1573. I. Christ Is God
I. Christ Is God
"He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of His people shall He take away front off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it. And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation" (Isa_25:8).
It is exceeding difficult for the Jew, who from his earliest years, has been prejudiced against the Deity of Jesus Christ to concede that the One born in Bethlehem, reared in Nazareth, crucified in Jerusalem, raised and exalted to the right hand of God the Father, is the God of whom Isaiah writes.
Israel's mind has long been darkened. She has spiritualized her Prophets, and thus blinded herself to the testimony of her own inspired writings.
We aver that the God of the Gentiles is the God of the Jews–one Lord. The Jehovah of the Old Testament is the Jehovah of the New–one God.
In all of this we do not deny the Trinity, we believe in God the Father, in God the Son, and in God the Holy Ghost; three persons, one God. What we insist is, that Jesus Christ is one with the Father in essential Deity; that the Old Testament Scriptures, therefore frequently speak of Jesus Christ the Son, as very God. In the chapters from Isaiah which we are to consider, we have given abundant proof of this. We have however, in them, only touched the hem of the garment. There are many other passages in Isaiah and in the Old Testament which refer to Jesus Christ as God, in words that are indisputable and incontrovertible.
We wish, by way of introduction, to sum up just a few of the Scriptures in Isaiah to which we have referred:
"Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." (God with us) (Isa_7:14).
In this Scripture Christ is called God.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: * * his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa_9:6).
Here Christ is called both God and Father.
There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him" (Isa_11:1-2).
Christ is God's anointed One.
"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song" (Isa_12:2).
The New Testament proclaims Christ as Saviour, making Him God.
"The moon shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion" (Isa_24:23).
These words refer to Christ in Mat_24:29, Mat_24:30.
"O Lord, thou art my God; * * I will praise thy name; * * He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces" (Isa_25:1, Isa_25:8).
These words refer to Christ in 2Ti_1:10 and 1Co_15:57.
"For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; he will save us" (Isa_33:22).
Every word spoken here about the Lord, is true of the Lord Jesus Christ; the New Testament tells us that God hath delivered all judgment to the Son; He is our lawgiver, He will be king, He will save His people Israel.
"For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called" (Isa_54:5).
Jesus Christ is both Maker, and Kinsman-Redeemer; He shall be called the God of the whole earth, for the Father says unto Him: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever."
"And nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee" (Isa_55:5).
This prophecy foretells the time of Israel's glory when the Lord Jesus shall be her God, the Holy One of Israel.
"Thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob" (Isa_60:16).
This passage refers again to the millennial glory of Israel, when Jesus Christ is her God.
Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR