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Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ

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The deity of Christ is among the handful most essential Christian doctrines. Nevertheless, there is a problem: I've often asked Christian friends--including people in the ministry--to state two or three passages in the New Testament that support this doctrine. I've especially used this question for a few ministers in training who seemed to think they already knew it all. Sadly, many have not been able to do it.

Robert M. Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski would have no such difficulty! In their book Putting Jesus In His Place, they set forth some 300 pages of Biblical support for Christ's deity. Reading this book I realized--again--how much more I have to learn, too. I had no idea of the extent to which Christ's deity is demonstrated in the New Testament--virtually on every page.

This question has a fascinating and important history. In the centuries immediately following Christ's time on earth, there seems to have been at least as much doubt that he was human as that he was God. The Gnostics held to various versions of a belief that Jesus was indeed divine and only seemed to be human, or that he took on humanity as just a kind of temporary shell. The Da Vinci Code said that Christ's deity was a late invention of the church, brought forth for political reasons. Dan Brown got that exactly wrong.

Today the issue splits in two. For many, Jesus' deity is a non-question: the New Testament record is unhistorical or unreliable, they suppose, so they care little what it says about the Jesus' relationship to God. Bowman and Komoszewski have not addressed that issue in this book. They speak instead to people who (at least claim to) accept the authority of the New Testament, but dispute the conclusion of Jesus' deity being drawn from it. Chief among these would be quasi-Christian cults like the Jehovah's Witnesses. You may not have had a Jehovah's Witness knock on your door in past few months, but their numbers are growing worldwide.

There is no doubt that, taken at its word, the New Testament honors Jesus high above all other men. The question is whether that honor constitutes a case for his actually being God. When Jesus is called "Lord," does it mean the same as LORD (YHWH, or God) in the Old Testament? Or is it a less exalted honorific, like "Sir"? Are the acts of apparent worship toward Christ, such as when Thomas finally recognized the reality of his resurrection, suitable only for a God, or were they appropriate for a lesser representative of God? When Jesus said "I and the Father are one," did that mean that he and the Father really, really agreed on things, or did it mean something more than that?

Bowman and Komoszewski categorize the relevant issues by the acronym HANDS. Jesus, they say, shares in God's Honors, Attributes, Names, Deeds, and Seat (the throne of God). They show how these shared characteristics are far more than superficial. I'll draw from just one example among the many, to illustrate:

"Paul frequently refers to Jesus as 'Lord' in 1 Corinthians in such a way as to identify him, or to equate him, with the Lord Jehovah of the Old Testament. Three instances appear in the opening ten verses alone. Christians, according to Paul, are 'all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Cor. 1:2). The Old Testament, of course, taught that one should call on the name of the Lord YHWH (e.g., Joel 2:32, which as we have seen, Paul also applied to Jesus in Romans 10:13). A few verses later, Paul says that Christians hope to be found 'blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:8; see also 5:5), where as the Old Testament spoke of that judgment day as 'the day of YHWH' (e.g., Joel 1:15, 2:1, 11,31). The allusion to 'the day of the Lord' (cf. Joel 2:31) in the same context as 'calling on the name of the Lord (cf. Joel 2:32) makes it all the more likely that Paul's language alludes directly to Joel. He refers to this future day of the Lord Jesus in several other epistles.... Paul then exhorts his readers 'by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (1:10), again placing the focus on the name of the Lord Jesus that Judaism placed on the name of the Lord YHWH (see our earlier discussion of this point in chapter 11)."

The point of this quote is of course not to set forth an unassailable proof of Jesus' deity in one paragraph, but to illustrate the way the authors build their case throughout the entire book. The honors given to Jesus, the attributes, names, and deeds ascribed to him, the throne on which he sits--these things can only apply to God himself.

This book could be read as a devotional guide, lifting up the name of Christ; as a polemical guide, preparing the reader to argue the case for Christ's deity; or it could even be useful as a reference book--it is so clearly organized that whatever Biblical question you may have about Christ's deity, you'll be able quickly to find a Biblical answer. (Though it is published by Kregel's academic/professional arm, it's readable for any average reader.)

Such a book would have been immensely useful to my friends and me when I first came to faith in Christ. My next-door neighbor in the dormitory accepted Christ just about a week before I did, and another near neighbor also did at about the same time. We were all low brass players in Michigan State's music program, coincidentally enough. Within that same month, a Jehovah's Witness began trying to convince some of us that Christian beliefs about Jesus Christ were all wrong. He caused considerable confusion, and it led to tense moments and confrontations, such as you can only appreciate if you have been there. One of the members of our dorm fellowship revealed that he was a member of a cult known as "The Way" during this time; he had kept that hidden from us that before.

