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The Deity of Jesus |
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One of the fundamental precepts of truly biblical Christianity is the deity of Jesus. There is more than sufficient historical evidence, both in the Bible and in Jewish and Roman histories, that there was a man named Jesus (or Yeshua, His more proper Hebrew name) who lived in Israel around 2,000 years ago. This fact is documented well enough that it is almost never disputed. What is disputed is whether He was God or not. This study aims to provide the biblical evidence, from several areas, for the deity of Jesus and the consequences of this fact. The areas we will cover are as follows.
The Attributes of God
If Jesus were truly God, then He would certainly have to possess the same attributes which God possesses. Is there any evidence where Jesus either demonstrated or claimed to possess attributes of God? Absolutely. Consider these few examples. Eternality
One attribute God possesses is that He is eternal. He is not constrained by Time. If Jesus is God, then He, too, must be eternal. In John 8:58, Jesus said in answer to a question from the Jewis leaders of His day, “Most assuredly, I tell you, before Abraham was born, I AM.” This is one of the most powerful statements ever recorded of Jesus. Not only does He claim to be eternal (by claiming to have existed before a man born 2,000 years earlier), this is also a direct claim of deity. This is, in the original Greek, the same term God applied to Himself when speaking to Moses in Exodus 3:14. If the linguistic evidence is not sufficient for you, consider that John goes on to describe in verse 59 that the Jewish leaders tried to stone Jesus for His statement. The only crime which the leaders could stone Jesus for would have been blasphemy. They certainly believed that Jesus’ statement was a claim of deity. In John 17:5 Jesus is in the middle of a prayer to God the Father. He said, “Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.” Here, Jesus claims to have existed, with God the Father, before the world was even made. These two passages make it clear that Jesus certainly claimed to be eternal. Omnipresence
Another attribute God possesses is that He is everywhere present. The meaning of this is more completely described here. Jesus made claims to this attribute as well in Matthew 18:20 and 28:20. Omniscience
Another attribute which Jesus demonstrated which belongs to God is His ability to know things which He could only know if He were all-knowing, as God is. A more complete definition of this attribute may be found here. In Matthew 16:21, Jesus is described as telling His disciples about the trials, tormenting and crucifixion He would soon face at the hands of the Jewish leaders and about His resurrection three days after His death. There was no way for Jesus to have known these things unless He had God’s level of knownledge. In Luke 6:8, Jesus is being watched by the scribes in a synagogue to see if He would violate Jewish tradition (note that they were more concerned about tradition than God’s law), and is described as “knowing their thoughts.” Later, in Luke 11:17, Jesus is again dealing with the Jewish leaders and is again described as “knowing their thoughts.” In both of these passages, the knowledge Jesus demonstrates is portrayed as deeper than intuition or being able to “read” people could account for. In John 4:29, a woman gives testimony that Jesus, whom she had never met, told her things about herself that He could not have known. She is convinced that Jesus is God. In all these cases, and more, the biblical record is clear. What Jesus knew could not be ascribed to logical conclusions, educated guesses or even intuition. He could only know what He demonstrated He knew if He was omniscient. Omnipotence
Since God cannot be God without being all-powerful, then Jesus, if He is God, must also be able to demonstrate such power. In Matthew 28:20, Jesus promises to be with His followers, “even to the end of the age.” He could only keep this promise if He were as powerful as God. In Mark 5:11-15, Jesus used a herd of swine to remove demons from a possessed man. This demonstration of power caused awe in those who witnessed the event. If these things seem small or easily faked, consider the account given in John 11:38-44. Here is the famous tale of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. What is often overlooked is what God did to make sure the power of Jesus could not be easily dismissed. At that time, the Jews believed that a body could be brought back to life for up to three days after death. In verse 39, Martha, the sister of Lazarus, confirmed that he had been dead for four days. Raising Lazarus at that time was an impossibility in the minds of those watching and yet Jesus, giving glory to God the Father, reunited a living Lazarus with his family. As we can see, there is ample evidence that Jesus both claimed and demonstrated His possession of God’s attributes.
