Lesson 2 - The Authority of Jesus Christ
Lesson Overview
Lesson 1 established who the God of the Bible is. Lesson 2 now turns to the central question of the entire course — who is Jesus Christ? — and answers it with one Scripture-saturated claim: Jesus is God, the second member of the triune Godhead, possessing all the authority that belongs to God alone.
Pastor Josh walks through five lines of biblical evidence: passages that call Jesus God, passages in which Jesus calls Himself God, titles and attributes shared by the Father and the Son, works that only God can do (which Jesus does), and the manifestation of His authority over devils, over creation, and over sin and disease. By the end of this lesson, the student is confronted with the same question the disciples wrestled with in Matthew 14: “What manner of man is this?” — and the only honest answer the Scriptures permit is, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God.”
Lesson Outline
I. Scriptures That Call Jesus God
Philippians 2:5-6 — Christ thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
John 5:18 — The Jews understood Him to be making Himself equal with God.
Colossians 2:9 — In Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Romans 9:5 — Christ, who is over all, God blessed for ever.
Titus 2:13 and 2 Peter 1:1 — The great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:20 — This is the true God, and eternal life.
II. Scriptures Where Jesus Calls Himself God
The “I AM” of Exodus 3:14 — the divine name belongs to Christ.
John 4:26 — “I that speak unto thee am he.”
John 8:24 — “If ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.”
John 8:58 — “Before Abraham was, I am.”
The seven “I am” predicates of John’s Gospel — bread, light, door, shepherd, resurrection, way, vine.
John 12:41 — Isaiah saw the glory of Christ.
III. Titles and Attributes Shared by God and Jesus
Shared titles: Shepherd, Judge, Holy One, First and Last, Pierced One, Mighty God, Redeemer, Alpha and Omega.
Shared attributes: eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, immutable.
IV. Works That Only God Can Do — and Jesus Does Them
Creates (John 1:1-3), sustains creation, raises the dead, forgives sin, receives worship.
Special focus on creation — John 1:1-3, three propositions: He was in the beginning; He was with God; He was God.
“All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
V. The Authority of Jesus Christ
Authority over devils — Mark 1:21-27. The unclean spirit obeys His voice.
Authority over creation — Matthew 14:22-33. The wind ceases; the disciples worship Him.
Authority over sin and disease — Mark 2:1-12. He forgives sin and heals the paralytic.
Key Scriptures
Philippians 2:5-6
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God.
John 5:17-18
But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work. Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.
Colossians 2:9
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
Romans 9:5
Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Titus 2:13
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
2 Peter 1:1
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
Exodus 3:14
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
John 4:25-26
The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
John 8:24
I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
John 8:58
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
John 12:41
These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Mark 1:23-27
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
Matthew 14:32-33
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.
Mark 2:9-12
Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Memory Verse
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
— John 1:1
Written Summary
The most important question any person can ask is, who is Jesus Christ? Lesson 2 of Who Is Jesus Christ? answers that question directly: Jesus is God. He is the second member of the triune Godhead, equal with the Father, eternally existent, and possessed of all the authority that belongs to God alone.
Pastor Josh builds the case from five angles. First, the Scriptures call Jesus God outright. Paul writes in Philippians 2:6 that Christ “thought it not robbery to be equal with God” — a claim no creature could ever make without robbing God of His glory. Yet Jesus made it without sin, because He is God. The Jews of John 5:18 understood this perfectly: they sought to kill Him because He was “making himself equal with God.” Colossians 2:9, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13, 2 Peter 1:1, and 1 John 5:20 all bear the same witness — Jesus Christ is “the true God, and eternal life.”
Second, Jesus calls Himself God. The divine name revealed to Moses at the burning bush was “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). In John’s Gospel, the Lord Jesus repeatedly takes that name to Himself — to the woman at the well (John 4:26), to the Pharisees (John 8:24), and most stunningly in John 8:58: “Before Abraham was, I am.” He is the eternal, self-existent One. He fills out that name with the seven “I am” predicates of John — bread, light, door, shepherd, resurrection, way, vine — each one a window into who He is.
Third, the same titles and attributes that belong uniquely to God belong also to Jesus Christ. He is the Shepherd, the Judge, the Holy One, the First and the Last, the Pierced One, the Mighty God, the Redeemer, the Alpha and Omega. He is eternal, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, immutable. These are not creaturely titles. They belong to God alone — and they belong to Jesus.
