Today, I completed a 419-page version of The Imitation of Christ. A book from centuries ago translated from Latin to English by Aloysius Croft and Harold Bolton (published in 2014). It was a period of reading and contemplation that took several months. Due to its length and subject matter, but as I drew near the end of the book it was apparent that it is necessary to read more than once. It became clear why many people have read it frequently and often over several hundred years. It also serves as a devotional companion, especially among Roman Catholic believers devoted to Christ and His teachings. This short-written post offers some edited thoughts about the book and its subject matter, but it will be necessary to read it again as it is meant for deeper contemplation and application.
Introduction
The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis is one of the most influential Christian books ever written, guiding readers on how to live a life that closely follows the teachings and example of Jesus Christ. Written in the early 15th century, this book is a simple yet profound manual on deepening one’s spiritual life. It’s divided into four main books, each focusing on different aspects of Christian living, like how to be humble, resist temptation, and find peace in God. Thomas à Kempis wrote this book intending to help people grow closer to God by imitating Christ daily.
The book emphasizes the importance of inner transformation over external actions. Thomas à Kempis teaches that true peace and happiness come from within by aligning our thoughts and desires with God’s will. He encourages readers to practice humility, patience, and obedience, showing how these virtues can help us live Christ-like lives. The book also offers practical advice on dealing with challenges and temptations, reminding us that we can overcome life’s difficulties by focusing on Christ and trusting in God’s guidance.
The Imitation of Christ has inspired countless people throughout the centuries, including many saints and spiritual leaders. Its teachings are timeless, offering valuable lessons for anyone seeking to grow in their faith. Even today, the book remains a powerful tool for spiritual development, helping readers to reflect on their lives and strive to live more like Jesus. Thomas à Kempis’s message is clear: by imitating Christ in our thoughts, words, and actions, we can find true meaning and fulfillment in life.
Author – Thomas à Kempis
Thomas à Kempis was a German monk and writer born around 1380 in Kempen, near Cologne. He is best known for writing The Imitation of Christ, one of the most influential Christian books ever written. Thomas joined a religious community called the Brethren of the Common Life, a group dedicated to living simply and focusing on spiritual growth. He later became a monk in the monastery of Mount St. Agnes in the Netherlands, where he spent most of his life. Thomas devoted himself to prayer, copying religious texts, and guiding others in their spiritual lives.
Thomas à Kempis was known throughout his life for his deep humility, devotion to God, and quiet, reflective nature. He wasn’t famous during his lifetime, but his writings, especially The Imitation of Christ, have moved Christians worldwide. Thomas’s work continues to inspire people to live more spiritually focused lives, emphasizing the importance of inner peace, humility, and following Jesus’s example. He died in 1471, but his teachings remain a timeless guide for those seeking to deepen their relationship with God.
Admonitions for Humility
The first book emphasizes the importance of humility and simplicity. Thomas à Kempis encourages readers to live modestly, avoid worldly distractions, and focus on God. He teaches that true wisdom and peace come not from seeking knowledge for its own sake but from living a life that reflects Christ’s teachings. By practicing humility—recognizing our own limitations and being open to learning from others—we can develop a deeper relationship with God and find contentment in our spiritual journey.
Concerning the Interior Life
In the second book, Thomas à Kempis discusses the importance of cultivating a strong inner life. He emphasizes self-reflection, meditation, and prayer as essential practices for spiritual growth. The author also highlights the value of humility, patience, and contentment, urging readers to find joy in God rather than in worldly achievements. This book teaches that by focusing on our inner relationship with God, we can build a foundation of peace and strength that will carry us through life’s challenges.
Of Internal Consolations
The third book addresses the difficulties and trials that are part of life. Thomas à Kempis encourages readers to seek comfort in God during tough times and to view suffering as an opportunity for spiritual growth. He teaches that hardships can deepen our faith if we bear them with patience and trust in God’s plan. The author reassures readers that God is always present, offering strength and guidance and that perseverance through trials will lead to greater spiritual maturity and closeness to Christ.
The Blessed Sacrament
The final book focuses on the Eucharist. Thomas à Kempis explains the profound spiritual significance of the Eucharist as a means of uniting with Christ and receiving His grace. He urges readers to approach the sacrament with reverence, humility, and a pure heart. Regular participation in the Eucharist is presented as a vital practice for growing in holiness and deepening one’s relationship with Christ, serving as a source of spiritual nourishment and strength.
Conclusion
The Imitation of Christ is a timeless work that offers practical and spiritual guidance for Christians seeking to live a life more aligned with the teachings of Jesus. Through its emphasis on humility, inner peace, perseverance in trials, and the significance of the Eucharist, Thomas à Kempis provides a comprehensive roadmap for spiritual growth. The book’s teachings continue to inspire and challenge readers to deepen their faith, live simply and humbly, and seek a closer relationship with God in all aspects of their lives.
Having completed John Behr’s book, The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death, I felt driven to write a review posted here because of his perspectives as a Patristics Scholar and his background as an Eastern Orthodox priest. He is a prominent theologian and scholar and has served as the Dean of St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in New York. Behr is well-regarded for his extensive work on Patristic theology, the writings of the Church Fathers, and the theology of the Orthodox Church. His ordination and active participation in the Orthodox Church deeply inform his theological writings and teachings. His views have further shaped my understanding of the faith. Writing this review was necessary to cover his thoughts on the subject matter of this book as it deepened my appreciation of Christ’s presence and work in new and profound ways.
Introduction
The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death by John Behr immerses the reader into more theological and fruitful ideas integral to Christianity. The book focuses on the mystery of Christ Jesus—who He is, why He came to earth, and what His life, death, and resurrection mean today. Behr thoroughly draws on scripture and the teachings of the early Church, especially the writings of early Church Fathers, to help explain these ideas in a way that connects the past with the present.
The book starts by discussing how early Christians understood Jesus and His active participation in God’s plan. Behr emphasizes that understanding Christ isn’t just about knowing facts or history—it’s about experiencing the mystery of who He is and what He did to fulfill the decrees of God’s divine economy. The book looks at how scripture and the teachings of the Church guide believers in this journey of understanding, showing how these ancient texts are critically necessary today.
As The Mystery of Christ is read, it is clear how Behr carefully synthesizes different elements of Christian belief, like the significance of the cross, the meaning of the resurrection, and the role of the Church. The book encourages readers to think about these topics and live them out in their own lives. It’s a thoughtful guide for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the Christian faith and understand more about the profound mystery that lies at its heart.
Synthesis
Creation-centered on Christ – The Cross, and coincidence of opposites
Apostolic Witness of Christ – Scripture & tradition
The Imminence of Christ – Salvific & creative process of people (justification)
The Virgin Mother – Church as a source of sanctification; Word and Spirit through church
Glorify God in Your Body – Ambivalence of the body and ambivalence of the passions toward the formation of the body and soul for Christ
Through the Cross
In the first chapter, titled “Through the Cross,” the focus is on how the true encounter with Christ is experienced through His crucifixion. The cross, a symbol of suffering and death, is paradoxically the place where God’s love and salvation are most powerfully revealed. To encounter Christ through the cross means to come face to face with the reality of God’s self-giving love, a love that willingly enters into the depths of human suffering and death. It is in this moment of apparent defeat and loss that the true victory of God is manifested. The cross, therefore, becomes the central point of authentic faith, where believers are called to see beyond the physical suffering to the deeper spiritual reality of God’s redemption.
The chapter also examines how God is revealed in the most unexpected and contradictory way—through the humiliation, weakness, and suffering of the crucifixion. Traditionally, God is often associated with power, glory, and life, yet in Christ, God chose to reveal Himself in weakness, shame, and death. This revelation challenges human expectations and conventional understandings of divinity. The cross shows that God’s ways are not our ways; His power is made perfect in weakness. In this divine paradox, God’s true nature is disclosed not in the triumph of worldly power but in the self-emptying love of Christ on the cross. This profound mystery invites believers to reconsider their notions of power, success, and what it means to truly know God.
John Behr highlights Saint Gregory of Nyssa’s principle of the “coincidence of opposites” to illuminate the paradoxical nature of God’s divine economy, particularly in understanding the mystery of Christ. This principle is essential in Behr’s exploration of how God reveals Himself in ways that transcend human logic and expectations. According to Gregory, divine truth often manifests in paradoxes, where seemingly contradictory realities are held together in a unified whole. Behr adopts this idea to demonstrate how the central events of salvific faith—Christ’s incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection—embody this paradoxical truth.
In his examination of the cross, Behr emphasizes that it is precisely in the apparent weakness, shame, and death of the crucifixion that God’s ultimate power, glory, and life are revealed. This is a prime example of the coincidence of opposites. The cross, an instrument of torture and death, becomes the means through which life and salvation are offered to the world. This paradox challenges the typical human understanding of power and victory, showing that God’s ways are fundamentally different from human ways. Behr uses Gregory’s principle to argue that to truly grasp the mystery of Christ, one must embrace these divine paradoxes, understanding that God’s truth is not always found in straightforward, logical explanations but in the reconciliation of opposites.
Search the Scriptures
John Behr makes significant use of Christ’s words in John 5:39—”You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me”—to emphasize that the true locus of meaning in the Christian faith is found in the person of Christ rather than in the Scriptures themselves as an end in themselves. Behr argues that while the Scriptures are vital and sacred, their ultimate purpose is to lead believers to Christ, who is the fulfillment and embodiment of all that the Scriptures point toward. This perspective shifts the focus from the Scriptures as a static repository of eternal life to Christ as the living embodiment of God’s word and the source of eternal life.
Jewish authorities of Jesus’ time approached the Scriptures with the belief that adherence to the law and the teachings contained within them would secure eternal life. However, by quoting John 5:39, Behr highlights Jesus’ critique of this approach, pointing out that the Scriptures themselves testify to Christ, and therefore, they must be read and understood through the lens of His life, passion, and resurrection. The meaning and purpose of the Scriptures are fully realized only in Christ, who is the incarnate Word of God.
