Theology: The Doctrine of God

Declarations of Christ's Deity: Jesus and His Creation

By Dr. Paul M. Elliott
Scripture declares that Christ is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the Performer of miracles, and the Forgiver of His creatures' sins.

From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part nine of a series. Read part eight.

Scripture declares that Christ is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the Performer of miracles, and the Forgiver of His creatures' sins.

In this installment we continue to examine Scripture's revelation of nine specific attributes of Jesus Christ when He came to earth in a body of flesh which are also the attributes of the eternal God outside of time and space. We have covered the first five, and continue today with points six through nine. All of these have to do with Christ in His relationship to His creation in general and created humanity in particular. Scripture declares that Jesus Christ:

  1. Is the Creator of the universe.
  2. Is the Sustainer of the universe.
  3. Is the Performer of miracles.
  4. Is the Forgiver of sin.

Jesus Christ is the Creator of the Universe

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the Creator of the universe. The creation of the universe, out of nothing, by a mere spoken word, is an attribute of God alone. Jesus Christ is also, as we shall see, the performer of miracles within His created order, but the creation of the universe is the greatest physical miracle of all.

  • Proverbs 30:4 - "Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, if you know?"
  • Earlier we looked at John 1:1-3 - "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made."
  • Colossians 1:16 - "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."

Jesus Christ is the Sustainer of the Universe

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ the Creator is also the present Sustainer of the universe.

  • Colossians 1:17, the very next verse after the one we cited, says that Jesus Christ "is before all things, and in Him all things consist" - literally, all things, the entire universe, "hang together" because of Him.
  • Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Jesus Christ is now "upholding all things by the word of His power."

The supernaturally-created universe is also supernaturally sustained. If Jesus Christ were to take His finger off of this universe for even a split second, it would descend into chaos and cease to exist. He is the one who sustains it, by supernatural power.

Jesus Christ is the Performer of Miracles

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ the Creator and Sustainer is also the Performer of miracles. The Bible tells us that this is a power that is reserved to God alone, and to those to whom He gave that power. Psalm 146:8 - "The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord raises those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous."

Jesus Christ healed the sick. He made the lame and the paralyzed able to walk. He restored sight to the blind. He restored hearing to the deaf. He healed lepers. He healed those who were physically deformed. He raised the dead. He multiplied a handful of loaves and fishes to feed over five thousand people on one occasion, and over four thousand on another. He changed water into wine.

Bible prophecy said that miracles would be a sign of the coming of the Messiah, Immanuel, God with us. When Jesus began His public ministry, we read in Luke chapter four beginning at verse sixteen that

He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

We read in Luke chapter ten and elsewhere that Jesus gave to His disciples the ability to perform miracles. This was a power and an authority that He gave to them. It was not by their own power and authority that they were able to do these things. It was by God-given power and authority.

We read in Matthew 11 that Jesus declared His miracle-working to be a sign of His deity:

And when John had heard in prison about the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples and said to Him, "Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Go and tell John the things which you hear and see: The blind see and the lame walk; the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear; the dead are raised up and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me." (Matthew 11:2-6)

Jesus Christ is the Forgiver of Sin

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the forgiver of the sin of His fallen creatures. We see this in the account of Jesus' healing of the paralytic in Mark chapter two, beginning at verse five:

"When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.' And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, 'Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, 'Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven you," or to say, "Arise, take up your bed and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins' - He said to the paralytic, 'I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.' Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"

Even the unbelieving Jews understood that no one could forgive sins except God Himself. Jesus Christ declared and demonstrated that He had that power.

No earthly priest in a confessional booth has the power or the authority to forgive your sins. The Roman Catholic (and now, in many places, the Lutheran) confessional is a usurpation of the authority to forgive sins that belongs to God alone, and He has not delegated that authority to anyone else. Only God through Christ can forgive your sins, and we are to come directly to God, directly to the throne of grace. As First John 1:8-9 tells us, "...the blood of Jesus Christ [God's] Son cleanses us from all sin. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Next: Jesus Christ Is To Be Worshipped

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