving the Holy Spirit. He who believes in Christ is
qualified to receive the Holy Spirit. The Lord Jesus Christ
said: " 'He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said,
out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He
spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him
would receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given" (Jn.
7:38,39).

(6) Belief in Christ is preceded by the work of the Holy

Spirit, as the Apostle said: "No one can say that

Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit" (1Cor. 12:3). This

fact explains why the Holy Spirit came down upon
Cornelius and those with him before their baptisms. it was
a preliminary work of the Holy Spirit, different from the
descent of the Holy Spirit whom the faithful received by
the laying on of hands (Acts 8:17), and then by the Holy
Anointing (1 Jn. 2:20,27).

(7) It is also said about the consequences of the belief in

Christ that: "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to
shame" (Rom. 9:33); (Rom. 10: 11); (1 Pet. 2:6). This
means that the person who believes in Christ will not be
put to shame on the Day of Judgment, that is, on the Last
Day.

(8) Thus belief in Christ is not a light matter, but a serious

one on which depends man's eternal life. How serious are
the Apostle's words: "He who believes in the Son has
everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son
shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him"
(Jn.3 :36)! The belief in Christ is also connected with
salvation, with the remission of sins and with the gift of
the Holy Spirit as we have already mentioned. And when
we mention this belief we mean it comprehensively,
inclusive of all the elements pertaining to it such as
baptism, repentance and deeds which are the fruit of the
faith and which enable the faith to be a living one.

(9) Baptism, with all its spiritual efficacies, is also

dependent on this belief because it can never be carried
out without belief first. That was why, when the Ethiopian
eunuch requested Philip to baptize him, Philip replied: "If
you believe with all your heart, you may." Then the
eunuch replied: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God" (Acts 8:37).

(10) The belief in Christ was the aim of writing the

Gospel. Thus says St. John the Evangelist about all the
verses he recorded in his Gospel: "But these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God, and that believing you may have life in His name"
(Jn. 20:31).
(11) This belief entitles the believer to be a child of God
by being born of water and the Spirit (Jn. 3:5). That is why
the Gospel says: "But as many as received Him, to them
He gave the right to become children of God, even to
those who believe in His name" (Jn. 1: 12).

(12) There is no man whatsoever in the world who can

cause whoever believes in him to receive all the spiritual
gifts we mentioned, which are connected with the
believer's eternal life, his position as a child of God, and
his membership in the Church through faith and baptism.

(13) What is the nature of the belief in Christ? You believe

that Jesus is the Christ; that He is the Son of God (Jn.
20:31); that He is the Only Begotten Son of the Father
(Jn. 3:16,18) with all the Divine meanings which this
phrase carries; that He is in the Father and the Father in
Him (Jn. 14: 10,11); that he who sees Christ has seen the
Father (Jn. 14:9); that in Him is life (Jn. 1:4); that He is
the Savior of the world (1 Jn. 4:14); that He is the
Propitiator for our sins (1 Jn. 4:10); (1 Jn. 2:2), and you
believe in His words and in the path He designed for our
salvation. All these denote the Divinity of Christ and we
add to them your belief in His Divine attributes.
With Respect to Him Being the
Savior and the Redeemer

This proof involves four main points:

A. God alone redeems and saves the human

race
B. The theological basis of this fact
C. Christ alone is the Redeemer and Savior of
the world
D. Conclusion: Christ is God.

(A) God Alone Redeems and Saves the Human Race

The Holy Bible explicitly testifies to this. It is written in the

Book of Psalms: "None of them can by any means
redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him...
But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave"
(Ps. 49:7,15). David the Prophet repeats the same
meaning when he says: "Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, bless
His holy name! ... who forgives all your iniquities... who
redeems your life from destruction" (Ps. 103:1-4). And the
Book of Isaiah the Prophet confirms this matter in more
than one testimony. It is written: "Thus says the Lord, the
King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: 'I am
the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God "
(Is. 44:6). Therefore the Redeemer is This One God who
is the Lord of hosts who is the First and the

Last. Isaiah the Prophet repeats the same thing and says:
"As for our Redeemer, the Lord of hosts is His name, the
Holy One of Israel" (Is. 47:4) and: "Thus says the Lord,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel 'I am the Lord
your God"' (Is. 48:17). And God says: "For I, the Lord
your God, will hold your right hand..' says the LORD and
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel" (Is. 41:13,14).

The Virgin Mary attributed salvation to God and said: "My

soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God
my Savior" (Lk. 1:46). St. Paul the Apostle said: "God our
Savior" (Titus 2: 10), and: "The kindness and the love of
God our Savior toward man appeared' (Titus 3:4). And
Jude the Apostle concludes his Epistle with the same
testimony, saying: "Now to Him who is able to keep you
from stumbling and to present you faultless before the
presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our
Savior who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and forever. Amen" (Jude 24,25).

Salvation is attributed to God alone, as is explicitly stated

by God Himself. "And you shall know no God but Me, for
there is no Savior besides me" (Hos. 13:4); "Have not I,
the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, a just
God and a Savior, there is none besides Me" (Is. 45:2 1),
and: "I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer,
the Mighty One of Jacob" (Is. 49:26); (Is. 60:16).
(B) The Theological Basis of this Fact

(1) The sin in which the first man fell and in which every
man falls is a sin against God because it is disobedience
to God, and lack of love and respect towards Him. But
rather it is rebellion against His kingdom and resistance to
the work of His grace and His Holy Spirit, as well as being
a lack of faith. That is why David the Prophet says in his
Psalm: "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done
this evil in Your sight" (Ps. 51:4). That is why the
righteous Joseph withheld from sinning, saying: "How
then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against
God?" (Gen. 39:9)

(2) All human beings sinned: "They have all turned aside,
they have together become corrupt, there is none who
does good, no, not one" (Ps. 14:3). The wages of sin is
death (Rom. 6:23), and "thus death spread to all men,
because all sinned' (Rom. 5:12).

(3) Because sin is against God and since God is infinite,

then sin is infinite and its punishment is infinite. Should it
be redeemed, it must be by an infinite atonement,
sufficient for the forgiveness of all the people of all
generations to the end of the ages.

(4) Only God is Infinite. Therefore He Himself had to take

flesh and become the Son of Man in order to replace man
and "to be the propitiation for the whole world' (1 Jn. 2:2).

(5) This propitiation was effected by the Lord Jesus Christ

to save the whole world. If He were not God, His
propitiation would be utterly invalid because His
propitiation derived its infinity from Him being Infinite

God, of whom the Apostle said: "In Him dwells all the
fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9).

(C) Christ Is the Only Savior and Redeemer of the

World
At the Annunciation, the angel said that Christ the Lord
would be called Jesus, "for He will save His people from
their sins" (Matt. 1:2 1). Yet His salvation was not for His
own people only, for He said: "I did not come to judge the
world but to save the world' (Jn. 12:47). And it was said of
Him: "This is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world'
(Jn. 4:42). And He said of Himself that He "has come to
save that which was lost" (Matt. 18:11), and the whole
world was under the penalty of death.

Christ came to save mankind from sins. It is written that

"He will save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:21). St.
Paul the Apostle said: "Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners, of whom I am chief" (I Tim. 1: 15), that
He "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from
every lawless deed" (Titus 2:14), and that He "has
redeemed us from the curse of the law" (Gal. 3:13).

Christ offered a complete and everlasting salvation.

St. Paul the Apostle said that Christ, the High Priest, "is
also able to save to the uttermost" (Heb. 7:25) and that

"He became the Author of eternal salvation to all who

obey Him" (Heb. 5:9). That is why the Apostle wondered,

saying: "How shall we escape if we neglect so great a

salvation!" (Heb. 2:3)

Therefore, to sum up, Christ came a Redeemer and a

Savior and a Propitiator to save all the people of the world
from their sins, and to redeem them from all their
iniquities and from the curse of the Law. He offered an
everlasting salvation to the uttermost.
Christ Alone Is the Savior

St. Peter the Apostle said: "For there is no other name

under heaven given among men by which we must be
saved' (Acts 4:12).
(D) Conclusion: Christ Is God

(i) As we mentioned before, the salvation of the world

from sins needed an infinite propitiation and none is
Infinite except God alone. Since the Lord Jesus Christ
offered the propitiation and completed it to the uttermost
and redeemed all the people from every iniquity, saving
them eternally from the curse of the Law, therefore, He is
Infinite and thence He is God.

The act of redemption is an excellent proof confirming

that Christ is God because if He were not so, the
redemption would not have been considered valid and
would not have been sufficient for the salvation of the
whole world from all their sins.

(ii) God says: "'You shall know no God but Me; for there
is no Savior besides Me" (Hos. 13:4), and: "there is no
other God besides Me, a just God and a Savior, there is
none besides Me" (Is. 45:21). And it has been proved that
there is a Savior who is Christ Jesus who is the only
Savior and that there is no other name under heaven
given among men by which we must be saved (Acts
4:12). How can we make all these verses conform with
each other? Is, God not true or is the Holy Bible not true?
Far from it. Let God be true. God cannot be true unless
God is Christ so that if we say that God is the Savior, we
mean at the same time that Christ is the Savior.

(iii) If Christ were not God, and having sacrificed Himself

for the sake of all people because of His love for them,
does He love people more than God does? Is there any
being who surpasses God in His love to mankind? Not
even Jehovah's Witnesses can say such a thing.

(iv) If Christ were other than God, and He was compelled

to complete the work of redemption for the mere
obedience of a command, then redemption would have
lost its most important principle, and in addition, it would
contradict the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: "Greater
love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for
his friends" (Jn. 15:13). And this also would disagree with
the Holy Bible which says that Christ "gave Himself up for
us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed'
(Titus 2:14).

(v) If Christ were other than God, and God commissioned

Him to undertake this deed because of God's love to the
world according to the verse: "For God so loved the world
that He gave His Only Begotten Son" (Jn. 3:16), does this
mean that God loved the world at the expense of
Another? No, never! This verse cannot be

properly understood unless God and Christ are One, as

the Lord Jesus said: "I and My Father are One" (Jn.
10:30). Thus we understand that God redeemed the
people Himself, accomplishing the words of the Holy
Book: "None of them can by any means redeem his
brother, nor give to God a ransom for him... But God will
redeem my soul from the power of the grave" (Ps.
49:7,15). Then the words of St. Paul the Apostle:
"because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior Of
all men" (1 Tim. 4:10), will be true.

