But there is a second line of proof that Jesus Christ was God, a proof
equally convincing, and that is, _all the five distinctively Divine
attributes are ascribed to Jesus Christ, and "all the fulness of the
Godhead" is said to dwell in Him_. There are five distinctively Divine
attributes, that is five attributes that God alone possesses. These are
Omnipotence, Omniscience, Omnipresence, Eternity, and Immutability.
Each one of these distinctively Divine attributes are ascribed to
Jesus Christ. First of all, omnipotence is ascribed to Jesus Christ.
Not only are we taught that Jesus had power over disease and death
and winds and sea and demons, that they were all subject to His word,
and that He is far above all principality, and power, and might,
and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world
but also in the world to come (Eph. 1:20-23), but in Heb. 1:3 it is
said in so many words that He +"Upholds all things by the word of
his power."+ Omniscience is also ascribed to Him. We are taught
in the Bible that Jesus knew men's lives, even their secret history
(John 4:16, 19), that He knew the secret thoughts of men, knew all
men, knew what was in man (Mark 2:8; Luke 5:22; John 2:24, 25) which
knowledge we are distinctly told in 2 Chron. 6:30 and Jer. 17:9, 10,
God only possesses, but we are told in so many words in John 16:30
that Jesus knew "all things," and in Col. 2:3 we are told that in Him
"are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Omnipresence is
also ascribed to Him. We are told in Matt. 18:20 that where two or
three are gathered together in His name, that He is in the midst of
them, and in Matt. 28:20 that wherever His obedient disciples should
go He would be with them, even unto the end of the age, and in John
14:20 and 2 Cor. 13:5 we are told that He dwells in each believer,
in all the millions of believers scattered over the earth. In Eph.
1:23 we are told in so many words that He "_filleth all in all_."
Eternity is also ascribed to Him. We are told in John 1:1 that "_in
the beginning_ was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God." In John 8:57 Jesus Himself said, +"Verily, verily, I say
unto you, before Abraham was, I am."+ Note that the Lord Jesus did
not merely say that "before Abraham was _I was_," but that "before
Abraham was, I AM," thus declaring Himself to be the eternal
"I AM." Even in the Old Testament we have a declaration of
the eternity of the Christ who was to be born in Bethlehem. In Micah
5:2 we read, +"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little
among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth
unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been
from of old, from everlasting."+ And in Isa. 9:6 we are told of
the child that is to be born, +"For unto us a child is born, unto
us a Son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and
his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace."+ And in Heb. 13:8 we are
told that +"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for
ever."+ His immutability is also taught in the passage just quoted
from Hebrews, and in the first chapter of the same book, the twelfth
verse we are told that while even the heavens change, the Lord Jesus
does not change. The exact words are, +"They shall perish, but thou
remainest: They all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a mantle
shalt thou roll them up, as a garment, and they shall be changed: but
thou art the same. And thy years shall not fail."+ So we see that
each one of the five distinctly Divine attributes were ascribed to our
Lord Jesus Christ. And in Col. 2:9 we are told in so many words, +"In
him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily"+ (i.e., in a
bodily form). Here again we might rest our case, for what has been said
under this head, even if taken alone, clearly proves the absolute Deity
of our Lord Jesus Christ. It shows that He possessed every perfection
of nature and character that God the Father possesses.