Christ: The Unique Son Who is God’s Equal
Table of Contents
The Apostle John identifies Jesus as God’s uniquely begotten Son, which indicates that there is no other son who is on the same level with him:
“No one has ever seen God. The uniquely existing God, who is close to the Father’s side, has revealed him.” John 1:18 International Standard Version (ISV)
“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his uniquely existing Son so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life. Because God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world would be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s uniquely existing Son.” John 3:16-18 ISV
“This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent his uniquely existing Son into the world so that we might live through him.” 1 John 4:9 ISV
John illustrates this in various ways, such as quoting Jesus stating that God actually demands that everyone gives to the Son the exact same honor that the Father is to receive. Failing to do so is to dishonor the Father who sent Jesus:
“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, 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 5:22-23
Christ even says that his Father will personally honor those who do so:
“If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.” John 12:26
Jesus further claims that the Father personally glorifies him and demands that others do the same:
“‘But I do not seek My glory; there is One who seeks and judges.’... Jesus answered, ‘If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, “He is our God”;’” John 8:54
“Therefore when he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him; if God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him immediately.’” John 13:31-32
“Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.’” John 17:1-2
It is evident that Jesus is presenting himself as being equal to the Father in divinity.
As the Son who is equal in glory and power, believers are to pray directly to Jesus who will then answer and perform all the works asked of him:
“Whatever you ask in My name, this will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:13-14
“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. And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” 1 John 5:13-15
Christ is also the joint Source of all spiritual blessings, which explains why John invokes him to bestow his graces upon the recipients of his letters:
“Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” 2 John 1:3
“He who bears witness to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.” Revelation 22:20-21
The Apostle further ascribes eternal praise (doxology) to the Son:
“John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from the One who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood—and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:4-6
John even has a remarkable vision where he sees every created being in the entire creation giving the Son the same exact worship that God receives for the exact same duration:
“And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one having a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are You to take the scroll and to open its seals, because You were slain and purchased for God with Your blood people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. And You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth.’
“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.’
“And EVERY CREATED THING which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and ALL THINGS IN THEM, I heard saying, ‘To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.’ And the four living creatures kept saying, ‘Amen.’ And the elders fell down and worshiped.” Revelation 5:8-14
It is evident that Christ is not a mere creature, but is an uncreated, eternal divine Person who is equal to the Father and the Holy Spirit.
This next case is also remarkable:
“Then he showed me a river of the water of life, bright as crystal, coming from the throne of God AND OF the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God AND OF the Lamb will be in it, and His slaves will serve Him; and they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night, and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illumine them, and they will reign forever and ever.” Revelation 22:1-5
There are three figures that are depicted as sharing the one singular divine throne, namely God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, who appears as the river of the water of life:
“‘He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”’ But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were going to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” John 7:38-39
Even more amazing is John’s depiction of God and the Lamb as a singular entity, since the singular pronouns in the above passage do not refer just to the Father. Rather, the Apostle’s employment of the singular pronouns definitely include the Son for the following reasons.
First, the inspired author describes believers as the slaves of Jesus, not just the Father:
“And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: This is what the Son of God, the One who has eyes like a flame of fire and His feet are like burnished bronze, says: ‘I know your deeds, and your love and faith and service and perseverance, and that your last deeds are greater than at first. But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and deceives My slaves so that they commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. And I gave her time to repent, and she does not wish to repent of her sexual immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.’” Revelation 2:18-23
Astonishingly, the risen Son applies the following words of YHWH to himself!
“I, Yahweh, search the heart; I test the inmost being, Even to give to each man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his deeds.” Jeremiah 17:10
John even speaks of Christ having priests that serve him:
“Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection. Over these the second death has no authority, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:6
And yet the Hebrew Bible is clear that it is YHWH alone who has priests who minister before him:
“But you will be called the priests of Yahweh; You will be spoken of as ministers of our God. You will eat the wealth of nations, And in their glories you will boast.” Isaiah 61:6
Second, believers have the very name of the Son upon themselves, not just the Father’s:
“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the sanctuary of My God, and he will never go out from it anymore. And I will write on him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” Revelation 3:12
“Then I looked, and behold, the Lamb was standing on Mount Zion, and with Him 144,000, having His name and the name of His Father written on their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder, and the voice which I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. And no one could learn that song except the 144,000 who had been purchased from the earth. These are the ones who are not defiled with women, for they are virgins. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb. And no lie was found in their mouth; they are blameless.” Revelation 14:1-5
Not only do the 144,000 Israelites possess the Lamb’s name on their foreheads, they are also said to be his very own first fruits, i.e., the first group of converts set apart as Christ’s possession. In fact, all first converts are Christ’s first fruits:
“Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia to Christ.” Romans 16:5 New King James Version (NKJV)
Once again, the NT ascribes to Jesus what the Hebrew Bible attributes to YHWH alone, e.g., converts are God’s first fruits:
“Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh, “I remember concerning you the loyal love of your childhood, the love of your betrothal-time, your going after me in the desert, in the land not sown. Israel was holy to Yahweh, the first fruit of his produce. All those who ate it were held guilty; disaster came to them,” declares Yahweh.’” Jeremiah 2:2-3 Lexham English Bible (LEB)
There is another case of John using singular pronouns, verbs, etc., in reference to God and Christ:
“And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and spoke with me, saying, ‘Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb.’ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and lofty mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, that has the glory of God. Its radiance is like a precious stone, something like a jasper stone, shining like crystal. It has a great and high wall that has twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written on the gates which are of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel—on the east, three gates, and on the north, three gates, and on the south, three gates, and on the west, three gates. And the wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb...
