The Denial of the Deity of the Son of God

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    The deity of the Son was denied in the early Church by the Ebionites and the Alogi, and also by the dynamic Monarchians and the Arians. In the days of the Reformation the Socinians followed their example, and spoke of Jesus as a mere man. The same position was taken by Schleiermacher and Ritschl, by a host of liberal scholars, particularly in Germany, by the Unitarians, and by the Modernists and Humanists of the present day. This denial is possible only for those who disregard the teachings of Scripture, for the Bible contains an abundance of evidence for the deity of Christ.[1]


    Biblical support for the deity of Christ

    We find that Scripture:

    1. explicitly asserts the deity of the Son in such passages as John 1:1; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Phil. 2:6; Tit. 2:13; 1 John 5:20;
    2. applies divine names to Him, Isa. 9:6; 40:3; Jer. 23:5, 6; Joel 2:32 (comp. Acts 2:21); 1 Tim. 3:16;
    3. ascribes to Him divine attributes, such as:
      1. eternal existence, Isa. 9:6; John 1:1, 2; Rev. 1:8; 22:13,
      2. omnipresence, Matt. 18:20; 28:20; John 3:13,
      3. omniscience, John 2:24, 25; 21:17; Rev. 2:23,
      4. omnipotence. Isa. 9:6; Phil. 3:21; Rev. 1:8,
      5. immutability, Heb. 1:10–12; 13:8, and
      6. in general every attribute belonging to the Father, Col. 2:9;
    4. (4) speaks of Him as doing divine works:
      1. as creation, John 1:3, 10; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2, 10,
      2. providence, Luke 10:22; John 3:35; 17:2; Eph. 1:22; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3,
      3. the forgiveness of sins, Matt. 9:2–7; Mark 2:7–10; Col. 3:13,
      4. resurrection and judgment, Matt. 25:31, 32; John 5:19–29; Acts 10:42; 17:31; Phil. 3:21; 2 Tim. 4:1,
      5. the final dissolution and renewal of all things, Heb. 1:10–12; Phil. 3:21; Rev. 21:5, and
    5. accords Him divine honour, John 5:22, 23; 14:1; 1 Cor. 15:19; 2 Cor. 13:13; Heb. 1:6; Matt. 28:19.[2]


    Footnotes

    1. ↑ L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 94–95.
    2. ↑ L. Berkhof, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans publishing co., 1938), 94–95.


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