Is Jesus God?

It is important for us to know whether Jesus was a good man who once lived, whether He was simply a prophet, a teacher, or whether He is actually God. If He is truly God, then that takes everything He did and said to another level. It means that our life depends on Him, and that we must obey Him in everything. It means that we can only be saved through Him. So let’s see what Scripture says about Him.

He is the exact representation of God’s nature
“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Heb 1:3)

In this verse, the writer of Hebrew is speaking about Jesus Christ, saying He is the radiance of God’s glory and that He is the exact representation of God’s nature. He goes on to say that Jesus holds everything up by His powerful Word.

The Psalmist Calls Him “God”
“But of the Son He says, "YOUR THRONE, O GOD, IS FOREVER AND EVER, AND THE RIGHTEOUS SCEPTER IS THE SCEPTER OF HIS KINGDOM.” (Heb 1:8)

The writer of Hebrews is quoting Psalm 45. In the first verse, the psalmist states that he is addressing his verses to the King. In the second verse, he states that the King is fairer than the sons of men. In the sixth verse, the psalmist refers to the King as “God,” and declares that His throne is eternal.

The Word was God
The apostle John began his gospel with these words:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. “ (Joh 1:1-14)

John had walked with Jesus for three and a half years on earth, and was his closest earthly companion. Here is what John said of Jesus in this passage:

• Jesus is the Word of God
• Jesus existed in the beginning, at the time of creation
• Jesus was with God in the beginning
• Jesus was God
• Apart from Jesus, nothing came into being that has come into being
• Jesus is the Light and the world was made through Him
• The Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and lived among us
• The Word (Jesus Christ) is the only begotten of the heavenly Father, God

He is God’s Son, the image of the invisible God
In his letter to the Colossian church, the apostle Paul began by writing:

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit. For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him.” (Col 1:1-19)

In this passage, Paul says the following things about Jesus:

• God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jesus is God’s Son).
• God is invisible. But Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
• All things were created by Jesus -- both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible.
• All things have been created through Jesus and for Him.
• He is before all things.
• In Jesus all things hold together.
• Jesus is the Head of the Body, the church.
• It was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Jesus.

Jesus and the Father are one
Jesus said, "I and the Father are one." The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." (Joh 10:30-33)

The Jews wanted to stone Jesus to death, because He claimed to be God. Jesus did so when He explicitly said, “I and the Father are one.” He went on to say in verse 36, “I am the Son of God.” And He said in verse 38, “the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”

He who sees Jesus sees God
Jesus proclaimed, "He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me.” (Joh 12:45)

If you have seen Jesus, you have seen the Father, God, who sent Him.

Jesus reiterated this later when He said, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." Philip *said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." Jesus *said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?” (Joh 14:7-9)

Jesus is God blessed forever
The apostle Paul said “…whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.” (Rom 9:5)

In this passage, Paul referred to the covenants, the Law, the temple, and the promises, and said these all belong to the Israelites. He went on to say that Christ came from the Israelites, at least according to his natural body, although we know He existed eternally. He ended by saying that Jesus Christ is “over all” and that He is “God” and He is “blessed forever.”

All the fullness of Deity dwells in Jesus Christ
The apostle Paul declared: “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” (Col 2:9)

You see, Jesus has a bodily form, and is not invisible like the Heavenly Father. Yet all the fullness of Almighty God resides in Him.

Jesus is our great God and Savior
In his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul wrote that we are “Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” (Tit 2:13) He clearly referred to Jesus here as our great God.

Putting it All Together
In these passages, we learn the following things about Jesus:

• God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jesus is God’s Son).
• God is invisible. But Jesus is the image of the invisible God.
• He is the exact representation of God’s nature.
• All things were created by Jesus -- both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible.
• All things have been created through Jesus and for Him.
• He is before all things.
• In Jesus all things hold together.
• Jesus is the Head of the Body, the church.
• It was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Jesus.
• Jesus and the Father are one.
• He who sees Jesus sees God.
• Jesus is God blessed forever.
• All the fullness of Deity dwells in Jesus Christ.
• Jesus is our great God and Savior.
• Jesus is the Word of God.
• Jesus existed in the beginning, at the time of creation.
• Jesus was with God in the beginning.
• The Word was God. In other words, Jesus was God.
• Apart from Jesus, nothing came into being that has come into being.
• Jesus is the Light and the world was made through Him.
• The Word (Jesus Christ) became flesh and lived among us.
• The Word (Jesus Christ) is the only begotten of the heavenly Father, God.

There are many more passage in Scripture that speak of the divinity of Christ. But if we only had these alone, we have enough to prove that He is truly God. He is Lord of All.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do you want to know Him?
Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no man comes to the Father, except through Him. "And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." (Act 4:12)

If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. Your first step is to repent and pray like this from a sincere heart:

HEAVENLY FATHER,
I have sinned against you.
I want forgiveness for all my sins.
I believe that Jesus died on the cross for me and rose again.
Father, I give you my life to do with as you wish. I want Jesus Christ to come into my life and into my heart. This I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

If you repented and prayed this sincerely from your heart, then you are a child of God. You have a relationship with the Lord. Now cultivate that relationship and produce the fruit of repentance. Like any other personal relationship, this one requires you to spend time with Him for it to grow more intimate. So spend time daily, seeking the Lord, calling upon Jesus name, repenting of any sin in your life, talking to Him and listening to His voice. Read His Word, the Bible, in order to see what God wants for your life and all the wonderful promises He has given you. As soon as possible, you need to tell someone that you have given your life to Jesus. Join with other loving believers who believe the Bible and preach the good news of salvation in Jesus alone, be water baptized, and find a place of service in that loving community.  Be sure and share the good news of Jesus with those who don’t know Him, and live faithfully for the Lord all your life. 

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Len Lacroix is the founder and Executive Director of Doulos Missions International. He is based in Eastern Europe, where he is helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, and planting churches that multiply. www.dmiworld.org