Behr challenges a purely text-based or legalistic approach to the Scriptures, encouraging a Christ-centered reading. By doing so, he aligns with the early Christian tradition, particularly the teachings of the Church Fathers, who emphasized that the Scriptures are fully understood in the light of Christ. This approach calls believers to encounter Christ personally through the Scriptures, seeing them not as a final destination but as a witness to the living Word, in whom the fullness of God’s revelation and the promise of eternal life are found. Thus, Behr assigns the locus of meaning not to the text of the Scriptures alone, but to Christ Himself, around whom all of Scripture revolves and finds its ultimate fulfillment.
John Behr broadly references the perspectives of Saint Irenaeus concerning the “canon of truth” (or “rule of faith”) and how this canon is derived from both Scripture and apostolic witness. Irenaeus, a key early Church Father, argued that the truth of Christian doctrine is preserved in the Church through apostolic teachings and the correct interpretation of the Scriptures, guided by the pedagogy handed down from the apostles.
Canon of Truth
Behr discusses how Irenaeus viewed the “canon of truth” as a standard or guideline that ensures the correct interpretation of the Scriptures. According to Irenaeus, this canon is rooted in the apostolic tradition, which is the teachings passed down from the apostles themselves. In Against Heresies (Adversus Haereses), particularly in Book I, Chapter 10, Irenaeus states that the Church’s teachings are derived from the apostles and their disciples, and it is through this apostolic tradition that the true understanding of the Scriptures is preserved.
Irenaeus emphasizes the unity and consistency of this tradition across the scripturally faithful Church, ensuring that the Scriptures are not misinterpreted or distorted by heretical teachings. This tradition, according to Irenaeus, provides the framework within which the Scriptures are to be read and understood. Behr highlights that, though crucial for Irenaeus, the Scriptures themselves are not always fully self-explanatory; they require the interpretative lens provided by apostolic tradition, which maintains the “canon of truth.”
Saint Irenaeus
Irenaeus references specific Scriptures to support his view of the canon of truth. For instance, Irenaeus points to passages like 2 Thessalonians 2:15, where Paul exhorts the believers to “stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter.” This verse is critical in illustrating the importance of both the written and oral traditions as complementary sources of Christian truth. Additionally, 1 Timothy 6:20 is cited, where Paul urges Timothy to “guard the deposit entrusted to you,” reflecting the early Christian emphasis on preserving the purity of the apostolic teaching.
Irenaeus also refers to John 14:26, where Jesus promises that the Holy Spirit will “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” This promise is seen as a guarantee that the apostolic teaching would be faithfully transmitted through the biblically faithful Church, guided by the Holy Spirit.
Behr draws upon Irenaeus’s work in Against Heresies to show how Irenaeus argued against the Gnostics, who claimed a secret knowledge outside of the apostolic tradition. Irenaeus asserts that the true understanding of the Scriptures is public, accessible through the Church, and in continuity with the teachings of the apostles. In Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 4), Irenaeus writes, “The tradition of the apostles, made clear in the entire world, can be clearly seen in every Church by those who wish to behold the truth.” This statement spotlights Irenaeus’s conviction that the apostolic tradition, as witnessed in the Church, is the historical context for interpreting the Scriptures according to the intent of Old and New Testament authors.
Behr further reasons that the true meaning of the Scriptures cannot be detached from the living tradition of the Church. For Irenaeus, the “canon of truth” is not a written document but a living tradition that guides the interpretation of Scripture, ensuring that it remains faithful to the teachings of Christ and the apostles. This connection between Scripture and tradition, as articulated by Irenaeus and explored by Behr, is central to understanding how early Christians approached the preservation and transmission of early Christian doctrine.
For This We Were Created
“Since he who saves already existed, it was necessary that he who would be saved should come into existence, that the One who saves should not exist in vain.” – St Irenaeus of Lyons Against the Heresies 3.22.3.
In the chapter titled “For This We Were Created” from The Mystery of Christ: Life in Death, John Behr looks into the relationship between Creation and Salvation, emphasizing how these processes culminate in the presence of Christ, who is eternally imminent to all who turn to Him. Behr presents a vision where Creation is not merely an event of the past but an ongoing reality intricately tied to the mystery of Christ. The process of Creation, as Behr outlines, is teleological—it is directed toward an ultimate purpose, which is the revelation of Christ and the salvation of humanity. This purpose is not fully realized until Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, enters into creation, thereby making God fully present to humanity.
Behr explains that, according to early Christian thought, especially as articulated by Church Fathers like Irenaeus, Creation was always intended to be fulfilled in Christ. The world was created with Christ in mind, and humanity was made in the image of Christ, the pre-existent Word of God. This idea places Christ at the center of the entire created order, not as an afterthought or a response to the fall, but as the very reason for Creation itself. Christ, as the Logos, is both the beginning and the end—the Alpha and Omega—of all that exists. Creation, therefore, is inherently oriented toward the incarnation of Christ, which brings to fruition the purpose for which everything was made.
In Behr’s view, the process of salvation is intimately connected to this understanding of Creation. Salvation is not merely a rescue operation responding to sin but fulfilling what Creation was always meant to be. Through the incarnation, Christ enters into the world He created, not only to redeem it but to bring it to its intended glory. This act of God becoming man is the pivotal moment in the divine plan, where the Creator fully enters into the creation to bring it to its completion. In this sense, salvation is the final step in the creative process, where humanity is restored and elevated to its intended state through union with Christ.
Behr emphasizes the timeless imminence of Christ in this process. Christ is not bound by time but is present throughout all ages, making His incarnation and salvific work effective for all people, past, present, and future. The presence of Christ is not limited to His historical life on earth but extends through all of time. This timeless presence is made possible through the Church and the sacraments, particularly the Eucharist, where believers encounter the risen Christ. In turning to Christ, believers are not merely looking back to a past event but are engaging with the living and eternal Christ, who is always present and accessible.
The concept of timeless imminence also means that the salvation offered by Christ is always available, regardless of the era or circumstances in which a person lives. Behr illustrates that Christ’s work transcends time, making the fruits of His incarnation and resurrection eternally present. This presence is not merely spiritual or symbolic but is a real and ongoing reality in the life of the Church. Through the Holy Spirit, Christ is continually active in the world, drawing all people to Himself, and offering the fullness of life that was intended from the beginning of Creation.
In conclusion, Behr’s synthesis of Creation and Salvation in “For This We Were Created” highlights the profound mystery of Christ’s presence and purpose. Creation is seen as an ongoing act that finds its completion in the incarnation of Christ, who is the focal point of all existence. Salvation, then, is the fulfillment of this creative act, made possible through the timeless and imminent presence of Christ. For those who turn to Him, Christ is not a distant figure of the past, but the living and ever-present source of life and redemption, continually drawing all creation to its intended union with God.
The Virgin Mother
John Behr addresses the patristic concept of the Church as the Virgin Mother while also reconciling it with the Apostle Paul’s depiction of the Church as the covenant bride of Christ. This is a nuanced theological resolution that draws from both scriptural and patristic sources, highlighting the multifaceted nature of the Church’s identity.
The Church as the Virgin Mother
Behr draws upon the early Christian tradition, particularly the writings of the Church Fathers, to present the Church as the Virgin Mother. This image is rooted in the idea that just as Mary, the Theotokos, gave birth to Christ in the flesh, the Church gives birth to Christians through baptism and the sacraments. The Church, in this sense, is a mother who nurtures and forms believers into the likeness of Christ. This maternal role is characterized by purity and virginity, symbolizing the Church’s undivided devotion to God and its role in spiritually nourishing its members.
This understanding is supported by scriptural imagery that portrays the Church in a maternal role. For example, in Galatians 4:26, Paul refers to “the Jerusalem above” as the mother of all believers, an image that the Church Fathers interpreted as referring to the Church. The Church, like Mary, is seen as both virgin and mother, maintaining spiritual purity while also being fruitful in bringing forth new life in Christ.
The Church as the Covenant Bride of Christ
Apostle Paul, particularly in Ephesians 5:25-27, refers to the Church as the bride of Christ, drawing on the marriage metaphor to describe the intimate and covenantal relationship between Christ and the Church. In this passage, Paul likens Christ’s sacrificial love for the Church to a husband’s love for his wife, emphasizing the Church’s role as a bride who is sanctified and cleansed by Christ. This bridal imagery is significant in showing the Church’s relationship to Christ as one of union, love, and fidelity, culminating in the eschatological marriage supper of the Lamb described in Revelation 19:7-9.
Resolution of the Two Images
Behr reconciles these two images—the Church as the Virgin Mother and the Church as the Bride of Christ—by emphasizing that they are complementary rather than contradictory. The Church, in the patristic sense, is both the virgin mother and the bride, encapsulating different aspects of the Church’s relationship with Christ and its role in the world. The image of the Church as the Virgin Mother highlights its role in the ongoing process of salvation, where believers are nurtured and formed in the likeness of Christ. This maternal role does not negate the Church’s identity as the Bride of Christ but rather complements it by showing the Church’s active participation in the life-giving work of Christ.
Behr also draws on the eschatological dimension of these images. In the present age, the Church is the Virgin Mother, nurturing believers and bringing forth spiritual life. However, in the age to come, the Church will be fully united with Christ as His Bride in the heavenly marriage feast. This eschatological fulfillment does not replace the Church’s maternal role but brings it to completion. The Church, as both mother and bride, participates in the mystery of Christ, who is both the bridegroom and the one who gives life.
Scriptural and Theological Synthesis
This approach aligns with the broader theological tradition that sees these images as pointing to different aspects of the same reality. The Church, in its essence, is united to Christ in a covenantal relationship (as His bride) and participates in His life-giving work (as the virgin mother). Scripturally, this synthesis can be seen in how the New Testament presents the Church in various roles—both as the bride being prepared for Christ (Ephesians 5) and as the community that brings forth new life through the Spirit (Galatians 4).
