Deity of Christ and confessing Him as Lord

[civic]

To Confess

NT:3670 ‎o(mologe/w ‎homologeo (hom-ol-og-eh'-o);

Strong's Concordance

homologeó: to speak the same, to agree

Original Word: ὁμολογέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: homologeó
Phonetic Spelling: (hom-ol-og-eh'-o)
Definition: to speak the same, to agree
Usage: (a) I promise, agree, (b) I confess, (c) I publicly declare, (d) a Hebraism, I praise, celebrate.

3670 homologéō (from 3674 /homoú, "together" and 3004 /légō, "speak to a conclusion") – properly, to voice the same conclusion, i.e. agree ("confess"); to profess (confess) because in full agreement; to align with (endorse)


Joel 2:32
32 "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Will be delivered;
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who escape,
As the Lord has said,
Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

Here we see Paul quote this OT passage about YHWH and apply it to Jesus who is the one and only Lord according to the N.T.

Romans 10:9-13
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

So a person must confess Jesus is YHWH(Lord) to be saved. Confess means to agree with so the person confessing Jesus is Lord is in agreement that He is YHWH. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord ( YHWH) will be saved. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew old testament known as the Septuagint YHWH was translated as Kurios. Lord above is Kurios in Romans 10.

 

[civic]

I just found this from got questions.

Generally speaking, a lord is someone with authority, control, or power over others; to say that someone is “lord” is to consider that person a master or ruler of some kind. In Jesus’ day the word lord was often used as a title of respect toward earthly authorities; when the leper called Jesus “Lord” in Matthew 8:2, he was showing Jesus respect as a healer and teacher (see also Matthew 8:25 and 15:25).

However, after the resurrection, the title “Lord,” as applied to Jesus, became much more than a title of honor or respect. Saying, “Jesus is Lord,” became a way of declaring Jesus’ deity. It began with Thomas’ exclamation when Jesus appeared to the disciples after His resurrection: “Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’” (John 20:28). From then on, the apostles’ message was that Jesus is Lord, meaning “Jesus is God.” Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost contained that theme: “Let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah” (Acts 2:36). Later, in Cornelius’s house, Peter declared that Jesus is “Lord of all” (Acts 10:36). Note how in Romans 10:9 Jesus’ lordship is linked to His resurrection: “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

The statement “Jesus is Lord” means that Jesus is God. Jesus has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). He is Lord of the Sabbath (Luke 6:5). He is “our only Sovereign and Lord” (Jude 1:4). He is, in fact, the Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14).

Jesus referred to Himself as “Lord” many times (e.g., Luke 19:31; John 13:13). And when we compare the Old Testament with the New, we find several times when the “LORD” (Yahweh) of the Hebrew Bible is equated with the “Lord Jesus” by the apostles. For example, Psalm 34:8 says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good,” and that passage is alluded to in 1 Peter 2:3, except there Jesus is the “Lord” who is good. Isaiah 8:13 says that “the LORD Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy”; in 1 Peter 3:15 we are commanded, “In your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy” (ESV).

Amazingly, the Lord Jesus left His exalted position in heaven and came to earth to save us. In His Incarnation, He showed us what true meekness looks like (see Matthew 11:29). Just before His arrest, Jesus used His power and authority to teach us humility: “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:14). The last will be first, according to our Lord (Matthew 19:30).

In saying, “Jesus is Lord,” we commit ourselves to obey Him. Jesus asked, “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). An acknowledgement of Jesus’ lordship is logically accompanied by a submission to Jesus’ authority. If Jesus is Lord, then He owns us; He has the right to tell us what to do.

A person who says, “Jesus is Lord,” with a full understanding of what that means (Jesus is God and has supreme authority over all things) has been divinely enlightened: “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). Faith in the Lord Jesus is required for salvation (Acts 16:31).

Jesus is Lord. It’s the truth, whether or not people acknowledge the fact. He is more than the Messiah, more than the Savior; He is the Lord of all. Someday, all will submit to that truth: “God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11).

@ReverendRV Jesus is Lord.

 

[civic]

Who do you say that I Am ?

