10 Biblical Reasons Jesus Is God
Abstract
At a crucial point in his ministry, Jesus asked his disciples,“Who do you
say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). The answer to this question is more
important than anything else. Nevertheless, today, just as in Jesus’ day,
when Christians ask people the question “who do you say Jesus is?”
there are various answers given concerning his identity. But what does
the New Testament tell us about who Jesus is?
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Introduction
Understanding the deity of Jesus is fundamental in defending the truth
of the Christian faith.
All major religions1 and cultic groups2 reject the doctrine of deity of
Christ. Some of these objections are a result of rationalism (“reason” is
supreme, not God) over revelation or a misunderstanding of what the
doctrine teaches. Another more common objection results from
revisionist history, which claims that Christ’s deity was invented at the
Council of Nicaea in the 4th century3 and not something believed by
the early church.4
The reason Christians believe in the deity of Jesus is that we are forced
to come to this conclusion by the clear teaching of Scripture. It is
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important to get Jesus’ identity because if we deny the deity of Jesus
then we do not have the Father (1 John 2:23; cf. John 5:23). Here are
10 Scriptural reasons for the deity of Jesus.
1: The Bible Teaches That There Is One True
God
Jesus’ divinity is part of the doctrine of the
Trinity.
This is important to understand because many objectors to the deity of
Jesus misunderstand what Christians believe about the Trinity.
Christians believe what the Bible teaches—that there is only one true
and living God (Deuteronomy 6:4; cf. 1 Corinthians 8:6). However, we
must not confuse monotheism (belief in one God) with Unitarianism
(the belief that the being of God is shared by one person). Jesus’
divinity is part of the doctrine of the Trinity, which states that within the
one Being that is God, there exists eternally three co-equal and co-
eternal persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Each is a
distinct person, yet each is identified as God: the Father (1 Corinthians
8:6), the Son (John 1:1–3; Romans 9:5), and the Spirit (Acts 5:3–4). We
must also remember that it wasn’t the Father or the Spirit who became
incarnate; it was the Son (John 1:14) and he was born under the Law
(Galatians 4:4). This is why, in his humanity, Jesus prays to the Father
(Matthew 26:39, 42).5
The doctrine of the Trinity is revealed between the Old and New
Testaments through the incarnation of Jesus and the outpouring of the
Holy Spirit.6 God did not change between the Old and New
Testaments, being a Unitarian God in the Old and a Trinitarian God in
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the New. God has always been Triune, but the specific revelation of the
divinity of Jesus takes place in the New Testament.7
2: The Bible Teaches That Jesus Pre-Existed
Before The World Was
The New Testament in several passages clearly teaches that Jesus
existed in eternity past before his birth in Bethlehem.
Genesis 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the
earth.” In John 1:1 we read the same words, “In the beginning.”8 John
informs us in John 1:1 that in the beginning was the Word (logos) and
that the Word was not only with God but was God. This Word is the one
who brought all things into being at creation (John 1:3). John 1:1
teaches that the Word is eternal, the Word has had an eternal
relationship with the Father, and the Word as to His nature is deity.
In his prayer in John 17:3–5 Jesus both refers to his pre-existence and
uses terminology that can only be used about deity:
And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and
Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having
accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father,
glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you
before the world existed.
To have eternal life is to know two persons: both the Father and Jesus
(see John 14:6-7; 16:3). But notice, Jesus is distinguished from the
Father because Jesus is the one speaking to the Father. The personal
pronouns (me, your, you) clearly show that this is one person speaking
to another. In this conversation, the Son is speaking of the glory he has
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shared with the Father before the world was; the words “in your own
presence” refer to their sharing of divine glory.9 John 17:3–5 is not an
example of the “human side” praying to the “divine side” but of a
divine, yet incarnate (John 1:14) person, the Son, communicating with a
divine, but non-incarnate person, the Father in heaven.
Paul’s words in Philippians 2:5–8 teach not only the deity of Jesus but
also the distinct personhood of the Son prior to his incarnation.10 In
this passage, Paul exhorts the Philippians to have the same attitude as
Christ Jesus who “existed in the form of God.”11 These words come
before the verbs emptied, taking, and becoming and point to the pre-
existence of the one “existing in the form of God.”12 Moreover, Jesus
did not regard13 the equality he had with God the Father, in eternity
past, something to be held on to. Instead he “made himself nothing”14
by doing two things: taking the form of a bond-servant and being made
in the likeness of men.15 Having entered into human existence he
humbled himself to death on the Cross. Because of this, every knee will
bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (Philippians 2:10–
11); it is only God who is to be worshipped as Lord (see Isaiah 45:23).
3: Jesus Is Creator Not Creature
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe Paul’s statement in Colossians 1:15 that
the “firstborn of all creation” teaches that Jesus was a created being.
