Was Jesus God?
Some religions claim that Jesus was God, while others say he was just a man or a lesser god. Which one is it, and does it really matter?
The first place we should always look to when we want to know about Jesus is the Word of God (The Bible). The Bible is a divine book that will always point us to the truth about Jesus. If you have questions on whether or not the Bible is truly the Word of God, check out this article first.
The Book of John is one of the clearest presentations of Jesus being more than just a human. In fact John spells it out in the first 14 verses of the first chapter. This passage starts out by saying “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and THE WORD WAS GOD.” So who is John saying is the Word, because he has clearly stated that this person was God? Verse 14 tells us exactly whom John was referring to when it states, “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us”. Jesus is the One who took on flesh, this we clearly know from Philippians 2:5-7 which tells us, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:”
So if Jesus is the Word who took on flesh, then Jesus is God according to John. However, this is just one of many passages that point to the deity of Christ. In the Book of Exodus chapter 3 verse 14, God Almighty reveals to Moses His Name when He says “I AM that I AM. Tell the Israelites that I AM has sent you to them.” For thousands of years, this holy name would have been greatly respected and feared by the Jews. However, when the religious leaders of the day questioned Jesus about his age, Jesus replied to them, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Every religious leader who heard this knew this was a claim to deity. In fact the next verse states that they took up stones to kill Him for saying this because in their eyes he was being blasphemous for making Himself equal to God. Jesus however stood by His claim.
In the book of Revelation chapter 1 we have without question God speaking when He says, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,” says the Lord “which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” (Rev 1:8). Even those who deny the deity of Christ will admit that this is God speaking, but then in verse 18 the same God states, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” When did God die? The only answer is when Jesus hung on a cross and died for the sins of the world!
During His time on earth, Jesus clearly showed that He possessed attributes that only God has. He allowed Himself to receive honor strictly reserved for God. He received worship (Matthew 2:2,11, 14:33, 28:9, John 9:35-38 and Hebrews 1:6), was prayed to (Acts 7:55-60, 1 Corinthians 1:1-2), knew men’s thoughts (Matthew 9:4), demonstrated control over nature (Mark 4:39, Matthew 14:22-33, 21:18-22),was omnipresent (Matthew 18:20, John 1:43-50) He had the authority to forgive sins (Mark 2:5-10) and had power over death (John 11:43-44).
If we consider all of this, we can confidently believe that Jesus truly was God.
Is this necessary to believe in order to be saved? Consider the Words of Jesus in John 8:24. In this passage, Jesus says, “I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.” What is interesting to note is that in the Greek, the word “He” is not present, leaving us with the phrase “unless you believe that I am, you can not be saved.” The Book of 1 John also deals with false teachers that wanted to strip Jesus of either His deity or his humanity. These people are called liars and those who do not know God. Therefore, it is our belief that in order to be saved, we must believe that Jesus (God in the flesh and nothing less) died for our sins.
Other verses that prove the deity of Jesus are:
All scriptures are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.