I Don't Have Enough Faith to Be an Atheist (59 page)

O
BJECTIONS TO THE
D
EITY OF
C
HRIST

Why Wasn’t Jesus More Overt?—
Despite some very clear claims to be God, skeptics point out that Jesus could have been a lot more overt more often if he really was God. Certainly that’s true. He could have made many more direct claims if he thought it was necessary. However, there are several possible reasons he did not.

First, Jesus didn’t want interference from the Jews, who had the misconception that the Messiah would come and free them from Roman oppression. This actually became a problem despite Jesus’ careful approach: at one point after performing miracles, Jesus had to escape from the Jews who wanted to make him king (John 6:15)!

Second, Jesus could not be our supreme human example if he pulled rank every time he got into any earthly trouble. His conduct provides us with a perfect example of humility and servitude, and how we ought to glorify the Father rather than ourselves.

Third, Jesus had to be very careful about when and where he revealed his deity so that he could accomplish his mission of sacrificial atonement. If he had been too overt with his claims and miraculous proof, they might not have killed him. But if he had been too reserved, there would have been little proof that he was really God, and he may not have attracted a large enough following to spread his message.

Finally, we must understand the religious context in which Jesus lived and taught. He introduced the idea that he personally fulfilled the entire Old Testament law (Matt. 5:17)—the law that had been revered and followed for centuries and was the foundation of all of the political and religious practices of the Jews. As N. T. Wright says, “[This] would be like announcing in a Muslim country that one was fulfilling the will of Allah while apparently vilifying Muhammad and burning a copy of the Qur’an!”
¹²
It’s no wonder Jesus used parables to teach and made more indirect than direct references to his deity. He gave enough evidence to convince the open-minded, but not enough to overwhelm the free will of those wishing to cling to their own traditions.

So there are good reasons why Jesus didn’t directly proclaim his deity more often. However, we must not lose sight of the fact that he did so often enough. Before the Jews (John 8:58) and while under oath before the high priest when he knew his mission of sacrificial atonement was going to be completed (Matt. 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:70), Jesus clearly claimed to be God.

Indirect Denials of Deity
—Critics often cite three specific occasions in the New Testament where the deity of Christ can be called into question. The first is recorded in Matthew 19:17, where the rich young ruler calls Jesus “good.” Jesus appears to deny his deity by responding, “No one is good but One, that is, God.”

But the critics are mistaken. Jesus is not denying his deity. He is
affirming
his deity by prompting the man to consider the implications of his statement. In effect, Jesus is asking, “Do you realize what you are saying when you call me good? Are you saying I am God?” This is apparent from the context, because just a few verses later Jesus refers to himself as the “Son of Man” who “sits on his glorious throne” and will enable the disciples to rule with him (Matt. 19:28).

The second and third objections to Christ’s deity have to do with Jesus being subordinate to the Father and limited in knowledge. In John 14:28, Jesus clearly subordinates himself to God by admitting, “The Father is greater than I.” And in Matthew 24:36, Jesus claims he doesn’t know the date of his own return when he declares, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Now how can Jesus be God if he is subordinate to the Father and is limited in knowledge?

The answer to both of these objections lies in a proper understanding of the Trinity. First, let’s state clearly what the Trinity is
not:
the Trinity is not three Gods, three modes of one God, or three divine essences.
The Trinity is three persons in one divine essence.
In other words, there are three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—who share one divine nature. The Trinity is like a triangle: a triangle has three corners but it is still one triangle (figs. 13.3a and 13.3b).

Jesus shares in the one divine nature, but he also has a distinct human nature. Jesus is one “who” with two “what’s” (a divine “what” and a human “what”); God is three “who’s” (Father “who,” Son “who,” and Holy Spirit “who”) in one “what,” that is, three persons in one divine nature. Athanasius, one of the early church fathers, said the Incarnation was not the subtraction of deity; it was the addition of humanity. Indeed, when Jesus was conceived, he did not cease being God. He simply added a human nature.

How does this help us deal with objections two and three? Well, since Jesus has two natures, whenever you ask a question about him you really have to ask two questions. For example, did Jesus know the time of his second coming? As God, yes; as man, no. Did Jesus know all things? As God, yes; as man, no. (In fact, Luke 2:52 admits that Jesus increased in wisdom.) Did Jesus get hungry? As God, no; as man, yes. Did Jesus get tired? As God, no; as man, yes.

