EXPOSITORY ESSAY: Proofs Of The Deity Of Christ (from the Book of John)
by Tina A. Coddington
 
     The Gospel of John contains evidence that shows the deity of Christ.  Some of the evidence that "reveals the deity and the true identity" of Jesus is seen by the miracles that He performed and the signs that He gave (Barton 379).  One of these signs of the deity of Jesus is seen over His control of nature.  In John 2:1-11, Jesus along with his mother and disciples were invited to a wedding that took place in Galilee.  A wedding could take place for almost a week and at some point in the wedding Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to him for help with a situation that could disgrace the couple that was getting married - the wine was gone (completely consumed).  Jesus proceeded to show his deity by turning "water . . . into wine" (John 2:9).  Another control Jesus had over nature was that He could "walk on the water" (verse 19 in John 6:16-21).  This was not water that was calm and only a depth of a couple of inches (or a few centimeters).  Jesus walked on water that was raging with a windstorm strong enough to scare his disciples, and some of the disciples were even experienced sailors.  Jesus reached the disciples by walking on the water for "three and a half miles" (5.6 kilometers) into the sea (John 6:19).  "This miracle over nature is yet another indication of the true identity and deity of Jesus" (Barton 398).  The third instance of Jesus' control over nature was when He fed five thousand men, not counting the women and children, with "five barley loaves and two fishes, the food of the poor" (in John 6:1-15; Barton 397).  Not only did Jesus feed all these people with this small amount of food, a meal for one, but there was enough food left over to fill "twelve baskets" (John 6:13).
     Some of the miracles, that Jesus performed to show his deity, involved the healing of the sick or dead.  In John 9:1-39, Jesus spits on the ground and places the mud on the blind man's eyes and tells him to go and wash.  The blind man "comes home seeing" (John 9:7).  In John 4:46-54, a nobleman is concerned for his fevered and dying son.  The nobleman goes and asks Jesus to heal his son.  "The words of this man show that it was a desperate case" (Tenney 310).  All Jesus said was "your son will live" and the man's son was healed at that very instant, about twenty miles away (32 kilometers; John 4:50,53).  Not only could Jesus heal those that were sick, in John 11:1-44 He also raised Lazarus, who had been dead for four days.  "The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face" (John 11:44).  It took more than a mere man to heal people and raise a person from the grave, it took deity.
     The people, who saw the signs and miracles of Jesus, believed that He was deity.  John, the author of the Book of John, said that the "Word was God" (John 1:1).  The Word is Jesus and John says that Jesus was God.  "This is a profound statement as to the Person of Christ" (Erdman 14).  The Pharisees hated Jesus and wanted to kill him, because they understood that through the words of Jesus, He was "making himself equal with God" (John 5:18).  Peter, one of Jesus' twelve disciples, said that He was "the Holy One of God" (John 6:69).  After Jesus raised from the dead, Thomas was allowed to touch the nail holes and see the side of Jesus that was pierced by the spear.  Thomas said, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28).  "Whether or not Thomas fully understood his own words, this is unmistakably a high conception of the divine nature" of Jesus (Guthrie 1065).  These people, who lived with and knew Jesus, could see that He was more than just a man, that He was God.
     Jesus himself claimed his deity by his words.  Jesus said that "before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58).  In saying this, Jesus shows that He was around (existing) before Abraham.  However, even more significant is Jesus' use of the phrase 'I am' in reference to himself.  "I am", was the name given to Moses as the name for God (Exodus 3:14).  "'I am' is a title of Deity" (Blum 306).  Jesus is "undeniably proclaiming his divinity" (Barton 414).  Jesus refers to God as "my Father" and through this "affirmed his equality with God" (John 5:17; Barton 394).  Jesus identifies himself as: ""the gate; whoever enters through me [Jesus] will be saved"" (John 10:9).  "This points to spiritual salvation and spiritual security", which is something only God can offer (Barton 419).  The things listed above are a small amount of the evidence of the deity of Jesus.  More evidence can be found to show the deity of Jesus in the Book of John as well as the rest of the Bible.  The very purpose of John's gospel is to present "Jesus as God", so that a person "may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God" (Martin 1/2; John 20:31).
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Work Cited:
Barton, Bruce & Comfort, Phillip & Osborne, Grant & Taylor, Linda K. &
     Veerman, Dave.  "Life Application New Testament Commentary."  Wheaton:
     Tyndale, 2001. 

Bible.  "The Holy Bible: New International Version."  The Bible Library CD-ROM.
     Oklahoma City:  Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

Blum, Edwin A.  "John."  'The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An
     Exposition of the Scriptures by Dallas Seminary Faculty: New Testament.'
     Edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck.  Colorado Springs:  Chariot
     Victor, 1985.  pp.267-348.

Erdman, Charles R.  "The Gospel of John: An Exposition."  Philadelphia:
     Westminster Press, 1984.

Guthrie, Donald.  "John."  'New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition.'
     Edited by G.J. Wenham, J.A.Motyer, D.A. Carson, R.T. France.  Downers
     Grove, IL:  Intervarsity, 1994.  pp.1021-1065.

Martin, Alfred.  "John, Life Through Believing."  Chicago: Moody Press, 1981.

Tenney, Merrill C.  "John."  'Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary: Volume 1: Old
     Testament.'  Edited by Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Dohlenberger III.  Grand
     Rapids, Michigan:  Zondervan, 1994.  pp.290-375.
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Scriptures taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®
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Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Copyright © 2018 Tina A. Coddington and Mel W. Coddington, and permission is hereby granted that this document may be used, copied, and distributed non-commercially to non-profit organizations, individuals, churches, ministries, and schools worldwide, provided the copies are distributed at no charge and retain this sources documentation as supplied herein. This document is not for sale, resale, or for use as a gift or premium to be offered in connection with solicitations or contributions.
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