Mark Tabata’s Weekday Devotionals:
Tuesday November 25 2025
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Colossians 2:9-For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
We have learned that the idea of Jesus and Mary being married was not taught in the New Testament Scriptures. Instead, modern day conspiracy theories have asserted that the infamous Council of Nicaea removed the Gnostic books from the canon of Scripture because they so strongly emphasized the humanity of Jesus (including His supposed marriage to Mary). However, as we have examined these Gnostic books, we have learned that they do not teach a marriage between Jesus and Mary, either!
Before we investigate the humanity of Jesus, we will first examine whether or not the Council of Nicaea invented the teaching that Jesus is Divine.
The teaching of the Deity of Christ is a product of the Bible. The Old Testament prophesied clearly (long before the time of Jesus) that the Messiah would be God, yet not the same Person as God the Father. Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, we read examples of God existing as one Person, yet also somehow mysteriously being plural in His Nature. One example of this is seen in the many passages which reference “the” Angel of the Lord.
For example:
Genesis 22:11-17-But the Angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.” 12 And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” 15 Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time out of heaven, 16 and said: “By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son— 17 blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.
Again:
Genesis 31:11-13-Then the Angel of God spoke to me in a dream, saying, ‘Jacob.’ And I said, ‘Here I am.’ 12 And He said, ‘Lift your eyes now and see, all the rams which leap on the flocks are streaked, speckled, and gray-spotted; for I have seen all that Laban is doing to you. 13 I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed the pillar and where you made a vow to Me. Now arise, get out of this land, and return to the land of your family.’
Again:
Genesis 48:15-16-And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
Speaking of the phrase “Angel of the Lord” used throughout the Old Testament, Dickason points out:
“1. HIS IDENTITY What evidence is there that this angel might be Jehovah or even the eternal Son of God, our Lord? A. HIS IDENTITY WITH JEHOVAH The Angel of Jehovah acts as a unique messenger of God in Old Testament times. His appearances extend from the time of Abraham to the time of Zechariah. 1. His peculiar title. The title Elohim (“the mighty one”) was used of both the true God and the gods of the heathen. But the title Jehovah (Heb. Yahweh) was reserved for the God of Israel, the eternally self-existent One who made heavens and earth and who entered into covenant relationship with His people. The angels in general are called “the sons of God” (bene elohim), but never “the sons of Jehovah.” Therefore, since this one has a singular and peculiar title, “the Angel of Jehovah” (malak Yahweh), we may suspect that he was more than an angel, perhaps Jehovah Himself. self. 2. His personal identification. From a number of appearances throughout biblical history, we notice this angel consistently presented as Jehovah. This angel found Hagar (Genesis 16:7) and promised to do himself what God alone can (v. 10). Moses, the writer, identifies the angel as “Jehovah that spake unto her” (v. 13 ASV). When this angel appeared to Moses “in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush” (Exodus 3:2 KJV), verse 4 says “God called unto him out of the midst of the bush” (KJV). The one who spoke with Moses is called the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and with this announcement, Moses hid his face for fear of looking upon God (v. 6). Upon this historic occasion, God revealed His name as I AM THAT I AM (v. 14), the eternal, unchanging One. Would God entrust this unique personal revelation to a mere angelic creature? Acts 7:30-34 seems to identify the angel as the Lord (Yahweh, Exodus 3:2-7), “the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.” The record of Gideon’s commission identifies the one who spoke to him as “the angel of Jehovah” (Judges 6:12 ASV) and as “Jehovah” (v. 14 Asv) without any notice of change of speaker. Manoah and his wife saw the Angel of Jehovah; and upon recognizing him, Manoah feared they would die because they had seen God (Judges 13:21-22). That this angel was Jehovah is also implied in the vision of Zechariah when the angel in 3:1 seems clearly called Jehovah in the next verse (v. 2). Most likely, the Angel of Jehovah was a theophany, a manifestation of God in visible and bodily form before the Incarnation. His appearances were evidences of God’s grace in revealing His person and purpose to His people. B. HIS DISTINCTION FROM JEHOVAH The same person is most likely in view in every mention of the singular and peculiar title, the Angel of Jehovah. Yet this angel, while identified as Jehovah, is presented as distinct from Jehovah. 1. He intercedes to Jehovah. In Zechariah 1:9-11 we see that the man among the myrtle trees was the Angel of Jehovah, and that Jehovah had sent the horsemen who were to report to this angel. Their separate identity also appears in verses 12-13 where the Angel of Jehovah intercedes for Jerusalem as he speaks to Jehovah. 2. He calls upon Jehovah. In the visions of the cleansing of Joshua, Zechariah saw the Angel of Jehovah defending this priestly leader of Israel against the accusations of Satan in the presence of Jehovah (3:1-2). The angel (v. 1) is called Jehovah: “And Jehovah said unto Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, 0 Satan; yea, Jehovah that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee” (3:2 Asv). The angel called Jehovah was speaking to a separate person called Jehovah. How can there be more than one person called Jehovah?” (Fred Dickason, Angels Elect and Evil, 796-815 (Kindle Edition); Chicago; Moody Press)
Another example of this is found in the writings of the Prophet Isaiah.
Isaiah 48:16-Come near to Me, hear this: I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; From the time that it was, I was there. And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me.”