(vi) If Christ were other than God, then people would not
be wrong when they worship Him and not God, because
He created them from nothing, according to the Bible's
words: "All things were made through Him and without
Him nothing was made that was made" (Jn. 1:3,10).
Jehovah's Witnesses profess that Christ is the Creator
and that He bought them with His precious Blood, and
purified them for Himself as His own special people (1
Pet. 1: 8); (Titus 2:14). Who can blame a nation who
worship their own Creator and Savior?

(vii) We adhere to the belief that Christ is God, not only

because it is the fundamental proof of completing the
work of redemption, but also because it is an affirmation
of God's words: "I will ransom them from the power of the
grave, I will redeem them from death" (Hos. 13:14). God
attributed to Himself this deed which He carried out. So
let God be true. And let Christ's words. "I and My
Father are One" (Jn. 10: 30), be true.
With Respect to His Relation with the
Father
The relation of the Son with the Father proves the Son's
Divinity. The major part of this relation is given by
declarations from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. In some
of these declarations, the Jews wanted to kill Him. We will
now discuss the most important characteristics of the
relation of the Father with the Son.

(1) If the Son is the Logos of God, this undoubtedly

implies the Son's Divinity, because God and His Logos
are one Entity and also it is said that Christ is the Wisdom
and Power of God (I Col. 1:23,24).

(2) The Lord Jesus Christ said: "I and My Father are One"
(Jn. 10:30), and the Jews understood the seriousness of
this declaration from the point of view of His Divinity, so
they took up stones to stone Him. When He asked them
why they wanted to stone Him, they replied: "For
blasphemy and because You, being a Man, make
Yourself God' (Jn. 10:31-33). The Lord Jesus repeated
the fact that He and the Father are One in His long
soliloquy with the Father in which He said to the Father
about His disciples: "Holy Father, keep through Your
name those whom You have given Me, that they may be
one as We are" (Jn. 17:1 1), and repeated the

phrase: "that they may be one just as We are One" (Jn.

17:22), that is, that they may be one Church, of one mind,
just as We are one Divinity and one Nature.

(3) The Lord Jesus Christ also said: "I am in the Father,
and the Father in Me" (Jn. 14: 10), and repeated this
expression once more: "believe Me that I am in the
Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the
sake of the works themselves" (Jn. 14:11). The Lord
means the works that reveal His Divinity such as the
works of creating. He repeated the same relation in His
soliloquy with the Father, saying: "You, Father, are in Me,
and I in You" (Jn. 17:2 1). The Father in Him means that
the Godhead dwells in Him, that is, the unity of Divinity
with Humanity is in Him. The best explanation of this point
are the words of St. Paul the Apostle about the Lord
Jesus Christ: "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:8,9). The in dwelling of the
Godhead in Christ is the in dwelling of the Person of the
Father in Him, like the in dwelling of light in the sun or the
in dwelling of heat in fire or the in dwelling of thought in
the mind, on condition that it is understood that both
objects are one entity.

(4) The Lord Jesus Christ also said of His strong relation
with the Father, in His soliloquy with Him: "And all Mine
are Yours, and Yours are Mine" (Jn. 17: 10), and also in
chapter 16, verse 15: "All things that the Father has are
Mine. " This declaration can never come from a human
being because it means entire equality with God the
Father. That was the reason for which the Jews wanted to
stone Him, because He made Himself equal with God
(Jn. 5:18). St. Paul the Apostle says that Christ, "being in
the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal
with God' (Phil. 2:6), which means that He acted as equal
with the Father, not considering it robbery, because He is
so.

(5) The Lord Jesus Christ also said that He does the
works of the Father. He said to the Jews: "If I do not do
the works of My Father, do not believe Me, but if I do,
though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you
may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in
Him" (Jn. 10:37,38); "Therefore they sought again to
seize Him" (Jn. 10:39). The fact that Christ does the
works of the Father proves His Divinity. That was why the
Jews wanted to kill Him. When Christ said: "My Father
has been working until now, and I have been working"
(Jn. 5:17), the Jews considered His words a declaration
that He is equal with the Father. That is why, immediately
after this verse, it was said: "Therefore the Jews sought
all the more to kill Him" (Jn. 5:18). The Lord explained
this point in detail when He said: "For as the Father raises
the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life
to whom He will" (Jn.5:21).

(6) The Lord also said: "That all should honour the Son
just as they honour the Father" (Jn. 5:23). No human
being can dare say these words. The fact that Christ
makes Himself equal in honour with the Father is proof of
His Divinity.

(7) The Lord also said: "You believe in God, believe also
in Me" (Jn. 14: 1). The fact that people should believe in
Christ as they believe in the Father indicates that He is
equal with the Father, and thus is proof of His Divinity.

(8) The Lord said: "He who has seen Me has seen the
Father" (Jn. 14:9). He reproached Philip for saying: "Lord,
show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us" (Jn. 14:8),
by replying: "Have I been with you so long and yet you
have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has
seen the Father, so how can you say, 'Show us the
Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and
the Father in Me?" (Jn. 14:8-10) And the Lord said to His
disciples: "If you had known Me, you would have known
my Father also; and from now on you know Him and have
seen Him" (Jn. 14:7). Indeed we see the Father in the
Person of His Son because He is the express image of
the Person of the Father and the brightness of His glory
(Heb. 1:3).
(9) There is another relation of the Lord Jesus Christ with
the Father which proves His Divinity, that is, His sitting
down at the right hand of the Father on high. The Divine
Inspiration recorded this truth in many situations, such as:

(a) The words of the Lord to the Sanhedrin during His

trial: "Hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the
right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of
heaven" (Matt. 26:64).

(b) The words of St. Stephen at his martyrdom: "Look! I

see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at
the right hand of God!" (Acts. 7:56)

(c) The words of St. Mark the Evangelist about the

Ascension: "So then, after the Lord had spoken to them,
he was received up into heaven and sat down at the right
hand of God' (Mk. 16:19).

(d) The words of St. Paul the Apostle about the Lord
Jesus Christ: "When He had by Himsetf purged our sins,
sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb.
1:3).

(e) The words of St. Paul when he explained how Christ

was greater than the angels: "But to which of the angels
has He ever said: 'Sit at My right hand, till I make Your
enemies Your footstool'?" (Heb. 1: 13) St. Paul

took these words from Psalm 110, verse 1, which says:

"The Lord said to My Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, till I
make Your enemies Your footstool.' "

What can be understood from Christ's sitting at the right

hand of the Father? The Father has no right and has no
left because He is Infinite and He fills all things. There is
no vacuum at His right side for another to sit there. So
what is the meaning of sitting at His right side? The word
'right' is a symbol of power and of righteousness and of
majesty. This symbolism is similar to the Lord's
expressions 'your right eye' and 'your right hand' in (Matt.
5:29,30). The right hand of the Father means the power
of the Father, the righteousness of the Father and the
majesty of the Father. That is why it was once said that
the Son sat at the right hand of the Power and at another
that He sat at the right hand of the Majesty. The word 'sat'
here means remained.

This means that the Son who, in emptying Himself,

appeared weak in front of you; was slapped on the face,
scourged and crucified, by His ascension entered into His
power and you will not see Him any more in weakness.
And at His Second Coming, He will come on the clouds in
His glory, surrounded by all the holy angels (Matt. 25:31),
because at His Second Coming He will come with power
and great glory (Matt. 24:30).

Also, the Son who stood in front of you as a sinner and

criminal, and who stood before the Father carrying all the
sins of the world, will sit at the right hand of His Father,
that is, in His righteousness, and nobody can dare
condemn Him any more.

The expression "sitting at the right hand of the Power"

means that the stage of emptying Himself has ended and
that the Son entered into His glory. That is

why it is said that at His Second Coming, He will come

,,in His own glory, and His Father's (Lk. 9:26), and it is
also said: "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of
His Father with His angels" (Matt. 16:27). This glory is the
sitting at the right hand of the Father.
 With Respect to Him Being
Beyond Time

(1) The Lord Jesus Christ said to the Jews: "Before

Abraham was, I am" (Jn. 8:58). This means that He WAS
and existed thousands of years before His birth in the
flesh. The Jews understood that He was implying His
Divinity. That is why they "took up stones to throw at Him"
(Jn. 8:59).

(2) Although Christ is a descendant of David

genealogically, yet He said in the Book of Revelation: "I
am the Root and the Offspring of David' (Rev. 22:16). The
term 'Offspring of David' is clear and understood because
He is a descendant of David, but the term 'Root' means
that He existed before David. One of the priests around
the Divine throne testified to this fact and said to John the
Visionary: "Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the
Root of David, has prevailed' (Rev. 5:5).

(3) The Holy Book gives Christ existence before David,

Judah and Abraham, for the LORD says to Him in the
Psalm, 'from the womb of the morning, You have the dew
of Your youth" (Ps. 110: 3).

(4) Christ WAS before the whole world existed, or rather,

before all ages. In His soliloquy with the Father, He said'
to Him: "And now, O Father, glorify Me together with
Yourself, with the glory which I had with

you before the world was" (Jn. 17:5), and: "For You loved
Me before the foundation of the world' (Jn. 17:24).
Therefore Christ WAS before the foundation of the world.

(5) In St. Paul the Apostles discourse about Christ being

"the image of the invisible God' (Col. 1:15), he said: "All
things were created through Him and for Him. And He is
before all things, and in Him all things consist" (Col. 1:
16,17). Therefore Christ was before all things. Why?
Because through Him all things were created.

(6) Of course, the fact that Christ created all things means
that He WAS before all things. Thus St. John the
Evangelist says: "All things were made through Him, and
without Him nothing was made that was made" (Jn. 1: 3),
and: "He was in the world, and the world was made
through Him" (Jn. 1: 10). Since the world was made
through Him, therefore, He WAS before the world and
before all things.

