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"the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour" 1: 4.
"God our Saviour" 2: 10.
"the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" 2: 13.
"God our Saviour" 3: 4.
"Jesus Christ our Saviour" 3: 6.
It will be noticed that the concept of God as Saviour alternates with that of Jesus
Christ. A better translation of 2: 13, and attested to by J. N. Darby, R.V., R.S.V.,
Weymouth, N.E.B., and others, is even more significant: "our great God and Saviour
Jesus Christ".
To both Jehovah and Christ is ascribed by Scripture, Creatorship, Almightiness, the
ultimate worship of all created beings and Saviourship: each of which is claimed by
Jehovah exclusively. These are facts evidently accepted without question by early
believers. Only when the appearance of heresy made it necessary was there any attempt
at definition. Yet by definition the Infinite is indefinable.
No.8.
The Glory of Christ (2).
pp. 186 - 191
In our last study on this very important subject we saw that Scripture ascribes to both
Jehovah and Christ, Creatorship, Almightiness, Saviourship and the ultimate worship of
all created beings.
We now turn, briefly, to the testimony of those around the Lord during His earthly
ministry. A week after the resurrection, the disciples were gathered together in the Upper
Room, together with Thomas, who had indicated his refusal to believe apart from the
evident of the wounds. When the Lord stood in the midst and confronted Thomas with
both his unbelief and the evidence Thomas had desired, he could only say "My Lord and
my God" (John 20: 28). An `explanation' of the significance of this statement by some
who deny the deity of Christ is that having said "My Lord" looking at the Lord Jesus, he
then turned his eyes heavenward and continued "and my God!" The literal translation of
Thomas' statement is "The Lord of me and the God of me", and would seem to be
conclusive of the intent behind his words.
There were others, far more hostile to the Lord, who had no doubt of the claims He
made. At the feast of the dedication, when the Lord Jesus was walking in the Temple in
Solomon's porch, the Jews came to Him and asked:
"How long dost Thou make us to doubt? If Thou be the Christ, tell us plainly" (John 10: 24).
Following His reply to them we read:
"Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him" (verse 31).