Great Doctrines of the Bible
Special English Version

Lesson 1
JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

INTRODUCTION
This is the foundation of Christianity: Jesus Christ was God and He is God today. He possesses all the power of God. He possesses all the attributes (characteristics) of God.

IMPORTANCE OF THIS LESSON

• Christianity is not a system of laws about doing what is right and what is wrong. Christianity is a Life. The Christian possesses the Life of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian enjoys this Life. By the way the Christian lives, he shows he has trusted Jesus Christ as Savior.
• If you remove the name of Buddha from Buddhism, or the name Confucius from Confucianism, or the name of Mohammed from Islam, the teachings of these religions will stay the same. The good teachings of these religions will still be good, but if a person removes the name of Jesus Christ from Christianity, Christianity becomes empty.
• Christianity falls apart if:
  • Christ is only a man who always did what is right.
  • Christ is only a great teacher.
  • Christ is a man who fooled Himself, or a man who fooled other people.
  • Christ is not the man He said He was.
  • His mother was a sinful woman who committed fornication with a man.
• If Christ is not God:
  the story about the birth of Christ has no meaning
  the tomb He left empty means nothing.
  He did not win over sin, death, and hell.
  the Christian has no hope for heaven.
  the believer is still lost in his sins and there is no message of peace and hope for lost people.
  all people are without hope for eternal life if Christ is not God (1 Corinthians 15:1-26).
• The author chose this subject for Lesson One because it is the foundation of Christianity. Every believer should understand this subject.

Include this form on your page

THE LESSON
THE PROOF THAT JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

I. HE SAID THAT HE IS GOD.

1. The Old Testament says that Jesus is the Messiah (John 5:39).
2. The book of Exodus says that Jesus lived BEFORE Abraham. He is called the “I AM” (Exodus 3:13-14; 6:3). Also see John 8:56-59.
3. Jesus said, “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE” (John 6:35,48). Every person who believes in Him will never be hungry, thirsty, or die.
4. Jesus said, “I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD” (John 8:12; 9:5).
5. Jesus said, “I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP” (John 10:7). God will save every person who enters through this door (John 10:9).
6. Jesus said, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE” (John 14:6). Every person who comes to the Father must come through Jesus Christ.
7. Jesus said, “I AM THE RESURRECTION” (John 11:25). Every person who believes in Him will live forever with Jesus in heaven. He will never be separated from God by death.
8. Jesus said that He was equal with the Father (John 10:30-33; 14:8-9).
9. Jesus said that He lived before the world was created (John 17:5).

II. HE DID WHAT ONLY GOD WAS ABLE TO DO.

1. He forgave our sins! (Matthew 9:3-6; Mark 2:5-7; Luke 7:47-50). The Jews said that Jesus spoke bad words against God. The Jews said that only God was able to forgive sin. Since Christ is God, He cannot speak bad words against God.
2. Jesus did miracles that only God was able to do.
   1. Jesus brought dead people back to life (Luke 7:12-15; 8:53-55; John 11:41-44).
   2. Jesus made blind people able to see (John 9:1-7).
   3. Jesus changed water into wine (John 2:7-11).
   4. Jesus gave food to 5,000 men, not counting women and children. This was probably a total of 20,000 people. Jesus did this with just five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:15-21).
   5. Jesus healed all different kinds of sicknesses (Mark 2:10-11; Luke 6:17-19).
   6. Jesus commanded the wind of the sea to stop. This shows He also controlled the sea (Luke 8:22-24; Matthew 8:23-27).

