Do Not Read Too Much Into Bible Texts

Those saying that Jesus was a God-man use various scriptures in an effort to prove that he is a member of Christendom’s Trinity, equal with God in essence, power, glory, and duration. But when we examine these texts carefully, we find that those arguing for “the divinity of Christ” view these verses as saying more than they really do.

Some say that Bible texts in which God uses the pronoun “us” make the prehuman Jesus (the Word) equal to Jehovah. But use of this pronoun does not mean that God was talking to an equal. At best it implies that among heavenly creatures, one occupies a preferred position in relation to God. Actually, the prehuman Jesus was God’s intimate associate, Master Worker, and Spokesman.​—Genesis 1:26; 11:7; Proverbs 8:30, 31; John 1:3.

The circumstances associated with Jesus’ baptism do not suggest that God, Christ, and the holy spirit are coequal. As a human, Jesus underwent baptism in symbol of the presentation of himself to his heavenly Father. On that occasion “the heavens were opened up,” and God’s spirit descended, coming upon Jesus like a dove. Also, “from the heavens,” Jehovah’s voice was heard to say: “This is my Son, the beloved, whom I have approved.”​—Matthew 3:13-17.

So, then, what did Jesus mean when he told his followers to baptize disciples “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit”? (Matthew 28:19, 20) Jesus did not mean or say that he, his Father, and the holy spirit were coequal. Rather, those baptized recognize Jehovah as the Life-Giver and Almighty God, to whom they dedicate their life. They accept Jesus as the Messiah and the one through whom God provided a ransom for believing mankind. And they realize that the holy spirit is God’s active force, to which they must submit. However, such baptismal candidates are not to view Jehovah, Jesus, and the holy spirit as one Trinitarian deity.

But do not Jesus’ miracles prove that he was a God-man? No, for Moses, Elijah, Elisha, the apostles Peter and Paul, and others performed miracles without being God-men. (Exodus 14:15-31; 1 Kings 18:18-40; 2 Kings 4:17-37; Acts 9:36-42; 19:11, 12) Like them, Jesus was a human who performed miracles with God-given power.​—Luke 11:14-19.

Isaiah prophetically referred to Jesus the Messiah as “Mighty God.” (Isaiah 9:6) At Isaiah 10:21, the same prophet spoke of Jehovah as “the Mighty God.” Some try to use this similarity of wording to prove that Jesus is God. But we need to be careful about reading too much into these verses. The Hebrew expression rendered “Mighty God” is not limited to Jehovah as is the expression “God Almighty.” (Genesis 17:1) Admittedly, there is a difference between being mighty and being almighty, with no superior.

According to Isaiah 43:10, Jehovah said: “Before me there was no God formed, and after me there continued to be none.” But those words do not prove that Jesus is God. The point is that Jehovah had no predecessor, that no god existed before him, for he is eternal. There will be no god after Jehovah because he will always exist and will have no successors as the Supreme Sovereign. Yet, Jehovah did produce others that he himself called gods, as the Scriptures show by saying concerning certain humans: “I myself have said, ‘You are gods, and all of you are sons of the Most High. Surely you will die just as men do; and like any one of the princes you will fall!’” (Psalm 82:6, 7) Similarly, the Word was a god created by Jehovah, but that did not make Jesus equal to Almighty God at any time.

A Look at Other Texts

Regarding Jesus’ birth, Matthew wrote: “All this actually came about for that to be fulfilled which was spoken by Jehovah through his prophet [at Isaiah 7:14], saying: ‘Look! The virgin will become pregnant and will give birth to a son, and they will call his name Immanuel,’ which means, when translated, ‘With Us Is God.’” (Matthew 1:22, 23) Jesus was not given the personal name Immanuel, but his role as a human fulfilled its meaning. Jesus’ presence on the earth as the Messianic Seed and Heir to David’s throne proved to Jehovah’s worshipers that God was with them, on their side, backing them up in their undertakings.​—Genesis 28:15; Exodus 3:11, 12; Joshua 1:5, 9; Psalm 46:5-7; Jeremiah 1:19.

Addressing the resurrected Jesus, the apostle Thomas exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28) This and other accounts were “written down that [we] may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.” And Thomas was not contradicting Jesus, who had sent His disciples the message: “I am ascending to . . . my God and your God.” (John 20:17, 30, 31) So Thomas did not think that Jesus was Almighty God. Thomas may have addressed Jesus as “my God” in the sense of Christ’s being “a god,” though not “the only true God.” (John 1:1; 17:1-3) Or by saying “my God,” Thomas may have been acknowledging Jesus as God’s Spokesman and Representative, even as others addressed an angelic messenger as though he were Jehovah.​—Compare Genesis 18:1-5, 22-33; 31:11-13; 32:24-30; Judges 2:1-5; 6:11-15; 13:20-22.