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shall see that this title is given Him both in the Old Testament 1
and in the New. Yet from His own words we learn that He is one with His Father,2
that He is in His Father and the Father in Him 3 and that God is One.4
All this has been proved in the verses which we have quoted in section i of this
chapter.
We now proceed to show what testimony His disciples in their writings have
borne to the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we were to do this at full
length, we should have to transcribe nearly the whole of the New Testament.
Here, therefore, we must content ourselves with a few verses, in order to show
how distinct their evidence is, and how thoroughly it agrees with what the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself said on the same subject.
1. In the first place the Apostles of Christ ascribe to Him divine
attributes which, as being divine, can belong to no creature. Thus St.
John says that the Word of God existed from eternity with His Father, and is
therefore eternal. 'In 5 the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.' And
elsewhere he says: 'That 6 which was from the beginning, that which
we have heard, that which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld, and
our hands handled, concerning the Word of life (and the
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PROOF OF THE DEITY OF CHRIST
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life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare unto you
the life, the eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto
us); that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also
may have fellowship with us: yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and
with His Son Jesus 1 Christ.' It is clear that these verses contain
certain other divine titles which are ascribed to the Lord Jesus, but they also
prove the point upon which we are now dwelling.
St. John also says that Christ has life in Himself: 'In 2 him was
life 3; and the life was the light of men.'
Peter bears witness to the fact that Christ Jesus is the only Saviour of
mankind: 'And 4 in none other is there salvation; for neither is
there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be
5 saved.'
Several of the Apostles testify to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ knew
men's thoughts. No one can deny that this is a divine attribute, and that none
but God is the 'Knower of Hearts'
(عارف
القلوب). Thus it is written in the holy Scriptures
that king Solomon, when dedicating the temple at Jerusalem, in his prayer to
God, said:
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