Jesus is God

This website focuses on apologetics, which involves learning to defend the faith. All the articles here aim to assist you in this endeavor. But let's take a step back and ask what it is we are defending. We are defending the gospel, naturally, but what is perhaps the most crucial aspect of the gospel? The belief that Jesus is God. This concept is difficult for many to accept, as the idea of any human being God appears absurd. How could an infinite God reside within a human body? It seems impossible, yet this is what the Bible teaches, and it is the truth we must convey when we share the gospel.

When engaging in apologetics and discussing the deity of Christ, you might encounter the misconception that Jesus never claimed divinity and that Christians later altered the Bible to embellish the accounts of His life. For instance, Richard Dawkins, a leading atheist in popular culture, argues in his book, The God Delusion, that there is no historical evidence suggesting Jesus believed He was God. Many readers likely accept this claim without scrutinizing it against historical truth. This demonstrates how influential figures can lead millions to believe in a version of Jesus who never professed to be God. But is this portrayal consistent with the historical Jesus?

It is common for Muslim apologists to ask where in the New Testament Jesus said, "I am God. Worhsip me." Because it isn't in the New Testament, they think the argument is over. Check mate! While it is true that Jesus never said, “Worship me,” Jesus did not forbid the practice or stop His disciples from worshiping Him (Matt. 14:33). Angels never let anyone bow down and worship them, but Jesus did. Why would He do that if He wasn’t worthy of their worship?

Jesus Acted in the Authority of God

Jesus conveyed the truth of His deity in several ways. For instance, Jesus demonstrated attributes and exercised authority that are traditionally ascribed to God alone. He referred to the angels of God as His angels, and identified the Kingdom of God as His kingdom (Matt. 13:41). Furthermore, He asserted His authority to forgive sins, a role understood to be the sole prerogative of God.

“But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic — “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home” (Mark 2:10-11).

What’s easier? Healing a paralyzed man or forgiving someone’s sins? Anyone can say “Your sins are forgiven.” But when someone says that and then heals your diseases, you may just be dealing with the God who really can forgive your sins and that was the point of Jesus healing this man.

Jesus’ Aseity 

Another way to describe the concept of Jesus's divinity is by referencing His aseity. Aseity comes from the Latin term a se, which means "from itself." In philosophy and theology, the word aseity refers to a type of being that does not depend on anyone or anything else for its existence. To understand aseity, consider these terms: self-existence, self-sufficiency, needing no one or nothing to exist. This is why God is referred to as the great "I AM," indicating He exists inherently and embodies life.

In Exodus 3, we see a very interesting interaction between God and Moses, but in this exchange, God reveals something about His nature that is very important to this discussion about Jesus.

Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you’” (Ex. 3:13-14).

The literal Hebrew translation of “I am who I am” is eyeh asher eyeh, and it means “I will be who I will be.” It comes from the Hebrew verb hayah, to be. Hidden within this sacred name is a profound truth about God––God is. God is by His own power and is not dependent on anyone or anything for His being. This is aseity. No angel has to come by every now and then and throw gas on the fire of His glory to keep it burning. It’s an eternal flame of self-generating power. He just is, so when God said, “I am who I am,” He was saying I am the eternal, self-existent One. Significantly, Jesus borrowed this same name when He boldly said in John 8:58, “Before Abraham was I am.” Jesus used bad grammar on purpose here to make sure the scribes and Pharisees knew He was referencing the Great I AM of the Old Testament. Evidently it worked because the scribes and Pharisees tried to stone him for blasphemy (John 8:59). They knew perfectly well that He was claiming to be God.

Jesus can truly say “I am.” He simply is. Jesus is saying that just as the Father depends on no one before Him to give Him life and existence, He too shares in this eternal life. This is why Jesus could say, I am in the Father and the Father is in me in John 14:11. They are two persons, but these two persons share the divine essence that is eternal spirit. It’s the divine glory that Jesus shared with the Father before the world existed (John 17:5). It’s this mysterious reality of glory that prompted Jesus to say, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Again, they picked up stones to stone Him and when Jesus asked them why they wanted to stone him they said: It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33). So, did Jesus claim to be God? His opponents certainly thought He did.

Not only does Jesus have life in and of Himself, He also has eternal life. This is significant because all creatures have life, but they don’t have eternal life. Eternal life is the spiritual life of God shared among the Father and Son, so for the Son to possess eternal life, that makes Him the eternal “I AM.” The Apostle John wrote in his first epistle:

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:11-12).

Now think about what John is saying. God gave us eternal life in His Son, and the only way He could do this is if Jesus has eternal life in His being. Indeed, that is what John said– God gave us eternal life, and this life (eternal life) is in his Son. And then in verse 20 John writes:

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life (1 John 5:20).

Could it be any clearer? Jesus is the true God and He is eternal life.

The Son of Man Coming on the Clouds

Jesus admittedly did not say, “I am God,” but that certainly didn’t stop His enemies from thinking He claimed to be God. For example, in the Gospel of Mark, we see a scene where Jesus is questioned by the high priest about His identity and Jesus’ answer caused quite a stir.

“Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” ⁶² And Jesus said, “I am; and you shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³ And tearing his tunics, the high priest said, “What further need do we have of witnesses? ⁶⁴ You have heard the blasphemy; how does it seem to you?” And they all condemned Him to be deserving of death. ⁶⁵ And some began to spit at Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him with their fists, and to say to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in the face (Mark 14:61-65).

The response of the high priest and all of Jesus’ accusers should tell you everything you need to know about Jesus’ statement. What was it exactly that made them so upset to the point they wanted to kill Him? The answer is found in this statement: “You shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” To the untrained eye, this lacks anything incriminating that would justify the charge of blasphemy, but to the Jews living at that time, they understood perfectly well the depth of what He said. It came from the prophet Daniel.

I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-14).

To fully understand the explosive reaction of the priests, it would be helpful to understand the historical and religious context behind the Son of Man figure in Daniel’s vision and Jesus’ statement. The scene in Mark 14 took place around AD 30, which falls under what biblical scholars call the “Second Temple Period” (515BC -70AD), or Second Temple Judaism. The dominant form of literature during this time was apocalyptic literature, a type of literature that used symbolic language to describe the last days and redemption of God’s people Israel.[1] Interestingly, this literature also had a binitarian (2 Persons in the Godhead) nature to it. Jewish scholars read passages about the “angel of the Lord” throughout the book of Genesis and Exodus, and wrestled with how to interpret the angel acting and speaking as Yahweh or El. In Proverbs 8, they wrote about personified wisdom as God’s little daughter that came forth from the mouth of God.[2] It’s passages like these and others that gave rise to an idea that there are 2 Yahwehs, or 2 Powers in Heaven.

It is important to note that the Son of Man in Daniel’s vision is a human being. The title “son of man” literally means “someone who looks like a human being.”[3] Some could argue that angels very often look like humans in the Bible, but the point of this passage is to identify this divine figure as human. This rules out the archangels Michael or Gabriel as candidates.

The fact that the Son of Man divine figure is human can’t be over-emphasized. While this may seem counterintuitive and contrary to the point of this article to prove the deity of Christ, the reason for this is simple: if the Son of Man in Daniel was an angel or some other spiritual being, then the Son of Man can’t be the fulfillment of the prophets who predicted the coming of a human baby to rule over the nations. Let’s look at the prophet Isaiah.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this (Is. 9:6-7).

Again, this prophecy is not about an angel; a human being is in view here. But notice this human baby will be called “Mighty God.” This prophesied child who is “Mighty God” is the same Divine Son the prophet Daniel saw. The prophet Micah prophesied that this Child who is to rule as God over the nations would be born in Bethlehem, but of particular importance, notice this ruler to come is “from long ago, from the days of eternity.”

But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you one will come forth for me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity” (Micah 5:2 NASB).

As strange as it sounds, the prophets predicted the coming of God in the form of a human baby. You have Isaiah who predicted the child Immanuel who would rule the nations as Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, and so forth (Is. 9:6-7). You have Micah backing this up by even predicting where this child from the days of eternity would be born (Micah 5:2). Then Daniel shows us the ultimate destiny of this Son of Man as ruler over an eternal Kingdom (Daniel 7:13-14). But what is consistent throughout their writings is their language describing this coming child with words reserved only for deity. No other prophet, from Moses to David, to Abraham, to any of the greats, none of them were ever revered or spoken of in terms that belong to God alone.

Þ   Coming on the Clouds

This Son of Man figure coming on the clouds is quite significant. All kinds of ideas have been presented as to who or what this Son of Man figure represents. Here are some of the most prevalent views:

·       Israel

·       The Archangels Michael or Gabriel

·       Messiah

·       The Angel of Yahweh

It is beyond the scope of this article to get into the various reasons why Israel and Archangel interpretations don’t work, but one big clue that deity is in view here is the fact that the Son of Man “comes on the clouds.”[4] Only God appeared in the clouds in the Old Testament (Ex. 13-40; Num. 9-16; Deut. 33:26; 2 Sam. 22:10-12; Pss. 18:9-12; 68:33-34; 104:3; Isa. 19:1; Jer. 4:13). Visions of angels were far less dramatic and rarely involved clouds, so clearly this Son of Man is more than just an angel.

Þ   Judging as the Son of Man

Jesus also revealed His divinity by teaching that He would judge the world and determine the eternal destiny of all humans as the Son of Man.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (Mat. 25:31-32).

Jesus then goes on to say that He will determine who inherits the kingdom (v. 34) and who is cast into eternal punishment. (v. 46). Everyone knows this is God’s job (Joel 3:12; Ps 9:7-8), so for Jesus to claim to be the Son of Man, is clear scriptural evidence that Jesus believed and taught that He is God.

“That was something Christians added to the Bible centuries later.”

As we just discussed, it simply isn’t true that Jesus didn’t claim to be God. It is equally false that Jesus became a god over the centuries as Christians embellished the stories of Jesus’ life. How do we know this?

