Was Jesus God?
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Frankly Answered Questions - FAQs

Was Jesus God?

Q: Was Jesus God?

A: Absolutely. And He still is God. I am always surprised when people say that "Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Jesus is God." Actually it says it in many, many places. The apostles say it. Jesus says it about Himself. It is said by the Jews and the Romans who killed Christ. And it is said in many different ways. It is said in words. It is said in actions (like falling down in worship). It is said in miracles. Here are just a few of the Scriptures that show that Jesus is God (complete deity, coequal with the Father, and one with the Father).

Hebrews 1:1-3 says, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word." You and I would know absolutely nothing about this God unless He told us. Ours is a God who speaks. He speaks to us out of the silence of eternity. The Bible is the story of God’s self-disclosure. In times past God spoke through prophets, then later through His Son who is "the exact representation of God's being."

The Scripture clearly affirms that Jesus is God. John 1:1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Verse 14 makes the identity of the Word clear: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." The Word who "was God" (v. 1) "became flesh" in verse 14. Imagine a line. Everything below the line represents what we can perceive with our senses -- what we can understand and identify with our eyes, with our logic, with our test tubes. Everything above the line represents everything that we cannot perceive with our senses. The God above the line entered below the line of sense and perception, so that we could perceive Him with our senses. God chose to become a human being to communicate with humanity. It would be similar to a human being becoming a cockroach to communicate with cockroaches. Really this isn't an exact analogy, since the jump that Jesus made was far greater: from Creator to creature. Human to cockroach is only creature to creature. John 1:18 says, "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known."

This creates a situation that is without parallel in world religions. If I awoke to read the morning paper and I read "It has now been conclusively proven that nobody by the name of Confucius ever lived." It wouldn’t change a thing. The essence of the Confucius faith is found in the teachings. If I awoke to read the morning paper and it read "It has now been conclusively proven that nobody by the name of Buddha ever lived." It wouldn’t change a thing. The essence of the Buddhist faith is found in its teachings.

But if it was conclusively proven that Jesus Christ never lived, Christianity would collapse. The essence of the Christian faith is found in the person of Jesus. The teaching of Jesus is not really unique, except in the way Jesus talked about Himself:

Remember Jesus was crucified because of blasphemy: "For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." (John 5:18).

None of the prophets ever spoke like this. The prophets said, "Turn to the Lord and He will heal you." Jesus said, "Come unto me and I will give you rest." The prophets said, "Repent and God will forgive you." Jesus said, "I forgive your sins" (Matthew 9:2). And when someone objected and said, "Only God can forgive sins." Jesus in essence replied, "Yes, that’s quite right." All through the gospels, Jesus is taking the place of God.

Among all of the religious leaders of all time Jesus is unique. Muhammad never made any such claims. Buddha never made any such claims. Confucius never made any such claims.

Now there are those who would want to say, "I believe that Jesus is the founder of one of the world’s great religions. I believe that he was a great teacher, but this business about Jesus being God I just cannot buy." I can understand that reasoning, but that tells me that the person has not really thought clearly about what Jesus has said. I don’t think Jesus has left us that option. This business about being a good teacher – He wasn’t a good teacher at all if He wasn’t what He said He was.

There are many positions you can take with such extravagant claims:

  1. Of course he wasn’t God, but He thought He was. – I suppose there are many people in the Washington, D.C. area who think they are God, but we don’t worship them, we pity them. Jesus didn’t seem, or act, or sound like a lunatic.

  2. Of course he wasn’t God and he knew he wasn’t God, but he claimed to be. – Well, if that’s the case then you ought to have nothing to do with him, because he’s the biggest fraud that ever lived. Let’s be rid of him once and for all. Don’t hang around the church. If you do you are guilty of purveying massive error -- a massive world wide deception.

  3. He really was who He claimed to be. – If this is true, the conception of Mary’s child is the single most significant thing that ever happened upon the face of the earth. Peter said, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Peter 1:16). The incarnation of Christ is the great event that split the centuries in two.

There are many other places that clearly teach Jesus' deity:

Notice the exchange of titles in the story of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2:8-11:

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:26-28).

Paul wrote: For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race, the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. (Romans 9:3-5).

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God... (Philippians 2:5-6).

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:11-13). The rules of Greek grammar indicate that both titles describe Jesus.

But about the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever. (Hebrews 1:8).

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours. (2 Peter 1:1). Again the rules of Greek grammar indicate that both titles describe Jesus. The same grammatical construction appears in verse 11, where it is obvious that the titles there (Lord and Savior) apply to Christ.

We know also 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—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20).

If you have 30 seconds with a Jehovah Witness (who does not believe that Jesus is God) then have them turn to Revelation 1:8: "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." A Jehovah Witness will tell you that this verse refers to God the Father, the God of the Old Testament. So God is the Alpha and Omega. Alpha and omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. God is the Beginning and End of all things.

Now have your JW friend turn to Revelation 22:13: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. To whom does this verse refer? Well, a Jehovah Witness will tell you it must refer to God the Father, since He is called the Alpha and Omega in Revelation 1:8. (Of course in verse 15 the speaker calls himself "Jesus," but perhaps there was a shift in speakers between verse 13 and 15. We will give the Jehovah Witness the benefit of the doubt.) Notice that the person who is the Alpha and Omega is also the First and the Last. So from a Jehovah Witness point of view: God = Alpha and Omega = First and Last.

Now turn to Revelation 1:17-18. John is writing about his vision and he says, When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades." Here are the connections that we have seen so far: God = Alpha and Omega = First and Last = one who was dead and now alive! When did God die? The only answer is: "in Jesus." The inescapable conclusion is that Jesus is God!