Is Jesus God?

Yes, according to the Bible, Jesus is indeed recognized as God. The doctrine of the divinity of Christ is a foundational teaching of Christianity, supported by many passages throughout the New Testament, as well as Old Testament prophecies that Christians believe Jesus fulfills. Here’s an overview of key biblical references that affirm the identity of Jesus as God:

1. Jesus as the Word Made Flesh

The Gospel of John explicitly begins with a statement affirming Jesus’ divine nature, identifying Him as the eternal “Word” who was with God and who is God.

  • John 1:1-3, 14 – “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
  • Meaning: These verses establish Jesus as both with God and as God, affirming His divine nature and role in creation. Verse 14 further identifies the Word as Jesus, who took on human flesh to dwell among people.

2. Jesus’ Claim to Be “I AM”

Jesus refers to Himself as “I AM,” which directly connects to the name God revealed to Moses in the Old Testament.

  • John 8:58 – “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”
  • Meaning: Jesus’ use of “I AM” is a claim to deity, echoing Exodus 3:14, where God declares His name to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM.” By using this term, Jesus was identifying Himself with the eternal God, which is why His listeners attempted to stone Him for blasphemy.

3. Jesus’ Equality with God the Father

The New Testament describes Jesus as equal with God, sharing in God’s divine nature, authority, and honor.

  • John 10:30-33 – Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him… “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”
  • Meaning: Jesus’ claim to be one with the Father was understood by His audience as a claim to divinity, which they considered blasphemous.
  • Philippians 2:5-7 – “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”
  • Meaning: This passage emphasizes Jesus’ pre-existence as God and His willingness to humble Himself by becoming human. Even as He lived as a man, Jesus remained fully divine.

4. Jesus as the Image of the Invisible God

The Apostle Paul describes Jesus as the visible manifestation of the invisible God, who holds all creation together.

  • Colossians 1:15-17 – “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible… all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”
  • Meaning: This passage portrays Jesus as the physical representation of God Himself. The term “firstborn” here emphasizes Jesus’ authority over all creation, not that He was created. All things are created by and for Jesus, affirming His divinity and creative power.

5. Worship of Jesus as God

In the New Testament, Jesus is worshipped by His disciples and others, and He accepts this worship, which would be inappropriate if He were not God.

  • Matthew 14:33 – “Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.'”
  • John 20:28 – Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
  • Meaning: After His resurrection, Jesus is worshipped by His followers. Thomas explicitly calls Jesus “my Lord and my God,” and Jesus does not correct him, affirming His acceptance of divine worship.

6. Jesus’ Authority to Forgive Sins

In the Gospels, Jesus exercises authority to forgive sins, a right that is exclusively God’s.

  • Mark 2:5-7 – “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ‘Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?'”
  • Meaning: Jesus claims and demonstrates the authority to forgive sins, which His audience rightly understood as a divine prerogative. This indicates Jesus’ divine identity.

7. The Testimony of Hebrews and Revelation

The Book of Hebrews and the Book of Revelation describe Jesus in divine terms, worshipping Him as God and acknowledging His eternal existence.

  • Hebrews 1:3 – “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.”
  • Meaning: This verse highlights Jesus as the exact expression of God’s nature, sharing in His essence and sustaining the universe, attributes that only God possesses.
  • Revelation 22:13 – “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
  • Meaning: Jesus identifies Himself with titles used for God (see Isaiah 44:6), asserting His eternal, uncreated nature. These descriptions further affirm His divinity.

8. The Trinity: God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

The Bible teaches the concept of the Trinity, the doctrine that God is one in essence but revealed in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

  • Matthew 28:19 – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
  • Meaning: This passage reflects the unity and equality of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the one name of God, affirming that Jesus is fully God alongside the Father and the Spirit.

Summary

The Bible affirms Jesus’ divinity through direct statements, His attributes, and the worship He receives. He is described as the eternal Word of God, the exact representation of God’s nature, and the one through whom all things were created. Jesus shares titles and roles that belong to God alone, and He is worshipped as God by His followers.

These affirmations are foundational to the Christian understanding of Jesus as fully God and fully man, central to the doctrine of the Trinity and to the salvation offered through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.