By Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
Abstract
This article presents a robust academic and theological case for the deity of Jesus Christ, focusing on two of the most explicit New Testament affirmations: Romans 9:5 and John 20:28. Through critical exegesis, historical contextualization, and doctrinal reflection, it demonstrates that the New Testament, in continuity with Old Testament monotheism yet in surprising fulfillment, identifies Jesus as “God blessed forever.” The implications for Christology, worship, and Christian identity are profound, challenging both historical and contemporary reductions of Christ’s divinity.
Introduction
The question of the identity of Jesus of Nazareth remains at the center of Christian theology. Among the manifold titles and descriptions ascribed to Him in the New Testament, none is more controversial or significant than the explicit identification of Jesus as God. Nowhere is this more pronounced than in Paul’s doxological exclamation in Romans 9:5 and in Thomas’s confession in John 20:28. This article investigates these texts, engaging exegetical scholarship, Greek syntax, patristic testimony, and the broader biblical-theological context.
I. Romans 9:5 – “Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever”
A. Text and Translation
Greek Text:
ὧν οἱ πατέρες, καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστός τὸ κατὰ σάρκα· ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας· ἀμήν.
English (ESV):
“To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.”
B. Exegetical Considerations
1. Grammatical Structure
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The relative pronoun ὁ ὢν (“who is”) naturally connects to ὁ Χριστός (“the Christ”), making Christ the subject of the doxological statement.
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The phrase ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸς (“God over all”) is best understood as an appositive to Christ, not as a separate benediction to God the Father.
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The participial construction and word order in the Greek favor the interpretation that attributes deity directly to Christ.
2. Historical Interpretation
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The early Church Fathers (e.g., Irenaeus, Tertullian, Athanasius) universally recognized Romans 9:5 as a direct affirmation of Christ’s deity.
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Modern critical scholarship (cf. Cranfield, Moo, Wright) overwhelmingly supports the Christological reading.
3. Contextual Analysis
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Romans 9:5 functions as the climax of Paul’s list of Israel’s privileges, culminating in the astonishing claim that the Messiah, from Israel according to the flesh, is none other than God over all.
C. Theological Significance
This text, in one unambiguous sentence, ascribes to Jesus both messianic and divine status, placing Him as the eternal object of blessing (“blessed forever”). Such language, reserved in Second Temple Judaism for YHWH alone (cf. Psalm 41:13; 72:19; 106:48), here applied to Christ, demonstrates the apostolic confession of His full deity.
II. John 20:28 – “My Lord and My God!”
A. Text and Translation
Greek Text:
ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου.
English (ESV):
“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’”
B. Exegetical Considerations
1. Direct Address
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Thomas responds directly to the risen Jesus, addressing Him as both “Lord” (κύριος) and “God” (θεός).
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There is no syntactical or contextual warrant to understand this as a mere exclamation; it is a confession.
2. Johannine Christology
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The Gospel of John opens with a high Christology (“the Word was God,” John 1:1) and climaxes with Thomas’s confession.
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Jesus does not rebuke Thomas but affirms his faith, contrasting it with the seeing-not-believing motif for later disciples (John 20:29).
3. Intertextual Connections
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“Lord and God” echoes Old Testament descriptions of YHWH (e.g., Psalm 35:23).
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The structure anticipates post-resurrection worship directed toward Christ (cf. Revelation 5:13-14).
C. Theological Significance
John 20:28 serves as the Gospel’s ultimate Christological affirmation: Jesus, having conquered death, is worshiped not merely as a messianic figure, but as God incarnate. This confession becomes the foundational faith of the early church (cf. Philippians 2:10-11).
III. Patristic and Historical Witness
From the earliest centuries, Christian theologians have interpreted these passages as explicit affirmations of Christ’s deity. The Nicene Creed (“God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God”) codified this confession against Arian and subordinationist heresies.
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Athanasius argued: “Paul calls Christ ‘God over all, blessed forever’…thus affirming that the Son is by nature true God.”
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Augustine and Chrysostom echo similar interpretations.
IV. Contemporary Challenges and Responses
Skeptical or Unitarian readings often attempt to retranslate or recontextualize these passages. However, rigorous exegesis and historical theology refute such revisions:
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The grammatical construction of Romans 9:5 does not permit a doxology to the Father distinct from Christ.
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Contextual and narrative analysis of John 20:28 demands a high Christology, not a symbolic or honorific title.
V. Conclusion
Romans 9:5 and John 20:28 stand as monumental pillars in the New Testament witness to the full and unqualified deity of Jesus Christ. In identifying Christ as “God over all, blessed forever” and receiving worship as “Lord and God,” the early church did not depart from Jewish monotheism, but rather confessed its fulfillment in the incarnate Son. This conviction undergirds Christian worship, soteriology, and ecclesiology, compelling believers of every generation to echo Thomas’s confession and Paul’s doxology—Jesus Christ is God blessed forever.
References
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Cranfield, C. E. B. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. T&T Clark, 1975.
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Dunn, James D. G. Romans 9–16. Word Biblical Commentary, 1988.
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Hurtado, Larry W. Lord Jesus Christ: Devotion to Jesus in Earliest Christianity. Eerdmans, 2003.
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Wright, N. T. Paul and the Faithfulness of God. Fortress Press, 2013.
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Bauckham, Richard. Jesus and the God of Israel. Eerdmans, 2008.
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Athanasius, Against the Arians.
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Augustine, On the Trinity.
Dr. Maxwell Shimba
Shimba Theological Institute
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