Jesus asked that question and lets here the testimony of Jesus, the Apostles and scripture.

Jesus said He was the I Am who existed before Abraham was born. He says He is the Savior, Lord, Christ, The Alpha and Omega the First and the Last. The names and titles of YHWH for sure

John calls Him God, YHWH and true God in his writings

Peter calls Him God and Savior in his writings

Jude calls Him the only Lord to the exclusion of all others.

Paul calls Him God, Lord, Lord over all, YHWH in his writings

Thomas called Him God.

Now the question remains today? Can you confess like those above that Jesus is YHWH(God) ?

If not then you deny the Son. Remember Jesus also said those who deny the Son the Father will also deny !

Lets see what the Apostles who were inspired by God to record in Scripture

Matthew
Matthew said He was Immanuel, God with us- Matthew 1:23

John
John said the Word was God and the Word became flesh John 1:1,14
John said Jesus is the True God and Eternal Life- 1 John 5:20
John said Jesus is the I AM ( YHWH) the Alpha and Omega, The First and the Last- Revelation 22:12-13
John said Jesus is the Lord God Almighty, the Alpha and Omega- Revelation 1:8

Thomas
Thomas said Jesus was His Lord and His God- John 20:28

Peter
Peter said Jesus is our God and Savior- 2 Peter 1:1

James
James said Jesus is the Lord that elders call upon to heal the sick- James 5:14
James said the Prophets spoke in His name YHWH- James 5:10

Jude
Jude said He is YHWH, the Only Sovereign and Lord- Jude 1:4
Jude said Jesus is the Lord( YHWH) who delivered his people out of Egypt- Jude 1:8

Paul
Paul says Jesus is our God and Savior- Titus 2:13
Paul says Jesus is YHWH( Lord)- Romans 10:13 and Joel 2:32

Paul says all the fulness of Deity ( God ) dwells in Him Bodily- Colossians 1:19, 2:9

Author of Hebrews
He said Jesus is the Creator who is YHWH that made everything and called Him God- Hebrews 1:8-10

Jesus
Jesus said He is the I Am ( YHWH)- John 8:58
Jesus said he who has seen Me has seen the Father- John 14:9
Jesus said He was EQUAL with the Father- John 5:17-18

So my question is since all these who were inspired to write these TRUTHS down concerning the Person of Christ, why do people not share this with others ?

Why do people in the church not share this with others when they witness ?

Why are people afraid to tell others who the REAL JESUS is ? God Incarnate

No one can say Jesus is LORD (YHWH) except by the Spirit !

 

[Fred]

Joel 2:32
32 "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Will be delivered;

Acts 2:21 is an exact quote from Joel 2:32 (3:5 in the LXX)
καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται

The "Lord" in Acts 2:21 (as in Romans 10:13) refers to the Lord Jesus.
This demonstrates the Lord Jesus is YHWH.

Acts 2:21
And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.

All the above was spoken by Peter (recorded by Luke).


Paul and Peter
Romans 10:11 - 1 Peter 2:6
Romans 10:12 - Acts 10:36
Romans 10:13 - Acts 2:21

 

[civic]

Acts 2:21 is an exact quote from Joel 2:32 (3:5 in the LXX)
καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου σωθήσεται

The "Lord" in Acts 2:21 (as in Romans 10:13) refers to the Lord Jesus.
This demonstrates He is YHWH.

Acts 2:21
And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
Acts 2:38
Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.

Amen brother !

 

[civic]

The Sons Pre- Existence prior to the Incarnation.The Son is Eternal as Scripture , Jesus and the Apostles declare.

John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

John 1:14
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory

These verses in John’s prologue reveal the pre existence of the Eternal Word/Son who was God and became flesh. He was the Creator of all things. Nothing came into existence apart from Him. He is before everything that has a beginning.

John 1:15
15 John bore witness of Him, and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'"

John 1:30
"This is He on behalf of whom I said, 'After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.'

John the Baptist was 6 months older than Jesus Christ. So it is impossible for Christ to be before him unless Jesus pre existed.

John 3:13
No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven — the Son of Man.

