Friday, August 26, 2016
HOW DOES THE LORD JESUS BECOME GOD?
It is now good for us to take another step of understanding by looking closely at this important question, which has stirred the emotions of many people in the world of faith. What seems to confuse many is the truth concerning the origin of the divinity of the Lord Jesus—how exactly does Jesus become God?
Clearly, this question seeks to know the source or foundation of Jesus’ divine authority, especially since Jesus appeared to have a human nature and an earthly origin. Therefore, to find an appropriate answer, we must begin with the question of the origin of Jesus, for only then can we fully understand the truth about His divinity.
Understanding the Origin of Jesus
The main reason for the Pharisees’ and some Jews’ opposition to the divinity of Jesus was their misunderstanding of His origin.
Many Jews limited their understanding of Jesus to His human appearance and earthly family background, knowing that He was born of Mary. As a result, they once said:
John 6:42
“Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”
Here we can see the root of their problem: the Jews found it hard to accept Jesus’ claim that He came down from heaven, because they knew Him only as the son of Mary and Joseph—thus assuming His origin was purely earthly.
Their inability to believe that Jesus had a heavenly origin became the main reason for their resistance. Consider again their argument when Jesus spoke of His eternal existence:
John 8:56–58
“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
Here the Jews questioned how Jesus, not yet fifty years old, could have seen Abraham. Jesus’ answer revealed that His existence preceded Abraham—affirming His eternal being.
Thus, the problem of the Jews and others who deny Jesus’ divinity based on His humanity or birth through Mary is not His birth itself, but their failure to understand His pre-existence before His incarnation.
What Is the Origin of Jesus?
To answer this question, the Lord Jesus Himself repeatedly explained to the Jews the truth about His origin to correct their mistaken view that He was merely a man of earthly origin. He wanted them to see that He existed before coming to earth as a human being for the purpose of redemption.
John 8:23
“You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.”
John 6:62
“What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?”
In these verses, Jesus makes clear that He came from heaven. In the first verse, He draws a sharp contrast between Himself and ordinary men. In the second, He shows that before His earthly coming, He already existed in heaven.
The Origin of Jesus and the Foundation of His Divine Authority
From what we have established, it becomes clear that Jesus’ origin was not earthly. Though He was born of Mary, that was not the beginning of His existence—it was merely the means through which His divine authority was clothed in human form so He could reach mankind.
Let us look at the manner of His birth:
Matthew 1:18
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”
This verse shows that Jesus’ conception was supernatural—there was no biological union between man and woman, as in ordinary human reproduction.
The Qur’an itself, in Surah 22:5, acknowledges the stages of natural creation—first through dust (Adam and Eve), and then through the mingling of male and female seed. Jesus’ birth, however, bypassed that process entirely, being through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In normal reproduction, the combination of male and female genetic material creates a new organism. Yet in Jesus’ case, this did not occur. Hence, His conception stands as a profound testimony to His divine origin and authority.
The Divine Authority of Jesus
Let us now go to the foundational Scripture that reveals the source of Jesus’ divine nature:
John 1:1–2
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.”
This passage makes it clear: Jesus is the Word who existed in heaven, and that Word was God. He is the divine agent of creation.
John 1:14 further clarifies:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Thus, the Word—Jesus—took on human flesh and lived among us, revealing the glory of the Father.
Jesus Himself confirmed His pre-existence and divine glory in:
John 17:5
“And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.”
He existed before the world began, sharing divine glory with the Father—an unmistakable claim of divinity.
The Jews recognized this claim and tried to stone Him, accusing Him of blasphemy:
John 10:30–33
“I and My Father are one.” Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him... The Jews answered Him, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.’”
This demonstrates that Jesus’ statements about His unity with the Father were understood as claims of divine equality.
Refuting False Interpretations
Some teachers attempt to distort John 1:1–3 by giving illogical analogies such as:
“In the beginning was the stool, and the stool was with the carpenter, and the stool was the carpenter.”
This comparison is flawed because it confuses two unrelated natures (a stool and a carpenter). A proper analogy would be:
“In the beginning was the stool, and the stool was with the tree, and the stool was the tree.”
This analogy fits because both the stool and the tree share the same nature—just as the Word and God share the same divine essence.
Therefore, the relationship between the Word and God is not that of two separate beings, but of one divine nature revealed in unity. Just as a stool cannot exist without its origin—the tree—so too the Word cannot be separated from God.
In conclusion, the origin of Jesus is divine, not earthly. His authority is rooted in His eternal pre-existence as the Word of God, who was with God and who is God.
Dr. Max Shimba
Max Shimba Ministries Org
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