’ve studied this for myself through the years and it’s a very important question that needs to be answered from the Scriptures. Here is a compilation of many proof texts. Thus is not exhaustive but is more than is needed to back up the claims of Jesus and the stamp of God on Jesus’ Deity. God bless you and keep seeking The Truth. 🙏❤️🦋Absolutely, Scripture is abundantly clear that Jesus claimed to be God and God himself called Him God. The Bible evidence is astounding and the references are overwhelmingly in favor of that truth. Take a look.
Bible verses that say Jesus is God
If anyone tries to tell you that Jesus is not God in the flesh close your ears because anyone who believes that blasphemy will not enter into Heaven. Jesus said if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. If Jesus wasn’t God how could He die for our sins? Not only your sins or my sins, but everyone in the whole world. God said that He is the only Savior. Can God lie? Scripture clearly says there is only one God so you must believe the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are 3 divine persons in one.
1 John 5:20 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.
First and Last: There’s only one God
Isaiah 44:6 Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.
1 Corinthians 8:6 Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Revelation 2:8 “And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: ‘The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life.
Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.
2 Peter 1:1 Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Acts 20:28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
Jesus was fully man to live the life that man couldn’t live and He was fully God because only God can die for the sins of the world. Only God is good enough. Only God is Holy enough. Only God is mighty enough!
In Scripture Jesus is never referred to as “a god.” He is always referred to as God. Jesus is God in the flesh and it is mind-boggling how anyone could go through the Bible and deny that Jesus is God!
Jesus says, “I Am.”
Jesus reiterates God on various occasions. Jesus is “I Am.” Jesus was saying He was the eternal God incarnate. Such a statement was blasphemy to the Jews. Jesus says that those who reject Him as God incarnate will die in their sins.
John 8:58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
John 8:24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
Isaiah 45:5 I am the LORD, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged me.
Jesus forgave sins
The Bible makes it clear that God is the only one who is able to forgive sins. However, Jesus forgave sins while on Earth.
Mark 2:7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Isaiah 43:25 “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.”
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
PRETTY CLEAR
Luke 1:35 The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.”
Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man.
Notice in the Bible that Jesus calls Himself the Son of Man. Jesus Reveals Himself as the Messiah. He was giving Himself a Messianic title which was worthy of death to the Jews.
Daniel 7:13-14 The Son of Man Presented “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.”
Jesus has no beginning and no end. He was involved in creation.
Revelation 21:6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.”
John 1:3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.
Colossians 1:16-17 For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Jesus reiterates the Father and calls Himself “the First and the Last.”
Isaiah 44:6 “Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: ‘I am the first and I am the last, And there is no God besides Me.’
Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
There is no Savior besides God.
Jesus is the only Savior. If Jesus is not God, then that means God is a liar.
Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.
Hosea 13:4 “But I have been the LORD your God ever since you came out of Egypt. You shall acknowledge no God but me, no Savior except me.”
John 4:42 and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”
Hebrews 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
To see Jesus is to see the Father.
John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father‘?
John 12:45 And whoever sees Me sees the One who sent Me.
Colossians 1:15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Jesus is the way
If Jesus is not God, then when He says things like “I am the way, the truth, the life,” then that is blasphemy. Just because you believe God is real does not save you. The Bible says Jesus is the only way. You have to repent and trust in Christ alone. If Jesus is not God, then Christianity is idolatry on the highest level. Jesus has to be God. He is the way, He is the light, He is the truth. It’s all about Him!
John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
John 11:25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.”
Jesus is called names that only God is called.
Jesus has many nicknames in Scripture such as Everlasting Father, Bread of Life, Author and Perfecter of Our Faith, Almighty One, Alpha and Omega, Deliverer, Great High Priest, Head of the Church, Resurrection and the Life, and more.
Isaiah 9:6 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.
Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
God Almighty was seen on various different occasions in Scripture.
God was seen but there are various Scriptures in the Bible that teach us that no one can see the Father. The question is then, how was God seen? The answer must be someone else in the Trinity was seen.
Jesus says no one has seen the Father. When God is seen in the Old Testament it has to be the preincarnate Christ. The simple fact that God was seen shows that Jesus is God Almighty.
Genesis 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless.
Exodus 33:20 But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!”
