A Tool of Offense and Defense “The Deity of Christ” A Book Review

In 1 Peter the Apostle Peter gives us all a very important command; “but honor the Messiah as Lord in your hearts.  Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. (1 Peter 3:15, Holman Christian Standard Bible, HCSB)” Unfortunately for the Church today fewer and fewer people are willing to stand up for the hope that is in them as born-again believers.  Over the past several years we have seen many well founded denominations chose to move away from the doctrines from which they were founded, and chose to blaze for themselves a new path of “tolerance and love” while turning away from the only source of true love, Jesus Christ.

            Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ are often challenged by those who do not to defend the faith.  Many do not have the knowledge, experience, or tools to do this.  This is where “Theology in Community” comes into play.  This is a series of books that began with “Suffering and the Goodness of God” in 2008, then “The Glory of God” in 2010.  This year they released their third addition “The Deity of Christ” which is what this review will be on today.

            “The Deity of Christ” is edited by Christopher W. Morgan and Robert A. Peterson with contributions from 7 others.  In this book they address 10 common topics of challenge to the deity of Christ; as it is viewed today, in the Old Testament, Synoptic Gospels, John’s Gospel, Church History, World Religions, Missions, and others.  Having come from a background as a Pastor’s son, I did not spend too much time on the Biblical aspects of Christ’s Deity because that is something I feel like I am well grounded in.  However, some of the other chapters were very informative.

            I have had this book now for probably three months, which is longer than the publisher likes normally without a review, but this book was so in depth that I could not just read it once.  This is a book I had to read and mull over numerous times.  I believe every follower of Christ should invest in a book like this and use it for the tool that it is.  Although this tool is very in depth, and written by scholars, there is no doubt that these men took time to make this a book every believer could read.  For a volume that only has 255 pages actually in the chapters, the amount of information contained in this book is remarkable.

            Chapter 7, which is “The Deity of Christ in Church History” by Dr. Gerald Bray was one of the chapters I spent a lot of time in.  I am not as knowledgeable as others on the founding fathers, so reading this chapter was actually of great interest and great value to me.  One point I found interesting was the fact that many so-called scholars instead of looking at the facts presented from the actual Word of God dismiss them as evidence because the Gospels show Christ as 100% God and 100% Man.  Another excellent point made by Dr. Bray was the fact that although there are some miracles in each of the Gospel accounts, that is not the full focus of any of the Gospels, showing that so convinced were the authors of Christ’s deity that they did not feel the need to build up any of the miracles to a point of sole focus.

            Although Pastor Appreciation Month is over, this is a book I would recommend as a gift to any pastor, or any other serious student of the WORD of God.  With all the technical writing, and the re-reads I still rate this book a 5 out of 5.  There is no doubt that we are in a time where we will have to continue to defend our faith in Jesus Christ and the Trinity, and this tool of offense or defense is worth having.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Crossway as part of their Blogger Review Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”