(7) In the prophecy of Micah the Prophet we read the

most explicit words about Christ's existence before time.
The prophet says: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet
out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be ruler in
Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting" (Mic. 5:2). Here the prophet attributes to
Christ eternity which is an attribute of God alone. What is
the meaning of 'whose goings forth have been from of
old, from everlasting'? It means that:

(8) Christ came forth from the Father from eternity, that is,
He was begotten of the Father from eternity because He
is the Son in the Holy Trinity. He is the Logos of God and
God's Logos was in Him from

eternity. He is the Wisdom of God and God's Wisdom

was in Him from eternity. As long as eternity is attributed
to God alone, then Christ is God because He is Eternal
and He is beyond time.

(9) Christ's eternity is explicit in the Apostle's words:

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever"
(Heb. 13:8). And the Lord Jesus Christ says to His
disciples: "I am with you always, even to the end of the
age" (Matt. 28:20). Daniel the Prophet says of this
eternity: "His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which
shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall
not be destroyed"(Dan. 7:14).
With Respect to Him Being the
First and the Last

This proof will involve three main points:

(A) God alone is the First and the Last. There is no God
before or after Him

(B) Christ also is the First and the Last, the Alpha and the
Omega

(C) Conclusion: Christ is God

(A) God Alone Is the First and the Last

In eternity God WAS alone. He is the First and He is the

Alpha. Then God created all creatures; all of them are the
work of His hand. No one among men can say that He is
the Alpha or the First because primeness is God's alone.
That is why we find God attributing this quality to Himself,
saying in the Book of Isaiah: "I am the First and I am the
Last, besides Me there is no God' (Is. 44:6); "I am He, I
am the First, I am also the Last. Indeed My hand has laid
the foundation of the earth, and My right hand has
stretched out the heavens" (Is. 48:12,13), and: "I am He.
Before Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be
after Me" (Is. 43: 10).
(B) The Lord Jesus Christ Is the First and the Last

(1) The Book of Revelation says: "Behold, He is coming

with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also
who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn
because of Him. Even so, Amen. 'lam the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End,' says the Lord, 'who
is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty"' (Rev.
1:7,8).

(2) St. John the Visionary said: "I, John, both your brother
and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and
patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island that is called
Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of
Jesus Christ. I was in the Spirit on the Lords Day, and I
heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, 'I
am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,...
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. And
having turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the
midst of the seven lampstands One like the Son of Man,
clothed with a garment down to the feet" (Rev. 1:9-13).
Who is this One like the Son of Man, but the Lord Jesus
Christ who said: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First
and the Last"? And John the Visionary emphasizes this,
saying:

(3) "And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead But He
laid His right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid,
I am the First and the Last. I am He who lives, and was
dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen"' (Rev.
1: 17). Who is He who lives and was dead except our
Lord Jesus Christ who rose from the dead?

(4) This meaning is repeated once more in the last

chapter of the Book of Revelation in which the Lord says:
"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with
Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the
Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the
First and the Last... I, Jesus..." (Rev. 22:12-16).

(C) Conclusion: Christ is God

(1) God says in the Book of Isaiah: "I am He, I am the
First, I am also the Last" and repeats these words several
times. The Lord Jesus Christ says in the Book of
Revelation: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the
Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" and
repeats these words several times. How can these verses
fall in with each other, unless Christ is God? Let God be
true.

(2) The Lord Jesus Christ said that He is the First and
that He is the Alpha. This means that there is none before
Him. This phrase can not be interpreted other than that
He is God Himself, otherwise God would not have been
existing because there is none before the First and none
before the Alpha. How can the saying of Christ that He is
the First fall in with the saying of God: "I am He, before
Me there was no God formed, nor shall there be after
Me"? The only conformity is that the two sayings were
said by the same Speaker.

(3) If Christ is the First then He was not created because

there was none before Him to create Him. And if He was
not created then He is Eternal and therefore He is God.
Two Oppositions

After we had published the previous proof in the Sunday

School magazine of July 1953, Jehovah's Witnesses, to
disprove it, published two attempts in Watchtower
magazine of November 1953:

(1) They claimed that He who will come is God the

Father! This is in reply to Revelation chapter 1, verse 8.

(2) They claimed that what is written about Christ being
the First and the Last is said regarding limited matters
only, namely, His death and resurrection.

We wrote a detailed rebuttal of the previous two points in

the Sunday School magazine of January 1954, the
summary of which follows:
(a) Undoubtedly, He who will come is the Lord Jesus
Christ. He will come to judge and reward each one
according to his deeds (see next proof). The last verse of
the Book of Revelation says: "'Amen. Even so, come,
Lord Jesus!" (Rev. 22:20). And the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself said to the high priest: "Hereafter you will see the
Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and
coming on the clouds of heaven", and said about the
signs of the end of the age that "all the tribes of the earth
will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He
will send His angels" (Matt. 24:30,3 1).

If Jehovah's Witnesses say that He who will come is

Jehovah and it is proved from the Holy Bible that He who
will come is Christ, therefore they are presenting us with a
new proof that Christ is God. In order to escape this
awkward position Jehovah's Witnesses said in the same
issue of Watchtower magazine: "Jehovah will come
taking the form of Jesus Christ." Are they, by saying this,
confessing that God was Incarnate and became Man?

(b) We refuted their claim that the expression 'the First

and the Last' only refers to the Lord's death and
resurrection, by saying:

(i) Regarding death, Christ was not the first nor was He
the last of those who died. Millions died before and after
Him.

(ii) Regarding resurrection, although Christ is truly the first

fruits of those who have fallen asleep who rose with a
glorified body, yet He is not the last, because all people
will rise from the dead, both the righteous and the wicked
(Jn. 5:28,29).
 With Respect to Him Being
Omnipresent

(A) God Is the One Who Is Present Everywhere

(1) To be present everywhere is a quality which belongs

to God alone. David the Prophet said to God: "Where can
Igo from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your
presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there, if I
make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the
wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of
the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your
right hand shall hold me" (Ps. 139:7-10).

(2) There is no doubt that the Being who is present

everywhere is Infinite. God alone is Infinite and
consequently the quality of being everywhere belongs to
Him alone because there is no Infinite Being besides Him.
God is in heaven and at the same time He is on earth,
because heaven is His throne and earth His footstool
(Matt. 34:35); (Is .66:1). His presence in places of worship
is but a type of His general presence everywhere. Thus
Solomon the Sage said at the consecration of the temple:
"Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot
contain You. How much less this temple which I have
built!" (1 Kin. 8:27)

(3) No Being other than God can be present everywhere,

otherwise he will be infinite and this quality belongs to
God alone. If we prove that Christ is present everywhere,
then we will have proved that He is God.
(B) The Lord Jesus Christ Is Present Everywhere
(1) Christ gives those who believe in Him a promise which
none but God can give. He says to His believers: ,,For
where two or three are gathered together in My name, I
am there in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:20). This means
that the Lord Jesus Christ is present everywhere on earth
because the Church spread and reached the ends of the
earth. Imagine a Sunday, for example, and all the
Christians in the whole world gathering together in the
name of Christ to pray in their churches, and Christ
amidst each gathering. Does this not mean that He is
present everywhere on earth?

(2) While Christ is present everywhere on earth, He is

also in heaven because He ascended to heaven, as the
Apostles saw Him (Acts 1:9), and He is at the right hand
of the Father, as St. Stephen saw Him (Acts 7:56).

(3) Christ is also in Paradise with those who departed this

world. The proof of this are the Lord's words to the
Penitent Thief. "Today, you will be with Me in Paradise"
(Lk. 23:43), and the words of St. Paul the Apostle:
"having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far
better" (Phil. 1:23). This is an indication that those who
depart this earth are with Christ in Paradise, while He is
also with the Militant faithful on earth.

(4) Christ's discourse that He is in heaven and on earth

and in Paradise is persuant to His promise to the Church:
"And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age"
(Matt. 28:20).

(5) The Lord Jesus Christ declared this fact in His

discourse with Nicodemus, when He said: "No one has
ascended to heaven but He who came down from
heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven" (Jn.
3:13). This means that Christ was in heaven while He
was on earth speaking with Nicodemus.
(6) The Lord Jesus Christ is not only on earth wherever
two or three gather together in His name, but He is also in
the heart of every faithful who loves Him. He says: "If
anyone loves Me, he will keep My word, and My Father
will love Him, and We will come to Him and make Our
home with him" (Jn. 14:23). This means that every person
who loves God is a house for Christ. The Lord Jesus
Christ comes into his heart, and dwells with him wherever
he stays and wherever he goes. That is why St. Paul the
Apostle was able to say: "It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20).

(7) Christ the Lord is not only present where the righteous
and saintly are, but He is also in the places where the
wicked have strayed. He is seeking for them, visiting
them and knocking at the door of their hearts. Thus He
says: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears My voice and opens the door, I will come into him
and dine with him, and he with Me" (Rev. 3:20).
(C) Conclusion: Christ Is God

From what we have said it is proved that Christ the Lord

is Infinite and is present everywhere: in heaven and
Paradise and at the same time on earth; in the places of
worship, in the gatherings of the believers and in the
hearts of those who love Him. He also knocks at the door
of the hearts of the lost and of those who have strayed
from His commandments. He moves with every person
wherever they go and is with them when they settle. He is
with the living and also with the departed. All these can
only apply to one Being, that is, God.
With Respect to Him Being the
Judge

We will prove that God alone is the Judge and that Christ
is the Judge, thus proving that Christ is God.
(A) God Alone Is the Judge

When our father Abraham interceded for the people of

Sodom, he gave the Lord the title, "the Judge of all the
earth" (Gen. 18:25). Also, David said in his Psalms: "He
shall judge the world' (Ps. 9:8), "He shall judge the
peoples righteously" (Ps. 96:10), "He shall judge the
world with righteousness" (Ps. 96:13); (Ps. 98:9), "O God,
to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth! Rise up, O
Judge of the earth" (Ps. 94:1,2), and: "Let the heavens
declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge" (Ps.
50:6). And St. Paul says in his Epistle to the Romans:
"For then how will God judge the world?" (Rom. 3:6)

It is natural for God to judge the world because He

examines the hearts and minds, reads the thoughts, and
knows the deeds of everybody. Thus He judges with
righteousness and uprightness.
(B) Christ Is the Judge

(1) St. Paul the Apostle says: "For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may
receive the things done in the body, according to what he
has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5: 10).