Þ   Creeds

It’s impossible to claim Jesus was deified centuries after his life when there is historical evidence to the contrary. Part of this evidence can be found sprinkled throughout the letters of the New Testament in the form of creeds. Creeds are “formalized statements that circulated in the earliest period of Christianity and before any New Testament writing.”[5] The important point about some of these creeds is how they claim the deity of Christ. One example is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians, written around AD 60.

who, although existing in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a slave, by being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore, God also highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:6-11).

Scholars are aware of the fact that this passage of scripture actually predates Paul’s letter. The creeds, which this is one of them, predate the letters of the New Testament, but the theological material that formed the creeds came even earlier. In other words, Christians were taught and believed in the pre-existent Christ who “existed in the form of God” and shared “equality with God” before the creeds were ever formed. If Philippians was written about thirty years after the cross, we know the theology to form the creed must have come even earlier. As a matter of fact, the material came straight from the eyewitnesses, which places these ideas about Jesus to within months of the cross.

There is also evidence outside of the Bible that early Christians worshiped Jesus as God. For example, as early as 109-111 AD, the enemies of Christianity knew Jesus was worshiped as God. We know this from a letter written by Pliny the Younger to Emperor Trajan while serving as governor of Bithynia and Pontus.

They affirmed, however, the whole of their guilt or error was that they were in the habit of meeting on a certain fixed day before it was light, and of singing in alternate verses a hymn to Christ as to a god…[6]

In this letter, Pliny gives us an open window into how the Church worshipped Jesus only a few decades after Jesus’ life and ministry. This, plus the material in the creeds, is historical evidence that dispels the myth that the Christian story evolved over the centuries to make Jesus God. On the contrary, Christians believed Jesus is God right out the gate.

The New Testament Claims Jesus is God

The Logos is God (John 1:1) 

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God

 Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος.

 There is much to unpack here, so let's start with Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος (In the beginning was the Word)

In [the] beginning.   Ἐν ἀρχῇ.  John is writing in such a way as to immediately take the reader’s mind to the Greek translation of Genesis 1:1 that says, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” But what John is actually doing is taking us to a time before Genesis 1:1. According to Edward Klink:

The term 'beginning' (ἀρχή) can also be understood to mean 'origin' in the sense of a basic cause. In this sense, the term combines two meanings: “in the beginning of history” and “at the root of the universe.” Since this strategy of double meaning is common for John, it is likely being intentionally considered here. The term, therefore, is not referring to the first point in a temporal sequence but to that which lies beyond time.[7] 

This is why, according to Klink:

"was the Word" (ἦν ὁ λόγος) intentionally denies discernable temporal sequence 'in time,' for the Word 'was' existing before time, or as we shall see in the next clause, 'with God.' Thus, when John uses the two verbs in the same context, 'was' (ἦν) frequently indicates 'existence,' whereas 'was' (ἐγένετο) indicates 'coming into being' or 'coming into use.' In this way, the verb “was” (ἦν) here implies that the Word be understood as already in existence. “The Word” has no origin, for its (his) existence is beyond time and history.[8]

We know this to be true because notice how John places creation in verse 3 after introducing the preexistent Word in verse 1.

All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. (John 1:3 LSB).

This is very significant because for John to say the Word made all things and that the Word was there in the beginning with God, that is the same thing as saying the Word is God. Any Jewish person reading this book would know from Genesis 1:1 that it was God, or Elohim, who made all things. But there’s more. The Elohim of Genesis 1:1 is also the Yahweh of Creation, as the Psalmist wrote:

I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself (Psalm 44:24).

The Apostle Paul also taught that Jesus is the Creator of all things:

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together (Col. 1:16-17).

Jesus can’t be one of the “all things” created if He himself created all things. He can’t be a created being and at the same time “exist before all things” (verse 17). Therefore, we have clear scriptural evidence here for the deity of Christ.

The Word (λόγος)

The rest of this article covers the following...

• Christ is the God of the Old Testament

• Jesus is Lord (YHVH)

• John 1:18 Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε · μονογενὴς θεὸς ⸃ ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο (John 1:18).

• Jesus as Alpha and Omega

  
  

To explore this further, enroll in the apologetics course here, where you will find a whole lesson dedicated to this topic.

Sources

[1]  Peter Schafer, Two Gods in Heaven: Jewish Concepts of God in Antiquity (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020), 17-18.

[2] Peter Schafer, Two Gods in Heaven: Jewish Concepts of God in Antiquity (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2020), 29 on Kindle. 

[3] Ibid., 19.

[4] Zehnder, “Why the Danielic ‘Son of Man’ Is a Divine Being,” 337-39; see also Bock, Jesus According to Scripture, 345-46.

[5] Benjamin C.F. Shaw, Trustworthy: Thirteen Arguments for the Reliability of the New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2024), 54.

[6] William Melmoth, Pliny Letters, rev. W.M.L. Hutchinson, vol. 2 (London: William Heinemann, 1924), 401-5.

[7] K. Barrett, The Gospel according to John: An Introduction with Commentary and Notes on the Greek Text, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978), 136.

[8] K. Barrett, The Gospel according to John: An Introduction with Commentary and Notes on the Greek Text, 2nd ed. (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978), 136.