It used to be easier for me to say. Don't get me wrong; I've always believed that Jesus is God, but the title grew a little uncomfortable for me. Perhaps that is because the New Testament rarely makes such a direct statement and opts rather for "Son of God." I understood the implications of that title as well. I understood what it meant for Jesus to be called the image of the invisible God or "who being in very nature God..." I was moved by the profound declaration of Jesus when he said, "Before Abraham was I AM!" And nothing gives me goose bumps more than that climatic scene of worship in Rev. 5 where all of creation bows before him and sings the seven fold song of praise. I knew all this and would declare that Jesus is God, but I admit that I wasn't completely comfortable saying it so directly.
I feared in my church history class it might not increase my confidence. I was afraid I might discover that the official church statement at Nicea would be more arbitrary than I always wanted to believe. How would I feel if the earliest Christians (after the 1st century) didn't interpret those passages about the divinity of Jesus in the same way we did and then they figured they all had to decide something so that they just voted Jesus is God into Nicea?
My study of history has done just the opposite. Whatever hesitation I felt about saying it as directly as the title of this blog says has vanished. It is evident to me that Clement and Justin were articulating this view of Jesus from early in the 2nd century. It is clear that this was the dominant belief of the church from the earliest of days. The only reason why the church had to do what it did at Nicea was because Arius and his cronies challenged the orthodoxy of what was already accepted. It was further impressed on me that the entire history of the church depended on the Orthodox position (which was in great jeopardy even after Nicaea) winning out!
I feel that I can now say more than ever that Jesus is God (as I said I've always believed this, but can express it with even greater conviction now). There was not a time when he was not...to contradict Arius. It only increases the majesty of Jesus even more in my heart to feel this conviction rekindled in my heart. The Creator of the universe became man and gave his life for his creation. That is good news and there is no good news if Jesus is not God in the flesh!
I also see now how serious this issue was and is. People want to pretend that what you believe about Jesus doesn't matter as long as you live your life in a certain way. Even the Arians knew that was hog wash. The identity of Jesus is the core of Christian faith. Either he's God and is our Savior or he's something other than God and not worthy of our worship or qualified to be our Savior. The early Christians (first three centuries of Christianity) felt that even the semantics of how you expressed the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were essential. That's how much was at stake in their view.
I may do another post about him, but Athanasius was a hero. You might say he saved the Christian faith. We honor him by not treating lightly what was worthy of an entire generation of church leaders' work. May we not repeat the mistakes of Arius, but rather proclaim with all the faithful Christians of old; Jesus is God!
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Just some discussion on the topic of one of my MDiv cases:
So the whole Proverbs 8:22 logic doesn't fly with you? You think Jesus, the logos wisdom, is not the one described here: "The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old..." Interesting!!
It does also seem like more politics than theology going on with Nicea than many will admit. Who is seriously going to oppose the emperor of the kingdom who has the power to put you outside the graces of the church? Only two bishops didn't sign it! Big politicking going on here.
I don't believe people like Anthanasius were influenced by politics. Many of the "in between guys" were. But the Emperor flip- flopped on the issue and later banished the ones that signed the creed! It is more of the struggle that comes after Nicea that convinces me that those that really fought for it believed it was the central tenet of the faith.
No, I don't believe that the Proverbs' passage is making any kind of doctrinal statment of the origins of Christ, even if John borrows from that language. I don't believe Jesus was a creature in any way...but rather the Creator.
Well said.
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