(2) The Lord says in the Gospel according to St. Matthew:

"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father
with His angels, and then He will reward each according
to his works" (Matt. 16:27).
(3) The Lord also says: "When the Son of Man comes in
His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit
on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered
before Him, and He will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He
will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the
left. Then the King will say..." (Matt. 25:31-46). The Lord
then explains the details of His judgment: the wicked will
go to everlasting punishment and the righteous to eternal
life.

(4) The Lord says about the end of the world: "The Son of
Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of
His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice
lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire"
(Matt. 13:41,42).

(5) St. Paul says to his disciple St. Timothy: "The Lord
Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His
appearing and His kingdom " (2 Tim.4: 1).

(6) The Lord says in the Book of Revelation: "And behold,

I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me,

to give to every one according to his work" (Rev. 22:12).

(7) One of the reasons for Christ the Lord acting as the
Judge is because He knows the deeds of everyone. In
His message to the angels of the seven churches in Asia,

He says to each of them: "I know your works" (Rev.

2:2,9,13,19); (Rev. 3:1,8,15). Also see the Gospel
according to St. Matthew, chapter 7, verses 21 to 23.

If Christ is the Judge then He is God because God is the

Judge. Christ judges people's deeds because He knows
their deeds and also because
(8) "all the churches shall know that I am He who
searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each
one of you according to your works" (Rev. 2:23).
Therefore He not only knows the works but even more He
searches the minds and hearts.

This presents us with the following proof of His Divinity.

With Respect to Him Being the
Examiner of Hearts and Minds

(A) God Alone Is the Examiner of Hearts and Thoughts

No one can examine the heart and read the thought and
see the secrets of the soul except God alone because
this attribute is part of God's infinite knowledge and He
alone is Infinite. The Holy Bible confirmed that this quality
belongs to God alone:
(1) It is written: "Then hear in heaven Your dwelling place,
and forgive, and act, and give to everyone according to all
his ways, whose heart You know (for You, only You,
know the hearts of all the sons of men)"
(1 Kin. 8:39).

(2) Solomon's proverbs are full of these testimonies. He

says: "The Lord weighs the hearts" (Prov. 21:2), and "The
Lord tests the hearts" (Prov. 17:3).

(3) David the Prophet says in the Psalm: "For the

righteous God tests the hearts and minds" (Ps.7 :9), and
"He knows the secrets of the heart" (Ps. 44:21).

(4) In the Book of Jeremiah the Prophet, the Lord says:

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately
wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I
test the mind, even to give every man according to his
ways, and according to the fruit of his

doings" (Jer. 17:9,10). The Prophet Jeremiah says: O

Lord of hosts, You who judge righteously, testing the
mind and the heart" (Jer. 11:20).
(5) The Prophet Amos says: "Who declares to man what
his thought is, ...the LORD God of hosts is His name"
(Amos 4:13).

(6) St. Paul the Apostle says: "Even so we speak, not as

pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts" (1 Thess.
2:4).

It is clear from these verses that God is the Examiner of

hearts, who weighs them, tests them, and knows their
secrets. He is the One who tells man what his thought is.
He alone knows the hearts of all human beings. He alone
is the Examiner of hearts and minds. Nevertheless we
see that:
(B) The Lord Jesus Christ Examines the Heart and
Knows the Thought

(1) Christ the Lord says, as we have already mentioned:

"And all the churches shall know that I am He who
searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each
one of you according to your works" (Rev.2:23). There
are many examples in the Gospels which denote that
Christ the Lord reads the thoughts and answers them
without hearing anything. For example:

(2) The Holy Gospel says that the disciples "reasoned

among themselves, saying, 'It is because we have taken
no bread. 'But when Jesus perceived it, He said to
them, '0 you of little faith, why do you reason among
yourselves because you have brought no bread?"' (Matt.
16:8); (Mk. 8:16,17)

(3) When the Lord said to the paralytic, "Your sins are
forgiven you", the Gospel says that the scribes

reasoned in their hearts, saying: " 'This Man

blasphemes!' But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said,
'Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is
easier...' " (Matt. 9:3,4); (Lk. 5:21,22); (Mk. 2:6,8).

(4) After the Lord Jesus Christ healed the

demonpossessed blind and mute man, the Gospel says:
"But when the pharisees heard it, they said, 'This fellow
does not cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler
of the demons.' But Jesus knew their thoughts, and
said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself
brought to desolation' " (Matt. 12:24,25); (Lk. 11: 17).

(5) In the miracle of Christ healing the man with the

withered hand, the Gospel says: "And the scribes and
pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal
on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation
against Him. But He knew their thoughts, and said to
the man... then said to them, 'I will ask you one thing: Is it
lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil?' (Lk. 6:7-9)

(6) When the disciples were tempted by the thought of

being great, the Gospel says: "A dispute arose among
them as to which of them would be greatest. And Jesus,
perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child
and set him by Him..." (Lk. 9:46,47).

(7) In the incident of the sinful woman who washed the

Lord's feet with her tears, the Lord replied to the thoughts
of Simon the Pharisee. The Gospel says: "Now when the
Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to
himself, saying, 'This Man, if He were a prophet, would
know who and what manner of woman this is who is
touching Him, for she is a sinner. And Jesus answered
and said to him..." (Lk. 7:39,40).

(8) With regard to Christ knowing the unseen, we give as

examples:
(i) The Lord's words to Peter about the hook and the
stater (the exact temple tax for two) (Matt. 17:27).

(ii) The Lord's knowledge of Thomas's doubting and

discourse with the other Apostles (Jn. 20:27).

(iii) The Lord's knowledge of the death of Lazarus (Jn. 11:

11).

(iv) The Lord's knowledge of what had happened to

Nathaniel under the fig tree (Jn. 1:47-50).

(v) The Lord's knowledge of the past life of the Samaritan

woman (Jn. 4:18).

(C) Conclusion: Christ Is God

Here we will leave aside Christ's knowledge of the
unseen and talk only about His knowledge of man's
thought.

(1) The Holy Bible says: "For the righteous God tests the
hearts and minds" (Ps. 7:9), and the Lord Jesus Christ
says: "And all the churches shall know that I am He who
searches the minds and hearts" (Rev. 2:23). Is this not an
explicit declaration that Christ is God?
Let Christ be God and let God be true.

(2) The Holy Bible says distinctly about God: "For You,
only You, know the hearts of all the sons of men" (1 Kin.
8:39), and it has been proved that Christ has read the
thought and known the secrets of hearts and souls. Does
the Holy Book contradict itself or are Christ and God One,
and thus Christ knows the hearts of men?
Let Christ be God and let God be true.
 With Respect to Him Being
Good and Holy

This proof contains three main points:

(A) No one is good but One, that is, God (Matt. 19:17)

(B) Christ is good and holy

(C) Conclusion: Christ is God

(A) No One Is Good But God Alone

(1) The Book of Psalms says: "They have all turned

aside, they have together become corrupt; there is none
who does good, no, not one" (Ps. 14:3); (Ps. 53:3). St.
Paul the Apostle referred to this verse in his Epistle to the
Romans, in chapter 3, verse 12.

(2) St. John the Beloved testifies to this fact and says: "If
we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and
the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1: 8). That is why the saints
confessed that they were sinful. St. Paul the Apostle, who
ascended to the third heaven, said the "sinners of whom I
am chief" (1 Tim. 1: 15), and: "For we know that the law is
spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin... For I know that
in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells" (Rom.
7:14,18).

(3) All human beings are sinful, whereas God alone is

good, as the Lord Himself says: "No one is good but One,
that is, God' (Matt. 19:17).

(4) Also, the Holy Bible says that God is holy. The
seraphim cried to Him, saying: "Holy, holy, holy" (Is. 6:3),
and the Virgin Mary said: "For He who is mighty has done
great things for me, and holy is His name" (Lk. 1:49).

(5) Moreover, the Holy Bible confines holiness to God

alone, according to the song in the Book of Revelation:
"Great and marvellous are Your works Lord God
Almighty! Just and true are Your ways, 0 King of the
saints! Who shall not fear You, 0 Lord, and glorify Your
name? For You alone are holy" (Rev. 15:3,4).
(B) Christ Is Good and Holy

(1) The angel announced Christ's birth to the Virgin and

said to her: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also,
that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son
of God' (Lk. 1:35).

(2) After healing the lame man, St. Peter the Apostle
reproached the Jews for rejecting Christ, saying: "But you
have denied the Holy One and the Just and asked for a
murderer to be granted to you" (Acts 3:14).

(3) St. Paul the Apostle said that Christ is "holy,

harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has
become higher than the heavens" (Heb. 7:26).

(4) The whole church prayed after the release of the

Apostles Peter and John, saying: "Grant to Your servants
that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by
stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and
wonders may be done through Your holy Servant Jesus"
(Acts 4:30). Also see the Book of Acts, chapter 4, verse
27.

(5) Even the Lord Himself, in His message to the angel of

the church of Philadelphia, says: "These things says He
who is holy, He who is true, 'He who has the key of
David, He who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and
no one opens' " (Rev. 3:7).

(6) In the Lord Jesus Christ's holiness, He appeared to

everyone to be separate from sinners and the only good
One. That is why He said to the Jews, defying them:
"Which of you convicts Me of sin?" (Jn. 8:46), and said
about the Devil: "The ruler of this world is coming, and he
has nothing in Me" (Jn. 14:30).

(7) The Apostles testified to the Lord, saying that He "was

in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin" (Heb.
4:15); He "knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:2 1); "in Him there was
no sin" (Un. 3:5), and that He "committed no sin, nor was
guile found in His mouth" (1 Pet. 2:22).

(8) Even strangers and enemies testified to Christ with

the same testimony. Judas who handed Him over, said: "I
have sinned by betraying innocent blood' (Matt. 27:4),
and Pilate who sentenced Him to death, said: "I am
innocent of the blood of this just Person" (Matt. 27:24),
and Pilate's wife sent to her husband, saying: "Have
nothing to do with that just Man" (Matt. 27.19).

(9) Even the Devil witnessed to Christ, saying: "I know

who You are the Holy One of God' (Mk. 1:24); (Lk. 4:34).

