Is Jesus God?
This is a very controversial question. And I struggled with this for a long time. In my opinion, from what I have learned and researched, my answer to this is that I believe that Jesus was born as a human being (created by God not from normal human conception) Born of the Virgin Mary and while he was here on earth he was God in the Flesh (God incarnate). Now to those that do not believe this, they will tell you that nowhere in the Bible does Jesus state he is God and that is true, however, Jesus never said a lot of things directly, but there are numerous verses that support that he was and did state it indirectly. I will list some of them below, but first let me address who I believe God is and what his name is. Is his name "ELOHIM" (or Elohay) meaning strength? Is it YHVH meaning LORD, is it Jehovah? Yes. The Bible states these names clearly. However, God, being referred to "I am" is one of the most important reasons for understanding Jesus to be God incarnate. To understand why, let's first go back to the Old Testament where Moses talked with God at the Burning bush. When Moses asked;
" ...Indeed when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM" And He said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you" Exodus 3:13-14
The importance of the words "I Am" is again pointed out in the book of John. In the context of John 8:56, the people of Jerusalem were asking Jesus if He was greater than Abraham. Jesus responded by telling them;
"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad." John 8:56
When the Jews responded to Jesus telling Him he wasn't even 50 years old yet, how could you have seen Abraham? Jesus responded;
"Verily Verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." John 8:58 (emphasis added)
At this point they sought to kill Jesus because they felt he was stating he WAS God when he said I AM. In all of the scriptures, whenever the religious leaders accused Jesus of being God, Jesus never corrected them. Also, in John 8:19, Jesus said;
"You know neither me nor my father. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also".
Even from the Old Testament, Jesus was prophesied to be God. In the book of Isaiah it reads;
"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be
called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Is. 9: 6
The question of Jesus being God in the flesh and the Trinity itself is a very debatable subject. It can be a difficult concept to understand that there are three titles in one essence of being. Some will argue that the word Trinity is nowhere in the Bible. That is true, however the word Bible is nowhere in Scripture either,
should we not belive in the Bible? Bible is a word used to describe Holy Scripture, Trinity is a word that describes the triune God head of the Father, Son and
Holy spirit. Just as we are many things to many people; a Father or Mother, a friend to others, a brother or sister to even others, yet we are one person. The
Trinity is a description of three separate titles to the one being of God;
"For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." 1 John 5:7
There are numerous verses to support that Jesus was God in the flesh, but most convincing verses (in my opinion) is in the book of John, the context of these verses when referring to the 'Word', it's talking about Jesus. It says;
"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 were
made through him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." John 1:1-3.
In John 1:14, it says; "........And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" This "Word" is Jesus. Yes, Jesus ALWAYS WAS! and in the later part of John 1:1 it says, AND THE WORD WAS GOD.
If the 'Word' in these verses is not Jesus, then the obvious question would be, who or what is this "Word that became flesh and dwelt among us?"
Another verse in the book of John states; "I and my Father are one." John 10:30. In Philippians 2 : 5-6 ".....Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ, who was being in the form of God........".
God became man through Jesus so that man could understand Him better. No one has ever seen God the Father. Jesus had to come as a man so that He could set the example of what it is to be totally dependant on God as a human. Jesus showed this when He prayed intensely just before He was taken to be crucified. Why else would Jesus have to pray if He were God? It was because He became man and was taking the responsibility of sin for man which required Him to pray in time of despair. God had to take the form of man through Jesus in order for the forgiveness of sin to be fulfilled. Man sinned and man had to pay the price for sin. Jesus did this. He paid for all of our sins, which is why it is so very important we believe in His sacrifice. When one of the disciples, Philip said to Jesus;
"Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
"Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen
Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? John 14:8-9
This is a very controversial question. And I struggled with this for a long time. In my opinion, from what I have learned and researched, my answer to this is that I believe that Jesus was born as a human being (created by God not from normal human conception) Born of the Virgin Mary and while he was here on earth he was God in the Flesh (God incarnate). Now to those that do not believe this, they will tell you that nowhere in the Bible does Jesus state he is God and that is true, however, Jesus never said a lot of things directly, but there are numerous verses that support that he was and did state it indirectly. I will list some of them below, but first let me address who I believe God is and what his name is. Is his name "ELOHIM" (or Elohay) meaning strength? Is it YHVH meaning LORD, is it Jehovah? Yes. The Bible states these names clearly. However, God, being referred to "I am" is one of the most important reasons for understanding Jesus to be God incarnate. To understand why, let's first go back to the Old Testament where Moses talked with God at the Burning bush. When Moses asked;
" ...Indeed when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say to me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them? And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM" And He said, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you" Exodus 3:13-14
The importance of the words "I Am" is again pointed out in the book of John. In the context of John 8:56, the people of Jerusalem were asking Jesus if He was greater than Abraham. Jesus responded by telling them;
"Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day; and he saw it and was glad." John 8:56
When the Jews responded to Jesus telling Him he wasn't even 50 years old yet, how could you have seen Abraham? Jesus responded;
"Verily Verily I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." John 8:58 (emphasis added)
At this point they sought to kill Jesus because they felt he was stating he WAS God when he said I AM. In all of the scriptures, whenever the religious leaders accused Jesus of being God, Jesus never corrected them. Also, in John 8:19, Jesus said;
"You know neither me nor my father. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also".
Even from the Old Testament, Jesus was prophesied to be God. In the book of Isaiah it reads;
"For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be
called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Is. 9: 6
The question of Jesus being God in the flesh and the Trinity itself is a very debatable subject. It can be a difficult concept to understand that there are three titles in one essence of being. Some will argue that the word Trinity is nowhere in the Bible. That is true, however the word Bible is nowhere in Scripture either,
should we not belive in the Bible? Bible is a word used to describe Holy Scripture, Trinity is a word that describes the triune God head of the Father, Son and
Holy spirit. Just as we are many things to many people; a Father or Mother, a friend to others, a brother or sister to even others, yet we are one person. The
Trinity is a description of three separate titles to the one being of God;
"For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." 1 John 5:7
There are numerous verses to support that Jesus was God in the flesh, but most convincing verses (in my opinion) is in the book of John, the context of these verses when referring to the 'Word', it's talking about Jesus. It says;
"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 were
made through him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." John 1:1-3.
In John 1:14, it says; "........And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory, the glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" This "Word" is Jesus. Yes, Jesus ALWAYS WAS! and in the later part of John 1:1 it says, AND THE WORD WAS GOD.
If the 'Word' in these verses is not Jesus, then the obvious question would be, who or what is this "Word that became flesh and dwelt among us?"
Another verse in the book of John states; "I and my Father are one." John 10:30. In Philippians 2 : 5-6 ".....Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ, who was being in the form of God........".
God became man through Jesus so that man could understand Him better. No one has ever seen God the Father. Jesus had to come as a man so that He could set the example of what it is to be totally dependant on God as a human. Jesus showed this when He prayed intensely just before He was taken to be crucified. Why else would Jesus have to pray if He were God? It was because He became man and was taking the responsibility of sin for man which required Him to pray in time of despair. God had to take the form of man through Jesus in order for the forgiveness of sin to be fulfilled. Man sinned and man had to pay the price for sin. Jesus did this. He paid for all of our sins, which is why it is so very important we believe in His sacrifice. When one of the disciples, Philip said to Jesus;
"Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
"Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen
Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? John 14:8-9
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