However, the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ teaching resembles the view of the
ancient Colossian heresy that Paul had to combat.
The Colossian false teachers advocated the idea that Jesus was the
first of many other created mediators between God and men. By using
the specific Greek word prōtotokos, “firstborn,” Paul rules out the idea
of Jesus as a created being. “Firstborn” does not mean “first created.”
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Rather, Paul uses a term that was based on the ancient designation of
the authority, or pre-eminence, metaphorically given to the firstborn
(Genesis. 49:3–4; Exodus 4:22). In the same way, David, the youngest
of Jesse, was named “firstborn” (Psalm 89:20–27) who ruled Israel.
Manasseh was born to Joseph first, but Ephraim, his younger brother,
was “firstborn” due to his position as given by Jacob/Israel (Genesis
48:13–20, Jeremiah 31:9).
By describing Jesus as the “firstborn over all
creation,” Paul is saying that he is the absolute
ruler over all creation.
Furthermore, if Paul had wanted to describe Jesus as a created being,
he could have used the Greek word protoktistos, which means “first
created.”16 So why didn’t he use it? Because Paul did not believe Jesus
was created. By describing Jesus as the “firstborn over all creation,”
Paul is saying that he is the absolute ruler over all creation.
In fact, the evidence that Jesus is supreme over all creation comes in
Colossians 1:16. Here, Paul absolutely rules out the idea that Jesus is a
created being because he presents Jesus as the Creator of the entire
universe which exists by his creative power (John 1:1–3; Hebrews 1:2,
8–10). The reason Jesus can “create all things” is that “in Him dwells all
the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9). The Greek word
for “Godhead,” theotēs, refers to “the state of being God.”17 It is only
God who can create (Isaiah 42:5, 44:24, 45:18).
4: Jesus Identifies Himself as Divine
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At the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths in his encounter with the Pharisees
(John 8:13), Jesus told them, “I told you that you would die in your sins,
for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins” (John 8:24).
The Jewish people reacted to Jesus’ statement by asking him, “Who
are you?” (John 8:25).
Jesus told the Jews exactly who he is: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before
Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). This “I am” (ego eimi) statement was
Jesus’ clearest example of His proclamation, “I am Yahweh,” from its
background in the book of Isaiah (Isaiah 41:4; 43:10–13, 25; 46:4;
48:12; cf. John 13:19).
These are the very words (ego eimi) ) that caused the Roman soldiers
to fall to the ground after they came to arrest Jesus (John 18:6). Jesus’
explicit identification of himself with Yahweh of the Old Testament is
why the Jewish leaders wanted to stone him for blasphemy (see John
5:18; 10:33).
5: The Apostles Identified Jesus as Divine
Both Jesus and his apostles identified him as divine. The Apostle Peter
described Jesus as “our God and Savior” (2 Peter 1:1; cf. Titus 2:13)
and called on believers to “honor Christ the Lord as holy” (1 Peter
3:15).18 Jesus’ own half-brother James, who was an unbeliever at first
(John 7:5), described him as “the Lord of glory” (James 2:1; cf. 1
Corinthians 2:8; Psalm 24:7–8). What man or prophet could be
described in this way? The Apostle John also attributed titles to Jesus
that were used only of God by describing him as the “Alpha and
Omega” and the “first and the last” (Revelation 22:13; 1:8, 17–18; cf.
Isaiah 44:6). The writer of the book of Hebrews also has insight into the
identity of Jesus In Hebrews 1, the author identifies Jesus (the Son) as
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superior to any prophet (vv. 1–2normal), above the angels (v. 5), worthy
of our worship (vv. 6–8; cf. Psalm 45:6–7), and the creator of all things
who is unchangeable (vv. 2–3, 10; cf. Psalm 102:25). The author of
Hebrews further states that Jesus is “seated at the right hand of the
throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2; cf. Acts 2:30).
6: The Jewish Leaders Recognized Jesus’
Claim to Divinity
One of the clearest evidences of the deity of Jesus is the Jewish
leaders’ reaction to Jesus’ words and actions. In Mark 2, Jesus not only
heals a paralytic but also forgives his sins (Mark 2:5). This is the reason
that the scribes cry blasphemy, for it is God alone who can forgive sins
(Mark 2:7).19
In his trial before the Sanhedrin Jesus is once again charged with
blasphemy because of his response to the high priest’s question: “Are
you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Mark 14:61) Jesus responded,
“I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of
Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:62). Then the
high priest tore his clothes, charged Jesus with blasphemy, and
condemned him to death (Mark 14:64). Why did the high priest
respond that way? Because Jesus quoted from Psalm 110:1 and Daniel
7:13–14 and applied the words to himself. In Daniel 7 the divine Son of
Man comes before the Ancient of Days, and all peoples and nations
serve20 him. The Pharisees recognize Jesus’ divine claim here and
charge him with blasphemy, intending to put him to death.