In essence, the tension between these images is resolved by highlighting their complementary nature. The Church’s identity as the virgin mother reflects its current role in the world, bringing forth new life through the sacraments and teaching. In contrast, its identity as the bride of Christ points to the ultimate fulfillment of this relationship in the eschatological union with Christ. Through this synthesis, Behr maintains the richness of both scriptural and patristic imagery, showing how they together reveal the profound mystery of the Church’s relationship with Christ.
John Behr views Mary as a profound symbol of the Church, embodying the Church’s role in the mystery of salvation. He draws heavily on the patristic tradition, particularly the teachings of early Church Fathers like Irenaeus and Athanasius, who saw Mary as both the Mother of God (Theotokos) and a figure representing the Church itself. Just as Mary, in her purity and obedience, gave birth to Christ in the flesh, the Church, in its purity and faithfulness, gives birth to Christ in the lives of believers through the sacraments and the proclamation of the Gospel. Behr emphasizes that Mary’s “yes” to God, her fiat, is mirrored in the Church’s continual “yes” to God’s will, as it nurtures and brings forth spiritual life within its members.
Moreover, Behr views Mary as symbolizing the Church’s eschatological destiny. Mary, assumed into heaven, represents the ultimate fulfillment of what the Church is called to be—a pure, holy, and spotless bride of Christ. This eschatological dimension highlights the Church’s journey towards union with Christ in the fullness of time. Mary’s role as the mother who bore Christ is seen as a model for the Church, which is called to bear Christ to the world, embodying His presence and continuing His salvific work. Through Mary, Behr illustrates how the Church is both the virgin mother, nurturing spiritual life in the present, and the bride of Christ, destined for eternal union with Him in the age to come.
Womb to Tomb
The “womb to tomb” principle, when applied to the Theotokos (Mary, the Mother of God) and Mary Magdalene, highlights the continuity of feminine presence in the essential moments of Christ’s life, from the Incarnation to the Resurrection. In the Incarnation, the Theotokos lives a central part as the one who bears God in her womb, bringing the divine Word into the world in human form. Her acceptance of this role is more than a sheer act of obedience; it represents the beginning of the fulfillment of God’s plan for salvation. The womb of Mary is where the divine and human natures of Christ are united, making her vessel of the mystery of the Incarnation. This moment is foundational, as it signifies the start of Christ’s earthly mission, ultimately leading to the cross and the tomb.
Following the Resurrection, the principle continues through the figure of Mary Magdalene, who is the first to encounter the risen Christ. Just as the Theotokos delivered and witnessed the incarnate Christ in the flesh, Mary Magdalene became the first witness to the Resurrection. Her presence at the empty tomb and her recognition of the risen Christ marks the completion of the “womb to tomb” journey that began with Mary, the Mother of Christ, the Mother of God. Mary Magdalene’s encounter with the risen Christ is a moment of profound revelation, where the reality of the Resurrection is first made known to humanity. This encounter signifies the birth of a new creation, where death is overthrown, and life is restored, echoing the miraculous birth in Mary’s womb.
The connection between these two Marys through the “womb to tomb” principle underscores the essential role of women in the narrative of salvation. The Theotokos, by bearing Christ, brings forth the life that would conquer death, while Mary Magdalene, by witnessing the Resurrection, heralds the victory of that life over the grave. Together, they bookend the story of Christ’s mission, from the Incarnation to the Resurrection, highlighting the feminine presence that is pure, nurturing, and revelatory. This principle shows that from the very beginning to the very end of Christ’s earthly journey, women were integral to unfolding God’s salvific plan, embodying both the physical and spiritual dimensions of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.
Glorify God in Your Body
John Behr offers the concepts of the “Ambivalence of the Body” and the “Ambivalence of the Passions” through the lenses of Scriptural and Patristic sources. He reaches into the complexities of human existence, particularly how the body and passions, while being essential aspects of human nature, possess a dual potential: they can either lead one toward God or away from Him. This ambivalence reflects the tension inherent in the human condition, where the material and spiritual, the divine and the earthly, intersect.
Ambivalence of the Body
Behr discusses the “Ambivalence of the Body” by drawing on the teachings of the Church Fathers, particularly those who emphasized the body’s role in both the fall and redemption. The body, according to Behr, is not inherently evil, as some dualistic philosophies might suggest. Instead, it is God’s creation, designed with the potential for both good and evil, depending on how it is oriented. The body’s ambivalence lies in its capacity to be used for either divine purposes or sinful desires. This view is rooted in Scriptural narratives, such as in Genesis, where the human body was created good but became susceptible to corruption and sin after the fall.
In the patristic tradition, especially in the writings of Irenaeus and Athanasius, the body’s role in salvation is emphasized through the incarnation of Christ. By taking on human flesh, Christ redeems the body, showing that it can be a vessel for divine grace. Behr points out that this redemptive potential is a central theme in Christian theology, where the body is seen as the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). The body’s ambivalence is thus transformed through Christ, who sanctifies it and makes it a means of communion with God. Yet, the body remains a site of struggle, where the forces of sin and grace are in constant tension.
Ambivalence of the Passions
Similarly, Behr addresses the “Ambivalence of the Passions,” which, like the body, are not inherently evil but can lead to either virtue or vice. The passions, in Patristic thought, are understood as the natural desires and emotions that animate human life. These include anger, desire, fear, and joy, among others. The ambivalence of the passions is evident in how they can be directed towards good or evil ends. When properly ordered, the passions can lead to virtues such as love, courage, and temperance. However, when disordered, they can give rise to vices like lust, wrath, and gluttony.
Behr highlights that the Church Fathers, especially figures like Evagrius Ponticus and Gregory of Nyssa, taught that the passions must be disciplined and purified to align with the will of God. This process is often described in ascetic literature as a struggle or warfare against the disordered passions, a theme that is also present in the New Testament. For instance, Paul speaks of crucifying the flesh with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24), indicating that the Christian life involves an ongoing effort to transform and sanctify the passions. The ambivalence of the passions reflects the broader human condition, where the same energies that can lead one to God can also lead one astray.
Integration of Body and Passions in Christ
Behr synthesizes these ideas by showing how the body and passions are integrated and redeemed in Christ. In the incarnation, Christ takes on human nature, including the body and passions, and through His life, death, and resurrection, He transforms them. Christ’s sinless life demonstrates how the body and passions can be fully aligned with the will of God, serving as instruments of salvation rather than sin. This transformation is not just a historical event but an ongoing reality for Christians, who are called to participate in Christ’s life through the sacraments and the life of the Church.
The ambivalence of the body and passions, therefore, is not something to be rejected or feared but to be embraced and transformed in Christ. Behr emphasizes that the Christian life is a process of sanctification, where the body and passions are gradually brought into harmony with God’s will. This process involves both ascetic discipline and sacramental participation, as Christians seek to embody the life of Christ in their own lives. The ambivalence of the body and passions is thus resolved in Christ, who shows the way to true humanity.
Scriptural and Patristic Foundations
Behr’s views are deeply rooted in both Scriptural and Patristic sources. He draws on key scriptural passages, such as Paul’s discussions of the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit and the need to crucify the flesh with its passions and desires. These themes are echoed in the writings of the Church Fathers, who emphasized the need for asceticism and the transformation of the body and passions. Behr’s synthesis shows how these sources converge to present a holistic view of the human person, where the body and passions, despite their ambivalence, are integral to the process of salvation.
In conclusion, Behr’s exploration of the “Ambivalence of the Body” and the “Ambivalence of the Passions” provides a nuanced understanding of the human condition. The body and passions, while possessing the potential for sin, are also capable of being sanctified and transformed in Christ. This ambivalence is central to the Christian life, where the struggle to align the body and passions with God’s will is both a challenge and a path to holiness. Behr’s views, grounded in Scripture and the teachings of the Church Fathers, offer a profound vision of how the ambivalence of human nature is resolved in the mystery of Christ.
Back in February of this year, 2024, I fully read “Fount of Heaven,” edited by Robert Elmer, a book of assembled prayers from the Early Church. First published in 2022 by Lexham, these prayers originated from the writings of individuals within the patristic era and were written as correspondence to God for centuries. These writings extend from the first and second centuries AD to hundreds of years later. The prayers of these historical figures transcended hardships as the growth and spread of the church continued to grow across geographies of immense distance.
So, the purpose of this book is to bring into view the written prayers of people who had a lot to say to God as acts of adoration, confession, gratitude, and intercession. As I read this book over months to learn more about prayer and the thoughts of people I admire, I’ve had a growing desire to develop a better prayer life with greater depth and range. This book was one of the ways personal development in this area became more achievable. This meant reading through people’s thoughts as their prayers were translated into English. To learn their thoughts about their convictions, concerns, confessions, and life struggles since they spoke and wrote to God authentically and reverently.
While the saints and influential leaders of the patristic era were literate and well-educated enough to produce writings that conveyed their personal prayer lives, today, we have their perspectives through the lens of accountability since they offered their voices and pens before God. What they said revealed true beliefs and methods of prayer that record for all time interaction with the Spirit and the Word that helps people to witness and agree to the offerings given. These prayers serve as a model of communication reminiscent of our Lord’s prayer that Jesus taught the apostles.
Topically, the prayers are categorized to fit life circumstances that were upon the early church fathers. Those circumstances often match what the reader encounters today. In a spiritual sense, the adoration, worship, and pleas for guidance, mercy, or presence often resonate to build a larger range of prayer language of readers immersed in the writers’ thoughts. A walkthrough on the topics of interest includes praise, remembrance, restoration, peace, healing, grace, protection, guidance, truth, freedom, strength, perspective, and church life. Moreover, patristic forms of morning and evening prayers are examples for readers to incorporate into their prayer lives.
Finally, this text shouldn’t be read and then go back on the shelf and remain there indefinitely. This book is an actual prayer book of credibility and brings into your own life in agreement with the saints of long ago. Letting their words permeate your mind to offer common and personal prayers spoken and written to God is an effective way of learning how to pray and what to pray in a structured and more substantive form.