Again we see the pre existence of the Son and where He declares that He came from heaven to earth.

John 3:17
"For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

This verse shows the Son was sent from heaven by the Father to the earth.

John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.

Human beings come into existence when they are born into this world, but we surely do not come from Heaven.

John 8:23
"You are from beneath I Am from above, you are of this world I Am not of this world"

John 8:58
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I Am."

Here we see that Jesus lets the Pharisees know that He existed as a person before Abraham was born. Once again we see Jesus claiming to be the Eternal God.

John 16:28 I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world: again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

John 17:5
And now, Father, glorify Me(your Son in verse 2) in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.

Here we see the Son declared that He shared the same Glory together with the Father prior to creation. This passage makes Him equal with the Father as the Eternal God.

John 17:24
"Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world.

Below we read it was the Son who already existed as the Son which the Father sent into the world.

John 3:16-17
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 "For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him.

1 Cor 15:47 The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven.


Gal 4:4
But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,

1 John 4:14
And we have beheld and bear witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.


In 1 John 3:8 we see that the Son of Gods appearance or manifestation was for this very purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil. The verb φανερόω means to make manifest, appeared, to make visible or to bring to light something that was previously hidden. This clearly means that Jesus had already existed as the Son of God and He was made manifest or visible to us.

Now we also know from Johns writings that those who deny Jesus came in the flesh are the spirit of antichrist. Those who deny God became flesh and dwelt among us are deceivers. The Incarnation was permanent as we read in 2 John 7- Jesus has come in the flesh. A past action with present results.

Col 1:13-18
For He delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 And He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things have been created by Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Heb 1:2-3
in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. 3 And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power.

Heb 1:8
But of the Son He says,
"Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever,

Heb 5:7-8
In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. 8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

The question is who or what was He before the days of His flesh? It is obvious that He pre existed before His birth(days of His flesh) as the Son.

The Father sent the Son into this world and we know this as the Incarnation. Meaning God became flesh( a man). Since the Son is God, the 2nd Person of the Trinity scripture calls the Son- God manifest in the flesh.

hope this helps !!!

 

[Sparrow]

To Confess

NT:3670 ‎o(mologe/w ‎homologeo (hom-ol-og-eh'-o);

Strong's Concordance

homologeó: to speak the same, to agree

Original Word: ὁμολογέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: homologeó
Phonetic Spelling: (hom-ol-og-eh'-o)
Definition: to speak the same, to agree
Usage: (a) I promise, agree, (b) I confess, (c) I publicly declare, (d) a Hebraism, I praise, celebrate.

3670 homologéō (from 3674 /homoú, "together" and 3004 /légō, "speak to a conclusion") – properly, to voice the same conclusion, i.e. agree ("confess"); to profess (confess) because in full agreement; to align with (endorse)


Joel 2:32
32 "And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
Will be delivered;
For on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem
There will be those who escape,
As the Lord has said,
Even among the survivors whom the Lord calls.

Here we see Paul quote this OT passage about YHWH and apply it to Jesus who is the one and only Lord according to the N.T.

Romans 10:9-13
9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."

So a person must confess Jesus is YHWH(Lord) to be saved. Confess means to agree with so the person confessing Jesus is Lord is in agreement that He is YHWH. Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord ( YHWH) will be saved. In the Greek translation of the Hebrew old testament known as the Septuagint YHWH was translated as Kurios. Lord above is Kurios in Romans 10.

This is a really good clarification, @civic . I apologize if I’m a little off-topic here, but I have known so many people who were confused about what they must confess to be saved. It’s sad to see people hesitate because they mistakenly believe they must drag out all their “dirty laundry” in a public setting in order to be acceptable to God.

 

[civic]

This is a really good clarification, @civic . I apologize if I’m a little off-topic here, but I have known so many people who were confused about what they must confess to be saved. It’s sad to see people hesitate because they mistakenly believe they must drag out all their “dirty laundry” in a public setting in order to be acceptable to God.

I put this together a few years ago on the other forum most of us were on for years. Let me know what you think. Thanks !

