If Jesus Were Not Fully God
The gospel is built on something absolutely essential: Jesus Christ is not merely a great teacher, a prophet, or a created being. He is fully and eternally God. If Jesus were not truly God, we would lose something at the very heart of the gospel.
Think about what the gospel tells us. God Himself came to us in Jesus Christ. God stepped into our world, took upon Himself humanity, lived among us, suffered for us, died for our sins, and rose again. Salvation is not simply a good man dying for other people. It is God Himself reaching down to save His fallen creation.
Paul makes this clear in 1 Corinthians 8:6: “But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
Jesus is included in the divine work of creation. Everything exists through Him, and we exist through Him. Paul is not presenting Jesus as a lesser spiritual being. He places the Father and the Son together within the divine identity.
Paul also writes in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts.” The God who spoke light into existence is the same God who brings spiritual light into our hearts through Christ.
This makes the gospel deeply personal. The One who saves us is not distant from us. In Christ, God came near.
Consider also 2 Corinthians 5:19: “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.”
What an amazing statement. God was in Christ, reconciling sinners to Himself. The gospel is not humanity finding a way back to God. It is God taking the initiative to bring us back to Himself.
If Jesus were not fully and eternally God, the gospel would be fundamentally different. We would lose the assurance that God Himself has entered our suffering and provided the way of salvation. We would lose the beautiful truth that the love displayed at Calvary is the love of God Himself.
And yet Jesus did not stop being God when He became human. He remained divine while willingly taking upon Himself our humanity. He humbled Himself for our salvation.
Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 8:9, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.”
That is grace.
Jesus had everything, yet He willingly gave Himself for us. He did not owe us salvation. He did not have to leave heaven. He did not have to suffer. He did not have to die. He did it because He loves us.
This is why the divinity of Christ is not merely a theological detail. It tells us something profound about God's character. The God who asks us to trust Him is the God who came looking for us. The God who forgives us is the God who paid the price for our redemption.
The cross, then, becomes even more meaningful. We see there not merely the death of an innocent man, but the incredible self-giving love of God revealed through Jesus Christ.
Perhaps today you feel far from God. Perhaps you have made mistakes you wish you could undo. The gospel says that God has not abandoned you. In Christ, God has come near. He offers reconciliation, forgiveness, and new life.
The question is not whether God's love is strong enough to reach you. Calvary has already answered that question.
God's love reached all the way down to us.
And because Jesus is fully and eternally God, we can look at Him and know that we are seeing the love of God toward humanity.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Jesus Christ. Thank You that in Him You came near to us and revealed Your love in the most powerful way possible. Help us understand more deeply who Jesus is and what He has done for us. When we feel unworthy, remind us of Your grace. When we feel distant from You, remind us that You have already reached out to us through Christ. Help us trust Jesus completely, follow Him faithfully, and share His love with others. Thank You for the assurance that salvation rests in Your love and grace, not in our own goodness. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
