Is Jesus God? What The Bible And Jesus Himself Say

Almost everyone agrees Jesus was a real person, and most people think He was a good teacher. But Christianity makes a much bigger claim: that Jesus of Nazareth is God — not a lesser god, not a prophet who became divine, but God the Son, who became human.

Is that what the Bible actually says? And did Jesus ever claim it Himself? Let's look.

What the New Testament writers said

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:1

A few verses later John tells us who the Word is: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The other writers say the same thing in different ways:

• “For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9).
• He is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3).
• “Our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13).
• “Though he was in the form of God”, He humbled Himself and became a servant (Philippians 2:6–7).

What Jesus said about Himself

Jesus rarely said the exact words “I am God” — but His listeners understood exactly what He was claiming.

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”

John 8:58

“I am” was the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The crowd picked up stones to kill Him (John 8:59) — the penalty for blasphemy. When He said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), they tried again, saying it was “because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33).

What Jesus did that only God does

• He forgave sins. When Jesus told a paralysed man his sins were forgiven, the religious leaders asked, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:5–7). Exactly.
• He accepted worship. Angels and apostles refuse worship (Acts 10:25–26; Revelation 22:8–9). Jesus received it — from the disciples in the boat (Matthew 14:33) and from Thomas, who called Him “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28).
• He claimed authority over life and death. “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25) — and then He raised Lazarus.
• He rose from the dead. Paul says the resurrection declared Him to be the Son of God in power (Romans 1:4).

His enemies understood His claims better than many of His admirers do today. That's why they picked up stones.

Fully God and fully human

The Bible is just as clear that Jesus was truly human. He was born, grew, got hungry and tired, wept, and died (Luke 2:52; John 4:6; John 11:35). He was “in every respect … tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). Christians confess that He is one person with two natures — fully God and fully man — not half of each.

Why it matters

• Only God can save. If Jesus were merely a good man, His death couldn't pay for the sins of the world. Because He is God, His sacrifice is enough (see What Is The Gospel?).
• We know what God is like. “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). If you want to know God's heart, look at Jesus.
• He's worthy of everything. If Jesus is God, He isn't just a teacher to admire. He's a Lord to follow.

“Just a good teacher” isn't an option

C. S. Lewis famously argued in Mere Christianity that, given what Jesus claimed, calling Him merely a great moral teacher doesn't work. A man who said what He said was either deceived, deceiving — or telling the truth. The question each of us has to answer is the one Jesus asked His disciples: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).

For how the Father, Son and Holy Spirit relate, read What Is The Trinity?