THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT PAUL THOUGHT OF JESUS AS GOD, THE LORD OF OUR DEVOTION.
1). INTRODUCTION
Did Paul think of Jesus as God? As the leading Apostle and flagbearer of the gospel to the Gentiles its important to establish Paul’s understanding of the status of the Messiah and how he anchored it in the Hebrew Scriptures.
From even a cursory examination of his letters its seems clear that Paul certainly had a high Christology, in which Jesus received worship and devotion, that was without precedent in the Judaism of the first century. From the wider context of Paul’s undisputed letters, there are a number of indications of this high devotion to Jesus.¹
This post focuses on the main strands of the evidence. From which we can see that Paul has anchored His perception of Jesus identity in the Old Testament. Moreover Paul is reflecting and reinforcing the position of the church he is NOT as Muslim’s falsely accuse him, making anything up on the fly nor inventing a doctrine of the divinity of Christ.
2). JESUS IS THE INCARNATION OF YAHWEH
Perhaps one of the clearest indications that Paul thought Jesus was the incarnation of Yahweh comes from the fact that he used Monotheistic Old Testament passages which uniquely referred to Yahweh and applied them to the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:13 cf. Joel 2:32; 1 Corinthians. 1:31 cf. Jeremiah. 9:24; 1 Corinthians 2:16 cf. Isaiah 40:13; 1 Corinthians 10:26 cf. Psalm 24:1; 2 Corinthians 10:17 cf. Jeremiah 9:24 to mention a few). 1 Corinthians 2:16, for example, alludes to Isaiah 40:13 which is in the context of some of the most explicit monotheistic statements in the entire Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 40:13-28; 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5).
▪︎ Romans 10:13 cf. Joel 2:32
Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Joel 2:32, “Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls.”
Comment: The LORD reference here is to Yahweh. However, Paul takes the Lord reference in Joel 2:32 and applies it to Jesus in Romans 10:13.
▪︎ 1 Corinthians 1:31 cf. Jeremiah 9:24
1 Corinthians 1:31, “in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.”
Jeremiah 9:24, “But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me — that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration.”
Comment: The Lord in 1 Corinthians 1:31 is a reference to Jesus, while the quotation is a reference to Yahweh. (See also 2 Corinthians 10:17 where the same comparison is repeated)
▪︎ 1 Corinthians 2:16 cf. Isaiah 40:13
1 Corinthians 2:16, “For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
Isaiah 40:13, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or who gave Him His counsel?
Comment: The Lord in the context of 1 Corinthians 2 is Jesus. while the Lord in Isaiah 40:13 is Yahweh.
▪︎ 1 Corinthians 10:26; cf. Psalm 24:1
1 Corinthians 10:26, “For the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.”
Psalm 24:1, “The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord.”
Comment: The Lord in the context of 1 Corinthians 10 is Jesus, while the Lord in Psalm 24:1 is Yahweh.
3). JESUS RECEIVES PRAYER
The early Christians prayed to Jesus for his return and for blessing and were even described as those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, which likely indicate that such prayer was a regular part of their devotional practices (1 Corinthians 1:2; 16:22; 2 Corinthians 12:8; Romans 10:13). 1 Corinthians 1:2 and Romans 10:13 even draw upon an Old Testament passage referring to Yahweh, which was the unique Hebrew name for God, and apply them to Jesus.
According to Paul, New Testament Christians were everywhere praying to Jesus.
“Paul. . . to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.” (1 Corinthians 1:1–2).
It appears that Paul includes himself among those who called upon the name of Jesus. These prayers directed to Jesus were universal. And the present tense of “call” suggests that the prayers were on-going.
Again in Romans we find: “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). What is that name if not Jesus?
The phrase, “Maranatha” (1 Corinthians 16:22), which is usually translated as the petition, “Come, O Lord.” “Maranatha” is an Aramaic expression that originated before Christians had filtered throughout the Gentile community. It seems that very early on, the Christians were crying out to Jesus, “Come, O Lord!” This was a prayer of petition.
4). JESUS RECEIVES WORSHIP
They also composed hymns describing Jesus as pre-existent and active in the themes of creation, redemption, and end-time salvation. Paul was not ashamed to include the worshipful credal-hymn found in Philippians 2:6-11. Only God was the Creator, and for Jesus to share in that action indicates that He could be uniquely viewed as sharing in God’s identity or being God Himself. Likewise, the fact that Paul thought of Jesus as pre-existent indicates that he certainly had some view of the incarnation or Jesus’ coming to earth as a human (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 with Philippians 2:6-11).
Paul had no hesitation in joining Father And Son worshipping both in spirit exactly as Jesus taught (John 4:23 and 5:23).
“For we … who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).
