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By Our Deceased Pastor/Leader: William F. Dankenbring
Was Jesus Christ the Messiah "very God of very God"? Is He a second member of the divine Godhead? Is there a contradiction
between the terms "God the Son" and "the Son of God"? Were there two or more divine Beings, co-equal and uncreated, who have
existed for all eternity, who were and are "God"? Why did Jesus speak of His Father as "the only true God"? Why do the Jews
recite, "The LORD is our God, the LORD alone "? Who is the "LORD" of the Old Testament? Isaiah quotes God as saying,
"I am God, and there is none else" (Isa.45:22), "there is none
beside me" (verse 21). Does this preclude the pre-existence
and divinity of the Christ, the Messiah? Heresies abound in
these "last days," terrible heresies and apostasizing errors --
deviations from the truth which could rob you of your eternal
salvation! It is time you knew -- and proved conclusively --
the PLAIN TRUTH about Jesus Christ the Messiah!
The apostle Paul warned almost 2,000 years ago, speaking of our End-Time
generation, "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things
taught by demons. Such teachings come through
hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron" (I Tim.4:1-2).
In his second epistle to Timothy, Paul warned that these evil deceivers are"always learning but never able to acknowledge
the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth -- men of depraved minds, who, as
far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly
will be clear to everyone" (II Tim.3:7-9).
Such a heresy has arisen in these last days. It has received a new dimension of clever manipulation and pseudo-scholarly advancement
by its authors. Claiming the Jews only worshiped "one God," and that they are rejecting "pagan" errors, they assert that Biblical
revelation teaches that Jesus Christ was indeed the "Son of God," but
definitely not "God the Son," making a clever distinction betweens the two terms.
According to one proponent of this "new theology," which is really just an Endtime revision and revanchist version of the
first century, age-old Gnosticism, it is a "striking fact" that Jesus never referred to himself as 'God.'" He asserts, in
contrast, that the word "God" in the New Testament refers to the "Father" some 1350 times. He admits that a few texts refer
to Christ also as "God," but claims those particular texts should be translated with a small "g" for "god." He then asks,
"Why this impressive difference in New Testament usage, when so many seem to think that Jesus is no less 'God' than his Father?"
(from the booklet, "Who Is Jesus?" by Anthony Buzzard, p.3).
The author goes on to state that people today may not appreciate the strength of "monotheism -- belief in one God -- which
was the first principle of all Old Testament teaching about God. The Jews were prepared to die for their conviction that the
true God was a single person. Any idea of plurality in the Godhead was rejected as dangerous idolatry." According to Buzzard,
therefore, only the "Father" is truly God from all eternity, and Christ was merely a human being, albeit He was supernaturally
conceived of the Holy Spirit. Buzzard states dogmatically that Christ had NO preexistence before His human birth, except as
a "thought" or "idea" in the mind of the Father, but that this "idea" goes back to the beginning of the human race or time
of Creation.
Buzzard then declares: "It is essential to ask, therefore, whether the Old Testament anywhere suggests that the Messiah was
to be 'coequal God,' a second uncreated being who abandons an enternal existence in heaven in order to become man. If it does
not say anything like this (and remembering that the Old Testament is concerned even with minute details about the coming
Messiah), we will have to treat as suspicious the claim of anyone saying that Jesus is both Messiah and an uncreated second
eternal person of the Godhead, claiming the title 'God' in the full sense" (ibid., p.7). Is Jesus Christ "God"?
What about this claim? What do the Scriptures say about this new "theory" concerning the role of Jesus Christ? Was He merely
a Messiah with no claim to
divinity? On the other hand, did He pre-exist from the beginning of all Creation, coequal and uncreated, along with the One
known as the "Father"? Could, by some chance, both views be equally erroneous and inaccurate? What is the truth about God,
and especially Jesus Christ, our Saviour?
It is amazing how a clouded and prejudiced mind can only view Scriptures through the filter of its own artificial prejudice.
