3Divinity Christc

The Divinity of Christ
— SECTION FIVE —

THIRTEEN BIBLE PROOFS

THAT CHRIST HAS EXISTED FOREVER

SUMMARY OF VERSES

DESCRIBING CHRIST’S ETERNITY

Let us briefly review the passages which teach the eternity of Christ:

1 - Christ existed before all things.

—The following verse says He existed before all created matter or beings.

> "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist."—Colossians 1:17.

2 - Christ was in the beginning.

—In the beginning of what? The inference in John 1:1 is in the absolute beginning. God would not be God if there was a time when He did not exist.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not any thing made that was made . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us . . full of grace and truth."—John 1:1-3, 14.

"That which was from the beginning . . the Word of life."—1 John 1:1.

"The Lord possessed Me in the beginning of His way, before His works of old."—Proverbs 8:22.

3 - Christ’s goings forth have been from everlasting in the past.

—So there never was a time when He did not exist.

> "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."—Micah 5:2.

4 - Christ is the very image of God.

—Therefore He has to possess all the Father’s qualities, including eternity, past, present, and future.

> "Who is the image of the invisible God."—Colossians 1:15.

> "Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image [exact likeness] of His Person, and upholding all things by the Word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high."—Hebrews 1:3.

5 - Christ has the total fullness of all the attributes of God.—

These attributes would have to include eternity.

> "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."—Colossians 2:9.

6 - Christ has the total inner essence of God.

—That total inner essence would have to include eternity, or Christ would not be fully God.

"Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God."—Philippians 2:6.

7 - Christ is the Everlasting Father.

—This means He has existed from the everlasting past.

"For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace."—Isaiah 9:6.

8 - Christ is forever blessed.

—The blessing is forever—forever past, present, and future.

"Christ . . who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen."—Romans 9:5.

9 - Christ never changes.

—This unchangeableness is past, present, and future.

"I am the Lord; I change not."—Malachi 3:6.

10 - Christ is totally immutable!

—Words could not describe it better than these.

"And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands. They shall perish, but Thou remainest, and they all shall wax old as doth a garment. And as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall not fail."—Hebrews 1:10-12.

11 - Christ is not only eternal, but immortal as well.—

"Immortal" means He is not subject to death or non-existence. One of the attributes of God is that there never has been a time when He did not, or will not, exist—past or future.

"The King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God."—1 Timothy 1:17.

"Jesus Christ . . who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only hath immortality."—1 Timothy 6:14-16.

12 - Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

—That means He has eternal self-existence. He is, and was, and is to come.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty."—Revelation 1:8.

"I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last."—Revelation 22:13.

13 - Christ is the I AM, the self-existent God.

—What stronger statement could be made about His eternity?

"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent Me unto you."—Exodus 3:14.

Revelation 1:8 and 22:13, quoted above, as well as several "I AM" passages in John, apply the I AM to Christ in the New Testament.

— SECTION SIX —

STATEMENTS BY MODERN ARIANS

AND FELLOW TRAVELERS

1 - THE POSITION

OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES

During the first of my three years in attendance at the Seventh-day Adventist Seminary, in Washington D.C., prior to entering the ministry, a friend of mine stopped by one day to tell me what happened the night before.

Taking a practicum course at the Seminary that quarter, he had been assigned to work under a local pastor who told him to work in the Rockville area, where the conference was trying to get a full-fledged church started.

My friend had been giving Bible studies to a family who, at the same time, were in contact with some Jehovah’s Witnesses. Uncertain which church to unite with, and unknown to my friend, the mother of the home decided to bring both groups together one evening—and see what they both would say when together.

So when my friend arrived for the Bible study,—he found two or three Jehovah’s Witnesses already there in the living room with the mother and her family.

After speaking a few words and uncertain what to do next—for the atmosphere was tense, he said, "Before we begin talking together, let us pray."

He knelt down and began praying. Suddenly, before he could end his prayer, the lady who was the Witness leader, jumped to her feet, and said, "This is terrible! I cannot remain here!" and hurriedly went into the next room, with the other Witnesses following her.

Certain he had done something to destroy his opportunity to reach this family, my friend sat down and silently prayed while the mother of the home rushed into the next room, closed the door, and began speaking with the Witness lady.