The ancient early church fathers and writings appear within this book as follows:
Upon completion of the book O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, it has been about four months of liturgy in a structured format, the same as followed with the books O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, and Be Thou My Vision. Just as the other books published by Crossway are devotional compilations of materials of common form, they are thoroughly helpful in enriching prayer, worship, instruction, and immersion into Scripture. This book, like the others, is a work of beautiful material that brings together liturgical content and interest from various Patristic, Puritan, Reformed, and Baptist traditions. The book is 484 pages in length, and it’s meant for daily use over a period of 48 days.
The book O Sacred Head, Now Wounded is ordered so that a believer delves into areas of seasonal interest. More specifically, the subject matter goes beyond standard evangelical reading, as more attention is paid to daily worship from Pascha to Pentecost.
Introduction
As with Be Thou My Vision and O Come, O Come Emmanuel, the point of the liturgy in this text is to engage in the material, not as a passive reading for contemplation and understanding, but to engage in areas given to include the following:
Worship
Adoration
Reading of the Law
Confession of Sin
Assurance of Pardon
Recitation of Creeds
Praise
Catechism
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Reading
Prayer for Intercession
Further Petition
The Lord’s Prayer
In order, each meaning is not strictly ritualistic but complementary to what private or personal connection is made to God as a believer in Christ Jesus. It invites the participant to learn and follow as a disciple devoted to God by the Spirit. This is not ritualism. It is an ordered way of daily worship, instruction, prayer, and spiritual formation. As an instrument of sanctification, consistent immersion in devotion by this form aids in personal spiritual development directed to the glory of God. As a God-centered devotional, personal experience for comfort, satisfaction, and confidence is a secondary benefit.
Worship & Adoration
The distinction between worship and adoration is between scripture and prayer. The call to worship is hearing God’s summons to you through His Word. In this way, the Psalms, or scripture passages that magnify God’s glory, are followed by ready exultation of who He is and what He has done. While adoration is a heart proclamation by the prayers of saints, historical church fathers, Patristics, and Puritans, including the Book of Common Prayer, the devotional participant enters into prayer with them to propagate the adoration through prayers day by day.
Reading of the Law, Confession & Pardon
To acknowledge and confess personal sin, it is necessary to be specific about it. The frame of reference is the standards, requirements, and the law of God as given in the Old and New Testaments. To recognize one’s personal sin, the reading of the law from scripture must be followed and accepted to facilitate confession and repentance. With this confession, scripture reading is followed concerning the assurance of pardon. These are words of comfort received from God.
The Creeds
The Apostles’ Creed, Athanasian Creed, and Nicene Creed are recited to confess orthodox views and proclamations of the Christian faith. The creeds from many centuries ago are read out loud to express belief in what God revealed in His Word, holy scripture. Within the book O Sacred Head, Now Wounded, the creeds are alternated and repeated to verbalize them for mental and spiritual intake each day to reinforce scripturally grounded understanding and acceptance of doctrine and orthodoxy to keep from falling into error or heresy.
Praise & Catechism
Once this far along in the daily devotion, the believer’s attention is turned to singing or verbal utterance of praise to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the Gloria Patri from the 3rd-5th century for the believer each day as affections are proclaimed with regular attendance from the heart. From earlier worship, adoration, and now praise with confession and reading in between, the spirit within is brought close to God in His presence for continued devotion. After this point, the heart and mind of the believer are directed to the catechism of the catholic and reformed faith. The Heidelberg and Westminster Shorter Catechisms (1647) are read in a sequence of questions and answers corresponding to faith and practice. In alignment with scripture and proper theological doctrines, a few questions are answered for weeks over time to intake morsels of truth for overall certainty and retention. The originates from the canon of biblical truth.
Prayer for Illumination
Prayer for an enlightened heart and mind is repeated each day in a structured way. Only from the words of historical figures Godly by the testimony of their lives and historical work. These are the prayers of people. Saints and divines who lived long ago by the grace of God to encourage, instruct, and abide in Christ among fellow believers. These prayers also come from the ancient Book of Common Prayer, where the plea for illumination remains in continuity to prior days in a structured way. This area of prayer further supports and reinforces personal prayer to ensure your thoughts and words correspond to scripture and the petitions of Godly orthodox people before modernity.
Scripture Reading
From 1835 to 1843, Robert M’Cheyne, a minister from the church of Scotland, prepared a bible reading plan that orients personal exposition through the New Testament and the Psalms twice a year and the Old Testament once yearly. While this plan includes four chapters per day, this liturgical book offers a reading from a smaller reference passage within an appendix. The M’Cheyne plan places believers within reading across New Testament and Old Testament genres to deepen and widen personal immersion within God’s Word. While this passage in the devotional corresponds to the daily time with the Lord in the M’Cheyne bible plan, you can substitute the reading plan of your choice instead.
Prayer of Intercession & Petition
To begin the prayer for personal interest and attention, this area of prayer begins with historical church fathers and prayers from a range of traditions involving Augustine, Anselm, Kempis, Chrysostom, and various others. As a prayer of intercession begins from ancient writings, the reader is invited to pray for personal needs and interests, the church, and the world. I’ve found that working from a short set of notes or a prayer list is helpful for this time within the liturgy. And if it’s not a distraction, a time of personal petition in this way set to music with incense adds to the time of intimacy. This is an ideal time to pray for your family, friends, church, and the community and widen the scope to include what’s on your heart afterward.
The Lord’s Prayer
The final area of the liturgy is the “Our Father” (the Lord’s Prayer). To be read to yourself, verbalized out loud in remembrance of how Jesus teaches us to pray. To close the liturgy speaking this prayer, not by empty utterance, but by a heart intent of love and loyalty. If you do this on your knees or bow before Him in His presence, even better.
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
“The Orthodox Faith, Worship, and Life: an Outline,” authored by Hieromonk Gregorios and translated by Chara Dimakopoulou, is an enlightening reading of the catechism of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The book was published in 2020 by Newrome Press (320 pages ISBN 9781939028693). This book serves as both an introduction and a close look into the foundational beliefs, liturgical practices, and daily life that define the Orthodox faith. Drawing from his monastic experience and theological understanding, Hieromonk Gregorios presents a work accessible to both newcomers and practitioners alike.
From the Cell of St John the Theologian, Koutloumousiou Monastery, Mount Athos, this book was translated from their 2012 Greek edition, which was written to help those who are seeking a closer understanding of the faith, worship, and life of the Orthodox Church. The first part on faith includes sections on the Triune God, creation, the divine economy, the Mother of God, the Church and the Kingdom of God; the second part on worship describes the feasts, the church building, the Divine Liturgy and the Holy Mysteries of the Church; and the third part concludes with the Life in Christ: the era of the Old Testament, the era of Grace, prayer, asceticism and monasticism, the virtues, and the deification of man.
Outline
Three overall sections of the book inform the reader, catechumen and orthodox faithful. After a short introduction of several pages that define the catechism itself, its development, and its purpose, the book is structured into three primary sections, each covering areas of understanding Orthodox Christianity. These sections are:
The Orthodox Faith: This section delves into the foundational beliefs and doctrines of the Orthodox Church. It covers topics such as the Nicene Creed, the nature of God, Christology, the Holy Spirit, and the Divine economy, the Holy Theotokos, The Holy Church, and the Kingdom of God. Hieromonk Gregorios provides a thorough exposition of these theological principles, explaining their historical development and significance in the life of the Church.
Orthodox Worship: In this section, the rich liturgical traditions of the Orthodox Church are covered. Hieromonk Gregorios provides an in-depth look at the Divine Liturgy, the sacraments (holy mysteries), and the liturgical calendar, including feasts and fasts. The section emphasizes the importance of worship as a communal and transformative encounter with the divine, highlighting the theological and spiritual meanings behind various liturgical practices. Also presented is a thorough coverage of the Church’s importance of Iconography and Holy Relics. Further details are given for practical understanding and use to include liturgical vestments, books, and vessels.
Orthodox Life: The final section focuses on the practical application of Orthodox faith and worship in daily life. That is, the life of Christ in the believer and what the specifics are about the faith and practice of Orthodoxity and what it means to each individual person. It covers aspects of personal spirituality, including prayer, fasting, almsgiving, asceticism, monastic life, the triad of virtues and their development, and finally, Theosis (the deification of man). Hieromonk Gregorios discusses how Orthodox Christians can live out their faith in contemporary society, to fulfill their spiritual obligations.
While the book informs the reader of Orthodoxy’s continuity and historical depth, it also traces its roots back to the early Church and the ecumenical councils. It is a book for Orthodox Christians who live by faith and practice according to foundational knowledge that sets the stage for Orthodox understanding and devotion.
You are outside Paradise, O catechumen; you share in the exile of our ancestor Adam. But now that the door is gradually opening to you, enter the Paradise which you left…
Cast off the old man like a dirty garment, full of shame from multitudinous sins…. Accept the garment of corruption which Christ has unfolded and offers to you. Do not refuse the gift, so as not to insult the Giver.
St. Gregory of Nyssa, To those who delay Baptism, PG 46.417CD-420C
Synthesis
“The Orthodox Faith, Worship, and Life” offers a comprehensive look at Eastern Orthodox Christianity, meticulously detailing its foundational beliefs, liturgical practices, and life in the Church. This book serves as an accessible and clear guide for both newcomers and faithful practitioners, drawing from the ancient traditions of the Orthodox Church. As Gregorios begins by laying the theological groundwork, he explains the historical context of the Orthodox faith and the authoritative significance of the Church, presenting them not merely as an ancient ethos of spiritual life but as a living declaration of faith that continues to unify and guide Orthodox parishes.
The Nicene Creed, as Gregorios explains, articulates the essential truths about the nature of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and its recitation is a foundational grounding of Orthodox worship. He breaks down the Creed’s clear theological assertions into comprehensible elements, emphasizing how each statement encapsulates the divine mysteries that are central to Orthodox belief. This foundational understanding sets the backdrop for the book’s inquiry into the intricate relationship between theology and worship in Orthodox life.
