Love due to God given to Christ; Christ judges as God
The law through Moses was saying and making commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:5) So when we bring to Christ himself that love most fitting for God — with all strength, and highest, even to soul and blood — who dares in vain to say he would not be God? The holy ones’ aim has not missed what is fitting in any way.
“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38–39) If nothing at all can separate us from God’s love, and that love is practiced by us in Christ Jesus, how is Christ not clearly God? When we love him, we love the God of all. And if I say “Christ,” I mean the Word from God who has become human.
“For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ,” (Romans 14:10) he says. We shall stand before Christ; for he will sit “on the throne of his glory,” (Matthew 25:31) judging “the world in righteousness” — and yet David says, “God is judge.” (Psalm 7:11) Therefore Christ is God.
“But I have written to you more boldly in part, as reminding you again, because of the grace given me by God that I should be a minister of Christ Jesus to the nations, priestly serving the gospel of God, so that the offering of the nations may become acceptable, sanctified in the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:15–16) Those entrusted with the priestly work minister to God alone; for priests stand by
Greek
ὁ νόμος ἔφασκεν ὁ διὰ Μωσέως καὶ ἐντολὴν ἐποιεῖτο· «Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου.» ὅτε τοίνυν τὴν ἀγάπην τὴν τῷ Θεῷ πρεπωδεστάτην, ὡς ἐξ ὅλης ἰσχύος, καὶ ἀνωτάτω, τὴν μέχρι ψυχῆς καὶ αἵματος, καὶ αὐτῷ προσάγομεν τῷ Χριστῷ, τίς ὁ μάτην τολμῶν ὡς οὐκ ἂν εἴη Θεός; διημάρτηκε γὰρ τοῦ πρέποντος κατ᾽ οὐδένα τρόπον ὁ τῶν ἁγίων σκοπός.
«Πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι οὔτε θάνατος οὔτε ζωὴ οὔτε ἄγγελοι οὔτε ἀρχαὶ οὔτε ἐνεστῶτα οὔτε μέλλοντα οὔτε δυνάμεις οὔτε ὕψωμα οὔτε βάθος οὔτε τις κτίσις ἑτέρα δυνήσεται ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν.» εἰ μηδὲν ὅλως ἡμᾶς χωρίσαι δύναται τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ, πράττεται δὲ αὐτὴ παρ᾽ ἡμῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, πῶς οὐ Θεὸς ἐναργῶς ὁ Χριστός; εἴπερ αὐτὸν ἀγαπῶντες, τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἀγαπῶμεν Θεόν. Χριστὸν δὲ εἰ λέγοιμι, τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Λόγον ἐνηνθρωπηκότα δηλῶ.
«Πάντες γὰρ παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ,» φησί· παραστησόμεθα δὲ τῷ Χριστῷ· καθιεῖται γὰρ «ἐπὶ θρόνου δόξης αὐτοῦ,» κρίνων «τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ»· καίτοι λέγοντος τοῦ Δαυείδ· «Ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς κριτής ἐστι.» Θεὸς οὖν ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός.
«Τολμηρότερον δὲ ἔγραψα ὑμῖν ἀπὸ μέρους, ὡς ἐπαναμιμνῄσκων ὑμᾶς διὰ τὴν χάριν τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τὸ εἶναί με λειτουργὸν Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη, ἱερουργοῦντα τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα γένηται ἡ προσφορὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν εὐπρόσδεκτος, ἡγιασμένη ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ.» οἱ τὸ τῆς ἱερουργίας χρῆμα πεπιστευμένοι Θεῷ λειτουργοῦσι μόνῳ· παρεστήκασι γὰρ οὐκ ἀνθρώποις οἱ