My friend kept praying. Within five or ten minutes, the Witnesses all left the home, and the mother came back into the living room. As I recall it now, this is what she said:

"The woman told me she was shocked. She said you had mentioned in your prayer that Jesus Christ is God,—and she could not stand to be in a place where that was said! So she has left with all her group. —And I am now convinced that the Seventh-day Adventists are right after all!"

Soon after the family joined the church.

Some people do not want to believe that Christ is fully God. The Witnesses say He is "a god," but they really do not believe He is any kind of God.

> "Jehovah’s Witnesses . . believe that the son is merely ‘a god’ by way of concession."—Jehovah’s Witnesses: Answered Verse by Verse, by David A. Reed, 42.

There are itinerant preachers, traveling around among faithful Advent believers right now, who also do not believe that Christ is even a lower-level God (if such a thing could be). In their estimation, He is a created being, not eternal, and not God in the highest sense.

2 - STATEMENTS BY

TRAVELING ADVENTIST SPEAKERS

Here are a few statements by some of these traveling, independent, Adventist preachers. We have many statements we could quote from them:

> FRED ALABACK—

"God the Father is the One and only being in the universe that did not have a beginning of any kind . . One and only supreme being in the universe . . the ‘one God.’ "—Fred Alaback, Liberty Review, October, 1989.

CALEB ALONSO—

"There is one God, and that’s the Father, and there’s only one God—there’s no more Gods, but one."—Caleb Alonso, video taped sermon, Part One, December 21, 1991.

SCOTT STANLEY, JOHN SMITH, JOHN ENCISCO—

"The entire gospel is based on the fact that there is one God, the Father."—Scott Stanley, John Smith, and John Encisco, booklet, 9.

BILL STRINGFELLOW—

"Our heavenly Father is the One Supreme Being in the universe. He is the source from which comes all life and power . . Our heavenly Father is the only true God—period!"—Bill Stringfellow, video taped presentation, Part One, March, 1994.

EDWARD EDSTROM—

"And so we see ONE God . . Here we have not three Gods, but one! Here also we have one God, not two."—Edward Edstrom, quoted by Marty Wold, newsletter, August 19, 1987.

MARTY WOLD—

"My purpose has been . . to establish the Bible truth of One God, the Father."—Marty Wold, newsletter, August 19, 1987, 12.

As usual, the Spirit of Prophecy reveals that these things would occur in our ranks:

> "Again and again we shall be called to meet the influence of men who are studying sciences of satanic origin, through which Satan is working to make a nonentity of God and of Christ.

> "The Father and the Son each have a personalty. Christ declared: ‘I and My Father are one.’ Yet it was the Son of God who came to the world in human form. Laying aside His royal robe and kingly crown, He clothed His divinity with humanity, that humanity through His infinite sacrifice might become partakers of the divine nature and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust."—9 Testimonies 68.

3 - STATEMENTS BY SPIRITUALISTS

What is it that the Satanists teach? Let us read their statements. We will find that they echo the downgrading hatred of their father, the devil, for Christ.

"[Jesus said] I am not God . . I do not want you to worship me."—Helen Shookman, A Course in Miracles. (Regarded as a New Age Bible, it was written by Shookman as a channeler [medium], under the direction of a spirit calling itself Jesus).

"He [Jesus] was not God, and never claimed to be."—Rodney R. Romney, Journey to Inner Space: Finding God in Us, 30.

"Son of God, First-Born . . the Second Logos or Higher Self,—the first emanation from the Father, the Absolute, or the First Logos."—Dictionary of All Scriptures and Myths, by G.A. Gaskell, 702. (This dictionary uses the sacredly held philosophic writings of all religions such as Zoroaster, Philo, Swedenborg, Buddah, Hermes, the Qabbalah, etc., in order to derive the definitions hence given—which are mystical and spiritualistic.)

"The eternal Birth or generation of the Son or Divine Word . . From our proper Source, that is to say, from the Father and all that which lives in Him, ‘there shines,’ says Ruysbroeck, ‘an eternal Ray, the which is the Birth of the Son . . We are celebrating the feast of the Eternal Birth which God the Father has borne."—Mysticism, by E. Underhill, 146.

"Holy is God, the Father of all things, the One who is before the First Beginning."—The Secret Teachings of All Ages, XL, by Manly P. Hall, 33rd Degree Mason. (Hall is quoting Hermes or Cush who was the interpreter of the mysteries, or basically the founder of spiritualistic Babylonian religion. Cush was also the father of Nimrod, who founded Babylon and then based its mystery religion upon the teachings of his father.)

"God [the great architect of the universe] as the infinite Parent of all . ."—Morals and Dogma, 715, by Albert Pike, 33rd Degree Mason, also The Masonic Report, 20.

"The One [God] is the term most suitable for defining the Absolute, since the whole precedes the parts."—Hall, XV.

"The Qabbalists [Qabbala is Jewish witchcraft] conceive of the Supreme Deity as an incomprehensible Principle to be discovered only through the process of eliminating, in order, all its conizable attributes. That which remains . . is AIN SOPH, the eternal state of Being . . all [things are] nourished by AIN SOPH and all with their source in AIN SOPH, the only Immortal—whence they came."—Hall, CXVII.

"The terms Father, Son, and Spirit are but symbols which stand for three manifestations of God . . God goes forth from Himself in the Eternal Son, returning to Himself in the Eternal Spirit."—Gaskell, 770.

"The Father uttered himself and all creatures in the Word, his Son, and the return of the Father into himself includes the like return of all creatures into the same Eternal Source. The logical genesis of the Son furnishes a type of all evolution or creation; the Son is the unity of all the works of God . . God is in all things, and God is all things."—Gaskell, 770.

"Holy is God, whose will is performed and accomplished by His own powers which He hath given birth to out of Himself."—Hall, quoting Hermes, the founder of the mysteries of spiritualism, XL.

"[God] can unfold His essence in a variety of existences, which, while they are His creatures as to their origin, are parts of His essence as to their contents."—Gaskell, 317.

"The Absolute [or God—the One Source of all] . . is the beginning and final goal of the whole series of essences which exist . . the beginning and end of all things."—Gaskell, 317.

— SECTION SEVEN —

TWENTY-FIVE BIBLE PROOFS

THAT CHRIST IS FULLY GOD

Several years ago, the present writer compiled this overview of what the Bible teaches about the divinity of Christ:

1—Jesus Christ is called the "Son," or "the Son of God." He was the Son before He was born into this world (Jn 1:14, 18; Gal 4:4).

2—He is the "only begotten" Son of God (Jn 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; 1 Jn 4:9; compare 2 Sam 7:14; Ps 2:7; Lk 3:38; Jn 1:12).

3—He speaks of, and to, God as "Father" as One who bears a unique relationship to Him (Matt 6:9; 7:21; Jn 20:17).

4—He claimed a unique knowledge of God (Matt 11:27).

5—He spoke of Himself as "the Son of God" in such a way that the Jews recognized that He was claiming divinity, making Himself "equal to" God (Matt 26:63; Jn 5:18; 10:36).

6—The Sonship of Christ also applies to Him as our Messiah and Mediator (Matt 8:29; 26:63; Jn 1:49; 11:27).

7—He is the image, the very image of God (2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15; Heb 1:3).

8—He is called the "firstborn" (Col 1:15; Heb 1:6), and the "only begotten" (Jn 1:14, 18; 3:16, 18; Heb 11:17; 1 Jn 4:9). In summary, the Bible indicates an eternal sonship that goes back, without beginning, through all time in the past.

9—He had pre-existence and equality with the Father before He was born into this world (Micah 5:2; Jn 17:5; Col 1:16).

10—He has life in Himself (Jn 5:26).

11—He has full divinity or deity (Jn 1:1; Rom 9:5; Phil 2:6; Titus 2:13; 1 Jn 5:20).

12—Divine names are applied to Him (Isa 9:6; 40:3; Jer 23:5-6; Joel 2:32; compare Acts 2:21 and 1 Tim 3:16).

13—He has eternal existence (Isa 9:6; Jn 1:1-2; Rev 1:8; 22:13). There never was a time when He did not exist.

14—He has omniscience (Jn 2:24-25; 21:17; Rev 2:23). He has all knowledge in heaven, on earth, and throughout the universe.

15—He has omnipotence (Isa 9:6; Phil 3:21).

16—He is immutable (Heb 1:10-12; 13:8). He is utterly unchangeable.

17—He has every attribute that the Father has (Col 2:9).

18—He is the Creator (Jn 1:3, 10; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2, 10).

19—Divine Providences come through Christ (Jn 3:35; 17:2; Eph 1:22; Col 1:17).

20—Only God can forgive sin, and Jesus can forgive sin (Matt 9:2-7; Mk 2:7-10; Col 3:13).

21—He has a dominant role both in the Resurrection and Judgment of men (Matt 25:31-32; Jn 5:19-29; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 2 Tim 4:1).

22—He will have a dominant role in the final destruction of sin and sinners, and the renewal of the new heavens and the new earth (Heb 1:10-12; Phil 3:21; Rev 21:5).

23—Honor as to One who is Divine and fully God is ascribed to Him (Jn 5:22-23; 14:1; 1 Cor 15:19; 2 Cor 13:13; Heb 1:6; Matt 28:19).

24—A basic pattern appears to be that things come from the Father and through Christ (Jn 1:3, 10).

— SECTION EIGHT —

WHAT THE SPIRIT OF PROPHECY

TEACHES ABOUT

THE FULL GODHOOD AND ETERNITY

OF JESUS CHRIST

The Spirit of Prophecy teaches something far different than the Witnesses, the spiritualists, and the traveling Arian speakers.

The Spirit of Prophecy teaches what the Bible teaches—that Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, is fully God and has existed forever.

"Jesus declared, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.’ In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived. ‘He that hath the son hath life’ (1 Jn 5:12). The divinity of Christ is the believer’s assurance of eternal life . .

"To the Saviour’s words, ‘Believest thou?’ Martha responded, ‘Yea, Lord: I believe that Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ She did not comprehend in all their significance the words spoken by Christ, but she confessed her faith in His divinity, and her confidence that He was able to perform whatever it pleased Him to do."—Desire of Ages, 530.

" ‘In Him [Jesus] was life; and the life was the light of men.’ It is not physical life that is here specified, but [immortality], the life which is exclusively the property of God. The Word, who was with God, and who was God, had this life. Physical life is something which each individual receives. It is not eternal or immortal; for God, the life-giver takes it again . . But the life of Christ was unborrowed. No one can take this life from Him. ‘I lay it down of Myself,’ He said. In Him was life, original, unborrowed, underived. This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ."—5 Bible Commentary, 1130 (1 Selected Messages, 296-297).

"The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant . . Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God . . Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore. The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from eternity, a distinct Person, yet one with the Father."—5 Review & Herald, 227 (1 Selected Messages, 247).

"The world was made by Him, ‘and without Him was not any thing made that was made’ (Jn 1:3). If Christ made all things, He existed before all things. The words spoken in regard to this are so decisive that no one need be left in doubt. Christ was God essentially, and in the highest sense. He was with God from all eternity, God over all, blessed forevermore."—1 Selected Messages, 247.

"The Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God, existed from all eternity, a distinct person, yet one with the Father. He was the surpassing glory of heaven. He was the commander of the heavenly intelligences, and the adoring homage of the angels was received by Him as His right. This was no robbery of God."—5 Commentary, 1126.

"He [Christ] was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent. He was above all finite requirements. He was Himself the law in character. Of the highest angels it could not be said that they had never borne a yoke. The angels all bear the yoke of dependence, the yoke of obedience . . Not one of the angels could become a substitute and surety for the human race, for their life is God’s; they could not surrender it. On Christ alone the human family depended for their existence. He is the eternal, self-existent Son, on whom no yoke had come . . He could say that which not the highest angel could say—‘I have power over My own life. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again."—12 Manuscript Release 395 (Manuscript 101, 1897).

"In Christ were united the divine and the human—the Creator and the creature. The nature of God, whose law had been transgressed, and the nature of Adam, the transgressor, meet in Jesus—the Son of God, and the Son of man."—Manuscript 141, 1901 (7 Bible Commentary, 926).

"Abraham saw the incarnate Saviour, and rejoiced . . ‘Before Abraham was, I AM.’ Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God."—4 Signs of the Times, 141.

"It was Christ who from the bush on Mount Horeb spoke to Moses saying, ‘I AM THAT I AM . . Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent Me unto you (Ex 3:14). This was the pledge of Israel’s deliverance. So when He came ‘in the likeness of men,’ He declared Himself the I AM, the Child of Bethlehem, the meek and lowly Saviour, God "manifest in the flesh" (1 Tim 3:16)."—Desire of Ages, 24.

"Jesus speaks of Himself as well as the Father as God, and claims for Himself perfect righteousness."—7 Bible Commentary, 929.

"[John 3:34-36, quoted] In this Scripture, God and Christ are spoken of as two distinct personalities, each acting in their own individuality."—Notebook Leaflets from Elmshaven Library, Vol. 1, 124.

"Christ is one with the Father, but Christ and God are two distinct personages. Read the prayer of Christ in the seventeenth chapter of John, and you will find this point clearly brought out. How earnestly the Saviour prayed that His disciples might be one with Him as He is one with the Father. But the unity that is to exist between Christ and His followers does not destroy the personality of either. They are to be one with Him as He is one with the Father."—Review and Herald, June 1, 1905 (5 Bible Commentary, 1148).

"The unity that exists between Christ and His disciples does not destroy the personality of either. They are one in purpose, in mind, in character, but not in person."—Upward Look, 153 (Manuscript, 58).

"Christ is the pre-existent, self-existent Son of God . . In speaking of His pre-existence, Christ carries the mind back through dateless ages. He assures us that there never was a time when He was not in close fellowship with the eternal God. He to whose voice the Jews were then listening had been with God as one brought up with Him."—Signs, August 29, 1900 (Evangelism, 615).

"He was equal with God, infinite and omnipotent . . He is the eternal, self-existent Son."—Lift Him Up, 17 (Evangelism, 615).

"While God’s Word speaks of the humanity of Christ when upon this earth, it also speaks decidedly regarding His pre-existence. The Word existed as a divine being, even as the eternal Son of God, in union and oneness with His Father. From everlasting He was the Mediator of the covenant, the one in whom all nations of the earth, both Jews and Gentiles, if they accepted Him, were to be blessed. ‘The Word was with God, and the Word was God.’ Before men or angels were created, the Word was with God, and was God."—Review and Herald, April 5, 1906 (Evangelism, 615).

"[Revelation 1:18-20, quoted] These are wonderfully solemn and significant statements. It was the Source of all mercy and pardon, peace and grace, the self-existent, eternal, unchangeable One, who visited His exiled servant on the isle that is called Patmos."—7 Bible Commentary, 955 (Manuscript 81, 1900).

"They retorted with a sneer, as if they would prove Jesus to be a madman, ‘Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham?’

"With solemn dignity Jesus answered, ‘Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.’

"Silence fell upon the vast assembly. The name of God, given to Moses to express the idea of the eternal presence, had been claimed as His own by this Galilean Rabbi. He had announced Himself to be the self-existent One, He who had been promised to Israel, ‘whose goings forth have been from of old, from the days of eternity’ (Micah 5:2). Again the priests and rabbis cried out against Jesus as a blasphemer."—Desire of Ages, 469-470.

"What humility was this! It amazed angels. The tongue can never describe it; the imagination cannot take it in. The eternal Word consented to be made flesh! God became man! It was a wonderful humility."—Review and Herald, June 15, 1905 (5 Bible Commentary, 1127).

"Jesus claimed equal rights with God in doing a work equally sacred, and of the same character with that which engaged the Father in heaven."—Desire of Ages, 207.

" ‘I am the resurrection, and the life.’ He who had said ‘I lay down my life, that I might take it again,’ came forth from the grave to life that was in Himself. Humanity died: divinity did not die. In His divinity, Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death. He declares that He has life in Himself to quicken whom He will."—Youth Instructor, August 4, 1898 (5 Bible Commentary, 1113).

" ‘His name shall be called Immanuel . . God with us.’ The light of the knowledge of the glory of God’ is seen ‘in the face of Jesus Christ.’ From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was ‘the image of God,’ the image of His greatness and majesty, ‘the outshining of His glory.’ It was to manifest this glory that He came to this world. To this sin-darkened earth He came to reveal the light of God’s love,—to be ‘God with us.’ Therefore it was prophesied of Him, ‘His name shall be called Immanuel.’ "—Desire of Ages, 19.

"The world’s Redeemer was equal with God. His authority was as the authority of God. He declared that He had no existence separate from the Father. The authority by which He spoke and wrought miracles, was expressly His own, yet He assures us that He and the Father are one."—5 Bible Commentary, 1142.

"Was the human nature of the Son of Mary changed into the divine nature of the Son of God? No; the two natures were mysteriously blended in one person—the man Christ Jesus. In Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. When Christ was crucified, it was His human nature that died. Deity did not sink and die; that would have been impossible."—Letter 280, 1904 (5 Bible Commentary, 1113).

"The rich benevolence of God gave Him to our world; and to meet the necessities of humanity, He took on Him human nature. To the astonishment of the heavenly host, He walked this earth as the Eternal Word."—Fundamentals of Christian Education, 400.