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
The Trinity is found in Genesis
If we take a close look in Genesis we see members of the Trinity interacting. Who is God talking to in Genesis?
He can’t be talking to angels because humanity was made in the image of God and not in the image of angels.
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
To see Jesus is to see the Father.
John 14:9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father‘?
John 12:45 And whoever sees Me sees the One who sent Me.
Colossians 1:15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Colossians 2:9-10 For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
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Bible Q&A: Where Does the Bible Say That Jesus Is God?
TUESDAY, JANUARY 10, 2017
Question: Apart from the statement in the Athanasian Creed that says “the Son is God,” is there any evidence in the Bible that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God or that he is the Son of God?
Answer: This is Pastor Tim. While I was in school (seminary), I wondered the same thing. From a cursory reading of the Bible, it did not seem obvious to me that Jesus claimed to be God. So, at one point I read through the entire New Testament, asking of the biblical text the question “Is there any urgency on the part of the biblical writers to make the claim that Jesus is God? Or is this argument based on a few obscure passages?” Because it’s too important of a claim to be relegated to the background.
What I found astonished me.
Nearly every New Testament book makes a claim, given in a variety of ways, with different words, that Jesus is God. None of them say the exact words, “Jesus is God.” I’m not suggesting that every one of these examples proves that Jesus is God, only that taken all together, there is clearly a major thrust of New Testament teaching that intends to convey to the reader that this is so.
I’ll give you a sample. I’m using the ESV (English Standard Version). Here are 10 New Testament passages that indicate that Jesus is God:
1. Matthew 1:23
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name, Immanuel (which means, God with us).
In some sense, in the coming of Jesus, God is “with” us. What does this mean? In what sense is God with us? I believe the straightforward understanding of this is that Jesus is God, so when he takes on human flesh and comes to earth God is, in fact, with us.
2. Mark 2:5-7
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
To answer the scribes’ question: No one can forgive all of a person’s sins except God. The reader is left with a decision: Is Jesus blaspheming? Or is Jesus God? Surely, the writer of this Gospel, Mark, is insinuating that Jesus is, in fact, God, rather than a blasphemer!
3. John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John begins his Gospel by talking about “the Word” and saying essentially three things about “the Word”:
* He existed “in the beginning,” which is a reference to creation (Genesis 1:1).
* “The Word” was with God.
* “The Word” was God.
So, of course, this raises the question: Who could possibly be all three of these things at the same time? It’s an astonishing statement. John 1:14 answers the question: “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory.” He is clearly talking about Jesus Christ, and he is referring to the transfiguration (see Luke 9:28-36).
4. John 5:18
This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Here is evidence that Jesus himself claimed to be God (or that his enemies misunderstood him). However, the apostle John does not try to correct this misunderstanding. He seems instead to affirm that this is the reason his enemies wanted to kill him (and they were right in this matter – not to kill him, but that he was claiming to be God).
5. John 20:27-29
Then [Jesus] said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me?”
There are other situations like this in the New Testament, where for example, a person worships Peter (see Acts 10:25-26), and Peter tells him, “Stand up; I too am a man.” Jesus makes no such correction, but instead affirms the man’s faith (and, in essence) his worship. Clearly, in the Bible, Christian worship is reserved exclusively for God.
6. Philippians 2:5-7
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
The point of Philippians 2 is to encourage Christians to imitate the humility of Christ, who was “in the form of God” but “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.” In other words, although Jesus is God, he humbled himself by taking on human flesh (wow!), and we (as Christians) should humble ourselves too.
7. Colossians 1:15
[Jesus] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created…
Notice the apostle Paul is saying here that “by [Jesus] all things were created.” This is a pretty astonishing statement to be made about any man! Nothing like this was ever said about Moses or David or Paul. The implication (as we saw in Philippians 2) is that Jesus existed before he was born of the virgin, Mary. How can we explain this? Jesus is God.
8. Colossians 2:9
In [Christ] all the fullness of deity dwells bodily.
I don’t know how else to explain this, than to say that the apostle Paul is saying that Jesus is fully divine. Jesus is “the” visible expression of God.
9. 2 Peter 1:1
To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with outs by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Both the apostle Paul and the apostle Peter refer to Jesus as our “God” and Savior. Pretty straightforward.
10. Hebrews 1:3
[Jesus] is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
This is not the description of any angel or any man, even a superhuman man. This is a description of God. Because Jesus is God.
