A Word About How Jesus Became God

Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2

Before we leave Ephesians 5:1-2, I would like to say something about a recently published book that has received an undue amount of attention in the media. How Jesus Became God is the latest volume by Bart Ehrman, a biblical scholar who has written several books meant to undermine Christian faith. How Jesus Became God argues a position made by some scholars for a long time, namely, that Jesus wasn't God but was later exalted as God by Christians who misunderstood him. There's really nothing new here, other than clever packaging. Nevertheless, Ehrman has been all over the airwaves, print media, and the Internet, promoting his new book.

One of the things you'll hear by those who argue Ehrman's view of Jesus is that the early Christian writings rarely say, flat out: "Jesus is God." That's true of Ephesians. You can read the book backwards and forwards and never find this assertion. But this does not mean, of course, that Paul didn't believe that Jesus was divine. I'd argue that Paul assumed this to such a profound extent that it didn't occur to him to say it so bluntly.

You can find evidence of Paul's belief in Jesus' deity throughout Ephesians (see, for example, 1:2, 10, 12, 20-21, 2:15, 4:9). In our text, for example, we read, "Follow God's example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us." We are to imitate God by walking in love. The ultimate example of divine love is Christ's love for us, whereby he gave himself up for us. Now, this text does not say, "Christ was God." But the intimate connection between God (the Father) and Christ (the Son) shows us what Paul was assuming here. If you want to see what the love of God is all about, look to Christ, who embodies that love because he was (and is) God.

Jesus didn't somehow become God after his death. And his followers didn't ascribe deity to him in a way unfaithful to Jesus' own self-understanding. To be sure, they worked and clarified the implications of Jesus' deity far beyond what he had said. But the fundamental Christian belief about the deity of Jesus was not a spurious invention of the early church. Rather, it was an expression of Jesus' own teaching and self-awareness, combined with the reality of the resurrection.

What does this mean for us? First of all, it means we don't have to worry that Bart Ehrman has finally revealed some secret truth about Jesus. He has just rehashed old news in a way that troubles Christians and sells books. Second, the fact that Jesus is and was God means that if we want to know God, we can focus on Jesus, on his life, death, and resurrection. Moreover, it means that if we want to imitate God in our daily lives, Jesus provides the ultimate model for us, both in his living and in his dying.

QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: How do you understand the deity of Jesus Christ? What difference does it make to you that Jesus is God?