(10) Even Jehovah's Witnesses testified to Christ in their

magazine Watchtower (Arabic issue of June 1953, p. 96),
in their reply to a question about the words of Solomon
the Sage: "One man among a thousand I have found, but
a woman among all these I have not found' (Ecc. 7:28).
They said that the number 1,000 is a symbol of
wholeness, and that a thousand men is a symbol of all
men. And if there is no woman among all women who is
good and without sin, there is only One found among men
who is good, that is, Jesus Christ, the only One with this
quality who lived on earth.
(C) Conclusion: Christ Is God

(1) If there is no one good but One, that is, God, and it
has been proved that Christ is good or rather that He is
the only good One, then Christ is God; He who is
separate from sinners and has become higher than the
heavens.

(2) If God alone is holy (Rev. 15:4) and it has been

proved that Christ is holy, then Christ is God.

A question:

When the rich young man asked the Lord: "Good teacher,
what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?",
why did the Lord reply: "Why do you call Me good? No
one is good but One, that is, God" (Matt. 19:16,17)?

The reply:

The Jews were accustomed to calling their teachers good

teacher'. So the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to ask the
young man: "Are you giving Me this title as a routine
custom, as you would do for other teachers? If so, know
that no one is good but One, that is, God. And do you
believe that I am this God?"

The Lord Jesus Christ did not say that He was not good
but rather, on another occasion, He said: "I am the, good
shepherd" (Jn. 10: 11), and He also said: "Which of you
convicts Me of sin?" (Jn. 8:46)
With Respect to Him Being the
Forgiver of Sins

(A) God Is the One Who Forgives Sins

(1) David the Prophet says in the Psalm: "Bless the Lord,
O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, ... who forgives allyour
iniquities" (Ps. 103: 1), and also: "If You, Lord, should
mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there is
forgiveness with You" (Ps. 130:3,4).

(2) It is written in the Book of Exodus: "The Lord, the Lord

God, merciful and gracious... forgiving iniquities and
transgression and sin" (Ex. 34:6,7).

(3) The Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray to God asking

for the forgiveness of our sins, in the Lord's Prayer (Matt.
6:12), and asked us to forgive others in order to deserve
God's forgiveness to us (Matt. 6:14,15).

(4) The Jews understood this fact and believed that no

One could forgive sins except God alone.
(B) The Reason Why God Alone Is the Forgiver of Sins
(1) Forgiveness is an entitlement of God alone, because
actually sin is committed against God. It is a breach of His
commandments, a transgression of His law and a
rebellion against His kingdom. It is also lack of love
towards God, preferring evil to Him; it is ingratitude

to Him. Sin is a rejection of God. This is clear from the

words of the Lord: "I have nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against Me... They have
provoked to anger the Holy One of Israel" (Is. 1:2-4).

(2) Even the sins which people commit against each

other, before being sins against man, are foremost sins
against God; against His commandments, against those
whom He created. That is why David says in his Psalm of
Repentance: "Against You, You only, have I sinned, and
done this evil in Your sight" (Ps. 51:4). When Nathan
faced him with his sin, he said: "'I have sinned against the
Lord 'And Nathan said to David, 'The Lord also has put
away your sin; you shall not die' " (2 Sam. 12:13,14).

See also (Mic. 7:9); (Is. 42:24); (1 Kin. 8:45,46) and

(Deut. 1: 4 1).

(C) Christ the Lord Forgave Sins

(1) He forgave the paralytic his sins and said to him
plainly: "Your sins are forgiven you" (Matt. 9:2); (Mk. 2:5);
(Lk. 5:20). When some of the scribes reasoned in their
hearts, saying: "Why does this Man speak blasphemies
like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" (Mk. 2:7),
the Lord said to them: "'Why do you think evil in your
hearts? ... But that you may know that the Son of Man
has power on earth to forgive sins' then He said to the
paralytic, 'Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house' "
(Matt. 9:4,6); (Mk. 2:7-10).

(2) Christ the Lord forgave the sins of the sinful woman
who washed His feet with her tears, and said to her:
"Your sins are forgiven" (Lk. 7:48). Then those who were
present grumbled and said to themselves: "Who is this
who even forgives sins?" (Lk. 7:49)

(3) Christ the Lord forgave the sins of the thief who was
crucified with Him and opened for him the gates of
Paradise, despite his evil past, saying to him, "Today you
will be with Me in Paradise" (Lk. 23:43).
(4) Christ's forgiving people their sins was not trespass on
God's prerogatives. Because after He had said to the
paralytic: "Your sins are forgiven you". He healed him and
the man arose, carried his bed and walked. If Christ had
overstepped His bounds in this miracle and trespassed
on the rights of the Father, He would not have been able
to heal the paralytic after granting him forgiveness.
(D) Conclusion: Christ Is God

Although everyone believes that God alone forgives sins,

yet Christ forgave the sins of the paralytic, the sinful
woman, the Penitent Thief and others by mere order, and
not through prayers in which He asked the absolution
from God the Father as priests do. He forgave them by
order, saying: "Your sins are forgiven you". and not by
saying: "Go, the Lord forgives you." He also plainly said
that He had authority on earth to forgive sins.

When the Jews said that the forgiveness of sins belongs

to God alone, He did not object that principle but rather
kept that understanding and showed His authority to
forgive. He then proved this authority by performing a
miracle in front of them as if He were telling them: "I am
This God who alone has the authority to forgive sins."
 With Respect to Him
Accepting Worship and Prayer

The Lord Jesus Christ accepted worship from people

which was not a kneeling down as a sign of respect but
an actual worship which followed belief or a miracle.

(1) When He gave sight to the man born blind and called
him to believe in Him as the Son of God, the man born
blind said: "'Lord, I believe! 'And he worshipped Him"
believe!' And

(2) After He had walked on the sea and made His disciple
Peter walk with Him, "those who were in the boat came
and worshipped Him, saying, 'Truly You are the Son of
God' " (Matt. 14:33), and He accepted this worship from
them.

(3) After the miracle of catching a great number of fish,

St. Peter worshipped the Lord Jesus, and said: "Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man, 0 Lord!" (Lk. 5:8) The Lord
accepted this worship and accepted the title 'Lord, then
called Peter to be a fisher of men.

(4) The woman who suffered from a flow of blood

worshipped the Lord Jesus after He healed her (Mk. 5:33).

(5) Jairus worshipped Him, saying: "My little daughter lies

at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her,
that she may be healed, and she will live" (Mk. 5:23).
Thus it was worship preceded by faith in Christ that He is
able to raise the dead by merely laying His hands on
them. And Christ did raise his daughter for him (Mk.
5:41,42).
(6) Christ was also worshipped by Mary Magdalene and
the other Mary after His resurrection (Matt. 28:9).

(7) The eleven Apostles worshipped Christ when they

saw Him after the Resurrection (Matt. 28:17). Christ's
resurrection from the dead was one of the greatest
miracles and its effect on the Apostles and the two
women was that of worshipping Him.

(8) The wise men from the East worshipped Christ in His
childhood (Matt. 2:11).

(9) We add the words of St. Paul the Apostle that "at the
name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in
heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the
earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:
10,11).

(10) The Lord Jesus Christ accepted to be called "Lord,

Lord' (Matt. 7:22).

(11) The Lord Jesus Christ says that prayer addressed to

the Father will be heard if it is in His name. He said to His
disciples: "Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask
the Father in My name He will give you. Ask, and you will
receive, that your joy may be full" (Jn. 16:23,24).

(12) He also said: "And whatever you ask in My name,

that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If
you ask anything in My name I will do" (Jn. 14:13,14).
The phrase in My name I will do which He says here
twice, means that He Himself hears the prayer. Christ
Himself, here, is the One who gives; that the Father may
be glorified in the Son. It is unlike the previous verse
whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
And this is a clear indication of His Divinity.
With Respect to Him Being the
Giver of Life

(1) St. John the Evangelist says: "In Him was life" Jn.
1:4). The Lord Jesus Christ gives life here on earth and in
the eternal life, and this is one of the works of God alone.

(2) The Lord Jesus Christ gave life when He raised the
dead. The Holy Bible mentions three miracles pertaining
to this point:

(a) (Mk. 5:22,35-42): The raising of Jairus's daughter.

She was lying dead on her bed in the house, and her
relatives were weeping and wailing.

(b) (Lk. 7:11-17): The raising of the son of the widow of

Nain. He was being carried in the coffin on the way to the
tomb and around him were great crowds of the people of
the city.

(c) (Jn. 11): The raising of Lazarus four days after his
death. He was buried in the tomb and his sister said that
there was a stench.

The important point in these three miracles is that they

were performed by Christ's order, which denotes His
Divinity and that He is the Giver of life. We will talk about
this point in detail when we tackle the proof of Christ's
Divinity with respect to His miracles.

(3) It suffices to comment on the Lord's miracles of raising

the dead by quoting His words: "For as the Father raises
the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life
to whom He will" (Jn. 5:21). Here there is equality of the
Son with the Father and in addition, He made the giving
of life dependent on His will.

(4) Christ the Lord said of Himself that He "gives life to

the world' (Jn. 6:33) because He is "the bread of life" (Jn.
6:35). He said: "I am the living bread which came down
from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live
forever, and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I
shall give for the life of the world. Whoever eats My flesh
and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him
up at the last day" (Jn. 6:35-58).

This chapter presents Christ as the Giver of life through

the Sacrament of Eucharist in which He offers His body
and blood. And the Lord will raise him who partakes of
this Sacrament at the Last Day.

(5) Christ the Lord said of Himself that He is the Giver of

eternal life. He said: "My sheep hear My voice, and I
know them, and they follow Me. And 1 give them eternal
life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone
snatch them out of My hand' (Jn. 10:27,28). Observe here
the phrase "I give them".
(6) Christ the Lord also gives eternal life to whoever
believes in Him. He says about Himself that "whoever
believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life" (Jn. 3:16).

(7) Also, in the Lord's discourse with the Samaritan

woman, He encouraged her to ask Him to give her living
water, and said to her: "Whoever drinks of the water that I
shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall
give him will become in him a fountain of water springing
up into everlasting life" (Jn. 4:10-14). We

notice that He says twice "I shall give" because He is the

Giver of this gift of life and of everlasting life. It has never
happened that a man talked like this before, saying that
He is the Giver of life and of everlasting life, that He gives
life to whomever He wills, that whoever follows Him lives
forever and does not perish, and that no one can snatch
His sheep out of His hand. All these acts are of God's
authority alone.
 With Respect to His Authority
over Nature

The Lord Jesus Christ had authority over nature in every

respect. He had authority over the sea, the wind and the
waves and authority over plants and animals. He also had
authority over light, earth, hills, closed doors and the laws
of nature. He commanded and was obeyed as One in
authority, implying His Divinity. We will now expound this
in detail:

(1) His Authority Over Sea, Wind and Waves

(a) St. Mark the Evangelist says: "And a great windstorm

arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was
already filling. " And when the disciples were afraid, what
did the Lord do? He "arose and rebuked the wind, and
said to the sea, 'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and
there was a great calm" (Mk. 4:37,39). The effect of this
on those in the ship was that they said: "Who can this be,
that even the wind and the sea obey Him!" (Mk. 4:41)
Indeed, who has authority over sea, wind and waves,
commanding and rebuking them and they obey? Does
this not remind us of the words of the Psalm: "0 Lord God
of hosts, who is mighty like You, 0 Lord? You rule the
raging of the sea; when its waves rise, You still them"
(Ps. 89:8,9)?

(b) St. John the Evangelist says about the Lord's authority
over the sea: "And it was now dark, and Jesus had not
come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind
was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four
miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing
near the boat, and they were afraid' (Jn. 6:17-19). And St.
Mark says about this miracle: "Now when evening came,
the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone
on the land Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the
wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the
night He came to them, walking on the sea. Then He
went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased And
they were -greatly amazed in themselves beyond
measure, and marvelled' (Mk. 6:47-51).

(c) The Lord Jesus Christ did not only walk on the sea
Himself, but also made St. Peter the Apostle walk with
Him. And when St. Peter was afraid and began to sink,
the Lord caught him. Peter said: "'Lord, if it is You,
command me to come to You on the water. 'So He said,
'Come. 'And when Peter had come down out of the boat,
he walked on the water. But when he saw that the wind
was boisterous, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he
cried out, saying, 'Lord, save me!' And immediately Jesus
stretched out His hand and caught him. And when they
got into the boat, the wind ceased' (Matt. 14:25-32). Of
course, all this was done by Christ's own authority, by His
own might; the might of His Divinity. Where are the laws
of physics here, which speak about the law of gravity?
Are these laws not of His design as well, because "all
things were made through Him" (Jn. 1: 3)?

(2) Where is the law of gravity in His ascension to

heaven, which is recorded not only in the Book of Acts,

chapter one, verse 9, but also in St. John's Gospel,

chapter 3, verse 13?

(3) Another aspect of Christ's authority over nature is His

coming in the midst of the disciples after His resurrection
when the doors were shut (Jn. 20:19). And in the miracle
of His resurrection, He came out of the tomb while the
tomb was sealed and a great stone was over its mouth.
These miracles were performed by His authority and by
the might of His Divinity.

(4) We should not forget what happened to nature at the

time of the Lord's crucifixion: The earth quaked, the rocks
were split and the veil of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom (Matt. 27:51). And there was darkness over
the whole land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour
(Mk. 15:33); (Lk. 23:44,45).

(5) One of the aspects of Christ's authority over nature

was that He cursed the fig tree and it immediately
withered (Matt. 21:19), thus manifesting His authority over
plants.

(6) His authority over animals was manifested in the two

miracles of catching the great number of fish: When He
called Peter to be a fisher of men (Lk. 5:4-7), and at the
Sea of Tiberias, after His resurrection (Jn. 21:5-1 1).

(7) His authority over nature also appears in His healing

of diseases, especially the incurable ones, by His mere
order, touch or will, like when He healed the lepers, the
blind, the dumb, the deaf, the mute, the paralyzed and the
lame.

(8) We add to the above the miracles pertaining to Him

such as His Birth of a virgin and the wonderful movement
of a star to show His place of birth.

All these denote that Christ has authority over nature in

all its aspects: the sun, the stars, the rocks, the

(b) St. John the Evangelist says about the Lord's authority
over the sea: "And it was now dark, and Jesus had not
come to them. Then the sea arose because a great wind
was blowing. So when they had rowed about three or four
miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing
near the boat, and they were afraid' (Jn. 6:17-19). And St.
Mark says about this miracle: "Now when evening came,
the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone
on the land Then He saw them straining at rowing, for the
wind was against them. And about the fourth watch of the
night He came to them, walking on the sea. Then He
went up into the boat to them, and the wind ceased And
they were -greatly amazed in themselves beyond
measure, and marvelled' (Mk. 6:47-51).
(c) The Lord Jesus Christ did not only walk on the sea
Himself, but also made St. Peter the Apostle walk with
Him. And when St. Peter was afraid and began to sink,
the Lord caught him.
Peter said: "'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to
You on the water. 'So He said, 'Come.' And when Peter
had comedown out of the boat, he walked on the water.
But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was
afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, 'Lord,
save me!' And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand
and caught him. And when they got into the boat, the
wind ceased' (Matt. 14:25-32). Of course, all this was
done by Christ's own authority, by His own might; the
might of His Divinity. Where are the laws of physics here,
which speak about the law of gravity? Are these laws not
of His design as well, because "all things were made
through Him" (Jn. 1:3)?

(2) Where is the law of gravity in His ascension to

heaven, which is recorded not only in the Book of
Acts, chapter one, verse 9, but also in St. John's
Gospel, chapter 3, verse 13?

(3) Another aspect of Christ's authority over nature is His

coming in the midst of the disciples after His resurrection
when the doors were shut (Jn. 20:19). And in the miracle
of His resurrection, He came out of the tomb while the
tomb was sealed and a great stone was over its mouth.
These miracles were performed by His authority and by
the might of His Divinity.

(4) We should not forget what happened to nature at the

time of the Lord's crucifixion: The earth quaked, the rocks
were split and the veil of the temple was torn in two from
top to bottom (Matt. 27:51). And there was darkness over
the whole land from the sixth hour until the ninth hour
(Mk. 15:33); (Lk. 23:44,45).

(5) One of the aspects of Christ's authority over nature

was that He cursed the fig tree and it immediately
withered (Matt. 21:19), thus manifesting His authority over
plants.

(6) His authority over animals was manifested in the two

miracles of catching the great number of fish: When He
called Peter to be a fisher of men (Lk. 5:4-7), and at the
Sea of Tiberias, after His resurrection (Jn. 21:5-1 1).

(7)His authority over nature also appears in His

healing of diseases, especially the incurable ones, by
His mere order, touch or will, like when He healed the
lepers, the blind, the dumb, the deaf, the mute, the
paralyzed and the lame.

(8) We add to the above the miracles pertaining to Him

such as His Birth of a virgin and the wonderful movement
of a star to show His place of birth.
All these denote that Christ has authority over nature in
all its aspects: the sun, the stars, the rocks, the

earth, the sea, the wind, the waves, plants and animals,
human illnesses and closed doors. His authority over
these was enforced by His mere order or will, and this
cannot be done by a human being but it is a Divine
authority.
 With Respect to His Authority
over Angels

(1) In the first two chapters of the Epistle to the Hebrews,

St. Paul the Apostle explains how Christ is greater than
the angels (Heb. 1:4) with indications proving His Divinity
with respect to Him being the Son sitting at the right hand
of the Majesty on high. And it was said that God's throne
is forever and ever, and that everything was put under His
feet.

(2) It was said of Christ: "Let all the angels of God

worship Him" (Heb. 1:6), and that at His name "every
knee should bow, of those in heaven... " (Phil. 2: 10). The
angels can not bow down and worship except God alone.
It was said in the Book of Revelation that the four living
creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before Him
while singing: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to
open its seals" (Rev. 5:9).

(3) It is written that after the temptation in the wilderness,

"the angels ministered to Him" (Mk. 1: 13), and: "Angels
came and ministered to Him" (Matt. 4:1 1).

(4) About the submission of the angels to Christ, it is

written: "Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is
at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and
powers having been made subject to Him" (1 Pet.
3:21,22). Who is the One ministered to by the angels, and
to whom angels, authorities and powers are subject, but
God alone?

(5) It was said on more than one occasion that the angels
are Christ's angels and that He sends them:
(a) In St. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 13, verses 41 and
42, it is written: "The Son of Man will send out His angels,
and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that
offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast
them into the furnace of fire." Who is the One who has
authority to send angels on the Day of Judgment, but God
alone?

(b) In St. Matthew's Gospel, chapter 24, verses 30 and

31, it is written: "And they will seethe Son of Man coming
on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And
He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
and they will gather together His elect from the four
winds, from one end of heaven to the other. "We observe
here that the angels are His, the Kingdom is His and the
elect are His, and this cannot apply to a human being or
any created being whatsoever.

The angels belong to God alone because the angels are

the angels of God. The Psalm says: "Bless the Lord, you
His angels" (Ps. 103:20), and also: "Who makes His
angels spirits, His ministers aflame of fire" (Ps. 104:4);
(Heb. 1:7); "For He shall give His angels charge over you,
to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in
their hands" (Ps. 91:11,12); (Matt. 4:6). The Lord Jesus
Himself says: "He who overcomes shall be clothed in
white garments. I will confess his name before My Father
and before His angels" (Rev. 3:5). God is the One who
sends His angels, as the Prophet Daniel says: "My God
sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths" (Dan. 6:22).

How can the angels be God's and Christ's at the same

time unless the Two are One? We have a good testimony
at the end of the Book of Revelation: "And the Lord God
of the holy prophets sent His angel to show His servants
the things which must shortly take place" (Rev. 22:6), and
in the same chapter: "I, Jesus, have sent My angel to
testify to you these things" (Rev. 22:16). Also compare
with the first verse of the Book of Revelation.
 Because the Kingdom
Belongs to Him

(1) The kingdom is God's kingdom, and in the Lord's

Prayer we pray to the Heavenly Father, saying: "Your
kingdom come" (Matt. 6:10). The Apostle says: "God who
calls you into His own kingdom and glory" (I Thess. 2:12);
(Jas. 2:5). The Lord Jesus Christ says: "My Father's
kingdom" (Matt. 26:29); (Matt. 13:43), and the term
"kingdom of God' appears in various verses, among
which are: St. Luke's Gospel, chapter 13, verses 18, 20,
28 and 29.

