Luke 2:48 – 50        Perhaps Christ had kept himself in reserve at home, but now he began to manifest the wisdom he had already received. In verse 48 where Mary says, “thy father and I,” this was legally correct, but not truly so; hence the correction and reminder to Mary of his divine mission on earth. In verse 49 where Christ says – how is it that ye sought me? I must be about my Fathers business were the first recorded words of Jesus Christ and the last recorded words were, “it is finished”.

Even at the young age of twelve he was already diligently preparing for his mission as mankind’s redeemer, even beyond his full comprehension.

Luke 2:51 – Amp And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was [habitually] obedient to them and his mother kept and closely and persistently guarded all these things in her heart. Where it says he went down with them and came to Nazareth means that is about 1,500 feet lower than Jerusalem. Jesus stayed obedient to his parents 18 more years until he turned 30.

Luke 2:52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.

He retained his divine nature, but limited himself to human attributes and powers during the days of his flesh, so that he could be a true example of a sinless human being overcoming sin and being anointed with the spirit to defeat Satan.

He proved to men that by the same spirit they could do his works as he promised. Jesus repeatedly said he could do nothing of himself! What do all these scripture mean if they do not mean what they say? As God with divine powers and attributes, would he need an anointing of the spirit to do these works? If he did them because he was God, then how does he expect a believer to do them? If he did them by the spirit that he has also promised to all believers then he has a right to expect his followers to carry on his work the way he did.

Jesus Christ is the magnet, the cornerstone, the way, the truth, the light, and life of the ages. He draws those that believe, those that have eyes to see and ears to hear. Because of unbelief, others are repelled from him. As the truth, Jesus Christ separates the two groups of people, believers from unbelievers, and the wheat from the chaff. Amen to that!

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Actions and Aspects of the Son of God

Beyond the claims that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the Bible, there are moments that document evidence verifying it, by action, or by aspects of Christ’s power and character.

 The Virgin Birth

If Jesus had a biological father, He could not have been the Son of God, and people would have been putting faith in a mere man. Instead, the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, and she conceived Jesus through divine means. Though Mary was betrothed to Joseph at this point, she was not married, and was confused as to how she could have a child without having a physical relationship with a man.

As documented in Luke 1:34-35, “And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’ And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.’” Later the angel told Joseph to marry Mary, but wait to have physical intimacy with her until after she gave birth to the child. The miraculous nature of Christ’s conception affirms the supernatural nature of Jesus.

The Power to Forgive Sins 

The Old Testament asserts that only God has the ability to forgive sins. In Isaiah 43:25 God says, “I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins.” It is the Lord who dispenses mercy and forgiveness. Therefore, it would have been blasphemy for anyone to claim to be able to forgive sins. This knowledge sheds light on several instances in the Gospels where Jesus asserts His Sonship as part of the Godhead, not just as a man. One such remarkable moment is when four men lower their paralyzed friend through a roof. 

As told in Mark 2:5-12:

“And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‘Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, ‘Why do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk?’ But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ – he said to the paralytic – ‘I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.’ And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!’”

The scribes were not wrong when they asserted that only God can forgive sins. By forgiving the paralytic of his sins, Jesus was claiming His place in the Godhead as the Son of God. He healed the man of paralysis to prove the man’s sins had been forgiven to those around them, and the witnesses glorified God because of it.

The Father Publicly Claimed Him

Perhaps the strongest evidence that Jesus Christ is the Son of God came after John the Baptist baptized the Lord in the Jordan River. It is one of the moments in the Gospels where the Father claims Jesus Christ as His son; “…and [Jesus] saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven, said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16b-17). God the Father reiterates this overt claim of a father-son relationship with Jesus Christ later during the Transfiguration, where He repeats the phrase, “…This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased…” (Matthew 17:5). God claimed Jesus Christ as the Son of God in two public displays.

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JCNG – The Trinity

“God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit”; this doctrine has been considered the cornerstone of Christianity for the past fifteen centuries.  No one can explain the trinity, we simply accept it by faith.  Long before the founding of Christianity the idea of a triune god or a god-in-three-persons was a common belief in ancient religions.  Religions worshipped a triune god for thousands of years before Christ was born, the trinity was not a part of Christian dogma or on formal documents of the first three centuries after Christ. There was no established doctrine of the trinity until the fourth century is a fully documented historical fact.

Even such a conservative source as the New Catholic Encyclopedia states that trinitarianism became part of Christian doctrine in the fourth, not the first century.  Many pagans who were converted to Christianity still adhered to some of their previous beliefs and practices. Thus, the pure Christian doctrine of the first century was quickly corrupted.  The falling away in the Christian Church began to take place shortly after the middle of the first century, toward the end of Paull’s ministry.

There are two scriptures which in our modern versions of the Bible contain a trinitarian formula. One of these two is found in1 John 5:6-8.  These verses contain words that do not appear in any of the early manuscripts.  Since the corruption of 1 John 5:7 and 8 had not yet occurred by the fourth century, promoters of trinitarianism and adherents to the trinitarian baptismal formula prior to the fourth century had only one scripture on which to base their new theology and that was Matthew 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.                                                           This verse appears in all manuscripts after the fourth century, by which time trinitarianism had already become a part of formal doctrine and writing.

Justin Martyr, the Christian who wrote in the middle of the second century, never quoted “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”; nor di Aphraates of Nisibis in the early fourth century. This shows that Justin and Aphraates must have had earlier manuscripts than are now in existence.  Furthermore, regarding water baptism, there is no record in the New Testament that the trinitarian baptismal command was ever carried out by the first century church.  They always baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.  Acts 2:38: Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

The concepts of the triune God, plus Mary as the mother of God and pagan symbolism took root and began growing in discussion and in writing.  It was Constantine’s peak of power, early in the fourth century, that the idea of Jesus Christ’s being coequal with God the Father began to gain a wide base of support.

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