Jesus Christ (Part 3)

(Read Jesus Christ, Part 1 First)

Jesus Christ - Scripture That Reveals His Son-ship
In John, chapter 5, Jesus Christ heals a man on the sabbath day (verses 8 and 9). The Pharisees find out Jesus healed on the sabbath and want to kill Him (verse 16). Jesus responds to their threats, "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (verse 17). The key verse in this passage is the next verse, John 5:18: "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God." (John 5:18)

The Jews recognized Jesus was claiming to be equal with Jehovah by claiming to be His Son. Even the Apostle John recognized it, including it in His Gospel.

At this point, some will point out that John 14:28 declares that God the Father is greater than the Son. How then is it possible for the Son to be equal with the Father? Some religious scholars claim that this is an irreconcilable contradiction:

Jesus is equal with God (John 5:18)         YET        The Father is greater than the Son (John 14:28)

The only way to reconcile this apparent contradiction is to read the Bible and understand that Jesus Christ is both God and man. Think about this awesome truth: God Almighty became a man, humbling Himself to death on the cross out of pure love for His beloved creation, but never ceasing to be God Almighty. That's the New Testament scripture in a nutshell.

Hebrews 1:5-8 reads, "For unto which of the angels said He at any time, 'Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?' And again, 'I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to me a Son?' And again, when He bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, He saith, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him.' And of the angels He saith, 'Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire.' But unto the Son He saith, 'Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.'"

In Hebrews 1:8 the Father addresses the Son as Jehovah God saying, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever."

In Philippians we read, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." (Philippians 2:5-8)

This verse speaks of Christ relinquishing His right to independently exercise His attributes of Deity for the fulfillment of His sacrifice as a perfect man. During the incarnation, Christ never acted as God; the Father acted through Him and by the Holy Spirit. His works came from the Father.

"Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works." (John 14:10)

His knowledge and the words He spoke were supernaturally imparted to Him.

"For I have not spoken of Myself; but the Father which sent Me, He gave Me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." (John 12:49)

Jesus Christ was totally dependent upon the Father. He could do nothing apart from the Father. He could not even speak apart from God.

When God left Heaven to come to earth as a man, He was not only the perfect sacrifice; He was the perfect example of a man. He was fully submitted to the Father (as every man should be) and fully dependent upon the Father (as every man is, whether he likes it or not).

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