Fourth, Jesus does the works that only God can do. He creates (John 1:1-3), He sustains all things, He raises the dead, He forgives sin, He receives worship. The lesson focuses especially on creation: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” Not some things. All things. He is the Creator — self-existent, before all things, the One in whom all things consist.
Fifth and finally, His authority is manifested wherever He goes. The unclean spirit in Mark 1 obeys His voice. The wind and the sea in Matthew 14 fall silent at His word, and the disciples worship Him saying, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” The paralytic in Mark 2 is forgiven and healed in the same breath, because the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. He has authority over devils, over creation, and over sin and disease — because He is God.
The lesson closes where it began. This is the Christ. This is the One whose redemptive work — His death, burial, and resurrection — paid the debt and penalty of our sins so that we might have eternal life through faith in Him. There is no more important question, and there is no other answer.
Study Questions
Philippians 2:6 says Christ “thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” If you or I claimed equality with God, we would be robbing Him of His glory. Why was it not robbery for Christ to make that claim — and what does that one verse alone settle about His identity?
In John 8:58 Jesus says, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Why is that statement so significant in light of Exodus 3:14? Why did the Jews pick up stones immediately afterward?
Pastor Josh notes that the unclean spirit in Mark 1 recognized Jesus as “the Holy One of God” while the religious leaders of Israel did not. What does that tell you about the difference between knowing about Jesus and being willing to receive who He is?
The disciples in Matthew 14 worshipped Jesus after He calmed the wind, saying, “Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” When have the works of Christ in your own life pressed you toward that same confession?
Of the seven “I am” predicates in John’s Gospel — bread, light, door, shepherd, resurrection, way, vine — which one most clearly meets a need in your life right now? Why?
Pastor Josh repeatedly returns to the question, “What are you going to do with Jesus Christ?” If Jesus is who He claims to be, what does honest engagement with His authority look like in your daily walk?
How does this lesson change the way you read the Old Testament — particularly the passages where the great I AM speaks, judges, creates, and saves?
Review Questions
Question 1: In Philippians 2:6, Paul says Christ “thought it not robbery to be equal with God.” What does this teach us about Jesus?
A. Jesus aspired to become equal with God but never quite reached it.
B. Jesus was already equal with God, and claiming that equality took nothing away from the Father.
C. Jesus rejected equality with God in favor of becoming a mere man.
D. Jesus secretly stole His divine status from the Father.
Question 2: When Jesus said in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was, I am,” what was He claiming?
A. That He was older than Abraham in human years.
B. That He had been a prophet long before Abraham’s time.
C. That He is the eternal, self-existent God of Exodus 3:14 — the great I AM.
D. That He had merely studied Abraham’s life carefully.
Question 3: According to John 1:3, how much of creation was made by the Word (Jesus Christ)?
A. Only the spiritual realm.
B. Most of creation, but not all.
C. All things — without Him was not any thing made that was made.
D. Creation existed eternally and was not made by anyone.
Answer Key
B — Jesus was already equal with God. No creature can claim equality with God without robbing Him of His glory; Jesus made that claim without sin because He is God, the eternal second member of the triune Godhead.
C — He is the eternal I AM of Exodus 3:14. Jesus deliberately took to Himself the divine name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush — and the Jews understood Him so clearly that they immediately took up stones to kill Him for blasphemy.
C — All things — without Him was not any thing made that was made. John 1:3 leaves no room for exception; the Word created everything that exists, which means He Himself is uncreated, self-existent, and God.
Going Deeper
Hebrews 1:1-3 — “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person.” Pastor Josh referenced this in Lesson 1 and again here; it ties together the Father’s glory and the Son’s identity in a single sentence and is worth memorizing alongside John 1:1.
Isaiah 6:1-5 — Isaiah’s vision of “the Lord, high and lifted up.” John 12:41 tells us this is the glory of Christ that Isaiah saw. Reading Isaiah 6 with that knowledge changes everything about the passage — and about who has been on the throne the whole time.
Colossians 1:15-20 — Paul’s great Christological hymn. “By him were all things created… and he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” A perfect companion passage to John 1:1-3 and to this entire lesson.
Coming Up Next
Lesson 3 — If Jesus is God, what was He doing as a man? We will turn from the authority of Christ to the humanity of Christ — why God the Son took on flesh, what He came to accomplish, and why both His full deity and His full humanity are essential to the gospel.