Even so, those who claim Jesus was not truly divine argue that "only a few" Biblical texts seem, on the "surface," to suggest
that Christ was indeed divine. But, they claim, these "few" texts should not be seen to overthrow the "unflinching monotheism"
of the Old Testament. According to them, there is not even a "hint" in the New Testament that Jesus Christ regarded Himself
as divine "God." They attempt to "explain away" by sheer dismissal all the Biblical verses where Jesus said He, the "Son of
man," came "down from heaven," as merely picturesque speech reflecting only the fact that as an "idea" of the Father, Jesus
figuratively came down from heaven. Thus with a subtle, slick, back-door approach to the subject, these neo-Gnostics defy
and deny the divinity of Christ! This is no mere academic argument. This is crucial -- foundational -- the very essence of
"Christianity" and the teaching of Scripture! Either Christ was divine and pre-existed with the Father -- or He was a mere
man, albeit a "perfect man." What difference does it make? If Christ was a "mere man," and not truly Divine, and not the Creator
of all mankind, then I ask you -- of what good is the fact that He lived a perfect life? On that basis, then, His death might
atone -- on the basis of a life for a life, or one for one -- for JUST ONE other human life! If he was merely a "perfect human
being," and died sinlessly, his death might have atoned for ONE human life -- but not for billions of billions! In order for
a sinless life to be equal to all sinful mankind, that sinless life had to be equal to ALL HUMAN LIVES -- that is, He had
to be equal to the CREATOR of all human life, or that Creator Himself! Messianic Texts in the Old Testament The Messiah was
to be born of "the seed of a woman" (Gen.3:15). He was to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). He was to be a descendant of David
(II Sam.7:14-16; Isa.11:1). He was to be a mighty prophet, like Moses (Deut.18:15-16). But was He
also to be very "God" Himself, a member of the divine Godhead? Let us not assume. The apostle Paul tells us plainly that we
must "prove all things," lest we be led away into hideous error and slanderous deception, which could deny us salvation itself
(I Thess.5:21). He praised the Bereans because they searched the Scriptures daily to prove whether what he taught was true
or not (Acts 17:11).
We know from many Scriptures that the coming of the Messiah was prophesied. This of itself neither proves His divinity or
His humanity. It merely proves that the Father indeed had planned for the Messiah to appear to save mankind from their sins
-- from the beginning. But is the Messiah ever referred to as "God" in the Old Testament?
The answer to this question is an astonishing and overwhelming YES! "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). If even
in just ONE verse we find the Messiah referred to as "God," then that would be sufficient proof of the fact. Scripture does
not and cannot contradict itself. Jesus said of the Father, "Thy word is TRUTH" (John 17:17). In other words, just one clear
Scripture would be sufficient to PROVE the divinity and pre-existence of Christ, the Messiah! But God has given us much more
witness than that. Notice! In the 45th Psalm, speaking of the coming Messianic king, David writes prophetically: "You are
the most excellent of men and your lips have been anointed with grace, since God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword
upon your side, O mighty one; clothe yourself with splendor and majesty. In your majesty ride forth victoriously in behalf
of truth, humility and righteousness; let your right hand display awesome deeds. Let your sharp arrows pierce the hearts of
the king's enemies; let the nations fall beneath your feet. Your throne, O GOD, will last forever and ever; a scepter of justice
will be the scepter of your kingdom. You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above
your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy" (Psalm 45:2-7, NIV). The word for "God" in this passage, used once for
the Messiah, and later for His "God," is the Hebrew word Elohim. It can refer to "gods in the ordinary sense," but in the
plural with the article, refers to the supreme God. It is a word occasionally applied by deference to magistrates, and sometimes
to angels, judges, or the mighty (see Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). This is the very same word used in Genesis 1, where
we read: "In the beginning GOD (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth" (Gen.1:1). The very name "Elohim" is a "uni-plural"
word denoting both unity and plurality at the same time. The singular form is "El," literally meaning "the mighty one." Thus
Elohim, strictly speaking, is literally "The Mighty Ones" -- an indication of just ONE GOD composed of more than one entity,
being, or personality! This conclusion is further reinforced by simply reading the rest of Genesis 1, especially the verses
concerning the creation of mankind. We read, "Then God (Elohim) said, 'Let US make man in OUR image, in OUR likeness, and
let THEM rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the
creatures that move along the ground.' So God created MAN in HIS OWN IMAGE, in the image of God (Elohim) he created him; MALE
AND FEMALE he created them" (Gen.1:26-27). Notice this passage of Scripture carefully. God is not like the absent-minded
professor who forgets how many of them there are, who speaks in the plural when there is only the singular. God cannot lie
(Titus 1:2). When He said, "Let US make man in OUR image," He was clearly referring to the fact that there were at least TWO
PERSONAGES in the Godhead, communing with each other -- just as in a human family, there are Two Beings -- a man and a woman
-- who become One in marriage!