Works Only God Could Do
If Jesus were truly God, then He would certainly be able to perform actions that only God was capable of. In this section we will have a closer look at some of these actions. Forgiveness
Given an all powerful Creator, it is no stretch to understand that God is the only One capable of eternally forgiving sins, especially since He is the only one who has the right to say what is, and is not, sin. In Mark 2:1-12, we read of the healing of a paralytic. Beginning in verse , Jesus tells him, not that he is healed, but that his sins have been forgiven. This is obviously taken as a claim of deity as evidenced by the reaction of the scribes described in verses 6-7; they wondered at His apparent blasphemy. In verses 8-9, Jesus equates God’s power to heal and forgive sins. Notice that He does not deny the scribes’ claim that only God can forgive sins. In verses 10-11, Jesus demonstrates His ability to forgive sins, something only God could do, by physically healing the paralytic. Verse 12 tells us the cure was immediate and brought glory to God, a sure testimony that the power truly came from God. Life
Another power that only God is capable of is the giving of life. In John 5:21, Jesus is answering a charge of claiming Godhood made by the Jews and says, “For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom he desires.” Jesus further claimed to be the only source for life in John 14:6 and in several other places. Resurrection
Since God wields absolute power over life, He can apply that to those who have died. God has the power to raise the dead back to life. This ability is demonstrated by Jesus in John 11:38-44, specifically in verses 43-44 described above. It is an example of how Jesus will resurrect those who are His to an eternal life with Him in heaven. Judgement
Since God has created us all, we are accountable to Him. The Bible makes it clear that we will stand before Him to be judged. So, if Jesus is God, then He must also be our final judge. The apostle John made it clear that one of the titles for Jesus was the Son of God; Jesus made claim to it many times. In John 5:22, Jesus says, “For neither does the Father judge any man, but he has given all judgement to the Son”, clearly claiming the responsibility for eternal judgement to Himself. Jesus reiterates this in verse 27. Just as with the attributes of God above, there is ample evidence that Jesus both claimed and demonstrated His ability to perform woks only God is capable of.
Names and Titles of God
In many places in the New Testament, Jesus was described with the names and titles only given to God. This is strong testimony that the writers of the biblical texts certainly believed that Jesus was God. In John 10:36, Jesus is talking with the Jewish leaders (again responding to a charge of blasphemy) and says, “Do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You blaspheme,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’” Jesus makes an undeniable claim of deity by claiming to be the Son of God. The apostle John uses this term for Jesus all throughout his gospel. Paul echos the sentiment in his letter to the Romans by calling Jesus Lord (with the respect only due God) in Romans 10:13. In John 20:28, Thomas calls Jesus, “my Lord and my God!” In Matthew 22:43-45, Jesus quotes King David from the Old Testament calling Him Lord. In Revelation 19:16, Jesus is described as having the name King of Kings and Lord of Lords. These are just a few of the many examples throughout the New Testament where Jesus is given the names and titles of God. It is worth remembering that almost all of the writers doing so were direct witnesses of the events they described. It is obvious that what they experienced convinced them that Jesus deserved those names and titles.
Jesus Claimed to be God
Despite what many people will tell you, the Bible contains many places where Jesus actually claimed to be God. Quite a few have been mentioned already, but here are a few other instances to consider. In John 10:30 Jesus says, “I and the Father are one.” The Jewish leaders with whom He was speaking definitely took this as a claim of being God. Read their reaction to His statement in verse 31; they intended to stone Him. Why would they want to stone Him? John records even this in verse 33. Jesus makes more claims in John 4:26, 5:18 and Revelation 22:13. Jesus claimed deity again in Matthew 26:64-66 (again, notice the reactions of the listeners), this time using the title, Son of Man. Jesus uses this title for Himself 83 more times! The interesting thing about these references is that each one is part of a complete story which documents the reactions of those who heard Jesus’ claims. Their reactions tell us that Jesus must have claimed to be God. Jesus knew who He was talking to. He used specific terms which could leave no doubt in the minds of the hearers that He was claiming to be God. Jesus did not make these claims lightly; the Jewish leaders crucified Him for them. But, He did make these claims, and often.
Other Biblical Testimony
There are several other places in the Bible which testify to the deity of Jesus. In addition to the many verses mentioned above, these verses make clear each writer’s certainty that Jesus is God. Each of these verses, in their contexts, gives glory to Jesus as God and makes claim of His deity.
So Where Does All This Leave Us?
As described above, there is a significant amount of biblical evidence which can lead us to only one conclusion. Jesus is God. He claimed it. It was claimed by others of Him. But more importantly, He demonstrated it in ways that leave no room for doubt. Since Jesus is God, then He is our creator and we are accountable to Him. All He wants is to be your Savior and the Lord of your life, to love you in tangible ways, to have a personal, one on one relationship with you. If you do not already have this relationship, you can read more here about how to get it started. Jesus is knocking. Will you open the door and let Him help you?
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Last updated on January 3, 2001 at 1:14 AM
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