MR. ALLAN WEBB graduated from The Churches of Christ Bible College at Woolwich, N.S.W.; and obtained a B.A. degree in the Sydney University. He served the Church of Christ at Penrith as a Student Minister and upon graduation became the first full time Minister with that congregation. Under Mr. Webb's ministry at Penrith a fine new place of Worship has been erected.

      One of the basic and fundamental doctrines of the Christian Church is the doctrine of the Deity of Christ. However, in recent years many Satanically--inspired movements have been made to undermine this particular doctrine and with the help of distorted and twisted scripture passages many of these movements have sought to level Christ to the status of being a mere man--a good man perhaps--but certainly not the God-man, God incarnate. Tragically many of these modern cults who preach and teach such heretical notions are rapidly gaining ground within our community, and the faith of even the most orthodox and fundamental of Christians is being severely tried and tested and sometimes even shattered by these promulgators of heresy.

      Today, perhaps even more so than ever before in the history of the Christian Church we need to return to the simple, fundamental teaching of scripture and remind ourselves again of these doctrines which are so basic to our Christian faith and experience.

      There are few doctrines in scripture more important than this doctrine of the Deity of Christ: for if Christ is merely a finite being as so many teach that He is, then to teach Salvation by believing on Him, is blasphemy and it becomes impossible to have perfect faith in Him as our Saviour. His death instead of being a sacrificial atonement for sin, is reduced to that of a martyr and there is no value in His death to meet the debt of the world's sin. But Christ was more than a finite being. The scriptures reveal Him as being the God-man--not half God and half man--but actually God and real man. Dr. Beveridge has said: "If Jesus were man only, His work on the cross would not be sufficient for God. If He were God only, it would not be suitable for man. Therefore to be capable of suffering for man and able to satisfy God, He must be the God-man."

      Harry Rimmer in his book "The Magnificence of Jesus," tells the story of a brilliant surgeon who hate performed a delicate operation upon the eyes of a man who had been blinded for many years. Immediately following the operation the eyes of the man were covered with several layers of gauze and varying thicknesses of bandages. When questioned as to the reason for this procedure the doctor replied: "If I let that man see now, he will never see again. I have restored sight to those eyes but they will have to learn to bear the light. Thus he will lie for some time in a darkened room, having the bandages removed one after another at long intervals of time. After some days, the hour will come when, with all shades drawn, he will open his eyes and see things in the subdued light of that darkened room. Gradually the light will be increased until eventually he will be able to walk out in the full light of the day. If the strength of full daylight, however, reached his eyes without preparation, he would be instantly blinded anew and no power on earth could ever again make him see."

      Surely here we have a picture of God's dealings with man. If God had suddenly revealed His full holiness and splendour to sinful man, man would have been instantly blinded by such an array of glory and beauty. Thus, instead, through a long series of progressive revelations God began to prepare man for the revelation of Himself and these climaxed in the appearance of Jesus Christ--the Word

who became flesh--"the Word who was with God, the Word who was God."

      Although to many this particular doctrine is a very difficult one to comprehend and understand--indeed it was Wesley who said, "bring me a worm that can comprehend a man, and I will show you a man that can comprehend God"--yet within scripture there is such a volume of testimony in support of it that it deserves every ounce of our mental exercise and endorsement.

Testimony of Jesus.

      Firstly we have the personal testimony of our Lord Himself. Time and time again throughout His ministry Jesus claimed to be divine. In His teachings to His disciples and in many of His controversies with His enemies Jesus often called Himself by the name of God. For example we have the instance at the conclusion of the eighth chapter of John's gospel. A dispute had arisen between Jesus and His enemies as to His origin and nature. His enemies were sneering at His claims to pre-existence and were accusing Him of blasphemy because He identified Himself with the person of God. When He continued to refer to God as His Father, the Jews took refuge in the fact that they were the children of Abraham and thus were the heirs of all the covenants and promises that God had made with him. Then it was that Jesus exploded to them that bomb-blast of precious truth when He replied "Before Abraham was I AM."

      Filled with fury and anger the Jews immediately took up stones wherewith to slay

      Him. According to their law, they were justified in so doing, for God had commanded that blasphemy against the sacred name should be punished by death and you will remember that I AM was the name whereby God had identified Himself to Moses at the burning bush. Moses had been commanded by God to journey down into Egypt to lead the children of Israel out of their slavery and bondage. When he enquired of God as to whom he should say had sent him God had replied: "I AM THAT I AM. Tell them that I AM hath sent thee." (Exodus 3:14)

      Thus for Jesus to assume this divine title and identify Himself with the God who had spoken to Moses at the burning bush was to the Jew the ultimate in blasphemy. How riled and embittered they were as from time to time they heard Jesus making such claims as I AM the bread of life (John 6:35); I AM the light of the world (John 8:12); I AM the door (John 10:7, 9); I AM the resurrection and the life (John 11:25); I AM the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6): I AM the true vine (John 15:1). In each verse the Greek form of "I AM" is emphatic. There is no need to include the personal pronoun in such an expression in Greek unless emphasis is required. But it is found in each of these sayings. Undoubtedly it was used to give emphasis to these divine claims made by Jesus and it certainly served to arouse antagonism and bitterness amongst those who heard. Indeed as John tells us many times in his gospel the reason why the Jews were so anxious to have Jesus slain lay in these claims He was so boldly making for Himself. "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him because He said that God was His Father, thus making Himself equal with God." (John 5:18) "For a good work we stone thee not but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God." (John 10:33)

      Then too Jesus made many startling claims about Himself and about His ability to satisfy the deepest need of every soul. As we read such statements as "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest," (Matt. 11:28) and "I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst," (John 6:35)

we must conclude that He was either mad, an impostor or God. For the first two there is not a shred of evidence whatsoever. That He was truly God has been proven down through the centuries as men and women of all nationalities and backgrounds have come to Him weary, heavy laden, hungry and thirsty and been satisfied.

Testimony of Others.

      But not only do we have the testimony of Jesus Himself to His deity, we have the testimony of many others as well. Even back in the Old Testament scriptures we have the prophetic statement of Isaiah: "Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6); and again, "Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel," which as Matthew tells us being interpreted means, "God with us" (Matt. 1:23).

      Coming over into the New Testament we find that references abound to the fact of His deity. For example the apostle John gives to us these statements and descriptions concerning Jesus.

      "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God." (John 1:1).

      Then down in verse 14 he states "And the Word (the Word who was God) became flesh" i. e. God became flesh.

      Then too John constantly refers to Jesus as "the Son" and this term too is very suggestive and significant. He thinks of Jesus as standing in a specially close relationship to the Father so that four times (John 1:14, 18; John 3:16, 18) he refers to Him as the only begotten or as the Revised margin translates it "God only begotten." John paints for us a picture in which the Son and the Father are in the closest possible relationship. There is such a unity of will and purpose, such an affinity between them that. John writes that receiving Jesus means receiving the Father; seeing Jesus means seeing the Father. Thus it is John who records for us such wonderful statements of Jesus as:

      "I and my Father are one" ( John 10:30) (John 17:21-23).

      "The Father is in me and I in Him." (John 10:38).

      "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." (John 14:9).

      John concludes his epistle (1 John 5:20) with the straightforward testimony: "And we know that the Son of God is come . . . this is the true God and eternal life."

      Turning to the epistles of the Apostle Paul we find that the evidence is just as suggestive. Naturally space will not permit to consider all his many references, thus we will have to content ourselves with a few of the more important. In his letter to the Philippians Paul describes for us the wonderful self-humbling of Jesus how that "Being in the form of God, He thought it not robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation . . ." (Philip. 2:6-8). The word translated "Form" here (Morphe) literally means "possessing the essential characteristics of." Thus Paul tells us that Jesus, He who possessed those attributes and characteristics which make God, God, humbled Himself, took upon Himself the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of man.

      A similar thought is presented to us in Colossians 2:9-10. Our A.V. translates this verse as follows: "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." But Sir William Ramsay and Dr. James Moulton, both eminent Greek Scholars, agree that this word "Fullness" (pleroma) would be better translated as "attribute." Thus again we have the Statement, "In His body dwells every attribute of the Godhead"--All that makes God, God resides in Jesus.

