_A DIVINE SAVIOUR_.
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God."
(Matthew xvi. 1; John vi. 69.)
We meet with a certain class of Enquirers who do not believe in the
Divinity of Christ. There are many passages that will give light on
this subject.
In 1 Corinthians xv. 47, we are told: "The first man is of the earth
earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven."
In 1 John v. 20: "We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given
us an understanding, that we may know Him that is true; and we are in
Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God,
and eternal life."
Again in John xvii. 3: "And this is life eternal, that they might
know Thee, the only true God; and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent."
And then, in Mark xiv. 60: "The high priest stood up in the midst,
and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest Thou nothing? What is it which
these witness against thee? But He held His peace, and answered
nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, and said unto Him, Art Thou
the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye
shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power, and
coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his
clothes, and saith, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard
the blasphemy: what think ye? And they all condemned Him to be guilty
of death."
Now what brought me to believe in the Divinity of Christ was this: I
did not know where to place Christ, or what to do with Him, if He
were not divine. When I was a boy I thought that He was a good man
like Moses, Joseph, or Abraham. I even thought that He was the best
man who had ever lived on the earth. But I found that Christ had a
higher claim. He claimed to be God-Man, to be divine; to have come
from heaven. He said: "Before Abraham was I am" (John viii. 58). I
could not understand this; and I was driven to the conclusion--and I
challenge any candid man to deny the inference, or meet the
argument--that Jesus Christ is either an impostor or deceiver, or He
is the God-Man--God manifest in the flesh. And for these reasons. The
first commandment is, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me" (Exod.
xx. 2). Look at the millions throughout Christendom who worship Jesus
Christ as God. If Christ be not God this is idolatry. We are all
guilty of breaking the first commandment if Jesus Christ were mere
man--if He were a created being, and not what He claims to be.
Some people, who do not admit His divinity, say that He was the best
man who ever lived; but if He were not Divine, for that very reason
He ought not to be reckoned a good man, for He laid claim to an honor
and dignity to which these very people declare He had no right or
title. That would rank Him as a deceiver.
Others say that He thought He was divine, but that He was deceived.
As if Jesus Christ were carried away by a delusion and deception, and
thought that He was more than He was! I could not conceive of a lower
idea of Jesus Christ than that. This would not only make Him out an
impostor; but that He was out of His mind, and that He did not know
who He was, or where He came from. Now if Jesus Christ was not what
He claimed to be, the Saviour of the world; and if He did not come
from heaven, He was a gross deceiver.
But how can any one read the life of Jesus Christ and make Him out a
deceiver? A man has generally some motive for being an impostor. What
was Christ's motive? He knew that the course He was pursuing would
conduct Him to the cross; that His name would be cast out as vile;
and that many of His followers would be called upon to lay down their
lives for His sake. Nearly every one of the apostles were martyrs;
and they were considered as off-scouring and refuse in the midst of
the people. If a man is an impostor, he has a motive at the back of
his hypocrisy. But what was Christ's object? The record is that "He
went about doing good." This is not the work of an impostor. Do not
let the enemy of your soul deceive you.
In John v. 21 we read: "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. For the
Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:
that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He
that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent
Him."
Now notice: by the Jewish law if a man were a blasphemer he was to be
put to death; and supposing Christ to be merely human if this be not
blasphemy I do not know where you will find it. "He that honoureth
not the Son, honoureth not the Father." That is downright blasphemy
if Christ be not divine. If Moses, or Elijah, or Elisha, or any other
mortal had said, "You must honour me as you honor God;" and had put
himself on a level with God, it would have been downright blasphemy.
The Jews put Christ to death because they said that He was not what
He claimed to be. It was on that testimony He was put under oath. The
high priest said: "I adjure Thee by the living God, that Thou tell us
whether Thou be the Christ, the Son of God" (Matt. xxvi. 63). And
when the Jews came round Him and said, "How long dost Thou make us to
doubt? If Thou be the Christ tell us plainly." Jesus said, "I and My
Father are one." Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him.
(John x. 24-33.) They said they did not want to hear more, for that
was blasphemy. It was for declaring Himself to be the Son of God that
He was condemned and put to death. (Matt. xxvi. 63-66).
Now if Jesus Christ were mere man the Jews did right, according to
their law, in putting Him to death. In Leviticus xxiv. 16, we read:
"And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put
to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: as well
the stranger, as he that is born in the land, when he blasphemeth the
name of the Lord, shall be put to death."
This law obliged them to put to death every one who blasphemed. It
was making the statement that He was divine that cost Him His life;
and by the Mosaic law He ought to have suffered the death penalty. In
John xvi. 15, Christ says, "All things that the Father hath are Mine:
therefore said I, that He shall take of Mine, and shall show it unto
you." How could He be merely a good man and use language as that?
