Yeshua was seen to dismiss the claim that He was somehow “good,” instead stating that only God was good. Would this not imply that the Messiah was not God?
Divinity of Yeshua
Yeshua said, “the Father is Greater than I.” Some use this as a claim to prove that the Messiah cannot be God.
Messianic Apologetics editor John McKee reviews some of the complexities of Colossians 1:15-20. What does this passage communicate about the nature of Yeshua? In what significant way was Yeshua depicted as sharing some of the same qualities as the figure of Wisdom—but also be significantly different than Wisdom?
This is then followed by a review of important stories and issues from the past day or so, largely witnessed on social media.
How important is worship of Yeshua, witnessed in the Scriptures, to regarding Yeshua as being genuinely God?
What is a Divine Identity Christology? How does a Divine Identity Christology serve as strong evidence of Yeshua the Messiah being God?
Why does the Messiah have to be Divine? How significant is the debate over the Divinity of Yeshua to contemporary Messianic theology?
Does your ministry believe that Yeshua the Messiah is Divine, meaning God in the flesh?
There are many claims that those who deny the Divinity of Yeshua, and thus deny the Biblical reality that we must have a Divine Savior, make, in saying that Yeshua is not God. Many of the arguments that anti-Divinity proponents make tend to be sensationalistic, and they can definitely prey on various individuals’ unfamiliarity and/or ignorance of the Bible. Those who are undiscerning, and especially those who have perhaps not have had the spiritual encounter with the Creator through the Divine Messiah that they think they have had, are quite susceptible to these arguments.
It has become commonplace, when trying to challenge Yeshua as the Divine Messiah, to see various lists and compilations floating around, called something like the “Frequently Avoided Questions.” Perhaps it is because these questions are so easily answered, that various Messianic Bible teachers who fully affirm Yeshua’s Divinity, have not really taken the time to answer them. This analysis that I have provided you is intended to address ten of these specific so-called “Frequently Avoided Questions,” which are often used to claim that the Messiah is not Divine. You will find that these questions can be answered, that they are usually based on a selective reading of Scripture passages only at the surface level, and that when deeper readings of the text are conducted they fully affirm Yeshua’s Divinity. Yet, it is these questions that can get even relatively mature and Biblically-rooted Believers, caught totally off guard.
While the Shema of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 undoubtedly has an imperative for God’s people of worshipping, loving, and serving Him—the Shema also has an important place in religious history as it concerns monotheism. When the Ancient Israelites left Egypt, and were preparing themselves to enter into the Promised Land, they would certainly need a “statement of belief,” if you will, by which they would declare their exclusive loyalty to the LORD God, and not any of the other deities of Canaan. The Shema enjoined the requirements for God’s commandments to be taught to the people of Israel, and that they were to instruct their children.
In much of religious studies since, and most especially today, approaches to the Shema have gone beyond what was originally intended for the Ancient Israelites. While all who profess the Shema claim that their devotion is directed to the God of Israel, there can be a wide difference of approach between how the Shema is viewed in Jewish theology and Christian theology—particularly when it comes to the statement “the LORD is one.” In historical Judaism, the Lord being “one” means that God is a single entity. In historical Christianity, being “one” means that God is surely a prime entity, but that He may be composed of multiple elements like Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
