Jesus Christ is the central figure of Christianity and is considered God Incarnate (God in the flesh), but many people still hold questions about this claim. This claim is a fundamental truth that all Christians hold. However, this is not an easy truth to understand, and many people ask: where did Jesus say he is God?
While it is true that there is no scripture where Jesus states directly that he was God, he stated many times that he was one with God the Father and had the same authority as him.
This article aims to answer all the common questions surrounding this controversial topic. By the end, one will understand better what Jesus meant by his statements, as well as provide a better scope of the doubts people have about it and how to answer these doubts.
Did Jesus mean he was God when he said He and the Father are one?
In John 10:30-33, Jesus made a bold, controversial claim – that he and God the Father were one, and the Jews who heard him wanted to stone him for committing blasphemy – at least in their understanding. This was not the first time he made this claim of him being identical to God, as John 5:18 also states that the Jews wanted to kill him for stating this claim.
This is 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. John 5:18
This statement possibly means Jesus meant that he had the same purpose as the Father or that their essence was the same. There are five observations one can make from this claim.
The first is that Jesus emphasized that God the Father was equal to Him in power. The second was that he stated that he and the Father were equal in authority. The third was that Jesus claimed God was His Father and he was God’s Son. The fourth was that The Father sent Him to the world. The fifth was that Jesus stated the Jews misunderstood his purpose on earth and the authority he held as the Son of God.
In other words, Jesus was stating to his audience that He had existed alongside God the Father from the beginning of time, held the same power as the Father, was in perfect purpose with Him, and was sent to earth by the Father. This is further supported by John 1:1-2:
In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2
Did Jesus say, “I am God; Worship me”?
Nowhere is this question more commonly raised than in Islamic circles when debating the divinity of Jesus. Since the common claim is that Jesus never said this statement directly, then that means he is not God.
However, the better question to ask in this case is how Jesus stated he was God. This opens up better opportunities to gain answers, as Jesus was clear in stating the links between him and the Father, and he did this by repeatedly making Old Testament references that the Jews would understand.
Some of these statements included:
The authority to forgive sin
In Psalms 51:4, God says that He is the blameless and righteous judge. Jesus makes this claim again several times during his ministry as he heals the sick, such as in Mark 2:5-12 when he healed a paralytic man and declared his sins were forgiven.
Jesus being the Truth
Jesus made the claim that He was the only way for human beings to access the Father, and in this case, he stated that he was the Truth in John 14:6. This also mirrored Psalms 31:5, which talks of God being the Truth.
I am the way, the Truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
His power to raise the dead
In 1 Samuel 2:6, it is stated that only God can make people come back to life from death and also kill them. Jesus also made the same claim:
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live. John 11:25
What did Jesus mean when he said: “I AM”?
Jesus was confirming what John 1:1 states by responding to his audience (Pharisees in this instance) with an Old Testament reference – what God used to refer to Himself when answering Moses about who he was (Exodus 3:13-14):
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.'” Exodus 3:14
It is worth noting that the Greek translation of the word “am” as opposed to “was” are very different – so Jesus would have meant differently to his audience if he chose the words “before Abraham, I was .”This careful use of words shows that Jesus was proving that He existed eternally before the patriarchs, supporting John 1, while Abraham only existed during a specific time.
If Jesus was God, why did he call God “My God”?
Keeping in mind that Jesus and The Father are distinct and separate members of the Godhead, a teaching that the Bible suggests in numerous passages, it is understandable that Jesus refers to God as “My God.” There are two reasons why this is the case.
The first is that Jesus is not just God, but he is fully God and fully man. Since he has a human nature, he is in the best position to pray to The Father and worship Him. Like human beings, Jesus was also dependent on The Father for his needs because he set aside his heavenly glory, as narrated in Philippians 2:6-8.
The second is that the Father and the Son are equal, but they have different roles that result in the Son submitting to the Father. Because of this, Jesus calls the Father “My God” to express this role without letting go of His divine nature.
If Jesus never called himself God, how did he become one?
This is a difficult question because only Christians have explicitly claimed throughout history that Jesus was God. However, there is a way to examine it – and it involves looking at the accounts in the Gospels. The most important references to Jesus’ divinity are:
His resurrection
The Apostle Peter testifies of Jesus in Acts 2:22-36, declaring to his listeners that Jesus was God and that He resurrected from death – the same Jesus whom they killed. The fact that Jesus came back to life, which was a supernatural event, was proof that he was God.
His ministry
Jesus did plenty of work during the years of his ministry on earth, including healing the sick and raising the dead to life. In the midst of this, he asked his disciples in Mark 8 (also in Luke 9:20 and Matthew 16) what they thought of him and what they heard people saying about him – and he gave them instructions to avoid telling anyone that He was God until the appointed time.
The creational account
In John 1, the Bible talks of Jesus being present as “The Word” of God from the beginning of time and creation. He was God from the beginning but now came in the form of a man as Jesus, the Son of God.
References
What did Jesus mean when he said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30)?
Where in the Bible did Jesus say, “I am God, worship me”? | Bible Ask
What did Jesus mean when He said: “I AM”?
If Jesus is God, why does he call the Father “My God”?
Why did Jesus ask the disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”
How did Jesus become God – and Why
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.