Hypostatic Union

1. Jesus is a person. (1 Tim 2:5)

2. Jesus, the Person, has two natures- Divine and human (John 1:1, 14, 1 Timothy 3:16): Divine and human. This is the Hypostatic Union.( Col 2:9, Heb 1:3,2:16)

3. The Communicatio Idiomatum (Communication of the Properties) states that the attributes of His Divine nature and human nature are both ascribed to the one Person of Jesus. So Jesus can exhibit attributes of Divinity (Omnipresence, Omniscience, Omnipotence, . John 2:23, 3:13, 8:58, He was prayed to in Acts 7:59, John 14:13, He was is worshiped Matt 2:2:11, Rev 5:13-14) and at the same time exhibit attributes of His humanity( He was tempted, ate, prayed,wept, grew in wisdom and stature,was anointed,was baptized, the Father was greater, didn’t know the day or the hour of His Return, He cried My God my God why has Thou forsaken Me, He died etc.). The communicatio idiomatum does not mean that any part of the Divine nature was communicated to the human nature.

4. The Man(anthropos) Jesus is what we perceive (if we were there 2000 years ago in Israel) and through the Man we encounter the Divine nature (Jesus knowing all things, is on earth while in heaven, answers prayer, forgiving sins, etc.).

5. The Person of Jesus will always be both Divine and human. (John 1:1,14,20:28, 1 John 5:20, 1 Timothy 2:5) Those who deny this fact are the spirit of antichrist. (1 John 4:1-4,2 John 7)

6. The Divine Nature is within the Trinity.(Father, Son and Holy Spirit)

7. Since the Person of Jesus claims the attributes of Divinity(John 3:13,8:58,Matthew 9:2,12:8), then the Person of Jesus is a member of the Trinity.( John 14-16, Math 28:19)

Anything said of either of Christ's two natures applies to the one Person of Christ, so that is how it is said that Christ died on the cross. The term "hypostatic union" refers to the two natures united in the one Person, so anything said of those two natures in the one Person applies to the whole Person. So we see that the Person of Christ is both God and man. The phrase hypostatic union was adopted by the general council at Chalcedon 451 AD. That council declared that the union of two natures is real (against Arius), not a mere indwelling of God in a man (against Nestorius), with a rational soul (against Apollinaris), and that in Christ’s Divine nature remains unchanged (against Eutyches).

We need to look to the Monothelite Controversy which had to deal with whether there was one or two wills/minds in the person of Christ. The outcome was that there were two; one human and one divine with the human subjected to the divine. The eternal Son of God did not assume a part of a human nature without a mind, without a will, without human activity, but He assumed all the things that were planted in our nature by God.

Now then, to act (or in this case, speak) is the work of a person, but the form or nature is the cause of this action; for each person acts in accord with the form or nature which it has. A difference in causes (natures) produces a difference in effects (actions). Therefore, where there are different natures, there are also different activities. So in the one Person of Christ there are two natural actions, the divine and the human, each of which has its own essential attributes, functions, and actions. Jesus was thirty years old according to His human nature (Luke 3:23); according to His divine nature He could say: "Before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58). The question is did both natures know this and communicate it to the Person. The answer is yes because the divine nature with its corresponding divine will willed the human nature to respond in such a fashion in keeping with Christ's office and ministry. In the text regarding Mark 13:32, we have a slightly different situation here. Christ is acting (speaking) from His human nature, but, this time, the divine will does not allow the human will access to this knowledge. For this information is not to be published on earth. Therefore, as man, Christ cannot answer the question.

hope this helps !!!

 

[Sparrow]

He cried My God my God why has Thou forsaken Me

Hi @civic … Your thoughts on “hypostatic union” are very good. I have never really thought about scripture in philosophical terms coined by men—always just relied on what the Bible says. But you’ve done a great job explaining.

I’m not sure I would have included the part highlighted above; when I hear Jesus cry out from the cross, I think of Psalm 22:1, not really a belief that He has been forsaken.

Also, how does the Holy Spirit fit into this union?

 

[civic]

Hi @civic … Your thoughts on “hypostatic union” are very good. I have never really thought about scripture in philosophical terms coined by men—always just relied on what the Bible says. But you’ve done a great job explaining.