      It is significant also to note throughout the epistles of Paul how that interchangeably, gifts, graces and characteristics are ascribed to the Father and the Son as though they are one. For example" Paul speaks of the gospel as the gospel of God (Rom. 1:1) and then a few verses further down as the gospel of Christ (Rom. 1:16). He writes that forgiveness is from God (Col. 2:13); from Christ (Col. 3:13); or from God for Christ's sake (Eph. 4:32). Revelation is from Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:12) and it is from the Father (Gal. 1:16). He tells us that we will all one day stand before the judgment seat of God, (Rom. 14:10-12) and then later on he refers to it as the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor.5:10). The church is referred to as the Church of Christ (Eph. 4:23) and as the Church of God (Acts 20:28). In his epistle to Titus, Paul uses the phrase "Our Saviour" six times--three times it is God who is the Saviour (Titus 1:3, 2:10, 3:4); and three times it is Jesus Christ who is the Saviour (Titus 1:4, 2:10, 3:6). This apparent contradiction is harmonised in the one statement that Jesus Christ is both God and Saviour. In his letter to Timothy, Paul makes the direct statement, "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world received up into glory. (1 Tim. 3:16). These verses and many others give overwhelming testimony to the fact of the deity of Christ and surely should allay the doubts of even the most ardent heretic. Should we need any further evidence we have the testimony of the Father Himself, "Unto the Son he saith, 'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever,." (Heb. 1:8) Apart from these many statements made by Jesus Himself and apart from the testimony of others toward Him, we have undeniable proof of His deity in the

Attributes Ascribed to Him.

      Paul writes that, "In Him dwells every attribute of God." ( Col. 2:9 ) What, then are some of those attributes which make God, God, which were possessed by our Lord Jesus Christ? Firstly there was His holiness or His self-affirming purity. Holiness is an attribute which only God can be said to possess and exhibit. Men from time to time have manifested a degree of personal purity but this impulse has always come from a source or power outside of their own nature. But not so with God. The holiness or purity of God springs from the essence or nature of God Himself. Thus in the sixth chapter of Isaiah we are given a vision of the Lord God upon His throne. The seraphim which surrounded the throne chanted a refrain each to the other in these astounding words. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory." Of no earthly or created being could this be said. And yet our New Testament writers in their description of Him ascribe this attribute of holiness to the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul writes: "For such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners and made higher than the heavens" (Heb. 7:26). Peter in his address before the Sanhedrim refers to our Lord as "Thy holy child Jesus" (Acts 4:27). Thus this attribute of holiness which can be resident in God alone and indeed is a part of the nature of God in order to be possessed by Jesus identifies Him as being one with God.

      Then too there was the attribute of omniscience. Certainly Christ claimed omniscience, and equally positively He demonstrated it. For example, in Matthew 24 He described the destruction of Jerusalem in terms so graphic that when thirty-seven years later, Titus fulfilled His prediction the record of the disruption reads like the prophecy of its event. It is recorded of Christ that He needed not that any should tell Him of man, for He knew what was in the heart of man. Many times He discerned the

unspoken thoughts of His enemies as they sought to debate against Him, and laid bare their motives and secret plans. He picked up the curtain of time and peered ahead into the future ages, describing events of the past nineteen hundred years and outlining others which have not yet come to pass. This power of unlimited sight and unrestricted knowledge can only be resident by nature in the person of God and in Him alone. No man can claim it nor can any human demonstrate it. For Christ to both possess and to demonstrate this power is to identify Him as being God.

      Closely allied to this attribute of omniscience is the attribute of omnipotence. This too was both claimed and demonstrated by Christ. "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth," He said, and this statement was proved in the way He was able to raise the dead, cure the sick, heal the afflicted, quieten the elements, cast out demons, feed the multitudes and perform supernatural signs and wonders. In this demonstration of power Christ showed that He was God, for omnipotence is an attribute possessed by deity alone.

      Then too there was His omnipresence. Jesus certainly claimed this attribute of God when He said, "Wherever two or three of you are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of you." (Matt. 18:20). And again, "Lo, I am with you alway" (Matt. 28:20).

      A further attribute possessed and exhibited by Jesus was His sinlessness. Who else but God Himself could have faced His enemies as Jesus did in John 8:46 and have challenged them with the question, "Which of you convicteth me of sin?" The manner in which His enemies sought to meet His challenge is recorded in Matt. 26:59-60. "Now the chief priests and elders, and all the council, sought false witness against Jesus, to put Him to death; but they found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none." The inherent purity and sinlessness of Jesus was such that not even perjured witnesses, paid to blacken His character, could prove to the satisfaction of a prejudiced court, one charge against His holiness. Even His bitterest enemies had to confess and testify to His sinlessness. Soldiers sent out to arrest Him said upon returning empty-handed, "Never man spake like this man." Judas who betrayed Him, later confessed, "I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood." Pilate who sentenced Him to death said, "I find no fault in this man." The Roman centurion who supervised the crucifixion testified, "Certainly this was a righteous man." The sinlessness and perfection of Jesus--truly an attribute of God Himself--is summarised in the epistle of Peter who writes, "We are redeemed with the precious blood of Jesus as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Peter 1:19).

      Further proof to the fact of His deity is to be seen in the various works which are ascribed to Him within scripture.

