A Christian was arguing on a railway platform concerning the Deity of the Lord Jesus with a Unitarian, a man of considerable intellectual ability. The Christian was evidently getting the worst of the discussion, when a rough Dutch farmer broke in.
He asked the Unitarian, “Do you believe the Bible?”
“Yes,” was his reply.
“Then do you believe every word of the Bible?”
“Certainly.”
“Then do you believe the verse which says, ‘For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich’” (2 Corinthians 8:9)?
“Certainly.”
“Then when was the Lord Jesus rich?”
The farmer went on to point out that the Lord was born in a stable, cradled in a manger, brought up by Joseph, who was a carpenter, that concerning the Lord Himself the question was asked, “Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary” (Mark 6:3)? That when He wanted to pay the tribute money He had to find it in a fish’s mouth, that whilst the foxes had holes and the birds of the air nests, He had not where to lay his head, and that in the end He lay in a borrowed tomb.
In the light of all this, the Dutch farmer asked his question in broken English, “Ven vas Jesus rich?”
The Unitarian was nonplussed, silenced, did not know what to say. Conveniently for him in his embarassment the train was about to start. He entered the train, and as it drew out of the station the Dutch farmer followed the train as long as he was able asking his question, “Ven vas Jesus rich?”
When was Jesus rich? Not in this world certainly. When, then, was Jesus rich? The answer is obvious. It must have been before He came into this world of sin, and sorrow. The Unitarian denies Deity to the Lord Jesus, therefore in his creed there is no “before” He came into this world. The simple old Dutch farmer impaled the Unitarian on the horns of a dilemma. If Jesus was rich, and certainly not rich in this world—“When was He rich?” Surely the Unitarian came under the condemnation of the Scriptures he professed to believe. “Every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is NOT OF GOD” (1 John 4:3).
It is reported that under peculiar circumstances an orthodox minister arranged to preach in a Unitarian pulpit. The two ministers were in the vestry before the service began. The Unitarian minister said to the orthodox minister, “Remember there must be no controversy.”
“Certainly,” replied the visiting minister. He got into the pulpit, and read out the text. “Without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16).
Yes, “without controversy” JESUS IS GOD. There is abundant testimony in Scripture to show this Search and see.