7: The Early Church in the New Testament
Prayed to Jesus
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Prayer is something that should be addressed to God alone, but Jesus
calls his disciples to pray to him (John 14:13–14; 16:26). In the book of
Acts when Stephen is being stoned to death, he calls out to the Lord
Jesus to receive his sprit (Acts 7:59). Interestingly, the term for “calling
on” (epikaloumenon) recalls the appeal of Peter to the people in Acts
2:21 to “call on” (epikaleshtai) the Lord to be saved. Paul also describes
the Corinthians as those who “call upon [epikaleo] the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:2). In the Old Testament, people “called
on” on the name of Yahweh (Joel 2:32). The Corinthians were people
who addressed Jesus as Lord in prayer.
8: The Early Church in the New Testament
Worshipped Jesus
Jesus accepted worship from people (Matthew 2:2, 14:33, 28:9). One
of the greatest examples of this comes from the lips of Thomas when
he exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). If Jesus was not
divine, then Thomas made a serious error; but Jesus made no effort to
correct Thomas in his worship. Yet Peter (Acts 10:25–26), Paul (Acts
14:14–15), and the angel in Revelation (Revelation 22:8,9) all corrected
others for trying to worship them. The confession of deity here is
unmistakable, clearly demonstrating that worship belongs only to God
(Revelation 22:9) because Jesus accepted Thomas’s worship of him
(John 20:29).
What’s more, in the book of Revelation, the elders and every creature in
heaven and upon earth ascribe universal worship to “him who sits on
the throne and to the Lamb” (Revelation 5:11–14; cf. John 1:29).
9: Jesus Made Claims That No Human Being
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Could Ever Make
Jesus not only identified as God, but he also indicated his deity through
his words and actions. Jesus said that to enter the Kingdom of Heaven
we must call him Lord (kurios, Romans 10:9; cf. Matthew 7:21). Just
saying that Jesus is Lord does not get you into the Kingdom, but to
enter the Kingdom you must confess Him as Lord.21 The entrance into
God’s Kingdom, according to Jesus, is dependent upon a person’s
knowledge of him and his reciprocal knowledge of the person (Matthew
7:23).
Jesus even promised rest to all those who come to Him (Matthew
11:28). Could Moses have ever made a claim like this? No! How could a
human being give anyone rest from the Law?22 Jesus also claimed, “All
authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew
28:18). God never gave any man or prophet all authority in heaven and
on earth, but this same authority was given to the Son of Man in Daniel
7:13–14 (see also Matthew 26:64).
10: Jesus Is the Son of God
It is often pointed out that the words “Son of God” are not an exclusive
title for Jesus. For example, in the Old Testament Israel was called
God’s son (Exodus 4:22–23; Hosea 11:1), the king was called God’s son
(Psalm 2:7), and the angels were called God’s sons (Job 38:7). Even in
the New Testament, Adam and believers are referred to as son/s of God
(Luke 3:38; Romans 8:14).
There is, however, a difference between an adopted son and a
relational Son of God, the latter being a deity by nature. More than
anyone else who has walked this earth, Jesus the Messiah is uniquely
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entitled to be called the Son of God (John 1:49, 11:27) – “the unique
One, who is himself God” (monogenēs theos – see John 1:18 NLT).23
Whatever Jesus said about himself must have been sufficiently
provocative enough for the Jewish leaders to call for capital
punishment on that charge of blasphemy.
In Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the Jewish leaders clearly understood that
Jesus’ use of this term was not just generic, for they wanted him put to
death: “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die
because he has made himself the Son of God” (John 19:7; cf. John
10:36). According to the Law, it was blasphemy to use God’s name
(Leviticus 24:16). Therefore, by referring to himself as the Son of God,
Jesus was claiming to share “the rights and authority of God himself
(cf. [John] 1:34; 5:19–30).”24 People who say that Jesus never claimed
to be God must answer why he was crucified on the charge of
blasphemy. Whatever Jesus said about himself must have been
sufficiently provocative enough for the Jewish leaders to call for capital
punishment on that charge of blasphemy.
The significance of this is that failure to believe in Jesus as the Son of
God brings judgement because we are already dead in our sins (see
John 3:18, Ephesians 2:1), but believing in Jesus as the Son of God
brings eternal life (see John 3:15–17, 6:40, 20:31).
Conclusion
Although there may be many objections to Jesus’ deity, the New
Testament clearly provides eye-witness testimony to the words,
actions, and teachings of Jesus that prove his deity. A false Jesus
cannot save you. If we do not get the identity of Jesus right, we will die
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in our sin (John 8:24).
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