“And I did not see a temple in it, for the Lord God All-Powerful IS (estin) its temple, and the Lamb. And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon, that they shine on it, for the glory of God illuminates it, and its lamp is the Lamb. And the nations will walk by ITS light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. And its gates will never be shut by day (for there will be no night there), and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. And every unclean thing and one who practices detestable things and falsehood will never enter into it, except those who are written in the book of life of the Lamb.” Revelation 21:9-14, 22-27 LEB
The inspired writer refers to heavenly Jerusalem as being Jesus’ bride, not the Father’s, and speaks of God and the Lamb together being the one temple and the one light of the new heavens and earth:
According to the OT, it is YHWH who is the spiritual husband of his people:
“For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is Yahweh of hosts; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.” Isaiah 54:5
“‘And it will be in that day,’ declares Yahweh, ‘That you will call Me Ishi (“my husband”) And will no longer call Me Baali (“my husband/master/lord”). So I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth So that they will be remembered by their names no more. And in that day I will cut a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, The birds of the sky, And the creeping things of the ground. And I will break the bow, the sword, and war from the land, And I will make them lie down in security. And I will betroth you to Me forever; Indeed, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, In lovingkindness and in compassion, And I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know Yahweh.’” Hosea 2:16-20
YHWH is also said to be the one singular temple/sanctuary and the very light/lamp of creation, especially of the age to come:
“And I will cut a covenant of peace with them; it will be an everlasting covenant with them. And I will give them the land and multiply them and will set My sanctuary in their midst forever. My dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people. And the nations will know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.” Ezekiel 37:26-28
“For You are my lamp, O Yahweh; And Yahweh illumines my darkness.” 2 Samuel 22:29
“No longer will you have the sun for light by day, Nor for brightness will the moon give you light; But you will have Yahweh for an everlasting light, And your God for your glory. Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have Yahweh for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be finished.” Isaiah 60:19-20
The foregoing examples conclusively prove that the Apostle is in fact identifying Jesus as YHWH God Almighty who, though personally distinct from the Father, is essentially one with him in glory, power, honor and divinity.
Nor is John the only inspired writer to employ singular pronouns, verbs, participles, etc., in respect to both God and Christ:
“Now may our God and Father Himself AND Jesus our Lord direct (kateuthynai) our way to you, and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you, so that He may strengthen your hearts blameless in holiness, before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself AND God our Father, who has loved (ho agapetos) us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace (dous paraklesin kai elpida agathen en chariti), encourage (parakalesai) your hearts and strengthen (sterixai) them in every good work and word.” 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
In these examples, the blessed Paul employs singular verbs in his invocation to God and Christ, showing that he also believed that the Father and Son are essentially one in divinity, power, glory and honor.
What the foregoing verses show is that, according to the inspired testimony of the NT, Jesus is the only Son among all of God’s children who is equal to the Father in essence and nature. The rest are created beings who are children by creation and/or via adoption through Christ’s grace:
“There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to what was His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:9-14
“Now I say, as long as the heir is a child, he does not differ at all from a slave although he is owner of everything, but he is under guardians and stewards until the date set by the father. So also we, while we were children, were enslaved under the elemental things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave, but a son; and if a son, then an heir through God.” Galatians 4:1-7
Unless stated otherwise, scriptural references taken from the Legacy Standard Bible (LSB).
Further Reading
All the Nations will serve Him
The Lord Jesus Christ – The Son of God who is Equal with the Father in Essence
The Lord Jesus Christ – The Son of God who is Equal with the Father in Essence
Answering Islam – Sam Shamoun Theology Newsletter
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