There are many, many more examples in the New Testament, but see that the Christian belief that Jesus is God is not a simple misinterpretation of two or three passages, nor is it based on one or two obscure passages. This theme is pervasive and emphasized in the four Gospels and in the New Testament letters.
You cannot avoid it. Though you can nit and pick about what individual passages may mean, there is clearly a pattern of making claims about Jesus that could only be true of God (and are never said about anyone else in all of the Bible). He is the unique God-man.
Warmly, Pastor Tim Augustyn
Is Jesus God?
by Dr. Ron Rhodes on June 17, 2010; last featured December 5, 2014
Is Jesus really God? There are many cults and false religions today that deny it. What is the truth about Jesus Christ? We turn to the Scriptures for the answer.
Is Jesus God? There are many cults and false religions today that deny it. The Jehovah’s Witnesses, for example, believe Jesus was created by the Father billions of years ago as the Archangel Michael and is hence a “lesser god” than the Father. The Mormons say Jesus was born as the first and greatest spirit child of the Heavenly Father and heavenly mother, and was the spirit-brother of Lucifer. New Agers claim Jesus was an enlightened master. Unitarian Universalists say Jesus was just a good moral teacher. What is the truth about Jesus Christ - is Jesus God? We turn to the Scriptures for the answer. Is Jesus God? Yes.
There are numerous evidences for the absolute deity of Jesus Christ in the Bible. The following is a summary of the more important evidences.
Jesus Has the Names of God
Jesus Christ possesses divine names—names that can only be used of God. For example:
Jesus is Yahweh. Yahweh is a very common Hebrew name for God in the Old Testament, occurring over 5,300 times. It is translated Lord (all capitals) in many English translations of the Bible.
We first learn of this name in Exodus 3, where Moses asked God by what name He should be called. God replied to him, “I AM WHO I AM. . . .Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’ ” (verse 14). Yahweh is basically a shortened form of “I AM WHO I AM” (verse 15). The name conveys the idea of eternal self-existence. Yahweh never came into being at a point in time for He has always existed.
Jesus implicitly ascribed this divine name to himself during a confrontation He had with a group of hostile Jews. He said, “I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58). Jesus deliberately contrasted the created origin of Abraham—whom the Jews venerated—with His own eternal, uncreated nature as God.
Jesus is Kurios. The New Testament Greek equivalent of the Old Testament Hebrew name Yahweh is Kurios. Used of God, Kurios carries the idea of a sovereign being who exercises absolute authority. The word is translated Lord in English translations of the Bible.
The affirmation that “Jesus is Lord” (Kurios) in the New Testament constitutes a clear affirmation that Jesus is Yahweh.
To an early Christian accustomed to reading the Old Testament, the word Lord, when used of Jesus, would point to His identification with the God of the Old Testament (Yahweh). Hence, the affirmation that “Jesus is Lord” (Kurios) in the New Testament constitutes a clear affirmation that Jesus is Yahweh, as is the case in passages like Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 12:3, and Philippians 2:5–11.
Jesus is Elohim. Elohim is a Hebrew name that is used of God 2,570 times in the Old Testament. The name literally means “strong one,” and its plural ending (im in Hebrew) indicates fullness of power. Elohim is portrayed in the Old Testament as the powerful and sovereign governor of the universe, ruling over the affairs of humankind.
Jesus is recognized as both Yahweh and Elohim in the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3: “Prepare the way of the Lord [Yahweh]; make straight in the desert a highway for our God [Elohim].” This verse was written in reference to John the Baptist preparing for the coming of Christ (as confirmed in John 1:23) and represents one of the strongest affirmations of Christ’s deity in the Old Testament. In Isaiah 9:6, we likewise read a prophecy of Christ with a singular variant (El) of Elohim: “And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God [El], Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Jesus is Theos. The New Testament Greek word for God, Theos, is the corresponding parallel to the Old Testament Hebrew term Elohim. A well-known example of Christ being addressed as God (Theos) is found in the story of “doubting Thomas” in John 20. In this passage, Thomas witnesses the resurrected Christ and worshipfully responds: “My Lord and my God [Theos]” (John 20:28).