Transitioning from doctrine to practice, Gregorios reaches into the vibrant liturgical life of the Orthodox Church. He offers a detailed overview of the Divine Liturgy, the central act of communal worship, highlighting its structure, symbolism, and theological support. Each component of the liturgy, from the hymns and prayers to the Eucharistic celebration, is considered for its role in uniting the faithful with God and each other. Gregorios emphasizes how these practices are not merely traditional but are seen as living encounters with the divine, meant to sanctify and elevate the participants’ lives.
In addition to the Divine Liturgy, Gregorios discusses the sacraments, or holy mysteries, of the Orthodox Church. He explains how these sacraments convey God’s grace and are integral to the spiritual life of believers. Baptism, Chrismation, Confession, Holy Communion, Marriage, Holy Orders, and Unction are each examined for their theological significance and practical application. Gregorios emphasizes that these sacraments are viewed as essential means of receiving divine grace and participating in the life of the Church.
Beyond worship, Gregorios also covers the daily expressions of the Orthodox faith. He writes about the importance of personal prayer, fasting, and the development of virtues, which are essential practices reinforcing the necessary elements of the faith. Monasticism is also discussed as a vital component of Orthodox spirituality, offering a model of intense dedication to prayer and asceticism. Gregorios presents these practices as ways to cultivate a deeper, more personal relationship with God while also contributing to the spiritual imperatives of the Church.
The book also delves into the Orthodox Church’s liturgical calendar, explaining the significance of the various feasts and fasts that structure the Orthodox year. Gregorios provides insight into how these observances commemorate key events in Christ’s and the saints’ lives, cultivating a sense of rhythm and continuity in believers’ spiritual lives.
A significant portion of the book is dedicated to explaining the role of icons in Orthodox worship and spirituality. Gregorios explains the theology behind the veneration of icons, explaining how they are viewed as windows to the divine, offering a tangible connection to the holy. He discusses the use of iconography and its doctrinal defense against Protestant objections concerning their veneration. Further consideration is given to created and uncreated grace as understood between Orthodoxy and the Roman Catholic Church. Further in the book, an additional explanation concerning Orthordoxy’s understanding of God’s essence and energy distinction provides clarity about why it is necessary to develop a right understanding of uncreated grace and how that has a bearing on personal Theosis—more specifically, the deification of man who participates in Divine energies as a means of eternal fellowship with the Triune God.
Gregorios explores how the Church’s teachings on love, charity, and justice are manifested in the lives of the faithful. He emphasizes the importance of church life in the Orthodox faith, where believers are encouraged to support and edify one another in their spiritual journeys.
Gregorios’s book is marked by a deep reverence for the subject matter and an authentic concern for the spiritual well-being of his readers. He combines historical and theological review with useful facts for the development of catechumens, making complex concepts clear and relevant to contemporary life. His approach ensures that readers not only gain a clear understanding of Orthodox Christianity but also see its application in their own spiritual walk.
In conclusion, “The Orthodox Faith, Worship, and Life” by Hieromonk Gregorios is a very beneficial resource for anyone seeking to understand the depth and beauty of Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Through its detailed exploration of theology, worship, and daily practice, the book offers a comprehensive guide to the Orthodox way of life. Gregorios’s informative and clear writing invites readers to delve into the rich traditions of Orthodoxy, encouraging them to appreciate its profound spiritual heritage and to integrate its practices into their own lives. This work stands as a testament to the enduring vitality of the Orthodox faith and its necessity in a world in desperate need of faith, hope, and love.
Author
Archimandrite Gregorios Hatziemmanouil was born on the Greek island of Mytilene and studied theology at the University of Athens, with postgraduate studies in patristic theology at the University of Strasbourg. He was tonsured a monk at the Monastery of St John the Theologian in Mytilene in 1966 and shortly afterward was ordained into the priesthood. In the same year, he joined the monastic community of Mount Athos and is presently the Elder of the small brotherhood of the Cell of St John the Theologian, Koutloumousiou Monastery. He has been a spiritual elder and confessor since 1971 in which capacity he periodically travels throughout Greece and to Germany.
He has written several influential works, including “The Mystery of Marriage: A Fellowship of Love,” which explores the spiritual and sacramental aspects of marriage. He is also known for his commentary on the Divine Liturgy, providing insights into the Orthodox Christian faith and worship. In addition to The Divine Liturgy, his other full-length studies and commentaries (in Greek) include Holy Baptism, Holy Confession; Holy Thanksgiving and Holy Communion, Church, and Church Attendance, and St John the Evangelist, and he has also published numerous articles and booklets.
The book Be Thou My Vision is a devotional compilation of materials structured in liturgical form. The book’s substance is ordered so that a believer delves into areas of pertinent interest. The book is 345 pages long and goes well beyond standard evangelical reading, including guided subject matter, the Word, and prayer. Over the last 31 days, I gave attention each morning to the material and immersed myself in the various segments of the liturgy as a renewed means of devotion.
Introduction
The point of the liturgy is to engage in the material, not as a passive reading for contemplation and understanding, but to engage in areas given to include the following:
Worship
Adoration
Reading of the Law
Confession of Sin
Assurance of Pardon
Recitation of Creeds
Praise
Catechism
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Reading
Prayer for Intercession
Further Petition
The Lord’s Prayer
In order, each meaning is not strictly ritualistic but complementary to what private or personal connection is made to God as a believer in Christ Jesus. It invites the participant to learn and follow as a disciple devoted to God by the Spirit. This is not ritualism. It is an ordered way of daily worship, instruction, prayer, and spiritual formation. As an instrument of sanctification, consistent immersion in devotion by this form aids in personal spiritual development directed to the glory of God. As a God-centered devotional, personal experience for comfort, satisfaction, and confidence is a secondary benefit.
Worship & Adoration
The distinction between worship and adoration is between scripture and prayer. The call to worship is a hearing of God’s summons to you through His Word. In this way, the Psalms, or scripture passages that magnify God’s glory, are followed by ready exultation of who He is and what He has done. While adoration is a heart proclamation by the prayers of saints, historical church fathers, Patristics, and Puritans, including the Book of common prayer, the devotional participant enters into prayer with them to propagate the adoration through prayers day by day.
Reading of the Law, Confession & Pardon
To acknowledge personal sin and confess it, it is necessary to be specific about it. The frame of reference is the standards, requirements, and the law of God as given in the Old and New Testaments. To recognize one’s personal sin, the reading of the law from scripture must be followed and accepted to facilitate confession and repentance. With this confession, scripture reading is followed concerning the assurance of pardon. These are words of comfort received from God.
The Creeds
The Apostles’ Creed, Athanasian Creed, and Nicene Creed are recited to confess orthodox views and proclamations of the Christian faith. The creeds from many centuries ago are read out loud to express belief in what God revealed in His Word, holy scripture. Within the book, Be Thou My Vision, the creeds are alternated and repeated to verbalize them for mental and spiritual intake each day to reinforce scripturally grounded understanding and acceptance of doctrine and orthodoxy to keep from falling into error or heresy. To read the creeds, I have assembled and posted their statements and historical formation here.
Praise & Catechism
Once this far along in the daily devotion, the believer’s attention is turned to singing or verbal utterance of praise to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is the Gloria Patri from the 3rd-5th century for the believer each day as affections are proclaimed with regular attendance from the heart. From earlier worship, adoration, and now praise with confession and reading in between, the spirit within is brought close to God in His presence for continued devotion. After this point, the heart and mind of the believer are directed to the catechism of the catholic and reformed faith. The Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647) is read in a sequence of questions and answers corresponding to faith and practice. In alignment with scripture and proper theological doctrines, a few questions are answered sequentially across 31 days to intake morsels of truth for overall certainty and retention. It originates from the canon of biblical truth.
Prayer for Illumination
Prayer for an enlightened heart and mind is repeated each day in a structured way. Only from the words of historical figures Godly by the testimony of their lives and historical work. These are the prayers of people. Saints and divines who lived long ago by the grace of God to encourage, instruct, and abide in Christ among fellow believers. These prayers also come from the ancient Book of common prayer, where the plea for illumination remains in continuity to prior days in a structured way. This area of prayer further supports and reinforces personal prayer to assure your thoughts and words correspond to scripture and the petitions of Godly orthodox people before modernity.
Scripture Reading
From 1835 to 1843, Robert M’Cheyne, a minister from the church of Scotland, prepared a bible reading plan that orients personal exposition through the New Testament and the Psalms twice a year and the Old Testament once yearly. While this plan includes four chapters per day, this liturgical book offers a reading from a smaller reference passage within an appendix. The M’Cheyne plan places believers within reading across New Testament and Old Testament genres to deepen and widen personal immersion within God’s Word. While this passage in the devotional corresponds to the daily time with the Lord in the M’Cheyne bible plan, you can substitute the reading plan of your choice instead.
Prayer of Intercession & Petition
To begin the prayer for personal interest and attention, this area of prayer begins with historical church fathers and prayers from a range of traditions involving Augustine, Anselm, Kempis, Chrysostom, and various others. As a prayer of intercession begins from ancient writings, the reader is invited to pray for personal needs and interests, the church, and the world. I’ve found that working from a short set of notes or a prayer list is helpful for this time within the liturgy. And if it’s not a distraction, a time of personal petition in this way set to music with incense adds to the time of intimacy. This is an ideal time to pray for your family, friends, church, and the community and widen the scope to include what’s on your heart afterward.
The Lord’s Prayer
The final area of the liturgy is the “Our Father” (the Lord’s Prayer). To be read to yourself, verbalized out loud in remembrance of how Jesus teaches us to pray. To close the liturgy speaking this prayer, not by empty utterance, but by a heart intent of love and loyalty. If you do this on your knees or bow before Him in His presence, even better.
Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name; your kingdom come; your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
It was entirely revealing to me that the criteria of Christ’s deity and biblical Christology are articulated in the Nicene Creed of 325 A.D. Here we have an extra-biblical document that supports the doctrine of Christ’s deity before sola scriptura as framed by Martin Luther (1483-1546). Even while the creed was updated and made more explicit in defense of the Arian controversy, it was highly influenced by “Rule of Faith” teaching and experiences within the early Church. It was the foundation of all seven ecumenical councils while canonical formations ran concurrently.
