Is Jesus God?
Jesus claimed to be God
In many Bible verses, Jesus is very secretive about his identity. While he never comes right out and says the words “I’m God,” there are a few places in scripture where Jesus claims that he is God using other words. Here are some of the most direct:
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” —John 8:58 (NIV)
(“I am” was the name that God gave for himself when Moses asked)But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” And the high priest tore his garments and said, “What further witnesses do we need? —Mark 14:61–63 (ESV)
I and the Father are one. —John 10:30 (ESV)
Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? —John 14:9 (ESV)
Jesus convinced his peers that he was God
Not only did Jesus make those claims about being God, but he also somehow convinced many of the people around him that he was God (which might actually be the more difficult part). Anyone can make the claim that “I’m God,” but it would take a lot of convincing to actually persuade others to believe that claim. The way that Jesus’s disciples wrote about his divinity and were willing to be martyred for that belief shows how convicted they were of his divinity. Here are some scriptures where others equate Jesus with God:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. —John 1:1&14 (ESV)
Waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ —Titus 2:13 (ESV)
For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily —Colossians 2:9 (ESV)
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 —2 Peter 1:1 (ESV)
If Jesus isn’t God, then what is he?
The fact that Jesus himself claimed to be God makes him a really tricky figure to pin down. If his claims are true, then he really is God—but if his claims are false… then what the heck is he? What kind of person claims to be God and successfully convinces so many people to support that claim and even die in defense of that claim?
One common belief seems to be that Jesus was just a good moral teacher or prophet, but if that’s the case, then that raises a few questions that don’t have good answers:
How could Jesus be considered to be a moral person if he repeatedly lied about being God?
How could Jesus have been a trustworthy prophet of God if he lied about being God?
Another common belief seems to be that Jesus was a real person (like Confucius or Buddha), but over time his stories got embellished to the status of being a legend or myth. If that’s the case, then a few other questions arise:
What did Jesus do that was revolutionary enough to create one of history’s most prominent and persistent religions?
If Jesus is a legend, then how can I know what is true about Jesus’s life and what is untrue?
Conclusion
Jesus claimed to be God and convinced the people who knew him best that he was God. It’s easy to hear Jesus’s claims and say, “I don’t believe that,” but it becomes a little trickier to figure out what he actually is if he isn’t God.