Jesus’ place as the “everlasting to everlasting” is important for other reasons.  For instance, His sacrifice on the cross moves our hearts because we know He willingly took on the full form of a man, even though He was fully God.   The Apostle Paul writes, “And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth” (Philippians 2:8-10).  Jesus lowered Himself to our station, though He had “the name that is above every name.”  The name of Jesus could not be above all others unless He was also God.  “I am” became like you and me, then returned to His place of glory.  Why would He go through so  much suffering if He didn’t love us?

We might also ask what right Jesus has to receive our worship if He is not the fullness of the Father.  The first commandment Moses received on Sinai warned, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3).  This command effectively condemns the worship of anyone but God, which prohibits the worship of Jesus if He is not God.  Yet, we are clearly encouraged to worship Jesus in scripture.  Those who were healed worshipped Him (John 9:38) as did His disciples (Matthew 14:33).  God even commanded the angels to worship Jesus.

Finally, the ministry of the Holy Spirit become dysfunctional if Jesus is anything but God.  When Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure He promised them the Comforter, or Holy Spirit would come to fill the void.  The presence of the Holy Spirit, though, was not a substitute for the Father, or the Son.  Instead, it was the perfect and complete representation of both.  Jesus said, “On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20).  In other words, when the Holy Spirit came to inhabit Jesus’ disciples, they would know His presence was synonymous with the presence of Jesus, just as the presence of Jesus was synonymous with the presence of God.  While we may not understand the metaphysics of these indwellings, we can recognize why they would require all three members of the Godhead be equal in regards to “everlasting to everlasting.”