Docetism is the belief that Christ only appeared to be human. It is derived from the Greek word “dokeo” which means to appear or resemble. To believe that Jesus was not human does away with the incarnation of Christ entirely. This belief was held by some people in the early church. Even though their intentions in explaining how it was possible that God came in the flesh were well intended, they ended proposing something that contradicted the very core of the life and ministry of Christ. If Christ only appeared to be human, he did not truly die on the cross. He did not endure temptation and he did not suffer at all. As you can see, this is very problematic. The apostles themselves saw this as a great danger to the centrality of the redeeming work of Christ. Because of this, they rightly considered it a heresy. After all, they lived and interacted with Jesus, they witnessed Thomas placing his fingers on the wounds of the resurrected Christ, they saw the Lord suffer at the cross. This was not a resemblance, it was the most real thing they have ever known.

When Docetism started spreading among the early churches, the apostles were prompt in correcting this wrong belief. Paul writes in Colossians 1:19 that God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus. This letter, as does the entire New Testament seek to establish that Jesus was God. Nowhere is it best written as in John 1:14, “The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us.” During the times of Ignatius of Antioch  this wrong belief had spread widely. It is this that motivated Ignatius -as it did all the apostles of Christ before him, to defend the deity of Christ.

 Here are just two arguments why we believe in the deity of Christ: (quoted from the handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft and Ronald Tacelli)

1.  Christ’s trustworthiness. In reading the Gospels one can see that Jesus was a good and wise man. Most people in the world, including religious people such as Ghandi, see him as history’s greatest moral teacher. He is in short, eminently trustworthy. Therefore we must trust Jesus and his teachings. Not just a few, but all of them, including his teaching on his identity. In John 10:30 we read that Jesus said, “I and the father are one.” (Read also Jn. 14:9; Jn. 8:46; Lk 5:21; Mt 25:31-46; Jn 6:51; Jn 8:12; Jn 14:6; Jn 8:58

2.  Lord, Liar, or Lunatic? The dilemma is as old as the earliest Christian apologists: Aut des aut homomalus, “either God or a bad man.” that is the classic argument. Here is how it looks broken down:

a) Jesus was either God (if he did not lie about who he was) or a bad man (if he did).
b) But Jesus was not a bad man.
c) Therefore Jesus was (is) God.

Interesting Quote: