In the early church, there were many who struggled and wrestled with the idea of Jesus’ deity or divinity, with some proposing theories about who Jesus was that ranged from him merely being a good, better man (what I call a Batman Christology) to views that Jesus became God when he was baptized (what I call a Spiderman Christology) or that he was a lesser god, one below the Father who came after the Father (what I call Robin Christology). Carrying forward the superhero theme, the view that Jesus and the Father were separate gods (what we might label Avenger Christology, with a group of heroes/gods), leading to a form of polytheism, was also rejected because of the idea of the unity of God [we’ll get to more superhero analogies when we look at article 19 — I know the suspense will be killing you until then!). These views were all rejected by early councils like those at Nicene (in 325) and Constantinople councils (in 381), with these councils producing the Nicene Creed and stressing that Jesus is not a creature, did not have a beginning, and is not less than the Father but distinct from the Father yet not a separate God. These councils did not come to their explanations without reason, as they examined the Scriptures to see this belief emerge. The 10th article of the Belgic Confession highlights some of the passages in the New Testament that support and point to Jesus Christ’s divinity, being “eternally begotten, not made nor created,” “the Son of God, not only from the time He assumed our nature but from all eternity,” and “one in essence with the Father, coeternal,” truths that lead to the doctrine of the Trinity, that there is one God who eternally exists in three persons.

For example, we see in Colossians 1:15 that Jesus is the “reflection of the Father’s glory” (also see Hebrews 1:3) showing that Jesus has all the traits and qualities of the Father. Jesus is not less than the Father but equal in essence; even the terms “Son” and “only begotten” are invoked to show that the Son is of the same stuff as the Father (not that he is less than the Father). And while the idea that Jesus would be begotten might make it sound like he has a beginning, because the Father is eternal, so is the Son. He has always been the Son and the Father has always been the Father.

We read that God created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1, but then we learn in John 1:3 that through the Word (Jesus) all things were created; Colossians 1:16 and Hebrews 1:2 also confirm that Jesus was at work in the creation of the world. As the confession then notes, “And so it must follow that he who is called God, the Word, the Son, and Jesus Christ already existed when all things were created by him.” Jesus did not come into existence when he was conceived or born, but he was always there (and always the Son of God). The confession also shows this idea found in the Old Testament prophet of Micah, as Micah 5:2  says that the coming king would have his origin “from ancient times, from eternity.” The writer of Hebrews also highlights Jesus’s origins (or lack thereof) in noting that he has “neither beginning of days nor end of life.” (Hebrews 7:3). Jesus was in the beginning and he was God in the very beginning (see John 1:1).

I love the way that the Belgic Confession ends this article, as it is a helpful reminder that this doctrine, which might seem kind of heady and academic, is not just something to know but something that shapes our lives. “So then, he is the true eternal God, the Almighty, whom we invoke, worship, and serve.” We pray to Him, we worship Him, and we serve Him with our lives. I passionately believe that Christians should be able to give an explanation for why we believe that Jesus Christ is God, but also that this belief should be seen in our lives, as the truth of the gospel should transform us and affect everything we do.

Before concluding, I think it is helpful to point out the astonishing fact that early Christians, who were of Jewish background and thus firmly committed to the truth that there is only one God to be worshipped (Deuteronomy 6:4), worshipped Jesus Christ as God. This remarkable truth  should never be diminished or overlooked; something must have happened to cause this significant development, to worship Jesus Christ, a something that so significantly altered the experience of early Christians that they had to go back and think through this fundamental doctrine about God, leading to the doctrine of the Trinity, that there is one God in three persons (Note: see 1 Corinthians 8:6 here in which Jesus is placed alongside of God in the classic Jewish statement that there is one God). Belief in Jesus’s divinity was not a late development of Gentiles around 325 A.D. but rather the earlier confession of Jews who had encountered the risen Christ. A similar experience in our lives is ultimately why we believe in this doctrine that we find in the Scriptures.

Questions about Bible or theology? e-mail them to Pastor Brian at Theology@wearefaith.org. You can also subscribe to this blog by filling out the info on the right side.