🧔🏽‍♀️ Jesus IS God

Several biblical authors directly apply the title of "God" (Theos in Greek) to Jesus.

Explicit Declarations of Deity

• "¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... ¹⁴The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."

  — John 1:1, 14

  This establishes that the "Word" who became flesh—Jesus—is God.

• "²⁸Upon seeing the resurrected Jesus, Thomas declares to Him, 'My Lord and my God!'"

  — John 20:28

  Jesus accepts this title and blesses Thomas for His belief.

• "⁹For in Jesus all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form."

  — Colossians 2:9
• "...¹³while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ."

  — Titus 2:13
• "⁸But about the Son He says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever...'"

  — Hebrews 1:8

  In this chapter, God the Father is speaking directly to God the Son.

"I Am" Statements

In the Old Testament, God reveals His personal name to Moses at the burning bush as "I AM WHO I AM" (Exodus 3:¹⁴). Jesus repeatedly applies this specific phrase to Himself, which the religious leaders of His day recognised as a claim to equality with God.

• "²⁸So Jesus said, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He and that I do nothing on My own but speak just what the Father has taught Me.' ... ⁵⁸'Very truly I tell you,' Jesus answered, 'before Abraham was born, I am!'"

  — John 8:28, 58

  The immediate response of the Jewish leaders was to pick up stones to stone Him for blasphemy, because He was claiming the divine name.

• "⁶²'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.'"

  — Mark 14:62

  "⁷⁰They all asked, 'Are you then the Son of God?' He replied, 'You say that I am.'"

  — Luke 22:70

  When the high priest asked if He was the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One, Jesus replied with the divine name. Riding the clouds was a well-known Old Testament symbol of God's authority (Daniel 7:13-14).

• "³⁰I and the Father are one."

  — John 10:30

  Again, the subsequent verses (John 10:31-33) show the leaders attempting to stone Him, explicitly stating their reason: "...because you, a mere man, claim to be God."

Creator and Sustainer

These verses attribute the functions of God—creating and holding the universe together—to Jesus.

Note that "first born" here translates from prototokos, which refers to rank, preeminence, and the rights of the heir, not to being a created being, as the text confirms He created all things. Only God is eternal ("before all things") and omnipotent enough to sustain the universe. This passage identifies Him as the "beginning," ensuring He has supremacy in everything.

Jesus calls Himself "the ruler [or beginning/origin] of God's creation." The Greek word arche means the source, origin, or chief. He is the architect of creation, matching the description in Colossians 1.

Actions and Attributes Reserved for God Alone

The Bible attributes certain characteristics and actions exclusively to God. The New Testament writers directly apply these same actions and attributes to Jesus.

• Creator of the Universe:

  Genesis 1:1 says God created the heavens and the earth. However, Colossians 1:¹⁶ says of Jesus:

  "¹⁶For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible ... all things have been created through Him and for Him."

  — Colossians 1:16

• Forgiving Sins:

  In Mark 2:5-7, Jesus tells a paralysed man, "Son, your sins are forgiven." The teachers of the law react by thinking, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Jesus then heals the man to prove He has the authority on earth to forgive sins.

  "⁵When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralysed man, 'Son, your sins are forgiven.' ... ⁷'Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?'"

  — Mark 2:5, 7

• Eternal and Unchanging:

  Hebrews 13:8 states that Jesus is eternal and unchanging, an attribute of eternal immutability that belongs only to God (Malachi 3:6).

  "⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever."

  — Hebrews 13:8

• The First and the Last:

  In Isaiah 44:6, God says, "I am the First and I am the Last; apart from Me there is no God." In Revelation 22:13, Jesus claims this exact title:

  "¹³I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End."

  — Revelation 22:13

Receiving Worship

Throughout the Bible, a strict boundary is drawn: only God is to be worshipped. When men (Acts 10:25-26) or angels (Revelation 22:8-9) are offered worship, they immediately reject it and tell the person to worship God alone. Jesus, however, freely accepts worship.

• "³³Then those who were in the boat worshipped Him, saying, 'Truly you are the Son of God.'"

  — Matthew 14:33
• "⁹They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshipped Him."

  — Matthew 28:9
• "⁶And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says, 'Let all God's angels worship Him.'"

  — Hebrews 1:6
• "¹³Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: 'To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honour and glory and power, for ever and ever!' ¹⁴The four living creatures said, 'Amen,' and the elders fell down and worshipped."

  — Revelation 5:13-14

  All of creation is depicted worshipping both the Father (the One sitting on the throne) and the Son (the Lamb) equally.