Jesus is called Theos throughout the rest of the New Testament. For example, when a jailer asked Paul and Silas how to be saved, they responded: “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household” (Acts 16:31). After the jailer believed and became saved, he “rejoiced, having believed in God [Theos] with all his household” (verse 34). Believing in Christ and believing in God are seen as identical acts.
Jesus Possesses the Attributes of God
Jesus possesses attributes that belong only to God.
Jesus is eternal. John 1:1 affirms: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The word was in this verse is an imperfect tense, indicating continuous, ongoing existence. When the timespace universe came into being, Christ already existed (Hebrews 1:8–11).
Jesus is self-existent. As the Creator of all things (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2), Christ himself must be uncreated. Colossians 1:17 tells us that Christ is “before all things, and in Him all things consist.”
Jesus is everywhere-present. Christ promised His disciples, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matthew 18:20). Since people all over the world gather in Christ’s name, the only way He could be present with them all is if He is truly omnipresent (see Matthew 28:20; Ephesians 1:23, 4:10; Colossians 3:11).
Jesus is all-knowing. Jesus knew where the fish were in the water (Luke 5:4, 6; John 21:6–11), and He knew just which fish contained the coin (Matthew 17:27). He knew the future (John 11:11, 18:4), specific details that would be encountered (Matthew 21:2–4), and knew from a distance that Lazarus had died (John 11:14).
He also knows the Father as the Father knows Him (Matthew 11:27; John 7:29, 8:55, 10:15, 17:25).
Jesus is all-powerful. Christ created the entire universe (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2) and sustains the universe by His own power (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3). During His earthly ministry, He exercised power over nature (Luke 8:25), physical diseases (Mark 1:29–31), demonic spirits (Mark 1:32–34), and even death (John 11:1–44).
Jesus is sovereign. Christ presently sits at the right hand of God the Father, “angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him” (1 Peter 3:22).
When Christ comes again in glory, He will be adorned with a majestic robe, and on the thigh section of the robe will be the words, “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19:16).
Jesus is sinless. Jesus challenged Jewish leaders: “Which of you convicts Me of sin?” (John 8:46). The apostle Paul referred to Jesus as “Him who knew no sin” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus is one who “loved righteousness and hated lawlessness” (Hebrews 1:9), was “without sin” (Hebrews 4:15), and was “holy, harmless, [and] undefiled” (Hebrews 7:26).
Jesus Possesses the Authority of God
Jesus always spoke in His own divine authority. He never said, “Thus saith the Lord” as did the prophets; He always said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you. . . .” He never retracted anything He said, never guessed or spoke with uncertainty, never made revisions, never contradicted himself, and never apologized for what He said. He even asserted, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Mark 13:31), hence elevating His words directly to the realm of heaven.
Jesus Performs the Works of God
Jesus’ deity is also proved by His miracles. His miracles are often called “signs” in the New Testament. Signs always signify something—in this case, that Jesus is the divine Messiah.
Some of Jesus’ more notable miracles include turning water into wine (John 2:7–8); walking on the sea (Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48; John 6:19); calming a stormy sea (Matthew 8:26; Mark 4:39; Luke 8:24); feeding 5,000 men and their families (Matthew 14:19; Mark 6:41; Luke 9:16; John 6:11); raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:43–44); and causing the disciples to catch a great number of fish (Luke 5:5–6).
Jesus Is Worshiped as God
Jesus was worshiped on many occasions in the New Testament. He accepted worship from Thomas (John 20:28), the angels (Hebrews 1:6), some wise men (Matthew 2:11), a leper (Matthew 8:2), a ruler (Matthew 9:18), a blind man (John 9:38), an anonymous woman (Matthew 15:25), Mary Magdalene (Matthew 28:9), and the disciples (Matthew 28:17).
Scripture is emphatic that only God can be worshiped (Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 6:13; Matthew 4:10).
In view of this, the fact that both humans and angels worshiped Jesus on numerous occasions shows He is God.
Old Testament Parallels Prove Jesus Is God
A comparison of the Old and New Testaments provides powerful testimony to Jesus’s identity as God. For example, a study of the Old Testament indicates that it is only God who saves.
In Isaiah 43:11, God asserts: “I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.” This verse indicates that (1) a claim to be Savior is, in itself, a claim to deity; and (2) there is only one Savior—the Lord God. It is thus highly revealing of Christ’s divine nature that the New Testament refers to Jesus as “our great God and Savior” (Titus 2:13).