5). JESUS IS PRE-EXISTENT
As already mentioned, Paul had an understanding of Jesus being pre-existent (cf. Romans 8:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 10:4; 15:47; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Galatians 4:4). This would be totally consistent with the idea of Jesus being God incarnate.
Romans 8:3, “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: SENDING HIS OWN SON in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.”
Romans 9:5, “The ancestors are theirs, and from them, BY PHYSICAL DESCENT, CAME THE MESSIAH, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen.”
1 Corinthians 8:6, “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, FROM WHOM ARE ALL THINGS and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, BY WHOM ARE ALL THINGS, and we exist through Him.”
1 Corinthians 10:4, “And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:47, “The first man is from the earth, earthy; THE SECOND MAN IS FROM HEAVEN.”
2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, THAT THOUGH HE WAS RICH, YET FOR YOUR SAKE HE BECAME POOR, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Galatians 4:4, “But when the fullness of the time came, God SENT FORTH HIS SON, born of a woman, born under the Law.”
Comments: can you be sent, unless you came from somewhere and already existed? Can you “become poor” from a previous state of being “rich” unless you have known a previous existence?
6). JESUS IS CREATOR
Paul also described Jesus as Creator, “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, BY WHOM ARE ALL THINGS, and we exist through Him.” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Isaiah 44:24 says, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, AM THE MAKER OF ALL THINGS, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone.” In this passage, the LORD [Yahweh] says that He created the earth all by Himself.
Yet, Paul says that Jesus created all things. Therefore, in this sense, Jesus must be God. It is also important to note that Paul was very familiar with this Isaiah 44:24 passage due to his knowledge of the surrounding context in Isaiah 40-44 in his numerous other allusions to Isaiah (1 Corinthians 2:16 cf. Isaiah 40:13).
See also: “FOR EVERYTHING WAS CREATED BY HIM, IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN CREATED THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIM” (Colossians 1:16 HCSB).
7). JESUS IS THE IMAGE OF GOD:
“But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. [4] In their case, the god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, WHO IS THE IMAGE OF GOD” (2 Corinthians 4:3‭-‬4)
“For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
“Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, [6] who, EXISTING IN THE FORM OF GOD, DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD AS SOMETHING TO BE USED FOR HIS OWN ADVANTAGE. [7] Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, [8] He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. [9] For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — [11] and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5‭-‬11).
“but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. [21] He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, BY THE POWER THAT ENABLES HIM TO SUBJECT EVERYTHING TO HIMSELF” (Philippians 3:20‭-‬21).
“HE IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15).
“May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself AND God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace” (2 Thessalonians 2:16).
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” (I Timothy 3:16)
“I solemnly charge you before God AND Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of His appearing and His kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1).
(cf both the above verses with John 17:3 which also brackets Father and Son together inseparably: “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, AND the One You have sent — Jesus Christ”)
“While we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. [14] He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works” (Titus 2:13‭-‬14).
“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, [5] He saved us — not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy — through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. [6] He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4‭-‬6).
8). OTHER INDICATIONS
There are also a number of other strong indications that the early Christians, including Paul, viewed Jesus as God. First, these early Christians composed creedal statements in which Jesus was their object (Romans 1:3-4; 10:9-10). Second, they described their worship services as gathering in the Lord’s name (1 Corinthians 5:4). Third, they baptized new converts in Jesus’ name (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27). Fourth, they celebrated a sacred meal which they called the “Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20; cf. 10:21).
There is virtually no other comparable example in all of the Jewish literature of the time period to indicate that any figure, semi-divine being, or anyone received this type of devotion other than God. Therefore, it seems wise to conclude as David Capes does, “These practices imply that early Christians worshiped Jesus and thought of him in the way that one thinks of God.” ²
9). CONCLUSIONS
If Muslims want to claim that Paul wrongly “deified” Jesus or corrupted His teaching, they must explain why neither Bible nor Quran gives support for such claims and the argument is anyway baseless when one studies core Christian doctrines. Paul and Jesus were in lockstep on every fundamental teaching, as were Paul and the rest of the Apostles. Paul’s letters as with John’s late gospel are a reflection of, as much a direction for, where the early church stood.
Make no mistake: Jesus as God incarnate was understood from the beginning and even the last of the doubting disciples represented by Thomas, having seen the crucifixion scars gave Him the rightful worship due: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).
How Paul came to the same conclusion is another story for a future post.
Notes:
¹ Notably Paul never systematically defends his views of Jesus (Christology). As with Jesus life and works amply covered in the Gospels, Paul does not rehearse it, but takes the devotion for, and belief in, the divinity of Jesus for granted in the Churches to which he writes. Such a view of Christ was already established in the church before Paul’s letters.
² David Capes, ‘Old Testament Yahweh Texts in Paul’s Christology’.