[414] Matt. 20. 28; 26. 28; Mark 10. 45; 14. 24; Luke 22. 19.
Thirdly, Christ claimed to be the final Judge of the world. This tremendous claim alone shows that He considered Himself quite above and distinct from the rest of mankind. While they were all to be judged according to their works, He was to be the Judge Himself, coming in the clouds of heaven with thousands of angels. And His decision was to be final and without appeal. Moreover, this astonishing claim does not depend on single texts or passages, but occurs all through the first three Gospels.[415] During the whole of His Ministry—from His Sermon on the Mount to His trial before Caiaphas—He persistently asserted that He was to be the final Judge of the world. It is hardly credible that a mere man, however presumptuous, should ever have made such a claim as this. Can we imagine anyone doing so at the present day? and what should we think of him if he did?
[415] Matt. 7. 22; 10. 32; 13. 41; 16. 27; 19. 28; 24. 30; 25. 31-46; 26. 64; and similar passages in the other Gospels.
(2.) His Claim to be Divine.
Like the preceding, this is shown by three main arguments; for Christ declared His Equality, Unity, and Pre-existence with God. In the first place, Christ claimed Equality with God. He said that the same honour should be given to Himself as to God the Father; that men should believe in Him as well as in God; that He and the Father would together dwell in the souls of men; and that He, like the Father, had the power of sending the Holy Spirit of God.[416] He also commanded men to be baptized into His Name as well as into that of the Father; and promised that whenever and wherever His disciples were gathered together, He would be in the midst of them, even unto the end of the world, which, cannot be true of anyone but God.[417]
[416] John 5. 23; 14. 1, 23; 16. 7.
[417] Matt. 18. 20; 28. 19, 20.
Secondly, Christ claimed Unity with God. He did not say that He was another God, but that He and the Father were One; that He was in the Father, and the Father in Him; that whoever beheld Him beheld the Father; that whoever had seen Him had seen the Father.[418] These latter texts cannot, of course, be pressed literally, as few would maintain that Christ was really God the Father. But just as if a human father and son were extremely alike, we might say that if you had seen the son, you had seen the father; so if Christ was truly God—God the Son—the very image of His Father,[419] the same language might be used. It would at least be intelligible. But it would be quite unintelligible, if Christ had been merely a good man. Can we imagine the best man that ever lived saying, If you have seen me, you have seen God?
[418] John 10. 30; 17. 21; 12. 45; 14. 9.