Week 8 Review

From Last Week… Understanding the historical implications of early church “creeds” written down in the Bible can provide a number of insights into the beliefs and practices of the early church. Why do you think these aren’t studied more in church settings?

From Last Week… Some criticize that if Jesus were such an important figure in history, there would be more written about Him by historians such as the Roman sources we mentioned in class. What would you say to this?

From Last Week… Do you think it is noteworthy that ancient Jewish texts happen to mention (and even try to discredit) Jesus and his teachings? Why or why not?

“Who do men say that I am?” The Deity of Christ

Your Personal Jesus Modern Jesus takes on many forms Political Jesus (every possible slant) Secular activist Jesus (vegetarian, feminist, etc.) New Age Jesus (the happy hippie) Where did this come from? Remaking Jesus in our image Stripping Jesus of divinity

Issues with the Deity of Christ Myth Hypothesis Jesus was only a man Divinity invention of early church (JewGentile) Jesus’s Claims Jesus did not claim to be God Misapplication of “Son of Man” (Daniel 7:13-14) Easy to clear up through scripture

Simple Acronym—HANDS H—Jesus shares the Honors due to God A—Jesus shares the Attributes of God N—Jesus shares the Names of God D—Jesus shares in the Deeds that God does S—Jesus shares the Seat of God’s throne

Jesus Shares the Honors due to God Honor (Exod. 20:2-3) Glory (Psa. 29:1-3) Fear (Deut. 6:13) Serve (Matt. 4:10) Love (Exod. 20:6) Honor (John 5:23) Glory (II Tim 4:18) Fear (II Cor 5:10-11) Serve (Rev. 22:3) Love (John 14:15)

Jesus Shares the Attributes of God Eternal (Psa. 90:2) Creator (Gen 1:1) Omnipotent (Job 42:2) Omnipresent (Gen. 28:15) Omniscient (I John 3:20) Eternal (John 1:1-3) Creator (Col 1:15-16) Omnipotent (Col 2:10) Omnipresent (Matt 28:20) Omniscient (Rev 2:23)

Jesus Shares the Names of God God (Deut. 4:35) Lord (Gen 2:4) Savior (Psa. 25:5) I AM (Exod. 3:14) Lord of lords (Deut 10:17) God (John 20:28) Lord (Acts 2:36) Savior (Luke 2:11) I AM (John 8:58) Lord of lords (Rev. 17:14)

Jesus Shares in the Deeds that God does Forgives sin (Exod 34:6-7) Judges all (Rom 2:3) Raises dead (Gal 1:1) Power over nature (Gen 8:1) Forgives sin (Luke 7:48-49) Judges all (Matt 16:27) Raises dead (John 6:40) Power over nature (Matt. 8:23-27)

Jesus Shares the Seat of God’s Throne Throne (Rom 14:10) Equality with God (Psa. 110:1) Ruling over all (Isa 44:24) Ruling forever (Psa. 9:7) Throne (Matt 25:31) Equality with God (John 5:17-18) Ruling over all (Matt 28:18) Ruling forever (Eph. 1:19-21)

Question 1 Liberal theologians and popular fiction like The Da Vinci Code often suggest that Jesus was not deified until Constantine’s Council of Nicaea in AD 325. How would you answer this explanation of the deity of Jesus?

Question 2 Some critics of the deity of Jesus claim that Jesus did not consider himself God based on passages like Mark 10:18 and Matthew 19:17. How would you respond to this?

Question 3 The Jehovah’s Witnesses are one religious group that teaches that Jesus is not God, but just a teacher or prophet. One reason given is that the Bible teaches that we should only worship God. What would you say to a Jehovah’s Witness about this?