It is quite appalling and poignant to see people celebrating Christmas boisterously without knowing the mystery behind the festival. Christmas goes beyond commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, the very God of all. It is a reminder to us that our God is with us (Matt.1:23); He has come to save us from our sins (Matt.1:21); He has come to give us life more abundantly (John 10:10b); and He is the Eternal Life that gives eternal life (1John 1:2; 5:11-12; cf Rom.6:23), inter alia. There is nothing bad in celebrating our Maker. Certainly, only the living can praise Him (Isa.38:19).  But, we need to understand the personality of a “Child” that is born, who is a “Son” that is given unto us who is God but God in human flesh (Isa.9:6; John 1:1, 14). This is a great mystery that needs to be explicated for better understanding.

This article is therefore set to unravel this great mystery. To this end, the author demystifies and demythologizes the deity of Jesus as God, the Son, and God-incarnate (John 1:14, 18) by employing what he calls “Functional and Ontological Models” in this piece.

Introduction

“¹² Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: ¹³ Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:¹⁴ In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: ¹⁵ Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: ¹⁶ For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: ¹⁷ And he is before all things, and by him, all things consist. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. ¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; ²⁰ And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth or things in heaven.” (Col. 1:12-21, KJV)

 “⁵ Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had.⁶ Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God. ⁷ He made himself nothing; he took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. ⁸ And in human form he obediently humbled himself even further bydying a criminal’s death on a cross.”(Phil.2:5-8, NLT, cf. John 1:1, 14; Emphasis mine).

The above Bible passages encapsulate the main thrust of this piece. They give a synopsis of the personality and the deity of Jesus Christ, His purpose, and the trajectory journey on earth. Jesus is more than just a Son; He is God-incarnate. God came in human form to deliver humanity from Satanic dungeon of captivity. The Johnnine Incarnation theology reveals this mystery in John 14 that Jesus is the human life of God. Thus, Jesus’ Birth means God our Saviour is with us (Matthew 1:21, 23). One may ask, Is Jesus the same as God? How can a God become a Son? And many other related questions. For Jesus, who is the Son, to be seen as God is a mystery. This mystery is what this author is trying to demystify and demythologize in this article. To do this, he employs two models: functional and ontological models to argue out his points.

What is Mystery?  

 It should be noted here that “mystery” is a religious truth that cannot be understandable by the application of human reason alone without divine help. So, when we talk about “mystery” here, we mean a religious truth that goes beyond human rational thinking until there is divine aid. Thus, when we say Jesus is the Son of God and yet He is God – this is a great mystery – a religious truth that can only be understood by a spiritual man. It takes the spiritual man to understand the spiritual things: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”(1Cor.2:14).

Jesus: God or Man?

The question, ‘who is Jesus?’, is again asked. Right from the New Testament days to the present day, the question of who Jesus is generates conflicting views. The Pharisees and the Sadducees were confused about the personality and deity of Jesus Christ. The church and the people outside the church, the heathens, are differed in their views. Having given the benefit of hindsight about His identity, Jesus asked His disciple a theological question, “Who do men say that I am?” (Mark 8:27; cf, Matt.16:13; Lk.9:18). The answers given by His disciples show that there is a great variety of opinions among the people: for example, “some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the Prophets.” Then, Jesus went on in His theological inquiry whether His own disciples who have been with Him for some time know Him or not. He asked them this question: “But whom say ye that I am?” (Lk.9:20; Mark 8:29; Mat.16:15). Indeed, this is the heart of the matter. At least everyone has to give his own personal answer and make his own personal confession.

In recent years, this question forms the epicentre of theological discussion, which has culminated in Christological debate. Although the substance of this piece is not to join in this Christological debate, it is to demystify and demythologise the deity of Jesus Christ through functional and ontological models. To save time and space, “The central statement of the Christology of the Ancient  Church is that God becomes one with man: Jesus Christ “Very God and very man”.’ For those who care to know, the Council of Nicaea (AD325) states:

 I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds; God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God; begotten, not made, being of one substance (homoousion) with the Father, by whom all things were made.

The debate about who Jesus is, lies mainly on the suggestion of Oscar Cullman in his classic book, “The Christology of the New Testament”, that ‘while the Greeks were more interested in nature or an ontological Christology, the Jewish people were more interested in a functional Christology. Similarly, today some people place a greater emphasis on the “deeds” or “actions” of Jesus Christ than His nature or being and vice versa.

