(12) The Deity of Christ (BC 10)

Jesus once asked a question of his apostles that we too must answer: "Who do you say that I am?" (Matt. 16:15). Is he a great prophet? Is he the highest of all creatures who became divine through a life of loving sacrifice? Or is he the only-begotten Son of God who is co-eternal and co-essential with the Father? A true understanding of him is not earthly but is revealed by the Father (16:17) through the Scriptures.
And a true knowledge of Jesus is "necessary for salvation," as the Athanasian Creed puts it (art. 29), and essential for a vibrant relationship with Christ. Only when we know Christ as he really is, "the true eternal God, the Almighty" will we invoke, worship, and serve him.