      For example, He claimed the prerogative of being able to forgive sin. Who but God Himself can possess such power? Yet to a paralysed man, Jesus said, "Son, thy sins be forgiven thee." (Mark 2:5). The very context of this chapter would seem to indicate that Jesus wrought this miracle of healing to demonstrate that He had the power to forgive the man's sins. Moreover to the woman taken in adultery Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn thee, go thy way and sin no more." (John 8:11).

      Another divine function which Jesus claimed for Himself was that of judging men at the last day. This is clearly expressed in such passages as John 5:25-29; Matt. 7:21-23:Matt. 25:31-46 etc. If Jesus were anything less than God such a claim would be preposterous and without foundation. No creature can determine the eternal destiny of his fellow-creatures. Yet

Jesus claimed that His would be the final verdict on all mankind!

      Furthermore Jesus set Himself up as the giver of a new law. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount there is something of a refrain, "Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, but I say unto you." Since it was God who had originally given the Law to mankind surely it was only God who had the power to revise, elaborate or expand. This emphasis throughout the teaching of Jesus "I say unto you" truly identifies Him with God. It is the same with His attitude to marriage. Although He recognised that there was provision for divorce in the O.T., yet He proclaimed the indissolubility of the marriage bond. (Matt. 19:6). So too with the Sabbath. This was established in the Law by a divine command, but Jesus said, "The Son of man is Lord also the Sabbath." (Mark 12:28).

      To Jesus also is ascribed the work of creation. Back in Genesis 1:1 we read, "In the beginning God created heaven and earth." Yet John writes concerning Jesus: "All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." (John 1:3). Paul writes, "All things were created by Him and for Him." (Col. 1:16). These New Testament writers then certainly identify Jesus, in His creative power and work, as being God.

      But perhaps one of the most telling and positive proofs of all is in the way in which Jesus intruded into the very holy of holies by accepting and even commending the worship which man afforded Him. He of all men knew and understood the words of the first and greatest of the commandments, "Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve," and yet never once did He rebuke people for worshipping Him and indeed, it would even seem that He encouraged such worship. Thus we have the reference in Matt. 28:9 where we read, "And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and took hold of His feet, and worshipped Him." Again after Jesus had restored sight to the eyes of a man who all his life had been blind we read where the man fell to his knees and worshipped Him. (John 9:38). The words of Thomas, too, after Jesus had identified Himself as being the risen Christ are very suggestive and challenging for his response was, "My Lord and my God." (John 20:28). Jesus did not rebuke him for such a testimony, which surely He must have done had He been anyone less than God, (Acts 10:26; Acts 14:14-15) but in fact He accepted it naturally and even blessed Thomas for it. Either then we must agree that Jesus Christ was the greatest blasphemer of all history or that He was in fact God. Paul's words should help us to decide the answer for he tells us that "At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that, every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." (Philip. 2:10-11).

      Finally, although there is ever so much more which could and perhaps should be said upon this subject, we have testimony to the fact of His deity by the way in which our New Testament writers ascribe and apply to Jesus what the Old Testament writers had written concerning Jehovah.

      A few illustrations should suffice. We read in Isaiah 44:6, "Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel; I am the first and I am the last, and beside me there is no God." Yet as we turn over to the Book of Revelation (1:17; 22:13) we find where John records these words of Jesus, "I am Alpha and omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Remember, that the one who had uttered these words back in Isaiah had also said, "Beside me there is no God." Hence for Jesus to have made such a claim is to have identified Himself as being God.

      Similarly we read in Isaiah 43:11, "I, even I, am the Lord and beside me there is no Saviour." Yet the whole of our New Testament is filled with the message that Jesus Christ is our Saviour. (Luke 19:10; John 10:9). There is no contradiction here, for Jesus Christ of the New Testament is one and the same with Jehovah of the Old.

      Similar illustrations may be given by a comparison of Isaiah 40:3 with Matt. 3:3; Malachi 3:1 with Mark 1:2; Psalm 24:10 with 1 Cor. 2:8; Psalm 23 with John 10:11; and indeed many others.

      So we see then that the overwhelming testimony of scripture is to the fact that Jesus Christ was more than mere man. He was the God-man, God-incarnate. God-manifest in the flesh. We have His own testimony to this fact, the testimony of those who lived with Him and wrote about Him and the testimony of the attributes He possessed and the works He performed. While perhaps we may not be able to understand and explain every aspect of this precious truth let us nevertheless accept it, cling to it and jealously contend for it against every onslaught of the Evil-One.