This is the question that Jesus asked his followers; it is this same question that Christians say is pivotal in any person’s life. Many people nowadays would answer that he was a great prophet or moral teacher. But did Jesus claim to be only a prophet or a teacher? What did his closest friends and followers say he was? Why is it important, anyway?

This tract is really a "prequel" to the companion pamphlet Do You Believe Jesus of Nazareth was Only a Great Moral Teacher? which focused on the motives of Jesus’ followers as to why they wrote what they wrote concerning his nature: Why did they make these incredible claims? Were they lying, mistaken, or telling the truth?

Here, though, we attempt a brief reference guide to show just where it is in the Bible that Christians claim that the apostles made the assertions that Jesus is God. (The references that Jesus was killed and resurrected are numerous and won’t be dealt with here; one need merely read the last chapters of any of the Gospels–Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John–to find ample references to the Resurrection.)

Some of the claims of Deity are pointed and direct; others are not quite as obvious. There are some claims from Jesus Himself; some are from the mouths and pens of others. We encourage you to look up the following verses for yourself and read perhaps the entire chapter or book in which they are found to get a feel for the context in which they were written.
Keep in mind when reading this that we don’t necessarily offer these as proof that Jesus is God. They are data, so to speak. The next step is for you to decide what drove his follower to write these things. (For that we recommend that you read the companion pamphlet mentioned above.) You must decide for yourself whether Jesus of Nazareth is what he and his followers claimed he is…

JOHN 1:1,14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us."
Even a casual reading of the first chapter of the book of John shows, without question, that "the Word" referred to here is Jesus of Nazareth. If follows quite logically that if Jesus is the Word, and the Word is God, that John meant for us to believe that Jesus must be God. (Note: The translation from the Greek, in context, is not, "and the Word was a god" as if Jesus were one of many gods or that he was some lesser deity or angel. The Jehovah’s Witnesses translate this verse this way despite all evidence to the contrary. See our tract And the Word Was.)

JOHN 10:30—33 [Jesus said] "I and the Father are one." Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God."
There are several interesting things to note here. One is that the Greek word here for "one" is in the neuter, not the masculine, meaning that Jesus did not claim to be the Father himself, but one with the Father in essence and nature. In other words, Jesus claims divinity. A second observation is that the Jews here knew exactly what Jesus was implying and were more than ready to mete out justice according to Levitical Law for someone claiming equality with God. The third point, one which occurs several times in the New Testament, is that Jesus never subsequently denies the initial claim; he never says anything like, "Whoa! Just a minute here! Put down those rocks. What I really meant was?" Instead, Jesus turns it into a moment of introspection for the people, eventually escaping. Another example of this point can be found in the next example...

JOHN 8:58 "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"
This verse seems grammatically awkward. Why doesn’t Jesus say, "Before Abraham was born, I was.?" What does he mean "I am"? About 1500 years earlier (Exodus 3:14), the Almighty God refers to Himself as the I AM when speaking to Moses. To the Jew, only One in the universe claims that Name–ever. The use of the Name by a "mere man" was a death sentence. When Jesus used those words, the people knew he was making a mighty big boast; Jesus was once more claiming to be God. That is why the Jews were going to stone him. Notice again that in John’s retelling of the event that Jesus, a Jew himself who knew exactly why they were so mad, never makes an excuse for using those words. He sees no misunderstanding.

JOHN 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
Here is a direct and obvious claim to deity made by someone else, specifically here a Jewish disciple. What is important in your reading around this verse is that Jesus again nowhere denies the claim. This is in stark contrast to how the Bible records the reaction of a man or an angel when receiving worship (see incidences involving Peter and Cornelius in Acts 10:25,26 and John and the angel in Revelation 19:10).
Jesus also receives worship by a leper in Matthew 8:2, by a blind man in John 9:35—39, by his disciples in Matthew 14:33. Notice that not once did Jesus rebuke them and tell them to stop. To the Jew, however, only One receives worship–God. Notice, as well, that those recording these accounts–all monotheistic Jews–offer no apologies or excuses, either.

HEBREWS 1:8 But about the Son he says, Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever...
Jesus is the Son as made clear in Scripture. The Son is addressed here as God. Therefore, the writer of the book of Hebrews wants us to believe that Jesus is God.

PHILLIPIANS 2:6 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God...
Here Paul is explaining to the church at Phillipi how Jesus, by nature God, humbled himself from his place of high exaltation, temporarily "laid aside his glory," and became the perfect example of the obedient servant–obeying even to the point of death.

JOHN 5:23 "...that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father."
In the previous verses, Jesus had just remarked that he had the power of Life and Judgment, two rights which the Jews believed exclusive to God alone. And now Jesus wants the same honor as the Father? This is a tall order from someone whom some claim as only a mere prophet or teacher. John evidently doesn’t see him that way, and doesn’t want us believing it, either.

JOHN 5:17,18 Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working." For this reason the Jews tried all the harder to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.
Jesus does not say "the Father;" the Jews could accept that. They object to his reference "my Father," as if Jesus had some special relationship which set him apart, which made him equal with God the Father.

MARK 13:31 [Jesus said] "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
"My words will never pass away?" Cross-reference this with Isaiah 40:8, "The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah’s statement is a fitting description of the words and thoughts of the Creator God. What Mark records are the words of a man who believed he was on par with God Himself.

REVELATION 1:17 (also 2:8) [Jesus said] "I am the First and the Last."
Isaiah 44:6 says, "This is what the LORD says–Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God." John and Jesus, both Jews, knew exactly to whom "the First and the Last" was referring–to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

COLOSSIANS 1:16 "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him."
This whole section of Colossians 1 is dealing with Jesus Christ; this verse is describing him. If he were merely a created being (no matter how exalted), this verse would be a lie. Paul goes out of his way to make sure and include all created things as being created by Jesus. Jesus could not logically be part of his own creation; he could not create himself. Therefore, Jesus is not part of creation, he is not created: therefore, according to Paul, Jesus is God. (c.f. John 1:3)

Conclusion
There are many other references in the New Testament to the Divinity of Jesus of Nazareth; this is by no means meant to be a complete reference guide. What is intended here, to reiterate, is to provide you with evidence that, indeed, the followers of Jesus did claim that he was God and that he rose from the dead.

But, really, who cares what claims some people made more than 1900 years ago? How can that possibly affect the world today or make your life any better?

Well, Jesus also claimed to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life; that no one could get to the Father but by him. He left no other option. He never pretended to be one of several ways to God, as some people are fond of believing. He never said for us to make our own way to God as we can see in people who are wrapped up in a good-works-only mentality. And Jesus never said there was no way; that life was just meaningless and without purpose, and that therefore we should make the most of it now, regardless of whom we hurt along the way to the grave.

Jesus said he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He said he came to give life, and life abundantly. If you are still under the illusion that Jesus was just a good man and a great role model, look at the evidence again; he never claimed to be that. He did claim to be your God. His followers say He is your Creator.

If Jesus really is God, his promise of forgiveness to a repentant heart is true; his promise of a fulfilled, abundant life to those who follow him is true; and his promise of an eternity of darkness and emptiness to those who reject him is also true.
And, since he really is God, he has left the ultimate decision, to follow him or not, up to you..

Who do you say that He is?

Sword & Spirit Ministries
P.O. Box 712 • Murrieta, CA 92564

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