Functional and Ontological Models of who Jesus is

Jesus is functionally equivalent to God; He has the same power and authority as the God of Israel. For example, the power to heal the sick (Mark 1:32-34; Acts3:6; 10:38); the power to teach authoritatively (Mark1:21-22; 13:31); to forgive sins(Mark 2:1-12; Lk 24:47; Acts.5:31; Col.1:14; 3:13; Heb.8:12); He has the power to save, to give eternal life (Acts 4:12; Rom.10:12-14; 6:23b; phil.3:20; Jude 1:25; 1John 5:11-12); to raise the dead (Lk.7:11-17; John 5:21; 6:40); power to exercise judgment(Mat.25:31-46; John 5:19-29; Acts 10:42; 1Cor.4:4-5; 2Tim.4:1), just to mention a few.

On the ontological dimension, Jesus is God. The incarnational theology of John is a clear revelation that Jesus is God (John 1:1-18). Time does not permit me to dwell extensively on this here. To know that only God (Jesus) is mighty to save, the name JESUS means SAVIOUR (Mat.1:21). Jesus is also called God (Mat.1:23). Thomas, one of Jesus’ disciples, called Him (Jesus) “My Lord and my God” when he confirmed that the same Jesus (God) that was killed, crucified, and buried was resurrected (John 20:28). The resurrection of Christ stands in a class of its own that Jesus is mighty to save. Apart from “countless” miracles He performed, He, Jesus, the very God that was crucified, still performed one other miracle after His resurrection to demonstrate His divine nature and /or deity.  This is the miracle of the GREAT CATCH OF FISH (John 21:4-14). When He resurrected, He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” (Mat.28:18). He is talking about the power to save, to deliver, to judge, and power to do all things as God who will never die – the Great “I AM”.

Jesus may be called a Prophet and a good Teacher; His utterances lend more credence to His divinity or deity as the very God of all. For example, in His role as a Prophet, He did not use the trademark formula: “Thus saith the Lord”. Instead, He spoke authoritatively. Jesus went beyond the function and moved to the ontological plane when He used the seven ego eimi (“I am”) utterances:

      “I AM the Bread of Life (John 6:35, 41, 48, 51);

      “I AM the Light of the world” (John 8:12);

       “I AM the Door of the sheep” (John 10:7, 9);

       “I AM the Good Shepherd” (John 11:25);

       “I AM the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11:25);

       “I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6); and

       “I AM the True Vine” (John 15:1, 5).

For the avoidance of doubt, Jesus declared Himself emphatically in John 8:58 as the “I AM” of the Old Testament, who had been before Abraham – a more direct claim to His deity. Hear Him: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” In other words, He has been before the formation of the world and through Him all things were created, or rather He is the Creator of all things (John 1:1-4; Col.1:12-21).  All this lends credence to ontological Christology.

What is more, for those who have accepted the gift of faith, Jesus is much more than a mere historical figure, a prophet, and a good teacher. He is Christ, the Savior, the Son of God, and the very God of all that was crucified. He is God-incarnate. He came to the people He created on earth to save them from their sins, to establish the (His) spiritual Kingdom of God on earth, and to offer the promise of eternal life to all those who believe in Him. But the greatest surprise is that He came to His own but His own did not recognize Him as God (John1:10-11). The books of Colossians, Philippians and John early cited chronologically above at the beginning of this piece give a graphic picture of a God the Father who is a God-incarnate the Son, with an “ontological equality but economic subordination”.

Conclusion

In the air of finality, Christ Jesus is the Ultimate Reality, the Ultimate Revelation of God, the Ontological and Absolute Reality. His deity is the bedrock of Christianity and the fulcrum on which the entire cosmos revolves (John 1:1-14; Col. 1:12-21; Phil.2:5-8,). This makes Christianity the only religion that portrays the very nature of God Himself. Thus, Christianity as a religion is teleological. This essentially distinguishes it from all other faiths or monotheistic faiths. Jesus is the True God and the true God is eternal life and that eternal life is Christ Jesus (1John 1:2; 5:11, 12, 20). Therefore, the real God, our Saviour, the indescribable and perfect Gift, the very Voice of Hope, the very Hope of the entire world (John 1:1, 14; 3:16; 1 Tim.1:1), as announced by the angel of God, is born this day:

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11).

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.” (1Tim.3:16)

          If you have not given your life to this great God, our Saviuor Jesus Christ, this is the right time to do so. If you want to give your life to Jesus, say after me now:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. As from today, I accept you as my Lord and personal Saviour. Please, have mercy on me, forgive me my sins, save my soul, and write my name in the book of life. As from today, I will serve you. Thank you for accepting me as your child.

For counselling and prayers, contact Pastor Dele Ilesanmi here: dele@christopress.org.ng or pstdeleilesanmi3@gmail.com