III. HE HAS ALL THE ATTRIBUTES OF GOD.

1. An attribute shows us what God is like. What God is like never changes. An attribute shows what His power is like. His power never changes either. This is what God the Father is like, what God the Son (Jesus Christ) is like and what God the Holy Spirit is like.
2. We can organize the attributes of God into two kinds.
   1. Those that show what God is like in Himself. They are perfect and cannot be changed by the WILL.
   2. Those that show how God presents Himself to the people He made.
   3. There are nine ways in which God shows what He is like in Himself and there are nine ways in which God shows Himself to the people He made.
      1. The nine ways that show what God is like in Himself:
         1. The LIFE of God:
            1. GOD IS ALIVE.
            2. GOD IS A SPIRIT.
            3. GOD IS A PERSON.
         2. What God is like as a PERSON:
            1. THREE-IN-ONE-GOD – Father, Son and Holy Spirit are three persons but one God.
            2. God is ETERNAL – God had no beginning and He will never end.
            3. UNCHANGEABLE – God never changes in what He is like and what He plans to do.
         3. What the POWER of God is like:
            1. God KNOWS EVERYTHING.
            2. God HAS POWER OVER EVERYTHING TO DO ANYTHING.
            3. God IS PRESENT EVERYWHERE at the same time.
      2. The nine ways in which God shows Himself to His people.
         1. Ways that show what He is:
            1. LOVE
            2. GRACE
            3. MERCY
         2. Ways that show that He is different from people:
            1. HOLINESS
            2. RIGHTEOUSNESS
            3. FAITHFULNESS
         3. Ways that show how God rules this world:
            1. WISDOM
            2. TRUTH
            3. INDEPENDENT POWER
               •¨ In the lesson about the “Three-in-one God” we will talk in detail about what God is like. In this lesson we want to rejoice that Jesus Christ is God. He is equal to God the Father and God the Holy Spirit.
   4. Some Illustrations
      1. Christ is ETERNAL – John 1:1-3; Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:10-12; Revelation 1:8,18.
      2. Christ NEVER CHANGES – Hebrews 1:11-12; 13:8.
      3. Christ KNOWS ALL THINGS AND IS ALL-WISE.
         1. Matthew 9:4 – Christ KNEW their thoughts.
         2. John 6:64 – Christ KNEW who would not believe and who would betray Him.
         3. John 5:22 – All judgment has been given to Him.
         4. Revelation 20:11-13 – He will be the judge of all sinners.
         5. I Corinthians 4:5 – He KNOWS what is in every heart.
         6. Colossians 2:3 – All the riches of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in Him.
      4. Christ has POWER OVER EVERYTHING TO DO ANYTHING.
         1. Colossians 1:16-17 – All things have been created by Him and are kept together by Him.
         2. Matthew 14:19-21 – He has power to create.
         3. Luke 8:24 and Matthew 14:26 – He is the master over nature.
      5. Christ is EVERYWHERE PRESENT AT THE SAME TIME.
         1. Matthew 18:20 – Present wherever two are gathered.
         2. Matthew 28:19-20 – He is with us always.
         3. John 3:13 – At the same time He was on earth, He was also in heaven.
      6. Christ has COMPLETE POWER TO DO EVERYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS OWN WILL AND PURPOSE.
         1. John 5:21-22 – Christ gives life to anyone He wishes to give life to.
         2. Matthew 28:18 – All power is given unto me.
         3. Philippians 2:10-11 – Every person must bow his knees to Him in the future.

IV. GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND HE WILL NEVER DIE AGAIN.

1. Note especially Romans 1:4. (Memorize this verse.)
2. The proofs above show that Jesus Christ is God. Romans 1:4 mentions the Son of God and must mean that He is God.
3. In a later lesson we will study more about the Resurrection (Christ raising up from the dead).
4. In this lesson we say that CHRIST IS GOD. This is the foundation of Christianity. The RESURRECTION of Christ is the foundation (bottom footing on which we build) of the preaching of the Gospel.

V. WE KNOW THAT CHRIST IS GOD BECAUSE HE ACCEPTED WORSHIP FROM PEOPLE.

1. God is the only one people should worship.
2. Christ accepts worship, so He must be God. Christ commands people to worship him, so He must be God. He would be a very proud and sinful person if He were not God.
   1. Matthew 14:33 – The people WORSHIPPED Him.
   2. Matthew 28:9 – The people held Him – and they worshipped Him.
   3. John 20:28 – Thomas worshipped Him.
   4. Philippians 2:10-11 – In the future every person will worship Him.

Examination

This is the end of this lesson. In order to proceed with the examination, you must be preregistered* as a student with Rogma International. If you are ready to proceed with the examination, click one of the buttons below:

This version is recommended if you have a reliable internet connection. The exam must be completed during your open session, otherwise you risk losing any answers that you may have already completed.		If you are unable to complete the exam online, we suggest that you download this Adobe Acrobat PDF version of the exam and write your answers in the body of an e-mail message to your assigned grader.

* Although registration is not required, registered students can earn a Certificate of Accomplishment, Certificate of Achievement, or a Diploma. In addition, registered students are assigned a personal grader who will monitor their ongoing progress. If you would like to register first, click below. A student identification number and access codes will be e-mailed to you within a few business days. Click to register.