Refuting the erroneous claim that Jesus laid aside his divinity while on earth and did not perform miracles as God while on earth

I have been inundated with work, but I had to make time to write this very important article to address a misconception and heresy, so to speak.

I wrote a simple article last week regarding Jesus’ use of clay and saliva to heal a blind man in John 9:1–7.  This was at the back of my observation that many people, especially prophets, refer to this incident to justify excesses.

They argue that if a man of God were to do the same thing Jesus did today, people would complain and call him fake. I wouldn’t be surprised if you have heard this assertion before.

Well, it would be absurd and unfortunate for any man of God to attempt to replicate this act today without considering its significance. This is because the use of clay and saliva to heal the blind happened only once in the Bible, meaning it was not a repeated practice, nor was it meant to be a model for every minister.

More importantly, this miracle was performed by Jesus to prove His deity—that He is God, the Creator. By using clay and saliva, Jesus demonstrated His creative power, affirming that He is the one who formed man from the dust of the earth (Genesis 2:7).

The essence of this miracle was to reveal Christ’s divine nature, not to set a pattern for others to follow. No human being can perform miracles at will, especially one like this, which uniquely showcased Christ’s identity. Taking biblical events out of context to justify unscriptural actions is a serious issue.

No man of God should assume that every recorded miracle in the Bible can or should be replicated today. The miracles of Jesus were not just displays of power but were performed for a specific purpose and revelation.

A reader disagreed with my writing and subsequently mooted that Jesus laid aside His divinity while on earth, functioning only as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit.

This perspective, however, is a fundamental misrepresentation of Christ’s nature as revealed in Scripture. He quoted Philippians 2:5-8 in defence of his sorry assertion. It is important to correct his faulty thoughts so that if he has taught others the same, he and his listeners will repent and embrace the position of the Bible.

The scripture texts he quoted do not teach that Jesus ceased to be God. Rather, it speaks of His humility in taking on human flesh. The phrase “made Himself of no reputation” from the Greek word “kenoo” means “emptied Himself”. It does not in any way mean He stopped being God. Instead, it refers to His voluntary renunciation of certain divine privileges to fully identify with humanity.

He did not subtract divinity but added humanity. While Jesus humbled Himself and took on human form, He never ceased to be God. Any assertion that He did is both theologically and biblically flawed. Perhaps we can boldly refer to that as heresy.

Jesus was fully God and fully man. From birth to resurrection, Jesus never ceased to be divine. He was worshipped as God. In John 20:28, Thomas called Him “My Lord and my God” and Jesus did not correct him. Throughout His ministry, Jesus accepted worship, as seen in Matthew 14:33 and Matthew 28:9. The wise men worshipped Him at birth, as captured in Matthew 2:11.

Worship is something reserved for God alone (Exodus 34:14). If Jesus was not God while on earth, He wouldn’t have been worthy of worship. Again, Jesus Christ forgave sins while on earth, and to forgive sin is a divine prerogative. In Mark 2:5-7, Jesus forgave a man’s sins, and the scribes accused Him of blasphemy because they rightly understood that only God can forgive sins. Jesus, rather than denying His authority, demonstrated it by healing the man.

Jesus Christ performed miracles in His own authority to prove his divinity or deity. Unlike prophets who called upon God for miracles, Jesus performed them by His own power. Glory to His Name. In Mark 4:39, He calmed the storm; in John 11:43-44, He raised the dead and in John 6:10-13, He multiplied food. Not just that, He had the power over life and death. Jesus declared, “I am the resurrection and the life” in John 11:25 and raised Himself from the dead. John 2:19 reads “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up”, and that is telling. Jesus Christ, while on earth claimed oneness with the Father. In John 10:30, He said, “I and the Father are one,” and that was a clear declaration of His divinity. The Jews understood this and attempted to stone Him for blasphemy.

Some argue that Jesus could not have been fully God because He experienced human limitations, such as growing in wisdom as seen in Luke 2:52 and dying.

However, this argument misunderstands the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union—Jesus being fully God and fully man simultaneously. When the Bible says Jesus grew in wisdom, this refers to His human nature, not a limitation in His divine nature.

He experienced human development while still possessing divine omniscience, as captured in John 16:30. Regarding His death, it should be noted that Jesus’ human nature died, not His divine nature.

God, by nature, is immortal (1 Timothy 1:17), but in His incarnation, Jesus took on a body that could experience death to fulfill redemption (Hebrews 2:14). This is glorious! What a God we serve! In short, the error of saying Jesus functioned only as a man is regrettably borne out of sheer ignorance.

Let’s quickly address Jesus’ miracles and the role of the Holy Spirit. It is true that Jesus was empowered by the Holy Spirit, as seen in Luke 4:18, but this does not mean He ceased to be God. Rather, it demonstrated His perfect model of dependence on the Father while retaining full deity. He did not perform miracles merely as a Spirit-filled man but as the divine Son of God.

This is why He could command nature, forgive sins, and accept worship. At this juncture, it is worth affirming the position of the Bible that Jesus did not “lay aside” His divinity while on earth. He was and is eternally God (John 1:1, Colossians 2:9). Philippians 2:5-8 speaks of His humility, not a renunciation of deity. While He operated as a man, He never ceased being divine.

Any theology that diminishes Christ’s deity ultimately distorts the truth of who He is and the full significance of our salvation. As Jesus Himself said, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). He is fully God, yesterday, today, and forever.

In a recent engagement with Pastor Moses C. Kokroko, he intimated that many pastors in Ghana cannot explain basic or foundational teachings of the Bible. He cited examples such as the concept of regeneration, repentance, and even salvation—a very troubling situation.

This reality struck me even more after reading a comment from a man of God claiming that Jesus Christ, while on earth, was not God and did not perform any miracles as God. That is deeply unfortunate and only affirms Pastor Moses’ concerns.

Fundamentally, people like this particular man of God should set aside the microphone and take time to study the Bible thoroughly before teaching. One can only imagine the level of contaminated spiritual food they are feeding people. It should not be lost on us that a diluted or false gospel that lacks power cannot transform lives.

I am not saying that every man of God is immune to mistakes, but there are certain foundational errors that should never be made. At the very least, before calling yourself a teacher of the Word, you should know and affirm that Jesus Christ on earth was fully God and fully man. That a man of God doesn’t know that Jesus while on earth was God is very concerning.

There have been recent calls for anyone who wants to be a minister of the Gospel to commit to theological training. The comment made by a pastor claiming that Jesus, while on earth, did not function as God further validates this point.

If he had received proper theological training, he would not have made such an erroneous statement. It is, the

Therefore, important to reinforce the idea that to avoid misleading or polluting people, ministers should dedicate themselves to meticulous learning.

Theological training equips them to rightly divide the Word of Truth and fully bless the Church of God.

Shalom.

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Bright Agropah is a distinguished purpose and relationship author and teacher. He is a speaker, youth trainer, and reformist. He is an author of seven books and can be reached on brightagropah@gmail.com or 0500002083