"Christ was the Son of God; He had been one with Him before the angels were called into existence. He had ever stood at the right hand of the Father."—Patriarchs and Prophets, 38.

"When Christ was human on the earth, He was totally reliant upon His Father for life and power to sustain His human existence. But resurrected from the grave, this was not the case anymore.

"But although Christ’s divine glory was for a time veiled and eclipsed by His assuming humanity, yet He did not cease to be God when He became man. The human did not take the place of the divine, nor the divine of the human. This is the mystery of godliness. The two expressions ‘human’ and ‘divine’ were, in Christ, closely and inseparably one, and yet He had a distinct individuality. Though Christ humbled Himself to become man, the Godhead was still His own."—Signs, May 10, 1899 (5 Bible Commentary, 1129).

"Christ had not exchanged His divinity for humanity; but He had clothed His divinity in humanity."—Review and Herald, October 29, 1895 (5 Bible Commentary, 1128).

"The power of the Saviour’s Godhead was hidden. He overcame in human nature, relying upon God for power."—7 Bible Commentary, 924.

"The Roman guard fell as dead men before the resplendent glory, and Christ in His Godhead shown forth as He burst from the tomb and rose triumphant over death and the grave."—3 Signs, 211.

"Christ did not make believe take human nature; He did verily take it. He did in reality possess human nature. ‘As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same’ (Heb 2:14). He was the son of Mary; He was of the seed of David according to human descent. He is declared to be a man, even the Man Christ Jesus. ‘This man,’ writes Paul, ‘was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house’ (Heb 3:3)."—5 Bible Commentary, 1130.

"Jesus says, ‘My Father which is in heaven,’ as reminding His disciples that while by His humanity He is linked with them, a sharer in their trials, and sympathizing with them in their sufferings, by His divinity He is connected with the throne of the infinite. Wonderful assurance!"—Desire of Ages, 442.

"The Lord God came down to our world clothed with habiliments of humanity, that He might work out in His own life the mysterious controversy between Christ and Satan. He discomfited the powers of darkness. All this history is saying to man, I, your substitute and surety, have taken your nature upon Me, showing you that every son and daughter of Adam is privileged to become a partaker of the divine nature, and through Christ Jesus lay hold upon immortality."—Fundamentals of Christian Education, 379.

— SECTION NINE —

THE TRUTH ABOUT ARIANISM

AND UNITARIANISM

Arians in our time do not like to admit that they are. But here are the facts.

The traveling preachers in our time, who spread error for their own benefit, are nothing new. Throughout history, there have been professed Christians who, instead of accepting the Bible as it reads, have produced cunningly devised fables in order to attract attention themselves and, hopefully, a following which would provide them financial support.

Arius was a local church leader of the Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt. About the year 310 A.D., he devised a strange, new teaching. Here it is:

> Christ was created out of nothing before anything else was created. Therefore He was a finite being, since He did not earlier exist. Through Him, God created everything. But, although not God, He could be worshiped since He was such a high-ranking angel (summarized from The Manual of Church History, Vol. 1, 327, by Albert Henry Newman).

Well, that is exactly what the traveling Adventist are preaching! They may deny the title, but they are Arians!

In 321 A.D., Alexander, bishop of the Alexandrian Church, took away Arius’ offices and ejected him from the church. This produced a split, which gradually broadened.

A key point was that, according to Arius, Christ was hetoousios—different in essence from God; while Athanasius, his theological rival, said Christ was homoousios—identical in essence to God the Father. We can understand this, since that is basically what we have been talking about in this study.

We are like Athanasius; for we say Christ is fully God while the Arian preachers declare Him to not be God.

So now you know what an Arian is. And, having read this study, you now know where to turn to, in order to find the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy passages which disprove this heresy.

However, these modern Adventist Arians go one step further: They deny the existence of the Holy Spirit as well! This places them in the same category as the Unitarians. As you may know, the Unitarian Church is inhabited by atheists who reject Christ and believe that God is so far away that they can sin in peace, without worrying about a coming judgment. You see, after rejecting Christ and the Holy Spirit,—they threw out the Bible as well!

Don’t let that happen to you.

> "Unitarianism—The view that God is one person only and which therefore denies the doctrines of the divinity of Christ and of the Holy Spirit (as distinct from the person of God), and therefore also the doctrine of the Godhead."—A Dictionary of Christian Theology, Alan Richardson 352.

—vf

CONTINUE- 3RD PERSON OF GODHEAD GODHEAD TOC

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