Why is the Deity of Christ so important to the Christian faith?

Jesus’ message was entirely about the Father and not about himself. He did not make an explicit and overt claim to deity. He did not say in so many words “I am God.” What we do find are his claims of his deity. For example, Jesus said that he would send “his angels from him” (Matthew 13:41); elsewhere they are spoken of as “the angels of God” (Luke 12:8-9; 15:10).

There are many prerogatives that Jesus claims regarding his deity. This is what he needs to know.

First, his claim to forgive sins. When his friends lowered the paralytic through the roof, Jesus did not respond with a comment about the man’s physical condition or his need for healing. Rather, his initial comment was “My son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5).

Second, Jesus also speaks of judging the world (Matthew 25:31-46). He will sit on his glorious throne and will separate the sheep from the goats. The power to judge the spiritual condition and assign the eternal destiny of all people belongs to him. Certainly this is a power that only God can exercise.

Third, the authority that Jesus claimed and exercised is also clearly seen with respect to the Sabbath. The sanctity of the Sabbath had been established by God (Exodus 20:8-11). Only God could repeal or modify this regulation. However, consider what happened when Jesus’ disciples picked grain on the Sabbath and the Pharisees objected that Sabbath standards were being violated. Jesus responded by pointing out that David had broken one of the laws by eating the bread reserved for the priests. Then, addressing the current situation directly, Jesus stated: “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; therefore the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” ( Mark 2:27-28). He was clearly claiming the right to redefine the status of the Sabbath, a right that belongs only to someone virtually equal to God.

Fourth, Jesus also claims to have an unusual relationship with the Father. Jesus claims to be one with the Father (John 10:30); and that seeing and knowing him is seeing and knowing the Father (John 14:7-9). There is a claim of pre-existence in his statement in John 8:58: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” Another allusion to pre-existence is found in John 3:13, where Jesus states: “No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man.” There is also a claim to simultaneous and co-terminal work with the Father: “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23).

Fifth, the clearest indication of Jesus’ self-understanding is found in relation to his trial and condemnation. The charge according to John’s account was that he “has made himself the Son of God” (John 19:7). Matthew reports that the high priest said at the trial: “I adjure you by the living God; tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63). Jesus replied, “You have said so. But I tell you that from now on you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64).

Sixth, Jesus also accepted the attribution of deity to him by his disciples. The clearest case of this is his response to Thomas’s statement: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Here was an excellent opportunity to correct a misconception (if that is what it was), but Jesus did not. Seventh, Jesus made his most emphatic statement in his words to Martha: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even though he dies, he will live” (John 11:25).

Believing in the deity of Christ is an important requirement for our salvation. To deny Christ is to deny his death and resurrection and thus to deny the assurance of our salvation. We have to believe in what Jesus says: “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER BUT THROUGH ME” (John 14:6).