Jesus Christ is proclaimed as God in the flesh, born of the virgin Mary in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. He declared Himself to be the God of the Old Testament, a claim duly reported in the Bible. His assertion of divine origin, stating that He came down from heaven, sets Him apart from all other religious teachers, giving unparalleled weight to His words. He is unique in His journey, having come from heaven and returned there, a path no other human has followed. His firsthand knowledge of heavenly things, derived from being in God's presence during the formation of divine plans, establishes Him as the sole source of true spiritual knowledge for mankind. The Bible affirms that He inhabits eternity, having no beginning or end of days, thus confirming His uncreated nature alongside the Father. As the Word, He existed before the creation, becoming flesh to dwell among men, revealing God's purpose and plan. He emptied Himself of divine privileges and immortality to become mortal, yet remained God, subject to death like those He created. His preeminence as Creator, Redeemer, and Instructor is emphasized, with all things made by Him, further solidifying His eternal existence and divine authority over all creation. The Living Word and the written word both confirm that our Savior is uncreated God, whose immense sacrifice underscores the value He places on humanity.

Jesus Christ, in the account of His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, demonstrates His divine authority and identity as God manifested in flesh. He was in complete control of the situation, delaying in the Garden as the arresting party approached and voluntarily surrendering by going forth to meet them. At the moment of arrest, He displayed power over the soldiers, grace towards His disciples, and mercy to His enemies. When He spoke the words "I Am," echoing the divine name Yahweh revealed to Moses, the arresting party drew back and fell to the ground, rendered helpless before Him, signifying His divine glory and authority even at the point of capture. This revelation of Jesus Christ's power and glory at His arrest highlights the paradox of the incarnation. Though appearing as a man, subject to human weakness, He consistently manifested divine power—seen in His birth announced by angels, His baptism accompanied by a heavenly voice declaring Him as God's beloved Son, His calming of the storm on Galilee, His raising of Lazarus from the dead, and His agonizing prayer in the Garden followed by overpowering His enemies with His presence. This blending of seeming opposites underscores that He was more than man; He was God in flesh, declaring at His capture that He must be both man to die and God for that death to suffice as a ransom for sin. Jesus Christ's actions during His arrest further reveal His voluntary submission to death. If He had been unwilling to die, no amount of troops or weapons could have forced Him, as He could have walked away as on previous occasions. His display of power over His enemies shows that His death was not coerced but a deliberate choice. Additionally, He made it clear to those arresting Him that they were without excuse, as they could not plead ignorance of His divine glory after witnessing His supernatural authority, choosing to continue in their actions despite the truth before them.

Jesus Christ is the Son of God, not a created being, and He is YHWH of the Old Testament, the member of the God Family who became Jesus Christ. Paul applies Psalm 68 to Him: the God who ascended on high, led captivity captive, and gave gifts is Christ. He was the Rock that followed Israel in the wilderness and the One who was with the church in the wilderness, as Paul in I Corinthians 10 and Stephen testify. The Father cannot be the One who ascended, because the Father is always in heaven; only the Son descended into the lower parts of the earth and ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. The Son subordinated Himself for the work of salvation and is always the great Mediator. He received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father and poured it out, so that receiving and giving are one action, and every gift to the church comes from the Father through the Son. He came into the world to conquer Satan, sin, and death, and having routed them, He returned to heaven leading them captive like a triumphant king, showering gifts on His people. By this victory He is the sole Head of the church, its King and High Priest, and the giver of every gift and calling.

Some in the church of God have begun to doubt the traditional teaching regarding the physical and spiritual makeup of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The phrase "fully man and fully God" has been used to describe Him, raising the question of how He could be both at the same time. That Jesus is God is without dispute, as one of His names is Immanuel, meaning "God with us." John identifies Him as the Word, stating that the Word was God and became flesh to dwell among us. Jesus Himself declares, "Before Abraham was, I AM," affirming His divine nature. However, no scripture explicitly claims He was fully God during His human life. In His prayer, Jesus requests the Father to glorify Him with the glory He had before the world was, implying that He lacked this glory while human but possessed it before His incarnation and had it restored upon His resurrection and ascension. This suggests a distinction in His divine status during His earthly life, prompting a need for a more accurate description of the divinity of our Savior and soon-coming King.

