Did Jesus claim to be God?
Question 3048
Some claim that Jesus never actually said He was God – that this was a later invention by the Church. They point out that Jesus often called Himself the “Son of Man” and referred to God as His Father, suggesting distinction rather than identity. Is this accurate? Did Jesus actually claim to be God, or did His followers exaggerate His status after His death?
What the Evidence Shows
The Gospels record numerous occasions where Jesus made claims that, in a first-century Jewish context, amounted to claims of deity. These are not ambiguous statements that Christians later reinterpreted. They are declarations that Jesus’ original hearers understood perfectly well – which is precisely why they wanted to kill Him.
Jesus Claimed Divine Prerogatives
Perhaps the clearest category of evidence involves Jesus claiming rights and abilities that belong to God alone. Consider forgiveness of sins. When the paralytic was lowered through the roof, Jesus said, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5). The scribes immediately recognised the problem: “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7). They were absolutely right. Only the one offended can forgive an offence. All sin is ultimately against God (Psalm 51:4), so only God can forgive it. Jesus did not correct the scribes’ theology – He proved His authority to forgive sins by healing the man.
Jesus also claimed authority over the Sabbath, which God had instituted. “The Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:28). Only the one who established the Sabbath could claim lordship over it. He claimed authority to judge all humanity (Matthew 25:31–46; John 5:22, 27). The final judgment is God’s prerogative. For Jesus to claim that He would sit on a glorious throne and separate the nations like a shepherd separates sheep from goats is an unambiguous claim to divine authority.
He accepted worship. When Thomas fell before Him and exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28), Jesus did not rebuke him but accepted the declaration. Compare this with Peter refusing worship from Cornelius (Acts 10:25–26) or the angel refusing worship from John (Revelation 19:10; 22:8–9). Creatures rightly refuse worship; Jesus accepted it because He is not merely a creature.
Jesus Made Explicit Claims
Beyond claiming divine prerogatives, Jesus made explicit statements about His identity. The most famous is John 8:58: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” The response of His hearers is instructive: “So they picked up stones to throw at him” (John 8:59). Why such violent reaction? Because they understood exactly what Jesus claimed. “I am” (ἐγὼ εἰμί, ego eimi) echoes the divine name revealed to Moses at the burning bush: אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה (Ehyeh asher ehyeh), “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Jesus claimed eternal, self-existent being – the very nature of God.
This was not an isolated statement. Throughout John’s Gospel, Jesus made seven great “I am” declarations with predicates: “I am the bread of life” (6:35), “I am the light of the world” (8:12), “I am the door” (10:9), “I am the good shepherd” (10:11), “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25), “I am the way, and the truth, and the life” (14:6), and “I am the true vine” (15:1). These claims are extraordinary. He did not say He would show the way – He is the way. He did not say He would give life – He is the life. He did not say He would provide bread – He is the bread.
Jesus also declared, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Again, His hearers understood. They picked up stones to kill Him for blasphemy, “because you, being a man, make yourself God” (John 10:33). Jesus did not say, “You misunderstand me – I’m not claiming to be God.” Instead, He doubled down, pointing to His works as evidence of His divine mission.
At His trial, when the high priest asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” Jesus replied, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven” (Mark 14:61–62). The high priest tore his robes and declared it blasphemy. There was no confusion about what Jesus claimed.
Jesus’ Relationship to the Father
Jesus’ constant reference to God as His Father is itself a claim to deity, rightly understood. He did not say “our Father” when speaking of His own relationship to God but “my Father” – distinguishing His unique Sonship from the derived sonship of believers. When He taught His disciples to pray, He gave them the words “Our Father” (Matthew 6:9); when He prayed, He said “My Father” (Matthew 26:39). The relationship is different.
John 5:18 makes the significance clear: Jesus “was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.” In the Jewish understanding, for a son to claim a unique filial relationship with God was to claim participation in God’s nature. Jesus affirmed this equality while also affirming distinction: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). The Father and Son are distinct persons but share the same divine nature.
The Testimony of the New Testament Writers
The earliest Christians, many of whom knew Jesus personally, clearly taught His deity. Paul, writing in the 50s AD – within two decades of the crucifixion – affirmed that in Christ “the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9). He called Jesus “our great God and Saviour” (Titus 2:13). The author of Hebrews declared that the Father said to the Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Hebrews 1:8). Peter called Him “our God and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1).
These writers were Jews, committed monotheists who confessed daily, “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). They would never have worshipped a creature or attributed deity to a mere man. Their confession of Jesus as God reflects what they learned from Jesus Himself and from His resurrection, which vindicated all His claims.
Conclusion
The notion that Jesus never claimed to be God cannot survive contact with the Gospel evidence. He claimed authority to forgive sins, to judge humanity, and to give eternal life. He accepted worship. He declared Himself the “I AM.” His hearers repeatedly understood Him to be claiming deity and tried to kill Him for blasphemy. Either Jesus was who He claimed to be, or He was a blasphemer and deceiver. There is no comfortable middle ground where He was simply a good teacher who made no divine claims. As C.S. Lewis famously argued, Jesus is either Lord, liar, or lunatic. The Gospels leave us no other option.
“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30
Bibliography
- Bowman, Robert M., and J. Ed Komoszewski. Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ. Kregel, 2007.
- Carson, D.A. The Gospel According to John. Pillar New Testament Commentary. Eerdmans, 1991.
- Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology. Zondervan, 1994.
- Harris, Murray J. Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus. Baker Academic, 1992.
- Lewis, C.S. Mere Christianity. HarperCollins, 1952.
- Walvoord, John F. Jesus Christ Our Lord. Moody Publishers, 1969.
