Oddbean

I’ve recently had discussions with several people about the deity of Jesus Christ. They did not believe Jesus was God. I believe that the Bible claims Jesus is God and is part of the trinity (3 persons in one God). I know the 3-in-1 nature of God is confusing and hard to understand, but who wants to worship a God that is totally understandable by our human and mortal minds? I want to worship a God who is so awesome that we, the creatures, cannot fully comprehend Him because He is so much more than we have ever seen or imagined. Now let’s go through multiple Scriptural evidences that Jesus is God. I don't want you to take my word that Jesus is God. I want you to believe it because the Bible says it and therefore God says it. ## The Basic Claims of Jesus Let’s start with the basics. In John 10:30 Jesus says "*I and the Father are one*.”\ \ This sure sounds like Jesus is claiming to be God. I know some people claim that this is just Jesus saying that He is one with God or that they have the same goals. I find this interpretation to be hard to believe because I think Jesus speaks clearly and the most obvious interpretation is usually the intended meaning especially when you are speaking of God’s word. He created man and created the ability to communicate. I don’t believe He would ever speak unclearly or in a way that would lead people to blasphemy. The most obvious interpretation of what Jesus meant is that He is one with God. > "**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’?" (John 14:7-9) {Emphasis Mine} Jesus says knowing Him is knowing the Father and if you have seen Him you have seen the Father. This can only be true if they are one. Some may say that Jesus is just saying that seeing Him is like seeing God the Father because they are acting in agreement, but this once again is not the most obvious interpretation and I do not believe that God the Father or Jesus would speak in a misleading or unclear manner that could lead people astray.\ \ Even back in Genesis there is reference to the trinitarian nature of God. Genesis 1:26a says, "*Then God said, ‘Let **Us** make man in Our image, according to **Our** likeness’*" God refers to Himself in the plural. There are lots of other similar references in the Old Testament. This is early evidence of the trinitarian nature of God that was not clearly revealed until the New Testament (just as His plan for salvation was not revealed until the New Testament). > "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**.” Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘**I am the Son of God**’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that **the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.**” (John 10:32-38) {Emphasis Mine} In this passage the Jews accuse Jesus of "*blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God*.” Jesus is being accused of claiming to be God, but Jesus does not deny being God. He says He does His miracles "*so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.*” Jesus continues to claim to be God. Even if it is possible to explain Jesus’s claim “*that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father*” could mean that they have the same goals, it would be incomprehensible for Jesus to make an unclear statement that sounds like a claim to be God if He wasn’t while being accused of claiming to be God. If He isn't God, then He is guilty of blasphemy and can't save anyone. He doesn't allow people to think He is a good man, a prophet, or a teacher, but not God.[1](#footnote-1) Jesus’s biggest claim to be God is probably: > Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58) Jesus started His statement with “*Truly, Truly*” (literally Amen, Amen). This repetition is used in Hebrew literature as an emphasis to mean pay attention to this statement. Then He claims “*before Abraham was born, I am*.” This is a doubly stunning statement because Abraham had died more than a thousand years before Jesus was physically born and because “*I am*” is what God told Moses to call Him at the burning bush. > Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “**I AM WHO I AM**”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘**I AM** has sent me to you.’ ” (Exodus 3:13-14) Jesus claimed the exalted name of God for Himself while claiming to exist since before Abraham. If Jesus is good, then Jesus must be God. ## The Example of Godly Men and Angels Let’s look at how angels and godly people react when accused of being or believed to be God. When Paul & Silas were preaching in Lystra, the people thought they were gods because of the miracles they were performing through God’s power. Their response made it crystal clear that they were not to be worshipped. > But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, **they tore their robes and rushed out** into the crowd, crying out and saying, “Men, why are you doing these things? **We are also men of the same nature as you**, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. (Acts 14:14-15) {Emphasis Mine} They didn’t reply that they were God’s messengers or working through God’s power and will. They said, “*why are you doing these things? We are also men of the same nature as you*.” There was no lack of clarity and they cleared up the misunderstanding as fast as possible. When Peter was sent to Cornelius in answer to Cornelius’s prayer, Cornelius fell down to worship Peter, but Peter instantly made it clear that this was wrong. > When Peter entered, Cornelius met him, and fell at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter raised him up, saying, “Stand up; **I too am just a man**.” (Acts 10:25-26) {Emphasis Mine} There was no mistake in his response that would allow anyone to think he was god. Peter gave God alone the glory. We can even look at the example of an angel sent by God when John mistakenly fell at the angel’s feet to worship him: > Then he said to me, “Write, ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.’ ” And he said to me, “These are true words of God.” Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “**Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God**. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:9-10) {Emphasis Mine} The angel would not allow anyone to worship him even though he was a great messenger of God. ## Jesus’s Response to Worship Let’s contrast these responses to Jesus’s responses. > One of the synagogue officials named Jairus came up, and on seeing Him, **fell at His feet** and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” **And He went off with him**; and a large crowd was following Him and pressing in on Him. (Mark 5:22-24) {Emphasis Mine} Notice that Jesus did not rebuke Jairus for falling at His feet. He went to help him with the ultimate miracle, healing his servant. > But after hearing of Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and **fell at His feet**. Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And He was saying to her, “Let the children be satisfied first, for it is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered and \*said to Him, “Yes, **Lord**, *but* even the dogs under the table feed on the children’s crumbs.” And He said to her, “Because of this answer go; the demon has gone out of your daughter.” (Mark 7:25-29) {Emphasis Mine} This woman fell at Jesus’s feet and called Him Lord (Adonai), but Jesus did not correct her. He gave to her her request because she believed in Him. In the same way: > Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and **fell at His feet**, saying to Him, “**Lord**, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:32) {Emphasis Mine} Mary also fell at Jesus’s feet and called Him Lord without being corrected. Jesus accept this worship because He rightly deserved the worship and being called Lord because He is God. He confirmed His right to have people fall at His feet because He followed it up with raising Lazarus from the dead. In this next passage, a man didn’t just fall at Jesus’s feet or call Him Lord, this man worshipped Jesus. > Jesus heard that they had put him out, and finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “**Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him**?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “**Lord, I believe**.” And **he worshiped Him**. And Jesus said, “For judgment I came into this world, so that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.” (John 9:35-39) {Emphasis Mine} This man believed that Jesus was Lord and God and worshipped Him as such. Jesus did not reprimand this man for worshipping him instead of God. He accepted the worship and rebuked the hard hearted Pharisees that were in attendance. When Jesus was walking on water past the boat holding his disciples, and Peter called out to Him. Jesus called Peter out to join Him. When Peter began to sink in unbelief, Jesus rescued him and calmed the sea. Then: > When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And **those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are certainly God’s Son**!” (Matthew 14:32-33) {Emphasis Mine} This is yet another example of Jesus being worshipped and accepting the worship rather than rebuking them for worshipping a false god. If Jesus was just a man. This would be sin, but 2 Corinthians 5:21 says of Jesus, “*He made **Him who knew no sin** to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him*.” If Jesus is sinless, He has to be God because He accepted the worship of people. In the Ten Commandments: > “You shall have **no other gods before Me**.\ > “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. **You shall not worship them or serve them**; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, (Exodus 20:3-5) {Emphasis Mine} God makes it perfectly clear that nobody can be worshipped other than Himself. The fact that Jesus repeatedly allows people to fall at His feet and worship Him means He is either God, a blasphemer and the worst of sinners, or a madman. He has not left us any other options. There are multiple additional examples of Jesus being worshipped and accepting worship. Right after being raised from the dead: > And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and **took hold of His feet and worshiped Him**. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.” (Matthew 28:9-10) {Emphasis Mine} When His disciples “*took hold of His feet and worshiped Him*,” His response was “*Do not be afraid*” instead of “Do not worship me.” > **When they saw Him, they worshiped Him**; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to **observe all that I commanded you**; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:17-20) {Emphasis Mine} Jesus’s response to being worshipped is to say that He has “*All authority … in heaven and on earth*” and to tell them to “*observe all that I commanded you*.” If He was only a godly man, he would have rebuked the worshippers not talked about His authority and commands. > While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after **worshiping Him**, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God. (Luke 24:51-53) {Emphasis Mine} I think I’ve have given plenty of examples to show that Jesus accepted worship and therefore is either God or a blaspheming sinner. No good man or Godly teacher would ever allow another to worship him without rebuking them. ## The Word Made Flesh > **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.... 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. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a **higher rank** than I, for **He existed before me**.’ ” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through **Jesus Christ**. " (John 1:1-4, 14-17) {Emphasis Mine} “**In the beginning was the Word**” refers to before time and space began. This refers to God, the first cause of all things that exist. The Word "*was with God*" and "*was God*" and "*All things came into being through Him*" (aka He is creator). These verses are explicitly saying that the Word is God and implying He is God since He is the creator. At the end of the verse it is made clear who “*The Word*” is. John is referring to Jesus Christ as “*The Word*.” John the Baptist also refers to Jesus as God when he talks of His higher rank and that Jesus existed before John (Other gospels say John was physically born first, so this refers to Jesus existing well before His physical birth). The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God and I am seriously concerned that anyone who denies Jesus’s deity will be one of those referred to in this passage: > Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:22-23) If you are one of those who believes that Jesus is only a good man, a good teacher, a prophet, or a righteous man created for God’s purpose, I beg you to do like these Christians who were praised for their actions: > Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so. (Acts 17:11) Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ, Christy Bible verses are NASB (New American Standard Bible) 1995 edition unless otherwise stated FYI, I’ve included this extended passage without commentary because it is an excellent passage describing the trinity and including God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. > 8Philip \*said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9Jesus \*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’? 10Do you not believe that **I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me**? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works. 11Believe Me that **I am in the Father and the Father is in Me**; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. 12Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. 13Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. > > 15 “If you love Me, you will **keep My commandments**. > > 16 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; 17that is the **Spirit of truth**, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but **you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you**. > > 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19After a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me; because I live, you will live also. 20In that day you will know that **I am in My Father, and you in Me**, and I in you. 21**He who has My commandments and keeps them** is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” (John 14:8-21) {Emphasis Mine} This post is scheduled to publish on Sunday, September 15th on my [Trust Jesus Substack](https://trustjesus.substack.com/), but is being published early on nostr due to a discussion that occurred here.