But why should we have made such a big fuss over this? There is good reason: if Christ is God and we do not honor him as such, we defame the very nature and character of God. Jesus said that those who have seen him have seen the Father, and the book of Hebrews calls him the very image of God. If we deny Christ, we deny our King, Creator, and Lord. On the other hand, if Christ is not God, then we who worship him as God are guilty of blasphemy such as the Muslims charge us with. We are polytheists, idolaters, infidels, as wrong as we could possibly be about God. The conflict is hardly academic.

Bowman and Komoszewski provide assurance, beyond what I had ever previously imagined, that our belief in Christ's deity is exactly what the New Testament intended us to hold.

I could wish that the book portrayed the drama of this doctrine more than it does. It would have added interest, for example, if there had been an historical overview, showing how the doctrine of Christ's deity was disputed, clarified, developed, and explained in the early centuries of Christianity. It is abundantly clear that the New Testament authors regarded Christ as God, yet they did not do the theological and philosophical work of explaining how one person could possess two natures, human and divine; and they did not carefully consider how God could, without contradiction, be three persons yet one God. These doctrines, though clearly founded in Scripture, had to be developed over time by the church Fathers. Absent from this book, too, is a clear depiction of the controversy over Christ's deity as it stands today with the cults. There are brief references to current counter-claims, but nothing in depth.

But that was not the intent of the book. What it sets out to do, it does very well: to provide a Biblical theology of the deity of Christ. With this, Christians can be confident that the case is closed and the dispute is settled. And we can be prepared--as my friends in ministry, mentioned above, eventually were--in case someone asks us to show that the Bible really does teach the deity of Christ.

Very readable, very thorough, very practical, and very *memorable*! The last point is especially important -- who want's to spend all week reading a book and then forget what you read? Using an easy mnemonic, the authors presented a beautiful and understandable case for Christ as God. Jesus is deity because of HANDS: He shares the *H*onor due to God, he shares the *A*ttributes of God, he shares the *N*ames of God, he shares in the *D*eeds of God, and he shares the *S*eat of God's throne. There you go. You already have the book outline memorized ' . They also answer the question "So what - does it really matter?" The answer is "yes," and the authors detail why.

This book is strongly evangelistic in laying out the evidence for the deity of Christ. Prophet, teacher, and man are not options by themselves, and angel and myth are shown to untenable conclusions. A verdict of "God" is demanded by the case the authors have layed out. They quote a variety of sources from both inside and outside the evangelical tradition. For example, chapter 6 features side-by-side quotes from John Piper (strongly Reformed) and Thomas Oden (strong Wesleyan), each quote supporting the book's thesis. The authors also directly interact with opponents, such as Jehovah's Witness apologist Greg Stafford, on many points.

The biggest surprise from the book was this: I've always known that the Old Testament must be interpreted in light of the New Testament, but this book shows how incredibly important it is to understand the New Testament in light of the Old Testament. Many of the passages about God in the Old Testament were applied to Jesus in the New Testament. It really pulls the Bible together.

As a Christian debater who primarily defends the deity of Christ, let me say this - I love this book! Here's what I like about it most: although the authors are presenting the information in a way that is accessible to laypeople, it is definitely not a cursory treatment. The book is not hasty with details; it elaborates on its arguments with ample depth, making sure to include exceptions and underlying possible areas of contentions. This is often glossed over in popular publications, especially because it often makes the text tedious and not reader-friendly. However, this book has managed to get the best of both worlds: smooth reading for interested beginners with details enough for incorporation by debaters and theologians.

The "HANDS" acronym keeps the information organized in the readers' minds, and thus not only helps to categorize the arguments, but also to instill them into our memories providing a useful tool for evangelism and/or debate. For anyone who believes that the New Testament does not teach the deity of Christ, the arguments in this book prove to be worthy of sincere consideration - their strength cannot be ignored in good conscience. To the believers in Christ's deity, this is a much needed book at a time when one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity has come under fire, and thanks is due to its authors.

Combine solid theology, strong apologetics, and an easy-to-follow, fun-to-read writing style, and you end up with what's sure to be a great resource for Christians of all levels of interest and purposes.

There's probably never been a time when more people have been confused about who Jesus Christ is. In recent years critics have produced scores of books, movies and television specials attacking the deity of Christ..Putting Jesus in His Place demonstrates in a scholarly, yet easy to understand way that Scripture teaches Jesus is God...In fact, you will find that, in 400 pages, the authors have packed in an incredible amount of information and i think we need more books like this one..
really great book by good scholars. There is many scholars who give a good reviews about this book..like ( Martin Hengel Professor Emeritus of University of Tübingen, Germany, Howard Marshall Professor Emeritus, University of Aberdeen, Scotland ,Larry W. Hurtado professor, University of Edinburgh, Scotland and many others...)..many atheists and sceptics will NOT like this book..

There's probably never been a time when more people have been confused about who Jesus Christ is. In recent years critics have produced scores of books, movies and television specials attacking the deity of Christ. Sadly, even many Christians have tried to turn Jesus into some sort of genie in a bottle, a being who exists simply to grant their every worldly desire.