Among other attempts to determine what’s authoritative, Athanasius comes along decades later (after Nicea) and works within the church body to form the canon of Scripture. Where an assembled 66-books set a standard for faith and practice. Over 1,000 years later, the Reformation arrives at the five Solas to assert the biblical grounding for Christological belief to become more distant from apostolic oral tradition, historical practice, creedal statements,1 and early Christian Hymns.2 Supposed errors in belief from first and second-century “Rule of Faith” approaches to the development of doctrine became an impetus toward the later hardening of Christology and the deity of Jesus.
Nicene Creed (325 A.D.) This council occurred before the formation of the canon of Scripture as the final recognized closed canon at the Third Synod of Carthage as shepherded by Athanasius. It was then and from there twenty-seven books of the New Testament were formed, recognized, and accepted. From the Synod of Carthage, the canon of Athanasius was locked in place AFTER THE NICENE CREED was formed. Prior to that, the OT was already settled as the 22 books within the closed canon to eventually constitute a single OT and NT codex.
HANDS: Five Criteria of Deity1 Honors: Jesus shares the honors due to God. Attributes: Jesus shares the attributes of God. Names: Jesus shares the names of God. Deeds: Jesus shares in the deeds that God does. Seat: Jesus shares the seat of God’s throne.
Nicene Creed Excerpt (to retroactively validate the deity of Christ according to Bowman):
We believe … in one Lord Jesus Christ [honors], the only Son of God, eternally [attributes] begotten of the Father; God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God [names]; begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father [attributes].
Through him all things were made [deeds].
For us and for our salvation [deeds] he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father [seat]. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead [deeds], and his kingdom will have no end [seat].
I have much more work ahead to understand what occurred from the patristics to include Clement, Athanasius, the Didache, those who attended Nicea, Constantinople, and various others. I have the 22-volume Ante and Post-Nicene library of writings.
Proclamations, and doctrines of the reformation are foundational, but I think I’m going to check myself. —You know, trust but verify.— If I find out from the patristics that doctrinal truths are not as though they’re asserted, due to modernist or post-modern perspectives (to include the Reformers), I’m going to have questions and objections.
_______________________________ 1 Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2007), 276. 2 Daniel Liderbach, Christ in the Early Christian Hymns (New York; Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press, 1998), 37.
The book Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ begins with Part one, entitled “The Devotion Revolution: Jesus Shares the Honors Due to God.” There are five parts of the book which correspond to a helpful acronym concerning the deity of Christ. HANDS, which stands for Honors, Attributes, Names, Deeds, and Seat, is a fitting and memorable way to retrieve biblical and decisive facts about Jesus’ deity. Part two is entitled “Like Father, Like Son: Jesus Shares the Attributes of God.” The following section is entitled “Name Above All Names: Jesus Shares the Names of God,” part three of the book. Next, Part Four is entitled “Infinitely Qualified: Jesus Shares in the Deeds that God Does.” Finally, Part five is the last section of the book entitled “The Best Seat in the House: Jesus Shares the Seat of God’s Throne.” While all five areas consist of numerous chapters, the authors make a comprehensive Old and New Testament case about the deity of Christ before presenting their conclusions.
The Honors of Christ
While the book’s title intends to evoke provocative interest, it is a somewhat culturally cynical way of situating a reader’s view about the rightful place and status of Jesus as God. Some chapters similarly communicate ideas to introduce the subject matter, but the book is not without exceptional subject matter and substance at both academic and theological levels. The book is a treasure of meaningful value concerning the deity of Jesus and is not to be taken lightly. The text is replete with intertextual references to Jesus as God well beyond His earthly offices as Prophet, Priest, King, and Messiah.
As the beginning of the book traverses Scripture to detail the numerous ways Jesus is glorified and worshiped as God, various participants are highlighted in explicit detail. Background facts concerning the historical practice of worship involved numerous New Testament references back to the Old Testament that connects to Christ Himself before He was born. Moreover, the methods of worship given in songs or by doxology and praise reference back to the same styles of reverence. Biblical writers persistently call attention to the due recognition and attention to Jesus the Messiah as Christ of the New Testament. Glory, Honor, and Praise was directed exclusively to Jesus, as made evident during the new covenant looking back through the prophets, poetry, and law narratives.
Exhaustive references are given about who the participants of worship include. Readers are given accounts of angels and disciples of Christ worshiping Jesus as God from specific historical instances in clear detail. It is demonstrated that there is no ambiguity about Jesus’ identity as God as His followers and creatures give Him due honor and glory. From the Old Testament to the New, worshipers of Christ widened in scale to eventually include everyone (Phil 2:10-11). How Jesus is worshiped within the gospels and the apocalyptic account of Revelation correspond to Scriptural details about total worship, including specifics concerning where, how, and why.
As Jesus was and is thoroughly recognized as God, He was the object of worship to assure confidence that He is deity. Specifically, as a deity is an object of prayer by definition, He remained the recipient of prayers shortly after His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. For example, recall the martyr Stephen’s prayer right before being stoned to death, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit” (Acts 7:59-60). Stephen’s act of prayer was an explicit acknowledgment and testimony of Jesus as God. His final act of life before death was an act of worship to God in the person of Jesus Christ.
From the first century, apostles, disciples, and believers, prayers were uttered before Jesus as forms of adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Apostle Paul himself prayed for deliverance from an infirmity (2 Cor 12:8-9), and there were ongoing intercessions among members of the early church as Jesus invited His followers to prayer (John 14:14). Prayers offered were heard and answered as further evidence of Jesus’ deity, as made clear by recorded outcomes within the post-ascension New Testament.
Just as a deity is an object of prayer, God is an object of praise and worship by song and hymns. Songs of affection offered to Lord Jesus are further tacit acknowledgment, if not direct, of Christ as God. Songs and hymns of passion from the heart represent affections and devotions to God in the person of Jesus to further proclaim Him as divinity because of who He is, what He has done, and what His promises are. Worship and praise toward Jesus are an expression of authentic adoration given by the book of Psalms and materials unique to the first-century devotion from the heart. Whether individually or in a gathering of people, worship was a steady and specific way of encountering God as the deity of Jesus.
It can not be concluded that to worship Jesus as God is to exclude God the Father and Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself said that honor toward the Son is honor of the Father (John 5:23). Further references in honor of God call attention to belief in Christ in unison (John 14:1). Various examples demonstrate that God is the primary object of faith (Mark 11:22, Heb 6:1, Heb 11:6). Fear and reverence are the dispositions of the heart and mind among believers during worship. For example, the Old Testament prophet Isaiah instructs Israel to regard the LORD as holy and let Him be their fear and their dread (Isa. 8:12-13). The fear in this instance is not to revere as apparent among other passages having a sider semantic range. The fear in this context and semantic use is actual fear as an unpleasant emotion caused by the threat of danger, pain, or harm. Moreover, in this passage (ESV), “dread”‘ is to terrify or undergo a terrifying experience.1 By comparison, the reverence of Christ as God, as charged by Paul (Eph 5:21), is rendered as “the fear of Christ.” In this case, the underlying linguistic use of the term “fear” is a reverence or deep respect by definition and not out of alarm, terror, or fright.2
Further worship of Christ involves rites or sacraments of observance as He requires of His followers. Such practices directed toward another person, perhaps even venerated, would not historically or presently apply to a mortal being. The practice of rites instructed by Jesus, such as communion and baptism, involved the efforts of believers and followers to acknowledge and revere Him as God since it is demonstrated He was not merely a mortal being. Devotion to Christ involves obedience and service to Him out of an obligation of love, just as it was within the Old Testament. As made clear, the love for God pronouncement through the Shema (Deut 6:4-9) is also supported by further passages (Ex 20:6, Deut 5:10, Deut 11:1) that reflect what Jesus spoke of concerning obedience (John 14:15, John 14:21, John 15:10). As a direct correlation between the love of God as Father to include the Son and Holy Spirit, Christ has a rightful claim as God to what is due by worship from a heart of devotion, affection, and obedience.
The Attributes of Christ
While part one of the book about Christ’s deity concerns honors due to Him, part two is dedicated to His attributes. When considering His attributes, it is helpful to think through them relative to God the Father, as evident throughout the Old Testament. It is also useful to understand His attributes by way of definition as they’re properties or quality characteristics of Christ as God. To attain an essential understanding of His attributes, there are qualities about Him distinct from characteristics essential to His being. For example, God is well-known as holy, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, but some would associate goodness and love with His essential being. Conversely, many others would scripturally demonstrate that goodness, love, and perfection are set within God’s attributes.
One might infer that God’s incarnate and bodily dwelling as Jesus is limited, but that assertion contradicts what Paul wrote as “the fullness of God” within Christ (Col 1:19). As God is deity, it must follow that deity resides within Christ entirely. The bodily incarnation of God as Christ resides within Him as it is authoritatively written, “for in Him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily” (Col 2:9). This is to say that the attributes of God and the essence of His being carries over to Christ. By the nature of Christ observed as God, the Father is in Him (John 14:10) to reveal Him as deity and the attributes that follow accordingly. It can not be concluded to the contrary that Jesus is separate from the Father or as a free-standing God or deity who possesses the exact attributes. Jesus is the perfect expression of the invisible God who always was in existence before His time with humanity on Earth (John 8:58).
As Christ has always existed eternally with God the Father and Holy Spirit as God, He was also present during generations past throughout Old Covenant history. Before Christ in the flesh lived, He was active among the patriarchs and prophets to give biblical evidence of this deity further. He attests to His involvement with ancient Israel to further support His claim to deity. He even says as much by declaring His dismay at Israel’s persistent obstinance (Matt 23:37, Luke 13:34). The context of Jesus’ heartfelt dismay at Israel corresponds to their rejection and killing of prophets who claimed to have been sent as God to protect them from sure judgment if they were to persist in rebellion.