(2) Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus Christ declares that the

kingdom belongs to Him, saying: "Assuredly, I say to you,
there are some standing here who shall not taste death till
they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom" (Matt.
16:28). This is concerning the spread of His kingdom on
earth. And concerning the end of this age, He says: "The
Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather
out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who
practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace
of fire" (Matt. 13:40-42).

(3) Regarding the kingdom of heaven of Christ, the

Apostle says: "I charge you therefore before God and the
Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead
at His appearing and His kingdom" (2 Tim. 4: 1). About
this heavenly kingdom, the Penitent Thief said: "Lord,
remember me when You come into Your kingdom" (Lk.
23:43).

(4) Daniel the Prophet was most probably referring to the

kingdom of heaven when he spoke about Christ, saying:
"His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not
pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be
destroyed' (Dan. 7:14). These terms were only used for
God, the God who lives forever, the Most High and
steadfast God forever (Dan. 4:3,34); (Dan. 6:26).

Therefore, the kingdom is God the Father's kingdom and

Christ's kingdom. What, then, is the conclusion? Who,
except God alone, can talk of His kingdom like this: A
spiritual kingdom on earth, an everlasting kingdom in
heaven, a kingdom which will not pass away, a kingdom
which will not be destroyed, a kingdom in which the
angels and the elect are His (Matt. 24:31)?
 With Respect to His Authority
over Life and Death

(1) We have talked previously about the Divinity of Christ

with respect to Him being the Giver of life. The Lord
talked about His relation with life, saying: "I am the
resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though
he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes
in Me shall never die" (Jn. 11:25,26). He also said: "I am
the way, the truth, and the life" (Jn. 14:6). Who among
men can say: "I am the life, the resurrection, and the
truth"?

(2) Regarding the Lord's authority over death, the Apostle

says that our Savior Jesus Christ "has abolished death
and brought life and immortality to light" (2 Tim. 1:10).
The Lord Himself testifies to His authority over death in
the Book of Revelation, saying: "I have the keys of Hades
and of death" (Rev. 1: 18), and: "If anyone keeps My
word he shall never see death" (Jn. 8:51).

(3) Who is the One who has authority over life and death,
but God alone? For all human beings were under the
penalty of death, as the Apostle said: "Sin entered the
world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all
men, because all sinned" (Rom. 5:12). The Lord Jesus
Christ, however, is the One who abolished death.

(4) Authority over life and death is in the hand of God

alone, who said in the Book of Deuteronomy: "I, even I,
am He, and there is no God besides Me, I kill and I make
alive" (Deut. 32:39). And it was said of Him in the First
Book of Samuel the Prophet: "The Lord kills and makes
alive, He brings down to the grave and brings up" (1 Sam.
2:6). If this authority over life and death is in the hand of
Christ, as He said: "For as the Father raises the dead and
gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He
will" (Jn. 5:21), then Christ is God.
 With Respect to His Authority
over the Law

(1) The Law is God's Law and the commandments are

God's commandments. From the beginning, God gave
the Law and handed it, written, to Moses the Prophet (Ex.
20).

(2) But the Lord Jesus Christ laid down the Law of the
New Testament for us in the Sermon on the Mount, in His
words to His disciples: "A new commandment I give to
you" (Jn. 13:34), and in every spiritual teaching He left, of
which it was said: "He taught them as one having
authority, and not as the scribes" (Matt. 7:28).

(3) The Lord Jesus Christ had a standpoint regarding the

Law of the Old Testament which was manifested in the
strong and marvellous expression which He repeated
several times in the Sermon on the Mount, saying: "You
have heard that it was said to those of old.. But I say to
you..." (Matt. 5:22,28,32,34,39,44). No one has authority
over God's Law except Him alone.

(4) We see that the Lord Jesus Christ had authority to

legislate. Regarding the Sabbath: it is lawful to do good
on it. Regarding the tithes: they are the least of the
offerings and are to be observed with the commandment:
"Give to him who asks you" (Matt. 5:42). He also had
authority to legislate monogamy, divorce (Matt. 5:32) and
all the other laws in Christianity pertaining to perfection.

(5) The most powerful expression recorded about the

authority of Christ over the Law is what He Himself said
regarding the Law of the Sabbath: "The Son of Man is
also Lord of the Sabbath" (Mk. 2:28); (Lk. 6:5). If Christ is
the Lord of the Sabbath, and the Sabbath is the Day of
the Lord, then Christ is God.

(6) No man has ever dared speak about the Law in such
a way, saying: "But I say to you." Moses and the

prophets used the phrase "says the Lord". Christ the Lord
could not have spoken with such authority, saying: "But I
say to you," unless He is God.
 With Respect to His Authority
over Himself

(1) No one has authority over himself and over his spirit
because the Lord is "the God of all flesh," and He said:
"Behold, all souls are Mine" (Ez. 18:4). And St. Paul the
Apostle said that Christ is the Father of spirits when he
said: "Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to
the Father of spirits and live?" (Heb. 12:9)

(2) Nevertheless, the Lord Jesus Christ says: "I lay down
My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me,
but I lay it down of Myself I have power to lay it down, and
I have power to take it again" (Jn. 10: 17,18). Who can
dare claim this authority? The Lord Jesus Christ is the
only One who said this statement because He is God.

(3) Christ's authority over Himself was manifested in the

Resurrection when He rose by Himself and was not
raised by another as those before Him were. He came out
of the sealed tomb by Himself, without anyone seeing
Him.
 With Respect to His Authority
over Demons

(1) The demons were afraid of the Lord Jesus Christ and
cried out on seeing Him for fear of being destroyed or
tormented. For example:

(a) The man at the synagogue of Capernaum who was

possessed with an evil spirit. The spirit cried out, saying:
"Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of
Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You
are the Holy One of God' (Mk. 1:22-24); (Mk. 3:1 1).

(b) The man who was called Legion because he had

many demons, who was tied up with chains and chackles
because of his violence. When he saw the Lord, he fell
down before Him and cried out with a loud voice, saying:
"What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High
God? I beg You, do not torment me!" (Lk. 8:28)

(c) The two outrageous mad men who came out of the
tombs in the country of Gergesenes so fierce that no one
could pass that way. When they saw the Lord, they cried
out, saying: "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You
Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before
the time?" (Matt. 8:29) And the Lord permitted the
demons to leave the two men and go into a herd of swine.

(2) The Lord's order silenced the devils and drove them
out. In Capernaum the Lord Jesus Christ rebuked an
unclean spirit, saying: "Be quiet, and come out of him"
(Mk. 1:25), and with Legion He "commanded the unclean
spirit to come out of the man" (Lk. 8:29). The Lord
rebuked a dumb spirit, saying: "You deaf and dumb spirit,
I command you, come out of him, and enter him no
more!" (Mk. 9:25) In the case of the boy who was seized
and convulsed by an unclean spirit, the Lord "rebuked the
unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his
father" (Lk. 9:42,43).

In all these cases, the evil spirits obeyed the command of

the Lord Jesus Christ and came out immediately. This
authority can never belong to a human being.

(3) Not only did the evil spirits come out by the Lord's
command, but also in His name. When the disciples said
to Him: "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your
name" (Lk. 10: 17), it was because He had given them
authority over every power of the adversary. This is the
difference between the Lord and human beings in casting
out demons: He cast them out by His authority whereas
they cast them out by His authority and not by their order.
Thus the Lord said about those who would believe in Him:
"In My name they will cast out demons" (Mk. 16:17). An
example of this is the incident of the slave-girl who was
possessed with a spirit of divination and who followed St.
Paul. The Book of Acts says that St. Paul "turned and
said to the spirit, 'I command you in the name of Jesus
Christ to come out of her.' And he came out that very
hour" (Acts 16:18).

(4) We observe that casting out demons is mentioned

under three different names for demons: either the plain
word demons, or evil spirits, or mad persons, as is clear
from the previous examples, and from the following
verses: (Lk. 10:17,20), (Mk. 7:25,26,29), (Lk. 8:29,30),
(Lk. 9:42), (Lk. 10:17,20) and (Matt. 10: 1,8).
 With Respect to Him Being the One
to Whom Glory and Power Belong
(1) The phrase: "To Him be glory and dominion forever"
belongs to God alone. It is included in the seraphim's
praise to God in the Book of Isaiah, chapter 6, verse 3.

(2) However, the Holy Bible gives us the idea that the
Lord Jesus Christ has this glory which befits Him as God:
He sits in His glory, as the Judge of all peoples and
nations. Christ the Lord says: "When the Son of Man
comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then
He will sit on the throne off His glory. All the nations will
be gathered before Him" (Matt. 25:31,32).

(3) Moreover, the Holy Bible mentions that the Lord Jesus
Christ has the same glory with the Father. Christ says:
"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father
with His angels, and then He will reward each according
to his works" (Matt. 16:27), and: "Whoever is ashamed of
Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be
ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His
Father's, and of the holy angels" (Lk. 9:26).

(4) How can the Lord Jesus Christ have the glory of the
Father unless He is God Himself, because God is not
rivalled by anyone in His glory, and He said: "I am the
Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to
another" (Is. 42:8)?

(5) The equality of the Son with the Father in glory is

mentioned in the Book of Revelation with respect to the
Son being "in the midst of the throne" (Rev. 7:17), and in
the praise which the Visionary heard from every creature
in heaven and on earth. He heard them saying: "Blessing
and honour and glory and power be to Him who sits on
the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" (Rev.
5:13) The same glory and power due to the Father are
due to the Son who is likened to a slain Lamb (Rev. 5:6).
This equal glory is forever and ever and is undoubtedly
proof of Christ's Divinity.

(6) The Lord Jesus Christ says about this glory: "I.. sat
downwith My Father on His throne" (Rev. 3:21). He also
says that He had this glory with the Father before the
world was (Jn. 17:4,5).

(7) Our teacher St. Peter the Apostle says: "But grow in
the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen"
(2 Pet. 3:18). The term "our Lord" together with the term
"to Him be glory" are clear proofs of Christ's Divinity.

