INTRODUCTION
Why do we need new proofs for the deity of Christ for which the cults are not prepared? Because many of the old ones have lost their power over time. Cults like the Jehovah’s Witnesses have trained their followers to give prepackaged refutations to the old proofs. While their refutations are invalid, the refuter thinks he refuted the deity of Christ. But don’t lose hope. The Bible is filled with proofs for the deity of Christ. It’s a matter of paying attention as we read the Bible. Before we look at three new proofs, let’s examine two weak ones and see why we should avoid them.
OLD WEAK PROOFS
There are tried-and-true proofs for the deity of Christ that many Christians rely on, but many of them I would shy away from.
THE “I AM” PROOF:
Jesus made seven “I am” statements. One of them is found in John 6:35 where He said, “I am the bread of life.” The phrase “I am” is an allusion to God’s name as revealed in Exodus 3:13-14 where God identified Himself as “I AM WHO I AM.” Because Jesus used this “I am” phrase, He was claiming to be God. While I do believe this proof is valid, I wouldn’t use it. It’s too easily challenged. The exact phrase “I am” is used 761 times in the NKJV translation of the Bible. For example, Hagar used it in Genesis 16:8 where she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” No one believes Hagar is God, but she used the phrase “I am”. Because this phrase is found so many times in the Bible, we need to show how Jesus’ use of this phrase is different than all other uses – not an easy task.
THE JOHN 1:1 PROOF (for Jehovah’s Witnesses)
In John 1:1, we are told that “the Word” is God, and in John 1:14, we’re told that “the Word” became flesh and lived with us. This is a clear declaration of Jesus’ deity.
John 1:1 (NKJV)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 (NKJV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us …
There’s nothing wrong with this argument at all. But if you’re sharing this with a Jehovah’s witness, you’re going to have a tough time. They have their own translation of the Bible which is no translation at all. It changes God’s very words. In the Jehovah’s Witness’ New World Translation, they added a word to John 1:1 to dethrone Jesus.
John 1:1 (NWT)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was *a* god.
By inserting the word “a” into the text, they demoted Jesus to be “a god”, rather than the uncreated God who created all things. They portray Jesus as an angel with great powers who is a god-like creature, far below God. Using John 1:1 as a proof of Jesus’ deity with a Jehovah’s witness would require both parties (the Christian and the Jehovah’s Witness) to be experts in Greek grammar. Without this expertise, the exercise is a complete waste of time. Jehovah’s Witnesses are all trained to respond to this argument by showing their false translation. There are far better proofs for the deity of Christ – proofs for which they have no response.
NEW STRONG PROOFS
1. THE SENDER OF THE PROPHETS
Jesus revealed His true identity in surprising and subtle ways. If you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it. In Matthew 23, Jesus attacked the scribes and Pharisees with a ferocity not seen before, calling them “serpents”, “vipers” and “fools”. In the middle of this heated attack, Jesus made a curious statement.
Matthew 23:34 (NKJV)
Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
In the middle of that very emotional open-air sermon, it’s easy to miss what Jesus claimed. He claimed to be the one who sent the prophets! If Jesus sent the prophets, He lived before He was born in Bethlehem, because the prophets all lived before Jesus’ virgin birth. Moreover, Jesus must be God because God is the only one who sends prophets.
Jeremiah 25:4 (NKJV)
And the LORD has sent to you all His servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, but you have not listened nor inclined your ear to hear.
The word “LORD” in all-caps is God’s personal name (YHWH, Jehovah, etc.). Jeremiah 25:4 reveals that all the prophets were sent by God. Only God can send prophets. If Jesus sent the prophets, then Jesus is God. The nice thing about this argument is that it’s Jehovah’s Witness-proof. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society didn’t tamper with this verse because they weren’t aware of this little gem. Look at their “New World Translation” of Jeremiah 25:4.
Jeremiah 25:4 (NWT)
And Jehovah sent all his servants the prophets to you, sending them again and again, but you would not listen or incline your ear to hear.
Even the Jehovah Witness’s Bible declares that it is God Who sends the prophets. Because Jesus sent the prophets, Jesus is God.
2. ANSWERER OF PRAYER
Here’s another example of Jesus being both direct and subtle at the same time. We don’t see what is right in front of us because mankind is spiritually blind. Jesus asked us to pray to Him and He revealed He answers prayer!
John 14:13-14 (NKJV)
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Firstly, let’s look at the issue of who is being addressed in Old Testament prayers. Here’s a prayer by Hannah asking God to give her a son.
1 Samuel 1:11 (NKJV)
Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child …
To whom was Hannah praying? She was praying to God, the LORD of hosts. Who’s being addressed in her prayer – God. What is the only name mentioned in this prayer, and in who’s name did Hannah pray? The only name mentioned is “LORD”, God’s personal name. She’s praying in God’s name – which is to say she was asking that it be God’s will that she would have a son. When we pray, we pray to God, in God’s name, for God’s will. But Jesus told us whatever you ask in My name… He put Himself in the position of God in our prayers. He asked us to pray to Him in the same way we pray to God. He is telling us that He is God.