Apostle Paul further shows that Christ, before God incarnate, was in the wilderness with Israel as the rock that was struck to produce water to quench their thirst for survival (1 Cor 10:4). He wrote explicitly that Christ was the rock that existed long before His presence on Earth as Jesus early in the first century. Some would argue that the rock was a type of Christ, but that is not what Paul wrote explicitly. The scriptural assertion that Jesus was the rock present among ancient Israelites further reinforces His divine nature, an attribute of eternality. Before Moses, Jesus claimed before Jewish leaders that He existed before Abraham (John 8:58). The strenuous objection of the Jewish leaders who took offense knew what Jesus claims as they knew that His claim of divinity would require His existence before His birth to therefore conclude He is God.
As if it wasn’t enough to claim his eternal status and existence before His followers and Jewish leaders, He performed many miracles of astonishing significance. The miracles in themselves were assuredly alarming and spectacular to witness, but the implications concerning He who performed those miracles were of far greater gravity. Questions concerning who and what must such a man be to carry out such actions (on numerous occasions) required anyone and everyone to contemplate who He claimed to be. Those who opposed Him and rejected Him knew exactly who He was, just as they did the prophets. The weight of their opposition added further credibility and strength to Christ’s claims about His divinity.
The depth of theological discourse continues around Christ’s divinity regarding His aseity, immutability, and transcendence. Jesus’ existence before He took bodily form is made apparent among numerous biblical passages of historical validity. Scriptural support for His existence offers detail about what that entailed (John 1:3, 10; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16). It can not be overstated what His continuing roles were during the course of Creation events, as it is purported to have created all things (Col 1:16). Moreover, aside from Apostle Paul, the least of the Apostles (1 Cor 15:9), John the beloved, with direct one-to-one interaction with Christ, wrote, “All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being” (John 1:3). As sure as a declarative statement can get concerning Jesus’ divinity, a first-hand witness account of Christ’s life and teachings reveal Him as Creator God.
In answer to anyone who claims Christ was created, there is a contradiction in the translation of Proverbs 8:22. The NRSV rendering, “The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of long ago,” corresponds to NET, ISV, LEB, and LXX translations with the term “created” as compared to “possessed” among various other English translations. In his systematic theology, Grudem wrote that Proverbs 8:22 should not be understood as a reference to the Son of God but rather wisdom personified.3 However, it was also his view that the LORD “possessed” wisdom and did not create it.4 Moreover, the term “created” as rendered from the root language (and the Septuagint) to English is probably a homonym for “possessed” with the same spelling that has different meanings and origins.
Jehovah’s Witness (JW) claims that Christ is a created being as interpreted from Prov 8:22, Col 1:15, and Rev 3:14 stand in contradiction to John 1:3, 10; 1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2, 10–12. However, JW’s use of the “beginning” is generalized within the context of Christ as firstborn creation chronologically situated in time. More specifically, time itself had already been created for Jesus to become the beginning (to create all things). So the intended use of terms to explain conditions contrary to the nature of God and Christ’s being (and attributes) is made definitive and clear elsewhere as a matter of support for Jesus’ claims of divinity and aseity.
To further consider Christ’s divine nature, His immutability comes from numerous Scriptural passages and Old Testament inferences. However, no biblical reference is likely so explicit as Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Furthermore, during His time with humanity, numerous life events involved His character and actions to demonstrate His impeccable behaviors as a man consistent with His divine nature. Christ’s permanence and endless ways are enduring to help explain the conditions in which all things are created through Him.
The final areas of interest about Christ’s attributes are His omnipotence, omnipresence, omniscience, and incomprehensibility. To more directly put it, Christ’s divine nature is especially made evident by what he accomplished and claimed while present among people during the first century. His accomplishments were not merely achievements of human merit but thoroughly supernatural to make abundantly clear His capabilities as an attestation of what He claimed and required. God’s presence among people as Christ was His way of calling attention to their condition with proof of who He is. While there was a repugnant ongoing effort to deny Him as the Son of God, Messiah, and incarnate God, Jesus’ actions and His attributes could not be denied or dismissed through opposition or indifference. His actions demanded attention from everyone because they revealed who He is and what He claimed as true. No matter resistance, opposition, or inattention, His supernatural work preceding His death, resurrection, and ascension set the course of history for all time.
According to numerous biblical accounts of Jesus’ human nature, there is no question He endured physical limitations. He slept, ate, drank, and became tired and thirsty, yet He also made evident His omnipotence during His ministry. Through humility, He at times set aside His divine nature and emptied Himself to live as fully man among people. Yet, He fed thousands of people with scant food materials (Matt 14:15-21), removed demonic spirits from people (Matt 8:28-34), healed sick people (Luke 4:40), raised the dead (John 11:38-44), walked on water (Matt 14:22-33), and restored people’s health without His presence from afar (Matt 15:21-28, Matt 8:5-13, John 4:46-54). Among various recorded and unrecorded supernatural acts He performed with eyewitness accounts, it was only certain that no one could possess omnipotent and omnipresent capabilities without having the attributes of a deity. The gospel accounts of His omniscience further reinforced recognition of Jesus’ divine nature and not by what He said but by what He did. He knew in advance that Judas would betray Him. He knew of the husband’s married to the woman at the well. In advance, He knew Peter would deny Him. He knew about the forthcoming destruction of the temple. The evidence of Jesus’ divine attributes was overwhelming to people of His time as they are today, even after His resurrection and work to form the Church down through the centuries.
The Names of Christ
To further make a case for the deity of Christ, there are names He possesses that have spiritual power and authority. They are descriptive and indicate a title for a specific purpose and function, yet throughout Scripture, there are numerous names attributed to God that apply to Christ. Names given and applied to persons in proper form to associate with identity are a common means of recognition and distinction, but the differences are blurred with God. Sometimes, names associated with God are not merely for identification purposes, but they are also descriptive of His attributes and being. The names associated with Christ connote meaning related to the context in which they are used. Designations of Jesus are about honors, attributes, actions, and positions He receives.
The name “Jesus” means “Jehovah (YHWH) saves,” as the angel of the Lord (Gabriel) delivered this name to His parents as YHWH God has given this designation to Him (Matt 1:21, Luke 1:31). To convey eternal meaning from when He appeared in the world via virgin birth, He was designated the lamb of God to save His people from their sins. Jesus would do that through His life ministry, redemptive work, and everlasting Kingdom on Earth by the Holy Spirit’s presence and help. Yahweh God the Father bestowed upon Jesus the name Yahweh Jehovah as it is the name above all other names. It is the supreme and highest name in existence by which people must be redeemed, as there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). His name, the name of Christ, as Jehovah and Lord, is excellent in all the earth in this age and the age to come (Ps 8:1, Eph 1:21).
In numerous passages within the New Testament, there are various accounts of miracles performed in Jesus’ name, including healings and exorcisms that demonstrate power in the name (Mark 9:38–39; Luke 10:17; Acts 3:6, 16; 4:7, 10, 30; 16:18). The loyalty sacrament of baptism is performed in Jesus’ name (Acts 2:38; 8:16; 10:48; 19:5; cf. 22:16) for repentance and the washing away of sins. Repentance and the forgiveness of sins are proclaimed in His name for salvation (Luke 24:47). Through His name, people are saved (Acts 10:43), and it is for His namesake that the sins of people are forgiven (1 John 2:12). The name of the Lord is exceedingly significant and productive as it has the power to save anyone who calls upon it (Acts 2:21, Joel 2:32).
The meaning of the name of Christ Jesus as God is particularly explicit with the prophet Isaiah and the apostle John. Throughout generations, from the time of old covenants to the new, the significance and power of Christ’s name speak of His divinity as He is sought and cherished as Messiah. Through Christ, God transforms the hearts of people as He promised, which is a miracle of enormous and lasting power concerning regeneration, renewal, and salvific purpose. Back at the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, He foretold of the name of Jesus as Immanuel translated, “God is with us” (Isa. 1:23, 7:14). By this name, He will rule over His people and redeem and restore them (Isa. 40:9–11; 43:10–13; 59:15–20).
Of further significance is the name “Word” given to Jesus in John 1:1. To communicate His eternal place upon Creation as God and with God and demonstrate His deity, lordship, and authority over all (Rom 9:5) creation. He was and is declared and recognized as God and Savior (Titus 2:13, 2 Pet 1:1) within the New Testament who rules at His seat of power. The spiritually significant meaning of His name and title as “God of gods and Lord of lords and King of kings” (Dan 4:37 LXX) further establishes eschatological relevance as His will is ultimately accomplished upon His return as prophesied for thousands of years. The Lord Jesus, as God, is the great I AM, Alpha and Omega, beginning and the end as He is Lord and Savior.
The Deeds of Christ
The book’s next section that defends Christ’s deity is about His activity. When the entirety of everything He has done is taken as a whole, it is impossible to recognize His identity as anything other than God. From the beginning of the universe to its end, He is unchanging as He does what God the Father and Holy Spirit do. The universe, its fine-tuning, and sustained existence are held together by Him and through Him. As He created all that is in the universe, it is subjected to Him. The earth and all that is in it are made by Him, through Him, and for Him to render to God what is His. Created order that involves life is subjected to Him as He gives life to created sentient beings who breathe and understand their existence as alienated from God through rebellion (sin). Jesus, as Christ, saves people He chooses from their sins and sanctifies them with spiritual blessings and restoration. To set a path of redemption back to God, Jesus became the way, the truth, and the life (John 14:6) for believers in Him.
Jesus Christ, while on the earth, healed the sick, removed demonic spirits from people, gave sight to the blind, healed the sick and diseased, resurrected dead people, walked on water, calmed a raging storm, fed thousands by bringing food into existence, and did numerous further deeds of awe and wonder. If it wasn’t evident to first-century witnesses who He was, then His post-crucifixion resurrection from the dead and appearances among people certainly did.
The truths Jesus spoke and the foretelling of future events also revealed with clarity who He was and who He is today. He spoke about historical events concerning His identity and what would occur among nations, Jerusalem, and individuals as further evidence that verified His deity. Moreover, His teachings, blessings, and warnings that He spoke with authority about offered assurance, hope, and dire consequences as He spoke from God as God. The elaborate details of His deity and the prophetic fulfillment of His place within society and creation as incarnate God fully informed generations since the earliest Old Testament accounts of His activity and involvement among covenant and estranged people. His stated purpose among people from birth to death, resurrection, and ascension back to the Father was to bring eternal life to believers Jesus would choose to redeem. His deeds were in perfect alignment with what God the Father was doing, as Jesus was sent by the Father to accomplish His will.
