Jesus is God...Part 1

The deity of Jesus Christ has been questioned since the time in which He walked the earth and continues in many circles even to this current day. From the Colossian and Ephesian heresies in the New Testament, to the fourth century Arians and modern-day Jehovah’s Witnesses, it is clear we are not discussing a new issue. Make no mistake; this is not a new charge. Even Christ, Himself, faces these doubts and questions as He is grilled by the religious leaders of His day. The High Priest, Caiaphas, becomes indignant and angered at Jesus’ claim to be God—it is this crime for which He is eventually crucified (see Matthew 26:65-66).

So, what about this claim of deity? I believe the Bible gives us more than enough grounds on which to stand regarding this most critical issue. There, we will find multiple testimonies and claims from several sources regarding this important doctrine of the Christian faith.

1. The Old Testament Prophets assert Jesus as God. Of the most important passages in the Old Testament testifying to the deity of Jesus Christ is that of Isaiah. He says, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7). It is important to recognize that the same Hebrew word used here in reference to God is the singular form of the Hebrew word for God used in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.”

2. The Apostles assert Jesus as God. There are multiple references of Jesus’ apostles referring to or addressing Him as God. After the resurrection, the Apostle Thomas makes this declarative statement after seeing and touching the wounds of Christ, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). The Apostle Paul refers to Him as, “…our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). The Apostle Peter, in the introduction of his second epistle to the Roman church says he is writing “to those of who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1).

3. Jesus Christ asserts Himself as being God. Speaking before the Jewish crowd in front of the Temple, Jesus makes the bold statement, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). On the surface level, one could make several assertions, advocating that He is only meaning a unity of mind and heart. In other words, He is only saying that He and God are on the “same page”. This assertion, however, does not do justice to the Greek text. There are several Greek words meaning unity, the number “one”, or an essence/nature that are closely related to one another. It is the last case (essence/nature) that is used here. In other words, Jesus and the Father are of one essence—they are the same. A second claim to deity by Jesus is even more emphatic. In a separate exchange, Jesus is asked of His relation to Abraham. His response is, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am” (John 8:58). This phrase can simply be translated “I exist” or “I be”. This is the same phrase used by God when speaking to Moses in the book of Exodus…

Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”, and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, “I AM has sent me to you.”

This phrase, “I AM”, is the exact same phrase in both the Greek New Testament and The Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament). In addition, this passage also calls our attention to the eternality of Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus has existed since the beginning (see also John 17:5). He did not find His genesis in the manger in Bethlehem. He is not a created being contrary to the philosophies of those circulating around the churches at Colossae and Ephesus (see the books of Colossians and 1 John) or those denying His claims today.

In a third claim from Jesus, in the Revelation, it is written, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). This verse is in the context of the Apostle John writing of Christ’s return in the clouds. Although these are not all of the direct claims of Christ asserting His own deity, they are illustrative of a common theme throughout the Scriptures.

4. God Himself asserts Jesus as God. In a resounding declaration, the writer of Hebrews accounts God Himself as saying, “But of the Son He says, ‘Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom’” (Hebrews 1:8). The entire first chapter of the book of Hebrews is an exposition of God speaking of His Son, Jesus Christ as accounted in several other passages of Scripture.

The brevity of this writing does not allow an exhaustive roster of each Scriptural passage in the Bible dealing with the deity of Christ; however, this does elaborate on several accounts from multiple vantage points from the Bible. The assertion of Jesus’ deity is made from the prophets, the apostles, Jesus Christ, as well as God the Father Himself. In each case, the textual and historical evidence is consistent and unequivocal—Jesus is God.