Some people claim that the Bible shows that Jesus is not God, but only a man. But are there Bible verses that show that Jesus is God so clearly that it cannot be explained away? Let us see what the Bible says.
The verses are compiled and explained by Melody Sundberg, Paulus Eliasson and Adam Ayash. Final thoughts by Melody Sundberg.
Jesus claims to be God or speaks with divine authority
Some people who reject the idea that Jesus is God argue that He never explicitly said so. While it’s true that the Bible doesn’t quote Jesus using the exact phrase “I am God,” that doesn’t mean He didn’t claim to be God. Here are some examples:
“I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30)
Explanation: In verse 33, the Jews wanted to stone him, because they understood that by these words, Jesus claimed to be God. By these words, Jesus said that he and the Father are of one nature and one essence.
“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am, you will die in your sins.” (John 8:24)
“Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58)
Explanation: In the verses above, Jesus describes himself using the Greek words ego eimi, which has the same meaning as the name of God, YHWH (Hebrew יהוה) which God uses for himself in Exodus 3:14. Jesus also says that “before Abraham was born, I am”, describing that he is eternal. The Jews who heard his words described in John 8:58 definitely understood what he said, because they responded by wanting to stone him.
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (Revelation 22:13)
Explanation: Is it the Angel talking about himself in verse 8? It cannot be, because in verse 9, he tells John not to worship him, but only God. In verse 16, Jesus says “I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you of these things”. Therefore, it has to be Jesus who speaks (through the Angel) in verse 22:13. In verse 1:8, God is described in the same way: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
“And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed.” (John 17:5)
Explanation: Jesus talks about his eternal nature and glorification with the Father.
Jesus actions
Jesus performed actions that only God could perform.
“And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?” (Mark 2:5-7)
Explanation: He forgave sin and the Jewish scribes understood that he thereby claimed divine attributes.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16
Explanation: If Jesus were not God, his death wouldn’t be enough to cover the punishment for the sins of the world. A created being – what Jesus would be if He weren’t divine – couldn’t bear the infinite cost of sinning against an infinite God. Only God Himself could meet such a demand. Only God could take on the sins of humanity, die, and rise again, showing His power over sin and death.
“And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Hush, be still.” And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.” (Mark 4:39)
Explanation: Jesus could control the powers of nature. In Job 26:12, Psalms 65:8, 89:10 and 107:29, God is calming the sea.
“And when He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” Out came the man who had died, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” (John 11:43-44)
Explanation: Jesus resurrected a dead man in his own authority, which is a divine action.
Jesus accepted worship
Jesus never rebuked people for worshiping him. If Jesus were not God, he would have told people to not worship Him, just as the angel in Revelation did (Revelation 19:10, where an angel tells the apostle John to only worship God.)
“Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you now believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (John 20:28-29)
Explanation: Note that after Thomas called Jesus his God, Jesus confirmed his words by saying “now you believe.”
“And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are truly God’s Son!” (Matthew 14:33)
“And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11)
“And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Rejoice!” And they came up and took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him.” (Matthew 28:9)
And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.” (Luke 24:52)
“Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the One who is talking with you.” And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And he worshiped Him.” (John 9:37-38)
Apostles described Jesus as God or in divine terms
John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
Thomas: “Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)
John: “No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him.” (John 1:18)
Paul: “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,” (Titus 2:13)
Peter: “by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1)
Author of the Hebrews: “But regarding the Son He says, “Your throne, God, is forever and ever, And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:8)
Paul: “…who, as He already existed in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a bond-servant and being born in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death: death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8)
Jesus is referred to with verses that refers to God in the Old Testament
“And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.” (Hebrews 1:6).
Explanation: This is a verse that is quoted from Deuteronomy 32:43 and Psalm 97:7. These verses talks about God, but in Hebrews, the description refers to the Son.
“But regarding the Son He says, “Your throne, God, is forever and ever, And the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of is kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your companions.”
