As humans, our simple understanding of God leads us to ask questions time and again. The question “Is Jesus God?” is something that Christians frequently consider and discuss. That’s because we often use the word Jesus and God interchangeably to mean the same individual. But is God and Jesus Christ the same person?
Jesus is God, but God and Jesus are not the same person. Jesus (as God incarnate) is the son of God, who took on the human form and was crucified and died for our sins. The best way to see Jesus as God is to look at the Trinity. Jesus, the son of God, means he is fully divine but also fully human. By becoming fully human in all aspects, Jesus suffered the pains and was tempted as a mortal man. But there is only one God, and since Jesus is fully divine, he did things only God can do. He even referred to himself as God. Several scriptures also declare that Jesus is God but not The Father.
What Makes Jesus Different from God?
The Bible reaffirms that everything was created by God through Jesus by saying: “In him, all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers 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” (Colossians 1:16–17).
In short, Jesus is God but not the same person as our LORD because the Trinity consists of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit who are all God yet are distinct from each other.
The Bible says: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God” (John 1:1). God also said “Let us make man in our own image (Genesis 1:26) and Isaiah “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts (44:6). These verses point to two distinct people. But while Jesus and God are separate and distinct persons, Jesus remains one in purpose and origin with God.
What Does the Bible Say About Jesus?
Jesus Claimed To Be God
When Jesus started his ministry, he made several references that he was God, and most people, including the disciples, didn’t believe him at first. He claimed to be God when he said “I AM” (John 8:58). In this case, Jesus was declaring that he was the eternal God incarnate and equating himself with the “I AM” title for God mentioned in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:14). Because of this statement, the priests tried to kill Him for blasphemy because he was a mere man yet claimed to be God (John 10:33).
Jesus also emphasized the “I AM” to prove that he was God when he combined it with other phrases/metaphors pointing to YHWH’s immense power. For example: “I AM the Bread of Life” and “I AM the Light of the World” (John 6:35, 48; 8:12). In two other instances, Jesus the son of God told His disciples, “The Father and I are one” and “whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 10:30; 14:9).
Furthermore, when Jesus healed a paralyzed man, he told him your sins are forgiven. The teachers of the law were shocked because they knew that only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:5-7). In these passages, Jesus claimed to be one with God in the sense of being equal to Him.
Jesus Has Victory Over Sin And Death
Jesus is God in the flesh who died for our sins so that we could have a relationship with Him. The Bible says Christ came in the flesh to die and defeat sin (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24), and He will appear a second time (Hebrews 9:28) to restore the Kingdom of God here on earth. In this context, God has saved us from physical death, and we get eternal life due to his infinite nature.
The book of John also reiterates the concept that Jesus is God in the flesh: “The Word was God” and “the Word became flesh” (John 1:1-14). However, salvation further proves that Christ, who died on the cross, was indeed God. That’s because a mortal man cannot defeat death. So, Jesus’ victory over death further serves as proof of who he was. Besides, God’s divine nature made it possible for him to be sinless, but he had to be human to represent us and be the true atonement that reconciles believers with God.
The Bible says, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). This verse declares that God bought the church with His blood by sending Jesus to die on the cross.
Jesus Is the Light Of Life
Jesus claimed to be the light of life when he said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Since God is our creator and the source of life, then by claiming to be the light of life, Jesus shows us that he is our spiritual life. Christ also declared that he was identical to God in honor, love, life and death, work, judgment, and power (John 5). He is also the embodiment of both life and light (John 1:4).
God as the source of life is reiterated when Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:21-24). When Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” he meant he’s the source of both. Without him, there’s no eternal life. He is the light of eternal life and those who believe in him will never walk in spiritual darkness.
What Does the Bible Say About God?
The names given to God show us the extent of His power and character. He is the Everlasting Father, Alpha, and the Omega, the Wonderful Counselor. But his name, King of Kings, shows he is the God of all nations. The book of Revelation, on two occasions, calls Jesus the “Lord of lords” and “King of kings” (Revelation 17:14; 19:16). The title also refers to God the Father (1 Timothy 6:15).
This name indicates someone who has the power to exercise absolute dominion over His entire realm. In the case of God, the realm is all of creation, including everything on earth and in heaven. Only God has this absolute rule and power over all leaders and nations.
Several scriptures also point to God as the Alpha and Omega to represent the comprehensiveness of God (Revelation 1:8; 21:6; 22:13; Isaiah 46:10; Ecclesiastes 3:11). Jesus as the beginning and end of all things is a reference to the one true God (Revelation 22:13). As God incarnate, Jesus has no beginning or end. The Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End show God’s unchanging nature.
Conclusion
It’s easy to see Jesus and God as two distinct divine beings. However, Jesus and God are one in the sense that the Trinity consists of three persons that are all God, while still being distinct from each other. Several New and Old Testament scriptures also point to Jesus as God because he is fully divine. Christ also declared He was indeed God.