It doesn’t stop there. Let’s look at the second issue. Who will be answering the prayers?
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do …
The one who answers prayers is Jesus. God is the only one who answers prayers, but Jesus told us He will answer them. Jesus is telling us He is God. Let’s examine for a moment what must be true about Jesus for Him to do this. For Jesus to be able to answer our prayers, He must be:
• OMNISCIENT – Only an all-knowing God can hear all the prayers offered up to Him at the same time
• OMNIPOTENT – Only an all-powerful God can perform the miracles necessary to fulfill the prayers offered up to Him
• OMNIPRESENT – As God interacts with all the prayers, hearing and fulfilling them, He must be present everywhere at the same time
When Jesus said whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, He is telling us He is God and He possesses the omni attributes of God. Because Jesus answers prayers, He must be God.
3. SENDER AND OWNER OF ANGELS
The last example of Jesus’ subtle revelation of His deity is found in Matthew 13, where He tells us that He is the one who commands and owns the angels.
Matthew 13:41
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
Notice firstly who owns the angels. The angels belong to Jesus. The Son of Man will send out His angels … Jesus owns the angels. Secondly, notice who commands the angels. The Son of Man will send … Jesus sends the angels. We know from the Old Testament that these two attributes belong only to God. The angels were created by God, they belong to God, and they are under God’s control. Here’s one example.
Daniel 6:22 (NKJV)
My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths …
In Matthew 13:41, Jesus said He will send His angels. In Daniel 6:22, God sent His angel. Jesus revealed to us that He is the God who saved Daniel from the lions. Because Jesus sends and commands angels, He must be God.
SON OF MAN?
In this proof, we have made an assumption which could be challenged by someone who objects to the deity of Christ. We’ve assumed that “the Son of Man” is Jesus. Someone who is disinclined to believe that Jesus is God could argue that Jesus was referring to someone else who holds the title “the Son of Man”. How do we answer this objection? Where can we go to show that Jesus was talking about Himself when He uses the title “the Son of Man”?
Matthew 16:13-17 (NKJV)
13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
In this passage, Jesus refers to Himself as “the Son of Man”. Moreover, Peter calls Jesus “the Son of the living God”. Jesus did not correct Peter when He made this claim. Rather, Jesus commended him. In this one passage, you can show that Jesus is both “the Son of Man” and “the Son of God”.
4. GOD OF HEAVEN (Bonus)
To illustrate how easily we overlook Jesus’ claims, I’m going to reveal a bonus proof of Jesus’ deity found in Matthew 13:41 – the same verse examined in proof number 3 above. This time, I’m going to highlight different words when I cite the verse.
Matthew 13:41
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,
In this verse, Jesus was explaining the parable of the wheat and tares to His disciples. The kingdom is the world which contained both true and false followers of Jesus. By declaring Himself to be the owner of the world, His kingdom, Jesus revealed that He is God, the world’s rightful owner. And as you know, the owner of the world is also the God of Heaven (Psalm 146:5-6). Because Jesus is the owner of the world, He must be the God of Heaven.
A TACTICAL TIP
People are stubborn. We don’t let go of cherished beliefs easily. We cling onto old beliefs even when we are confronted with evidence to the contrary. If you present one of the above proofs for the deity of Christ, someone may respond by making excuses. For example, you present proof number 1 to a Jehovah’s witness by citing Matthew 23:34. That’s the verse where Jesus revealed that He is the one who sends prophets. The Jehovah’s Witness might make the excuse that maybe someone other than God can send prophets. Although he knows only God sends prophets, he makes these arguments to try to get out of the unavoidable conclusion that Jesus is God. But there’s a better way to present these arguments. Get people to agree with the argument before presenting it. That way, they can’t back out once you spring the trap. Get them to bite before yanking on the fishing rod. Never make any truth claims as your opening statement. Always ask leading questions first. Here’s what I mean.
“Who sends the prophets?”
“God.”
“You’re right. Only God sends the Prophets. Let me show you what Jesus said.”
“Therefore, indeed, *I* send you prophets … (Matthew 23:34)”
“Jesus just revealed that He is the One who sends prophets.”
“You just told me that God sends prophets. Jesus sends prophets. Who is Jesus?”
CONCLUSION
I hope this puts more arrows into your quiver for evangelizing people trapped in false religions. Share this article widely. Take these arguments and share them with Jehovah’s Witnesses and others. Get into the fight so you can grow and sharpen your gifts by engaging in spiritual battle. If you have any questions, or if you need someone to teach evangelism or apologetics, I can be reached at DweltAmongUs@yahoo.com. I will even consider traveling to your location at my own expense. Go ahead. Make my day. Give me an excuse to travel ☺