But thank God for people like Robert M. Bowman and J. Ed Komoszewski who present the Christ of the Bible in "Putting Jesus In His Place; The Case For The Deity Of Christ".

Putting Jesus in His Place demonstrates in a scholarly, yet easy to understand way that Scripture teaches Jesus is God. To make their case the authors present the acronym HANDS:

Honors: Jesus shares the honors due to God
Attributes: Jesus shares the attributes of God
Names: Jesus shares the names of God
Deeds: Jesus shares in the deeds that God does
Seat: Jesus shares the seat of God's throne

The result is line upon line of solid evidence for Christ's deity. Where many first create their own image of Christ, then look to the Bible for support, Bowman and Komoszewski begin with the Bible and draw their conclusions from the text

Putting Jesus In His Place is a book you can use as a bible study, reference book or devotional. It's a book that answers the seeker's questions, teaches the new believer and reminds the long time Christian that our Savior is also our God.

This book is a Biblical defense of the divinity of Jesus. What this means is that it isn't addressed to atheists or people who doubt the accuracy of the Bible; it is addressed to those like Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses with whom some measure of Biblical authority is something taken for granted. I say that because inevitably critics will object that it assumes or doesn't cover this or that, when it was not meant to.

With that settled, the content: With people like Bauckham, Hurtado, Hengel, and Wallace giving this book props, and prior reviews listing the content, my own two cents' worth really doesn't need to be added, but here it is anyway: This book is a thorough and eminently worthwhile exposition on the Biblical case for Christ as God. I'll mention my one reservation: I do think the authors could have made use of the Wisdom template, but they reject an identification of Christ with Wisdom in Proverbs 8 [107] and so cannot go that route. The rest of the book, however, offers a wealth of detailed information and exposition about the divine titles used in the NT, and goes so far as to answer some of the wackier ideas in sources like The Aquarian Gospel and the JW apologetics of Greg Stafford. (That's not a bad thing, because someone HAS needed to address these ideas directly and in this format for a long time.)

This one is solid enough to earn a place in my "Apologetics Arsenal".

Putting Jesus in His Place is a concise and easy to read book. Robert Bowman and Ed Komoszewski have really done their homework for the benefit of the body of Christ. This book causes you to rethink misconceptions about Christ that are popular among Christians and deals head on with the poor representation of Jesus within the Trinity that the cults and other non-believers shout from their mountain tops and Watchtowers.

This book would be a great addition to anyone's library who wanted an understanding of how Jesus not only fulfills the types and shadows of the Old Testament but how he is also the creator and sustainer of all things.

Every church should have a study using this book to help their congregations better understand and defend the deity of Christ. With the use of the HANDS acrostic and easy to use charts, this is an excellent example of taking top shelf theology and putting it where everybody can reach it.

You would have to have a presuppositional bias, Folk Theology, and a flare for revisionist history to reject what is stated in this book. The evidence for the deity of Christ is overwhelming.

Essential. It is hard to think of something in the Christian faith that is more essential than the person of Jesus Christ. Christ asks the most important question that can ever be asked: "Who do you say that I am?" Komoszewski and Bowman have written a landmark book that will give the reader a clear defense of the deity of Christ. Accessible, thorough, passionate, balanced, and convincing. These adjectives are rarely seen together in these types of works. This book covers all of them.

Whether you have believed in the deity of Christ all your life, are wrestling with the subject, or are among those who would deny Christ's deity, you need to have this book. A welcome addition to a subject that is often taken for granted.

This work is an amazing treatment of a critical and complex topic. The deity of Christ has been challenged on many fronts through history and in our popular culture today, but with a thorough yet concise review of the biblical evidence, the authors build a convincing case that Jesus is indeed God. They present the deity of Christ as a multifaceted wonder that is supported on multiple fronts.

I really enjoyed the fact that their arguments are laid out so clearly and supported very well, but I also appreciated the authors' willingness to address objections and to honestly deal with alternate understandings of some of the biblical texts.

After reading this book I felt that I had a better understanding not just of the specific topic of the deity of Christ, but that I had a better understanding of prayer, worship and the attributes of God. I was convinced not only that Jesus is God, but that the significance of that fact should impact my life every single day.

Having just completed reading the latest book from Rob Bowman and Ed Komoszewski, and the six reviews already written, I'm somewhat at a loss for words to better describe what the reader will find as he or she opens the cover and allows Bowman and Komoszewski to take them on a journey that ultimately and conclusively affirms one's understanding that Jesus truly is fully God. Putting Jesus in His Place is a must-read that belongs in every Christian's personal library--both the academician and the lay scholar. Theologically sound, biblically-based, highly engaging and easy to read, readers will find this book difficult to put down once they begin. I highly recommend this book to all who desire a fuller and more complete understanding of the diety of Christ.