Likewise, God asserted in Isaiah 44:24: “I am the Lord, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself” (emphasis added).
The fact that God alone “makes all things” (Isaiah 44:24)—and the accompanying fact that Christ is claimed to be the Creator of “all things” (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:2)—proves that Christ is truly God.
Preincarnate Appearances of Christ
Many theologians believe that appearances of the “angel of the Lord” (or, more literally, “angel of Yahweh”) in Old Testament times were preincarnate appearances of Jesus Christ. (The word preincarnate means “before becoming a human being.”) There are a number of evidences for this view:
1. The angel of Yahweh appeared to Moses in the burning bush and claimed to be God (Exodus 3:6).
2. Yet, the angel of Yahweh was sent into the world by Yahweh (Judges 13:8–9), just as Jesus was sent into the world in New Testament times by the Father (John 3:17).
3. The angel of Yahweh prayed to Yahweh on behalf of the people of God (Zechariah 1:12), just as Jesus prays to the Father for the people of God today (Hebrews 7:25; 1 John 2:1–2).
4. It would seem that appearances of this “angel” could not be the Father or the Holy Spirit. After all, the Father is One “whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16, NIV; see also John 1:18, 5:37). Moreover, the Holy Spirit cannot be physically seen (John 14:17). That leaves only Jesus.
5. The angel of Yahweh and Jesus engaged in amazingly similar ministries—such as delivering the enslaved (Exodus 3; Galatians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:18; Hebrews 2:14–15) and comforting the downcast (Genesis 16:7–13; 1 Kings 19:4–8; Matthew 14:14, 15:32–39).
These evidences suggest that appearances of the angel of Yahweh in Old Testament times were preincarnate appearances of Christ. Assuming this is correct, the word “angel” is used of Christ in these verses in accordance with its Hebrew root, which means “messenger, one who is sent, envoy.” Christ, as the angel of Yahweh, was acting on behalf of the Father, just as He did in New Testament times.
The Biblical Basis for the Trinity
The deity of Christ is intimately connected to the doctrine of the Trinity. This doctrine affirms that there is only one God and that in the unity of the one godhead there are three coequal and coeternal persons—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let us briefly consider the evidence for this doctrine.
There Is One God
In the course of God’s self-disclosure to humankind, He revealed His nature in progressive stages.
First, God revealed that He is the only true God. This was a necessary starting point for God’s self-revelation. Throughout history, Israel was surrounded by pagan nations deeply engulfed in the belief that there are many gods. Through the prophets, God communicated to Israel that there is only one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4, 32:39; Psalm 86:10; Isaiah 44:6). Even at this early juncture, however, we find preliminary indications of the Trinity (Genesis 1:26, 11:7; Isaiah 6:8, 48:16). God’s oneness is also emphasized in the New Testament (Romans 3:29–30; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 1 Timothy 1:17, 2:5; James 2:19; Jude 25).
The Father Is God
As history unfolded, God progressively revealed more about himself. It eventually became clear that while there is only one God, there are three distinct persons within the one godhead, each individually recognized as God (Matthew 28:19).
The Father, for example, is explicitly called God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; Galatians 1:1; 1 Peter 1:2). He is also portrayed as having all the attributes of deity—such as being everywhere-present (Matthew 19:26), all-knowing (Romans 11:33), all-powerful (1 Peter 1:5), holy (Revelation 15:4), and eternal (Psalm 90:2).
The Son Is God
Jesus is also explicitly called “God” in Scripture (Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8). And He, too, has all the attributes of deity—including being everywhere-present (Matthew 28:20), all-knowing (Matthew 9:4), all-powerful (Matthew 28:18), holy (Acts 3:14), and eternal (Revelation 1:8, 17).
The Holy Spirit Is God
The Holy Spirit is also recognized as God (Acts 5:3–4). He, too, possesses the attributes of deity, including being everywhere-present (Psalm 139:7–9), all-knowing (1 Corinthians 2:10–11), all-powerful (Romans 15:19), holy (John 16:7–14), and eternal (Hebrews 9:14).