Both beings are on the same level -- that is both are human beings; but the man has authority over the woman. Even so, in
the original Godhead, there are Two Beings -- the One we know as the Father, and the Other -- the One who BECAME the "Son"
when He was born of the virgin Mary! This second member of the Godhead was also God, of the same composition and spirit essence
as the Father -- but He was inferior in authority, even as the wife is inferior in authority to her husband. Thus a Great
Truth is taught to us in this ancient verse of Genesis, the first book of the Torah! Thus the "Son of God" did pre-exist as
a member of the Godhead. However, He was not "coequal" with the Father, but was subject to and under the authority of the
Father, who was greater than He. With this truth in mind, we can more fully understand the words of the prophet Micah who
wrote: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will
be ruler over Israel, WHOSE ORIGINS ARE FROM OF OLD, FROM ANCIENT TIMES" (Micah 5:2). I believe it is very tenuous, and stretching
the point, to try to claim that the person mentioned here was in existence merely as an "idea" or "thought" in the mind of
God in ancient times. This verse, on the contrary, says that His very ORIGINS are of old, from ancient times -- or as the
King James Version has it, "from EVERLASTING." The original Hebrew expression here is, "from the DAYS OF ETERNITY." Does this
really sound as if the Messiah really had no literal existence until His birth of the virgin Mary some 2,000 years ago? Nonsense!
Falderol! Balderdash! Sheer bunkum! The prophet Isaiah also foretold that the Christ would be God incarnate. He wrote:
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful
Counselor, MIGHTY GOD, EVERLASTING FATHER, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no
end" (Isaiah 9:6-7). Anthony Buzzard and others claim that the word "God" here should be with a small "g." Now it seems to
me, if you want to talk about idolatry, that would be it -- to worship any "god" with a small "g"! The Jehovah's Witnesses,
of course, also subscribe to this interpretation. Thus they deny the Godhood and divinity of the Messiah! In the Hebrew, however,
the expression "Mighty God" is gibbor meaning "mighty, powerful, champion, valiant" and "God" which is"El," the singular of
Elohim, and which means, "The Mighty One." Thus the Christ is here portrayed as being the
"Powerful, Valiant Mighty One," or "Powerful God." He is also referred to as the Father" of Israel, His people, but not just
that -- but as "EVERLASTING Father." The Hebrew for everlasting is ad, from adah, and means "for perpetuity," "eternity,"
"everlasting," "world without end." Therefore, the Messiah is here depicted as being Eternal, Everlasting, and is once again
referred to as God, "the Mighty, Powerful God," to distinguish Him from all pagan gods or lesser objects worshiped as gods
by mankind.
Notice more proof that the Messiah was to be the Divine King of Israel. In the second Psalm we read: "I will proclaim
the decree of the LORD: He said to me, 'You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations
your inheritance. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. Therefore, you kings,
be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD (here the Messiah is actually referred to directly as the "LORD"!)
with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare
up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him" (Psalm 2:7-12). Christ, the Messiah, is clearly referred to here not
only as "the LORD," and is called by the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), or "Yahveh," but He is also referred to as the "Son of the
LORD" (verse 7)). Let us learn a lesson from human experience. A husband and wife mate, and produce a "son." That son is
fully human, just as much as his parents. He is just like them in every way -- with the same genetic code imprinted in his
chromosomes. He is in the very image and likeness of his parents. He is FULLY HUMAN! Even so, when the Father spoke of His
own Son, whom He would give the nations of the earth as His inheritance, He was referring to a literal, begotten, and born
SON -- fully Divine, just as He, the Father, is Divine -- FULLY GOD AS HE IS GOD, just as human children are fully human as
their parents are! To claim that the divinity of the Messiah is nowhere mentioned or alluded to in the Old Testament is nothing
short of sheer unadulterated, fabricated ERROR and doctrinal heresy! It may not be pleasant to hear this belief described
in such blistering, plain, and no-holds-barred terms, but it is true, nevertheless. Christ is very God, just as much as a
human son is very human. But, of course, there is much more evidence! Now let us turn to the NEW Testament, and see what
Christ Himself said on this pivotal question.
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