According to Mr. Erickson, the Ebionites were strongly monotheistic, believing only in a one-person God. Thus, they opposed the deity of Jesus. They believed that the Christ, or the godlike attribute which had been so apparent in Jesus during His time on earth, had descended upon Him during His baptism and that He had possessed that very special power for the entire period of His earthly ministry. Yet, that same power, also according to them, was one which withdrew itself from Him just prior to His death. By rationalizing Jesus in this way and by trying to make Him look like a normal man, they were able to relieve some of the tension which they had felt concerning the deity of Jesus, since it collided with their strict monotheistic viewpoint. In like manner, Unitarians are those who also have rejected the Trinity. Hence, they have opposed the deity of Jesus, too.
While on earth, Jesus tried to teach that He was the Christ, not only that but that He had actually been born the Christ. For instance, in claiming to be equal with God, in Matthew 5:31-34, Jesus spoke about Old Testament instructions concerning divorce and that of giving oaths. In each case, He expanded on those teachings, thus showing that He had been given unique authority over the laws and other such institutions. In Matthew 12:6, He implied that He was greater than the Jewish temple. In Matthew 12:8, He called Himself the Lord of the sabbath. In John 10:30, He claimed to be one with the Father, Who of course is God. And in John 10:28, He said that He could give His followers eternal life. But these types of teachings were very upsetting to those who had only wanted to believe in a one-person God.
Consequently, had Jesus only made remarks like those above, had He only healed a few people, or had He only been a great teacher, then the critics to His deity would have probably won out. The simple fact is that many people throughout the course of time have made great claims, yet in the end turned out to be nothing more than normal humanity. For Jesus to prove His deity, more would be required to show His true identity than just lip service, and that more came in the form of something very unique and special. Thus, the event which set Him apart from all the others was His resurrection. In Matthew 12:38-40, Jesus had clearly taught that He would die and be raised three days later. The resurrection of Jesus, which is backed up by both secular and nonsecular history, showed to all that Jesus really is Who He claimed to be. Despite those who wish to cling to their monotheistic, God-as-one-person belief, Jesus really is God.
Tom of Spotswood "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
Lesson 16 - "Son of God" As A Proof Of The Deity Of Christ
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