Biblical Proof that Jesus Christ is God

The Bible, even to a casual reader, makes it abundantly clear that Jesus Christ is God. This article will only “hit the high spots” in demonstration of this. Much more Biblical proof could be produced. However, if anyone really believes the Bible he or she will be convinced by what is given here. Many people claim to believe the Bible but they reject even some of its most clearly taught truths. A true Bible believer must accept all of Scripture. Those who “pick and choose” are not Bible believers and should not deceive themselves and others that they are.

Scriptures Which Plainly Claim that Jesus is God

• Matthew 1:23. Here He is called Emmanuel, which means “God with us.”

• John 20:28. Here Thomas called Him “My Lord and my God” and was not rebuked by Him.

• Acts 20:28. Here the Bible says that God purchased the church with His own blood. Since Jesus is the One Who shed His own blood it is plain that Jesus is being identified with God.

• Hebrews 1:8. Here God the Father called the Son “God.”

• 1 Timothy 3:16. This Scripture says that God was “manifest in the flesh.”

Jesus as the Son of God

People who deny that Jesus is God commonly point out that He is called the Son of God. They say that He cannot be both God and His Son. But here they deny the very plain teaching of Scripture. The people who lived in New Testament times knew what was meant in those days by the concept of sonship. In John 5:18 and in John 10:33 Christ’s enemies plainly understood that when Jesus called Himself the Son of God He was claiming to be God. In fact, they attempted to kill Him for what they considered His blasphemy in claiming to be God.

Jesus Received Worship

Jesus received worship and did not rebuke those who gave Him worship. He was very wrong to have done this if He were not God. In Acts 14:8-18 even the Apostle Paul refused to accept worship. In Revelation 22:9 even an angel refused to receive worship and said “worship God.” Yet Jesus received worship in Matthew 14:33; 28:17; Luke 24:52, and in many other places in Scripture. In Hebrews 1:6 God the Father, referring to the Son, said, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”

“I AM”

In John 8:58 Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am.” Here He was plainly claiming to be the great I AM Who appeared to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. This is clearly shown by the fact that when He said this the Jews tried to stone Him to death for blasphemy.

The Attributes of God

The attributes of God were manifested by Jesus while He was on earth in a body of flesh. We will look at only two of these although many others could be cited.

Omnipotence: This is the quality of having all power. On one occasion, when He had rebuked the winds and the waves, His disciples said in great awe, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him!” (Matthew 8:27). The entire Gospel of John is filled with miracles wrought by Jesus Christ, miracles such as raising Lazarus from the dead. John 20:30, 31 states why those miracles were recorded: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” We have already seen in this same book of John that for Christ to be the Son of God was to simply be God.

Omniscience: This is the quality of knowing everything. Jesus manifested this attribute in several ways. One of these ways was to show that He knew what was in people’s minds. For example, in one place the Bible says “And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart…” (Luke 9:47). This ability to read minds was demonstrated many times by the Lord Jesus. Another way this attribute was manifested was in the ability of Jesus to tell exactly what would take place in the future. Much of the entire chapter of Matthew 24, for example, is Jesus telling what would transpire in the future.

Forgiving Sin

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that no one but God has the ability to forgive sin. Yet Jesus claimed that ability for Himself. This claim enraged the Jews who said that He was blaspheming by making such claims. The Bible believer can find this account in Mark 2:1-12.

Conclusion

People may claim to have a high regard for God the Father and for Jesus Christ but they are liars if they don’t acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God. This is a biting statement but it, too, is based on Scripture. We close this article with a sobering quote from God’s Holy Word: “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” (1 John 2:22, 23).