Who Was Jesus?
Recently I read an article that was disputing the fact that Jesus was really God. The author asserted that not only was Jesus not divine, but He also never claimed to be God. His theory was that Jesus really was just a man. He went on to say that it was fanatical followers of Jesus who advanced the thought that Jesus was God. The false idea that Jesus was God allegedly took a number of centuries to evolve and develop. (Let me pause to say, that this article is not the first time I have heard such heresy.) What got my attention was the assertion that this bad theology is growing in acceptance by church-going people. The author quoted statistics that say a growing portion of church attendees accept the idea that Jesus was just a man and that He never claimed to be God. If this assertion is accurate, it points to troubled times for Christianity in America. If there is a portion of Christians who believe that Jesus was merely a man and that He was not God, how deep can their faith be? What is their faith based upon? The problem at hand is that many people are basing their faith on “popular opinion” rather than sound Bible study.
At the risk of sounding “old-fashioned” and out of touch with popular opinion, let me examine perhaps the greatest Bible verse that speaks about Jesus and the idea that He was God. Philippians 2:5-11 states, “Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (NIV)
I do not have the time in this short article to unpack all the truths found in this passage of Scripture. I’ll assume, therefore, that each reader can examine and ponder the message of these verses. What is not obvious to the casual reader, however, is that these verses are lines of poetry. As Paul is writing about Jesus and the fact that He is God, Paul quotes what must have been a song or liturgical chant from the early church. Greek experts universally agree that these lines of Bible verse were written with poetic meter. This passage was taken from the verse of a song! It may not sound like a song to our 21st century ears, but it certainly did to the 1st century followers of Jesus.
Perhaps you are wondering where I am going or what I am getting at. Here is my point: the first Christians undoubtedly held to the idea that Jesus was God. The deity and divinity of Jesus was not an idea that was inserted into Christianity at a later date. The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus claimed to be God. Jesus’ followers correctly taught that Jesus was God. The idea of Jesus’ Godhood was so widely held that it was made into an early church song, and this song was quoted by Paul to his readers in Philippi.
Take a moment to consider what your faith is based on. Does your belief system arise from popular media channels? Are you going with the flow? Are your views on God and eternity just a loosely held group of superstitions? Let me offer a word of warning: When the end comes, there will be a time when we stand before the Creator of the Universe, and He will examine each person. It will be supremely important to have a faith that rests squarely on the Bible. Keep looking up!