🔹 Introduction
From the very beginning, Christianity has proclaimed that Jesus Christ is true God and true Man. The Apostles, martyrs, and early Church Fathers attested to this truth even at the cost of their lives. Yet throughout history, groups such as Arians (4th century) and today’s Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) have denied the divinity of Christ, claiming He was merely a created being or exalted man.
This article examines who the Apostles were, how they attested that Jesus is God, the biblical and historical foundations of this belief, and how Arianism and INC misinterpret Scripture.
🔹 The Apostles Who Witnessed Jesus’ Divinity
| Apostle | Key Testimony of Jesus’ Divinity | Biblical Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Peter | Confessed Jesus as “the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” | Matthew 16:16 |
| John | Declared, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” | John 1:1 |
| Thomas | Proclaimed to the risen Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” | John 20:28 |
| Paul | Called Christ “our great God and Savior.” | Titus 2:13 |
| John (in Revelation) | Recorded Jesus saying, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” | Revelation 22:12–13 |
The apostolic witness is unanimous: Jesus is God Incarnate, not merely a prophet or creature.
🔹 Early Christians and Church Fathers Who Affirmed Jesus’ Divinity
| Early Christian Writer | Century | Testimony |
|---|---|---|
| Ignatius of Antioch | Early 2nd century | “Our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary according to the dispensation of God.” (Letter to the Ephesians, 18:2) |
| Justin Martyr | Mid-2nd century | “The Father of all has a Son, who is also the first-born Word of God, who is even God.” (Dialogue with Trypho, 61) |
| Irenaeus of Lyons | Late 2nd century | “He is Himself in His own right, beyond all men who ever lived, God, and Lord, and King Eternal.” (Against Heresies, III.19.2) |
| Tertullian | Early 3rd century | “The Word was in the beginning with God, and was God…this Word is the Son of God.” (Against Praxeas, 21) |
| Athanasius of Alexandria | 4th century | “The Son is not a creature but the eternal Word; He was with the Father and is God.” (Orations Against the Arians, 2.22) |
These witnesses—spanning from 90 AD to 350 AD—represent the unbroken faith of the early Church that Jesus Christ is divine.
🔹 The Biblical Basis of Christ’s Divinity
1. Jesus’ Own Claims
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John 8:58 – “Before Abraham was, I AM.” (echoing Exodus 3:14, God’s name to Moses)
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John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”
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John 5:18 – The Jews sought to kill Him “because He called God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.”
2. Apostolic Confessions
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Philippians 2:6–11 – Christ existed “in the form of God,” and every knee shall bow to Him (Isaiah 45:23 applied to Yahweh).
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Colossians 2:9 – “In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
3. Jesus as the Alpha and Omega
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Revelation 21:6 – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.”
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Revelation 22:12–13 – “Behold, I am coming soon... I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.”
The speaker in Revelation 22 is Jesus Himself, confirming His divine, eternal nature—the same title used by God the Father in Revelation 1:8.
🔹 Why Arianism and Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) Deny Christ’s Divinity
| Doctrine | Key Claim | Main Error |
|---|---|---|
| Arianism (4th century) | Jesus is the highest creature but not eternal or consubstantial with the Father. | Misreads “begotten” as “created.” Condemned at the Council of Nicaea (325 AD). |
| Iglesia ni Cristo (20th century) | Jesus is a man given divine authority but not God Himself. | Ignores context of Scripture and early Church consensus. Repeats Arian errors. |
Both reject the Nicene Creed, which proclaims Jesus Christ as “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father.”
🔹 Historical Development and Church Response
| Century | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Apostolic preaching | Jesus’ divinity proclaimed by apostles and disciples. |
| 2nd–3rd | Early heresies arise (Gnostics, Adoptionists) | Church Fathers defend Christ’s divine and human natures. |
| 4th | Arian Controversy and Council of Nicaea (325 AD) | Defined Christ as “of one substance (homoousios) with the Father.” |
| 20th | INC founded (1914) | Repeats Arian denial; rejects Trinitarian dogma. |
| Present | Catholic and Orthodox continuity | Maintain the same faith as Apostles and Fathers. |
🔹 Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) Teaching
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CCC 423: “We believe and confess that Jesus of Nazareth…is the eternal Son of God made man.”
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CCC 464: “The unique and altogether singular event of the Incarnation of the Son of God does not mean that Jesus Christ is part God and part man, but that He is truly God and truly man.”
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CCC 202: “Jesus himself affirms that God is ‘the one Lord’ whom you must love... but also that he himself is ‘the Lord.’”
🔹 Comparative Table: Apostolic Christianity vs. Arianism vs. INC
| Belief | Apostolic / Catholic Teaching | Arianism | INC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesus’ Nature | True God and True Man | Created being | Man with divine authority |
| Eternality | Co-eternal with the Father | Had a beginning | Created before Mary |
| Worship of Christ | Adoration as God | Respect, not divine worship | Worship God alone (not Christ) |
| Council of Nicaea | Accepted | Condemned | Rejected |
| Basis | Scripture + Apostolic Tradition | Philosophical logic | Misinterpretation of Scripture |
🔹 Conclusion: Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega
The Apostles, early martyrs, and Church Fathers all stood united in proclaiming that Jesus Christ is true God. The Book of Revelation identifies Him with divine titles—Alpha and Omega, First and Last, Beginning and End—terms used exclusively for Yahweh.
Thus, Revelation 21:6 and 22:12–13 are direct affirmations of Jesus’ divinity. To deny this truth, as Arianism and INC do, is to reject both Scripture and the universal witness of the early Church.
As St. Thomas declared:
“My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
And the whole Church continues to echo:
“Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:11)
READ ALSO:
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- How the Church of Christ Continued Its Mission 400 Years Before the Bible Was Compiled
- 🕊️ How to Distinguish Fake Churches from the True Church Established by Jesus Christ
- Did God Establish Many Churches? Why Thousands of Christian Denominations Exist Today
- Revelation 22:12–13 as Proof of Christ’s Divinity: A Biblical and Historical Defense
- Is Baptism by INC (1914) and KJC (Quiboloy) Valid Christian Baptism? A Biblical and Historical Apologetic
- Exposing INC Doctrinal Deceptions: How Iglesia ni Cristo Teachings Mislead Catholics and Distort Scripture
- “I Am the Alpha and the Omega”: Refuting the INC Claim that Christ Is Not God
- Mary, Mother of God: The Biblical and Historical Truth Behind the Catholic Teaching
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