Jesus is God

The Saviour is called God in several places. He is given this title by his Father and he is given this title by his people. 

How do we describe God? A list of attributes, perhaps. Or maybe we can use pictures or illustrations drawn from daily life (shepherd, guide, protector). Both those methods are very biblical. 

We can consider the title by his uniqueness. In what ways is Jesus unique? No doubt, many answers could be given to that question. Here is one answer – he is unique in that he can do the impossible, or at least what we would regard as impossible. So here are three ‘impossible’ things that Jesus did as God.

First, he made all things out of nothing. If we said to a tradesman, ‘Make me a house out of nothing,’ he would think we were mad. ‘That is impossible,’ he would say. Yet Jesus as God made more than a house, he made the universe out of nothing.

Second, although he is God, he also became a man, a real man. When he became a man, he remained fully divine. Things that are true of God are true of him, just as things that are true of sinless humans are true of him. He is omniscient, yet learns; he is omnipotent, yet depends on the Spirit; he is omnipresent, yet is confined to one location. Is that not amazing?

Third, although he is God and man, pure and holy, he became the sinbearer and paid the penalty for sin. We speak of long-term sentences, usually forgetting that all of us were under the longest sentence possible. No one can state the appropriate sentence for sin. Because the sin is against God, the penalty is eternal. The only One who knew the exact penalty was God, and on Calvary God the Son paid it fully and finally for his people.