All-Inclusive Christ — New Testament Reality

The Godhead

Christ is the complete God. The New Testament proclaims that Christ’s deity is eternal and absolute. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God,” and verse 14 explains that “the Word became flesh.” These two verses make it clear that Christ, as the Word, is God. He is neither partially God nor merely one-third of God. Rather, as Colossians 2:9 states, in Christ “dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Both names given to Christ after His birth also strongly affirm His deity. “Jesus”, the name given to Him by God (Luke 1:31, Matt.1:21), is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew name “Joshua,” which means “Jehovah the Savior” or “the salvation of Jehovah.” Hence, Jesus is Jehovah becoming our salvation. “Emmanuel,” the name given to Him by men (Matt. 1:23), means “God with us.” We thus see that Christ is God, the complete God—the Father, Son and Spirit. (Ron Kangas, A & C , 6) Other verses that clearly indicate the deity of Christ are: Romans 9:5, Hebrews 1:8, Acts 20:28, John 20:28 and Isaiah 9:6.

The Father is the eternal source, and the Son is the eternal expression of the Father.

In the Godhead it should be pointed out that Christ is the only begotten Son (John 1:14, 18; 3:16; 3:18; 1 John 4:9). The title “Only Begotten” in no way implies that there was a time when He did not exist, or that at some point in He was begotten of the Father. Jesus Christ is the complete God and is eternally God (John 1:1-2). The title “Only Begotten”, rather than referring to an event in time, denotes the nature of the relationship Christ shares with the Father. The Father is the eternal source, and the Son is the eternal expression of the Father. As the Son of God, Christ is the issue, the manifestation of God. Therefore, in His essence and existence Christ is the embodiment of the complete God, whereas in His expression He is the Son of God. (Ron Kangas, A & C , 9)

Christ’s entire human living was a speaking, a declaration of God’s attributes in His human virtues.

In the Godhead, Christ also exists as the eternal Word (John 1:1). As such, He defines, explains and expresses the invisible God. Prior to the incarnation of Christ, God was rather mysterious to us. However, when “the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us” (John 1:14), God was manifested. In fact, Christ’s entire human living was a speaking, a declaration of God’s attributes in His human virtues. Thus, He was the Word not only in what His speaking but also in His actions. (Witness Lee, Conclusion, 235-236) As an example, in John 8 a group of scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman caught in adultery. According to the law, such a woman should be stoned. Instead of condemning her, though, the Lord silenced her accusers by simply saying to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her” (v.7). In this one action, God’s mercy and forgiveness were openly manifested. Later in private, the Lord comforted the woman by assuring her that He did not condemn her, and encouraging her that she should “go, and from now on sin no more” (v.11). In this, Jesus expressed God’s righteousness. Praise Him as the eternal Word, the expression of God!