Jesus Christ

July 11th, 2010

Jesus Christ

Is Jesus Christ God?

Some Christian sects deny that Jesus is God. They prefer to call Him, “Son of God,” “Son of the Father,” “First Born of the Father,” etc. Understandably, admitting that Jesus is God implicitly means that there are three divine Persons in One God, if you include the Holy Spirit. So those who deny the trinity of God also deny that Jesus is God. But the Bible is unequivocal in referring to Jesus as God. Let us examine the Scriptures:

Jesus has all the attributes of God. He is the same with the Father:

“He who has seen me has seen the Father... Do you not
believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me?
The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own
authority; but the Father who dwells in me, does his
works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the
Father in me ….” (John 14:9-11)

Christ said that He and the Father are one:

“I and the Father are one.”(John 10:30)

Elsewhere, He continues:

“That they may be one; even as thou, Father, art in me,
and I in thee.” (John 17:21)

Since Jesus is in the Father and the Father in Him, and since He and the Father are One, and again, since the “Father dwells” in Him, He is God.

Christ has the same glory as God the Father. Since only God can have the same glory as God, Jesus is God:

“And now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence
with the same glory which I had with thee before the
world was made.” (John 17:5)

Only God can forgive sins. As God then, Christ forgave the sins of many:

“Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven … But that
you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth
to forgive sins.” (Matt 9:2,6)

“Therefore I tell you her sins, which are many are forgiven …
And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’” (Luke 7:42-48)

He gave His apostles the power to forgive sins too:

“If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you
retain the sins of any, they are retained.” (John 20:23)

Also as God, Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath:

“For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath.” (Matt 12:8)

It is true that Christ said that:

“The Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

But from the discussion of that passage, it is known that He was speaking of Himself as Man, because He said He was going to the Father. He could only “go” to the Father as Man. As God, He cannot go for He is everywhere with the Father, always. He is equal to the Father in everything, even in glory as we saw earlier.

Jesus also indicated that He is God when He asked the Pharisees whose son they thought the Messiah was, and they answered, “The son of David.” He then said to them:

“How is it then that David inspired by the Spirit calls him
Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right
hand, till I put thy enemies under thy feet.’” (Matt 22:41-44)

Clearly, the first “Lord” is God the Father, and the second “Lord” is Jesus, Who is both Lord and God.

One of the reasons the Jews had for killing Jesus was because He called God His Father; implying that He is also God:

“This is why the Jews sought to kill him, because he … called
God his Father, making himself equal with God.” (John 5:18)

The Jews once took up stones to throw at Jesus and He demanded why they were intent on stoning Him. They replied:

“Because you, being a man, make yourself God.” (John 10:33)

Jesus, knowing how serious a charge of divine impersonation was, did not deny the accusation; meaning that He is indeed God.

If we continue to reason along the line that as Son of God Jesus is God (John 5:18), then there are many instances where He is called the Son of God. Angel Gabriel called Him the Son of God:

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of
the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child
to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)

John the baptizer testified that Christ was the Son of God:

“I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son
of God.” (John 1:34)

The apostles also called Him the Son of God:

“And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly,
you are the Son of God.’” (Matt 14:33)

The two demoniacs that Jesus permitted to enter a herd of swine that rushed down a steep bank into the sea called Him the Son of God:

“What have you to do with us, O Son of God …?”
(Matt 10:32-33; see also Luke 5:41)

In compunction of heart, the centurion called Jesus the Son of God after His death:

“Truly, this was the Son of God.” (Matt 27:54)

Mark started his gospel clearly referring to Christ as the Son of God:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son
of God.” (Mark 1:1)

God the Father also testified that Jesus is His Son during His baptism (Matt 3:17; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22) and transfiguration (Matt 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35).

Now, if we go by the injunction of the Scripture to worship only God (Exo 20:3-5; Matt 4:10; Rev 19:10), then Jesus Christ is God since He was worshipped a good number of times. The three wise men from the East worshipped Him:

“Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For
we have seen his star in the east, and we have come to
worship him … and going into the house they saw the
child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and
worshipped him …” (Matt 2:2,11)

The man who was blind from birth that Jesus healed by mixing His spittle with sand worshipped Him:

“He said, ‘Lord, I believe’, and he worshipped him.”
(John 9:38)

In awe, the apostles worshipped Jesus after Peter nearly sank in the water when Jesus bid him to step into the water:

“And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, ‘Truly,
you are the Son of God.’” (Matt 14:33)

After the devil dared to tempt Christ the second time after He rebuked him once, Christ indicated that it is perfectly proper to worship Him as God:

“You shall worship the Lord your God and only him
shall you serve.” (Matt 4:10)

Now there are numerous instances where Jesus is called God:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1-2)

Paul tells the Romans:

“… to them belong the Patriarch, and of their race,
according to the flesh, in the Christ, who is God over
all, blessed for ever. Amen.” (Rom 9:5)

And in his letter to Titus:

“… awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory
of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ …” (Titus 2:5)

Lastly, in adoration, Thomas the Apostle proclaimed:

“My Lord and my God.” (John 20:28)

And from the Old Testament, we see Prophet Zephaniah referring to Jesus in Mary’s womb as God:

“Sing aloud O daughter of Zion; shut O Israel! Rejoice
and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
The King of Israel, the Lord (Jesus) is in your midst
(as infant in your womb); the Lord your God is in your
midst …” (Zeph 3:14-15,17)

The Good Thief said to Jesus on the cross:

“Remember me when you come into your kingly power.”
(Luke 23:42)

By “kingly power,” the Good Thief must be referring to a spiritual kingdom, since as dying men, the question of an earthly kingdom was ruled out. As King then of this implied spiritual kingdom (heaven), Jesus is God, since there is only one King in heaven – God. Jesus confirmed that He is indeed King of heaven (God) by His firm promise of salvation to the repentant thief:

“Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in
paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Jesus Christ is indeed Lord and God.

About the Author

Ifeanyi Ukwe is a freelance writer on Catholic faith. His major pre-occupation is searching the Scriptures for biblical proofs of Catholic doctrines. He gladly welcomes questions from confounded Catholics on the biblical foundations of their sacred faith and belief system. A compilation of his activities can be found at www.DefendYourCatholicFaith.com.