(8) The Apostle also says: "That in all things God may be
glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory
and the dominion forever and ever. Amen" (1 Pet. 4:1 1).
How splendid it will be if we compare the last two verses
with the words of St. Jude the Apostle: to God our Savior,
who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and
power, both now and forever. Amen" (Jude: 25). The
glory attributed to the Father is the same glory attributed
to the Son.
 With Respect to His Miracles
(1) The reader is advised to read the two questions on the
miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ in Part Two of our book
entitled People's Questions Over The Years.
(2) As an introduction to this proof, we state that the
miracles of the Lord Jesus Christ are innumerable. It
suffices to mention the concluding words of the Gospel
according to St. John the Apostle: "And there are also
many other things that Jesus did, which if they were
written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself
could not contain the books that would be written. Amen"
(Jn. 21:25).

For example, St. Luke the Evangelist says: "Now when

the sun was setting, all those who had anyone sick with
various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His
hands on every one of them and healed them" (Lk. 4:40).
The miracles performed here are collective and
innumerable.

St. Matthew the Evangelist says: "Now Jesus went about

all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the
gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness
and all kinds of disease among the people" (Matt. 4:23).
Then the Apostle continues, saying: "And they brought to
Him all sick people who were afflicted with various
diseases and torments, and those who were
demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He
healed them" (Matt. 4:24). Can we enumerate what is
implied by the phrases "all kinds of sickness" and "all sick
people"?

(3) Therefore, we will confine ourselves, in proving the

Divinity of Christ, to the few miracles which are recorded
in the Gospels.
(4) The miracles of Christ were of many different types.
Among them were miracles of creation, of raising the
dead, of walking on the sea and rebuking the wind and
waves, ascention to heaven, descent from heaven, entry
while doors were shut, His Virgin Birth, casting out
demons, opening the eyes of the blind, healing chronic
diseases such as leprosy, paralysis, lameness,
dumbness, deafness, and illnesses that had continued for
thirty-eight years and for eighteen years, which
physicians had failed to cure. In brief, as St. Matthew the
Evangelist said, "all kinds of sickness and all kinds of
disease". in "all sick people who were afflicted with
various diseases and torments."
Who can heal all kinds of sickness and has authority over
nature and demons with this mightiness and in such
variety, except God, the Author of nature?

(5) The miracles of Christ were performed by His mere

order or rebuke. In healing Simon's mother-in-law from
her fever, He "rebuked the fever, and it left her. And
immediately she arose and served them" (Lk. 4:39). Here,
the illness left by His mere rebuke.

In healing the paralytic, Christ the Lord said to him:

"Arise, take up your bed, and go your way to your house"
(Mk. 2:9). His mere order restored the man's health so
that he rose up and even carried his bed.

In healing the man who had a withered hand, the Lord

said to him: "'Stretch out your hand.' And he did so,
and his hand was restored as whole as the other
hand' (Lk. 6:10). The Lord performed the miracle with His
mere order, healing a disease which medicine had failed
to cure.

The Lord Jesus Christ also used His command and

rebuke in driving out unclean spirits, and they were cast
out. That is why it was said: "For with authority He
commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey
Him" (Mk. 1:27). The Lord also used His command in
silencing the waves and calming the sea. It is written that
"He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea,
'Peace, be still!' And the wind ceased and there was a
great calm (Mk. 4:39).

Commands to nature and to sickness and disease can

not be given by a human being. It is a Divine power
which, in most cases, made those who watched Christ
confess His Divinity, as we have mentioned previously.

Even in raising the dead, we see the element of

command. In raising Jairus's daughter, the Lord said to
her: " 'Talitha, cumi.' Immediately the girl arose and
walked" (Mk. 5:41,42). The Lord nullified death by His
order, and restored life to the little girl by His order.

Also, in the miracle of raising the son of the widow of

Nain, it is written: "He said, 'Young man, I say to you,
arise.' And he who was dead sat up and began to
speak" (Lk.7:14,15). And in the miracle of raising
Lazarus, we read: "He cried with a loud voice,
'Lazarus, come forth!' And he who had died came out
bound hand and foot with grave clothes" (Jn.
11:43,44).

(6) Sometimes the miracle was performed by mere touch

or by laying His hand on the sick person. It is

written: "He laid His hands on every one of them and

heated them" (Lk. 4:40). When the ear of Malchus, the
high priest's servant, was cut off, "He touched his ear
and healed him" (Lk.22:5 1). In healing the two blind
men, He "touched their eyes. And immediately their
eyes received sight and they followed Him" (Matt.
20:34). When the Lord put His hands on the blind man at
Bethsaida, the man was able to see (Mk. 8:25). And the
woman who had a flow of blood and had spent all that
she had and was no better, but rather grew worse, when
she merely touched His garment, "immediately the
fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her
body that she was healed' (Mk. 5:29).

(7) Miracles were performed by the Lord's mere will

without Him giving a command. The leper implored Him,
saying: " 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.'
And Jesus, moved with compassion, put out His
hand and touched him, and said to him, 'I am willing,
be cleansed (Mk. 1:40,41), "And immediately his
leprosy was cleansed" (Matt. 8:2,3).

In the miracle of changing water into wine at Cana of

Galilee, the Lord Jesus Christ created a new element by
His mere will, without even giving a command, or by
touch, but by His mere inner will (Jn. 2:7-9).

(8) All Christ's miracles were performed without prayer.

He performed them with His own power; with the power of
His Divinity. The only miracle which was preceded by the
Lord addressing the Father was the miracle of raising
Lazarus from the dead. Probably the reason for this was
that He wanted to hide His Divinity from Satan, because
there were only a few days until the Cross. And also, if
there was one miracle among His numerous miracles
which was preceded by a prayer, it

may be to teach us to pray, and it might have been a

reply to the Lord's enemies who accused Him of using
Belzebub's power in performing His miracles.
Nevertheless, in raising Lazarus from the dead, the Lord
also used His command, saying: "Lazarus, come forth!"
(Jn. 11:43)
In the miracle of feeding the thousands, it was said that
He looked up, gave thanks and blessed the loaves (Mk.
6:41); (Matt. 15:36). Neither of the two miracles
mentioned that He prayed. His looking up and blessing
the food before eating may be to teach us.

(9) The miracles performed in the New Testament in

Christ's name are numerous. In healing the lame man at
the gate of the temple called Beautiful, Peter said to him:
"Silver and gold, I do not have, but what I have I give you:
In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazarus, rise up and walk"
(Acts. 3:6). This is also clear from the Lord's words: "And
these signs will follow those who believe: In My name
they will cast out demons" (Mk. 16:17).

(10) This is the difference between the miracles of Christ

and those of His disciples or saints: He performed the
miracle with His own power whereas the disciples'
miracles were performed in His name or by the power
they took from Him by His authority. So the power is
Christ's. That is why the Apostle said: "I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me" (Phil. 4:13).

The Lord gave this authority -to His disciples: "He gave
them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to
heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease" (Matt.
10: 1). And He said to the twelve Apostles: "Heal the sick,
cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons"
(Matt. 10:8). And He also said to the seventy disciples:
"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy" (Lk.
10: 19).

(11) The Lord Jesus Christ offered His miracles as a

leading cause to believe in Him. He said: "Believe Me that
I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe
Me for the sake of the works themselves" (Jn. 14:11).
And He said to the Jews: "If I do not do the works of My
Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not
believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and
believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him" (Jn.
10:37,38).

Christ's words, "I do the works of My Father" mean that

He does the very works of God Himself and this is a
definite proof of His Divinity. That is why He reproached
the Jews, saying: "If I had not done among them the
works which no one else did, they would have no sin" (Jn.
15:24). These works which no one else did are the Divine
works of which He said: "I do the works of My Father" (Jn.
10: 3 7). In this way Christ proclaims that His miracles are
proofs of His Divinity.

(12) The Lord Jesus Christ blessed those who believed in

Him through His miracles and called for that belief. He
blessed the belief of the centurion who said to Him: "But
only speak a word, and my servant will be healed" (Matt.
8:8), while his servant was lying at home paralyzed,
dreadfully tormented. The Lord gave him a promise that
his servant would be healed and the servant was healed
that same hour. And the Lord Jesus said: "Assuredly, I
say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in
Israel!" (Matt. 8: 10)

Truly, the faith of the centurion was amazing. He believed

that the Lord Jesus Christ's word was capable of healing
his servant; without Him touching the servant or laying
His hands on him to bless him, but that His mere
command was sufficient. The Lord Jesus Christ praised
that faith and confirmed it by healing the servant.

(13) Christ's miracles are proof of the truthfulness of His

discourse about His Divinity. The Lord Jesus Christ
performed extremely extraordinary miracles and at the
same time said: "I and My Father, are One" (Jn. 10:30),
"He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9),
and: "The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins"
(Mk. 2: 10). He said that He was the only Son of God (Jn.
3:16,18), and that He had ascended into heaven and had
descended from heaven and that He was in heaven (Jn.
3:13), and that He will come on the clouds of heaven and
will send His angels to gather together His elect (Mt.
24:30,3 1).

If His words were untrue, He would not have been able to

perform the miracles after saying them. If, by saying such
words, He. had unlawfully ascribed to Himself God's
authority and attributes, He would not have been able to
perform miracles after saying those words.

(14) We should not forget that the life of the Lord Jesus
Christ was a unique miracle. He was born of a virgin (Is.
7:14), which is a unique occurrence in the history of the
world; it had not happened before nor will it happen
again. An unusual star appeared proclaiming His birth
(Matt. 2:2-10), and He was worshipped by the Magi. In
His childhood, He astounded the Jewish elders. The Lord
Jesus Christ was a miracle in His baptism (Matt. 3), in His
transfiguration on the Mount of Tabor (Lk. 9:2-8), in His
rising from the dead and coming out of the tomb while the
tomb was sealed and without anyone being aware of Him
(Matt. 28), in His appearances to many persons after His
resurrection (Mk. 16) and in His entry into the Apostles'
room while the doors were shut (Jn. 20:19). The Lord
Jesus Christ was a miracle in His ascension into heaven
and in His sitting at the right hand of the Father (Mk.
16:19). The whole life of the Lord Jesus Christ was a
series of miracles, indicating His Divinity which was
united with His Humanity throughout the period in which
He appeared in the flesh, and also forever.