Are You Trusting the True Christ?

© 2021 by Tom Boynton (editing by Kathy Boynton)

“And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (John 17:5)

God the Son, Jesus, was approaching the culmination of His redemptive sacrificial role.  Through sinless virgin conception, He’d entered Mary’s womb, indwelling an embryo to grow and be born in the normal manner.  He’d always been God.  In Mary’s womb, He was still God, possessing all the attributes of the Godhead.  Even Christ’s forerunner, John the Baptist, while still in Elisabeth’s womb, recognized Christ’s deity.  The angel Gabriel had told Mary she would become pregnant with Jesus, the Messiah.  Shortly after this, Mary visited Elisabeth who was in her sixth month of pregnancy.  Listen to Elisabeth’s description of what happened when John the Baptist, in her womb, recognized the presence of Jesus, the Lord in Mary’s womb.

“And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.” (Luke 1:43-44)

Mary’s response indicates that she, too, understood and rejoiced that Jesus, in her womb, was God her Savior.

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-47)

Recently, I heard some well-known radio-preachers claim that Jesus had to grow for a while before He could understand He was God.  One songwriter even claims Mary taught Him this.  If John the Baptist, in Elisabeth’s womb, could understand and rejoice in who Christ was, wouldn’t we expect Christ, in the womb, to understand it even more fully?  Can one who is truly God, not know it?  Wouldn’t this deny His omniscience and immutability which are key attributes of God?

Even at the young age of twelve, Christ demonstrated that He knew who He was by His following question to Mary and Joseph.

“And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)

He was speaking of God His Father – not Joseph!

Christ in the flesh, though still God, allowed expression of His deity to be filtered through a normal human body.  At times of His own choosing, however, He occasionally displayed some of those attributes to followers.  When Christ called Nathaniel, He told Nathaniel things about himself that only God would know.  Nathaniel asked Jesus how He knew those things about him.  Jesus replied:

“ … Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” (John 1:48)

Nathaniel was amazed and said,

“… Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.” (John 1:49)

Are you trusting a Savior who has always been God, and still is?

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