I’m not sure I would have included the part highlighted above; when I hear Jesus cry out from the cross, I think of Psalm 22:1, not really a belief that He has been forsaken.

Also, how does the Holy Spirit fit into this union?

I have written a thesis paper on Psalm 22. I'm not going to post it here though.

 

[Sparrow]

I have written a thesis paper on Psalm 22.

If it’s too long to post, maybe you could post it as a blog.

 

[civic]

nt

 

[civic]

Jesus is eternal life, He is life. We see this over and over again in the Apostle Johns writings. In Him was LIFE and that LIFE was the light of man. Life of the world, the Bread of LIFE,My words are spirit and they are LIFE, I AM the way,the truth and the LIFE,The LIFE was manifested and we proclaim to you the ETERNAL Life which was with the Father, and was manifested to us- The Prologue of 1st John. So we see that when John uses the phrase True God and Eternal Life together in 1 John 5:20 that He is referring to Christ as the closest antecedent making Him the True God and Eternal Life.

Also we see that when we search the NT that Eternal Life is never used of the Father without the Son but we see that Eternal Life is used over and over with Jesus where the Father is never mentioned. This makes a solid case for Jesus in 1 John 5:20 as the True God and Eternal Life.

1 John 5:20
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true — even in his Son Jesus Christ. He(Jesus) is the true God and eternal life.

On behalf of seeing χριστος as the antecedent are the following arguments: (1) Although it is true that αληθινος θεος is not elsewhere referred to Christ, αληθεια is, and is so in Johannine literature (John 14:6).

29 Winer-Moulton, 195.
Further, αληθινος θεος is not a "constant.. epithet" as Winer supposes, being found only in John 17:3 and 1 John 5:20! (2) Christ is also said to be ζωη in John's writings John 11:25; 14:6; 1 John 1:1-2), an epithet nowhere else used of the Father. (3) The demonstrative pronoun, ουτος, in the Gospel and Epistles of John seems to be used in a theologically rich manner.30 Specifically, of the approximately seventy instances in which ουτος has a personal referent, as many as forty- four of them (almost two-thirds of the instances) refer to the Son. Of the remainder, most imply some sort of positive connection with the Son.31 What is most significant is that never is the Father the referent.For what it is worth, this datum increases the probability that ιησου χριστω is the antecedent in 1 John 5:20. 32 The issue cannot be decided on grammar alone. But suffice it to say here that there are no grammatical reasons for denying that αληθινος θεος is descriptive of Jesus Christ.

1st- Jesus is called God in the writings of John(1:1,20:28,1 John 5:20)

2nd- Jesus is called Eternal Life over and over again in Johns writings

3rd- John opens up his epistle with the Eternal life(Jesus) that was with the Father in the beginning and was manifest to the disciples(1 John 1:1-5)

4th- John ends his epistle with Jesus who is eternal life and only is eternal life found in Him who is the true God.

5th- never is eternal life used of the Father alone. When the Father is included the Son is always mentioned together with the Father making them equal. Equality with the Father was not something Jesus needed to grasp at as He already possessed complete Deity as God.(Phil 2, Col 2:9)

6th- John would not leave his readers with any ambiguity warning them to guard themselves from idols(5:21) So this would be clear his reference was to those who reject Jesus as the true God. They are the idoloters and antichrists John writes of in his epistles.

7th- Jesus is also the True God and the True one in 1 John. Jesus is the true light which brings light to all men (John 1:9) Jesus is the truth (John 14:6)Jesus is the true vine (John 15:1). Jesus is the true witness of God (John 18:37) He who is true (Revelation 3:7) Jesus is the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14)Jesus is Lord God Almighty, Just and true are your ways(Revelation 15:3) Jesus is faithful and true(Revelation 19:11).

8th- [In John's writings] Of the approximately 70 instances in which ουτος has a personal referent, as many as 44 of them (almost 2/3 . . . ) refer to the Son. Of the remainder, most imply some sort of positive connection with the Son.31 What is most significant is that NEVER is the Father the referent.FWIW, this datum increases the probability that ιησου χριστω IS the antecedent in 1 John 5:20. Wallace.

