Despite what many different religions teach, the Bible teaches that Jesus is God. Five A's will help you remember this important Christian doctrine.
Talking Points:
- Jesus possesses divine ATTRIBUTES. He is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, unchanging, holy, and sinless. These are all characteristics of God, yet they are attributed to Jesus.
- Jesus ASSERTED he was God. The Jews understood this was what Jesus meant because they tried to stone him after he claimed it.
- Jesus has divine AUTHORITY. He not only asserted he was God, but he did things only God can do, like forgive sins, raise the dead, and accept worship.
- Jesus’s enemies ACCUSED him of claiming to be God. It is clear that Jesus spoke and acted like God.
- Jesus was AFFIRMED by other New Testament writers. The earliest disciples of Jesus taught that he was God. To have done this, they needed to truly believe that he was God. They had seen, heard, and confirmed he was who he claimed to be.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- A lot of people struggle with the doctrine of Jesus’s godhood. Why do you think this is a sticking point for many people and different religious groups?
- Which of the “five A’s” from above do you think is most important for understanding Jesus’s godhood? Why?
- Read Revelation 1:8 and 1:17-18. What do these verses teach about Jesus Christ?
- Why do think Jesus was so opposed by the Jewish religious authorities during his earthly ministry specifically regarding the question of his godhood?
- Read John 17:20-21. Why is Christians’ love for one another a powerful testimony of the truth of Jesus Christ?
- Why is it important that the biblical writers and earliest followers of Jesus taught and believed he was God?
- Why is the godhood of Jesus Christ such an important Christian belief?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
