My Lord and My God

John 20:28

“ἀπεκρίθη Θωμᾶς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου”

“And answered Thomas and said to Him, my Lord and my God”

The Jehovah’s Witnesses here suppose, that when Thomas said, “my Lord”, he was looking at Jesus; and when he said, “my God”, he looked up to heaven!

Some Unitarians argue that the words are addressed to God in “astonishment”! However, it is very clear from the verse, that these words were spoken directly to Jesus Christ.

What they do not accept, is that fact that this verse says very clearly, that Thomas addressed all of these words, “αὐτῷ”, which is the personal pronoun, in the dative, and SINGULAR, which can only mean, TO HIM, that is, JESUS CHRIST. The Unitarian Greek scholar, Dr George Winer, admits that the words are “directed to Jesus (εἶπεν αὐτῷ)” (Treatise on the Grammar of New Testament Greek, p. 228), but goes on to say, “is yet rather an exclamation than address”. Dr Winer is correct in saying that the words are directed at Jesus Christ, which is correct Greek, but then gives his personal theological opinion, as he cannot accept that Jesus Christ is God. He does the same for Titus 2:13, where he says that grammatically the words, “τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ” (our Great God and Saviour Jesus Christ), refer to one Person, Jesus Christ, but theologically he cannot accept that Paul could call Jesus Christ “the Great God” (page 162). Like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Dr Winer rejects what the Bible actually teaches, because of their personal beliefs!

It should also be noted, that in this verse we have “ὁ Θεός”, used for Jesus Christ, which has the definite article, “ὁ”, THE, which can not be translated as, “god”, or, “a god”. In verse 17, Jesus speaks of God the Father, where He says, “Θεόν μου καὶ Θεὸν ὑμῶν (My God and your God). However, there is no definite article “τὸν” in the Greek, “τὸν Θεὸν”. According to the argument used by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, for their translation of John 1:1, “a god”, because the Greek article is not used, “ὁ Θεός (καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος), John 20:17, when used for the Father, should also read, “My god and your god”. In Hebrews chapter 1, we have God the Father addressing Jesus Christ, “πρὸς δὲ τὸν Υἱόν Ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ Θεὸς” (verse 8), which, like John 20:28, is in the vocative case in the Greek, as a direct address to Jesus Christ. This can only be translated into English as, “But concerning the Son, Your throne O God”, where we have, “ὁ Θεὸς”. Clear testimony of the Father addressing Jesus Christ as GOD. Even the Unitarian, Dr George Noyes, in his New Testament, reads: “but of the Son: ‘Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever”.

On the use of the Greek article, “ὁ”, in “ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου”,it is argued by some who deny the Deity of Jesus Christ, that because in the Greek, we here have the nominative case, used in the vocative, that it requires the article. They quote the scholar, Dr Moule, in their support:

“In John xx.28 Ὁ Κύριός μου καὶ ὁ Θεός μου, it is to be noted that a substantive in the Nominative case used in a vocative sense and followed by a possessive could not be anarthrous (see Hoskyns and Davey, Commentary, in loc); the article before Θεός may, therefore, not be significant” (Dr C F D Moule, An Idiom Book of New Testament Greek, p.116)

However, it is not always the case, where this use requires that the Greek article is used. A good example can be seen in Psalm 118:28,

“Θεὸς μου εἶ σύ, καὶ ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι· Θεὸς μου εἶ σύ, καὶ ὑψώσω σε· ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι, ὅτι ἐπήκουσάς μου, καὶ ἐγένου μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν”

“You are my God, and I will give thanks to you. You are my God, I will exalt you”

Here the nominative is used as the vocative, but not written, “ὁ Θεὸς μου”, the article not being used. Yet the words are a direct address to God, and not “god, or, a god”. We have a case in Isaiah 44:17, for the false “gods” of this world, where it reads, “ἐξελοῦ με, ὅτι θεός μου εἰς σύ”, literally, “deliver me for my god you are”. Here we have the nominative used for false “gods”, without the article “ὁ”, as the vocative in address.

Psalm 22:10, “ἐπὶ σὲ ἐπερρίφην ἐκ μήτρας, ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός μου θεός μου εἶ σύ”

“I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb. From out of the belly of my mother, my God You are”

Here we have “θεός μου”, in the nominative, as a vocative, in address, and there is no article “ὁ” used.

Psalm 89:26, “αὐτὸς ἐπικαλέσεταί με Πατήρ μου εἶ σύ, θεός μου καὶ ἀντιλήμπτωρ τῆς σωτηρίας μου”

“He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation”

Here we have “Πατήρ μου...θεός μου”, with not article, though also in the nominative, as a vocative, in address.

It is clear from these examples, that the article is not always required when the nominative is used, in a vocative sense.

Another important point about Thomas’ response to Jesus Christ, is that fact that Jesus did not rebuke him for saying, “ὁ Θεός μου”. If as some falsely teach, that Jesus Christ is no more than a created being, and inferior to God the Father, then there can be no doubt, that Jesus would have rebuked Thomas, for calling Him “ὁ Θεός μου”, when He is a created being, like Thomas, even though higher, as the Father’s Representative on earth. Jesus would not have allowed this to have been unchallenged by Him, IF Thomas were wrong. This fact shows beyond any doubt, that Jesus accepted as TRUE Thomas calling Him, ὁ Θεός μου”.

This passage in John 20, is one of the clearest and strongest for the absolute Deity of The Lord Jesus Christ.