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b. In the writings of John and Paul.
It has been found quite impossible to deny that both John
and Paul teach the deity of Christ. In the Gospel of John the most exalted view of the person of
Christ is found, as appears from the following passages: John 1:1-3,14,18; 2:24,25; 3:16-
18,35,36; 4:14,15; 5:18,20,21,22,25-27; 11:41-44; 20:28; I John 1:3; 2:23; 4:14,15; 5:5,10-13, 20.
A similar view is found in the Pauline Epistles and in the Epistle to the Hebrews, Rom. 1:7; 9:5; I
Cor. 1:1-3; 2:8; II Cor. 5:10; Gal. 2:20; 4:4; Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9; I Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:1-3,5,8; 4:14;
5:8, and so on. Critical scholars sought escape from the doctrine clearly taught in these writings
in various ways as, for instance, by denying the historicity of the Gospel of John and the
authenticity of many of the Epistles of Paul; by regarding the representations of John, Paul, and
Hebrews as unwarranted interpretations, in the case of John and Hebrews especially under the
influence of the Philonic Logos doctrine, and in the case of Paul under the same influence, or
under that of his pre-Christian, Jewish views; or by ascribing to Paul a lower view than is found
in John, namely, that of Christ as a pre-existent, heavenly man.
c. In the Synoptics.
Some maintain that the Synoptics only furnish us with a true picture of
Christ. They, it is said, portray the human, the truly historical Jesus, as contrasted with the
idealized picture of the Fourth Gospel. But it is perfectly evident that the Christ of the Synoptics
is just as truly divine as the Christ of John. He stands out as a supernatural person throughout,
the Son of Man and the Son of God. His character and works justify His claim. Notice
particularly the following passages: Matt. 5:17; 9:6; 11:1-6,27; 14:33; 16:16,17; 28:18; 25:31 ff.;
Mark 8:38, and many similar and parallel passages. Dr. Warfield’s The Lord of Glory is very
illuminating on this point.
d. In the self-consciousness of Jesus.
In recent years there has been a tendency to go back to
the self-consciousness of Jesus, and to deny that He was conscious of being the Messiah or the
Son of God. Naturally, it is not possible to have any knowledge of the consciousness of Jesus,
except through His words, as these are recorded in the Gospels; and it is always possible to
deny that they correctly express the mind of Jesus. For those who accept the Gospel testimony
there can be no doubt as to the fact that Jesus was conscious of being the very Son of God. The
following passages bear witness to this: Matt. 11:27 (Luke 10:22); 21:37,38 (Mk. 12:6; Luke
20:13); 22:41-46 (Mk. 13:35-37; Luke 20:41-44); 24:36 (Mk. 13:32); 28:19. Some of these
passages testify to Jesus’ Messianic consciousness; others to the fact that He was conscious of
being the Son of God in the most exalted sense. There are several passages in Matthew and
Luke, in which He speaks of the first person of the Trinity as “my Father,” Matt. 7:21; 10:32,33;
11:27; 12:50; 15:13; 16:17; 18:10,19,35; 20:23; 25:34; 26:29,53; Luke 2:49; 22:29; 24:49. In the
Gospel of John the consciousness of being the very Son of God is even more apparent in such
passages as John 3:13; 5:17,18,19-27; 6:37-40,57; 8:34-36; 10:17,18,30,35,36, and other
passages.