No doubt has ever entered my mind on the point since I was converted.
A notorious sinner was once asked how he could prove the divinity of
Christ. His answer was, "Why, He has saved me; and that is a pretty
good proof, is it not?"
An infidel on one occasion said to me, "I have been studying the life
of John the Baptist, Mr. Moody. Why don't you preach him? He was a
greater character than Christ. You would do a greater work." I said
to him, "My friend, you preach John the Baptist; and I will follow
you and preach Christ: and we will see who will do the most good."
"You will do the most good," he said, "because the people are so
superstitious." Ah! John was beheaded; and his disciples begged his
body and buried it: but Christ has risen from the dead; He has
"ascended on high; He has led captivity captive; and received gifts
for men." (Ps. lxviii. 18.)
Our Christ lives. Many people have not found out that Christ has
risen from the grave. They worship a dead Saviour, like Mary, who
said, "They have taken away my Lord; and I know not where they have
laid Him." (John xx. 13.) That is the trouble with those who doubt
the divinity of our Lord.
Then look at Matthew xviii. 20. "Where two or three are gathered
together in My name, there am I in the midst of them." "There am I."
Well now, if He is a mere man, how can He be there? All these are
strong passages.
Again in Matthew xxviii. 18. "And Jesus came and spake unto them,
saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth." Could He
be a mere man and talk in that way? "All power is given unto Me in
heaven and in earth!"
Then again in Matthew xxviii. 20. "Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you; and, lo, I am with you alway,
even unto the end of the world." If He were mere man, how could He be
with us? Yet He says, "I am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world!"
Then again in Mark ii. 7. "Why doth this Man thus speak blasphemies?
who can forgive sins but God only? And immediately when Jesus
perceived in His Spirit that they reasoned within themselves, He said
unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it
easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee, or
to say, Arise and take up thy bed and walk?"
Some men will meet you and say, "Did not Elisha also raise the dead?"
Notice that in the rare instances in which men have raised the dead,
they did it by the power of God. They called on God to do it. But
when Christ was on earth He did not call upon the Father to bring the
dead to life. When He went to the house of Jairus He said, "Damsel, I
say unto thee, Arise." (Mark v. 41.)
He had power to impart life. When they were carrying the young man
out of Nain He had compassion on the widowed mother and came and
touched the bier and said, "Young man, I say unto thee, Arise." (Luke
vii. 14.)
He spake; and the dead arose.
And when He raised Lazarus He called with a loud voice, "Lazarus,
come forth!" (John xi. 43.) And Lazarus heard, and came forth.
Some one has said, It was a good thing that Lazarus was mentioned by
name, or all the dead within the sound of Christ's voice would
immediately have risen.
In John v. 25, Jesus says: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour
is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son
of God; and they that hear shall live." What blasphemy would this
have been, had He not been divine! The proof is overwhelming, if you
will but examine the Word of God.
And then another thing--no good man except Jesus Christ has ever
allowed anybody to worship him. When this was done He never rebuked
the worshiper. In John ix. 38, we read that when the blind man was
found by Christ he said, "Lord, I believe. And he worshiped Him." The
Lord did not rebuke him.
Then again, Revelation xxii. 6, runs thus: "And he said unto me,
These things are faithful and true; and the Lord God of the holy
prophets sent His angel to show unto His servants the things which
must shortly be done. Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that
keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. And I John saw
these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell
down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these
things. Then saith He unto me, See thou do it not; for I am thy
fellow-servant and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which
keep the sayings of this book, _worship God_."
We see here that even that angel would not allow John to worship him.
Even an angel from heaven! And if Gabriel came down here from the
presence of God it would be a sin to worship him, or any seraph, or
any cherub, or Michael, or any archangel.
"Worship God!" And if Jesus Christ were not God manifest in the flesh
we are guilty of idolatry in worshiping Him. In Matthew xiv. 33, we
read: "Then they that were in the ship came and _worshiped_ Him,
saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God." He did not rebuke them.
And in Matthew viii. 2, we also read: "And, behold, there came a
leper and _worshiped_ Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst
make me clean."
In Matthew xv. 25: "Then came she, and _worshiped_ Him, saying, Lord,
help me!"
There are many other passages; but I give these as sufficient in my
opinion to prove beyond any doubt the Divinity of our Lord.
In the 14th chapter of Acts we are told the heathen at Lystra came
with garlands and would have done sacrifice to Paul and Barnabas
because they had cured an impotent man; but the evangelists rent
their clothes and told these Lystrans that they were but men, and not
to be worshipped; as if it were a great sin. And if Jesus Christ is a
mere man, we are all guilty of a great sin in worshipping Him.
But if He is, as we believe, the only-begotten and well-beloved Son
of God, let us yield to His claims upon us; let us rest on His
all-atoning work, and go forth to serve Him all the days of our life.