God’s work of salvation through Christ was about bringing people He made eligible through grace and faith to Him. People drawn toward Christ by regeneration and God’s sovereign will, and as a matter of free will choice, become chosen by Him as made clear through scriptural promises to those who believe. Christ’s work by the Spirit to indwell people who believe is evidence of yet further work as He spoke of Himself as always working (John 5:17) just as the Father is working. The work of Christ throughout the course of human events was about the origination and development of His kingdom to bring chosen of humanity to Him as He would reign in the hearts and minds of people.
Throughout the course of time, past, present, and future, the eschatological prophecies and promises of God about Christ’s return bring expectations of further work to accomplish. Once Christ returns, His presence will become known by everyone who will know who He is as deity (God) and what He has done to retrieve His people, both dead and alive. At the time of the final apocalypse, it will again become abundantly clear, this time to billions, that He, in fact, is Messiah, but also God who will rule and perpetuate His kingdom by His deeds. Any and all suppressed truth against what He accomplished, including His redemptive work, will become immediately rendered nonsense as awareness of inevitable accountability strikes at the heart of everyone.
The Seat of Christ
Religious and government leaders were ultimately set on trial with Jesus’ proof and claims about His deity. Even after what they witnessed. How could anyone be so obstinately deluded, self-interested, and in denial about who Jesus is and what He was due as God incarnate? His authority and seat of power on earth, as it is in heaven, was objectively undeniable by the eyewitness testimonies of people concerning His supernatural work and their own observations concerning the miracles He performed. What He did to demonstrate His powers was concurrent to God the Father.
Just as very many religious leaders and adherents rejected Jesus as the living word during His ministry then, His word is rejected today for the same reasons by the same classes of people. Not as a generalization, but by a widespread self-justified insistence on getting their way about religious practices, traditions, and preferences to suit lifestyles and social or personal interests. Opposition to Him as the Word and Wisdom of God is common resistance lived out as objections to His word today by splintering and fragmentation from every denomination without exception (i.e., often “denominational distinctives”).
While Jesus faced the Sanhedrin, Pharisees, religious rulers, and Roman authorities during the final days of His ministry, He made it entirely certain that He was completely on par with God in terms of authority, status, and power (John 5:17-18). Even as He was confronted at various times within the gospel narratives and finally apprehended before religious leaders, He was routinely falsely accused of wrongdoing. The Sanhedrin sought a way to kill Him, and religious leaders plotted to turn Rome against Him despite evidence of His power and capabilities as God. Some asserted His exorcistic work was satanic (Luke 11:15). The lengths religious leaders went to destroy and dismiss Jesus’ authority as God served as a reinforcement to His claims compared to prophetic utterances generations before. To assure Jesus’ success at laying down His life for His sheep (John 10:15-21), he affirmatively answered charges about His identity as the Messiah. As a work of sovereign intent, Jesus would be led to his death through the rejection of religious leaders who wanted Jesus deceased. He would become the acceptable and pleasing sacrifice to save His people from their sins.
Jesus’ claim of equality is supported by His attributes, work, and honors bestowed upon Him as God substantiates His position of authority. His name was permanently set above every other name as dominion was given to Him to rule at the right hand of God (Dan 7:13-14) as the Son of Man. This proclamation and assertion from Christ, as foretold by the prophetic words of Daniel, revealed to everyone precisely who Jesus was and is. Jesus was the Messiah and King the Jews were looking to receive for liberation from Rome, but what they encountered instead was the divine LORD who was the rightful and most pleasing prophet and Messianic King they could ever hope to love and serve as they were set free from sin until all the nations were made in subjection to Him. The forthcoming death of Jesus before them was an act of God they were entirely oblivious about and yet that was another proof of Jesus’ divinity given His earlier prophetic words, those of the prophets, and the Psalms (e.g., Ps. 22).
To further explicitly detail how Jesus is portrayed in the New Testament as occupying God’s seat of power, there are several points of interest the author makes. Together, both Jesus and the Father rule the universe together (all of creation), as made clear through His word.
Jesus exercises universal rule (Matt. 11:25–27; 28:18; Luke 10:21–22; John 3:35; 13:3; 16:15; Acts 10:36; 1 Cor. 15:27–28; Eph. 1:22; Phil. 2:10; 3:21; Heb. 1:2; 2:8; Rev. 5:13)
Jesus is exalted in the same location and space as God the Father (Eph. 1:20-21, Eph. 4:10, Phil 2:9, Heb 1:3)
Jesus is exalted over God’s heavenly court (1 Pet. 3:22, Eph. 1:21, Phil 2:10, Heb 1:3b-6, 13, Rev. 5:11-13)
Jesus sits on God’s throne (occupies His space of dominion and authority at His right hand while on the throne with God) (Ps 9:4, 7, Matt 19:28, Matt 25:31, Luke 22:30, 2 Cor. 5:10, cf. Rev. 20:11, Heb 8:1-2, Heb. 12:2)
Jesus functions as God while at His right hand as ascendant to His throne (Acts 2:33, 34-36, Ps. 68:18, Eph 4:8)
Jesus is worshiped from His position on the throne of the Father (Rev. 4:9-11, then Rev. 5:8-12, then together Rev. 5:13-14)
When all proofs are taken together as a whole, recognition of Jesus as God isn’t just persuasive and compelling. There is overwhelming scriptural evidence to assert that He is God and that the doctrine of His divinity is assured. Even with any or all objections refuted to cast doubt on Jesus on an equal level of God the Father, it is the word of God itself that attests to the status of Christ as worthy of worship and recognition that He is God. Accordingly, Jesus as God being the Son to the Father is a relationship that renders in the minds of worshipers His rightful place as Lord and King over all people. All creation that witnesses Christ for who and what He is corroborates with God’s heavenly court for His most worthy stature. As worship is made due, He is bestowed above all and set in authority over everyone and everything. The nations, great and small, are put into subjection to Him, including those in the distant past aware of His prophesied forthcoming reign or those responsible for His betrayal, suffering, and death.
Evidence
The volume of scriptural evidence between the Old and New Testaments concerning the deity of Christ is overwhelming. The range and depth of all claims of honor, attributes, names, deeds, and seat of power rightfully placed with God are also associated and shared with Christ by the authority of God through His word. The book in review offers these passage references related to each principal area of interest.5
Matt. 8:23–27 (cf. Mark 4:35–41; Luke 8:22–25); Matt. 14:13–21 (cf. Mark 6:32–44; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15); Matt. 14:22–33 (cf. Mark 6:45–52; John 6:16–21); Matt. 15:32–39 (cf. Mark 8:1–10); Matt. 17:24–27; Mark 5:19–20 (cf. Luke 8:39); Luke 5:1–11; 7:11–16; John 2:1–11; 21:1–14
Illumination and revelation
Gen. 40:8; 41:15–16; Ps. 119:18; Dan. 2:20–23; Amos 3:7
2:20–23; Amos 3:7 Matt. 11:27; Luke 10:22; John 1:4–5, 9, 18; 2 Thess. 2:8; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 1:10; 4:1, 8; Titus 2:13
Speaking with divine authority
Cf. “Thus says the Lord” (over 400×); Isa. 40:8; 52:6; 55:11–12
Matt. 5:20–22, 7:24–29; 24:35; Mark 1:22; 13:31; Luke 4:32; John 4:26; 7:46; cf. “Amen I say to you” (74×)
The book’s acronym offered to recall the proof-elements of Jesus’ divinity is a helpful way to see Him as God readily. Again, HANDS, which stands for Honors, Attributes, Names, Deeds, and Seat, puts into people’s minds a decisive way to recognize who, what, where, when, and why details concerning Jesus’ deity. The many scriptural references to support each element reach far in breadth and depth between the Old and New Testaments for solid retention and confidence about who Jesus is. Pre-incarnate Jesus is God, incarnate Jesus is God, and post-incarnate Jesus is God.
While the New Testament identifies Jesus as God, He is revered and honored as the Father is. Prayers, benedictions, and doxologies are offered before Him. He is remembered and honored in the rites of communion and baptism. Songs and hymns are written and sang before Him. Service and work of the Kingdom are done continuously on the earth in His name as an offering of love and devotion.
Jesus is utterly perfect in every way (Rom. 8:35–39; Rev. 1:5). The totality of His being is incomprehensible (Matt. 11:27) as He is all-powerful (Col. 1:16–17; Heb. 1:2–3), all-knowing (John 16:30–31; Acts 1:24; Rev. 2:23), and present everywhere at once as God (Matt. 18:20; 28:20; Eph. 4:10–11). He is transcendent and immutable (John 1:1–3; Col. 1:15–17; Heb. 1:2, 10–12; 13:8), just as He is the exact imprint of God the Father (John 14:9; Col. 1:15; Heb. 1:3).
While Jesus’ name is theophoric, as with numerous other biblical figures, He also has functional and identity names to communicate who He is and what He can do uniquely as God. As a way for people to see Him uniquely divine as God the Son, He has the name above every other name. His name is YHWH (i.e., Jehovah Saves), and He is the King of kings, Lord of lords, Savior, Son of Man, and Great I AM.
It is impossible to fully account for the depth and stature of Jesus from His work alone. What He historically and miraculously performed and accomplished corresponds to His wisdom and teaching to reach millions for thousands of years across numerous time zones, languages, cultures, and nations. What He has done past, present, and future brings attention to His being as God makes it obvious that He is the deity everyone desperately needs in a punctuated way. Jesus is God the Son. In perfect union with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, He is our treasured possession.
Citations
_______________________ 1 Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 888. 2 William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1062. 3 Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine, Second Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2020), 286–287. 4 Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible First Edition Notes (Biblical Studies Press, 2006), Ex 15:16. 5 Scripture reference tables: Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 2007), 281.
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