Jesus Christ, as God Incarnate, embodies a profound mystery. He is identified as the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us, with the name Immanuel, meaning God with us. Scripture reveals that He was in the form of God, expressing the outward manifestation of His divine essence, yet He did not consider this equality with God a treasure to be clutched at all costs. Instead, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant and coming in the likeness of men. This act of humility meant that He waived His rights to the full expression of His divine essence, setting aside His immortality and the outward expression of Deity to live as a man. Though He retained His divine essence, His humanity was a real likeness, not a phantom, yet it did not express the fullness of God, nor was He a man in the strictest sense as we are. He entered a unique state of being, a fleshly person with two natures, expressing as much of God's nature as could be manifested in a human being. Thus, while He was God, He exchanged one form of expression for another, embodying both the essence of Deity and the likeness of humanity in a manner that defies simple categorization.

Jesus Christ stands as a unique and unparalleled figure, far beyond merely an extraordinary man. He embodies the fullness of divine power and humility, expressed flawlessly in His love and unstinting giving for the eternal well-being of His creation. Within Him reside all the intellectual capacities to design and bring into existence this vast creation, populating it with stars, planets, angels, humans, animals, fish, and birds, showcasing an immense investment. Despite humanity's unworthiness, He willingly assumed the responsibility to pay for our sins through His divine life, ultimately given in death. As the Word became flesh, He assumed human nature while never ceasing to be God. Throughout His human existence, even in the grave and after resurrection, He remained divine, a perfect blending of both divine and human worlds. He experienced human dependencies, such as blood sustaining His life and human emotions, yet He could die only by His own volition, which He did for our sake. His glory, witnessed by the apostles over three and a half years, contrasts sharply with mankind's rejection, highlighting His boundless love as an action, personifying the ultimate expression of God's love. Jesus Christ, as the only begotten Son, has existed from eternity alongside the Father, never being anything less than God. His role as God in the flesh involved teaching His chosen apostles directly, revealing the Father and Himself, and exemplifying a way of life through daily interactions and personal sacrifice. His love for them was to the uttermost, the highest degree possible, as He gave His life for their spiritual benefit. He continues to live in us, direct us, teach us, and be all in all to us, essential for our salvation beyond just the forgiveness of sins, as He reveals the Father to those who yield to Him. In the epistle to the Hebrews, His qualifications are thunderously proclaimed: He is the only begotten Son, unique among all; appointed Heir of all things, assuring continuity and dominion; the Creator of all and Giver of life, faithful to His creation; the brightness of God's glory and express image of His Person, in no way inferior to the Father; the upholder of the universe by the Word of His power, preserving and managing creation; the One who purged our sins, preparing us for His Kingdom; and now re-established at the right hand of God, second only to the Father in rulership, witnessing His unwavering faithfulness to the Father's purpose. Without Him, we can achieve nothing in terms of what the Father desires for us, underscoring His indispensable role in our spiritual progress and connection to eternity.

Jesus Christ as God Incarnate reveals a profound truth about His nature and mission. He, being in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to cling to, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men. As a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on the cross. This act of humility allowed Him to be made like His brethren in every way, sharing in flesh and blood to destroy the power of death held by the devil and to release humanity from the bondage of fear. Through His incarnation, He became subject to the limitations of mortal man—hunger, thirst, weakness, pain, weariness, and temptation—yet equipped with the mind and Spirit of His Father, He overcame these challenges. As the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, He became our kinsman-Redeemer, sharing our blood and living under our terms, struggling with the same weaknesses, burdens, and temptations. His sinless life paid for the cumulative sins of mankind for all time, identifying Himself with humanity as the Son of Man. This title, Son of Man, used by Him most often to refer to Himself, signifies someone just like us, embodying all the restrictions and weaknesses men face, yet also the potential for glory. As our perfect Creator God, He paid the price for our redemption, and for this sacrifice, He received great reward—authority to forgive sins, lordship over the Sabbath, the role of Savior, Messiah, Judge, dispenser of eternal life, and Head of the church, sitting at the right hand of God. Through His example, the potential for every man to be glorified is shown, reflecting His awesome act of love and continuing care for humanity.