The Trinity also helps us understand the sense in which Jesus declared, “the Father is greater than I.” The Father and Son are equal
in essence
but different
in function.
This is analogous to human relationships. For example, an earthly father is equally human with his son, but the father holds a higher office. Likewise, Jesus and the Father have different offices but are both equally God (John 1:1; 8:58; 10:30). When Jesus added humanity, he voluntarily subordinated himself to the Father and accepted the limitations inherent with humanity (this is exactly what Paul explains in his letter to the Philippians [2:5-11]). But Jesus never lost his divine nature or ceased being God. Table 13:3 summarizes the differences between Jesus and the Father:

Objections to the Trinity—
Despite what some skeptics may say, the Trinity is not illogical or against reason. Saying that there is one God and three Gods would be illogical. But saying that there is one God who has three persons is not illogical. It may be
beyond
reason, but it’s not
against
reason.

That doesn’t mean the Trinity can be completely understood. After all, no finite being can completely comprehend an infinite God. But we can
apprehend
the Trinity, just like we apprehend but do not completely
comprehend
the ocean. When we’re standing on the beach, we can apprehend that there’s an ocean in front of us, even though we can’t completely comprehend its vast magnitude.

Some Muslims charge that the Trinity is too complex. But who said that truth must always be simple? As C. S. Lewis aptly puts it, “If Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with fact. Of course anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about.”
¹³

Some critics and cult leaders have suggested that the Trinity is a later invention of the church. But this simply isn’t true. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
¹⁴
are all referred to as God in the Scriptures. Besides, even if the Trinity was not accepted by all the early church fathers, that doesn’t mean it’s false. Truth is not determined by majority vote. The doctrine of the Trinity is sound scripturally as well as philosophically.

In fact, instead of creating theological problems, the Trinity actually solves theological problems. For example, the Trinity helps us understand how love has existed from all eternity. The New Testament says God is love (1 John 4:16). But how can love exist in a rigid monotheistic being? There’s no one else to love! Tri-unity in the Godhead solves the problem. After all, to have love, there must be a lover (the Father), a loved one (the Son), and a spirit of love (the Holy Spirit). Because of this triune nature, God has existed eternally in a perfect fellowship of love. He is the perfect being who lacks nothing, not even love. Since he lacks nothing, God didn’t
need
to create human beings for any reason (he wasn’t lonely, as some preachers have been known to say). He simply
chose
to create us, and loves us in accordance with his loving nature. In fact, his love is why he sent his Son—the second person of the Trinity—to take the punishment for our sins. His infinite justice condemns us, but his infinite love saves those who want to be saved.

S
UMMARY AND
C
ONCLUSION

Jesus Christ of Nazareth claimed and proved to be the Messiah-God predicted by the Old Testament. His claims come in many forms: from direct “I am” statements to those that strongly imply his deity. His actions—including forgiving sins, assuming the authority of God to issue commands, and accepting worship due only to God—also reveal that Jesus really believed he was God. He then proved he was God by:

1. fulfilling numerous specific messianic prophecies written hundreds of years in advance (Jesus is the only person in history who fulfills all of these prophecies);

2. living a sinless life and performing miraculous deeds;

3. predicting and then accomplishing his own resurrection from the dead.

We believe these facts have been established beyond a reasonable doubt. Therefore, we conclude that Jesus is God.

Since we have already established that God is a morally perfect being (from the Moral Argument in chapter 7), then anything Jesus (who is God) teaches is true. What did Jesus teach? More specifically, what did he teach about the Bible? That’s the subject of the next chapter.

14

What Did Jesus Teach
About the Bible?

“My high school science teacher once told me that
much of Genesis is false. But since my high school science
teacher did not prove he was God by rising from
the dead, I’m going to believe Jesus instead.”

—ANDY STANLEY

W
OE TO
Y
OU
, H
YPOCRITES
!

The United States Congress was in a rare joint session. All 435 representatives and 100 senators were in attendance, and the C-SPAN-TV cameras were rolling. The members were gathered together to hear a speech by a descendant of George Washington. But what they thought would be a polite speech of patriotic historical reflections quickly turned into a televised tongue-lashing. With a wagging finger and stern looks, Washington’s seventh-generation grandson declared,

Woe to you, egotistical hypocrites! You are full of greed and self-indulgence. Everything you do is done for appearances: You make pompous speeches and grandstand before these TV cameras. You demand the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats wherever you go. You love to be greeted in your districts and have everyone call you “Senator” or “Congressman.” On the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness! You say you want to clean up Washington, but as soon as you get here you become twice as much a son of hell as the one you replaced!