So the most logical conclusion is that it refers to Jesus as the true God. Not only is this Wallace's conclusion from Johns usage of outos but He is the closest antecedent (most times in the NT this principal holds true). Eternal Life is never used of the Father alone in John’s writings and only a couple of times does John include the Father with the Son regarding eternal life. John opens up his epistles describing the "eternal life" who was with the Father in the beginning and then ends his epistle with eternal life identifying Jesus as the true God and eternal life. John then says this in the last verse:

1 John 5:21-Guard yourselves from idols

Now why would he leave any ambiguity in verse 20 as to the identity of the true God and eternal life then turn around commanding them to protect themselves from idolatry ? It makes absolutely no sense whatsoever unless John is identifying Jesus as the true God and refuting the Gnostics of his day who denied the Incarnation.


More evidence from Scripture that Jesus is life, the source of that life and eternal life itself. Apart from Him there is no life. This cannot be said of a mere man now can it ?

John 1:4
4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

John 5:39-40
39 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, 40 yet you refuse to come to Me to have life.

John 6:33
For the bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

John 6:35
35 And Jesus said unto them, I Am the bread of life:

John 6:47
47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me hath everlasting life.

John 6:51
51 I Am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

John 6:53
53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

John 6:63
63 It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.

John 10:10
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 11:25-26
25 Jesus said to her, "I Am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?"

John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, "I Am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 20:30-31
30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.

1 John 1:1-2
1 What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life — 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us

1 John 5:12-13
12 He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. 13 These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

1 John 5:20
20 We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in Him who is true — even in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life

 

[civic]

Continued :

And Jesus said no one knows the Father but through the Son. They are One in nature,essence or being. You cannot have One without the Other. This can be said of no man unless that man is also God in the flesh which Jesus is indeed !

John 5:23
so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

John 6:45-51
Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father, comes to Me. 46 "Not that anyone has seen the Father, except the One who is from God; He has seen the Father. 47 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life. 48 "I am the bread of life. 49 "Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 "This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 "I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh."

John 10:14-16
4 "I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, 15 even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. 16 "I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.

John 10:25-30
"I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father's name, these testify of Me. 26 "But you do not believe because you are not of My sheep. 27 "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; 28 and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. 29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 "I and the Father are one."

John 10:38-39
38 but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." 39 Therefore they were seeking again to seize Him, and He eluded their grasp.

John 14:6
"I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 14:9
"Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?

John 16:15
"All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you


And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."


We can see from other passages from the same author the Apostle John that Jesus is called the eternal life. In 1st John 1 Jesus is called "the word of life", "the life" and "the eternal life which was with the Father" (verse 2). Jesus is life itself John 1:4 and He said the following "I am the way, the truth and the life!" He also said whoever believes in Him shall have eternal life (John 3:15). So we can see that Jesus by definition in I John 1:2 is "the eternal life", and in 1 John 5:20 is called "The true God and Eternal Life".

Jesus is the true vine (John 15:1)
Jesus is also the true light (John 1:9)
Jesus is faithful and true (Revelation 19:11)
Jesus is the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14)
Jesus is the truth (John 14:6)
Jesus is the true witness (John 18:37)
Jesus is He who is holy, He who is true(Revelation 3:7)

So I John 5:20 teaches us clearly that we are in the Son, Jesus Christ, and that He is the True One, even "the true God and Eternal Life".

One must confess Jesus is the true God and Eternal life, for without such confession one is left in their sin(John 8:24) You must believe Jesus is the great I Am.

 

[Eleanor]

Not to mention that the NT witnesses throughout that Jesus is God.

I. It identifies Jesus as the YHWH of the OT in

Mt 3:3, Lk 1:67-68, 76 (Isa 40:3) - Jesus is the YHWH of whom the voice calling in the wilderness (John the Baptist) prepared the way.

Ro 10:9, 13 (Joel 2:32) - Paul teaches Jesus is the YHWH of Joel's prophecy that "everyone who calls on the name of YHWH will be saved."