Christ's coming in the flesh is foundational, and denying it marks a deceiver and an antichrist (II John 7; I John 4:2-3). The reasoning is that sin is paid for only by death, and human sin is so vast that only the death of the Creator Himself is costly enough to cover it. Yet the eternal, spirit, life-giving God cannot die, so He voluntarily set aside His glory and many prerogatives to become a man. As a man He kept His God-like character and personality and had the Holy Spirit fully, and so He overcame temptation, remained sinless, and shed His blood as a perfect sacrifice. Hebrews 2, 5, and 10 and Philippians 2:5-8 present this humbling of Yahweh into a obedient servant who died on the cross. John 1:14 says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, His glory muted to what a man could hold and revealed as grace and truth. Scripture repeatedly stresses His human origin and His divine Sonship: Genesis 3:15 (the woman's Seed), Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1 (Immanuel, "God with us"), Luke 1, and Galatians 4:4 (born of a woman, under the law). I Timothy 3:16 says God was manifested in the flesh. I Peter 1 and I John 1:1-3 give proof of His humanity: He had blood, could be seen, heard, and touched, and could die. Gnostic ideas, such as Docetism, which separated a spiritual Christ from a human Jesus, are rejected, and any false conception of Christ is antichrist. Because He was both Son of God and Son of Man, He alone could redeem humanity and give forgiveness and eternal life.

Jesus Christ is the Word who was with God and was God from before creation, one of two distinct divine Beings in the God Family, the other being the Father. As the Word, He was Creator and agent of creation, with the Father creating through Him (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:13-16, Hebrews 1). Psalm 110:1 and Acts 2:34-36 identify the two Beings, and Psalm 45:6-7 as quoted in Hebrews 1 shows the Messiah addressed as God and worthy of angelic worship, so He is God both before and after His incarnation. Philippians 2:6 describes Him as being in the form of God and equal with God, yet with a different personality and a will submitted to the Father's, as in Gethsemane. This Word divested Himself of His glory as spirit divinity and became flesh (John 1:14). The Father begot Him through the Holy Spirit by impregnating Mary, so that He was called Immanuel, "God with us," and became the Son. He is the only one so far begotten in this way and composed completely of Spirit. The Old Testament appearances of God to Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Joshua were of the One who became Jesus, not the Father, which reconciles the claims that many saw God and that no one has. One major purpose of His coming in human flesh was to reveal the Father fully. Jesus looked like the Father and is the image of the invisible God, and He alone decides to whom the Father is made known. The Father later resurrected Him to sit at His right hand.

The Gospel of John presents Jesus Christ distinctly as God, emphasizing His divinity in a way that Matthew, Mark, and Luke—who focus on His humanity—do not. This theme is symbolized by the eagle, one of the four cherubic figures from Revelation 4, which soars above the earth with phenomenal eyesight and builds its nest high in the crags, unlike the other symbols confined to earthly realms. The eagle's characteristics—its elevation, its penetrating vision, and its protective care over its young—fit the divine nature of Christ, who possesses insight into men's hearts, maintains sovereign control, and cares for His people even as they inhabit an inhospitable world. John's opening verses establish this divine identity immediately: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." There is no birth narrative or genealogy here, but rather an announcement that the Creator, Life, and Light Himself became flesh and dwelt among men. This is described as more awesome than Genesis 1 itself, since John introduces the very Author of that creation account. John personally witnessed, touched, and spoke with the Maker of everything—an assertion of staggering significance that expands one's conception of who Jesus of Nazareth truly was. This divine nature is further revealed through subtle relational arrangements throughout the text. John the Baptist testifies that Jesus, the Word, existed and spoke before John himself—the word must exist within a man before the voice can express it, indicating that God's Word preceded and formed John the Baptist's witness. Additionally, while Jesus is depicted as a self-generating, inexhaustible source of light (being God), John the Baptist is called merely "a burning and shining lamp," one requiring an external source—God's Spirit—to remain lit, illustrating humanity's complete dependence on God for spiritual life. The incarnation reveals a Being coping with life "on a man's terms" while remaining fundamentally divine. This creates the seemingly contradictory statements where John the Baptist first acknowledges knowing who Jesus was, yet later states, "I did not know Him." This reflects a deepening comprehension of Christ's divine nature that grows with intimate acquaintance, paralleling how believers increasingly perceive Christ's awesome character the longer they walk with Him. Christ's divine control is most evident in John's crucifixion narrative, markedly different from the other Gospels. There is no agony in Gethsemane, no angelic ministration, no cry for sympathy. Instead, Roman soldiers fall backward at the mere sound of His voice; He commands them to release His disciples; He remains calm before Pilate, clearly directing events. His life is not taken from Him—He voluntarily lays it down, declaring "It is finished" before dying, demonstrating that as God, He possessed complete authority over even His own death. This portrayal establishes that in Christ dwells "all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," and believers, having been made "partakers of the divine nature," find that everything necessary for eternal life resides in Him alone.