“And, “You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the works of Your hands; They will perish, but You remain; And they all will wear out like a garment, And like a robe You will roll them up; Like a garment they will also be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not come to an end.” But to which of the angels has He ever said, Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies A footstool for Your feet”? (Hebrews 1:8-14)
Explanation: Here the author talks about Jesus, and describes him with verses that clearly talks about God.
“For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 10:11)
Explanation: This talks about believing in Jesus, but it is quoted from Joel, where it refers to God.
“For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13)
Explanation: Again, the context talks about calling on the name of Jesus, but the verse talks about God.
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, just as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I am sending My messenger before You, Who will prepare Your way; The voice of one calling out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!” (Mark 1:2-3)
Explanation: In this pericope, Mark quotes Isaiah, where God says that he will send his messenger, before he comes himself. But the one who comes, in the text, is Jesus.
“For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, “He has blinded their eyes and He hardened their heart, so that they will not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and be converted, and so I will not heal them.” These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke about Him.” (John 12:39-41)
Explanation: In this pericope John quotes from Isaiah 6, where the prophet sees God and his glory, and then he says that the glory that he saw was the glory of Jesus.
A person in the Old Testament is described in divine terms
“For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
Too little to be among the clans of Judah,
From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel.
His times of coming forth are from long ago,
From the days of eternity.” (Micah 5:2)
Explanation: Jesus was born in Bethlehem, and he is from the tribe of Judah. This description is found in the Old Testament, but the only person that fits this description perfectly, is Jesus.
“The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” (Psalms 110:1)
Explanation: This verse describes a conversation between God the Father and his Son.
“The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” When the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” (Exodus 3:2-4)
“Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt.” (Exodus 3:16) (Emphasis added).
Explanation: Multiple times in the Old Testament, a being called “the Angel of the Lord” is mentioned. This Angel speaks as if he himself is God. In the example above, the Angel of the Lord appears to Moses in the burning bush. But then the text says “God called to him from the midst of the bush.” In verse 16, Moses says that “the Lord… the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me.” In other words, the Angel of the Lord is identified as the Lord himself, while at the same time being a distinct person. This topic is further explored in this article by Michael Jones.
Jesus is God – and that is fantastic news!
Some people claim that the Bible shows that Jesus is not God, but only a man. But as we have seen in these verses, it is clear that Jesus claims to be God, or speaks with divine authority. Jesus performed actions that only God himself could do, such as forgiving people or resurrect a man from the dead. Furthermore, Jesus accepted worship from his followers. The apostles indeed thought that Jesus was God, and they used divine terms when they described him. Jesus is referred to with verses that refers to God in the Old Testament. Lastly, a person in the Old Testament is described in divine terms – eternally existing and not created – and Jesus is described in the same way. Simply put – there are many verses that one have to ignore in order to defend the case that Jesus is not God.
I would also like to add a final thought. Jesus said “Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13). If the greatest love is to lay down ones life, to die, for ones friends, then an omnipotent God should be able to lay down his life for humanity. And according to the Bible, the moment Jesus proclaimed “it is finished” as he died on the cross, that was the moment God showed us his greatest love by laying down his life for us. That shows that God is capable of the greatest love there is – and that is beautiful. If God chose to come to us as human, to wash our feet, and even to die for us, we should thank him for that, not try to explain it away. Christian apologetic Nabeel Qureshi (1983-2017) describes it beautifully. He converted from Islam to Christianity upon understanding that Jesus is God. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, which put him through a lot of suffering, he concluded:
“We need to be careful not to focus on the suffering. We need to focus on the good news of great joy for all the people – God with us. I mean, the coming of God; the presence of God among us. What a gift! No other worldview teaches this. No other worldview comes close to the Gospel, that God would come and walk with us and be willing to suffer for us and along side us and to die on the cross on our behalf so that we would have eternal life. This is fantastic news!”