The One speaking here is identified as “the First and the Last” (Isaiah 48:12), and the One Who “laid the foundation of the Earth,” and Who also “stretched out the Heavens” (Isaiah 48:13). These are designations for God the Son, Jesus Christ (cf. John 1:1-5; Colossians 1:16-17; Revelation 1:11). Notice, however, while God the Son is here identified, He is also clearly set apart from God the Father and from God the Holy Spirit.
The same is taught throughout the New Testament. We are reminded time after time that Jesus is God, but that He is not the same person as God the Father or God the Holy Spirit. For example:
Titus 2:11-14-For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
2 Peter 1:1-Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:
These passages from Paul and Peter clearly identify Jesus as “our God.” Again, the Greek is highly informative:
“For example, in Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1, the KJV inaccurately translates these passages by splitting the terms “God” and “Saviour,” thus distinguishing the person of God from the person of Jesus. They read “the great God and our Saviour, Jesus Christ.” This rendering wrongly implies two persons are spoken of: 1) the great God, and 2) our Saviour Jesus Christ. Jehovah’s Witnesses use this ambiguity to argue that Jesus Christ is not “the great God” but only “our savior.” The King James translators translated the words this way because they were unaware of a grammatical rule of the Koine Greek—the Granville Sharp Rule—which was not discovered until the early nineteenth century. According to Dr. Wallace, “the King James translators knew Greek less well than they knew Latin and so they constantly relied on the Latin to get themselves through the Greek.”44 This helps explain why the KJV mistranslates Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, and other places that clearly teach the deity of Christ. As noted, Greek grammarian Granville Sharp wrote a monograph in 1798 on the Greek construction of Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, etc., and formulated a rule which, despite claims to the contrary, has universally proven true in the New Testament. When defined properly, “it is found to be entirely without exception.”45” (John Ankerberg & John Weldon, Facts on King James Only Debate, 294-303 (Kindle Edition); Eugene, Oregon; Harvest House Publishers)
Numerous other New Testament Scriptures may be consulted which document these truths.
Moving on to the centuries between the Apostolic age and the time of the Council of Nicaea, we find several of the “church fathers” discussing these matters as well. Ken Johnson provides several examples of how these Christians affirmed the Godhood of Jesus long before the Council of Nicaea:
“The first and second century church fathers used the Scriptures to teach the concept of the Trinity. The term “trinity” was first used by Theophilus about AD 168. Here are just a few quotes from the ancient church. Ignatius, AD 30-107 Epistle to Ephesus 7–Jesus is “God existing in flesh.” Epistle to Ephesus 18–Jesus is “our God.” Epistle to Romans 3–For our God, Jesus Christ… is all the more revealed in His glory. Epistle to Polycarp 3–Jesus is God. Mathetes, AD 130 Epistle to Diognetus 7–Jesus is God come in the flesh, the very creator of all things, and is not an angel. Epistle to Diognetus 11–He testifies that he was taught directly by the apostles that Jesus is uncreated (from everlasting). Theophilus, AD 168 Book 3.9–There is only one God and He created everything. Justin Martyr, AD 110-165 First Apology 13–There is one God that manifests in three persons. Dialogue 48–Jesus is God incarnate and He pre-existed. Dialogue 56–Jesus, who is God, appeared as one of the angels (men) to Abraham. (Heb 1: 8) Athenagoras, AD 177 Chapter 8–There is only one God. Chapter 10–Christians worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and refer to God as “God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Jesus was never brought into existence, but was always with the Father. Irenaeus, AD 178 Against Heresies 1.22–Everything was made by God; nothing was made by any angel. Against Heresies 3.9–Jesus is God. Against Heresies 3.15–Jesus and the Father are the only true God. Against Heresies 3.19–Jesus is one hundred percent God. Against Heresies 4.6–The Father, the Son, and the Spirit are the one God. Fragment 53–Jesus created the universe and is the God of Gods. Clement of Alexandria, AD 192-202 Stromata 5.12–Jesus is the only begotten God. Tertullian, AD 190-210 Against Marcion 2: 14 and 4: 9–Jesus is God incarnate. Against Marcion 5.19–Colossians teaches us that Jesus is the Creator of all things, and is therefore God. Against Marcion 1.5–There is only one God. Against Praxeas 1.2–The Trinity is defined and explained. Origen, AD 200-240 Of First Principles 1.2.1–Jesus is God. Of First Principles1.3.5–The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is a Trinity and are all active in salvation. Lactantius, AD 285 Divine Institutes 4.26–Jesus is God incarnate. Divine Institutes 4.29–There is only one God. The Father and the Son are that one God. Clement of Alexandria, AD 192-202 Stromata 5.14–God the Father does not have a physical body. Tertullian, AD 190-210 Against Marcion 4: 42–Jesus resurrected in a physical body. Justin Martyr, AD 110-165 First Apology 63–Jesus is God; but whoever says Jesus is the Father, does not know God. Justin Martyr, AD 110-165 Dialogue 48–Jesus is God incarnate and He pre-existed. Clement of Alexandria, AD 192-202 Stromata 3.14–Souls do not pre-exist. So we can see the first and second century Christians believed that there was only one God and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit was that one God. They also taught that the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit were three different persons. The three persons have always existed in this form, none of them was created. It was finally put into a formula at the Council of Nicaea in AD 325. This is called the Nicene Creed. “One God manifested in three persons, co-equal, co-substantial, and co-eternal.” Definition of the Trinity from the Nicene Creed.” (Ken Johnson, Cults and the Trinity, 51-54 (Kindle Edition): CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform)
The doctrine that Jesus is Divine existed long before the Council of Nicaea.
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.
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