What’s the Earliest New Testament Evidence for the Divinity of Jesus?
In the first century, we learn of one of the most remarkable men that has ever lived.
Before he was born, his mother was told he would not be like other men, but would be divine. As an adult, he traveled around delivering his message and performing miracles. He healed the sick, cast out demons, and even raised the dead.
He had a band of disciples around him who regarded him as the son of God. Eventually, his activity caught the attention of the governing authorities who arrested him, put him on trial, and executed him. Later, his followers said that he was alive and seated in the heavenly places.
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What I’ll Be Up to at The Gospel Coalition National Conference
This week I am headed to Indianapolis for The Gospel Coalition National Conference. Looks to be a fun week with a great lineup of speakers and a wonderful theme: “Alive Together: Faithful Living in a Faithless Age” (a study of the book of Ephesians).
In addition to catching up with friends over coffee and meals, my schedule is filled with a number of breakout sessions and panel discussions. Here are the highlights over a very busy two days on Tuesday, April 22, and Wednesday, April 23:
1. TGC Breakout Sessions. I am part of two different TGC-sponsored breakout sessions, and also one for RTS (see #2 below):
Tuesday, 3:30PM.… Continue reading...
Do the Synoptic Gospels Portray Jesus as God? Rethinking Jesus Walking on the Water
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. It’s the idea that John presents Jesus as divine and the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) present Jesus as a mere man. And when you combine all the Gospels together, only then do you end up with a vision of Jesus as both God and man.
In fact, it is precisely this characterization of the matter that makes people doubt the historicity of John. It makes it seem like folks originally viewed Jesus as just a normal guy, but then, over time, their views evolved more and more until you end up with something like the Gospel of … Continue reading...
One of the Earliest (and Clearest) Summaries of Early Christian Beliefs
A common claim among critics of Christianity is that early Christian doctrine was a bit of a mess. What we believe now—about the incarnation, divinity of Jesus, etc.—was a late development within the early Christian movement. And, so the implication goes, the earliest Christians did not necessarily believe the same things as later Christians.
Now, it must be said that such a criticism is partly true. The early Christian movement was not monolithic, to be sure. There was quite a bit of theological diversity, and it took a few generations to work out some of the kinks. I cover this doctrinal diversity in my book Christianity at the Crossroads: How … Continue reading...
Was the Divinity of Jesus a Late Invention of the Council of Nicea?
One of the most common objections to Christianity is that the divinity of Jesus was “created” by later Christians long after the first century. No one in primitive Christianity believed Jesus was divine, we are told. He was just a man and it was later believers, at the council of Nicea, that declared him to be a God.
A classic example of this in popular literature can be found in the book The Da Vinci Code:
“My dear,” Teabing declared, “until that moment in history [council of Nicea], Jesus was viewed by His followers as a mortal prophet… a great and powerful man, but a man nonetheless. A mortal.” … Continue reading...