Heb 1:6 (Dt 32:43) - Heb quotes Moses' song referring to YHWH and says it applies to Jesus.

Rev 1:12-18 (Isa 44:6, 48:12) - the man in the vision is Jesus (1:18, 2:8) who identifies himself as the First and the Last which is YHWH identification of himself.

Rev 21:6, 22:12-13 (Rev 1:8) - the man in the vision (Jesus) identifies himself as the Alpha and Omega of Rev 1:8, which is YHWH.

Rev 21:5-7 (Rev 20:11-13) -Jesus, the one on the throne (Rev 20:11-13 with Jn 5:22, 27, 9:39), is God (Rev 21:7).

The Elohim and YHWH who created all things (Ge 1:1, Is 44:24, Jer 10:16) is Jesus (Jn 1:3, Col 1:16-17, Heb 1:2b, 10).

Jesus is
Immanuel (Isa 7:14, Mt 1:23) "God with us;"
Mighty God, Everlasting Father" (Isa 9:6);
God who came to save (Isa 35:4-6, 43:11),
YHWH Adonai of Eze 34:11-16 who is the shepherd of the sheep (Jn 10:11-15).

II. Jews understood that Jesus said he was God, seeking many times to stone him for blasphemy (Mk 2:3-7, Jn 6:41-42, 10:30-33, 5:18, 8:58-59, 19:7--Lev 24:16).

III. Paul said we are waiting for the glorious appearing of 'the great God and Savior of us Jesus Christ." (Tit 2:13)

IV. The NT testifies that Jesus is not an angel (Heb 1:4-14), that his "name" is Son--a name to which no angel can lay claim (Heb 1:4), that he is begotten of God (giving him the same nature as God, divine) and that he is the only begotten of God, he has no brothers like himself, divine.

V. The NT presents worship of Jesus together with his Father:
To the gods of paganism (Ac 17:22-27), Paul opposes one God the Father and one Lord Jesus Christ (1 Co 8:5-6) to be worshiped, and shows
worship of Jesus (Php 2:10),
prayer to Jesus (Ac 7:59, 9:14, 2 Co 12:8, 1 Co 1:2, 16:22, Rev 22:20)
praise to Jesus (Ro 9:5, 2 Tim 4:8, 2 Pe 3:18, Rev 1:5-6, 5:10, 7:13)
desired divine blessing of Jesus (1 Th 3:11-13, 2 Th 3:5, 16)
all of which are reserved to God alone (Ex 20:3-5, Mt 4:9-10, Ac 10:25-26, Rev 19:10, 22:8-9).

VI. The NT presents Jesus as having the attributes of God:
eternal existence - Jn 1:1, 2, 1 Jn 1:2, Rev 1:8, 22:13,
omnipresence - Mt 18:20, 28:20, Ac 18:10.
omniscience - Mt 9:4, Jn 2:24-25, 6:64, 21:17b, 16:30, Col 2:3,
omnipotence - Mt 28:18, Jn 3:35, 6:39b, 40b, 54b, 11:25, 13:3, Php 3:21, Col 1:17, 19, 2:9, Heb 1:3, 10-12, Rev 1:8, 21:5 (Da 7:14),
immutability - Heb 1:10-12, 13:8,
providence - Lk 10:22, Jn 3:35, 17:2, Eph 1:22, Col 1:17, Heb 1:3,
forgiveness of sin - Mk 2:7-11, Ac 5:31, Col 3:13,
judges sin - Mt 25:31-32, Jn 5:22, 27, Ac 10:42, 17:31, Ro 2:16, 14:10, 2 Co 5:10, 2 Tim 4:1,
gives eternal life - Jn 5:21, 6:54, 57, 11:25-26 1 Co 15:45,
source of eternal life - Jn 1:4, 5:26, 14:6, Ac 3:15, 1 Jn 1:1-2, 5:11-12, 20, Rev 1:18.

VII. Confession that "Jesus is Lord" means to acknowledge that Jesus is a person to be invoked, trusted, known, praised and adored as God the Father is (Jn 5:23); i.e., as divine.

The NT witnesses throughout that Jesus is God.