What do you think of Jesus of Nazareth? Is He just an ordinary man, specially favored by God? Or, do you view Him as "a prophet among prophets?" Or, do you think He is a "created god," and subor-dinate in such a state to Jehovah, the God of Old Testament fame?

In all such views, He could be called the "Christ," the "chosen one," or the "son of God," if we allowed the viewers to define the limits of those terms. But, the Bible asserts that He is more powerful than any of these views suggest. He is Deity...one with God!

Prophecies spoken hundreds of years before His coming in the flesh identify Him with God. Isaiah 9:6-7 says He will be called "Mighty God, Everlasting Father!" The quibble offered by some unbelievers is that He is not the Father, but simply called that by some people. This position cannot be defended. If Jesus allowed himself to be called "God" and "Father" when He was not, He would be condoning false testimony. He would be like the "man of sin" described in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4. It would also be a sacrilege for Matthew to apply the name "Immanuel" ("God with us") to Jesus (see Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23); it would be wrong for John the Apostle to say of Jesus Christ, "The Word was God" (see John 1:1, 14); and, it would be wrong for the writer of the book of Hebrews to address the Son as "O God" (see Psalm 45:6, Hebrews 1:8-9). All of these passages reveal that Jesus was "God in the flesh."

To say that Jesus was a "created god" proclaims the existence of two gods, while the Bible proclaims only one (Deuteronomy 6:4, Ephesians 4:6, etc.). It is true that Christ is called the "firstborn of all creation" (Colossians 1:15), but the term "firstborn" here has the definition that Christ is the "prime heir" of all creation, not the first to be created! The next verse confirms this by saying, "...In Him all things were created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through Him, and unto Him" (Colossians 1:16, and compare John 1:3). Could Jesus, before He was created, create Himself, as well as His own power? The obvious answer is, "No!" So, we must take Him at His word, when He says, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30).

1.What are the three concepts of the nature of Jesus in the first paragraph of this lesson?

2. What is the meaning of the title "Christ?"

3. What concept of the nature of Jesus is presented in the Bible?

4.Isaiah chapter 9 tells us that the Christ, when He came, would be called "God" and "Father." If Jesus allowed Himself to be called these things when he was not, why would He be like the "man of sin" in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2?

5.If Jesus is not equal with God, could Isaiah and Matthew have called him Im manuel?_______What is the meaning of this name?

6.In John, chapter 1, who is the "word" who was "with God," and "was God?" (See verse 14)

7.To whom was the address "O God" applied in Hebrews, chapter 1?

8.If we say that Jesus Christ was a "created God," what problem is raised by this concept?

9.What does it mean for Christ to be called the "firstborn of all creation," in Colossians 1:15?

10.How do we know that the term "firstborn" does not mean "first created," according to Colossians 1:16?

11.How many things were created by "the Word," according to John 1:3?

12.Can an uncreated being create himself?_________What does the word "create" mean?

13.What claim does Jesus make in John 10:30?

14. Should we believe this claim, and make it our concept of the nature of Christ?