Three-in-Oneness in the Godhead
Scripture also indicates there is three-in-oneness in the godhead. In Matthew 28:19, the resurrected Jesus instructed the disciples, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
The word name is singular in the Greek, thereby indicating God’s oneness. However, the definite articles in front of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (in the original Greek) indicate they are distinct personalities, even though there is just one God.
These distinct personalities relate to each other. The Father and Son, for example, know each other (Matthew 11:27), love each other (John 3:35), and speak to each other (John 11:41–42). The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus at His baptism (Luke 3:22), is called another comforter (John 14:16), was sent by the Father and Jesus (John 15:26), and seeks to glorify Jesus (John 16:13–14).
An Analogy
A helpful analogy of the Trinity is that God is like a triangle that is one figure yet has three different sides (or corners) at the same time. So there is a simultaneous threeness and oneness. Of course, no analogy is perfect since in every analogy there is a similarity and a difference. For example, water can exist simultaneously in three different states as ice, water, and steam; that is, as a solid, liquid, and a gas at pressure of 4 Torr and temperature of 273K. One substance but three totally different personalities.
Answering Objections
Cults and false religions often raise objections against both the deity of Christ and the doctrine of the Trinity. In what follows, key objections will be briefly summarized and answered.
Jesus Is the Son of God
Some claim that because Jesus is the Son of God, He must be a lesser God than God the Father. Among the ancients, however, an important meaning of Son of is “one who has the same nature as.” Jesus, as the Son of God, has the very nature of God (John 5:18, 10:30, 19:7). He is thus not a lesser God.
The Father Is “Greater” Than Jesus
Some cults argue that because Jesus said the Father is “greater” than Him (John 14:28), this must mean Jesus is a lesser God. Biblically, however, Jesus is equal with the Father in His divine nature (John 10:30). He was positionally lower than the Father from the standpoint of His becoming a servant by taking on human likeness (Philippians 2:6–11). Positionally, then, the Father was “greater” than Jesus.
Jesus Is the Firstborn
Some cults argue that because Jesus is the “firstborn of creation” (Colossians 1:15), He is a created being and hence cannot be truly God. Biblically, however, Christ was not created but is the Creator (Colossians 1:16; John 1:3). The term firstborn, defined biblically, means Christ is “first in rank” and “preeminent” over the creation He brought into being.
Jesus Is Not All-Knowing
Some cults argue that because Jesus said no one knows the day or hour of His return except the Father (Mark 13:32), Jesus must not be all-knowing, and hence He must not be truly God. In response, Jesus in the Gospels sometimes spoke from the perspective of His divinity and at other times from the perspective of His humanity. In Mark 13:32, Jesus was speaking from the limited perspective of His humanity (see Philippians 2:5–11). Had he been speaking from His divinity, He would not have said He did not know the day or hour. Other verses show that Christ, as God, knows all things (Matthew 17:27; Luke 5:4–6; John 2:25, 16:30, 21:17).
Jesus Prayed
Some cults argue that because Jesus prayed to the Father, He could not truly be God. Biblically, however, it was in His humanity that Christ prayed to the Father. Since Christ came as a man—and since one of the proper duties of man is to worship, pray to, and adore God—it was perfectly proper for Jesus to address the Father in prayer. Positionally speaking as a man, as a Jew, and as our High Priest—“in all things He had to be made like His brethren” (Hebrews 2:17)—Jesus could pray to the Father. But this in no way detracts from His intrinsic deity.
The Trinity Is Illogical
Some cults claim the Trinity is illogical (“three in one”). In response, the Trinity may be beyond reason, but it is not against reason. The Trinity does not entail three gods in one God, or three persons in one person. Such claims would be nonsensical. There is nothing contradictory, however, in affirming three persons in one God (or three whos in one what).
The Trinity Is Pagan
Some cults have claimed the doctrine of the Trinity is rooted in ancient paganism in Babylon and Assyria. In response, the Babylonians and Assyrians believed in triads of gods who headed up a pantheon of many other gods. These triads constituted three separate gods (polytheism), which is utterly different from the doctrine of the Trinity that maintains that there is only one God (monotheism) with three persons within the one godhead.
Conclusion: Jesus is God
We have seen that Jesus must be viewed as God by virtue of the facts that He has the names of God, the attributes of God, and the authority of God; He does the works of God; and He is worshiped as God. We have also seen persuasive scriptural evidences for the doctrine of the Trinity. Our triune God is an awesome God!