The Deity of the Son

(Extracts from Francis Turretin, edited into modern English)

Why This Doctrine Matters

The question is not small: Is Jesus Christ truly God, or only a great creature?
Francis Turretin insists that if Christ is not fully God, then the gospel collapses. A creature cannot save sinners, forgive sins, or give eternal life. Scripture presents the Son not as a lesser god, nor as a created being, but as true God, of the same divine essence as the Father.

Turretin argues carefully, not from philosophy, but from the whole witness of Scripture.

1. The Son Is Called “God” in Scripture

Turretin begins with the plain testimony of Scripture. Names matter, especially when God Himself gives them.

The Bible openly and repeatedly calls the Son God, not in a loose or honorary way, but properly and truly.

• John 1:1 – “The Word was God.”

• John 20:28 – Thomas confesses to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.”

• Romans 9:5 – Christ is described as “God over all, blessed forever.”

• Titus 2:13 – “Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.”

• Hebrews 1:8 – The Father says of the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.”

Turretin argues:
If Scripture calls the Son “God” in the same sense it calls the Father “God,” then the Son must possess the same divine nature. Scripture does not redefine “God” when it speaks of Christ.

To deny this is not humility, but contradiction.

2. The Son Has the Attributes of God

Next, Turretin shows that the Son possesses qualities that belong to God alone. These are not shared with creatures.

a. Eternity

• John 1:1 – The Word already was in the beginning.

• John 8:58 – “Before Abraham was, I am.”

The Son does not come into existence. He exists eternally.

b. Omnipresence

• Matthew 28:20 – “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

No creature can be present with all believers at all times. Only God can do this.

c. Omniscience

• John 2:24–25 – Jesus knows what is in man.

• Colossians 2:3 – In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

d. Omnipotence

• Hebrews 1:3 – He upholds the universe by the word of His power.

Turretin’s logic is simple but firm:
If the Son has the incommunicable attributes of God, then the Son must be God.

3. The Son Does the Works of God

God alone performs certain works. Yet Scripture assigns these works to the Son.

a. Creation

• John 1:3 – “All things were made through Him.”

• Colossians 1:16 – “By Him all things were created.”

Creation is not shared work. God says, “I alone stretched out the heavens.” Yet the Son creates. Therefore, the Son is not outside of God but within the divine identity.

b. Providence

• Hebrews 1:3 – He sustains all things.

c. Forgiveness of Sins

• Mark 2:5–7 – Jesus forgives sins, and rightly asks, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The answer is clear: God alone can forgive sins, and Jesus does so as God.

4. The Son Receives Divine Worship

Turretin presses this point strongly. Worship belongs to God alone. God does not give His glory to another.

Yet the Son is worshiped:

• Matthew 14:33 – The disciples worship Him.

• John 9:38 – The healed man worships Jesus.

• Hebrews 1:6 – Angels are commanded to worship the Son.

• Revelation 5:13–14 – The Lamb receives the same worship as the One on the throne.

Jesus never rebukes worship. Angels do. Apostles do. Jesus accepts it, because it belongs to Him by right.

If Christ were a creature, accepting worship would be blasphemy. Since Scripture approves it, Christ must be God.

5. The Son Is Equal with the Father

Turretin emphasizes that the Son is not merely similar to God, but equal with the Father in essence.

• John 5:18 – The Jews understood that Jesus was making Himself equal with God.

• John 10:30 – “I and the Father are one.”

• Philippians 2:6 – He was “in the form of God” and did not grasp at equality, because it already belonged to Him.

The Son is distinct in person, but not inferior in nature.
Equality of essence does not mean confusion of persons.

6. Answering Common Objections

Objection 1: “The Son is called ‘begotten,’ so He must be created.”

Turretin replies:
“Begotten” refers not to a beginning in time, but to an eternal relationship within God. The Son is eternally begotten, not made.

• Psalm 2:7 is not about creation, but divine sonship.

• John 1:18 – The Son is eternally “in the bosom of the Father.”

Creation produces something outside God. Generation within the Trinity is internal and eternal.

Objection 2: “The Son says the Father is greater than He.”

Turretin distinguishes carefully:

• According to His divine nature, the Son is equal with the Father.

• According to His human nature and mediatorial role, the Son submits to the Father.

This is not a denial of deity, but a display of humility in redemption.

7. Why the Deity of the Son Is Necessary for Salvation

Turretin ends where theology must always end: with salvation.

• Only God can bear the infinite weight of divine wrath.

• Only God can give infinite worth to Christ’s obedience.

• Only God can give eternal life.

If Christ is not God:

• His obedience is finite.

• His sacrifice is insufficient.

• Faith in Him would be idolatry.

But because Christ is God, His work is perfect, complete, and saving.

Summary for Teaching and Meditation

• The Son is called God.

• The Son has God’s attributes.

• The Son performs God’s works.

• The Son receives God’s worship.

• The Son is equal with the Father.

• The Son must be God for the gospel to be true.

To deny the deity of the Son is to lose the Christ of Scripture.
To confess it is to worship the Savior who is “God with us.”