From time to time a book emerges (or in this case re-emerges) that a Christian reader will consider a 'must-have' for their personal library. For this reviewer, David Lambourn’s seminal work meets this criterion.
Is it right to describe Jesus as ‘God’? This question lies at the heart of the key schism between Christianity and its Jewish root, and between Christianity and other religions of this world. Lambourn has done a considerable service in sifting the biblical evidence, tracing the deity of Christ from the Old Testament into the New. From the introduction:
...is [Jesus] the human face of God? Could the Creator and Sustainer of the universe really have come to earth as a human being? If so, what would be the implications for us today?
…For Jews, Muslims, and even many who would call themselves ‘Christian’, such ideas are shocking. How can a real historical figure also be in charge of the universe? Why would God choose to reveal himself as a human being? If Jesus is God, how can the Father be God as well?
This book is more than just another contribution to the periodic (and often helpful) books on the doctrine of the Trinity. It goes further. Rather than philosophise towards an understanding of the deity of Christ, Lambourn traces the myriad clues across the scriptures indicating that God was to be incarnate and that this is central to his salvific purposes.
Lambourn traces the myriad clues across the scriptures indicating that God was to be incarnate and that this is central to his salvific purposes.
Equipping for Mission
The author begins by showing that our collective lack of understanding of the deity of Christ makes us easy meat for the Jehovah’s Witnesses – and by extension, we might add, for the Muslims as well. Lambourn states that most Christians are rather apathetic to the whole question:
...suppose we invite a Jehovah’s Witness indoors. Sitting down over coffee we discover that our visitors are frighteningly persuasive. With some trepidation we bring up the subject of the deity of Christ. This proves to be a very big mistake! Before long, the Witnesses, brandishing their own New World Translation, have been able to turn up verse after verse which seems to disprove that Jesus was in any sense ‘God’...
...We hunt desperately for a line of defence. What about The Nicene Creed? It was, after all, written specifically to correct such beliefs. On closer inspection, however, it proves useless for our purposes. The disconcerting truth is that none of the lines we quote actually appear in Scripture.
But Is He God? breaks down neatly into 12 chapters covering various aspects of Jesus' character and person, with 'questions to consider' at the end of each chapter. An appendix and 21 pages of end notes rounds off the book. By sifting the biblical evidence, Lambourn shows that the evidence for the deity of Christ is overwhelming, though we may need to look specifically to unearth it.
Wonderful Truth
A splendid feature of this book is its extensive use of simple tables - allowing Old Testament assertions to be set alongside New Testament confirmations, for instance. Lambourn takes us well beyond the idea that the New Testament confirms Old Testament prophecy as true – we have seen this often enough in other books. He demonstrates that the deity of Christ is the DNA of God’s entire revelation to mankind.
Reading this book will bolster our confidence in the veracity of Scripture, give us great joy in perceiving afresh our God who became man, and equip us for reaching out to those who do not yet know him. As someone once said “the Son of God became the Son of Man, so that sons of men might become sons of God”.
Lambourn’s book underscores the wonder of this truth. The structure of the book makes it useful as a bible study series and assists group leaders by providing key questions to explore.
'But Is He God?' (225pp, paperback) is available via Amazon for £7.44. Also on Kindle. If there is difficulty in supply, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
