The authors are familiar with theological studies as their careers are based on the same expertise. Robert M. Bowman Jr. is a Christian theology professor, that specializes in the study of apologetics. Bowman is a Ph.D. candidate at Fuller Theological Seminary, teaching apologetics and biblical studies at Luther Rice Seminary for five years. The author served as the research director for the Institute for Religious Research and is currently the president and resident scholar of Faith Thinkers. Ed Komoszewski graduated with doctoral studies in Dallas Theological Studies and is the founder and director of Christus Nexus. It is a not-for-profit organization committed to promoting the truth, depth, and importance of the incarnation. Currently, he is the Program Director for Converse with Scholars, Reclaiming the Mind Ministries.
Summary
The authors provide a compelling justification for Christ’s deity. The authors make educational and spiritually persuasive use of the biblical evidence in a time when the deity of Christ is frequently contested. The book is an excellent work of literature that has undergone extensive investigation on a topic that has remained significant for over 2,000 years. The authors have provided readers with a unique, unmatched resource that has the potential to change their lives. It is uncommon to find a theological exposition on a crucial subject presented in such a thorough and highly researched way. The volume is an excellent resource for developing Bible institute classes and sermon series as the writing style is engaging. The target audience for this book entails pastors and Bible college students who want to learn about Christology and evangelism that Jesus is a deity.
Evaluation
The book’s purpose is to acquaint Christians with the abundance of biblical teaching on the deity of Christ and to give them the courage to tell people the truth about him. The five-point acronym HANDS is the foundation for the entire book’s material. This acronym is derived from John scripture, where Thomas was given proof of Jesus’ resurrection using his hands. According to the abbreviation, Jesus has a divine identity regarding Honors due to God, the Attributes of God, the Names of God, performs the Deeds of God and shares the Seat of God’s throne. It elaborates on the book’s central thesis that Jesus is God. The book is based on the suppositions that beliefs about Jesus will emerge from the New Testament and that the version’s declarations are true and historically accurate. In addition, the theme emphasizes Jesus’ divinity within a Trinitarian framework.
The first section demonstrates how Jesus shares God’s honor. In other words, Jesus is elevated to the status of God by the devotion that the Bible commands us to show him. The authors show that love for Jesus dates back to the earliest forms of Christianity and that Jesus himself demanded that his followers give him the respect that is only due to God. This involves applying particular glorification that provides him with the glory solely due to God. They continue by showing that both the earthly and heavenly Jesus are revered in the same manner as God, which angels are forbidden from doing. Following a brief overview of early Christian devotional hymns, the practice of praying to the Lord and using Jesus as the object of that prayer is further discussed. The honors section concludes with an explanation of how believing in Jesus is consistent with believing in God. In the same manner that these are directed toward God, holy faith, fear, service, love, and obedience are directed toward Jesus.
The second part entails Jesus sharing attributes of God regarding qualities. The authors argue that Jesus has similar qualities that God possesses. The evidence presented highlights that Jesus was God in a mortal body. In addition, the author reveals that Jesus was always involved in creation yet is uncreated. Other godly attributes similar to Jesus’s include immutable, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, and beyond human knowledge.
The third section is premised on the notion that Jesus shares the names of God. The authors argue that the name Jesus means ‘Jehovah’s saves,’ as highlighted by the revelations of the Angel to Mary and Joseph. Bowman and Komoszewski decipher the meaning based on the New Testament as they highlight what had been done in the name, such as baptisms, miracles, and salvation. In addition, the authors analyze what had been done for the title, such as persecution and death. The John prologue shows that Jesus is called Lord after his resurrections, indicating a deity. Furthermore, the name was translated to Adonai, meaning Lord, in the Jewish culture. The reference of Jesus to God shows his oneness with God; this is a deity.
In the fourth chapter, Jesus is depicted as participating in Godly actions. The authors emphasize that Jesus accomplished the same feats exclusive to God. Jesus is the creator of everything, as everything he created depends on him to continue existing. In addition, Jesus’ power as God was manifested in his earthly ministry because he never required the help of another to perform miracles, and he had control over nature in ways that only God could. In the final significant chapter, the authors conclude that Jesus exercised God’s authority by making blasphemous claims to the high priestess. Jesus received praise from and was elevated above the heavenly court, sitting in the same seat as God, who reigns over everything.
The book’s value is that the authors move beyond passages well known to Christians to prove a comprehensive case can be built regarding the deity of Jesus Christ using the New Testament. The volume is a masterpiece for those looking for accessible clarity coupled with scholarship, as the authors cite several published dissertations. The volume’s major strength entails its delivery method that supports the deity of Christ providing irrefutable evidence regarding the deity of Christ. The author’s arguments are based on an inductive study of the New Testament, while the apologetic analysis focuses on the distorted Jehovah’s Witnesses’ revelations and their new world translation.
The book uses an apologetic approach, thus may disappoint readers aiming for a philosophical sophistication. The authors’ goal to refrain from quoting biblical verses without explaining their interpretation is stated in the introduction. Endnotes make the text more readable, in conjunction with charts and graphics throughout the text. An appendix to the book provides a summary of the evidence. The review tables in the appendix are an excellent method to evaluate various evidence for the Deity of Christ without rereading the whole book. The book’s criticism regards the sophisticated language and a few untranslated Greek translations.