In this article we will look at the question of whether Jesus Christ is God. There are many people saying that Christ is not God, that He was created, or has not existed forever. What we need to do is look at what the Bible actually says.
In Genesis 1:26 God says, “Let Us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Notice the use of the plural here. This article is not about the trinity but we need to look at this. John 1:3 says that “all things were made by” Christ. If Christ made all things than He must be God.
Now let us look at a couple of Old Testament prophecies of concerning Christ’s birth and coming to this earth.
Isaiah 7:14 says:
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
This is a prophecy about Jesus Christ. Matthew in his gospel quotes this scripture from Jeremiah and gives an interpretation of the name Immanuel, which is “God with us.” Matt. 1:23. Jesus came to this earth as a man but He was and is God. Paul in 1 Timothy 3:16 speaks of Him as “God manifest in the flesh.”
Again Jeremiah prophesies concerning Him:
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6
He is called the Mighty God, or the Almighty. The Everlasting Father. He has existed from everlasting to everlasting.
John says of Christ:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.The same was in the beginning with God. John 1:1-2.
The Word is God. Christ is the Word. So Christ is God and He was with God even in the beginning. In verse 4 it says “In him was life.” Only God can have life in himself. In verse 12 He gives “power to as many as received Him to become the sons of God.” Only God can make you a child of God.
We also have the testimony of the disciples. Even Thomas, “the doubter,” addressed Jesus as “My Lord and my God.” John 20:28. Nathanael said, “Thou art the Son of God, thou art the King of Israel.” John 1:49. Peter answered Christ’s question “Will ye also go away?” with “We believe and are sure that thou art the Son the living God.”
The Jews of Christ’s day understood very clearly that Christ was claiming divinity when He said that He was the Son of God. After Jesus had healed the impotent man the Jews sought to kill him, because in their eyes “He had not only broken the Sabbath but said also that God was His father, making Himself equal with God.” John 5:19.
Jesus also allowed men to worship Him. The man that was blind “worshiped Him” after finding out that He was the Son of God. Even angels do not accept worship. God is the only one that should be worshiped. Jesus had quoted scripture to the devil: “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” And He allowed the man to worship Him. Jesus was accepting worship as God. For a mere man to do so would be blasphemy but Jesus is God.
The Father refers to the Son as “God” in Hebrews chapter 1:
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. Heb 1:8-12
We believe the forever here is forever in the past as well as the future. Proving Christ’s divinity is Paul’s primary point in this chapter.
We are going to look at one more text on this (although there are many others):
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.John 8:58
When Jesus said, “I AM,” He was claiming to be the same self-existent “I AM” of the Old Testament. The Jews understand clearly. As soon as they heard that they took up stones to stone Him for blasphemy. They knew exactly what He was claiming.
There are many other texts we could mention but we believe that these give more than enough evidence that Jesus Christ is God according to the Bible. If you still have any doubts go back to John chapter 1, verse 1.